Cultivating Gifts of the Spirit

[hagoth]

Pride...

A helpful warning.

 

From a recent Education Week session:

1) As President Hinckley said, "Being humble means recognizing we are not on earth to see how important we become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others."

 

2) "Don't focus on whether you're being humble...instead focus on serving others and serving God."

 

Thoughts?

Edited August 26, 2015 by hagoth

[The Folk Prophet]

I welcome a discussion with those who disagree with me.  But you went beyond that.  You did not ask a question, you did not indicate any discussion on the issue, but took the opportunity to do a cheap shot.  

 

Not interested in your cheap insults.

 

PS I suggest that you acquaint yourself with the rhetorical device called hyperbole.

 

You read cheap into it. I did not mean it to be cheap. So I'm sorry it came across that way. I legitimately meant that if you believe that faith=belief and that's the end of your understanding, your understanding is incomplete and you have some learning to do. You can either respond to it defensively, argumentatively, and with your hackles up, and learn nothing, or you can respond by saying, "what do you mean?" and then, perhaps, we can discuss.

 

Stating that someone's explanation of something is inaccurate and indicating their understanding is incomplete can be taken as an insult. I can see that. But it certainly doesn't need to be taken that way. It was not meant as a personal insult, but rather as an effort to merely point out that you were expressing an idea that was weak and inaccurate. Take it personally and the conversation is, surely, dead. I recommend taking it as it was meant -- a factual discussion of ideas, with nothing personal behind it at all. I have no personal animosity towards you or any reason to take a cheap shot. But some of the ideas you expressed are wrong.

[Guest]

My son is this amazing piano player.  He was asked by the ward choir director to play something - anything LDS Sacrament appropriate - on Sunday instead of the intermediary hymn.  He is agonizing.  He doesn't think he can learn a hymn in a week's time.  I'm looking at him like he's got 2 heads.  This kid is a piano whiz that can just play anything that he heard on the "radio" in 20 minutes.  But he is on the verge of calling the ward choir director to tell him he can't do it.  I'm trying to encourage him to have faith in his musical talent and that it is God's gift. 

 

I'll let you know what he decides to do...

[Connie]

Alma 32:21 - And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

 

Therefore the gift of faith is not being able to say "I have a sure knowledge." Rather it's more like saying "I don't have a sure knowledge but will hope for it anyway."

 

Hope that helps.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Connie

[Connie]

So I am pondering...and would love your input...on cultivating Gifts of the Spirit.

 

I can (and will) do a search on LDS.org for scriptures and talks, so you don't need to share those--unless you want to share a favorite.   :)  What I'm really looking for is more like antidotes.  What has helped you in this area?  Do you just focus developing the gifts you already have, or do you feel it's okay to ask for others?

 

I read a quote recently (I don't have time to look it up right now) from one of the 12 that said if you want a certain blessing you should be sure you are obeying the commandments that are the precedent of that blessing.  So I've been wondering are there certain specific commandments related to gifts of the Spirit?

 

I welcome your thoughts, experiences, ponderings and speculation.  Thanks in advance.  

 

I love this topic. I’ve always had a great interest in gifts of the spirit. I’ve always loved that scriptural idea of seeking the best gifts. And as others have pointed out that is done through prayer and through practice.

 

I love that idea of practice. In our gospel doctrine class last Sunday our teacher really emphasized that idea from the lesson (it was lesson 32) about practicing how we can recognize the promptings of the Spirit. It’s an idea I had never thought much about before, but it makes perfect sense to me. If you want to get good at something you practice it over and over. If you want to develop a specific gift of the Spirit you practice it over and over.

 

Before you can practice, though, you need to learn how to practice that particular thing. One thing that has helped me is to study the topic. For example, I spent about a year just studying the topic of faith. Now I have a greater understanding in how to develop/cultivate/practice the gift of faith.

 

So I would say pick one of the gifts you particularly wish for. Study it, ponder, pray about it, take notes on how you can practice it and then do it—practice it over and over until it feels right.

[The Folk Prophet]

So I would say pick one of the gifts you particularly wish for.

 

I would maybe amend this with: Pray for inspiration on which gifts the Lord particularly wishes for you.

[Connie]

I would maybe amend this with: Pray for inspiration on which gifts the Lord particularly wishes for you.

 

I like that. Don't just maybe amend it... Definitely amend it. :)

[cdowis]

Alma 32:21 - And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

 

 

 

Thank you.  

 

Yes, I am very familiar with Alma 32 and faith vs knowledge, having spent almost 50 years of my life reading and studying the Book of Mormon.  

 

But, as you know,  that was not the subject of my post.  I was merely conflating the two to make my point.

 

(PS If you want to find out someone is a real BOM scholar, there is a simple test question, "Which Book of Mormon prophet was a polygamist."  They should be able to point you to the text without hesitation.)

Edited August 27, 2015 by cdowis

[Guest]

My son is this amazing piano player.  He was asked by the ward choir director to play something - anything LDS Sacrament appropriate - on Sunday instead of the intermediary hymn.  He is agonizing.  He doesn't think he can learn a hymn in a week's time.  I'm looking at him like he's got 2 heads.  This kid is a piano whiz that can just play anything that he heard on the "radio" in 20 minutes.  But he is on the verge of calling the ward choir director to tell him he can't do it.  I'm trying to encourage him to have faith in his musical talent and that it is God's gift. 

