And There Shall Be No More Death

Elder Paul V. Johnson 

I had someone share this talk with me when Jenny passed away about a year ago.     There is so much hope in this message.   A very healing read for me.    

And There Shall Be No More Death

There is no salvation without both our spirit and our body.

The reality of the Resurrection of the Savior overwhelms our heartbreak with hope because with it comes the assurance that all the other promises of the gospel are just as real—promises that are no less miraculous than the Resurrection. 

1.  We know that He has the power to cleanse us from all our sins. 

2.  We know that He has taken upon Himself all our infirmities, pains, and the injustices we have suffered.¹⁸ 

3.  We know that He has “rise[n] from the dead, with healing in his wings.”¹⁹ 

4.  We know that He can make us whole no matter what is broken in us. 

5.  We know that He “shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.”²⁰ 

6.  We know that we can be “made perfect through Jesus … , who wrought out this perfect atonement,”²¹ if we will just have faith and follow Him.

Talk Given by Karol Stokes in Sacrament Meeting on April 18, 2021

 

Talk for Sacrament Meeting, April 18, 2021

I was asked to choose a conference talk from the recent general conference to for my subject matter, and so I chose the one by Elder Uchtdorf entitled God Among Us. 

President Uchtdorf began his talk by telling us about his life as a young boy in Germany, and the fear, chaos and uncertainties that his family was faced with because of war and political division.    He often said to himself “Is there any hope left in the world?” 

We are faced today with similar challenges which test our faith and try our patience.  By keeping an eternal perspective and focusing on the things that unite, rather than divide us, we can help to reverse current trends of negativism and hopelessness.    Sometimes I marvel at the concept that God has given me everything I need to be happy.     By demonstrating that happiness in word and deed, I can make a significant impact in small, but powerful ways.    We can find strength for the day and inner peace when we turn ourselves outward, and testify to others that God is Among us. 

Speaking of the missionaries that taught his family the gospel, President Uchtdorf said:

“To me, these young men and women were perfect. I am sure they had flaws, but not to me. I will always think of them as being bigger than life—angels of light and glory, ministers of compassion, goodness, and truth.

They had left the safety of their homes half a world away and traveled to Germany—land of their recent enemies—to offer divine hope to our people. They came not to blame, lecture, or shame. They willingly gave of their young lives without thought of earthly gain, wanting only to help others find the joy and peace they had experienced.

  While the world was drowning in cynicism, bitterness, hatred, and fear, the example and teachings of those missionaries filled me with hope. The gospel message they offered transcended politics, history, grudges, grievances, and personal agendas. It gave divine answers to important questions we had during these difficult times.   Their message was that God lived and cared about us, even in these hours of turmoil, confusion, and chaos. That He actually appeared in our time to restore truth and light—His gospel and His Church. That He speaks to prophets again; that God is among us—and is personally involved in our lives and actively guiding His children.

It is so humbling to know that this magnificent and supernal future is possible—not because of who we are but because of who God is.

Knowing this, how could we ever murmur or remain embittered? How could we ever keep our eyes on the ground when the King of kings invites us to take flight into an unimaginable future of divine happiness?^5”

In February, of 2012, I stood at the funeral services for my father and spoke these words.  “My heart is filled with joy, for I have a testimony that will guide my actions in the days ahead.”   How is it that I was able to proclaim joy at a time of such loss and sorrow?   It is because ‘joy is not the absence of pain, but the presence of God.’  No matter the pain, the presence of God brings an assurance of his love, which is, according to Nephi “the most desirable above all things…and the most joyous to the soul.  (1 Nephi 11:22-23)

Within a month after my father passed away, our son who was 24 years old died.   I prayerfully sought the promised blessings of turning to the only one who could understand.  I begged in behalf of myself, by husband, and our children for courage and strength.   I was eventually able to place every fear, doubt and question that I had concerning this tragic event and place it at the Saviors feet.   The glorious blessings of peace, comfort and the ability to go forward in faith have been made manifest in my life.   It is through this experience and other similar triumphs, that I know my Savior lives, and that God is Among us. 

Elder Uchtdorf said:    

“In our daily life it is our paramount task and blessed opportunity to encounter God.

As we set aside pride and approach His throne with a broken heart and a contrite spirit,³⁰ He will draw near to us.³¹

As we seek to follow Jesus Christ and walk the path of discipleship, line upon line, the day will come that we will experience that unimaginable gift of receiving a fulness of joy.

