October 2023 General Conference

PRESIDENT RUSSELL M. NELSON

Think Celestial!
 

Good Afternoon, Sisters.  This talk, Think Celestial, by Russell M Nelson may be fresh on your mind from conference.  And if you missed it, I hope we can do it justice during our conversation today.

Two things before we begin let’s talk about last month’s challenge, I'd like to finish up today at 25 after the hour so I can attend my grandsons’ primary program.

I have a fabulous prize for those who accepted my challenge last month to begin the 21-day process of listening, seeing, hearing or just thinking about our Prophet and his words of wisdom.  That was either in the written word, radio, podcast, scriptures, or any other means. 

As a refresher, my Diet Coke Challenge from last month?  Anyone who wasn’t here during our last meeting?

Daryl Macbeth challenged me to abstain from Diet Coke for a month.  He’d pay me $100 a day to keep that challenge.  25 days later, I was still going strong.  And another month later I am happy to report I have only had 3 diet cokes.  2 of which were on vacation.

How did your challenge of listening the Prophet go?

How did this challenge help you?  What did you learn from it?

What did I learn? That I can do anything I set my mind to.  I also learned I can control my own desires.

Thank you for participating, I’m certain this challenge to hear the prophet, along with the Diet Coke challenge that was meant to teach me.

Let’s dive into the talk, Think Celestial by President Russell M. Nelson.

Let me ask, is there anything specifically that stood out to you during this talk?

Since hearing this address, how have you been “thinking celestial”?

Raise your hand if you are in your 100^th year or above?

President Nelson is keen on learning and sharing and recognized 100 years of learning is important.

Can anyone in this room say they have the wisdom of a 100-year-old prophet?

It’s like our own modern-day bible story, when we hear, listen and heed the words of our prophet.

Things were different physically 100 years ago.

Average income                       $2,196

Unemployment                        5%

New Car                                  $265

New House                             $7,720

Gallon of Gas                          11¢

Loaf of Bread                         9¢

Gallon of Milk                       54¢

First Class Stamp                    2¢

Life Expectancy                      54.1 years

 

Those that lived in the country were still very far behind on the modern conveniences of the 1920s.  Many that lived on farms or in the country did not have the following until after the Great Depression ended.

·        No indoor plumbing

• No electricity
• None of the modern appliances that we enjoy today
• Not everyone had a phone {may need to go to a neighbor or local store}

 Other aspects to their life included:

• Men delivered ice for the ice box {did not have refrigerator yet}
• Everyone Helped out to Work the Fields
• Had cows and chickens for food
• Churned own butter (if they had a cow}

 

Is thinking celestial so different today than it was in 1924?

We had the same principles, same gospel, same Savior.

President Nelson describes one of the most crucial lessons he’s learned in 100 years.

President Nelson says, I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is FABULOUS, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible.

Heavenly Father’s fabulous plan is a perfect plan, no matter what year it is.

What did President Nelson say about how he could relate the Savior’s Atonement and his current injury?  

He said he felt a deeper appreciation for the “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind”, just so we can be comforted, healed, and come to us in times of need. Jesus Christ described His experience in Gethsemane and on Calvary; “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of ALL, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore”.  President Nelsons injury caused him to reflect again and again on “the greatness of the Holy One of Israel”.  President Nelson felt Peace and Power from Jesus Christ’s example.

Let’s talk about Heavenly Father’s plan, the perfect plan.  How would you describe Heavenly Father’s plan to someone that had not heard it?

 Heavenly Father Has a Special Plan by Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi

“It Is the Love of God”

Nephi desired to see father Lehi’s dream—the tree of life⁵—and he did. Then Nephi also saw the beautiful baby Jesus.⁶ And the angel asked, “Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?”⁷

 

Nephi replied, “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.”⁸

 

Before we came to this earth, our Heavenly Father gently and peacefully placed in our bosoms “the love of God.

 

President Gordon B. Hinckley teaches us about the plan:

First, cultivate an awareness; bring others to a knowledge.  “Let there be cultivated an awareness in every member’s heart of his [or her] own potential for bringing others to a knowledge of the truth. … Let him pray with great earnestness about it. Let each member pray.”⁹

 

President Hinckley quotes the testimony of Alma:

“O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee . …

“Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious; … give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, … unto thee.”¹⁰

 

In the LDS Bible Dictionary it states, “The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.”¹¹

 

My best friend Sarah of 19+ years who doesn't believe in God, Jesus or anything religious has moved and I feel I didn't do a very good job bringing others to the knowledge.  I am sad about that.  So this Christmas I am sending her a gift of a really cool Book of Mormon with all of my favorite scriptures underlined and commented on.   

