LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

After all has been said – we remain with the understanding – that joy is a gift – which like all cherished gifts cannot be earned – but is lovingly given!! ----- What we gain from any experience – probably has as much to do – with how well we have prepared – as much as the event itself!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

When the confirmation of the truth – that joy cannot be achieved – through any earthly experience – we will have taken - a most important step – leading to that feeling – which can only come from drawing closer to God!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

After all the definitions I have read – about the spiritual meaning of joy – my favorite will always be – the feeling we have – when the gulf between heaven and earth – becomes a bit opaque – and – we feel the love of Jesus the Christ!! ----- During those wonderful moments – when I feel the joy which accompanies the bestowal of the Savior’s love upon me – I know the Atonement – bridges the gulf which resulted from the Fall!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

We need to understand – uninspired interpretations – of the signs preceding the Savior’s second coming – will at best be guesses!! ----- Since the foretold events – preceding the Savior’s second coming – remain obscured behind a glass darkly – our time will be better spent – concentrating on those principles – which when adhered to – will bring us joy!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

There may be times – when we are the only one with a lifeline – available to throw – to a struggling neighbor!! ----- The majority of time – Heavenly Father’s Plan – leaves the length of our sojourn in mortality – a mystery – because the Father knows – that if we had this knowledge – it would undoubtedly – alter the way we use our Agency!!

LIVING AFTER THE MANNER OF HAPPINESS

The record of discord which exists in dysfunctional families didn’t begin with the children of Adam and Eve or, if you prefer, the first humanoids to inhabit this planet. As the scriptures claim it even existed in that celestial realm governed by Exalted Beings long before the children of our Eternal Heavenly Parents first set foot on this beautiful world.

War in Heaven

This term arises out of Rev. 12:7 and refers to the conflict that took place in the premortal existence among the spirit children of God. The war was primarily over in what manner and by who’s authority the plan of salvation would be administered to the forthcoming human family upon the earth. The issues involved such things as agency, how to gain salvation, and who should be the Redeemer. The war broke out because one-third of the spirits refused to accept the appointment of Jesus Christ as the Savior. Such a refusal was a rebellion against the Father’s plan of redemption. It was evident that, if given agency, some persons would fall short of complete salvation; Lucifer and his followers wanted salvation to come automatically to all who passed through mortality, without regard to individual preference, agency, or voluntary dedication (see Isa. 14:12–20; Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:4–13; D&C 29:36–38; Moses 4:1–4). The spirits who thus rebelled and persisted were thrust out of heaven and cast down to the earth without mortal bodies, “and thus came the devil and his angels” (D&C 29:37; see also Rev. 12:9; Abr. 3:24–28).

The warfare is continuing in mortality in the conflict between right and wrong, between the gospel and false principles, etc. The same contestants and the same issues are doing battle, and the same salvation is at risk.

Although one-third of the spirits became devils, the remaining two-thirds were not all equally valiant, there being every degree of devotion to Christ and the Father among them. The most diligent were chosen to be rulers in the kingdom (Abr. 3:22–23). The nature of the conflict, however, is such that there could be no neutrals, then or now (Matt. 12:30; 1 Ne. 14:10; Alma 5:38–40). (Bible Dictionary – Authorized King James Version – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

As father Lehi taught, a significant part of the Eternal Plan is the absolute necessity of Agency based on the need for an opposition in all things. Likewise, we don’t have to live very many years on this small earth to understand, when two or more are gathered there will exist a wide variety of opinions on what is the correct way to pass one’s life.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise when the patriarchal control which Lehi had over his sons no longer existed, that the conflict between Laman and Lemuel and those who were loyal to Nephi soon erupted into destructive dysfunctional decay, resulting in Nephi having to take those who followed him many days into a new land which they named Nephi.

In an appealing way, that style of life which Laman and his followers rejected and Nephi and his followers accepted, is beautifully expressed as the manner of happiness (2 Nephi 5:27).

