First of all, thanks to all of you who checked in to the roll call last week. I’m glad to know there’s still a little army marching along. 🙂
I really, really like this talk by Elder Christofferson. Maybe it’s because the Lord teaches me often through chastening. The “naggings” of the Holy Ghost have frequently been the means by which I finally get my act together and do what I know I should be doing. And I’m grateful for that.
“As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten” by Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Some of my favorite quotes in this talk were:
Divine chastening has at least three purposes: (1) to persuade us to repent, (2) to refine and sanctify us, and (3) at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path.
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If we sincerely desire and strive to measure up to the high expectations of our Heavenly Father, He will ensure that we receive all the help we need, whether it be comforting, strengthening, or chastening.
What parts of his message stood out most to you? How do you think we can apply these lessons? Share your thoughts in the comments below. If this is your first visit to GCBC, visit here to learn more about it, and join the fun.
Diapers and Divinity 
This is the talk I use to help me wind down at night. (This talk has a calming rhythm to it.) I’ve listened to it many, many times (although about 75% of the time, I’ve fallen asleep before he finishes. 😉 )
I think this is an important talk, because we often talk about the love of God, and sometimes I think we can mistake that to mean that He never demands anything (which I think is Elder Christofferson’s point). I was sobered by some of the quote that “The God of the Bible traffics in life and death, not niceness, and calls for sacrificial love, not benign whatever-ism.” In a world where death is often seen as the worst thing that can happen, that is sobering indeed.
But there is much love infused in this message, and a reminder that the demands of God are because of His love. When I am working to discipline my body, mind, and spirit with the hope of the gospel (rather than my own demanding, critical voice as the motivator), I feel God’s love and power in significant ways. For me, that is the trick — to trust in His voice rather than lean on my own self-criticism to know what I need to repent of and work on and change.
I think parenting our own children gives us great insight in to what Heavenly Father is trying to do with us–only He actually knows what He is doing all of the time. 🙂 As much as we love our children and want to protect them from heartache and painful experiences, sometimes that is exactly what they need in order to really learn something. Being overly protective does not help them to mature and learn. I’m sure it is hard for our Heavenly Father to watch us struggle, but He understands the lessons these experiences can teach us and how it will help us to become who He knows we can become.
I wonder how often we in the church use HF as some one to serve us like Christoffenson said about much of the modern Christian world. Quote “Sadly, much of modern Christianity does not acknowledge that God makes any real demands on those who believe in Him, seeing Him rather as a butler “who meets their needs when summoned” or a therapist whose role is to help people “feel good about themselves.” “ In trying to liken this quote to member and to myself I’m asking myself- Are my prayers not only thankful for my blessings, but are the requests I made not just asking him to fix, but asking him to bless and help me to understand, do ,etc so I’m serving and becoming and blessing others? and not just asking him to fix every think all the time.
I liked some of the thoughts Elder Christofferson shared at the end best:
“If we repeatedly fail to act on the chastening of a loving God, then He too will desist.”
“Eventually, much of our chastening should come from within—we should become self-correcting.”
“All of us can meet God’s high expectations, however great or small our capacity and talent may be.”
I also appreciated his reference to Elder Oak’s talk on “becoming” (in the October 2000 general conference) – that’s something I came across in my study this week, and it’s a reminder that I needed.
What a great talk. Sometimes I need to be reminded that even if the whole world seems like it’s out to get me, it’s for my own good!