Good afternoon sisters. It sure felt like we had
come home finally after three Sundays of not having regular meetings.
THOUGHT: “...I firmly believe that by reason of neglect
of this simple requirement, faith has diminished in the hearts of some our
people—that, by a more general observance of the Word of Wisdom, faith will be
increased among the Latter-day Saints, and greater knowledge will flow to us as
a result; for by obedience to it, there will come a disposition to obey other
laws of our Father, and compliance with each insures a blessing.”
President George Albert Smith
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Thursday, Oct 18th
will be our RS Temple Day for the 10 am session. Meet in the chapel
(lunch after in the cafeteria if you are able).
- Friday, Oct 19th
– 11 am., Mommy Mingle at the pond behind Lone Peak HS. Bring your
kids, a sack lunch and some bread to feed the ducks!
- Saturday, Oct. 20th
– Birthday Brunch at Lupe's home, at 10 am. 1245 N 1150 E. Mexican
Brunch.
- Thursday, Oct. 25th
“Things that Matter Most”, at 7 pm; meet at Sarah H. home. A
visit to the Genealogy Center to set up your log in, Family Search, Learn
to index, & more. Details to follow...
- Thursday, Nov. 29th,
6:30 pm at the A-Frame church across the street, “Circled in His Footsteps”
Mark your calendars for an amazing dinner & photo presentation of the
Holy Land by Amy Nelson!
- Cannery Assignment. See Brother Moon for
more info.
- Blood Drive: also see Brother Moon
for more info.
- Sisters, be sure to
visit the Relief Society Blog. There are new additions and changes. Http://manila12thwardrs.blogspot.com
BIRTHDAYS: Oct. 8th – Sally J.; Oct. 10th
– Camie B., Carol B. and Melissa B.. Oct. 17th – Alison
R.; Oct 20th – Lindsey H. and Angie T. Happy birthday to
all.
Our lesson today was presented by Tiffany
Weight, fro George Albert Smith manual, lesson 19 “ Temporal and Spiritual
Blessings from the Word of Wisdom”.
Sisters, it feels like it's been a long time
since we last met. I am grateful for the spirit of the testimonies and the General
Conference talks. For the specific messages and counsel from the Brethren that
we received. The personal loving counsel from our Heavenly Father.
If you have your scriptures, please turn to
Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. If you do not, I have put it on the
back of the handout.
In the beginning of the lesson, George Albert
Smith talks about when he was a child. “he was afflicted with typhoid
fever. He doctor who diagnosed him told his mother that he should stay in bed
for three weeks, eat no solid food, and drink some coffee. President Smith
later recalled:
“When he went away, I told mother that I
didn't want any coffee. I had been taught that the Word of Wisdom, given by the
Lord to Joseph Smith, advised us not to use coffee.
“Mother had brought three children into the
world and two had died. She was unusually anxious about me.
“Young George Albert Smith asked instead for
a priesthood blessing, which he received from his home teacher.
“When the doctor came the next morning I was
playing outside with the other children. He was surprised. He examined me and
discovered that my fever was gone and that I seemed to be well.
“I was grateful to the Lord for my recovery.
I was sure that he had healed me.”
Woven through out the manual, we see the faith
and testimony being reflected in his choices and experiences.
“President Smith wanted the Saints to understand
that obedience to the Word of Wisdom brings not only physical health but
spiritual blessings as well.”
The approach I would like to take today is not
only the Dos and Don'ts, but also the blessings of the
Word of Wisdom.
Word of Wisdom.
Shanae read: A Ward of Wisdom, for the
benefit of the council of high priests. Assembled in Kirtland, and the church,
and also the saints in Zion--
To be sent greetings; not by commandment or
constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order
and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days--
Given for a principle with promise, adapted to
the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be
called saints.
This is an introduction from the Prophet Joseph
Smith when he had gone to the Lord, pondered the subject of tobacco being used
by some of the men. This revelation then came to me.
“Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto
you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts
of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by
giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation--” The Lord
describes our day. This is personal counsel from Heavenly Father to protect us.
Alisa: “That inasmuch as any man drinketh
wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet
in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up
your sacraments before him.
“And, behold, this should be wine, yea,
pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
“And, again, strong drinks are not for the
belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
“And again, tobacco is not for the body,
neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and
all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
“And again, hot drinks are not for the
body or belly.
