1/15 RS Lesson: Chapter #2 "Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself"

This past Sunday, Sister Lathen presented a thoughtful lesson on Ch. 2 "Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself," which was taken from The Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith.  (You can listen, print, download, and share this lesson by clicking on the chapter title, which links directly to the church's official website.)


From President Smith's personal life, many remember him frequently "demonstrating  his love for others through countless acts of compassion."  Through his service to others, President Smith led by example and showed people that the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference.  Sister Stanger pointed out that it is good to teach our children this lesson because through service opportunities we can make truly memorable moments with our families.  


From President Smith's teachings, we are reminded that, "All people are our brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father."  As we go about our day it is important to remember this and take the time to remind others that they are loved.  Sister J. Lathen added to this by saying we need to "Remember who [everyone we meet] is and act accordingly."  The lesson goes on to instruct us that in the next life we will not have eternal happiness unless we work to bring happiness to others in this life first.


We know that loving thy neighbor is a very important teaching of Christ, because it is emphasized in the gospel through the second commandment: "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law of the prophets." [Matthew 22:37-40.]  As members of the Church of Christ, we should follow His commandments, thus becoming less selfish and more caring of others, we in turn become more Christ-like.  


President Smith re-emphasizes that personal happiness comes from serving others and the amount of charity and service we exude is directly proportional to our happiness.  
  
A few  additional thoughts from our ward sisters:

• We should do acts of service with joyous intent, not dread.  
• Even the smallest acts can make a big impact.
• As we become more like God, we change from being served to serving others.  
• Good intentions count because it shows what is truly in our hearts even when we can't always serve others as often as we'd like.
• Love the person, hate the sin.

As always, thank you to our teacher and the contributions of the ward sisters for this wonderful (and very important) lesson!

1/8 RS Lesson: Chapter #1 "Living What We Believe"

Sister Lee taught a wonderful lesson on Ch. 1 "Living What We Believe," which was taken from The Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith.  (You can listen, print, download, and share this lesson by clicking on the chapter title, which links directly to the church's official website.)  

President Smith listed 11 ideals that he committed to live by, which he called his "personal creed."  One of which was, "I would not be an enemy to any living soul."   Those that knew President Smith have said that he "truly lived by this creed."  

We can learn a lot from the example President Smith set as we strive to live as "obedient followers of the gospel."  Our continued effort is important because President Smith teaches us that "Heavenly Father expects us to prepare for and live worthy of His promised blessings."  The lesson goes on to say that "if we are doing our full duty, our lives give evidence of our belief in the gospel."

After reading the lesson, we are encouraged to reflect on personal principles that we try to follow and consider how we can give more evidence of our testimony through our actions.

Thank you Sister Lee for bringing the spirit to the RS meeting through the lesson you shared with us.  

Bringing in the New Year

Hello again, sisters!  We hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior.  As we begin looking forward to the upcoming new year, now is a great time to assess spiritual progress made during 2011 and set new (or continued) goals to work toward achieving in 2012.  


As you may (or may not) know, the new lesson manuals for 2012 were handed out last week during Relief Society.  During our meetings this year we will be studying the Teachings of President George Albert Smith (1945-1951).  President Smith contributed many spiritual insights to our church during his tenure as president and we're looking forward to studying his teachings together as a sisterhood in hopes that they will strengthen our testimony and lives as Latter-day Saint women.  


If you have not received a manual yet, there should still be plenty available to pick up at the church on Sunday. **Don't forget that you can also access the lesson chapters (audio and/or written) online at The Teachings of President George Albert Smith or (when it is updated) through the Gospel Library app available for download on most smart-phones and tablet computers.**  


As always, thank you for stopping by the blog and staying updated with Riverside Ward Relief Society happenings.  Take care and we look forward to seeing you in 2012!