The Holy Ghost Brings Man to His Fullest Potential John 14:15–17, 26–27; 15:26–27; 16:7–8, 13–14

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, a personage of the Spirit, not possessing a body of flesh and bones. In the bible dictionary, we learn that “the Holy Ghost is manifested to men on the earth both as the power of the Holy Ghost and as the gift of the Holy Ghost. The power can come upon one before baptism, and is the convincing witness that the gospel is true. It gives one a testimony of Jesus Christ and of his work and the work of his servants upon the earth. The gift can come only after proper and authorized baptism, and is conferred by the laying on of hands. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost.”

From the following verses of scripture, we can begin learn of the many ways that the Holy Ghost may bring blessings to our life. The Savior taught us that the Holy Ghost does the following

o John 14:15–17
• Abide with you forever
• Dwelleth with you

o John 14:26–27
• Comforts
• Teach you all things
• Bring all things to remembrance
• Brings peace
• Keep troubles and fear away

o John 15:26–27
• Spirit of Truth
• Testify of the Savior
• Bear witness

o John 16:7–8
• Reprove the world of sin, righteousness and of judgment

o John 16:13–14
• Guide you into all truth
• Show you things to come
• Glorify the Savior

In John 14: 15-17, we are told that in order to receive these blessings, we must “keep my commandments”.

We learn more of the gifts that are bestowed upon us through the Holy Ghost as we read the words of Parley P. Pratt “The gift of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.” (The Holy Ghost Brings Man to His Fullest Potential, 168)

Through this paragraph, we can add to our list many more things that the Holy Ghost does:

• Quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, but the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use.
• Inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature.
• Inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, charity.
• Develops the beauty of a person, form and features.
• Tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling.
• Invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man.
• Strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves.
• Gives marrow to the bones, brings joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.

We learn even more in the New Testament Institute Manual as we continue to read about the Holy Ghost. “The Holy Ghost is a Personage of Spirit, in the likeness of God the Father, in other words a likeness of the Father and the Son. His mission is to instruct and enlighten the minds of those who, through their faithfulness have obeyed the commandments of the Father and the Son. He bears witness of the truth, quickens the minds of those who have made covenant and reveals to them the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He is a special messenger from the Father and the Son and carries out their will. . . .” (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:134.)

We can the following to our list:
• Instruct and enlighten minds
• Bears witness of the truth
• Quickens minds
• Reveals the mysteries of the kingdom of God
• Messenger

To receive the blessings that the Gift of the Holy Ghost brings, we are only required to obey the commandments of the Father and the Son with faithfulness.
The Holy Ghost helped the Apostles fulfill their missions after the Savior’s death and resurrection by guiding them into all truth and bringing peace. In John 16: 13-14, it says “the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will she you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” The Apostles must have been very afraid knowing that they wouldn’t have the Lord with them here on the earth to be a guide for them, but He would not leave them comfortless. He blessed them with the gift of the Holy Ghost so that they would know what they needed to do. We have also not been left comfortless, we have each been blessed with the opportunity to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and as we follow the commandment, we will indeed receive the constant comfort and guidance that the Holy Ghost brings.

There has been many times in my life when I have been blessed by the Holy Ghost. I can think of numberless times that I have received peace and comfort in a time when I had felt alone, and scared. One of my most significant memories of the Holy Ghost happened when I was 16 years old, it was something that was very simple, but it was a very distinct, clear image of the power of the Holy Ghost. I was running late one morning as I was getting ready for school and trying to get all of my things together, one thing which included my softball jersey because I had a game later that day. I was running all over the place trying to find my softball jersey, I ran upstairs and downstairs, and then back downstairs to my room to try and find my jersey. As I was heading back upstairs from my room, I had a voice that I heard in my head that said “look under your blue backpack”. I quickly ran back to my room and looked under my blue backpack and there was my jersey, I had overlooked it and I think that I would’ve searched a lot more before I was able to find it without the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Three Parables of Preparation Matthew 25

The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1–13

In Matthew 25:1 – 13, we learn of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In this story, the bridegroom in the Parable of the Ten Virgins represents the Master, the Savior of mankind. The virgins represent the professed believers in Christ, President Harold B. Lee says “The virgins were those who were professed believers in Christ, because they were expectantly waiting for the coming of the bridegroom to the marriage feast, or they were connected with the Church and the events which were to transpire with reference to it”. The Wedding represents the second coming of the Savior.
In the parable, the bridegroom came at “midnight” while all the virgins “slumbered and slept”, this would be a time when the virgins are at their most vulnerable state and whether they are prepared or not will affect how they act in this situation. The virgins that were prepared and arose, while the foolish virgins were not prepared and I can imagine, slightly frantic as they tried to figure out what they could do.
I think that this applies to our waiting for the Savior’s Second Coming because we do not know when the Savior will come again, but we need to be prepared by living righteously so that we will not fear that day. When that day comes, we will not be frantic about whether or not if we are living righteously.

