"Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;
For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.
And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.
For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God."
Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-11
I was taking some training at work today and it mentioned a study that showed motivation was a lot higher for many people when it was clear that hard work could help you get ahead, rather than talking about a job as though it were just a talent and you either had it or you didn't. ... And I get that. If you don't feel like you are good at something, and it is just an either or thing, then why try? That's what made me think of spiritual gifts, and how here, God tells us clearly "seek ye earnestly the best gifts," making it radically clear that even though we do all have an inborn talent for something, that we can work and gain other gifts and talents. This is sort of like the parable of the talents, right? Even if we have an inborn talent for something, it won't do us a bit of good if we don't find it and use it, and if we do use our talents, then we can start getting more of them, and increase our spirituality greatly.
Today, let's make sure that we aren't talking about our spiritual gifts as though they aren't attainable by everyone. We can all learn faith and confidence in God. We can all build our testimonies. We can all have a solid testimony of Jesus Christ, even if it isn't a gift of ours at this time.
God also wants us to know what the gifts are, and that is our homework for today... to get into this section and read the list (starting in verse 13), and think about them. What we have already perhaps, and what we can work on. And when we know what we want to have in our lives, then lets start on the diligent seeking by talking to God about it in prayer. He wants us to learn these things, and if we go to him sincerely, willing to be obedient and work for them, he will teach us.
For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.
And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.
For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God."
Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-11
I was taking some training at work today and it mentioned a study that showed motivation was a lot higher for many people when it was clear that hard work could help you get ahead, rather than talking about a job as though it were just a talent and you either had it or you didn't. ... And I get that. If you don't feel like you are good at something, and it is just an either or thing, then why try? That's what made me think of spiritual gifts, and how here, God tells us clearly "seek ye earnestly the best gifts," making it radically clear that even though we do all have an inborn talent for something, that we can work and gain other gifts and talents. This is sort of like the parable of the talents, right? Even if we have an inborn talent for something, it won't do us a bit of good if we don't find it and use it, and if we do use our talents, then we can start getting more of them, and increase our spirituality greatly.
Today, let's make sure that we aren't talking about our spiritual gifts as though they aren't attainable by everyone. We can all learn faith and confidence in God. We can all build our testimonies. We can all have a solid testimony of Jesus Christ, even if it isn't a gift of ours at this time.
God also wants us to know what the gifts are, and that is our homework for today... to get into this section and read the list (starting in verse 13), and think about them. What we have already perhaps, and what we can work on. And when we know what we want to have in our lives, then lets start on the diligent seeking by talking to God about it in prayer. He wants us to learn these things, and if we go to him sincerely, willing to be obedient and work for them, he will teach us.
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