What Makes Me, Me

Bill Mansfield, Independence 2nd Ward, Independence, Missouri, Independence Mission

1) TODAY, I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK:

If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind....I will not respond in a like manner.

Striking Back doesn’t always mean being physical. It can also mean being verbal. I
remember one time when my wife and I were having a disagreement over something. I
have no idea what the dispute was, nor do I think I want to. What I DO remember is the
bitterness and hatefulness that seemed to swell up inside of me every time she would
disagree with whatever mute point I was trying to make. I swear that if I said it was day,
she would say it was night, just to see how mad I could really get… not that that was the
way it happened, more like that’s the way I remember it. Now one needs know that I
would never, under any conditions what so ever, strike my wife; but to lash out at her
with my tongue? Now that’s a different story. Brothers, let me give you a piece of
friendly advice. Check your ‘I’m The Man’ coat at the door when you come home and
replace it with a ‘Cloak of Love and Charity.’ Let me ask a quick question, I don’t want
a show of hands; How many of you Brethren have heard the old saying ‘If Mama Aint
Happy, Aint NOBODY Happy?’ I’m going out on a limb here and say MOST of us at
one point in our lives have either heard or said that statement. You know, it doesn’t ever
matter who starts an argument. It could be a fight between you and your spouse, it could
be between you and a neighbor, or for you younger folks, it could be between you and a
teacher or another school mate. Brothers and Sisters, no matter who or what started an
argument, the results are always the same; we become un-Christ like in our actions when
we strike back.
When we are attacked in an argument by someone, we must savor the words of Job when
he said; 1 “My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid
that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My
righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as
I live.” We have to hold our tongues and our tempers. We must not stoop to a lower
level. We must heed the words of Moroni when he declared; 2”Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this
love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;
that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he
is pure. Amen.”
My father has a saying that I would like to share with you: “ He who angers you,
controls you “.
We must make a stand and declare “TODAY, I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK.”
2) I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY "ENEMY":
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask GOD to bless that individual.
I understand the "enemy" could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

When we think about someone being an Enemy, we pretty much start thinking about all
the people who have wronged us at one point or another. The guy that cut us off in traffic,
or the lady at the Electric Company that just doesn’t seem to care about anyone, or bully
at school who seems to think every one is out to get him; but have we ever once stopped
to think about why they are that way? Have we ever said a little prayer on their behalf
that they may feel the comforting Spirit of the Holy Ghost? Could it be that the guy who
cut you off just found out his wife was in early labor and was trying to get to her as fast
as he could? Could it be that the woman at the Elec. Co. had her great day turned upside
down when she was reprimanded for ‘helping’ someone to keep their lights on and
almost lost her job over it. And what about the bully at school who hates everyone, well,
he spent his morning being beaten by an abusive parent and was lashing out at everyone
else so they can feel the pain he feels. Sometimes, we have to stop ourselves and ask why
they are that way and say a prayer for them. In 3rd Nephi it says: 3’But behold I say unto
you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
You know, sometimes the “Enemy” that we will ask God to bless is ourselves. We are
our worst enemies; at times being harder and less forgiving on ourselves then we would
someone else. I know for myself that something I struggled with for a long time was my
children. As with all of us that have older children, you know that sometimes, no matter
what you do, THEY are going to do what THEY want. Whether it’s right or wrong
doesn’t seem to matter. We have between us, eight children. Five are hers and three are
mine. My two daughters are like night and day. They both know the difference between
right and wrong. They both know to make good choices and whom they can lean on in
times of trials and tribulations. However, they don’t BOTH make the choices that they
were taught. I can tell you there have been more then one night that we have cried
ourselves to sleep wondering the ultimate parenting question; “Where did we go wrong”?
This was something that bothered me tremendously for years until one day, while reading
in the Old Testament in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, I found Heavenly Father
talking to me, answering my prayers to “Bless My Enemy”. My burden lifted, my heart
swelled and I was comforted and blessed when I read:
4Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping;
Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they
were not.
Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy
work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the
enemy.
And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to
their own border.
I testify to you Brothers and Sisters that when you ask for blessings upon your enemies
with the intent that the Lord blesses them and softens their heart, that Father in Heaven
will bless you as well.
3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY:
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.

