How can I show love for those I teach? - Youth Sunday School Lesson

What did you learn in your other class today?  Do you have any questions about what you talked about in there?  Any questions about things you have been studying on your own?  Do you have a scripture that you would like to share that you came across in your personal scripture study?

How can I show love for those I teach?

We will all have to teach at some point whether it is a lesson in Sunday school, in a talk, or with someone we know who doesn't understand a something about the gospel that we can help with.

How did Jesus teach?

"Jesus Christ loved those He taught. He prayed for them and found opportunities to express His love. We can develop love for those we teach by praying for them and selflessly serving them." - From the lesson outline.

"How have you been influenced by a teacher who showed love to you?" - From the lesson outline.

"How can learning to love those we teach help us become better teachers?" - From the lesson outline.

Mosiah 28:1–3

1 Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites

2 That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.

3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

Why would they want to go serve among people that hated them? Do missionaries today ever have to serve among people that hate them?

Do we ever live or serve around people that are hostile to what we believe our what they think we believe?

"We should measure our success by the progress of those we teach, not by the excellence of our performance." (Teaching No Greater Call, Lesson 1)

"Love prompts us to prepare and teach differently. When we love those we teach, we pray for each of them. We do all we can to know their interests, achievements, needs, and concerns. " - From the lesson outline.

Being Prepared to Teach at All Times

As I was preparing this lesson I came across this story by President Monson that I thought was cool.

" I share another example of the value of learning the Articles of Faith. Forty-five years ago I worked with a man named Sharman Hummel in the printing business in Salt Lake City. I once gave him a ride home from work and asked him how he came to receive his testimony of the gospel.

"He responded, “It’s interesting, Tom, that you asked me that question, for this very week my wife, my children, and I are going to the Manti Temple, there to be sealed for all eternity.”

He continued his account: “We lived in the East. I was journeying by bus to San Francisco to establish myself in a new printing company, and then I was going to send for my wife and children. All the way from New York City to Salt Lake City the bus trip was uneventful. But in Salt Lake City a young girl entered the bus—a Primary girl—who sat next to me. She was going to Reno, Nevada, there to have a visit with her aunt. As we journeyed westward, "I noticed a billboard: ‘Visit the Mormon Sunday School this week.’

" “I said to the little girl, ‘I guess there are a lot of Mormons in Utah, aren’t there?’

"“She replied, ‘Yes, sir.’

"“Then I said to her, ‘Are you a Mormon?’

"“Again her reply: ‘Yes, sir.’”

"Sharman Hummell then asked, “What do Mormons believe?” And that little girl recited the first article of faith; then she talked about it. Continuing, she gave him the second article of faith and talked about it. Then she gave him the third and the fourth and the fifth and the sixth and all of the Articles of Faith and talked about all of them. She knew them consecutively.

"Sharman Hummel said, “When we got to Reno, and we let that little girl off into the arms of her aunt, I was profoundly impressed.”

He said, “All the way to San Francisco I thought, ‘What is it that prompts that little girl to know her doctrine so well?’ When I arrived in San Francisco, the very first thing I did,” said Sharman, “was to look through the yellow pages for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I called the mission president, and he sent two missionaries to where I was staying. I became a member of the Church, my wife became a member, all of our children became members, in part because a Primary girl knew her Articles of Faith.”"(President Thomas S Monson, Examines of Great Teachers, June 2007 Liahona)

Memorizing Scriptures

"Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.

"Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change. " (Elder Richard G Scott, The Power of Scripture, October 2011 General Conference)

Moroni 7:45

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

What does Moroni 7:45 have to do with teaching others?

Being a Father - Lesson to the Laurels

When I Became A Man I Put Away Childish Things

1 Cor. 13: 11

 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

We all probably have a different expectation of how a baby boy behaves when compared to how a elementary school boy behaves.  We likely also have different expectations for a teenage boy, a father, or a grandfather.

We can expect that a baby boy will likely need us to do almost everything for it, including change its diaper.  An elementary student we would expect is potty trained, but likely will need a lot of observation to keep him safe and correct immature behavior.

We would expect a teenaged boy to be trusted to not touch a hot stove, not pull dishes from the counter onto his head, and perhaps even be trusted to drive a car alone.  You would expect a certain level of immaturity and even perhaps self centeredness, but you would assume they are improving and somewhat self sufficient.

Do we expect a father to behave like a teenaged boy?  We would expect him to not be as impulsive and to be more in control of his behavior.

