The purpose of life, talk help.

[Lost_one]

Ok, my wife is in a panic and really needs your help.

She has been asked to do a talk next Sunday, on the purpose of life. Obviously this should be LDS in content.

What i would like from you guys is, Scriptures to study, Stories you might have. Basically, anything you can think of that will help.

This is the first talk she has done for a very long time and i really want her to feel the spirit and be strengthened by this. She is a wonderful person and has really helped guide me and has made my life so much better than i could have ever hoped. If that was the purpose of her life, then she has done it in spades. My life has been blessed so much by this woman and i so want this talk to reflect her wonderfulness to everyone else.

She is a wonderful person and i love her so very much. Please help.

Thank you

[pam]

If you go to lds.org and in the search feature type in Purpose of Life...there are some wonderful articles, talks etc on the subject that might help your wife prepare for her talk.

[Lost_one]

If you go to lds.org and in the search feature type in Purpose of Life...there are some wonderful articles, talks etc on the subject that might help your wife prepare for her talk.

Thanks Pam. I will let her know.

[Guest Username-Removed]

Two things that came to my mind when you mentioned your wife's talk...

1) The purpose of our Heavanly Father.

Moses 1:39

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

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2) The purpose of Jesus Christ.

Through his love, allow us to partake of forgiveness of our sins through his atonement thus leading us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Mathew 22: 36-40:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all they heart and with all they soul and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, though shalt love they neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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3) The purpose of us?

Allow Heavenly Father's work to get us back to him. His work includes the work of Christ as the first stage of change. Realizing that we must repent (change) and have our sins removed through his atonement. Then we must show love towards one another and ourselves, so that we might understand the true meaning of keeping the commandments which lead us back to him.

Boyd K. Packer, “A Defense and a Refuge,” Ensign, Nov 2006

“Some live with an unspoken fear of what awaits us and the church in the world. It grows ever darker in morality and spirituality. If we will gather into the Church, live the simple principles of the gospel, live moral lives, keep the Word of Wisdom, tend to our priesthood and other duties, then we need not live in fear. The Word of wisdom is a key to both physical health and revelation. Avoid tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, and narcotics."

"We speak of the Church as our refuge, our defense. There is safety and protection in the Church. It centers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Latter-day Saints learn to look within themselves to see the redeeming power of the Savior of all mankind. The principles of the gospel taught in the Church and learned from the scriptures become a guide for each of us individually and for our families"

"We know that the homes we establish, and those of our descendants, will be the refuge spoken of in the revelations—the

"light," the "standard," the "ensign" for all nations, and the "refuge" against the gathering storms (see D&C 115:5–6; Isaiah 11:12; 2 Nephi 21:12).

"The ensign to which all of us are to rally is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, whose Church this is and whose name we bear and whose authority we carry. "

"We look forward with faith. We have seen many events in our lifetime, and many will yet occur that will tax our courage and extend our faith. We are to "rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [will be our] reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12)."

Further, we must pass on that knowlege to our children. This is outlined in the article “Jesus Christ Taught the Purpose of Our Life on Earth,” Ensign, Jan 2008, 69

"What Can I Do to Fulfill the Purpose of My Life?

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994): “When our Heavenly Father placed Adam and Eve on this earth, He did so with the purpose in mind of teaching them how to return to His presence. Our Father promised a Savior to redeem them from their fallen condition. He gave to them the plan of salvation and told them to teach their children faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. Further, Adam and his posterity were commanded by God to be baptized, to receive the Holy Ghost, and to enter into the order of the Son of God … , which fullness is only received in the House of the Lord” (“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple,” Tambuli, Apr.–May 1986, 4; see Ensign, Aug. 1985, 8).

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president: “As spirit daughters of God, women ‘received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth’ (D&C 138:56) on the earth. They were among the ‘noble and great ones’ (D&C 138:55) who ‘shouted for joy’ (Job 38:7) at the creation of the earth because they would be given a physical body with the opportunity to be proven in a mortal sphere (see Abraham 3:25). They wished to work side by side with righteous men to accomplish eternal goals that neither can attain independently."