Although we could just say they lived the Gospel of Jesus the Christ and it would cover the principles which led to their blissful living conditions, Nephi gives us a pretty good beginning of a list of characteristics and attributes which unite people and lead to loving and peaceful coexistence.

Obedience to the revelatory promptings of God

Observing to keep the judgements, statues and commandments of the Lord

Industrious and laboring with their hands

Faithful maintenance of historical records, especially noting the things pleasing unto God

Production of arms for protection

Building of sacred Temple

Consecrated teachers and priest

Although Nephi also refers to the characteristics of those who were governed by Laman, I will only mention that they were on the opposite end of the continuum from the attributes held by those who followed Nephi.

Our present day scene abounds with examples of the disunity which continues. There are examples of the discord which exists because of the need for opposition which accompanies Agency. Simply ponder on the present day destructive dysfunctional decay as your read, listen to or watch events reported about families, neighbors, communities, cities and nations minute by minute throughout your day.

In a very subtle way Nephi begins to unfold one of the central themes of the Book of Mormon, which is that since the children of men seem to have a propensity to always have varying views about who, what and why they are right and their brothers and sisters are wrong, the only way to have hope of one day living together after the manner of happiness is to accept that neither thee nor me are wise enough to develop such a plan and, therefore, we need to look to a proven Exalted source.

In chapter 50 verses 22 and 23 of the book of Alma we are given a second witness that the only way of overcoming the divisive destructive dysfunctional tendency which having the gift of Agency coexisting with the necessity of there being an opposition in all things is through faithfulness and obedience to the principles of Heavenly Fathers Plan.

And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.

But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Hopefully, sooner rather than later we will discover when left to our own understandings and intelligences our relationships in the human family will always be individuals who are at some level of dysfunctional divisiveness leading them to destruction and decay and our only hope is to use the Eternal Gift of Agency to choose to live after the manner of happiness.


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Our most important duty – is to lift – edify – and – strengthen – all with whom we come in contact!! ----- It is never a single event – which brings someone – to stand with confidence!! ----- When a person is totally converted – they will not be able to keep themselves – from striving to lift others!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

The work in the Kingdom – was from the very beginning – designed to be done – in committees!! ----- We never know – who the Spirit of the Lord – might be moving upon – therefore – we must be kind – and loving to everyone!! ----- It is a privilege of everyone who holds the Priesthood – to receive direction from He whose Priesthood it is!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

The Lord is more interested – in where we are – and – where we are headed – than where we have been!! ----- We would be both surprised – and – delighted – of how Heavenly Father – and – His son Jesus the Christ – view us – were opened up to our understanding!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

A true testimony – wrought upon us by the Holy Spirit – is so founded – that no buffeting can bring it down!! ----- There seem to be times – when the only thing parents can do – in their stewardship over their children – is to continue to grow in their personal faithfulness!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

None of us are brilliant enough – to know the conversion time table – of our neighbors!! ----- Anyone who has had their spirit – brought to momentary remembrance – of their premortal estate – will with this blessing – take a major step – towards conversion to the Gospel of Jesus the Christ!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

If we were all willing – to do whatever it takes – to aid another on their journey to come unto Christ – mortality would be more meaningful – and – Eternal Life more probable!! ----- The marvelous benefits – which come from living the principles of the Gospel – will never be extinguished – as long as we keep them alive in our homes!!

TESTIMONY BEARING

Although I think about my Thoughts and do some preliminary thinking about what I am going to write during the week, I usually write on Wednesday mornings. On the Wednesday when this Thought was to be written I had a very different experience. I awoke about 3 am in the morning and before I could get back to sleep my brain shifted into the Thought I would be writing today. At 3:30 am I gave up on getting back to sleep so I went down to the computer to write what was going on in my mind.

It wasn’t too long thereafter that as I was reviewing the fourth chapter of Second Nephi that I realize my brain had somehow put some to the words of Alma into the Psalm of Nephi which is one of the ways this chapter is referred to. Now that I have disclosed the frailty of the instrument which attempts to organized and write these Thoughts for a Sabbath Day, I would understand if my readership diminishes.