Even though father’s are grown ups, don’t we have an even greater expectation of maturity and wisdom in word and behavior from a grandfather?

Being a man is about continually learning to put off childish things and things that don’t matter.

Women Help Shape Boys Into Men

As a young woman you have great power over young men.  In spite of this I see all too often young women lower themselves to foolish behaviors of immature young men.

Just because a young man speaks or behaves coarsely and you want to be close to him does not mean that you should speak coarsely.  You should expect better behavior of him.  He should not expect worse behavior of you.  If you stand your ground and are kind about it, the young men will figure it out and become stronger.  If you cave and behave as they do they will continue to become increasingly more irresponsible.

Do many young men often chase after coarse and immodest girls?  Yes, but that doesn’t last and they both end up miserable.

Young men do not respond positively to nagging or to young women who are judgemental, but they do respond quite well to young women who are beautiful, kind, and virtuous who they see giving attention to boys who are respectful and kind.  If a guy’s friends behave poorly and make him look like a fool in front of a beautiful, kind, and virtuous girl, then he will cause his friends behavior to change or he will find new friends.

How does keeping the commandments affect my ability to learn the gospel? - Youth Lesson

Ask the youth if they have any questions or comments about what they are learning in their other classes. Invite them to share personal experiences or impressions they have received as a result of their learning.

How does keeping the commandments affect my ability to learn the gospel?  Or How does obedience affect my ability to learn the gospel?

What are the commandments?  They are instructions for how to be happy.  God’s purpose is that we can have joy, right?  God knows there are things that will make life harder and make us unhappy and the commandments are to steer us away from those things.

When I follow what I want to do rather than what God wants or when I am not keeping the commandments I find that often I get in a fog. It gets hard to make decisions. It sometimes gets hard to concentrate or remember things. Sometimes it is harder to be patient with others.

If that fog isn't there and the spirit is speaking to me more clearly, because I have kept the commandments, I find that I learn and understand things better. I listen more and hear more.

Read scriptures from lesson about how keeping the commandments leads to increased knowledge.

D&C 42:61

Are there any mysteries of God you would like to know?  How would you go about finding out that mystery?

The more we keep the commandments the more we understand the commandments and life in general.

People try to figure out the problems of life while removing God from the solution. Their solution to the problems are constantly changing as they don't take into account God's plan and how he designed us and this earth. They don't know his purpose for us being here or the purpose of the earth.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:26-28

26 The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;

27 And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.

28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

"A knowledge of truth and the answers to our greatest questions come to us as we are obedient to the commandments of God." - President Monson

“Keep the commandments; keep the commandments! In this there is safety; in this there is peace.

He will send blessings; He will send blessings.  Words of a prophet: Keep the commandments.

In this there is safety and peace.

Read Daniel 1

“What is the Lord trying to emphasize and why? Is there anything in these verses that applies to me personally?”

Tell the boys that when we read stories we can write notes in our scripture margins of things we want to remember the next time we read that part of the scriptures.

We can also pause while we are reading to write things we think of in our journal. They wet can read our journal in the future and remember things that were important to us and things we have learned. We can look back and see places where God's hand was in our life.

Our kids or grand kids will also be able to look through our journal and see the spiritual experiences we have with the scriptures.

What are some ways you have thought of as we have talked that you can do to help you understand the gospel better?

Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth - Elders Quorum Lesson

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith manual lesson 16 - Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth

Page 203 - middle of first paragraph

“My father was the most tender-hearted man I ever knew. … Among my fondest memories are the hours I have spent by his side discussing principles of the gospel and receiving instruction as only he could give it. In this way the foundation for my own knowledge was laid in truth, so that I too can say I know that my Redeemer lives, and that Joseph Smith is, was, and always will be a prophet of the living God.”

First -  Can our children say of us that we are the most tender man they know?   Is that important?

Second - How much time do we spend discussing gospel principles with our children,  especially compared to the time we spend playing sports, watching TV,  doing hobbies, or even doing extra things for our employer.

Page 205

“He taught us at the breakfast table as he told us stories from the scriptures, and had the ability to make each one sound new and exciting though we had heard it many times before."

I am terrible about having meals at the table,  because I want to multitask or everyone is going in a million directions, but it has occurred to me that this would give me a captive audience to instruct.  What are your thoughts on this?

President Smith said, “[Satan] is using every clever device, influence, and power within his control to undermine and destroy this eternal institution. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ applied in family relationships will thwart this devilish destructiveness.”