 

I'll let you know what he decides to do...

 

He decided to bow out...

But he promised to play the Joseph Smith Medley sometime before Christmas.

 

Not sure how I feel about this.

[Ironhold]

Don't forget the fact that sometimes we can be called upon to show off our gifts in a way that we might not ever expect. 

 

I've been trying to get on some place as a professional writer. I actually placed in a writing contest all the way back in the 10th grade, and just about everyone says I have a gift for the literary arts. Sounds like I should be making my $$$ in doing lit, right?

 

That's not actually how it happened. 

 

I got a job delivering newspapers to pay for college, first my undergrad work and then - due to the recession - grad school. 

 

Well, about two years ago the company that owns my specific newspaper decides to bring in a new publishing editor. The new guy's very first project is to bring all of us employees into his office one-by-one and talk to us in person. During my meeting with him, he asks if I have any ideas for how we can improve the newspaper. 

 

I point out that a sister newspaper has a movie reviewer, and raise the prospect of our picking up his reviews as well.

 

The new guy responds by handing me a stack of movie passes. Congratulations, I'm now our paper's official movie reviewer. I've got 600 words each week to say my peace. 

 

Since then, I've had people come up to me in public - including workers at the local theater - to ask me my opinion of each and every film I see. They know that since I'm not beholden to the studio system, I'm going to be as frank and honest with every movie as I can be. This includes a number of individuals whose primary concern is whether or not there's anything out which they can show their kids or grandchildren. What's more, I've also learned that it is a rare thing to have an openly-religious movie reviewer working for a secular publication, something that helps me stand out that much more. 

 

And oh by the way, since I'm a regular part of the paper's writing pool, I was given the option of doing my own weekly edutainment column... wherein I'm allowed to write one church-related installment a quarter. And I'm on as a stringer now, too, meaning that I've done several pieces on the local LDS congregations. 

 

All because I accepted an offer I didn't anticipate ever getting. 

[JojoBag]

So I am pondering...and would love your input...on cultivating Gifts of the Spirit.

 

I can (and will) do a search on LDS.org for scriptures and talks, so you don't need to share those--unless you want to share a favorite.   :)  What I'm really looking for is more like antidotes.  What has helped you in this area?  Do you just focus developing the gifts you already have, or do you feel it's okay to ask for others?

 

I read a quote recently (I don't have time to look it up right now) from one of the 12 that said if you want a certain blessing you should be sure you are obeying the commandments that are the precedent of that blessing.  So I've been wondering are there certain specific commandments related to gifts of the Spirit?

 

I welcome your thoughts, experiences, ponderings and speculation.  Thanks in advance.  

 

I think one of the best ways to gain a gift or increase a gift is through gaining knowledge.  Joseph Smith said that the reason God is God is because he has all knowledge.  He also said that knowledge is salvation and knowledge is power.  I have a quote that talks about knowledge and discernment.

 

 

The next gift of the gospel which I present is that of wisdom. Wisdom cannot be disassociated from discernment, but it involves some other factors, and its applications are rather more specific. Wisdom is sometimes defined as sound judgment and a high degree of knowledge. I define wisdom as being the beneficent application of knowledge in decision.

Elder Stephen L. Richards

CR, April 1950, Pgs. 162-164

[laronius]

IME, spiritual gifts come as we use the gifts we have appropriately.   It is absolutely all right to ask for a gift in the course of completing some task we are either assigned or need to do some individually desired good work.   I don't know that I would ask for a gift for the sake of having that gift (and I also don't know that I'd get it in those circumstances.

I want to go a little more in depth with where I think thoughts was heading here.

 

At the very end of the BofM and immediately after Moroni expounded on some of the many gifts of the Spirit he commands us to "...come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift..." (Moroni 10:30). I see this as a commandment to seek these gifts. But as thoughts points out these gifts aren't to be sought for simply to have. One of the first gifts we have experience with is the gift of the Holy Ghost. During confirmation we are indeed commanded to receive this gift. We then learn in the sacramental prayers what it takes to actually receive it: take upon us the name of Christ, remember Him, keep his commandments, etc. At the Waters of Mormon Alma interprets this as "bearing one another's burdens," mourning "with those that mourn," comforting "those that stand in need of comfort," standing "as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places," or in other words "that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you." (Mosiah 18:9-10) So the question arises: why do these things in particular bring about a reception of the Holy Ghost? I believe it's because when we choose to act in these righteous ways we NEED the Spirit to help us be successful and in order to fill that need God sends, by virture of the enabling power of grace, His Spirit to us thus helping us to fulfill his commands he has given us.

 

There is an incredibly important lesson here. God grants His grace, in the form of spiritual gifts, when we are actively engaged in those activities that require them to be successful in fulfilling his commands to us.

 

Charity offers another example. In Moroni 7 we are commanded to pray for the gift of charity. Why prayer? Because in prayer (true prayer) our will is brought into submission to the will of the Father. When we do this we then go do what he would have us do. While this "doing" takes many forms, ultimately the result is our seeking to bless the lives of those around us. But in order to magnify our Heavenly Father's will in blessing his children he grants us the gift of charity, once again enabling us to serve in a way we could not otherwise.

 

So I guess what it comes down to IMHO, is that if there is a gift you would like to develop engage yourself in those activities that will require it's presence to be successful. The Lord qualifies those who he calls and we each have been called to do a great, many things. He only awaits for us to act.