Once I had my thoughts traveling along the right track and after refreshing myself on what was contained in the Psalm of Nephi and I was once again able to gain what I will loosely call control of my mind. I was impressed with the notion, that although Nephi was trying to subdue the anger of his brothers towards him shortly after his father Lehi’s death, he was doing so by bearing a powerful and strong testimony.

Over the years, as I have studied and listened to what has been taught about bearing testimonies I come to believe in several tenets about the testimonies we have and share with others. As you search the Psalm of Nephi you will easily be able to fit his words into one or more of these categories:

When bearing our testimony of gospel principles our witness will be more powerful if we are specific rather than general in the areas about which we are testifying.

When expressing the challenges we face in life to others we would be wise to use generalities rather than specifics.

Since our knowledge and understanding are constantly in a state of flux our testimonies should reflect that shifting.

We should be careful that we be not deceived into thinking that we have reached our capacity to know the truths of Heavenly Father’s Plan.

There are some spiritual events in our lives that may fall in the category of being so sacred that they should remain in our hearts.

Testimony bearing needs to be adjusted so that it is appropriate to the occasion and the audience to which we are bearing witness.

We should forfeit our personal views about bearing testimony in Sacrament Meeting to the counsel of the Living Apostles and Prophets.

We should be willing to submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit when prompted to bear our testimony.

The bearing of one’s testimony must never become a means for meeting personal needs or seeking honor or admiration from others

We would be wise to acknowledge in our minds and when appropriate as part of our testimonies our recognition of our miniscule understanding when compared to that of Deity

When the audience of our testimony is limited to communicating with our Heavenly Father it should not surprise us if we find ourselves expressing gratitude and pleading for strength to overcome our weaknesses

One of the indications of something having died is that it has ceased to grow, therefore, it would be wise to keep nurturing our sapling testimonies so that they will continue to grow

Although I didn’t know it at the time, in the spring of 2010 I was teaching what would be my last group of students in a formal classroom setting.
(I like to think of my writing in this last phase of my life as an informal teaching situation.) Anyway, one of the members of the class, my friend, Paul Hansen, had been working on a project which led to the production of a replica of the Book of Mormon plates. As part of his project development he had purchased a device which would print on metal plates as directed by a computer program. As a gift to me he offered to print my testimony on a metal plate which was prepared to resemble a gold plate like those used by Mormon and Moroni as they were abridging the history of Lehi’s descendants in the Americas.

As I was writing this Thought I took a moment to review what I had written and what had been engraved on that plate. I quickly realized two very interesting things as I read; First, that during the last eight years I have had many shifts and hopefully taken progressive steps in the content of my testimony. Second, that although there is permanence to what was engraved on that plate, it in no way is representative of my ever progressing beliefs.

As I finish writing this Thought, my prayer is that you might be motivated to spend your Sabbath Day pondering time doing a searching review of the Psalm of Nephi from the fourth chapter of Second Nephi and perhaps even recording with the written word some of your own testimony.


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Rather than condemning them – and – fighting against them – we would be wise – to view all technological advances – as instruments gifted by God – to be used to further the work of the restoration!! ----- Many times a helping hand – is more needed – and – more appreciated – than a well prepared speech!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Young men claim – premature baldness – comes because grass cannot grow on a busy street – old men claim grey – or – silver hair – are signs of wisdom – it is wonderful – to be a member of the glass half full gender!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Our most earnest desires – cannot supersede – the agency of others ----- A testimony that the Jesus – born of Mary – is The Christ – will always be paramount – and – fundamental – in every conversion process!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Testimonies – are often lost – the same way they are gained – by simple means!! ----- Prayer – will always be – at best – only half of what is needed – to accomplish a task!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Scripturally the word patience – most often has the meaning – of trust – as in waiting upon the Lord – or – having trust in the Lord – which may in the end – be the very key attribute – required for the development of faith!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

There are relatively few – who are called – and – have the privilege – of having permanent full time assignments in the Church – but – there has never been a restriction – on the amount of time we spend – being witnesses to the truthfulness of the Gospel!!

