March 27, 2011

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:1-3

The words that we read here are of a mature Simon Peter, half a lifetime away from that dreadful night that he claimed he didn’t know the Savior.  As the first called by Christ and an eyewitness to the entirety of Christ’s ministry he provides an insight perhaps unparalled in the Holy Scriptures.

Peter’s exhortation to the ministry of the Church is brief but abundant in content.  The concepts of spiritual oversight, teaching by example and serving without pay are central to our understanding.  Please pray for the ministry as they prepare to meet in the days following our General Conference that they may come to a greater understanding of the work they are called to in the coming year.

March 20, 2011

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.  James 3:13

A course in public speaking teaches that to be a persuasive speaker one must instill confidence in his audience.  When we hear a discussion of a controversial topic it is often difficult to determine who is telling the truth because the delivery is so convincing.  In this chapter James has been discussing the damage that can be done by how we speak and the importance of carefully choosing our words.  As he continues in this verse he extends that thought to include our actions as well as our words, which is the correct interpretation of the word conversation.

If we are to be considered truly wise, knowledge and persuasion are not sufficient.  It becomes necessary to show in every aspect of our lives the truth of the Gospel that we believe, in all meekness and humility.  Instead of envy, hypocrisy and conflict, our lives must reflect an attitude of purity, peace, patience and mercy.  A humble life is more convincing than persuasive words.