Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises

My thoughts on Elder Condie's talk "Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises"
Faith!

I was helping a son prepare FHE last night and he made the off comment that we only have a one more time when we get to do the baptism lesson I prepared a long time ago. My heart sank but my reply to him is that since it was the first principle of the gospel we will review it many times over. I guess until the apostles stop talking about it we will be reviewing it over and over. My mom use to tell me to listen for what the apostles and other GA stop talking about; you will know you have perfected that concept or principle. Guess we as a body of saints haven’t perfected too much ~smile~.

Every notice how the first principle isn’t just “faith” but “faith IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.” Have you pointed this out to your children? There is a lot of ways to approach faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but it all starts with a hope in what happened to Joseph Smith was true. I honestly believe that is the key to my faith.

This is where I start to claim my blessings.

Here is something fun for you to read about claiming blessings. Go to the Bible Dictionary and read the entry for Prayer. Better yet, let me copy over the part I want you to read.

“As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7: 7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”

We have to work for our blessings! But they are earmarked for us, we just have to ask. That is the hard part. Feeling worthy to receive the blessings my heart wants and do I dare say deserve. We have to look at this as a father-daughter (or son) relationship. Think about our own relationships with our children and then with our parents. Yes, they are human and have flaws (we do too), but it does start us to see that relationship as a parent-child relationship. Being a parent sheds new light on this relationship, but we also can’t forget what it feels like to be that child. I think that is why we are asked to have childlike qualities about us. How many 5 year olds pray with unwavering faith for “things.”

Ok, the hardest part I have with this definition is the aligning my will. Nuf said—WORK ON IT! If we go back to Elder Condie’s talk he said it well with these words:

“The Lord also promised that “whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Nephi 18:20). We are promised that the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion when we “let virtue garnish [our] thoughts unceasingly” (see D&C 121:45–46). We can claim the spiritually liberating promise of fasting, which will “loose the bands of wickedness,” undo our “heavy burdens,” and “break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6).”

“…which is right…” I think is code words for “aligning your will, my lovely daughter, with mine.” Guess this child has a lot to learn. (When do you stop beating your head against a brick wall? My mom use to say, “When you notice that he replaced the bricks with pillows.”

My hardest part of life right now is “seeing the promises afar off.” When we constantly struggle with family prayer and scripture and other commandment driven habits, I wonder where the blessings are. How can a family who has faithfully read the scriptures now for 18 plus years and added family prayer before and/or after struggle as we do? How can that same family who consistently holds FHE still have the level of contention that we do? HOW? Where are my blessings for giving up so much of my time and effort? Well, my annuity hasn’t fully vested yet. I honestly believe we have to look through celestial eyes to see/reap the blessings of our hard work. That makes it very hard because we live in a here and now society! OH SO HARD! Especially when you deal with it daily. That takes faith. Faith in the promises and blessings. Faith to wake up and face the music again. Faith to deal with a child who doesn’t want to scripture study, “You can’t make me.” Faith to stick to your guns when it would be easier to turn Monday Night Football on and just slip into a hot bath with a good book!