Post # 134 – Come, Follow Me -- Week # 32 -- “Overcome
Evil with Good”
Dear Family and Friends
Are all of your children back in school yet? I know even the schools
around here all go back in session at different dates. Of course, we live in one
county and work in another, so we have several different schools that come to
our programs. Many towns as well as public and private schools. Then they have
certain grades go half day for the first day, then all students go on the
second day. I know, crazy, right?
I have some of my grandchildren going back to school this week and some
not for a week and others not for two weeks and they all live within 15 minutes
to an hour from one another. To be truthful even though they live so close they
are in three different counties😊 The bad thing about it is that they usually are
not off from school on the same days either, so if we wanted to plan a family
get-together on school out days it wouldn’t work very well.
We just took a trip to the city. My daughter, son-in-law, and my grandchildren
with whom I live. It takes quite a bit of planning for me to get a day off from
work as it is so hard to find a sub for my classroom. It is even harder now
that my granddaughter is working in my classroom in the morning before I come
in. she is my relief, or I am hers? 😊 I bet your lives are not as complicated as ours are😊
I just know how crazy it can be to try to correlate many different schedules
under one roof and even crazier when it involves a whole family. I have been
trying for over a year to get all of my children, their children, and their
children’s children together for a family picture. It has been challenging to
say the least and we still haven’t figured it out yet😊
I have hope that we will get it done soon.
It is sad because most of us live right close to one another
and yet rarely even see one another. I have only my oldest granddaughter who
lives like 8 or9 hours away, but all of the rest live within an hour and a half
from me. I am very blessed to have them all living so close around me😊My
family is so important to me! I have hope that they will one day embrace the gospel
of Jesus Christ and we will one day be an eternal family😊
Geez, I am rambling worse than ever and I don’t even know
where I was headed with this line of thinking☹
oh, now I remember --- family! I was thinking as I was studying this lesson and
a memory came to my mind of a time when I was - maybe in junior high school and
I was having some trouble in school.
My mother was never a religious person and I don’t ever
remember her speaking of God in a good way very often. I do know that she told
me one time that ‘God won’t ever give you more than you can handle.’ It took me
many years to figure out that there was a part that she left off the end of
that sentence. Since she didn’t know about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father in
this life, she was unable to teach it to her children☹
She should have said that ‘God won’t give you more that you
can handle – with His help!’ Since that time and my learning about the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, I have often looked heavenward and asked – right out loud,
‘Are you really sure that I can handle this”? Oh, but that wasn’t what I was
going to share with you, there was something else she said… that was very
helpful too!
Oh yeah, I was having some trouble in school. I was bused to
a school that was in the middle of a ritzy neighborhood and a lot of the
students that went there had parents who were comfortable if not well off
financially. We on the other hand were from the other side of the tracks – the
poor side of town. Anyway, kids are cruel as you know they can be and as it turns out sometimes so are
teachers☹
I have eyes that are two different colors, very distinctively
different colors and I was made fun of because of it. I was also made fun of
because of my last name! I had a teacher who recognized one of the rich girls
who also had eyes that were of different colors. This she commented showed her
intelligence.
When it was brought to her attention that I too had eyes that
were of different colors. The teacher simply looked at me and said that it must
be something in my mixed -up genes☹ I know, right!!! Of course, all of the
class laughed at me☹ I was pretty sad about the whole thing
when it happened. I struggled a lot after that every time I heard someone
snicker when I came to class.
I told my mom about it. She told me simply that I should
‘kill the with kindness.’ I wasn’t sure exactly what she meant. She explained
that I should be kind no matter what they said or did. That I should be helpful
and considerate and treat them as if nothing was ever said. I was not to let
them know that they had upset me, even a little. I thought to myself. ‘This was
going to be hard!’
Knowing how they all felt about me and my mixed-up genes☹My
mom told me to look for the good in them and compliment them just as if nothing
had ever been said. You know she was right. Even though it was hard to do. I am
sure that I would have prayed at that time if I had known how to do so. It was
a good thing to ‘kill them with kindness!’ It also helped me to get through something
that may have really scared me for life.
In fact, that simple advice has helped me many times
throughout my life in some pretty difficult situations. Though I do want to
tell you that along with that advice from my mother I have relied on the power
of prayer and the strength of the Lord for me to be able to ‘kill them with
kindness’😊 There are so many things in our lives
that we need the Lord’s help with. It does take a little bit of faith though to
put your trust in the Lord. To ask Him for the strength that you need to get
you through difficult situations.
Hello everyone. First question for you, was there anything that
inspired you during your personal or family study, as you read Romans 10:17 and 15:4? Next question, did
you find some scriptures that build your faith or give you hope? These are
similar to the questions that our instructor asked us in our class.
4 For whatsoever things
were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of
the scriptures might have hope.
