HT’ing
Message: He Is Risen President Henry B. Eyring 1st Counselor in the
First Presidency
A testimony of the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a source of both hope
and determination. And it can be so for any child of God. It was for me on a
summer day in June 1969 when my mother died, it has been all the years since,
and it will be until I see her again.
Sadness from the temporary separation was immediately replaced
with happiness. It was more than a hope for a happy reunion. Because the Lord
has revealed so much through His prophets and because the Holy Ghost has
confirmed the truth of the Resurrection to me, I can see in my mind what it
will be like to be reunited with our sanctified and resurrected loved ones:
“These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the
just. …
“These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and
Christ are the judge of all.
“These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the
mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through
the shedding of his own blood” (D&C
76:65, 68–69).
Because Jesus Christ broke the bands of death, all of the
children of Heavenly Father born into the world will be resurrected in a body
that will never die. So my testimony and yours of that glorious truth can take
away the sting of the loss of a beloved family
member or friend and replace it with joyful anticipation and firm
determination.
The Lord has given all of us the gift of resurrection, whereby
our spirits are placed in bodies free of physical imperfections (see Alma
11:42–44). My mother will appear young and radiant, the effects of age and
years of physical suffering removed. That will come to her and to us as a gift.
But those of us who long to be with her forever must make
choices to qualify for that association, to live where the Father and His
Beloved resurrected Son dwell in glory. That is the only place where family
life can continue eternally. A testimony of that truth has increased my
determination to qualify myself and those I love for the highest degree of the
celestial kingdom through the Atonement of Jesus Christ working in our lives
(see D&C
76:70).
The Lord offers us a guide in this quest for eternal life in the
sacramental prayers that help me and can help you. We are invited to renew our
baptismal covenants in every sacrament
meeting.
We promise to always remember the Savior. The emblems of His
sacrifice help us appreciate the magnitude of the price He paid to break the
bands of death, to offer us mercy, and to provide forgiveness
of all our sins if we choose to repent.
We promise to keep His commandments. Reading the scriptures and
the words of the living prophets and listening to inspired speakers in our
sacrament meetings remind us of our covenants to do so. The Holy Ghost brings
to our minds and hearts the commandments we most need to keep that day.
In the sacramental prayers, God promises to send the Holy Ghost
to be with us (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2; D&C
20:77, 79). I have found in that moment that God can give me what feels
like a personal interview. He brings to my attention what I have done that
pleases Him, my need for repentance and forgiveness, and the names and faces of
people He would have me serve for Him.
Over the years, that repeated experience has turned hope into
feelings of charity and brought an assurance that mercy was unlocked for me by
the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection.
I testify that Jesus is the risen Christ, our Savior, and our
perfect example and guide to eternal life.
Teaching
from This Message
We should “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for
our profit and learning” (1 Nephi
19:23). Consider reading the sacrament
prayers, found in Doctrine
and Covenants 20:76–79. After reading President Eyring’s teachings about
the sacrament prayers, you may want to invite those you are teaching to think
of ways that these prayers can guide their lives and help them return to live
again with Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ.
Youth
Your
Personal Interview with God
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President Eyring teaches that as we listen to the sacrament
prayers, we can feel like we are having a personal interview with God.
President Eyring thinks of the following three areas. Consider writing these
questions in your journal and pondering them each Sunday this month. As you
ponder and receive impressions from the Holy Ghost, you
can also write about those in your journal.
·
What have I done that has pleased God?
·
Whom would God like me to serve?
Children
Always
Remember Jesus
Jacob is trying to “always remember” the Savior (D&C
20:77). Look around his bedroom. What do you notice that might help him
always remember Jesus?
“Can We Comprehend”
cji
4/1/13
The Savior is not
only risen
He’s alive, well and
in meeting
finding to partaking
of bread
allowing others to
touch him
talking and walking
with many;
Wherefore how dare
doubt any
where his praise
found in hymn
once again His Apostles
fed
forty days
multitude’s greeting
opening gates of
spiritual prison!
Copyright © 2013 –
cji
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