These are the don'ts. The things that are
harmful and we ought to avoid.
Luone: “And again, verily I say unto you, all
wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of
man--
“Every herb in the season thereof, and
every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and
thanksgiving.
“Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the
fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with
thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
“And it is pleasing unto me that they
should not be used, only in times of winter or of cold, or famine.
“All grain is ordained for the use of man
and of beasts, to be the staff of life not only for man but for the beasts of
the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on
the earth;
“And these hath God made for the use of
man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
“All grain is good for the food of man; as
also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or
above the ground--
“Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for
the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for
all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild
drinks, as also other grain.
Quite an extensive list of good things to
partake. In most articles about the Church it refers to the restrictions of the
word of wisdom. Maybe we need to share more of the blessings that come from
obeying.
In the manual on page 204 President Smith said, “I
look upon the Word of Wisdom as kind advice of our Father in heaven, who
desires to see His children become more like Him....I take it as the fatherly
counsel of one who, knowing what I needed, said to me: “My son, these things
are not good for you, and if you will avoid them I will give you the
companionship of my Holy Spirit and joy while you live in the world and in the
end eternal life.” How foolish I would be then to partake of these forbidden
things, having the assurance that it is the counsel of the Lord I should
abstain therefrom. I would feel under condemnation if I should partake of them,
when He who knows better than anybody else says that they are harmful, and has
warned me against them....
“I feel that the Latter-day Saints have in
the Word of Wisdom a law that will exalt them and lift them above those who
fail to keep it.”
Shanel: It's good to focus on the dos. I have a
brother-in-law who never disobeyed the word of wisdom, the don'ts, but he is so
over weight that he can't go to church, never married. Had he obeyed the word
of wisdom, the dos, he might not have the problem he has now. Some people say,
yes, I obey the word of wisdom but I would say no, if they only focus on the
don'ts.
Shanae: On my mission we tried to explain and review
the don't but told them that just a product comes with a manual, this is God's
manual for us. It is Heavenly Father's version of how to take care of our
bodies.
Becca: In our last ward we heard of a Stake President
who had brain cancer. His teenage daughter asked him why if he had obeyed the
word of wisdom, when all his siblings never did, was he suffering. He told her
that because he had obeyed, he was not able to fight the cancer right now and
was still alive when he had been told he would die six months ago. He did die,
but the faith part is the most important part.
Boyd K. Packard: My
patriarchal blessing counseled: “Guard and protect [your body]—take nothing into
it that shall harm the organs thereof because it is sacred. It is the
instrument of your mind and the foundation of your character”
What great counsel.
Alisa: I feel that when I read the word of wisdom, I
feel the love of Heavenly Father to us. This mortal life will give us trials,
but he wants to help us, give us relief by having a healthy body so be able to
cope with the trials. Sometimes I think, if my mind were cloudy because I
didn't obey the word of wisdom, then when I have trials, I would have too much
pain and wouldn't be able to handle it. It gives me perspective.
Lynette: I have had medical challenges, one of which has
to do with my bone marrow. It doesn't produce enough red/white cells properly.
I thought, in the scriptures the Lord says that He will not take away our
burdens, but will give us strength to deal with them. Another of my problems is
that it requires a lot of rest. So even if the burdens are not taken away, I am
given the strength to deal with them.
Robby: I was 24 when I joined the Church. Before that
I lived the life I had been brought up in. Drank, smoked. I had chronic asthma
at the age of 24 and when I saw the doctor, he told me that I had the lungs of
a 74 year old man, don't know why he said man. But it took me 20 years from the
time I joined the Church for my lungs to recover. Since the, I always have been
so grateful that Heavenly Father found me in a city of many people. My daughter
Kristi was born with a hole in her heart. At the age of 18, she started working
and there was a vending machine where she started drinking a coke every day. I
had never allowed my children to drink cola products. Suddenly, after six
months of cokes, her heart started doing funny things. I took her to the
doctor, a heart specialist and he told her that her body was like a Mercedes
Benz and for her to go four weeks without chocolate, colas, caffein. She did,
and it stopped. He said, that it was like putting sand every time, in a
Mercedes Benz. For her it was a real testimony of the word of wisdom. I know it
doesn't say anything about cokes and the Church has come out that it doesn't
say cokes, but these were the words of a heart specialist. We need to use
prudence and wisdom.