My beloved friends, your Heavenly Father loves you with a perfect love. He has proven His love in endless ways, but above all by giving His Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice and as a gift to His children to make the return to our heavenly parents a reality.”

There are many things that help me to feel the love of God. 

Joseph F. Smith said: “A truly happy person is one who can see and appreciate the beauty with which God ordained the commonplace things of life.”

I love this familiar primary song, which reminds me of this truth.

Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky…..

Most of you know that our daughter, recently passed away suddenly. 

The assurance that God is there, and that he loves me has been my anchor throughout the past few months.  Partaking of his divine love has allowed me to find peace and to be consoled.    How to I know that God loves me?   I know because he has sent to our home, family, friends and neighbors to sustain us through one of the most difficult things we have ever faced.   Meals and food were provided for weeks.   Funeral arrangements went smoothly, and a loving Bishop provided blessings and counsel to us.    Flowers, calls, cards and encouraging words poured into our home – and still do.  It was as if we were literally lifted out of our sorrowful realm and into a place where we could be surrounded by God’s love, and feel it completely.

Jeffrey R. Holland put it this way: “Heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good, and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.  You are those angels.  Thank you for your love and for doing what God would have you do.

There will be times when the love of God is all that sustains those who bear the heavy burdens of affliction and languish in the dark pit of despair.   I love the comforting words to the Hymn – Come unto Jesus.

 

. Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden,

Careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed.

He’ll safely guide you unto that haven

Where all who trust him may rest.

. Come unto Jesus; He’ll ever heed you,

Though in the darkness you’ve gone astray.

His love will find you and gently lead you

From darkest night into day.

 Come unto Jesus; He’ll surely hear you,

If you in meekness plead for his love.

Oh, know you not that angels are near you

From brightest mansions above?

      

Elder Uchtdorf’s promise to us is this:   Open your hearts to our Savior and Redeemer, no matter your circumstances, trials, sufferings, or mistakes; you can know that He lives, that He loves you, and that because of Him, you will never be alone. 

I testify that your personal security and happiness depend upon the strength of your testimony.  I would like to end as I began by saying:   My heart is filled with joy, for I have a testimony that will guide my actions in the days ahead.   May we continue to lift up our heads and rejoice, knowing that God is Among us, is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

A Willingness to Learn from Pain - Bruce C. Hafen

Our daughter Jenny Stokes passed away on January 16, 2021.     She had the same condition that Steve and Elden suffered in their brains.   It was sudden.   None of us knew the severity of what she was suffering.    I love this talk.    It has so much to digest in it....

A Willingness to Learn From Pain - Bruce C. Hafen 

Some will remember Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the literate wife of the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh. The kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, which finally resulted in the child’s death, once captured the attention and sympathy of the American nation. In looking back on her life, Mrs. Lindbergh wrote:

“I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable.” (Time, 5 Feb. 1973, p. 35; italics added.) We will all suffer in one way or another, but we need a certain perspective if our suffering is to teach us.

Consider the pain that comes when your conscience cries out against something you have done or are about to do. There are various ways of responding to that pain. One response tries to outwit the pain by changing one’s basic attitudes toward the actual existence of God and the validity of moral laws, claiming that neither really apply. That change may take some time and effort, but those who have rearranged their view of the universe in just that way have found that somehow the new view makes them more comfortable—because it makes the pain subside. How sad! For this change represents only a temporary period of self-deception. Sooner or later, in this life or the next, they shall again see reality as it is and feel their pain all over again, even to “weeping and wailing.” In like manner, we may find temporary relief from pangs of conscience by inventing some rational explanation why “this time” what we did was not wrong.

Tragically, those who continually manipulate their conception of reality will discover that while they no longer feel pain when violating a commandment, they also no longer feel the kinds of joy they once knew. What they do not realize is that both their pain and their joy are natural responses to things as they are. Since their highest realizations of joy flow from their accurate perceptions of God’s reality and the joy of the Saints, the removal from their mental framework of both God and the Saints automatically removes the joy associated with both.

Of course, it is still possible for such individuals to substitute some form of pleasure, so that one who turns his face from God to avoid facing him may still have his fun. But being deprived of true joy is a terrible price to pay to turn off the pain of deserved guilt. Building an entirely new worldview in one’s mind in order to keep the pain turned off is a formidable task, since the universe that really exists is impossible to change.

