Gospel Doctrine, Lesson 34: Keep the Ordinances, As I Delivered Them, I Corinthians 11-15

Many years ago I worked in the head office of one of our railroads. One day I received a telephone call from my counterpart in Newark, New Jersey, who said that a passenger train had arrived without its baggage car. The patrons were angry. We discovered that the train had been properly made up in Oakland, California, and properly delivered to St. Louis, from which station it was to Gordon B. be carried to its destination on the east Hinckley coast. But in the St. Louis yards, a thoughtless switchman had moved a piece of steel just three inches. That piece of steel was a switch point, and the car that should have been in Newark, New Jersey, was in New Orleans, Louisiana, thirteen hundred miles away (CR, Oct. 1972) Let us conquer ourselves, and then go to and conquer all the evil that we see around us, as far as we possibly can. And we will do it without using violence; we will do it without interfering with the agency of men or of women. We will do it by persuasion, by long-suffering, by patience, and by forgiveness and love unfeigned, by which we will win the hearts, the affections and the souls of the children of men to the truth as God has revealed it to us. [God] has made us in his own form and likeness, and here we are male and female, parents and children. And we must become more and more like himmore like him in love, in charity, in forgiveness, in patience, long-suffering and forbearance, in purity of thought and action, intelligence, and in all respects, that we may be worthy of exaltation in his presence.
Joseph F. Smith

Parents should love and respect each other, and treat each other with respectful decorum and kindly regard, all the time. The husband should treat his wife with the utmost courtesy and respect. The husband should never insult her; he should never speak slightly of her, but should always hold her in the highest esteem in the home, in the presence of their children. The wife, also should treat the husband with the greatest respect and courtesy. Her words to him should not be keen and cutting and sarcastic. She should not pass slurs or insinuations at him. She should not nag him. She should not try to arouse his anger or make things unpleasant about the home. The wife should be a joy to her husband, and she should live and conduct herself at home so the home will be the most joyous, the most blessed place on earth to her husband. This should be the condition of the husband, wife, the father and the mother, within the sacred precinct of that holy place, the home. Then it will be easy for the parents to instill into the hearts of their children not only love for their fathers and their mothers, not only respect and courtesy towards their parents, but love and courtesy and deference between the children at home. The little brothers will respect their little sisters. The little boys will respect one another. The little girls will respect one another and the girls and boys will respect one another, and treat one another with that love, that deference and respect that should be observed in the home on the part of the little children. Then the foundation of a correct education has been laid in the heart and mind of the child at home. (Gospel Doctrine 253-54,276, 283-84)

President Marion G. Romney taught: [A husband and wife] should be one in harmony, respect, and mutual consideration. Neither should plan or follow an independent course of action. They should consult, pray, and decide together. ...Remember that neither the wife nor the husband is the slave of the other. Husbands and wives are equal partners (In the Image of God, Ensign, Mar. 1978,2,4). Some of the home habits of the Prophetsuch as building kitchen fires, carrying out ashes, carrying in wood and water, assisting in the care of the children, etc. were not in accord with my idea of a great mans self-respect. The above incident of the Prophet carrying the sack of flour gave me the opportunity to give him some corrective advice which I had desired to do for a long time. I reminded him of every phase of his greatness and called to his mind the multitude of tasks he performed that were too menial for such as he; to fetch and carry flour was too great a humiliation. Too terrible a humiliation, I repeated, for you who are the head, and you should not do it. The Prophet listened quietly to all I had to say, then made his answer in these words: If there be a humiliation in a mans house, who but the head of that house should or could bear that humiliation? Sister Crosby was a very hardworking woman, taking much more responsibility in her home than most women take. Thinking to give the Prophet some light on home management, I said to him, Brother Joseph, my wife does much more hard work than does your wife. Brother Joseph replied by telling me that if a man cannot learn in this life to appreciate a wife and do his duty by her, in properly taking care of her, he need not expect to be given one in the hereafter. His words shut my mouth as tight as a clam. I took them as terrible reproof. After that I tried to do better by the good wife I had and tried to lighten her labors. (They Knew the Prophet, by Hyrum L. and Helen Mae Andrus, 145) Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: With so very much at stake, [the sacrament] should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions. As such it should not be rushed. It is not something to get over so that the real purpose of a sacrament meeting can be pursued. This is the real purpose of the meeting (CR, Oct. 1995) Father, where shall I work today? And my love flowed warm and free. Then He pointed out a tiny spot And said, Tend that for me. I answered quickly, Oh, no; not that! Why, no one would ever see, No matter how well my work was done; Not that little place for me. And the word He spoke, it was not stern; Ah, little one, search that heart of thine. Nazareth was a little place, And so was Galilee.
(By Meade McGuire; quoted in Monson, Ensign, May 1986, 39)