DEEP DOCTRINES 2

I naively thought I would be able to cover the doctrines contained in Lehi’s blessings in one Thought for a Sabbath Day, but here I am continuing this joyful task for a second week.

2 Nephi 2:11-16

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away… And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

Even though, as the Apostle Paul said, we will all fall short of the mark, it was necessary for us to demonstrate our propensity to use the gift of Agency to choose to be obedient to the laws which we have been given while continually recognizing our reliance on the merits of the Grace of Jesus the Christ.

Lehi boldly proclaims that Agency becomes the foundational doctrine of all existence, a part of the Plan so paramount, that even He who is Omnipotent does not or at least rarely intercedes in its execution or the resultant consequences. My own meager understanding has come to the conclusion that when we see clearly we will come to understand that our Agency was sacred and not violated at any time.

2 Nephi 2:17-24, 27

And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.

And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

Even though men seem to have the capacity to make wrong choices all on their own, the words of Lehi leave us with little doubt that the author of that side of the choice ledger was that fallen angel whom we call the devil.

If we fail to search these verses, we might fall into the old trap of believing the innocence of Adam and Eve caused them to make a tragic mistake when then used their agency to follow the devil’s counsel to partake of the forbidden fruit. We don’t know if it preceded their being driven from God’s presence or shortly thereafter that they knew the real purpose for choosing to leave their paradisiacal home, but we know that Lehi understood that they did know their decision resulted in all of our Heavenly Parents children being given the opportunity to come into their mortal probationary state.

2 Nephi 2: 25

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

I have ridden this horse so frequently that it is a wonder it can still move, but lets take it around the track one more time.
We cannot ignore that Lehi knew there was a connection between the Fall of Adam and the joy of his posterity. Since he had been revealing the conditions and necessities of returning to God, which is by definition overcoming the fall, and since he uses the purpose of man is to have joy. Hence we derive that the definition of joy is overcoming the conditions of the fall or narrowing the gulf which separates us from our Heavenly Home.

I appreciate your indulgence in allowing me to spend another two weeks on the last words of Lehi.


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

One of the ways we wander off our assigned path – is to spend too much time wondering – what Adam – Moses – Abraham – and – all the other prophets – are doing in their present assignments – on the other side of the veil – that we ignore – fulfilling our current stewardships!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

The total saving effects of the Savior’s Atonement – will start to be of real value to each of us – when we take the first steps – upon the path He has mapped out for us!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Though the Savior is The Master Teacher – His teaching will only be valuable – to that student – who has a desire to learn!! ----- Sometimes we are so enthralled – with wanting to know – what hasn’t been revealed – that we fail to learn – those things – which have been revealed!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Though the love of God – is constant – and – everlasting – our awareness of His love – is often fleeting – and – temporary!! ----- All too often – we direct our words – to the needs of a specific audience – and then – think our words – apply to all of Heavenly Father’s children!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

More often than not – mortals are sent to fill the role of angels – who stand near us – to lift up our heads when they hang low – or – comfort our hearts when they are full of sorrow!! ----- A helping hand – may not only be needed – when someone is getting tossed about in roaring waters – but – may also be needed – just to hand someone a glass of water – when they thirst!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

We can get just as far off the path – by concentrating solely on one part of the Kingdom – almost as easily as we can – through being disobedient to a law of the Lord!! ----- It matters very little – whether – it is a family member – a missionary – the Book of Mormon – or anything else – which moves us to a stronger testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel – as long as we are moved!!

DEEP DOCTRINES 1

When I finished writing my Thought last week about the blessings which come to those who are giving a blessing as well as the person receiving a blessing, I felt I would be moving on from the blessings Lehi bestowed upon his posterity shortly before his death found in the first few chapters of Second Nephi. However, during the week I was unable to get out of my mind the idea of passing over what can be called the ‘deep doctrines’ contained in his blessings.