The five virgins were foolish as it says in Matthew 25:3 “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:” The foolish virgins were not prepared to go when the bridegroom arrived, we can relate this to our lives if we are not living righteously, we will not be prepared when the Savior comes. In consequence to their being unprepared, they were not allowed into the marriage feast because they were not there when the bridegroom came.

The actions of the five wise virgins can teach us a very important lesson. “The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” (Matthew 25:4). The wise virgins were prepared to follow the bridegroom when he arrived. If we follow the examples of the wise virgins and prepare in all the ways that we can for the second coming of the Savior, then we will be prepared when he comes and we will have no need to fear.
Doctrine and Covenants 45:57 says “For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived – verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.”
Through this verse, we can learn of ways that we can add “oil” to our “lamps” so that we will be prepared for their Savior’s second coming. We learn that we must take the Holy Spirit for our guide, it is so important to have the Holy Ghost as a companion to us through our life. We can receive comfort, peace, and guidance as we nurture our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
There are other things we can do to add oil to our lamps such as following the commandments, reading scriptures, going to church, going to the temple. I think that there are extra things that we can do that show the Lord that we are faithful and willing to make sacrifices and follow him such as paying tithing, visiting teaching, taking time to study the scriptures and serving others.

The Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14–30

In the Parable of the Talents, the Lord gives three men different amount of talents, they each choose how to use the talents they were given.
The man that received the five talents had been faithful and was thus, blessed as follows “I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord”. The first man received his reward because he used the five talents he had and gained an additional five talents, he was good and faithful.
The man that received two talents had also been a good and faithful servant and thus, was blessed as follows “I will make thee a ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord”. The second man received his reward because he was also good and faithful and gained an two more talents in addition to his original two talents.
The man that had received only one talent and had hid his talent was “wicked and slothful” did not receive anything and the Lord was disappointed in him.
The third man was afraid and therefore hid his talent where it was not able to grow.
Fear is something that can debilitate us and keep us at a standstill where we are not progressing, growing, or learning in any way like the third man in the Parable of the Talents. We can learn in the following scriptures ways that we can overcome our fears and develop and use the talents given to us from the Lord. The scriptures found in 2 Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 3:5-6, D&C 3:7-8, and D&C 6:33-37 all address the issue of faith. Even though fear is indeed something that can paralyze one, if we take the hand of the Lord in ours, we can overcome any fear that we have and we will be blessed.

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a strong mind.”
The spirit of fear does not come from the Lord, He gives us the spirit of power, love, and of a strong mind. When we have the spirit of fear with us, it is not coming from a good place; it is coming from the Adversary.

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding”.
As we put our trust in the Lord, then we will have no reason to fear. We know that faith cannot reside with fear, so it is our duty to move forward trusting in the Lord and His will.

D&C 3:7-8
“For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words – Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.”
With men, nothing is possible, but with God, we know that anything is possible. If we fear man more than we fear God, then we will not have his support. He has the power to sustain us through the tumultuous times that comes with trials as we put our trust in him believing that all is possible with the Lord.

D&C 6:33-37
“Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you. Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.”
We have all been blessed with gifts and talents; they sometimes get hidden out of fear. It is important for all of us to recognize those talents that we have and use them to benefit others and to help us come closer to Christ.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goat
Matthew 25:31–46

In Matthew 25:31 – 46, we learn that the way we treat others affects the Lord. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” (Matthew 25: 40, 46)

Mosiah 2:17 says “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of our God.”
We are all children of our Heavenly Father and he doesn’t want to see any of his children mistreated, he is happy when he sees us serving our brothers and sisters and when we neglect to serve his children in need, he is sad.
“The sheep” talked about in Matthew 25:35-36 receive their reward at the King’s right hand for doing the following actions

“I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat”
“I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink”
“I was a stranger, and ye took me in”
“Naked, and ye clothed me”
“I was sick, and ye visited me”
“I was in prison, and ye came unto me”

I think that one of the biggest needs that I see among myself and those around me is loneliness. When one feels like this, the impact that one person has on them to make them feel a little better that day is huge and it is not forgotten. I think that Satan has more power over a person when they are alone and it is so easy to have doubt, discouragement and fear at these times, but the safety and comfort that a caring friend brings is a great blessing.

