In Elder's Quorum today, the lesson was from chapter 12 in Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson. The first section of that lesson contained a quote from Joseph Smith when he appeared to Brigham Young that caught my attention. He said:
"Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it." ...So now, not only are people of other faiths talking about conviction or being convicted, but now Prophet of the Restoration was, too. I had to know what this was all about. I talked to Emily, and she found the perfect definition online.
"Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit where a person is able to see himself as God sees him: guilty, defiled, and totally unable to save himself (John 16:8). Conviction functions differently for the Christian and non-christian. For the non-christian, conviction reveals sinfulness, guilt, and brings fear of God's righteous judgement. Whereas, conviction in the believer brings an awareness of sin and results in repentance, confession and cleansing.
Theologically, conviction is produced by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), the Gospel (Acts 2:37), conscience (Rom. 2:15), and the Law (James 2:9). Conviction of sin brings man to the cross and shows the need for forgiveness." (https://carm.org/dictionary-This definition helped me to understand 1) what people were talking about, and 2) how I have been "convicted" in my own life. I know that it has been through the Spirit, and those put in my life by a loving Heavenly Father that have helped me to come this knowledge, and I am grateful to say that I am "convicted". Are you?conviction)
1 comment:
I remember President Eyring talking about the same principle...
"In a chapel far from Salt Lake City, in a place where a member of the Quorum of the Twelve rarely goes, a father approached me. He led his young son by the hand. As they reached me, he looked down at the boy, called him by name, and said, nodding his head towards me, “This is an Apostle.” I could tell by the sound of the father’s voice that he was hoping his son would feel more than that he was meeting a dignified visitor. He hoped that his son would feel a conviction that priesthood keys were on the earth in the Lord’s Church. His son will need that conviction again and again. He will need it when he opens a letter from some future prophet he has never seen calling him to a mission. He will need it when he buries a child or a wife or a parent. He will need it for courage to follow direction to serve. He will need it for the comfort that comes from trusting a sealing power that binds forever."
Post a Comment