In 1 John 2 verse 15, John writes, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."This past weekend was a blessing in my life. For those of you not of my faith, it was the Latter-day Saint General Conference. There are five sessions, each an hour long, where Latter-day prophets and apostles council us basically on how to be better people. Some talks are more specific but most council us on how to live our faith and follow the commandments.
I was lucky enough to go to the conference center for the Saturday afternoon session and it was one of the best experiences in my life. I not only got to go, but I was in the very front! Off to the side a bit but still great!
See, but here's the thing. Every year, I listen to conference and it's always a great weekend.....and then I forget all about it. But what good is that? So I changed my approach this year.
In February, Elder Bednar came to our stake conference. And like every church meeting, everyone was taking copious notes. Elder Bednar asked us to stop and instead just write down impressions or feelings we received rather than every word he spoke. I took his advice and applied it to conference this year..
I wrote down impressions I received and I wrote down things that meant something to me. It was funny--when I've been discussing conferences with my friends or in classes, half the things that people mention I don't remember. But I do remember things that are very specific to me in my life right now.
Back to the scripture I mentioned. I wrote down during the lecture in my New Testament class that "knowledge unapplied will only serve to condemn you." I know that I have things to do after this conference. Things I need to fix or changes I need to make. I know I received these promptings because there are specific to me in my life at this time. I don't know the outcome, only that they will make me a better person, strengthen my testimony, and prepare me for things to come. I love this gospel. It truly is one of hope and can change the hardest of hearts. With this gospel, it is possible to live in the world but not of the world. By listening to the prophets and apostles, I can be a faithful servant of God.
Can you get conference talks on your iPod? I have been listening to conference talks on my phone while driving or if I'm just doing stuff at home, or sometimes I go walking and listen to a talk. It has made such a difference in my life to listen to the talks over and over again after conference. It's way easier for me to find time to listen to the talks, rather than reading them in the Ensign.
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