How many times do we hear about a friend or a co-worker or a neighbor doing something
and the first thing we do is run around to everyone we know saying ‘did you hear about
so-and-so?’ And how many times after doing that did we have to eat crow because what
we told others turned out to be untruthful? Gossip is nothing more than ones judgment
upon another. The scriptures are full of warnings about judging others.
5In Matthew; Judge not, that ye be not judged.
6In Luke; Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
rd
7In 3 Nephi; AND now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he
turned again to the multitude, and did open his mouth unto them again, saying: Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged.
8In Moroni: And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge,
which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same
judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
I would like to read one more verse of Scripture and then a story that I had read off the
internet; Author Unknown.
9In John chapter 7 it reads; ‘Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment’.
It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up
quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car fellow church members were whispering among
themselves as they walked in the church.
As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost
lying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds
and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face. He wore shoes that
looked 30 years old, too small for his feet, with holes all over them, his toes stuck out.
I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the
church.
We all fellowshipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man lying outside.
People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me.
A few moments later church began. We all waited for the Preacher to take his place and
to give us the Word, when the doors to the church opened.
In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head down.
People gasped and whispered and made faces.
He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit where he took off his hat and
coat. My heart sank.
There stood our preacher...he was the "homeless man."
No one said a word.
The preacher took his Bible and laid it on his stand.
"Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today. If you judge
people, you have no time to love them."
Remember what is promised in 2nd Nephi:
10Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect
brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press
forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus
saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

We must love our fellow man so much that when we hear things that we know not are
true, we have the strength of the gospel to ignore any gossip and help put an end to
slandering of others.

4) TODAY I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE:

I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.

I can think of no other way to start this off than by reading Matthew 11:29-30.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I can give hundreds of
examples about going the extra mile. It’s what we do; it’s who we are. As I sit in Opening
Exercises for Priesthood, I’m reminded every Sunday about why this church and its
people are so unique. I have seen some days where we are asked by others if we can help
them with moving or yard work or even some home repair work. Other times I have seen
Brethren stand up and ask if there was anyone that needed help so they may serve them. I
see it every time we see our Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers come to our door. I
see it again and again with every Sister and Elder Missionary that I see.
Here is another example from Elder Clayton M. Christensen.
‘The incident occurred as we moved an old, heavy refrigerator from the basement of an
elderly sister whom Clayton served as home teacher. We had tried to find another ward
member to help us but could not. In desperation we asked Jim, a nonmember neighbor,
who happily agreed to help. It was a hot, horribly humid summer day in Boston, and soon
our clothes were soaked with perspiration. When we reached the first turn in the staircase
and had balanced the fridge on the landing, Jim said, “So tell me about the Mormon
Church.”
Mopping his brow, Clayton responded, “Frankly, this is it.” … By helping us do God’s
will, Jim learned far more about what the Church feels like than he ever could through a
conversation or from attending a ward social. As a result, Jim subsequently accepted our
invitation to take the missionary discussions.’
In Mosiah it says; 11 ‘And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that
ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the
service of your God.
Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve
you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?’
You may think that these extra ordinary people who do extra ordinary things are the
exception to the rule; not every one is like that. I would dare to say that you would be
wrong. All it takes for any to succeed at “The Extra Mile” is to follow the counsel given
to us in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 88:80; That ye may be prepared in all things
when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the
mission with which I have commissioned you.

5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE:

I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.

As Christians we hear this over and over and over: 12For if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. In 1st Nephi we learn forgiveness
after Laman and Lemuel had fought with Nephi and bound him with cords that they
might leave him in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.; 13And it came to pass
that they were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow down
before me, and did plead with me that I would forgive them of the thing that they had
done against me. Likewise, in Mosiah it says; 14…Whosoever transgresseth against me,
him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his
sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive,
and I will forgive him also.

The command to forgive and the condemnation which follows failure to do so could not
be stated more plainly than in this modern revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith;15’My
disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one
another in their hearts; and for this evil they afflicted and sorely chastened.
Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not
his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in
him the greater sin.
I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but for you it is required to forgive all men.

I want to leave you with a short story and my thoughts on it.