Further, Marion G. Romney clarifies the duty we have in this life and the purpose theroff...

Marion G. Romney, “We Are Children of God,” Ensign, Sep 1984, 3

"we learn that we were to come to earth for a purpose, and the purpose was to be proved, to be tested, to see if we would do what the Lord instructs us to do."

Also, read Franklin D. Richards, “The Purpose of Life: To Be Proved,” Ensign, Dec 1971, 50

"We believe that one of the important purposes of this life is to be proved, tried, and tested. Both the Zion’s Camp and Liberty Jail experiences truly constituted a refiner’s fire for those who participated in them, and they emphasize the necessity of experiencing difficult and complex situations in life in order to properly develop and draw close to our Heavenly Father. These experiences certainly give us a better understanding and appreciation of the greatness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the early leaders of the Church.

But what can we learn from the Zion’s Camp and Liberty Jail experiences that will be helpful to us? Certainly two impressive truths are apparent: first, the importance of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and loyalty to our leaders and the Church; second, the need of enduring to the end regardless of how many difficulties we have to surmount."

Edited July 13, 2008 by WordFLOOD

[PapilioMemnon]

Hello LO

WF gave you great suggestions as the first one was:

1) The purpose of our Heavenly Father.

Moses 1:39

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

------

I would like to mention along with that:

Our purpose:

D&C 11

20 Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength.

Just a thought!

Wish you too well!

[Guest Username-Removed]

I'd just like to add, and propose, that only keeping the commandments may not be enough. We all know of the problems associated with simply keeping the rules only, and not understanding why week keep the commandments. In the military, sometimes when problems happens, some commanders say... "I was just following orders" - Perhaps it is said too often. Without understanding the spirit of the law, and only understanding the letter, a whole set of new problems may occur.

When I was on my mission, I realized that I was called there by a prophet. It was where I should be. My mission length was 18 months. However, I developed a medical problem that required an operation. The surgery was not available in Australia. A lot of missionaries, including the leadership had a problem with me going back to the USA to have the surgery. I prayed about it, and the answer was simple to me. A sacrifice of permanently damaging my knee was not required. Yet a lot of people were all caught up in why I wanted to go back, who my girlfriend was, did I miss my parents ... HAHAHA!

The whole purpose of the law is simply given to us by the example of Jesus Christ. Love. Once we truly understand why we keep the commandments, then we will be able to keep them easier and recognize the pattern for which they were developed. Further, when we understand love (love for yourself, for Heavenly Father, for your neighbor) we will not need a commandment for every situation you come across.

Edited July 14, 2008 by WordFLOOD

[PapilioMemnon]

WF, great point!

In the case of the Lord, if we keep the primary commandments as He commanded ''with all your might, mind and strength,'' we will keep the law and have the correct perpective the right way.

Mark 12

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, aHear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt alove the Lord thy God with all thy bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy cstrength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

This is our work! We will keep the law full of charity and with God's, not men's perspective.

[Lost_one]

Hi guys, My wife would like to say afew things. Here she is:

i would like to thank you all for your help with my talk, it really has helped me, im just nervious now. due to being along time ago that i gave my last talk. the info you have given me has given me the confidence that i can do it and it is all down to you guys. thank you. kimmie

I also would like to thank you for all the help. Im looking forward to hearing it on Sunday. L_o

[rameumptom]

I would add the ideas found in 2 Nephi 2. We are here to learn opposition in all things, and how to manage our agency. If we learn to choose properly, we can become as God is. Otherwise, we gain a lesser kingdom. These experiences, trials and blessings, are necessary for us to truly know happiness. "Adam fell that men might be, and men ARE that they might have joy."

It is through the atonement of Christ that our agency recieves its efficacy, changing us so that we can become as Christ is, if we choose wisely and righteously. Our goal or purpose in life, then, is to become Christ-like and be filled with Celestial joy and hope.

[Justice]

D&C 11

20 Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength.

You beat me to it!

This is the great companion scripture to the one in Moses.

She should definately include this in her talk.