Blessed: finding happiness,
beauty, and joy in one’s life through Christ or Heavenly Father
2. Read
Matthew 5:12. Mark all of the "blessed" attributes in these verses.
Also, read the definitions President Harold B. Lee (1899-1973) gave for each of
these attributes found in the institute student manual Points to Ponder section
(pp.61-62). From these verses select three beatitudes and write a paragraph for
each describing how living this beatitude has in the past or can in the future
increase your happiness.
Matthew 5 Blessed Attributes:
·
poor in spirit
·
mourn
·
meek
·
those who hunger and
thirst after righteousness -> Obedience
·
merciful
·
pure in heart
·
peacemakers
·
they which are persecuted
for righteousness’ sake -> concentration
·
“Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.” -> Be an example
in all your works
·
Love -> love
everyone like Christ would
Three Beatitudes
Living the beatitudes has helped and will continue to help me to be
happy. The first beatitude I would like to address can be found in Matthew 5:9,
which says “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God.” Franklin D. Richards in the October 1983 General Conference said “Certainly
in our homes, as well as elsewhere, we can all be peacemakers by exhibiting
love and goodwill, thus offsetting the evil of contention, envy, and jealousy.
Where misunderstandings exist between children and parents we can encourage
adjustments on the part of both. We can pray together for the spirit of peace.”
In my home, we strive to be peacemakers. This can be very difficult, especially
when there are three teenagers under one roof. I remember my bishop gave the
youth a challenge. It turns out; it was the same challenge Franklin D. Richards
gave in his talk. He said: “I would like you to help me in an experiment. I
would like to prove the impact and influence of one member on the spirit of the
family. For one month, I would like each of you to be the peacemaker in your
home. Don’t say anything about this to your family, but be thoughtful, kind,
and considerate. Be an example. Where there is quarreling or bickering among members
of your family, do whatever you can to overcome these faults by creating an
atmosphere of love, harmony, and helpfulness. When you are irritated—and
irritations arise in almost every family—control yourself and help the others
to control themselves. I would like to see every home in our ward be ‘a bit of
heaven on earth.’ At the end of the month, I would like you to meet with me
again and report.” After a week of this, I saw a tremendous difference in the
home. It was a miracle. We had a lighter feeling in the home, everyone spoke
nicely to one another, and we actually got along.
In Matthew 5:5 it says “Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth.” Elder Ulisses Soares in the October 2013 General Conference
said “Meekness is the quality of those who are [Godfearing, righteous, humble,
teachable, and patient under suffering.] Those who possess this attribute are
willing to follow Jesus Christ, and their temperament is calm, docile,
tolerant, and submissive. The Apostle Paul taught that meekness is a fruit of
the Spirit. Therefore, it can most easily be attained if we [live in the Spirit.]
And to live in the Spirit, our lifestyle must reflect righteousness before the
Lord. ” I know that this is something that I am really trying to work on. I
know that sometimes being meek is hard to do, but necessary to be a disciple of
Christ. Something that has helped me to develop this is to always act on a prompting
by the spirit. When I came home, I thought that a lot of my missionary experiences
would stop since I wasn’t wearing my tag anymore. That’s just the opposite. As
long as I am willing to listen to the spirit, I have had amazing missionary experiences
everywhere I have gone. I know that this will continue as long as I listen to
the spirit.
The beatitude that stood out to me was being merciful. In Matthew 5:7
it says “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Neal A. Maxwell
said in April 2004 “Brethren, there are clusters of memories embedded in each
of your lives. And these can help us to [remember how merciful the Lord hath
been] (Moro. 10:3). He certainly has been to me...Brethren, as you submit your
wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that
is really yours to give. Don’t wait too long to find the altar or to begin to
place the gift of your wills upon it! No need to wait for a receipt; the Lord
has His own special ways of acknowledging.” Looking back on my life, like Neal
A. Maxwell, I see the Lord’s hand in everything. I think one of the best ways
to show mercy is to remember all that the Lord had done for you. Even when you
mess up, he’s still there.
No comments:
Post a Comment