Before I begin, here is a little explanation about the term "Visiting Teaching". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a woman's organization called the Relief Society. Women in this organization are paired off into companionships and assigned to be visiting teachers to anywhere from 1 or more other women in the organization. In a perfect world a visiting teacher helps be a monthly point of contact for spiritual and physical needs as well as providing opportunities for building friendships and making sure each woman knows she is loved.
On to power...
In the September issue of the Ensign magazine the visiting teaching message is "Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Power and Glory". My thoughts on this topic have been bubbling in my mind for a few weeks now.
In the world powerful people often seem to destroy, divide, and dominate. Power seems to break down and burden others.
God's use of power is quite different. His power can unite, lift up, build, and create.
Sheri Dew said,
"God's power is about unity rather than control and domination. God makes His power available to His covenant-making children so that they can become one with Him and one with each other."
("Women and the Priesthood", pg 100.)
Sheri Dew also said ,
" God wants a powerful people."
Click here for a talk by Sheri Dew on that subject for further reading.
("You Were Born to Lead, You were Born for Glory", December 9, 2003)
The Visiting teachings messages over the past 2 years have all been about diving attributes of Christ. Some include Power and Glory, Obedient, Long-suffering and patient, Without guile or hypocrisy
Virtue, Forgiving and Merciful, and being Meek. These are not merely given to us to admire the Glory of Jesus Christ, but they are attributes we can strive to develop in our very own natures.
The September 2015 message on power and glory quotes Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, and says, “Covenant keeping strengthens, empowers, and protects. … I recently met a dear new friend. She testified that after she had received her temple endowment, she felt strengthened with power to resist temptations."
I love that. I love the reminder that covenants give us power. I also love the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants section 109 that reads,
22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
Armed with Power!
God's has promised His people power. That's sounds cool, but what does that really mean.
Romans 1:16 says that the gospel of Christ is the power unto salvation. We read this in Sunday School today (isn't that cool, while I was letting this topic simmer, a scripture I wasn't searching for came to light). To me this means that power comes from and is manifest in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Mosiah chapter 18 in the Book of Mormon teaches us the following,
8 And
it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of
Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses
of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be
in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered
with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
That is what what the Gospel of Jesus Christ means to me, bearing burdens, mourning, comforting, and standing as a witness in all aspects of my life. It means putting into action all things I have promised to do and in return having his Spirit abundantly in my life. I'm with the people in Alma's time, I want to clap my hands for joy and say, "Yes, I'm in!: Back to Romans...power of the gospel unto salvation. To me the power unto salvation is two fold. First, the power itself is what gives me the ability to try every day to live this Gospel. Second, the power of Christ (or grace) enables Salvation to be possible.
I guess I've been looking at power in a new light. I don't get power when I do all those things in Mosiah chapter 18. It is power given to me BY God when making covenants WITH God, that enables me to accomplish all those things in chapter 18.
"When we enter into the waters of baptism, we not only covenant to serve God and keep His commandments, we promise to bear one another's burdens, to mourn with those who mourn, and to comfort those who need comfort. When we receive the Holy Ghost, we have the capacity to know all things the Lord would have us do and to gradually, increasingly become one with Him. When we are endowed, we bind ourselves more fully to the Lord, and He binds Himself to us." (Sheri Dew, "Women and the Priesthood", pg 100)
Capacity comes by God's power that is granted and shared with us.
I close with a personal story of events that happened on Wednesday.
My friend emailed me in the morning asking if I could babysit that night form 6:00-7:30pm. It was a last minute meeting she had to attend. I originally had a tentative visiting teaching visit scheduled for that night. I checked and the appointment had to be rescheduled, so I was available to go babysit. I had also previously agreed to go with my mom to deliver a meal to a family who recently lost their wife/mother. It turned out to be a long day. In addition to having a lot of patients to see, and a lot of driving around town, I had an inflamed cut on my lip (stupid Popsicle accident) that was causing me a lot of pain and making it hard to eat anything (thank you Sonic for coconut cream shakes). I wasn't in the best of moods and felt a bit overwhelmed, but I wanted to do what I had committed to do. I was able to get work finished in time to drive with my mom to deliver a meal. We both got some much needed mother-daughter time talking in the car. I made it to babysit and had a delightful hour of putting together puzzles and playing with cars. By 8pm I was home and able to use my homemade turmeric and coconut oil paste to relieve the inflammation on my poor lip. It was an exhausting, whirlwind of a day. I am not sharing this story to brag about how good and selfless I am. I use this story to add my testimony of the effects of the power of God in my life. When we exercise faith that God can give us power beyond our capacity then go to work, He holds up His end of the promise and we can be instruments in his hands. It is power that enhances our capacity to do things.
When we act in faith, commit to live the gospel by covenants with God, He gives us His power, and by His power we can have the capacity to do all things, and ultimately become more united with Him.
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