Sunday Morning Summary October 2022

  Jeffrey R. Holland - Lifted Up upon the Cross

See that your works are done by faith. Make your life the symbol of your faith. Taking up the cross means you will deny yourself some things, sacrifice, and even suffer. Discipleship is not cheap and will cost you something. When the cross gets heavy don’t fail, falter, flee, or flinch. The path is going to grow dark. You will be “lifted up” in Christ and blessings will follow like Resurrection followed the Crucifixion.

J. Anette Dennis - His Yoke Is Easy and His Burden Is Light

Be careful of misjudging others. Minister to the wounded and weary with love and compassion. Without charity we are nothing. Pray for it. As disciples of Christ we must be known for our love for each other. Don’t condone sin, but still love. Invite with gentleness and love. Christ will eventually invite with thunderings and earthquakes. Don’t let Satan divide us so we won’t have the power that comes with unity.

Gerrit W. Gong - Happy and Forever

Satan is trying to destroy your belief in “happy ever after” with his noise, and deception. Believe Jesus can heal intergenerational conflict. Do temple work for your ancestors. Focus on how you plan to leave this world, not how you came into it. Surrender pride, hurt and sin to God. Trust Him to make your relationships whole. Focus less on yourself. Judge less. Forgive more. 

Joseph W. Sitati - Patterns of Discipleship

Choose to leave the darkness of the world and live in light.  Accept what you cannot change. Align yourself with eternal realities. To avoid deception, learn God’s patterns. You have been given what you need to know Him, have peace and joy. Find Him in the scriptures. Seek to be meek, then to have faith, then humility then repent and obey. Then you can receive the truth. (in that order).  Pride will destroy your faith. Put your will and body on the altar as Christ did and hold back nothing. Look outward. Make sure you honor daily holy habits. Look to the Lord in every thought. Doubt not. Fear not. Pray for charity, right thinking and confidence before God. Consecrate your service. 

Steven J Lund - Lasting Discipleship

We live in a stunning time of prophesied disruption. Grow in faith. Want to feel the Spirit all the time. Act on your righteous desires with trust in Christ. Increase in spiritual confidence by mindfully attending to and nurturing your daily religious convictions or you’ll lose them. Pray often. Feast on the scriptures. Serve sincerely. Attend church. Experience the power that comes by gathering with others in Christ. “Hear Him” through all the distractions. Stand up against the shifting moral earthquakes. Dedicate time away from the world. Come what may - remain!

David A. Bednar - Put On Thy Strength, O Zion

You must have faith in God and be personally spiritually prepared and willing in order to understand this parable. You can exercise your moral agency and actively ask, seek and knock to learn the truths in this parable. It’s important that you do this. It teaches how to return to God. This is the “reminder” that the opening day of the festivities signally Christ’s return is now being given. All things are ready.  He is the servant sent to us who know we’ve been invited and have accepted the invitation because of the covenants we have made. Leaving the church is not accepting the invitation. It’s time to start making our way to Zion. Don’t make light of this announcement/invitation. The time is now. You’ve had plenty of time to prepare and make ready. Many of us are not worthy to go when the call comes to gather. Many converts are about to come into the church from all corners and walks of life. Many of those we see as “bad” will repent during this last call. They are granted a swift “baptism by fire” by the King, to clothe them in faith and grace because they will have to sacrifice all to convert. There will be those in and out of the church that insist they can come to the feast in their own way and still be admitted. But all must enter through the “door” (think of the new church symbol). He grants the “mighty change” and “remission of sins” that truly set us on the covenant path. We all must be clothed with His charity to attend the final banquet. There is no other way to enter. Don’t forfeit your entry by being distracted by the world. Pray for eyes to see and ears to hear. Pray to be called and chosen. Wake up. Put on the power of godliness. Meet the Savior properly attired and worthy to enter. 

Russell M. Nelson - Overcome the World and Find Rest

 

What is constantly on your mind? Spring into action when you see others in need. Demonstrate your faith and testimony. Experience the love of God. The world is complicated, sin-saturated, self-centered, exhausting, distorted and distracting. Wake up. We are in turmoil! We will soon see the Savior’s power, countless privileges, blessings, and miracles if we are faithful. Spend more time in the temple.  Learn about the special kind of “rest” the Lord has for you. Make it your highest priority to do the spiritual work to have the incomparable privilege of being born again and having your very nature changed. Then watch the miracle happen.  Live the higher laws of Christ. Truly repent. Trust the doctrine of Christ. Delight in and consume truth and denounce deception.  Become one of the “few humble followers of Christ’. Pray to not be deceived. Give away all your sins. Love God more than anyone or anything else. The Lord is preparing you to be able, ready and worthy to receive Him. Choose to be a part of it!