Feeding His Sheep

"...Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time,... lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him a third time... lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."
John 21:15-17

A while ago, Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk regarding this scripture. In this account, Christ had already risen from the tomb and had visited his apostles, then left. Peter and some of the other apostles decided to then go out fishing, where eventually the were reunited again with Christ and were feasting him. After having asked Peter 3 times to "feed his sheep", he tells him to continue to be a better disciple of Him. Elder Holland gives his version of this account and says,

"...To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me (Jeffrey R. Holland, The First Great Commandment, October 2012 General Conference)

So many of us have come to a great knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as such have the responsibility to go out and share it with the world. But how often do we, instead, ignore that responsibility and go and "cast our nets"?

I know that if we truly love our Savior, we will do our very best to keep his commandments and feed His sheep by sharing the precious truths within the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is one way you have "fed His sheep" today?

Our Divine Potential

"And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons [and daughters] of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled."
3 Nephi 9:17 

As I have been reflecting on how I can improve myself, I reflected on how I often think about myself. There is a common saying that we are our own most critical judge--and I realized once again that I had been unnecessarily pulling myself down. And I realized once again that our view of ourselves can be one of Satan's most powerful tools. It is not something everyone sees, and so it's hard for others to help. He wants us to forget who we are and our divine potential so that we feel unworthy to enter our Heavenly Father's presence.
 This reminds me of the story of the ugly duckling I was told as a child. In the story, one duckling looks around at the other ducklings and notices that he is different and he thinks that he is worth less because he is ugly compared to the others. He comes to believe that he will never be good enough. So he leaves the other ducklings feeling distraught and depressed. After a time has passed, he one day looks into the pond to see his reflection to find a beautiful swan! He suddenly sees that being different in the beginning was a good thing, and he was able to become more than he ever imagined.
Just as the young swan realized who he truly was, we must also come to know that we are precious children of GOD. We must not forget who we are and our eternal infinite worth. And we most definitely should not feel unworthy of his love. We are all different, but we have the potential to become more than we realize.

From the "Vilest of Sinners"

"...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—

That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers;...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.

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.

And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.

And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi."

Mosiah 28:1-5

The sons of Mosiah are some of my favorite people in the Book of Mormon. They brought thousands of people unto Christ, and brought happiness into the lives of many more. Their example still affects us today! There was one thing that specifically stuck out to me today. These young men, before they became these outstanding missionaries, were going about rebelling against their father and the church. They were trying to tear down the church and lead many away from the precious truths within. They were termed, as the scripture says above, "the very vilest of sinners". As I thought about this, I thought more about how repentance works in our daily lives. Especially for me as a missionary. Why is daily repentance important for missionary work?

I try to imagine teaching someone about repentance when I haven't fully repented myself. I imagine that it's like trying to teach someone to be a professional football player when I don't even fully understand the game myself. These young men had been the vilest of sinners. There is no way that they could have helped someone come unto Christ unless they had done so themselves, but because they had learned from their mistakes they were able to teach with more power than ever before.
Today I want to be more like the sons of Mosiah.
Who is someone in the scriptures you have learned from and want to become more like?

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written."

1 Nephi 19:24

I always get really excited around this time of year--one of the 2 times a year that we get to hear the words of a modern day prophet. In about 2 weeks (on April 5th and 6th) we have the great opportunity to hear the words of God worldwide through his servant the prophet. What a day we live in! It's a time when I can receive answers and guidance for my life in a more powerful way.

When I think of this great opportunity, I think sometimes I don't fully understand what it means... if God came to talk to me, I would be right there, wouldn't I? And I would definitely try my very hardest to remember everything I possibly could! And the words of the prophet should be the same, because we know that whether it is by the voice of God or by the voice of His servants it is the same. But sometimes it can be hard to stay on task, and it's even harder to immediately have every talk memorized by heart.

And there are ways in which we can better retain what we learn at conference. Elder Uchtdorf has given us 3 suggestions to be better prepared, so here they are!

1. Members of the Church are entitled to personal revelation as they listen to and study the inspired words spoken at general conference.
As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. For example, you might yearn for direction and guidance by the Lord regarding challenges you are facing.\
Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase, or song. A heart filled with gratitude for the blessings of life and an earnest desire to hear and follow the words of counsel will prepare the way for personal revelation.
2. Don’t discount a message merely because it sounds familiar.
Prophets have always taught by repetition; it is a law of learning. You will hear repetition in themes and doctrines in general conference. Let me reassure you: this is not due to a lack of creativity or imagination. We continue to hear messages on similar issues because the Lord is teaching and impressing upon our minds and hearts certain foundational principles of great eternal importance that must be understood and acted upon before we can move on to other things. A wise builder first lays the foundation before erecting the walls and the roof.
3. The words spoken at general conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months.
If we listen to and follow the promptings of the Spirit, they will serve as a Liahona, guiding us through the unknown, challenging valleys and mountains that are ahead (see 1 Nephi 16).
Since the world began, God has raised up prophets who speak the will of heaven to the people of their times. It is our responsibility to listen and then apply the messages the Lord provides for us.
Our merciful and loving Heavenly Father has not forsaken and will not forsake His children. Today, as well as in times past, He has appointed apostles and prophets. He continues to reveal His word to them.
What a marvelous privilege it is to hear God’s messages for each of us during general conference! Let us prepare well for this great blessing of divine guidance delivered by His chosen servants.
For this is no ordinary blessing.

(General Conference--No Ordinary Blessing. Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

Letting Christ Shine Through You

"Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up..."
3 Nephi 18:24

In this world, we have many opportunities to shine in different ways. We have been given talents and skills that make up part of who we are, and people see more of who we are as we magnify those gifts. And then we have an even greater opportunity to use those talents to show those around us even more. A chance to help them feel God's love and find joy in this life and eternal joy in the life to come. And just as those talents help us to shine, the light that comes from within us can help others to shine as we let it. How have you let Christ's light shine through you today?

Back to the Basics

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

2 Nephi 32:9

Prayer is such a great blessing and tool that we have the opportunity to use in our every day lives. It is the way we talk to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance in our daily lives. And it is one of the most basic tools we have. It doesn't require any fancy technology, big ceremonies, a certain type of clothing, or a specific place to be. We can pray anywhere and at any time. So why don't we take of advantage of this more often?

I've been thinking a lot about how I can use prayer more in my life. I know that prayer is one of those basic things that doesn't just get us through the big, life-changing trails we go through, but it's meant to help build and strengthen us in our smaller daily trials that can weaken us. In an ever increasingly chaotic world, it is one of the constants we can rely on to talk to the one who knows all.

What are some of the basic tools of the gospel that you rely on day to day?

I Will Trust

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation."

2 Nephi 22:2

This scripture really stuck out to me today as I pondered the changes that I am facing currently, with being transferred to a new area with new people and a new companion. And yesterday, quite frankly, was a super long and difficult day. I started to wonder if I really was where I am meant to be. Then I remembered that God didn't promise us this life would be easy, He just promised it would be worth it. And though we all have hardship in our lives and make mistakes, He has provided a way for us to overcome them through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Often times our Heavenly Father puts change and challenges into our lives, and it is up to us to face forward and trust that He knows what is best for us. As we realize this and take advantage of the great gift that has been given us through Christ's sacrifice, we can use these experiences to become better, stand taller, and be a greater light to all of those around us.

What is one thing that has helped you put more trust in God?