Elder and Sister Gregory A. Schwitzer of the Seventy
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Sister Schwitzer
- Her father joined the church after many personal struggles, but he often said after he joined the church: “You are either a member or you are not! No middle ground.”
- Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.”
Elder Schwitzer
- Suggestions to improve yourselves, not just as missionaries but throughout life.
- #1 – The mark of a truly mature latter-day saint is the ability to be chastened by the Lord. Chastening is different than chastising. Chastening is correcting someone with the desire to help them improve. Chastising is usually meant just to reprove and scold. Chastening requires the spirit, similar to “reproving betimes with sharpness” in Section 121.
- The three things that the Lord most often needs to chasten missionaries for are: 1) pride 2) poor use of time 3) drifting away from proper priorities [Lord, mission president, companion]
- We should ‘seek’ the chastening of the Lord, we should listen to the Spirit, we should wear a cloak of humility.
- #2 – The Nephi principle. That principle is that when Nephi was asked to build a boat (seemed improbable), he pushed forward with a positive attitude (where can I find ore to make the tools?), not fully understanding that the improbable was soon to be followed by the nearly impossible (navigating the oceans safely to America, having never done anything like that).
- Stated another way, the Nephi principle is: The Lord will present you with challenges that seem improbable to accomplish, in preparation for even greater challenges that will seem impossible to accomplish. NEVER shy away from difficult tasks or work or efforts, for they are meant to prepare you for even greater opportunities.
- We are preparing ourselves and the world for the Second Coming (improbable, impossible).
- #3 – Prayer. We need to look at our prayers differently. We have all been taught to “say” our prayers, but few of us know how to “feel” our prayers, to “hearken” to the Lord.
- We spend too much time talking and not enough time preparing, asking, listening, hearkening to the Lord.
- The Lord has blessings waiting for us, but He waits patiently for us to be inspired enough to ask for those specific blessings. Take time before your prayers to allow the Lord to touch your heart and mind about the things He would like you to say and ask for.
- How can I know if an answer is from the Lord? The Lord’s answers will always 1) point you toward greater righteousness 2) be in perfect alignment with the scriptures and the words of our prophets 3) cause you to feel at peace, with fear and apprehension fleeing away.
- Review the prayer of Alma as he prayed for the success of his companions BY NAME.
- As he concluded his talk, Elder Schwitzer did something rather unusual. He asked permission from the congregation to offer a prayer for them. He asked the Lord to bless the missionaries with 1) an obedient spirit 2) good health 3) safety 4) firm testimonies 5) an assurance that their families would be just fine.
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