the gift of God which in in thee ( 2 Timothy 1)

Be strong in the faith

Sept 11, 2001 

I woke early and drove our young son to preschool. As I returned home the phone rang. My husband Mark was calling me to ask if I had seen the news? He was in Japan on a business trip and had seen video of the air plane attack. Not able to speak English, a Japanese restaurant owner had pantomimed the planes flight into the tower.  

I turned on the television in time to see the second plane hit the second tower. I fell to my knees in prayer. What else could I do in such a time of fear and trembling? 

With imminent threat still looming, all air traffic stopped. Mark was now stranded in Japan. For how long? No one knew. The uncertainty of the situation caused me great anxiety and fear. I felt certain that I would not see him again. 

Again I prayed. Like Paul's letter to Timothy I prayed both night and day (vs 3) for the safe return of my husband and children's father. I had a great desire to see him and fill my void with tears of joy (vs 4). 

Like Timothy I had to be reminded of my "unfeigned faith" and the gift of God that had once been in me. So great was my fear and anxiety, this gift of the Holy Ghost had to be stirred unto remembrance.( vs 5,6). 

I remember calling our bishop and asking for a priesthood blessing. I remember praying often to know what to do, what to expect, and what to tell my children, two of whom were away at college. 

So many thoughts ran through my mind. Were we at war? Would other airplanes be attacked? How would he return to the American continent if not by plane? It was a time to watch the news and hope for the best. It was a time of faith in the power of the Holy Ghost. I called family and friends to garner support. 

In answer to my prayer, I was reminded again and again, "for God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 

I searched the scriptures for comfort and learned to "hold fast the form of sound words," which I "heard of (apostles), in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."(vs 13). 

And soon the answer came. One morning I woke to a clear calm voice that rang through me.
It said very distinctly, "Mark will come home today." I had no proof other than the comforting words of the "gift of God within me," but it was enough to calm me and give me peace. 

Within a few hours the phone rang and it was Mark on the other end, "I'm flying out in 3 hours. I should be home by tomorrow morning." 

Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to Timothy. He was alone, tired, and sick. Timothy as a physician new of his beloved apostles pain and suffering and wanted desperately to succor him and to understand those that would abuse the Lord's servant.

Paul's vision however was not of pain and fear, but of the power, love and sound mind that comes with faith. Paul stood firm and not ashamed of his situation nor his circumstance. He had a pure conscience (vs 3) and a vision of eternal life (vs 10). He was trying to get Timothy to learn how to rely on the gift of the Holy Ghost that dwelleth in us (vs 14). He wanted to teach Timothy that fear holds place with those that have the limited vision of an earthly life, but faith brings us the vision of eternal reward.

My husband was returned to our family "according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 


Have you ever felt afraid, alone, or abused? Have you ever had need to have the "gift of God" stir within you? If so, then you can understand Paul's "form of sound words"(vs 13) and find the grace, mercy and peace"(vs 2) that God intends for you to have through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. 

  

Neglect not the gift 1 Timothy 4: 14-16

Gifts! They come in every form, shape, size, value, and ability. Gifts... they are only worthwhile when we accept them, unwrap them and then use them. They are only of value to us when we learn to value them. 

Gifts come to us because of celebrations, inheritance, position, choice or hard work.  No matter why we have the gift, we must learn to keep it honed and ready for service. 

Of all the gifts that we could receive, the Holy Ghost stands as the greatest. For with the gift of the Holy Ghost all of our other gifts become endowed and blessed by God's love and wisdom.

Paul cautions Timothy to not forget that the Holy Ghost is a great blessing for one who is called to serve as Timothy has been.   It can be a great blessing to all who remember to honor it and sustain it's place in our quest for godliness. 

As I contemplated the writing of this post, I thought about the gift (talents really) of music, mathematics, art, education, sports, etc. that each of us have. I thought it might be possible to write about how I have been guilty of neglecting the gifts that God has given me.  I have heard this scripture referenced many times in relation to talent and this stuck with me. 

