Sister Jean B. Bingham, General Relief Society President, and her husband Bruce
Tuesday devotional, October 8, 2019
Tuesday devotional, President Jean B. Bingham, General Relief Society President, and her husband Bruce Bingham
Brother BIngham
- The power of the Spirit in this room is palpable and real. The power is true, it is real, it is YOU!
- I will share a few ways for you to strengthen yourselves in this work.
- Believe in God
- Faith is action, not a static expectation. Faith is a ‘doing’ principle, an ongoing quest.
- The objective of faith is repentance, to lead us to righteousness, to make changes for the better.
- Do better, be better.
- In Alma 34, Amulek preaches of faith. ‘Faith unto repentance’ is mentioned several times
- Faith helps us change our mind and change our behavior.
- How are you going to attain this level of faith? By doing what you know is right!
- Mosiah 3:19 helps us know how to overcome the natural man. We need to be submissive, meek, humble, full of love, willing to submit our will to the Father’s will. How are you doing in this quest? Are you bringing forth fruit meet for repentance?
- As a young missionary, he and his companion fasted specifically to help a woman stop drinking coffee. Everytime she was tempted to drink coffee, an image of these 2 young men fasting for her came into her mind and she couldn’t drink the coffee. She was baptized. Miracles can happen due to faith!
Sister Bingham
- I would like to talk about overcoming obstacles. What are obstacles? They are obstructions that prevent our spiritual progression.
- What are some missionary obstacles? They can be physical, emotional, studying challenges, language issues, difficult companions, homesickness, family issues, feelings of inadequacy, etc.
- Here are four ways to overcome obstacles:
- Number One: Turn to Jesus Christ
- His Atonement can bring peace. Stay on the covenant path. Come and follow Him.
- Philippians 4 — I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.
- Her daughter had a very difficult trainer on her mission. The trainer was intimidating, belittling, non-supportive. During a fervent prayer for help, her daughter had a voice whisper to her and say, “You are mine! I will not leave you alone!” Her companion didn’t change, but she did. She knew she could count on Him! She began to notice places in the scripture that said, “You are mine” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:41-42 and John 10:14)
- Sing hymns, pray, read scriptures, repent humbly every day, feast upon the words of Christ.
- Number Two: Keep an eternal perspective
- Be on the covenant path.
- Remember the difference between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
- Act for yourself. “Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes for poor judgement”.
- We must taste the bitter to appreciate the good. You can choose to be sad or glad!
- Remember who you are!
- Number Three: Be willing to do hard things
- At times you just need to go through hard challenges
- Do you have ‘GRIT’? Grit is endurance plus resilience. We need to withstand and recover.
- Pressure forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and ye shall obtain eternal life.
- Bounce back, be resiliently happy. Feel joy.
- Enthusiasm is common, but endurance is rare. Do hard things!
- Missionary work is not a 100-yard dash; it is a marathon!
- Think of how Joseph of old was resilient, and also Joseph Smith. Joseph preached a sermon the day after being tarred and feathered, and some of those who tortured him were in the audience!
- Remember patience, fortitude, balance, and perspective
- Number Four: Serve others
- Small things make a difference. Be motivated to keep moving forward.
- Remember the parable of the three brick layers — one was building a building, one was building a church, and one was building a house of God. The first one had a job, the second one had a career, the third one had a calling.
- Reach out.
- Number One: Turn to Jesus Christ
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