Fortunately, there is a better alternative. The pain of a wounded conscience comes to us not just to cause suffering. It is an invitation for us to respond in a way that will ultimately lead to joy. To accept the invitation early, we simply need to stop—in midair if necessary—and turn away from whatever we were going to do. If it is too late for that, the invitation of an aroused conscience can still be accepted by a visit with the bishop and by a few other well-known steps of repentance. This approach will also stop the pain, but it will also leave you true to yourself and to the universe of God’s reality. At the same time, your capacity for joy will be undiminished—it may even be enhanced through newly discovered self-control. Then the next time the pain of conscience comes, it will come as the voice of a friend, to tell you those sensitive, painful kinds of things you would hope a true friend would share.

There Was Bread - Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/25waddell?lang=eng

This is a GREAT talk on Self-Reliance    

From the beginning of time, the Lord has provided direction to help His people prepare spiritually and temporally against the calamities and trials that He knows will come as part of this mortal experience. These calamities may be personal or general in nature, but the Lord’s guidance will provide protection and support to the extent that we heed and act upon His counsel.

To all who have been affected, we express understanding and concern for your situation, as well as a firm conviction that better days are ahead. You have been blessed with bishops and branch presidents who seek out members of their congregations with temporal needs and who have access to tools and resources that can help you reestablish your lives and place you on the path to self-reliance as you apply principles of preparedness.

The Lord does not expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it. As President Nelson reminded us in our last general conference, “The Lord loves effort.”⁷

Key principles to manage your finances include the payment of tithes and offerings, eliminating and avoiding debt, preparing and living within a budget, and saving for the future.

Key home storage principles include the storage of food, the storage of water, and the storage of other necessities based on individual and family needs, all because “the best storehouse”¹⁶ is the home, which becomes the “most accessible reserve in times of need.”¹⁷

Elder David A. Bednar taught this principle when he said: “Taking action is the exercise of faith. … True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to action.”¹⁸

Personal and Family Welfare Goals - Ensign, 1986

 Personal and Family Welfare Goals

1. Learn principles of individual and family well-being.

□ Am I learning principles of welfare—such as work, self-reliance, provident living, giving, and caring for the poor—through studying the scriptures (see the Topical Guide in the LDS edition of the King James Bible), general conference talks, and Church publications?

□ Am I learning to apply welfare principles through attending Church meetings and classes, fulfilling Church callings, and participating in service activities?

□ Am I teaching these principles to my family in home evening?

□ Are we planning ways to implement welfare principles through discussing them in husband/wife councils and family councils?

□ How well are we applying the things we are learning?

2. Become self-reliant and live providently.

□ Am I praying individually and with my family to seek the Lord’s help in taking care of myself, my family, and others?

□ Am I managing my finances wisely?

□ Am I producing and storing food and other necessities?

□ Am I maintaining good physical health?

□ Am I working to develop social, emotional, and spiritual strength?

□ Do I have a good education? Could I improve it?

□ Have I prepared adequately for a successful career? Should I upgrade it?

□ Am I prepared for emergencies?

□ Do I accept responsibility for my own and my family’s support and well-being?

3. Increase my fast offering donations for the needy.

□ Am I giving a generous amount of fast offerings?

□ Should I give more?

4. Consistently be involved in compassionate service to family, neighbors, Church, and community.

□ Have I prayed to seek direction from the Lord on who and how to serve?

□ How can I better serve my family members?

□ What can I do for my neighbors?

□ Who can I help in my ward or stake?

□ What can I contribute to my community?

The Power of the Word - Ezra Taft Benson

 The Power of the Word - Ezra Taft Benson

This talk is a real GEM and has motivated me to begin my study of the scriptures and take it to a new level.    I want the promises that are attached to Scripture Study.   Everything in here is amazing and true.  

… However talented men may be in administrative matters; however eloquent they may be in expressing their views; however learned they may be in the worldly things—they will be denied the sweet whisperings of the Spirit that might have been theirs unless they pay the price of studying, pondering, and praying about the scriptures.” (In Regional Representatives’ Seminar, 2 Apr. 1982, pp. 1–2.)

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Josh. 1:8; italics added.)

promised, “And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived.” (JS—M 1:37; italics added.)

“the word [has] a great tendency to lead people to do that which [is] just—yea, it [has] more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which [has] happened unto them.” (Alma 31:5.)