Second, a good example is our best tool. President Hinckley taught us, “The most effective tract we will carry will be the goodness of our own lives.”¹² As we live the gospel, we will be like a lighthouse on a hilltop,¹³ “the light” and “the salt of the earth.”¹⁴

We can partake of “the love of God,” “the tree of life,” and drink from “the fountain of living waters”¹⁵ daily by communing with our Holy Father, immersing ourselves in the scriptures, and meditation. Then the Lord will bless us to be more sensitive to speak to those souls which He has prepared for us.

 

Third, act at a time when you feel the Spirit. Elder M. Russell Ballard taught us: “The key to success in bringing souls unto Christ is to act at a time when you feel the Spirit and you sense that your friend does also. … Through our faith, our trust in the Lord, and our good works, we can bring many souls unto the Lord.”¹⁶

As we seek and pray in faith,¹⁷ the Lord will guide us, and His elect will soon embrace¹⁸ “the glad tidings of great joy,”¹⁹ to partake of the eternal and “infinite atonement”²⁰ of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Great Plan Dallin H. Oaks

 The Plan is this.

A divine plan whose purpose is to enable the children of God to be exalted and become like Him.

 —began with a Council in Heaven. As spirits, we desired to achieve the eternal life enjoyed by our heavenly parents. At that point we had progressed as far as we could without a mortal experience in a physical body.

 To provide that experience, God the Father planned to create this earth. In the planned mortal life, we would be soiled by sin as we faced the opposition necessary for our spiritual growth. We would also become subject to physical death.

To reclaim us from death and sin, our Heavenly Father’s plan would provide a Savior. His Resurrection would redeem all from death, and His atoning sacrifice would pay the price necessary for all to be cleansed from sin on the conditions prescribed to promote our growth.

This Atonement of Jesus Christ is central to the Father’s plan.

In the Council in Heaven, all the spirit children of God were introduced to the Father’s plan, including its mortal consequences and trials, its heavenly helps, and its glorious destiny. We saw the end from the beginning.

All of the myriads of mortals who have been born on this earth chose the Father’s plan and fought for it in the heavenly contest that followed. Many also made covenants with the Father concerning what they would do in mortality. In ways that have not been revealed, our actions in the spirit world have influenced our circumstances in mortality.

Mortality and Spirit World

I will now summarize some of the principal elements of the Father’s plan as they affect us during our mortal journeys and in the spirit world that follows.

The purpose of mortal life and the postmortal growth that can follow it is for the offspring of God to become like He is.

 

This is Heavenly Father’s desire for all His children. To achieve this joyful destiny, eternal laws require that we must become purified beings through the Atonement of Jesus Christ so we can dwell in the presence of the Father and the Son and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

 

As the Book of Mormon teaches, He invites “all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33; see also Alma 5:49).

 

The divine plan for us to become what we are destined to become requires us to make choices to reject the evil opposition that tempts mortals to act contrary to God’s commandments and His plan.

 

It also requires that we be subject to other mortal opposition, such as from the sins of others or from some defects of birth. Sometimes our needed growth is achieved better by suffering and adversity than by comfort and tranquility. And none of this mortal opposition could achieve its eternal purpose if divine intervention relieved us from all the adverse consequences of mortality.

The plan reveals our destiny in eternity, the purpose and conditions of our journey in mortality, and the heavenly helps we will receive. The commandments of God warn us against straying into dangerous circumstances. The teachings of inspired leaders guide our path and give assurances that promote our eternal journey.

God’s plan gives us four great assurances to assist our journey through mortality.

 

All are given to us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the centerpiece of the plan.

 

The first assures us that through His suffering for the sins of which we repent, we can be cleansed of those sins.

Second, as part of our Savior’s Atonement, He took upon Him all other mortal infirmities. This allows us to receive divine help and strength to bear the inevitable burdens of mortality, personal and general, such as war and pestilence. The Book of Mormon provides our clearest scriptural description of this essential power of the Atonement. The Savior took upon Him “the pains and the sicknesses [and infirmities] of his people. … He will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12).