This next part comes directly from the
Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
As he
opened his epistle to the Romans, Paul greeted Church members in Rome by
calling them “beloved of God” who were “called to be saints.” He remarked that
their “faith [was] spoken of throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:7–8). Even though Paul spent much of his epistle
correcting false ideas and flawed behaviors, it seems he also wanted to assure
these new Christian converts that they truly were Saints who were beloved of
God.
In a
humble show of empathy, Paul acknowledged that he had felt like a “wretched
man” at times (Romans 7:24), but the gospel of Jesus Christ had given him power
to overcome sin (see Joseph Smith
Translation, Romans 7:22–27 [in
the Bible appendix]). He went on to share tender counsel for all of us who
struggle to feel beloved and for whom saintliness may seem out of reach. “Be
not overcome of evil,” he said—both evil in the world and evil in
ourselves—“but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
22 Now if I do
that, through the assistance of Christ, I would not do under the law, I am not under the law; and it is no
more that I seek to do wrong, but to subdue sin that dwelleth in me.
23 I find
then that under the law, that when I would do good
evil was present with me; for I delight in the law of God
after the inward man.
24 And now I
see another law, even the commandment of Christ, and it is
imprinted in my mind.
25 But my
members are warring against the law of my mind, and bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
26 And if I subdue not the sin
which is in me, but with the flesh serve the law of sin; O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
27 I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord, then, that so with the mind I myself serve the law of God.
This next part comes directly from the
Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
Ideas
for Personal Scripture Study
If
I follow the Spirit, I can overcome sin and prepare for an inheritance with
God.
Even after entering into “newness of life” through the ordinance of
baptism (Romans 6:4), perhaps
you have felt some of the inner conflict Paul described in Romans 7—the “warring” between the natural man and our righteous desires (Romans 7:23). But
Paul also spoke of hope in Romans 8:23–25. What
reasons for this hope do you find in chapter 8? You
might also look for blessings that come from having “the Spirit of God dwell in
you” (Romans 8:9). How can
you seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost more fully in your life?
Through Jesus Christ, we can inherit all that Heavenly Father
has.
If you are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints you may not know that as Latter-day Saints, we believe that phrases such
as “heirs of God” and “joint-heirs with Christ” mean that with Jesus Christ’s
help, we can become like Heavenly Father and receive all He has.
Romans
8:17 -- And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be
also glorified together.
19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by
my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them
by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is
anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this
priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first
resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection;
and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms,
principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,
that he shall commit no murder whereby
to shed innocent blood, and if ye
abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it
shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them,
in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out
of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set
there, to their exaltation and
glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be
a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever
and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end;
therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting,
because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are
subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they
have all power,
and the angels are subject unto them.
One way you could help your family members and friends to see
how this doctrine is taught throughout the scriptures, you might have your
family members and friends to study the following verses. First you could study
those verses in the Bible and then you could study those verses from latter-day
scriptures. If you have enough family members and friends, you could have one
group study those verses listed from the Bible and another group to study those
verses listed from latter-day scriptures.
From the Bible
- Luke 12:42–44
- Romans 8:14–18, 0;32
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
- Galatians 4:1–7
- Revelation 3:21
- Revelation 21:7
From latter-day scripture
- 3 Nephi 28:10
- Doctrine and Covenants
50:26–28
- Doctrine and Covenants
76:92–95
- Doctrine and Covenants
84:38
- Doctrine and Covenants
88:107
- Doctrine and Covenants
132:19–20
When they have finished one group could teach the others what
they have learned from the verses that they had studied. Then let the other
group teach the first group what they have learned from the verses that they
studied. Then all together you could discuss why this doctrine is so very
important! You might ask your family members and friends – what difference does
it make in our lives to know that we can become “heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ”? Do remember the scripture we read about this earlier? Romans
8:17.
In Romans 8: 18 we are reminded the importance of remembering
that eternal blessings await the faithful can help us when we face temptation
or trials. In studying this verse, I looked up all the footnotes to help me to
better understand what is in the verse. Here is the verse and just below it I
have listed the footnotes with their explanations.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not
worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be
revealed in us.
TG Adversity; -- See also Affliction; Agency; Suffering; Test; Tribulation; Trouble
TG Pain; Pain -- See also Affliction; Anguish; Distress; Grief; Sorrow; Suffering; Torment
TG Self-Sacrifice. Self-Sacrifice
-- See also Sacrifice
4 For
after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye
shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh
at hand.
Doctrine and Covenants
66 These
things remain to overcome through patience, that such may receive a more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, otherwise, a greater
condemnation. Amen.
Doctrine and Covenants
31 My
people must be tried in all things, that they may
be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even
the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy
of my kingdom.
In us -- GR to us.
During our class our instructor drew a picture of a balance –
you know like you might see for law or lawyer. I found a few pictures to help you
visualize with me: 
For my purpose here I will simply give
you another graph because that works for best for me on paper, but you could
picture the balance in your mind😊
TRIALS WE MIGHT FACE
|
BLESSINGS THAT COME TO THOSE WHO FACE THEIR TRIALS FAITHFULLY
|
Look up the scriptures and this time you
should search them for the blessings that come to those who face their trials
faithfully😊 Now for the questions:
How do the trials compare with the
promised blessings?
What would we say to someone who asked us
if it is worth it to be faithful to the Lord’s commandments?
The next thing our instructor did was to
share with us an analogy given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks:
Elder Dallin H. Oaks related the following parable:
“A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon
a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the
inheritance would probably be wasted. The father said to his child:
“‘All that I have I
desire to give you—not
only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give
you, but that which I am you
must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning
what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and
principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example,
mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have
will be yours’” (“The
Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32).
Here is your next question, that our instructor asked us in our
class. What are some of the “laws and principles” Elder Oaks refers to?
Our instructor shared the following with
our class as we often have friends who are not of our faith attending our
class. I wanted to share it with each one of you, so that if you are one of my
friends who is not of my faith you will know and understand me when I share
these things with you 😊
Joint-heirs with Christ.
“Latter-day Saints see
all people as children of God in a full and complete sense; they consider every
person divine in origin, nature, and potential. … Just as a child can develop
the attributes of his or her parents over time, the divine nature that humans
inherit can be developed to become like their Heavenly Father’s. … Men and
women have the potential to be exalted to a state of godliness” (“Becoming
Like God,” Gospel Topics, topics.lds.org).
If you would like to read and study more
on this you can go here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng
This next part comes directly from the
Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
Ideas
for Personal Scripture Study
The eternal glory that awaits the
faithful far outweighs the trials of mortality.
Just a few years after Paul wrote this epistle, the Saints in Rome
suffered horrific persecutions. What do you find in Romans 8:17–39 that
might have helped these Saints when persecution came? How might these words
apply to you and the trials you currently face?
Look for connections between these verses and this counsel from
Sister Linda S. Reeves: “I do not know why we have the many trials that we
have, but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and
everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward,
we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, ‘Was that all that was required?’
I believe that if we could daily remember and recognize the depth
of that love our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us, we would be
willing to do anything to be back in Their presence again, surrounded by Their
love eternally. What will it matter … what we suffered here if, in the end,
those trials are the very things which qualify us for eternal life and
exaltation in the kingdom of God with our Father and Savior?” (“Worthy of Our Promised
Blessings,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 11).
If you would like to read
and study more on this you can go here:
Decide what you will
do to “daily remember and recognize” God’s love for you.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
As you study and discuss Romans 8 together this could
provide an opportunity to help you and your family members and friends to feel
the Savior’s love. You may want to consider displaying a picture of Jesus
Christ while you read Romans 8:18, 28, 31–39 as a family. What
thoughts or feelings do you or your family members and friends have after reading
these verses? It might be productive for you, your family members and friends
to share how you have each gained testimonies of the truths which they have
found in these verses.
You might also sing a hymn together as a family or if your
family members and friends are musically inclined you might ask one of them to
perform a musical number about the love of God and Jesus Christ, such as “God Loved Us, So He Sent His
Son” or “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, nos. 187, 193).
What words or phrases from these songs help class members feel
the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
This next part comes directly from the
Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
Ideas
for Personal Scripture Study
What did Paul mean by “predestinate,”
“election,” and “foreknow”?
Paul used these terms to teach that some of God’s children were
predestined, or appointed beforehand, to receive special blessings and duties
so that they could bless all the nations of the world (see Guide to the Scriptures, “Election”). This
was based on God’s foreknowledge of His children’s willingness to follow Jesus
Christ and become like Him (see also Ephesians 1:3–4; 1 Peter 1:2).
However, Paul emphasized in Romans 9–11 that
no matter how we come into the house of Israel—or become a member of the Church—all people must receive salvation individually
through faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commandments.
For more information, see Alma 13:1–5; “Foreordination,” Gospel
Topics (topics.lds.org). https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/13.1-5?lang=eng
If
you would like to read and study more on this you can go here:
All of God’s commandments are fulfilled in the commandment to
love.
Something our instructor did with us in class was to ask us to
think of all the commandments that we could think of. Then he wrote them on the
board. This could help your family members and friends to see how all commandments are “briefly
comprehended in” the commandment to love thy neighbor (Romans 13:9),
We made our list on the board of all the commandments that we
could think of, but you could write them on a poster board then you would have
the visual to have further discussion with your family members and friends at a
family hoe evening?
Next you can read together with your family members and friends Romans 13:8–10 and Matthew 22:36–40, and then you can have a
discussion on the relationship between loving God and our neighbor and obeying
each of the commandments that you have listed
on your paper with your family members and friends. Now, tell me, how does this
truth change the way we think about commandments and obedience?
This next part comes directly from the
Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
Ideas
for Personal Scripture Study
Paul invites me to become a true
Saint and follower of Jesus Christ.
The last five
chapters of Romans contain dozens of specific instructions regarding how Saints
should live. You may not be able to apply all of this counsel at once, but
listen to the Spirit, and He can help you find one or two that you could start
working on today. Share your desires with your Heavenly Father in prayer, and
ask for His help.
We should refrain from judging others’ choices and being
spiritual stumbling blocks.
You notice in Romans chapter fourteen that there were a few od
the Roman Saints who disputed with one another about their different eating
habits, and their individual holiday observances as well as other cultural
practices that they had that differed from one another.
Are there some very similar situations that we still face today?
If you were to scan Romans chapter fourteen what would be your one-sentence
summary of Paul’s counsel given there? In light of Paul’s counsel, what is good
advice that we could share with one another about how or what we could do to
avoid being judgmental with others?
Our instructor shared a statement by President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf that can help us to better understand about judging others:
Judging others.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
taught:
“This topic of judging others could
actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping,
ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply
the following:
“Stop it!
“It’s that simple. We simply have to
stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart
full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children.
We are all brothers and sisters. … A bumper sticker I recently saw … was attached
to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the
edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read,
‘Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you’” (“The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 75).
If
you would like to read and study more on this you can go here:
I love President Uchtdorf’s two-word sermon “Stop it!” It really is that simple. We only need to remind ourselves of that – every time we have a thought forming in our minds to do any of those things that he mentioned. Let’s review them: ‘hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm.’ Then what does he say specifically about Judging others? That we should replace those judgmental thoughts and feelings with an over-abundance I will add to his ‘heart full of love for God and His children’ -and again I will add as we are all children of God😊
This next part comes directly from the Come,
Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
Ideas
for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening
As you read the
scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to
emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family. Here are some
suggestions:
To help your family understand more about the “warring” described
by Paul in this verse, consider sharing the story about the wolves in Elder
Shayne M. Bowen’s article “Agency and Accountability” (New Era, Sept. 2012, 8–9).
If
you would like to read and study more on this you can go here:
Elder Wilford W. Andersen’s message “The Music of the Gospel” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2015,
54–56) can help illustrate what Paul teaches about the law, works, and faith.
Your family might enjoy discussing his talk and trying to dance with and
without music. How is dancing without music like obeying the gospel without
faith?
If
you would like to read and study more on this you can go here:
Elder Wilford W. Andersen taught, “The music of the gospel is
[a] joyful spiritual feeling.”
How has studying the word of God brought us the blessings described
in these verses? Perhaps family members could share some of their favorite
scriptures (see also 2 Nephi 25:26).
What does it mean to make ourselves “a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God”? (Romans 12:1).
Your family might benefit from studying Paul’s counsel about
judging and arguing about the personal preferences of others. Perhaps you could
discuss appropriate ways to respond when others’ choices differ from yours. How
can we be more mindful of how our own choices affect others? The videos
“Judging Others? Stop It!” and “Looking through Windows” (LDS.org) could provide additional insights on this
topic.
If
you would like to watch these videos you can go here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2012-03-1170-judging-others-stop-it?lang=eng
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2012-01-004-looking-through-windows?lang=eng
For this upcoming week we should 1 Corinthians
1–7, as we read
and study these chapters of scripture we will find that right here in these
chapters you will find Paul’s counsel to members who were then living in what
was known as one of the ancient world’s most immoral and idolatrous cities.
Well folks, this finishes up our study of
the book of Romans, but not our learning from Paul – he still has a lot to
teach us. I have learned so much already through our study together😊
I hope and pray that I have shared something
in my post today that has inspired you to do better and be better. That you have
been uplifted in some small way. That you might have a desire to share what you
have learned with those you love – your family members and friends😊 It
is like I said earlier in this post there are so many things in our lives that
we need the help of the Lord. I believe that we honestly need His help in every
aspect of our daily lives.
As always, remember who you are – you are
a child of God!!! You are each so amazing!!! You have so much potential ad your
Heavenly Father wants to help you become all that you can become. Keep studying
the New Testament with me, continue saying your prayers, learn more about your
Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Rely more fully on your
Heavenly Father and learn of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how you can
apply it in your live. Oh, we do have so much more to learn😊 don’t
we?
If you have a gospel topic you want to
learn about together, please leave me a note in the comment section😊 If
I don’t hear from you, we will continue studying along with my Sunday School
lessons. Remember that you are never alone. Your Heavenly Father did not put
you on this earth to travel through mortality by yourselves. He is there for
each and every one of you😊Until my next post, please remember to
enjoy each day – find beauty in each day and make it a good week!
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