Talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, October 2019
Lesson by Barb Hoffman
Joy is a condition of GREAT happiness coming from righteous living. The purpose of mortal life is for us to find and know joy. What brings you joy?
Saints are those who have entered into the gospel covenant through baptism and are striving to follow Christ as His disciples. Sometimes we are not entirely comfortable with the word saint referring to us as individuals, but with this definition Sisters—we truly are saints! Thus, “the joy of the saints” denotes the joy of becoming Christlike.
President Nelson said: “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation…and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him…for Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”
Elder Christofferson taught of finding joy in the following ways:
THE JOY OF KEEPING CHRIST’S COMMANDMENTS
Law of Chastity
Standards of Honesty
Holiness of the Sabbath
The Savior said: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full”
THE JOY OF OVERCOMING THROUGH CHRIST
The Savior will help us through our trials and tragedies that may interrupt our joy if we turn to Him and align our will with His and that of our Heavenly Father.
THE JOY OF SERVING AS CHRIST SERVES
The fruits of our service to one another in the Church are part of the joy set before us. Even in times of discouragement or stress, we can minister patiently if we are focused on the joy of pleasing God and bringing light, relief and happiness to His children, our brothers and sisters.
I believe that the ultimate “joy of the saints” comes in knowing that the Savior pleads their cause, and no one can conceive of the joy which will fill our souls as we hear Jesus pray for us unto the Father. With President Nelson, I testify that joy is a gift for faithful Saints “who have endured the crosses of the world and who are intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ”.
Invitation: Study Enos’ experience and ponder the question “What brings you joy?”
And remember sisters….YOU ARE SAINTS!
Thank you for your perspective and feelings Barb. I enjoyed this talk by Elder Anderson because it reminded me that I can personally call myself a Saint, as one who has committed my life to following Christ and trying to live and teach His gospel to others. I really feel honored to be called a Saint and I think it carries a lot of responsibilities with it. Joy is our reward for living up to those responsibilities. God and our Savior have promised us this, and. Those promises are always kept in abundance!! We receive more than we ever deserve. As Roger and I study the words of King Benjamin this month, we have discussed how we are so blessed, as he taught, that we can always become better people, and change ourselves personally through the gift of the atonement. This gift had been given to us by our Savior. If we think we are not being the best “Saint”, we are free to repent and try harder, live better, love more unconditionally and try to become more Christlike. There is always room for improvement, and we are thankful for the many chances we are given to be and do better.
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing Barb's voice in this lesson! Thank you for sharing your perspective and insights! I appreciate the phrase "know joy" and appreciate more just how much joy exists in my life because of having made covenants and merely by trying. Really everything that brings me joy is because of what I know from the Gospel - the beauties of the earth (including your gorgeous red tree leaves Barb!) are made by a Creator as are each of us, families are forever, I can become better and be free thru repentance possible because of Christ. And it's helpful to identify what interrupts the joy I was created to feel: lack of gratitude, comparison - even in good things like faith and talents - and distraction. Thanks again for the lesson and Diane, for your comment too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a simple but powerful and introspective question Barbara…..”What brings me joy”? When I think of JOY, I always reflect back to a quote by C.S. Lewis “God desires us to be drenched in joy….Joy is the serious business of heaven.” Elder Christofferson really helped me to appreciate why it is serious business; why He gives us commandments; opportunities to serve; and why even in our sorrow and weakness we can feel joy…because “'the joy of the saints' denotes the joy of becoming Christlike”. So, what brings me joy is knowing that Heavenly Father loves me and is rooting for me to succeed and “that the Savior pleads (my) cause”.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, thank you so much. What a wonderful way of saying we can have joy. My daughter and I were talking the other day about what life was expected to be like this spring and what it has turned out like. Admittedly there were a lot of disappointments. But as the conversation changed to some of the unexpected findings, a personal and intimate sacrament, time spent with siblings before she leaves the home, having a closeness with a grandmother we are serving, being able to focus on AP tests and assignments, the joy we had was a peace. I agree there can be joy.
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