If I were preparing a lesson or a talk on these chapters about the ‘deep doctrines’ contained therein I undoubtedly would have rearranged the points of this Thought in a different order, but out of reverence for the words of Lehi, I will present his teachings and my commentary on them in the order they appear in the Book of Mormon.

2 Nephi 1: 13-23

O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe…

And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.

My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of your hearts the Lord your God should come out in the fulness of his wrath upon you, that ye be cut off and destroyed forever; Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil…

Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.

Whether we have fallen into an occasional power nap, vegged out for a while, have narcolepsy or are in a permanent state of deep hibernation, my suspicion is that all of us have fallen victim to this often unspoken tool of Satan which causes us to absent ourselves from observing the statues and judgements of the Lord.

The siren chants which lull us into this hellish sleep have an abundance of choruses. One might be called ‘old fashioned’, another ‘it isn’t my thing’, or ‘when I am older’ just to name a few. But all the lyrics have the same purpose in mind which would be to shackle us in slumber so that we neglect the purposes of our mortality.

The Lord has provided us with an abundance of alarm clock settings, which include such sounds as the voices of prophets, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, the pleadings of concerned parents, one of my favorites, the published words of peace, just to name a few.

Whatever sweet heaven sent sound awakens us we would all be wise to hearken to Lehi’s alarm and awake from our slumber, shake of the chains, come out of obscurity and arise from the dust.

2 Nephi 2:5

And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.

I have been aware during my gospel immersed privileged life of all too frequent times when I have had to suspend judgement on some principle or doctrine because my mortal mind was not sufficiently capable of applying it to all times, to all people and to all circumstances. I sometimes jokingly say I am placing these doctrines on a shelf and when I get to heaven I will bring them down and get further understanding from Exalted minds.

Obviously, this verse had components which I have had to put on that shelf.

Men are instructed sufficiently to know good from evil: My problem is that the variance of the laws among men is like no two snowflakes being
alike.

The law cannot justify but can cause us to perish: We immediately are left to wonder, if we cannot be justified by the law, then how are we justified?

Is the purpose of the law to prove to us that our perishing is valid: This seems like a failsafe plan which condemns us all.

Awake to the sound of a prophets voice!

2 Nephi 2:3, 6, 7, 8

Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.

Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

We quickly learn the dangers of taking scriptures out of context. Lehi was not trying to point out the injustice of a doctrine which tries to make
all men accountable equally under the law or trying to make us all feel condemned because of our mortal frailties, but he was using this as a teaching tool which Nephi definitely learned since he later proclaimed; For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. (2 Nephi 25:23)

It should become apparent to us all that if we rely on our abilities to be obedient to the laws of men and even the laws of God, to be the factors in determining our eternal existence we will all be cut off because of our being imperfect mortal beings.

It is little wonder that when Joseph Smith wrote the fundamental articles of belief of the restored gospel, that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was the very first doctrine noted.

(To be continued)


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

We need to avoid – in our stewardships in the Kingdom – becoming totally wrapped up – and – devoted – to any principle of the Gospel – or – in any activity to which we dedicate ourselves – since we need to gain experiences – in all the areas of the Kingdom!! ----- The principles – and – stewardships of the Kingdom – are not like a hobby store – where we concentrate on purchasing the gadgets – which enlarge our involvement – in our favorite area of the Kingdom!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

The knowledge – and – talents of humans – will never be sufficient – to convince a neighbor – of the truthfulness of the Gospel!! ----- Confirmation of Eternal truths – is the privilege – and – the responsibility – of the Holy Spirit – and – His alone!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

Conversion to the Gospel of Jesus the Christ – will always be accompanied – by a dramatic shift in our perspective – about what is really important in life – and – our perspective of its purposes!!

LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED!!

The love of He who is Omnipresent – can be felt – wherever we might be!! ----- There is absolutely no doubt – that many sincere prayers – have been listened to – when they who were praying – were neither in traditional places of worship – nor – in customary attitudes of prayer!!