Bishop and Sister Gérald Caussé, the Presiding Bishop of the Church
Tuesday devotional, August 17, 2019
Bishop and Sister Gérald Caussé, the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Sister Caussé:
- The senior missionaries are still young! They have just been young longer than the rest of us!
- What should be your desire at this time? To be happy!
- When my husband was called to be a general authority and I knew that we would need to leave France and live other places, I said to myself that I would serve as called but that I would never be happy again. I decided to read the Book of Mormon again to help me with my attitude, and I decided to underline all the verses that dealt with happiness and joy. This reading solved my attitude problem
- I have learned that sacrifice brings happiness.
- Alma 28:8 couples sufferings, sorrows, and afflictions with INCOMPREHENSIBLE JOY! I knew I could experience the same.
- I decided to forget myself and serve. I lived a consecrated life. Consecration is more than just giving. It is giving with an eye single to God’s glory.
- Love with all your heart. Serve the Lord by serving others.
Bishop Caussé:
- There is power here in this place! How can you be so young and yet so powerful? Through the spirit.
- You will do things that will surprise even yourselves. Unexpected treasures await you.
- Who would you describe as the most successful missionary in the history of the earth? Alma, Ammon, Aaron? Would it be Paul? But 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 talks of his weakness, fear, and trembling. He felt inadequate, yet look at what he did! We all feel inadequate, but always remember that the Lord uses the weak things of the earth to bring about His purposes. Those that are considered foolish in the eyes of the world will confound the wise.
- Why does God use young, inexperienced missionaries? Wouldn’t we do better with older, experienced, professionally trained missionaries? No! The power and the spirit make the difference. 2 Corinthians 12:10 says that Paul took pleasure in infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses, for when he was weak he was made strong.
- He shared the conversion story of F. Enzio Busche. The elders that introduced him to the gospel were enthusiastic and ‘irresistible’. Elder Busche said that these missionaries were ‘the President of the Church’ to him.
- Be bold as a missionary. Don’t think of yourself. Doctrine and Covenants 1:28 says ‘that inasmuch as they were humble they would be made strong’.
- Elder Neil L. Anderson was about to get up to speak at a meeting when Elder Packer leaned over and said, “Don’t forget that you are a nobody.” It was his was of saying that he needed to focus on the spirit and forget about himself.
- Don’t pray for God to increase your abilities: pray that you might be a worthy and effective instrument in HIS hand.
- Being bold equals being joyful and irresistible.
- Find joy in bearing testimony. Success is not measured by the number of baptisms.
- Being bold is being obedient. Consecrate yourself. If you are obedient you can lay claim to the Lord’s richest blessings. See Doctrine and Covenants 121:45-46. Your confidence will wax strong in the Lord.
- Being bold is repenting every day (making Christ-like changes).
- Being bold is remembering the Lord in every circumstance
- Remember this about repentance:
- Repentance is for all, not just ‘sinners’.
- It is not punishment. Put the joy back into repentance. Jesus did not come to condemn us (John 3:17)
- The goal is to be a little better every day. Repentance is a process, not an event.
- He concluded with his testimony and then told the missionaries that he was going to do something to help them remember ‘boldness’. He did something that required him to be bold. He played a beautiful arrangement of ‘Come, Come Ye Saints’ on the piano.
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