But as I let God's spirit lead me, as I listened, I learned wisdom. Paul is speaking about  the Holy Ghost and how it is meant to guide, protect, comfort, teach and testify to us. When we ignore the Holy Ghost it looses its ability to share with us the joy of God's love. 

How do we nurture the gift of the Holy Ghost?

We meditate (we be.... still, ponder, contemplate, consider listen)

give ourselves wholly to it (allow it to guide our thoughts and actions) 

that all might profit  (when we work with the H.G. we serve, teach, and uplift one another)

How do we neglect it? many  ways., but mostly we forget to meditate and listen. We allow things to noise out  the tuning frequency of the Holy Ghost. Each generation has its own devices that steal the messages of the Holy Spirit from our hearts. This generation must deal with texting, computer, gaming, telephones, television, radio, Ipods, tweets, cell phones, etc. 

Elder Bednair taught of the sacred nature of the Holy Ghost today in this mornings conference. He said that Holy Ghost's mission is to guide us in wisdom's path and that when we receive it (neglect it not) we have the 

1. blessing of having Christ's spirit with us 

2. companionship 

3. light and knowledge 

4. help us to always remember Heavenly Father and his son 

5. the ability to communicate 

I believe that each of us has the right to this beautiful gift. We each have the ability to learn how to recognize the Holy Ghost, use it to bless our lives and others, and find growth and joy because of it. 

This gift is the greatest gift we could ever receive. It will bring all other gifts to our awareness

Unholy Temples ( Helaman 4 )

Helaman 4

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Cor 6:19

I am the mother of six beautiful children. I remember the birth of each. Each brought me great joy. Each came into their body with a unique spirit, unique gifts, and unique abilities. This uniqueness of spirit cannot be explained by genetics. It cannot be explained by environment. God tells us that the body that we gain at our birth "is the temple of the Holy Ghost", which we have because God gave it to us.

I believe their uniqueness can only be explained by recognizing that they are literal spiritual children of God. They lived before they obtained the body that I (through the gift of God) gave them at their birth. They came to earth to learn to exercise their agency and to learn to love God as he loves them. Their bodies are temples. We all inhabit the temples that God created for us. We all learn day in and day out to keep these temples holy.

This made me think about the purpose of temples(the building kind). Temples have been used for many things throughout history, but traditionally they are built so that man might

1. Make Holy Covenants to their God

2. Worship(revere his name) their God.

3. Commune with God

4. Give Service(sacrifice) to their God

Temples were hallowed places where only the best of the best was allowed. Temples represented man's attempt to commune, listen, serve, and to be close to their God.

Our bodies are our temple. Metaphorically speaking we can keep our temples pure by keeping our hearts pure and clean. We can live higher standards. We can learn to keep a prayer in our heart. We can learn to cultivate and listen to the Spirit that God has placed within us. We can teach our spirits to carry our bodies in such a way that others will recognize the reverence we have for our bodies and see God's light within us.

As I read of the plight of Zarahemla's people I was struck with how quickly they turned away from their covenants. As I read of the wars and the contention it became clear to me that this was a story of a people who were caught up in their pride to the point that they forgot to think about their bodies as temples wherein God's spirit strives to dwell. They allowed their temples to become unholy.

Pride is like a double edged sword. If we check our pride with humility it serves us well by helping us achieve success that brings us peace. If however we forget humility, service, and love then the same sword of pride that serves us will also destroy us. If it is coupled with boasting, conceit, selfishness, or discontent then pride is not a good thing. Pride can be used to serve; pride can be used for selfish pursuits. It all depends on how holy we keep our temples.

Words and Phrases

vs 8 those dissenters ... - this is a reminder that it was not the Lamanites that began the war, but the Nephites who were once members of God's church, who once enjoyed the prosperity of living God's word. those dissenters... who forgot that unchecked pride (like an unclean temple) quickly allienates God's Holy Spirit.

vs 11 those who professed - we all profess to believe. What makes the difference between what we profess and what we do? Why do some of us fall away? Why do we forget about the spirit of God that is within us?

vs 12 What makes our temples unholy? Which do I need to clean from my temple? If you think of this list as a reminder for keeping your temple clean, this verse can be a handy checklist.