So, if only the gospel of Jesus Christ applied in the family relationships can stop Satan and protect our children, then Satan is going to present us with things that prevent us from applying the gospel sufficiently in our home.  He is going to talk to us about all the things we want to get done on our agenda. Work, hobbies, movies we want to watch, TV shows we have to keep up on, or ball games we want to see.  He’s going to propose to us things we want to do on our vacations where we will feel we need to use the Sabbath to do them.  After all vacations don’t happen very often, so we have to use every moment we have, right?  He will press at us about work that we just have to get done and help us to justify procrastinating meaningful conversations with our children.

Page 206

“Our children will have to be taught to discern between good and evil, otherwise in many respects they will not be able to understand why they are not permitted to indulge in practices that are common with their neighbors. Unless they are instructed in the doctrines of the Church, they will not, perhaps, understand why there is any harm in the Sunday concert, a Sunday theatre, picture show, ball game, or something of that kind, when their playmates, without restraint and with encouragement, indulge in these things forbidden of the Lord on his holy day. The parents are responsible for the proper teaching of their children, [and] the Lord will condemn the parents if their children grow up outside of the influence of the principles of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Children must be taught that Sunday is a different day.  They must be taught that at some times and in some places we stop and give reverence.  Extra reverence.  Sometimes for a long period of time, like an entire day.

ISAIAH 58:13 - Please read somewhat deliberately, paying special attention to commas and semicolons.

 13 ¶ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Call the sabbath a delight.  Most times I hear people talking like treating Sunday like the sabbath is drudgery.  “What am I supposed to do read my scriptures all day?”  Oh to have time to really dig deep into the scriptures and words of the prophets and inspired scripture scholars!

ELDER CHARLES DIDIER Of the Presidency of the Seventy in the October 1994 Ensign said, “Now is the time to ask ourselves: Is the Sabbath a holy day or a holiday? Shall I worship the Lord or worship pleasures and recreation?”

Do sometimes we spend time with family on the sabbath because that is a worthy sabbath activity, only to engage in activities that are not worthy sabbath activities in the name of spending time with family?  While spending time with family can be pleasurable and sabbath worthy I think that we have to be deliberately mindful.  We don’t need to be like the extra laws of counting how many steps we take on the sabbath, but we should be focused on our sabbath worship once we leave our Sunday meetings.

Thoughts?

Page 206 - bottom of page

“The first duty pertaining to the training of the children of the Church belongs in the home. It is the responsibility of the parents to bring up their children in light and truth, and the Lord has declared that wherein they fail to do it, they will stand before the judgment seat to give answer.”

Page 209

“We must shelter [children] from the sins and evils of the world as much as we can so they will not be led away from paths of truth and righteousness.”

Whoa!  We must shelter our children?  Don’t people often use that as a phrase that a child is unprepared for life?  “Oh that child is so naive.  She has been sheltered her whole life..”

Thoughts?

What are some possible techniques to shelter our children from evil and yet make them intelligent and of strong character?

It goes back to the concept presenting by President Smith earlier, teaching them to discern and to understand, as much as is possible, why this is right or why that is wrong.  They understand through knowledge that you teach them and by being taught what the Spirit sounds like and how to bring the spirit into their lives every single day at every single moment.

Page 209

“We ask parents to set an example of righteousness in their own lives.’

In many ways I have many tendencies of an irreverent teenaged boy.  As much as I need to teach my teenaged boys to get a grip and be men, I also need to better hold the reins on myself.

1 Corinthians 13:11

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

When we were kids did we have a different expectation of maturity from fathers than from our peers?  Did we have a different level of expectation of maturity from grandfathers than we did from fathers?

As life moves on we gradually realize childish things about ourselves and we set them aside or at least temper them.  I propose that in the time we live that process happens way too slowly.  We find way too many people that seek to have everything their parents have worked 30 years to obtain immediately.  We find too many that want the things of adulthood without all of the responsibility.  There are consequences to what it takes to live that way: debt(which is just another word for bondage) and  lack of respect to and from others, just to name a couple.

Page 209

“Parents must try to be, or at least put forth their best efforts to be, what they wish the children to be. It is impossible for you to be an example of what you are not”

Page 210 - middle of first paragraph

“The child who is taught in righteousness from birth will most likely follow righteousness always. Good habits are easily formed and easily followed.”