Third, the Savior, through His infinite Atonement, revokes the finality of death and gives us the joyful assurance that all of us will be resurrected. The Book of Mormon teaches, “This restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame” (Alma 11:44).

 

The restored gospel assures us that the Resurrection can include the opportunity to be with our family members—husband, wife, children, and parents. This is a powerful encouragement for us to fulfill our family responsibilities in mortality. It helps us live together in love in this life in anticipation of joyful reunions and associations in the next.

Fourth and finally, modern revelation teaches us that our progress need not conclude with the end of mortality.

Little has been revealed about this important assurance. We are told that this life is the time to prepare to meet God and that we should not procrastinate our repentance (see Alma 34:32–33). Still, we are taught that in the spirit world the gospel is preached even to “the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:29) and that those taught there are capable of repentance in advance of the Final Judgment (see verses 31–34, 57–59).

Here are some other fundamentals of our Heavenly Father’s plan:

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ gives us a unique perspective on the subjects of chastity, marriage, and the bearing of children. It teaches that marriage according to God’s plan is necessary for accomplishing the purpose of God’s plan, to provide the divinely appointed setting for mortal birth, and to prepare family members for eternal life. “Marriage is ordained of God unto man,” the Lord said, “… that the earth might answer the end of its creation” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–16). In this, His plan, of course, runs counter to some strong worldly forces in law and custom.

 The power to create mortal life is the most exalted power God has given His children. Its use was mandated in the first commandment to Adam and Eve, but another important commandment was given to forbid its misuse. Outside the bonds of marriage, all uses of the procreative power are to one degree or another a sinful degrading and perversion of the most divine attribute of men and women. The emphasis the restored gospel places on this law of chastity is because of the purpose of our procreative powers in the accomplishment of God’s plan.

 

Summing up the Plan

Because of Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan is a perfect plan!  An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future.  It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth and where we will live forever. 

 

Let's talk about how we choose.

President Nelson said begin with the end in mind. 

Can someone describe this for me?

President Nelson encourages you to begin with the end in mind.  This means making the celestial kingdom your eternal goal and then carefully considering where each of your decisions while here on earth will place you in the next world.

What is your personal answer to the question “how and where and with whom do you want to live forever”?

How does putting Jesus Christ first in our lives help us make celestial choices? 

  

President Nelson lists several scenarios where thinking celestial can help.

·       You are confronted with a dilemma ▪

·       You are tested by temptation ▪

·       Life or loved ones let you down ▪

·       Someone dies prematurely ▪

·       Someone lingers with a devastating illness ▪

·       Pressures of life crowd in on you ▪

·       As you recover from an accident or injury •

All of these trials give us the choice to turn to the lord for counsel and help.

Praying for help and listening to counsel can guide our thoughts to think celestial.

^·            In the LDS Bible Dictionary it states, “The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.”¹¹

 And that’s the cool part, you Get to Choose

 Are you familiar with the Choose Your Own Adventure books?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose_Your_Own_Adventure Sharing a bit about these books can help illustrate that our choices have consequences.

Agency is so important to our Heavenly Father. He wants us all to come Home to Him in the Celestial Kingdom, but He allows us each to choose if we will or not think celestial.

I am blessed to have some great people to work with.  During our lunch break when we watch shows and eat lunch…. It’s the after-lunch discussions that are the most important.  I asked the group what think celestial meant to them…

·       After losing a daughter, the only way I can think is celestial, because it keeps me focused on the chance, I get to see her again.

·       Every week during the sacrament prayer we are re-focusing our efforts towards the savior and that is thinking celestial.

·       Eternal Families are only possible in the celestial kingdom, this keeps me focused on thinking celestial.

 

Thessalonians 5:12-22 How to Live is thinking Celestial.

 

How does thinking celestial help with each of these situations?

One of the gentlemen uses the word FOCUS, when a meeting gets off topic or we get going astray.  I believe the word FOCUS applies in this situation and talk from President Nelson.  He wants us to constantly bring our FOCUS to the savior and thinking celestial in terms of the long game.

I believe Heavenly Father’s fabulous plan is a perfect plan, no matter what year it is.

The decisions someone would make in 1923 to “Think Celestial” are very much the same decisions that someone would make today to “Think Celestial”.

Read Handout… I believe you get to choose how and where and with whom you want to live forever.

In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN