12 Seek for the Things of a Better World
12 Seek for the Things of a Better World
Seek for the Things of a Better World
We can all find faith, hope, and assurances even in the
midst of many trials.
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:9–10, 13, 16
13 Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave
unto the covenants which thou hast made.
16 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is
my voice unto all.
Saints, 1:89–90, 94–97
(I’m still listening while I exercise.)
For Kids
The Savior can lift me “up out of [my] afflictions.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 24:1, 8
Video: Chapter 11:
More People Join the Church
Read: Doctrine
and Covenants 24:1, 8.
Video: Continue in Patience: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-09-0018-continue-in-patience?lang=eng
How can we learn to be patient?
Doctrine
and Covenants 24:8 Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt
have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto
the end of thy days.
The Savior can lift me “up out of [my] afflictions.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 24
Look for words in Doctrine
and Covenants 24 that you feel would have been strengthening and
encouraging to Joseph and Oliver. (See notes below.)
How does the Savior help you with your challenges?
Doctrine
and Covenants 24:1–3; Doctrine
and Covenants 24:8; Doctrine
and Covenants 121:7–8 (In notes below.)
Isaiah
40:28–31 No matter how weak we are, God has all strength and all understanding.
1 But they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Mosiah
24:14–15 The Lord can ease our burdens and help us carry on with gladness,
just as He did for the people of Alma.
Doctrine
and Covenants 121:7–8 “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and
thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it
well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”
I have an important role to play in God’s kingdom.
Doctrine
and Covenants 25
This section helped Emma know what role she had in the
kingdom. Remember that you are also an elect lady. He has told you so.
verse 16
And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all.
Amen.
Video: An Elect Lady: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-07-0027-an-elect-lady?lang=eng
“Emma, Emma, if we are faithful, all of our losses will be made up.”
“Continue in the spirit of meekness.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:5, 14
Search section 25 for
words and phrases that help you understand what it means to be meek. (See notes
below.)
Matthew
11:28–30
28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus is meek and lowly in heart. Maybe I can learn how to
be like that by inviting others to come unto Him, and by allowing people to
come to me; to help carry their burdens, to do His work in making others feel
welcome and making their lives brighter.
I don’t have to prove I’m right, I have to prove His love; I have to prove my
love.
“Lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the
things of a better.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:10, 13
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside
the things of this world, and seek for the things of
a better.
What can I lay aside? How can I seek to do better, be
better, and make my home, my family, and my friendships better? We don’t have
to wait for the millennium or for the judgment day to have a better world. We
can improve upon what we have here and now.
Spiritual
Treasures Listen or read with Bob. How will we follow the prophet’s
counsel?
verse 13
Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the
covenants which thou hast made.
As you hold to your covenants, you will be able to dedicate
yourself more fully to the Lord. Hold fast to Him, and He will hold you fast
and lead you safely to where you desire and need to be.
Keep your eyes and your heart open to the things that are
important, to the treasures of His kingdom.
Invite sharing. If you’re teaching others about how
to “lay aside the things of the world,” consider ways to invite them to share
what they are doing to follow this counsel. We can draw great strength and
courage from hearing each other’s insights and experiences.
For Kids
Jesus loves “the song of the heart.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:11–12
Read Doctrine
and Covenants 25:12 For my soul delighteth in
the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous
is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.
What is your favorite hymn? Why is it a song of your heart?
(Sing the hymns together.)
Why is Heavenly Father happy when we sing these songs? How
is our singing of hymns like a prayer to Him?
The Lord delights in my “song of the heart.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:11–12
What are some of the songs that express your feelings about
Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ, the songs of your heart? Why are they
important to you?
Why does sacred music and heartfelt prayer have in common?
How has music, especially prayerful music and faith promoting music, been
answered with a blessing to you? How does music bless your life and gladden
your heart?
For Kids
My covenants with Heavenly Father bring me joy.
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:13, 15
Doctrine
and Covenants 25:13 13 Wherefore, lift
up thy heart and rejoice,
and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.
(This is something the Lord told Emma after she was baptized.)
Pass around a teddy bear and ask the children to hug it just
as tightly as they can. That is cleaving unto something. We are supposed to
hold our covenants close to our hearts and keep them with us all the time. That
shows our love for Heavenly Father.
What are some of the covenants that we made when we were
baptized and when we partake of the sacrament?