Jesse W. Crosby

Making the Sacrament Personally Meaningful

If we approach the sacrament each week in the attitude of actively bringing a personal, specific offeringa humble promise to conquer a weakness that is separating us from the Saviorthe sacrament will take on an infinitely richer meaning in our lives. Our relationship to Christ will grow and deepen as we make and keep such promises, and thereby progress in honoring our sacramental covenants (W. Cole Durham, Jr., The Sacrament and Covenant-Making, Ensign, Jan. 1978, p. 46). To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament is equally serious. The solemn moments of thought while the sacrament is being served have great significance. They are moments of self-examination, introspection, self-discernmenta time to reflect and to resolve (Howard W. Hunter, in Conference Report, Apr. 1977, p. 34; or Ensign, May 1977, p. 25). Before attending the Sacrament meeting: Review your life with the Lord, in prayer, to determine what areas you need to improve or repent. Go through the steps of repentance (Faith in Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Sorrow for Sin, Confession, Abandonment of Sin, Restitution, & Righteous Living). Recommit yourself to the Lord that you will work toward eliminating the sins from your life. Pray that you will feel the Spirit while at the Sacrament meeting. While at the Sacrament meeting: Pay attention to the words of the Sacrament hymn as you sing them. Listen carefully to the Sacrament prayers. While the Sacrament is being passed to the congregation, think about the Savior and His sacrifices for you. Focus on spiritually uplifting things. This can be through meditation, prayer, reading the scriptures, or reviewing the Sacrament songs. Following the Sacrament meeting: Thank Heavenly Father, through prayer, for the Atonement and the opportunity to partake of the sacrament.

What does it mean to partake of the sacrament worthily? Or how do we know if we are unworthy? If we desire to improve (which is to repent) and are not under priesthood restriction, then, in my opinion, we are worthy. If, however, we have no desire to improve, if we have no intention of following the guidance of the Spirit, we must ask: Are we worthy to partake, or are we making a mockery of the very purpose of the sacrament, which is to act as a catalyst for personal repentance and improvement? If we remember the Savior and all he has done and will do for us, we will improve our actions and thus come closer to him, which keeps us on the road to eternal life. (John H. Groberg, The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament, Ensign, May 1989, 38) Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve said: Windows must be washed regularly to clean away dust and dirt. Just as earthly windows need consistent, thorough cleaning, so do the windows of our spirituality. By partaking of the sacrament worthily to renew our baptismal covenants, we clarify our view of lifes eternal purpose and divine priorities. The sacrament prayers invite personal introspection, repentance, and rededication as we pledge our willingness to remember our Savior, Jesus the Christ (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 103; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 77). Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said: After His mortal ministry, Jesus told his Nephite Apostles that He would no longer accept burnt offerings but that His disciples should offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit (3 Ne. 9:1920; see also D&C 59:8, 12). Instead of the Lord requiring our animals or grain, now He wants us to give up all that is ungodly. This higher practice of the law of sacrifice reaches into the inner soul of a person. When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives and covenant to serve Him regardless of the cost, we are then living the law of sacrifice (The Law of Sacrifice, Ensign, Oct. 1998, 1011).