Children can be taught to pray perhaps before they can talk, just by setting the standard when they are young and being consistent.

This is also true for reverence.  A child can be taught to sit reverently at a very young age, but it takes setting the standard and being consistent.  It is very difficult, the older a child gets, to try to pull them back to reverence if we have gone many years with the attitude that they are too young to understand and so we allow, or even encourage irreverence by what we bring with us to our meetings for the child.

Yes, it is hard work to get a child to sit quietly, but if we consistently require that as the standard, within a time shorter than we think the child will begin to sit quietly a little more.  It will not be minutes or even hours, but in a matter of a few months if a child is required to sit with a limited amount of toys and snacks they start to get it.  But it is hard.  We get exhausted and often we would like to just pacify them and relax for a few minutes.  As soon as we do that, we pretty much start over, because they have found a crack in our defenses and they will realize that if they are persistent eventually they are not restricted.  If we are consistent, they soon begin to restrict themselves.

This principle applies all the way until the child is grown.  Be firm in what are standards are in raising our children and be consistent in enforcing those standards.  Have family home evening.  Have family prayer.  Have scripture study.  Have time to stop frequently and explain gospel principles.  Satan will tell you that you are too busy and too tired at times, but he is a bad counselor.

What would we do if a human came up to us and said “you are more important than your daughter you deserve to rest”?  Or if they said, “This TV show is more important than your son. You should make him be quiet and watch.  You can talk to him about what he thinks is important to him later.”?  Would you let someone talk about your kid that way and would you take their advice?  Do we take advice like this from Satan?

What if a person said similar things about your wife, like, “Your wife is rambling on about something trivial again.  Why can’t she just let you alone for five minutes?”  Would you agree with them or would you defend your wife?

These are extreme examples, but do we let Satan say stuff to us about our family that we would not let another person say to us?  And do we something act upon what he is saying instead of defending our family?  Or do we ever let what Satan said come out of our mouth?

I challenge each of us to pick at least one thing from this lesson that we can adjust in our lives to be stronger fathers and men.  I do this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

The Church and Kingdom of God - Elders Quorum Lesson

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 8 - The Church and Kingdom of God

This lesson is about things that I am not necessarily good at, but that are true and must be.

There are many stories at the beginning of the lesson on President Smith's dedication to the work of the Lord.

The manual says, “Through these service opportunities, Joseph Fielding Smith came to appreciate the Church’s inspired organization and its role in leading individuals and families to eternal life.”

What do each of you appreciate about the organization of the Church?

I have always felt that the Church stands out is its doctrine of responsibility and accountability, which leads to growth.

For example, whenever there was an oral presentation required in junior high and high school I would take a zero rather than get up and talk in front of people.  Last month I said yes to three different Church leaders to present things in front of groups.

The month before that they asked me to stand up in front of the Laurels and talk.  Teenaged girls are exactly why I did not do oral reports in school.

So why do I put myself through this? Because it is our responsibility to help in the kingdom of God wherever we are able.

I am able to prepare a lesson or talk and present it. Am I good at it?  No. But I am able.

President Smith said, “I know that we have the truth of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ, just as well as I know that I live. If I did not know it, I wouldn’t want to be here or have anything to do with this work.” (118, last paragraph right before Teachings of Joseph.)

The gospel is often inconvenient.  I have an idea of how my life is gonna go and that's the way I like it.  I have an idea of how my evening is going to go or my weekend.  I have my own agenda and that is what I want to follow.  I have things I want to do.  Things I want to get done.  But I have to call and make home teaching appointments or that elders quorum president calls and asks me to do something.

One thing I have always appreciated about the Church, is that as a member of this Church the idea is to not just show up to Church.  The idea is to make covenants, fully participate, and to grow.  We are given expectations and boundaries.

Wives are also good at giving us boundaries and adjusting our expectations, but that is a lesson for another day.

Unfortunately, growth often happens by being inconvenienced and by learning to put aside our agenda or will and finding out, in everything we do and in every minute we spend, if we are on the same page as God.

That can be very hard to get our heads and hearts around, and very hard to do at times, but Revelation flows more freely when we adjust how much of our time is us winging it on our own and how much is following God's agenda.

“We announce that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth, the only place where men may come to learn the true doctrines of salvation and find the authority of the holy priesthood.” (119 Third paragraph before section 2)

Has this thought ever made any scriptures make more sense to you as you have read them talk about the Kingdom of God?

