I asked the kids what the first two principles of the gospel were, with a hint that the answer was contained in the
Articles of Faith. Isaac came up with the answer pretty quickly - from Article of Faith #4 we learn:
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance...
So, Faith and Repentance. I told the kids we were going to talk about these two principles.
I put up my first visual aid. Disregard the background. Well, don't disregard it entirely; it is after all the Young Women's theme, but look past it for the purpose intended here. I needed something to put my visual aids on and this was the only thing big enough and nearby :)
Then I read this quote from Joseph Fielding Smith:
“Faith without works is dead” [James 2:26]—in other words, it does not exist. I think James’ meaning clearly is, “You show me your faith without your works, and nothing will result; but I will show you my faith with my works, and something will be accomplished.” [See James 2:18.] Faith means action. … Faith, therefore, is stronger than belief. …
We then discussed that in order to have true faith, we must act. I read this quote to the kids and then explained what it meant in simpler terms:
Faith cannot be obtained by inaction or through indifference or passive belief. The mere desire to obtain faith will not bring faith any more than the desire to be skilled in music or painting will bring proficiency in these things without intelligent action.
Then I put up my next visual aid. Faith leads to action.
We talked about the difference between faith and belief and I encouraged the kids to give me examples of believing something and having faith in something. I also asked them to share things that they cannot become good at unless they do or act upon.
I then explained that it is the same way in the church. Quoting again from President Smith:
… If we want to have a living, abiding faith, we must be active in the performance of every duty as members of this Church. …
Living means that is it alive. It grows and changes and becomes stronger. Abiding means that it has staying power; it doesn't go away. In order to have a living, abiding faith, we must actively participate in our duties in the church!
I then shared this quote:
Repentance is the second fundamental principle of the gospel and the outgrowth of faith.
Outgrowth means that it leads to something. When we have faith and we are working and doing and acting with faith, it will naturally lead to repentance.
I then added to our visual.
Look at how our faith led to action which grew into repentance!
I asked if the kids thought that repentance was a happy thing or a sad thing. They said it was a sad thing. I agreed that most of the time when we talk about repentance it is a sad thing or an embarrassing thing, but listen to what Joseph Fielding Smith says about repentance:
Repentance is one of the most comforting and glorious principles taught in the gospel. In this principle the mercy of our Heavenly Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is made manifest perhaps more strongly than in any other principle. What a dreadful thing it would be if there were no forgiveness of sin and no means for the remission of sin for those who are humbly repentant!
Repentance is not a bad and sad thing! It is a wonderful GIFT from God to show us his love.
I went on to read:
The scriptures say:
“Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” [D&C 59:8.]
That means repentance.
… Repentance, according to the definition given in the dictionary, is sincere sorrow for sin with self-condemnation, and complete turning from the sin. … There can be no true repentance without sorrow and the desire to be freed from sin.
I spent a little time explaining "broken heart" and "contrite spirit" to the kids. President Smith explains it really well, but the connection can be easy to miss. A broken heart means that you are not sorry that you got caught or embarrassment, but real self-condemning sorrow.
A contrite spirit means that you turn from the sin. You don't want to do the wrong thing anymore. You have a desire to be free from the sin forever.
Moving on, we read this quote and talked about procrastination. (Again, I needed to explain what the word meant.)
Procrastination, as it may be applied to gospel principles, is the thief of eternal life, which is life in the presence of the Father and the Son.
At this point, my kids became concerned that they would be kept from eternal life because of sins they had committed, not repented for and then had forgotten about. This was a perfect opportunity to teach them that is why daily prayer and self-evaluation is so important. It is much easier to remember the things we do wrong and can try to be better at if we are looking back over one day's time instead of a week or two weeks.
In closing, I challenged them, and myself, to be more diligent about daily personal prayers as a way of increasing our faith and also becoming better people trough repentance.
Consider this example. There may be things in our character, in our behavior, or concerning our spiritual growth about which we need to counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. After expressing appropriate thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding, direction, and help to do the things we cannot do in our own strength alone. For example, as we pray, we might:
Such a prayer is a key part of the spiritual preparation for our day.
During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart for continued assistance and guidance—even as Alma suggested: “Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord” (
Alma 37:36).
We notice during this particular day that there are occasions where normally we would have a tendency to speak harshly, and we do not; or we might be inclined to anger, but we are not. We discern heavenly help and strength and humbly recognize answers to our prayer. Even in that moment of recognition, we offer a silent prayer of
gratitude.
At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer.
Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years. This is in part how we fulfill the scriptural admonition to “pray always” (
Luke 21:36;
3 Nephi 18:15, 18;
D&C 31:12). Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children.
