Important Dates
- June 24-27: Stake Girl's Camp
- June 29: "The Lamb of God" Stake Musical Presentation, 7pm at the Stake Center
- July 10-12: Youth Conference
June 2014 Lesson Schedule
Lesson Review
Chapter
10: Our Search for Truth
Toward the end of his life, President Joseph
Fielding Smith often reflected on the blessings he had received through his
study of the gospel:
“All
my days I have studied the scriptures and have sought the guidance of the
Spirit of the Lord in coming to an understanding of their true meaning. The
Lord has been good to me, and I rejoice in the knowledge he has given me and in
the privilege that has been and is mine to teach his saving principles.”
“Everyone should learn something new every
day. You all have inquiring minds and are seeking truth in many fields. I
sincerely hope your greatest search is in the realm of spiritual things,
because it is there that we are able to gain salvation and make the progress
that leads to eternal life in our Father’s kingdom.” However, President Smith reminds us that “The
most important knowledge in the world is gospel knowledge. It is a knowledge of
God and his laws, of those things that men must do to work out their salvation
with fear and trembling before the Lord.”
President Smith further cautions that “[n]ot
all truth is of the same value or importance. Some truths are greater than
others. The greatest truth, or the greatest truths, we find in the fundamentals
of the gospel of Jesus Christ…”
“So far as the philosophy and wisdom of the
world are concerned, they mean nothing unless they conform to the revealed word
of God. Any doctrine, whether it comes in the name of religion, science,
philosophy, or whatever it may be, if it is in conflict with the revealed word
of the Lord, will fail. It may appear plausible. It may be put before you in
language that appeals and which you may not be able to answer. It may appear to
be established by evidence that you cannot controvert, but all you need to do
is to abide your time. Time will level all things. You will find that every
doctrine, every principle, no matter how universally believed, if it is not in
accord with the divine word of the Lord to his servants, will perish. Nor is it
necessary for us to try to stretch the word of the Lord in a vain attempt to
make it conform to these theories and teachings. The word of the Lord shall not
pass away unfulfilled, but these false doctrines and theories will all fail.
Truth, and only truth, will remain when all else has perished.”
President Smith counsels us to seek the Lord
through prayer, by faith and study. He
reflects that “[I]t seems to me that a member of this Church would not be able
to rest in peace and comfort and have a clear conscience without having
knowledge by study and by faith of the standard works of the Church.”
President Smith counsels us to follow the
prophets and church leaders. He states: “The
Latter-day Saints should put their trust in their leaders, and follow the
teachings of the authorities of the Church, for they speak unto them with the
voice of prophecy and inspiration. The Lord has declared in the very first
section in the Doctrine and Covenants, that whether he speak by his own voice
or through the voice of his servants, it is the same [see D&C
1:38]. Therefore, we are under just as
great responsibility and obligation to hearken unto the voice of the one who
stands at the head to teach the people, or to listen unto the voice of the
elders of Israel, as they carry among the people the message of truth, as we
are [if] the Lord should send from his presence an angel or should come himself
to declare these things unto us…. But if we will walk in the light of the
revelations of the Lord, if we will hearken to the counsels that are given by
those who stand in the councils of the Church, empowered to give the
instructions, we will not go astray.”
President Smith also tells us to follow the
promptings of the Holy Ghost: “If we will follow the spirit of light, the
spirit of truth, the spirit that is set forth in the revelations of the Lord;
if we will, through the spirit of prayer and humility, seek for the guidance of
the Holy Ghost, the Lord will increase our light and our understanding; so that
we shall have the spirit of discernment, we shall understand the truth, we
shall know falsehood when we see it, and we shall not be deceived.”
President Smith also counsels us to
pray. He said, “If there is any doctrine
or principle connected with the teachings of the Church that we do not
understand, then let us get on our knees. Let us go before the Lord in the
spirit of prayer, of humility, and ask that our minds might be enlightened that
we may understand.”
“Now, we will not get all that in this life.
It is impossible for a man to reach that goal in the few years of mortal
existence. But what we learn here, that which is eternal, that which is
inspired by the Spirit of truth, will continue with us beyond the grave and
then we shall go on, if still continuing in God, to receive light and truth
until eventually we shall come to that perfect day.”
Questions to ponder:
What blessings have come to you as you have studied the scriptures and
other gospel teachings? What can we learn about the balance between spiritual
learning and secular learning? How have the scriptures helped you “become
closer acquainted” with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Think about the
blessings you have received as you have followed the counsel of Church leaders.
How can we share the teachings of living prophets with our families and others?