Quotes from Elder Rasband’s conference talk

“Currently in the Church, the Lord has called 317 Seventies, serving in 8 quorums, to assist the Twelve Apostles in carrying the burden placed on the First Presidency. I joyfully feel that responsibility in the depths of my very soul, as do my fellow Brethren. However, we are not the only ones assisting in this glorious work. As members of the Church worldwide, we all have the wonderful opportunity of blessing the lives of others.”

…

“To sustain our leaders is a privilege; it comes coupled with a personal responsibility to share their burden and to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“May we all find the joy that comes from the sacred service of bearing one another’s burdens, even those simple and small…”

I have thought the last few months about what level of dedication to the Church and kingdom of God I expected from missionaries before I went on my mission.  Or the level of dedication to the Church and kingdom of God that I expect from my Church leaders.  All of these expectations are much higher than I sometimes set for myself.

So I thought, does expecting a leader to meet my internal standard advance the church and kingdom of God and make me more like Christ, which is the goal of life?  It does not, but what if I set those standards that I expect of my leaders to myself?  I guess this is similar to "what would Jesus do", but bringing it down to a short term goal instead of a long term goal.

Would it strengthen our ward if we had a ward full of people that behaved like our internal picture of a bishop?  Or would it build the kingdom of God in our neighborhood?

The Restoration

" The Lord [has] restored the gospel and organized again his Church upon the earth. The reason for such organization and restoration is the fact that for centuries the world had been in spiritual darkness, without the authority, and without the understanding; they knew not how to worship the living God. …

“ The everlasting covenant had been broken; the correct understanding of gospel principles had disappeared through apostasy; the right to officiate in the ordinances of the gospel had ceased among men. It became necessary that all this might be restored, and that faith might increase among the people through an opening of the heavens and a restoration of the gospel." (Page 119, First two paragraphs under Teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith)

Do we have times in our day or week when we are content to walk life on our own in spiritual darkness by the choices we make?  Choices about reading our scriptures, praying always, our attitude, or the media or conversations that we partake of throughout the day.

Even if we are on track with the things I just mentioned, do we sometimes leave ourselves without spiritual guidance due to our inaction.  Do we let things not of the gospel exhaust us to the point that when it is time to do our duty we are resting.

President Dieter F Uchtdorf

“I would like to...propose a question to all of us who hold God’s priesthood: are you sleeping through the Restoration?"

President Henry B Eyring

"As you pray and serve others, your knowledge that you are a child of God and your feelings about Him will grow...You will be more determined to be on time and to complete every task you are given by the Lord that you have accepted to do.”

"I thank him every day of my life that he has restored in these last days his everlasting gospel for the salvation of all who will believe and obey its laws." (Page 119, last paragraph before Section 2)

Who are those that believe and obey his laws?  Those that check the boxes?  Baptism, mission, temple marriage?

Sister Linda S Reeves

“...take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being.”

"The Lord Himself directs the work of the Church, and it is our privilege to have membership in it." (Heading 2 page 119)

In what ways does the Lord direct the work of the Church?

He directs it through revelation.  What are some examples of where he leads the church through revelation?

What about revelation on how to help or home teaching families?  Revelation on how to communicate with your wife or children or parents or siblings or coworkers?

How does one get revelation?  We are not the prophet.

" If we would carry out that which the Lord has revealed, as he has revealed it, then all things would be perfect, for the organization is a perfect organization; the theory of it—the plan of it—is without flaw." (First paragraph Section 3 Page 121)

" In every gospel dispensation there are special needs to be met, problems to be solved, and help that must be given to assist and aid the members of the Church in working out their salvation “with fear and trembling” before the Lord. (See Phil. 2:12.) Hence we have auxiliary organizations [Relief Society, Young Men, Young Women, Primary, and Sunday School] to aid and assist the priesthood. They are so organized as to meet the needs of the people in whatever social conditions may exist." (Third paragraph Page 121)

Many struggle to find the answers to social problems.  They line up an equation, so to speak, and they take out one of the values they need to solve it.  That variable is revelation from God.

Elders Quorum Lesson - The Word of Wisdom

Chapter 19, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith
I gave the lesson today.  I have included it below.  I have made some modifications to it to improve on where I failed in delivery or where I ran out of time to include all of the material I had prepared.

