[follow the prophet]

This is for the first Sunday School lesson in February. We will talk about Noah and how important it is to follow a prophet. We can't follow the prophet unless we know what he has told us to do. 

[the need for opposition]

 

These are the titles from the Sunday School lesson. Some words have been scrambled and the class have to figure the words out. I underlined the first letters of the longest words to make it a bit easier.

We need agency and opposition in order to grow.

Satan seeks to deceive and to blind us.

Jesus Christ's atonement offers hope and redemption from the fall.

We need nagecy and isopopnoti in order to wogr.

 

Tansa seeks to viecdee and to nilbd us.

 

Jesus Christ’s metonetao offers peho and midernotep from the fall.

 I will be using 1 Nephi 8 and 11, 1 Nephi 11:25 & John 3:16, Alma 32:37-43, Alma 32:28 as well to talk about the tree of life. The word nourish is mentioned seven times in Alma 32. The rod of iron (the word of God) leads to the tree of life. 

[follow promptings]

 

More than a hundred years ago in a small remote place in Arizona lived a family sent there by President Brigham Young to make peace with the Indians.

The father of the family was away on Church business when an impression came to him that something was wrong at home. He responded to this feeling by heading there at once. He arrived at about four o’clock in the morning. His wife had cuddled in her arms their little baby daughter who had fallen into an open fireplace. She was severely burned. The mother, in grief, said, “Let her die. She will be so disfigured.”

The father took this little infant in his arms and gave her a blessing. He promised her that she would live, that she would not be disfigured, and that she would sing before the prominent of the earth.

This baby girl did live, she matured in life, was not disfigured, raised a family, and sang in the Tabernacle Choir. The powers of heaven gave life to that tiny child. That sweet baby girl, in maturity, gave me life. She was my mother.

J. Thomas Fyans

(J. Thomas Fyans was one of the Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 15 March 1983.)

[let's set some goals]

 

"I’m sure many of you are setting aside time today to write down your resolutions for the coming year. May I make a few suggestions?

First, resolve to strengthen your spiritual foundation. This may involve setting a specific time and place to study the scriptures, praying more often, making temple worship a bigger priority, and letting God prevail in all aspects of your life.

Second, resolve to be kind to others. When the Savior Jesus Christ visited the Americas, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, one of the first things He taught was the need to eliminate contention in our lives. So, please be compassionate, be understanding, be slow to judge, and be quick to forgive.

Third, resolve to be resolute. The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help us to “wax strong in the Spirit” (Mosiah 18:26).

May God bless you, my dear friends, and may this be a wonderful year of purpose and possibilities for all of us."

President Russell M. Nelson

January 1, 2022