Thank you. Let's move on to blessing and
promises. Even non LDS can benefit from the word of wisdom.
Robby: “And all saints who remember to keep
and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive
health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
“And shall find wisdom and great treasures
of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
“And shall run and not be weary, and shall
walk and not faint.
“And I, the Lord, give unto them a
promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of
Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
Thank you. Those are powerful blessings and
promises.
President Smith: “I am fully convinced that
the Lord in His mercy, when He gave us the Word of Wisdom, gave it to us, not
alone that we might have health while we live in the world, but that our faith
might be strengthened, that our testimony of the divinity of the mission of our
Lord and Master might be increased, that thereby we might be better prepared to
return to his presence when our labor here is complete. I fear that as sons and
daughters of Zion we sometimes fail to realize the importance of this great
message to the world.
Karen M: When the revelation was given, we didn't know
what the effect of the don't would have on our bodies. The word of wisdom was
accepted through fiath. My parents didn't keep the word of wisdom but in 1954,
the Reader's Digest told how tobacco might cause cancer. They quit. It was all
done through faith.
Yes, at this time in 1833 it was quite a
restriction on the Church. Now scientific evidence show what the effect can be;
but not then.
Amy W: What I have felt is the most appropriate was to
approach the word of wisdom is still faith. The Lord gives no temporal
commandment that is not also spiritual. I have no faith in science because
there is always a new story. I have faith in Hod and his words. If I do keep
the word of wisdom only because science supports it, then I am missing the
beautiful blessings that Robby read. There is always argument as to why not
keep the word of wisdom, but not if it is kept with faith.
President Smith: “I want to say to you, in my
judgment, that the use of tobacco, a little thing as it seems to some men, has
been the means of destroying their spiritual life, has been the means of
driving from them the companionship of the Spirit of our Father, has alienated
them from the society of good men and women, and has brought upon them the
disregard and reproach of the children that have been born to them, and yet the
devil will say to a man, Oh, it's only a little thing.!”
I love Elder Holland's talk on the Atonement and
love for Christ. Are we going to let one little thing pull us back on living
with faith. I am so struck that the Lord gave us the word of wisdom not only
for health reasons but to build on our faith.
Kristy S: Some think of it as a physical law but not
spiritual. When the adversary attacks us thru our body is because his goal is
to weaken our bodies and therefore weaken our spirit. We have mental, spiritual
protection by having a stronger body.
Pat H: I was going to say the same thing. The spirit
does not function that is being abused by the self. God does not tell us
everything we need to do. The word of wisdom opens more doors to missionary
work. The word of wisdom is identified with the Church because of abstaining. I
believe it is the Lord's main reason: missionary work. When He has told us
something it's because he has a reason. We need to remember that there is a
conspiracy. It will prevent our knowledge of things important for us to know
and understand.
Lynette: He teaches.
Ramona: Our bodies affect our those that follow us.
Whatever source causing polar disorders, etc. Thins now are coming to light.
Holly M: The word of wisdom enables or disables our
decision. We either want to turn our agency to cigarettes, coffee or other
addictions. That is part of the spiritual element of the law. If I obey the
word of wisdom, am I limiting my agency. Are we surrendering control. When we
are out of sync, we don't feel in control.
Billie: Clint and I went to our grandson's game. We
stayed in a beautiful hotel, where a lot of the players were hanging out at the
bar. Our grandson said that the players told him that his Church was so
restrictive. He told them that we can choose to follow, which would make us
better persons. Aftger the game, one player told Clint and Billie that 'I want
yo to know he is a better person than a football player. He is also a good
football player. It's about the guide lines that we choose to follow.
It's a great missionary tool.
Amy S: the promise is that the destroying angel shall
pass by them, and not sly them. As sister Mathis said; many people will still
have struggles. It's a simple command like the children of Israel were told to
paint the blood on their post. Here's our to weigh our obedience and receive
spiritual protection.
I's grateful for all of your comments,
testimonies and thoughts. Grateful to Heavenly Father who loves us and gives us
commandments.
Next weeks lesson is lesson #20 “Temporal
Salvation for Ourselves and Others”.
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