How many verses in the Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89) talk about alcohol, tobacco, and coffee?  There are five out of twenty-one verses and yet this is where we tend to focus all of our time.  When we talk about the Lord’s law of health that is what we mention.  When the media reports on our health practices that is what they focus on, with an occasional mention that we don’t drink caffeine, which is not specifically in the Word of Wisdom, even though it is a drug that I believe we are abusing when using it for recreation.

Potentially, the reason we spend all the time there is because those substances are easily quantified.  Alcohol - NO.  Tobacco - NO.  Coffee - NO.  To make sense of the rest of the chapter we have to use our brains, the spirit, and more of our agency to get the benefits.

“I sometimes wonder if Latter-day Saints realize that [the Word of Wisdom] has been given to us for our exaltation; not only for our temporal blessing, but to prepare us for spiritual life. … “( In Conference Report, Apr. 1907, 19)

“… I firmly believe that by reason of neglect of this simple requirement, faith has diminished in the hearts of some of our people—that, by a more general observance of the Word of Wisdom, faith will be increased among the Latter-day Saints, and greater knowledge will flow to us as a result; for by obedience to it, there will come a disposition to obey other laws of our Father, and compliance with each insures a blessing.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1908, 83–84)

He mentions developing a disposition to obey.  What does that mean?

I believe this life is to learn to mold our character, making us do what is right out of reflex and not by having to think about it at every decision.  I think this is a disposition to obey.

Doctrine and Covenants 89:4
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

Do we have men that conspire to make a profit on selling us stuff they know is bad for us?  Do those men hide the dangers under artificial flavors and additives to make us crave their products more?  “Once you pop, you can’t stop.”

I believe these conspiring men are more than just the obvious drug dealers of alcohol and tobacco.  Keep in mind that some of the same men that own alcohol and tobacco companies also own food companies that supply a lot of what we eat.


Does God spell it out exactly for us in the Word of Wisdom or does he teach us a general principle and expect us to apply it more specifically to our lives and add our own guidelines?

Doctrine and Covenants 58:26
 26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

When I was on my mission we had the white handbook.  These were rules over and above the commandments.  The rules were described to me as the fence that helps keep us off the commandment wall.  We never had to worry about trying to climb the commandment wall if we stayed behind the fence of the missionary rules.

Just like the missionary rules, we should set personal standards for ourselves that go beyond the standard the commandments set for us.  In the case of the Word of Wisdom, we should read it and find out what it is saying beyond the high level of don’t drink and don’t smoke.


I hear lots of debates about caffeine or no caffeine.  Can we drink herbal tea?  Can we drink soda pop?  Hot chocolate is a hot drink, isn’t it?

Elder Oaks said, “As a general authority, it is my responsibility to teach general principles.”

I think the Word of Wisdom also teaches us general, baseline principles and we need to figure out for ourselves the more specific principles that build on the general principles to make us strong and not just baseline.  While doing this we should realize that some have only understood the baseline and are not necessarily accountable for what you found in your search.

We have been given general principles.  We have also been given the Holy Ghost.  Once we put our personal agenda aside and what we want, then the Holy Ghost can tell us what our standards should be.  So long as we keep putting our lusts before the will of the Lord, the Holy Ghost is not going to be able to penetrate our heart to show us what is true.

Doctrine and Covenants 89:1-3
1 A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.

“...adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints,”  What does that mean?  To me it feels like the Word of Wisdom was given to be the minimum acceptable performance and not the end goal.


“I look upon the Word of Wisdom as kind advice of our Father in heaven, who desires to see His children become more like Him. … I take it as the fatherly counsel of one who, knowing what I needed, said to me: “My son, these things are not good for you, and if you will avoid them I will give you the companionship of my Holy Spirit and joy while you live in the world and in the end eternal life.” How foolish I would be then to partake of these forbidden things, having the assurance that it is the counsel of the Lord I should abstain therefrom. I would feel under condemnation if I should partake of them, when He who knows better than anybody else says that they are harmful, and has warned me against them. …

“… He thought it of enough importance to give it unto us, and to warn us, and if He who knows all things thought it necessary to give advice and counsel upon these temporal matters, how carefully we, who know not what the morrow has in store for us, should observe that divine counsel. I feel that the Latter-day Saints have in the Word of Wisdom a law that will exalt them and lift them above those who fail to keep it.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1907, 19–21)

“Do you believe that the Lord gave to us the Word of Wisdom? Do you really think that he knows what is good for us? Do you think it would please him if we would observe that law? He says it would. Do you think he meant it?: (In Conference Report, Oct. 1935, 121)