As ye are desirous to come into
the fold of God, and to be called his people
1. willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light
2. willing to mourn with those that mourn
3. to comfort those
that stand in need of comfort
4. to stand
as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places
that ye may be in, even until death
that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those
of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
Doctrine
and Covenants 20:37 And again, by way of commandment to the church
concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves
before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts
and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have
truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them
the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve
him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have
received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of
their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.
Video: A Revelation for Emma: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/7bdf3a65802f11efa27d0286e0573c63c7e4adab?lang=eng&alang=eng
“All things shall be done by common consent in the
church.”
Doctrine
and Covenants 26:2
Common consent refers to the act of raising our hands to
show that we will sustain and support an individual in his calling or
ordination. It is not so much a vote,
because the call came from God, as a commitment to help someone else fulfill
his role in functioning in the Lord’s kingdom.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/23?lang=eng
A series of five revelations given through Joseph Smith
the Prophet, at Manchester, New York, April 1830, to Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum
Smith, Samuel H. Smith, Joseph Smith Sr., and Joseph Knight Sr. As the
result of earnest desire on the part of the five persons named to know of
their respective duties, the Prophet inquired of the Lord and received a
revelation for each person.
Vs 1-2: Counsel to Oliver: But beware of pride, lest thou
shouldst enter into temptation. Make known thy calling unto the church, and
also before the world, and thy heart shall be opened to preach the truth from
henceforth and forever.
Vs 3: Counsel to Hyrum: thy heart is opened, and thy tongue
loosed; and thy calling is to exhortation, and to strengthen the church
continually. Wherefore thy duty is unto the church forever, and this because of
thy family.
Vs 4 Counsel to Samuel: thy calling is to exhortation, and
to strengthen the church; and thou art not as yet called to preach before the
world.
Vs 5 Counsel to Joseph: thy calling also is to exhortation,
and to strengthen the church; and this is thy duty from henceforth and forever.
Vs 6-7 Counsel to Joseph Knight: you must take up your
cross, in the which you must pray vocally before the world as well as in
secret, and in your family, and among your friends, and in all places.
7 And, behold, it is your duty to unite with the true
church, and give your language to exhortation continually, that you may receive
the reward of the laborer.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/24?lang=eng
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver
Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1830. Though less than four months had
elapsed since the Church was organized, persecution had become intense, and the
leaders had to seek safety in partial seclusion. The following three
revelations were given at this time to strengthen, encourage, and instruct
them.
Look for words in Doctrine
and Covenants 24 that you feel would have been strengthening and
encouraging to Joseph and Oliver.
How does the Savior help you with your challenges?
Doctrine
and Covenants 24:1–3
Vs 1 The Lord lifted Joseph up from his afflictions; He gave
him counsel, and delivered him from his enemies. He delivered Joseph from the
powers of Satan and from darkness. He can do all that for you, too.
Vs 3 If I magnify my office and follow the Spirit in working
to help build Zion, others will always be there to sustain and support me; and
Jesus will bless me both spiritually and temporarily, just like He did for
Joseph.
Vs 5-6 Follow the Spirit in your studying, in your writing,
and in your teaching. The Holy Ghost will give you what to speak or what to
write when it is needed for you personally and when it is needed from you in
your service to Him.
Doctrine
and Covenants 24:8 Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but
endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.
Vs 19 This work is continued in our day as the restoration
and the gathering continue.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/25?lang=eng
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at
Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1830 (see the heading
to section 24). This revelation manifests the will of the Lord
to Emma Smith, the Prophet’s wife.
Search section 25 for
words and phrases that help you understand what it means to be meek.
Vs 1 all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters
in my kingdom.
Vs 3 The Lord specifically called me an elect lady before
Bob went to take his dental boards and left me at his parents to deliver
Christine without him there.
He told me my sins were forgiven, in my sorrow and prayer
after Robby passed away. Along with healing, the Lord forgives sins.
Vs 5 This is the office of a wife: to comfort your husband
in all his afflictions, with kindness and words of compassion and trust, in the
spirit of meekness.
Vs 8 I believe that I am to also give time to learning and
writing.
10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the
things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.
Vs 11-12 Learn the new hymns!
13 Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto
the covenants which thou hast made.
14 Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride.
Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him.
15 Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of
righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you
cannot come.
Vs 16 I believe that this section is especially important to
the Lord's daughters.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/26?lang=eng
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, Oliver
Cowdery, and John Whitmer, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1830 (see the heading
to section 24).
Vs 1 Study the scriptures and teach the gospel with the
Spirit.
Vs 2 When you lift your right arm to the square to sustain
someone who has been called, remember to support them and not to speak
negatively about them.
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