1. unchecked pride

2. exceeding riches.. when we allow riches to rule our hearts... take the place of God's work.

3. oppression of the poor

4. selfishness .. not helping the hungry, the

5. assault

6. mockery

7. deny the spirit of prophecy (God's direction in his voice)

8. denial of revelation

9. murder,

10. robbery

11. lying

12. plundering

13. adultery

14. contention

15. desertion

I believe that some of these transgressions represent a progression of sin. some you would not commit without first committing another.

vs 13 their own strength - when we are left with our own strength we cannot do the work of God. When we boast in our own strength the Holy Spirit becomes offended that we have forgotten from whence our blessings come.

vs 15 repentance brings prosperity - not because it makes us rich, but because it teaches us to how to keep our temples (bodies)holy so that God's spirit can stay with us. Repentance cleans our bodies so that a clean spirit can dwell there. Repentance takes the ungodly and makes them worthy of his place within our heart. God wants us to prosper. When we read his word, listen to his Spirit, we are led to do the things that will help us prosper. Think of repentance like unto a good cleansing of our house. dejunk, sanitize, organize

vs 21 they began to remember - We all make mistakes that take us away from the Spirit of God, but if we can remember... if we can make it a practice to remember.. then we can keep our temples holy.

22 wicked even like unto the Lamanites The Lamanites did not know the workings of God within them. They did not believe that God would speak to them, reveal his word to them, and help them prosper by helping one another. They set their hearts on the ways of the world, on secret combination, on vanity.

23 to dwindle - diminish in size. why? Why do we forget who we are? We allow other things to supplant God's love. We listen to another voice. We follow another direction. We ignore the prophecy and chalk it up to coincidence. We stop seeking God's help. We begin to rely on our own strength. When we allow ourselves, our numbers to dwindle, God's love in its force also dwindles. (it affects all of us).

vs 24 the spirit of the Lord did not more preserve them - God is bound to hold to his end of our covenants when we do as we promise, but when we do not what he asks of us, then we have no promise.

vs 24 Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples - Our bodies have been created to bring God's Holy Spirit to earth. But it will not dwell in temples that are impure, unclean, or unworthy of his holiness. We will not feel God's joy if we do not do his will.

Just as we must work daily to clean our physical homes, our kitchens, etc, we also must work daily to keep our spirit worthy to house the spirit of God. Just as temples represent a place where we covenant, commune, and serve our God, so do our bodies represent a place where we can (if we keep it clean, holy, and worthy) receive revelation, prophecy, and guidance that will help us prosper in this life. But mostly... because our bodies represent the temple of God, we can set an example to others by our actions, our words, our aura, our service... so that others may want to know God and be drawn unto his safety and love.

vs 25 except they should cleave to their God - God will protect us when we cleave to him. When we choose to follow our own strength we stand alone. We stand with our own strength against the might powers of Satan. We our but human with human skills, human strength, human senses, unless we cleave to our God.

vs 26 they became weak because of their transgression.. the power of believing lies in believing. When we forget to believe, or choose not to believe in a God who brings strength to our souls, then we lose the strength of God's holy spirit. We lose the power of revelation, of prophecy, of compassion, of selfless love, of generosity, of service, of one another's talents, of community, of family...

I wanted a family for many different reasons. One of the most important is that I believe God's spiritual children reside in heaven awaiting their turn to come to earth and receive a body. As a daughter of God, I wanted to do my part to allow God's spiritual children the opportunity to experience life. I wanted to allow these choice spirits into my earthly family. I feel very blessed by each of my children. They are each very unique and spiritual giants in their own right. It brings great joy to my heart to see my children recognize, accept and entertain the spirit of God that dwells within them. It brings great joy to my heart to know that I have done my part on as their mother to teach them of their true spiritual nature.

What a wonderful gift it is to be able to not only give a spiritual child of God a temple within which to dwell, but to also help them keep it clean and holy by teaching them the value of service, of love, of God's word. What a wonderful gift it is to gain a true understanding of the importance of keeping our temples worthy of God's love. What a wonderful gift it is to see your own family grow and prosper as they too practice keeping their temples holy.