On a cold winter evening a man suffered a heart attack. After he was admitted into the
hospital, he asked the nurse to call his daughter. He explained, "You see, I live alone and
she is the only family I have." The nurse went and called the daughter.
The man's daughter on getting the news was quite upset and shouted, "You can't let him
die! You see, Dad and I had a terrible argument almost a year ago. I haven't seen or
spoken to him since. All these months I've wanted to go to him for forgiveness. The last
thing I said to him was 'I hate you’ the daughter cried and then said, "I'm coming now.
I'll be there in thirty minutes."
The patient went into cardiac arrest and his condition worsened even further. The nurse
prayed, "Oh God, his daughter is coming. Please don't let it end this way. Let her get
here before he dies." But the efforts of the medical team to revive the patient were
fruitless.
After the man's daughter arrived, she learned the sad news. The nurse then observed one
of the doctors talking to the daughter outside the room. She could see the pathetic hurt in
her face. The nurse took the daughter aside and said "I'm sorry for your terrible loss."
The daughter responded, "I never hated him, you know. I really loved him all the while.
Please let me go to see him." The nurse escorted her to his room. The daughter went to
the bed and buried her face and her countless tears in the sheets as she said good-bye to
her deceased father.
The nurse tried not to look at this sad good-bye. But she could not help but notice a scrap
of paper on the bed table. The nurse picked up the paper and read it:
"My dearest Barbara; I forgive you. I pray you will also forgive me. I know that you love
me. I love you, too, Daddy."
We must make the decision to forgive today, for tomorrow may be too late.
I heard one time that if we make our minds up in advance about how we will react to
different circumstances then when the time arises, the ability to choose the right path will
be made easier. We have to decide TODAY that we will forgive those who have wronged
us and may I also add it might be a good time to ask for forgiveness from those in which
we have wronged. I leave you with this from Ephesians; 16And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
By the way, did you know that between the Old Testament, the New Testament and the
Book of Mormon, you can find the word ‘forgive’ 112 times? I wonder what Heavenly
Father is trying to tell us?

6) TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE,

BUT I WILL DO IT SECRETLY;
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

The Christmas Season is always the time of year that you hear of people having their
lives blessed by one person or another or through some group or organization, but what
about all those unsung heroes who sneak through the night in shadows using their talents
and gifts and means to secretly bless the lives of those less fortunate? The person at your
office who drew you as a ‘Secret Santa” and then went the extra mile to find out what
your true needs were and fulfilled them with no one the wiser? Or the family that adopted
a family down the street from them for the holidays so that their children wouldn’t go
without on Christmas morning? These people do exist; I have seen the fruits of their labor
in the eyes of my brethren and their families.
Now, you ask yourself, ‘What can I do if I’m broke?’ Give of yourself, that’s how simple
it can be. You don’t have to have a lot of money. You just have to have a lot of heart. I’m
always telling my wife that ‘The sweetest sound a person will hear is their name on
someone else’s lips.’ People like being remembered and noticed. Next time you’re in the
grocery store or the mall, take the time to notice who it is that is waiting on you and call
them by name, thanking them for their service. You’ll be surprised at how much better
you will feel knowing you made someone else happy. I know that the topic says
‘secretly’ but I had to put these other examples in as well. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt if
they know you’re the cause of a brighter day.
As I searched the scriptures trying to link this all together I came across this little treasure
in The Book of Moroni it says; 17For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it
grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift;
wherefore he is counted evil before God.
What it’s saying here is that if we do something for someone and then go around
bragging about it, then it really doesn’t count. When we do so in humility and love, then
our rewards will be bountiful in Heaven.
So, the next time you are out and about, then you can bless someone else’s day with
nothing more than a smile and a pleasant attitude.

7) TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE

TREATED:
I will practice the golden rule- do unto others as I would have them do unto you-with everyone I encounter.

As I sat and pondered about what I would say here, the story of an old fisherman came to
my mind. I’d like to share it with you now.

THE OLD FISHERMAN

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out patients at the clinic. One summer evening as I
was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. Why, he's
hardly taller than my eight-year-old, I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling
thing was his face--lopsided from swelling, red and raw. Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good
evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the
eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning." He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with
no success, no one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face...I know it looks terrible, but my doctor
says with a few more treatments..." For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: "I could
sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning." I told him we would find him
a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the
old man if he would join us. "No thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag.
When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take a long
time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a
living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back
injury. He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was preface with thanks to God
for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin
cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going.
At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him.
When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He
refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I
please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a
chair." He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered
by my face, but children don't seem to mind." I told him he was welcome to come again.
On his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of
the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd
be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do
this for us. In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us
fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by
special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully
washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had, made
the gifts doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our
next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning.
"Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up
such people!"
Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their
illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him;
from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.

Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most
beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was
growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, If this were my plant, I'd put it in the loveliest
container I had! My friend changed my mind. "I ran short of pots," she explained, "and knowing how
beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn't mind starting out in this old pail. It's just for a little while,
till I can put it out in the garden."
She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven.
"Here's an especially beautiful one," God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old
fisherman. "He won't mind starting in this small body."
All this happened long ago -- and now, in God's garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart." (1Samuel 16:7)

I think that if we treated everyone as though “WE” were the ones with differences, how
much better and happier life would be.

8) TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE WHO

IS DISCOURAGED:
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with
life.

Back in 2006 after I had just joined the Church, the Visitor Center was reopened. With
my new found exuberance for the gospel and all the blessings that come from learning I
had spent a lot of time there. One day my son Daric and I felt the desire to give back to
the missionaries the joy they had given all of us. We spent all morning fixing sandwich
after sandwich after sandwich. We threw in a little meat and cheese dip and chips and
away we went, to the VC to take them all lunch. And when I say all, I mean ALL 16
Sister Missionaries and whatever Elder that may have wandered in. The look on their
faces was so gratifying, knowing that we made them happy. I was so blessed after that
because I ended up with every one of those sisters helping teach me the gospel. I learned
so much about the gospel in such a short time.
Not too long ago my wife and I were traveling out to Blue Springs to visit my father in
law. After we visited for a little while we started talking to him about coming to our
house for a dinner and asked if he might have a few folding chairs we could borrow.
When we opened the door to his basement and started down the steps, my wife said she
“felt as if she were traveling back through time” as we approached the lower landing.
Years upon years of memories came flooding into her mind, taking her back to her
childhood, back to a time when her Mother was still alive. As she flipped over photo after
photo, book after book, her Fathers stories filled our minds and Love permeated the air.
As she looked from one box to another she came upon a dusty old journal. As she blew
the dust from the cover and turned to the first page, her large blue eyes started to fill with
tears. She looked up with tear stained eyes and in a voice of a little girl said; “Oh Daddy,
its Mamma’s journal”. As they flipped through the dusty old pages I watched silently as
they laughed, cried and loved together as only a Father and Daughter could.
By a simple act of love and kindness in asking her Father to dinner, my wife was
rewarded from our Heavenly Father with a chance to once again feel the closeness of her
Mothers Love.
As we strive to do our best and act our best toward others, Heavenly Father will bless us
immeasurably. It can be as simple as letting your neighbor know that you love them;
telling a waitress how much you appreciate them; or letting a friend know how much they
mean to you.
I leave you with this scripture from D&C 88; 18Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute
you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting
covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immoveable, and
unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of
love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and
ever. Amen.

9) TODAY I WILL NURTURE MY BODY:

I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank GOD for my body

As Latter-day Saints we are privy to revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet,
at Kirkland, Ohio, Feb. 27, 1833. It is found in the 89th section of the Doctrine and
Covenants. This revelation, known as the Word of Wisdom, is divine guidance from our
Heavenly Father to us so that we may live long, healthy and happy lives. There are those
who question the purpose of the Word of Wisdom and mock it, saying; “The church just
wants to tell everyone what to do. They also claim that the Mormon Church is a church of
‘do’s and don’ts.” I always enjoy these challenging talks with others as it gives me not
cause for confrontation, but rather opportunity for clarification into our doctrine and our
beliefs. It is a chance for me to open doors for others about modest dress; about clean
living; even about temple worship. We must obey the Word of Wisdom to be worthy to
enter into the temple. If we do not obey the Word of Wisdom, the Lord’s spirit may not
dwell with us. If we defile the “temple of God” which is our body, we hurt ourselves
physically and spiritually.
19The Lord has commanded us not to take certain things into our bodies for our own
good. We are commanded not to take strong drink, meaning drinks that contain alcohol.
The First Presidency has taught that strong drink often brings cruelty, poverty, disease,
and plague onto the home. It often is a cause for dishonesty, loss of chastity, and loss of
good judgment.
THE Lord Also told us that the use of tobacco is not for the body. It is harmful to our
bodies and spirits. We shouldn’t smoke or use tobacco products because they can cause
disease and can harm unborn children.
The Lord also counsels against hot drink meaning coffee and tea. It has been found that
coffee and tea contains tannic acid which is used in the processing of tanning leather.
(Can you imagine what it does to OUR insides?)
We have been counseled to avoid drug except when they are necessary as medicine and
even then one needs to be vigilant against becoming addicted.
We should avoid anything that we feel can damage or be harmful to our bodies.
When we keep the Lord’s law of health and obey his other commandments, the Lord
promises to bless us physically and spiritually. Physically we have been promised good
health. As a result of this good health we “shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and
not faint”) D&C 89:20). And the spiritual blessings are even greater. The Lord promises
that we “shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.
(D&C 89:19)
The Lord also promises that the destroying angle shall pass us by. Elder Spencer W.
Kimball said that in our time this means we will be saved from spiritual death: “For
observing the Word of Wisdom the reward is life, not only prolonged mortal life but life
eternal.” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 211.)
In Proverbs 23 we are warned against drunkenness, gluttony, and laziness.
20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a
man with rags.
When we eat right and exercise we not only strengthen our physical bodies, but our
spiritual ones as well. Over and over we are told in the scriptures that ‘no unclean thing
can dwell in the presence of God’. If we want to be worthy to enter into the House of the
Lord and in the presence of God, then we must always keep His commandments, even
the Word of Wisdom.
10) TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY:
I will spend a little more time in prayer today: I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational
today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to God's voice!!!