Preparing for the Savior's Second Coming Mark 13; Luke 21: 5 - 38; Joseph Smith - Matthew

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ “Four matters are indisputable to Latter-day Saints: 1) The Savior will return to the earth in power and great glory to reign personally during a millennium of righteousness and peace. 2) At the time of His coming there will be a destruction of the wicked and a resurrection of the righteous. 3) No one knows the time of His coming, but 4) the faithful are taught to study the signs of it and be prepared for it. …We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming”.

We can further learn of the signs of the Second Coming and Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ by reading the scriptures in Mark 13.

In this chapter, we learn the following as we are instructed to take heed and watch throughout this chapter.

Mark 13:5
“Take heed lest any man deceive you”
There will be those that come as false prophets trying to deceive us, but it is important to stay strong in our beliefs and stay true to the person that you are and what you believe.

Mark 13:23
“But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things”
We have been told all that we need to do in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ, so we need to indeed act upon those things that we have been told to do.

Mark 13:33
“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is”
We do not know when the Second Coming will happen, therefore, we are exhorted to watch and pray. We must continually pray so that we can be prepared when the Savior comes again.
We will be blessed as we put into action the things that we have been guided to do in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

There are many things that we can be doing in preparation for the Lords Second Coming. Through the following verses, we learn how we can ready when the Lord comes again.

Doctrine and Covenants 87:8
“Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved”
We must know who we are and what we believe, so that we will never falter when the waves may crash against us. In another interpretation of this scripture, we must also be in places where we can be close to the Spirit in times that we may need our own personal revelation.

Joseph Smith – Matthew 1: 37
“Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived”
We must continually feast upon the words of Christ. We have been blessed with resources in our days to help up come closer to Christ and prepare for the second coming, those resources include the Scriptures. We are blessed with communication with our Heavenly Father through prayer and we may receive answers through the scriptures if we are continually treasuring His words. The scriptures and also, the words of the Prophets and Apostles will strengthen us through our days and better prepare us to be who we need to be at the day of the Second Coming.

Doctrine and Covenants 45: 56 – 57
“For they are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived – verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide at that day.”
In addition to the scriptures that we have been blessed with to prepare us, we have also been blessed with a guide on our journey on earth, the Holy Spirit. He is here to guide, comfort, warn, and prepare us in all that we may face here on earth. As we use all of the resources that we have been given to help us be successful in our life and as we understand and put into the preparations that we have learned about through these verses, we will truly be prepared with the Lord comes again.

Mark 12: 41 - 44 Love God With All Your Might

In Mark 12: 41 – 44, we learn of a poor widow who went to a treasury to give what she had. Those among the treasury included many rich men who gave much, but the two mites that the widow gave proved to be the most meaningful. The offering of the widow was much more meaningful because she gave everything she had while the rich were just giving out of obligation, or what is expected.

In Mark 12: 28 – 30, we learn of the first commandment that says in verse 30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment”. The widow was a great example of this first commandment because she gave everything that she had because of the love she had for God. In Exodus 25:2, we get a great example of how we can show our love “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.” When we give, we need to given willingly with the love of God in our heart.

The widow gave all that she had as it says in verse 44 of Mark 12, “For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” The widow cast in two mites which may seem like a little compared to the others that were cast in their many riches, but as we learn in this verse; the widow gave everything that she had, even all her living. This was probably a great act of faith on her part because she may not have known how she was going to eat or take care of her family, but knowing that this sacrifice required of God, she gave everything that she had.

In 2 Nephi 25:23, it says “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” In this verse, we can learn that we do indeed owe everything that we have to the Lord and that we must give all that we are able to given even though it may not be much, like the widow did. As long as we are giving all that we have, then we will truly be blessed for our efforts and our sacrifices.

The widow was given a commandment to love God with all thy soul, heart and mind and she truly did that when she gave all that she had. She was a great example of obedience in following was commanded of her and of sacrifice as she gave everything that she had, even all her living to the Lord. There isn’t much required of us as we go throughout our life here on earth, but considering the sacrifice that the Lord made for us, there is so much more that we could give to show our love. I think one of the ways that we can follow the widow’s example of obedience and sacrifice is to attend the temple frequently. We all have busy schedules with work, school, families and other activities, but it is an easy way that we can show our love for the Lord. The temple is a remarkable resource for us here on earth to be filled with peace and comfort and to be closer to the Lord. What better way to show the Lord our love to spend a few hours in His house participating in eternal ordinances. I know that as we sacrifice a few hours out of our week to make regular, frequent trips to the temple, we will truly be blessed for our efforts.