Elder & Sister Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy
Tuesday devotional, December 27, 2016
Tuesday devotional, Elder and Sister Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy, December 27, 2016
- Don’t fuss, complain, moan, or ask for a transfer.
- There are some here who want to go home. Don’t do it. Your mission will change you. Don’t you quit – just go and do it.
- I reflect on my mission almost every day. My mission president was Elder Wells.
- Come home with no regrets. Read Jacob 1:19 and give it your best!
- Pray every day that you don’t have to stay in bed even one day of your mission.
- Don’t make excuses. We all have a book of life. Write yours well.
- I can witness that the Savior went to the Garden, and He felt everything. When you feel down and out, remember what He felt.
- Jeremiah 20:19 – the word went into my heart like a burning fire.
- I lived my mission rules. There is no such thing as ‘selective obedience’.
- Five characteristics that distinguish devoted missionaries from average missionaries:
- An understanding of who you are and that each of you has been given a specific gift and talent. Don’t try to be someone else. We lived “countless ages” before coming here. We lived in God’s house. We have a divine nature and destiny. Don’t use bad parenting as an excuse. Don’t let your companion sway you away from your duty. D&C 46:12 – our gifts are to bless others. I have an uncle that turns old pieces of iron into beautiful knives using a refiner’s fire. I wrote an epistle to each of my children telling them why I know the Church is true.
- An understanding of the sacred nature of your call and what you have covenanted to do when you accepted your call. You promised “all” your time to the Lord, leaving everything behind. Your “setting apart” can be taken literally. Display faithful performance. Put away childish things. Take your calling seriously.
- An understanding of the law of obedience. Be 100% obedient. Obedience is the cornerstone upon which all righteousness rests. Benjamin’s people viewed themselves as less than the dust of the earth, and even the dust of the earth is 100% obedient to the will of the Father. To obey is better than sacrifice. Don’t bow to peer pressure.
- An understanding of your purpose. Your purpose is to teach repentance and baptize converts.
- An understanding of the importance of coming home with no regrets.
- Jesus is a beautiful man!
- The Lord picked the time and the place of your birth!
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