There are literally hundreds of ways that we can spend some time to grow in our
spirituality. Some of the more known ways are to sit and read the scriptures either alone
or as a family; attending Sacrament and Sunday Schools and Priesthood and Relief
Society Meetings; doing Monday Night Family Home Evenings; Team Ups with the
missionaries and the list can go on and on. But how about those less thought of things
that we can do like take a family outing to the Visitors Center; or go on a Church History
Tour.
Missionary work is always a great way to allow yourself to grow spiritually
Inviting the Missionaries into your home to teach non-members is an amazing way to
bring the Spirit into your home and learn anew as the Missionaries teach investigators.
I started learning about the gospel in December of 2005. I was baptized in January of
2006 and by the end of February I had completed reading the Book of Mormon cover to
cover for the first time. With the gospel so new to me I started reading it again with an
inspired outlook at the gospel. I wrote my Testimony out and pasted it onto the front
cover of my scriptures as a reminder to me the wonder and splendor of the scriptures. I
started passing out copies of the Book of Mormon to close friends at first and then to
complete strangers, complete with my written and verbalized testimony of the
truthfulness of the gospel. With each book I passed out and each opportunity to bear my
testimony I felt stronger and stronger in the gospel. I started bearing my testimony on
Fast and Testimony Sundays at church. I would bear my testimony with others while at
the Visitors Center. I started going on Temple trips and THAT expanded my Testimony
immensely. By the end of 2006 I had passed out over 35 copies of the Book of Mormon
and bore my testimony over 100 times to anyone and everyone that would listen. I
remember one trip that we took to Nauvoo to go and see the Joseph Smith Pageant. There
was about an hour before the show started and was running around talking to everyone I
could meet and letting them know that I was a new convert and as I would share with
them my excitement, they would share their excitement with me.
In D&C 62:3 it says; Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne
is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon, and they rejoice over you…
There are lots of ways that you can grow spiritually but nothing will lift the spirits of
others as effectively as a heart felt testimony. All your scholarly knowledge and fancy
words pale in comparison.
I want to leave you with a quote from the Prophet Joseph Smith. Quote; 21“A man filled
with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the
whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race” close quote.
I bare testimony that God lives; that Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. I know that Joseph
Smith was and is a prophet; I testify that the Book of Mormon is true and that Our
Church Leaders are all called of God, that by baring your testimony of the things you
know to be true gives you strength and helps others strengthen their testimonies as well.
In the holy name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, Amen.
Notes:
1) Job 27:4-6
2) THE BOOK OF MORONI 7:48
3) 3rd Nephi 12:44
4) Jeremiah: 31:15-17
5) Matthew: 7:1
6) Luke: 6:37
7) 3rd Nephi 14:1
8) Moroni 7:18
9) ST Joh: 7:24
10) 2nd Nephi 31:20
11) Mosiah 2:17-18
12) Matthew 6:14
13) 1st Nephi 7:20
14) Mosiah 26:29
15) D&C 64: 8-10
16) Ephesians 4:32
17) Moroni 7:8
18) D&C 88: 133
19) Gospel Principles; Chapter 29 pp,192-195
20) Proverb: 23:20-21
21) History of the Church, 4:227