After I was called as Home Teaching Supervisor I fasted and prayed about my calling. The Lord has opened my understanding to the importance of Home Teaching. I was overwhelmed with the understanding that Home Teaching is a call from Heaven and we will be held accountable for our neglect of not magnifying this great call. Late one night I could not sleep and felt to turn to the scriptures and was taken straight to D&C 45: 6 which reads, "Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts." Let us not harden our hearts but rather open our hearts to be taught by the Spirit.
The Lord is involved in aligning home teaching families with Home Teachers. These questions should be on your mind often:
First and foremost we are counseled to have the Spirit with us when we teach and so we MUST live in such a way that we will have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. If we will live this way I promise that the power of God will rest upon you as you teach and befriend your families and that the Spirit will flow into the hearts of your families as you teach.
After we have the Spirit ourselves, our focus must be on our families. President Gordon B Hinckley has taught, "the most important thing we can do for those whom we lead is to cultivate in their hearts a living, vital, vibrant testimony and knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world (Teachings of Gordon B Hinckley, p. 648)." Faith on Jesus Christ is how we will help our Home Teaching Families to become free and partakers of the heavenly gift.
Home Teaching is all about the families of whom we visit. Home Teaching is almost like Friendship with an added stewardship. We are to show absolute love for our Home Teaching Families and be prayerful and listen to the Spirit so that we can have a spiritual impact as well. I was also impressed to talk about Ammon and his love for those Lamenites that he served who became the people of Ammon or the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. Ammon told King Lamoni, “Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die (Alma 17:23).” He ended up converting all of the people of King Lamoni and then he met King Lamoni’s father and had the opportunity to kill him but did not because he met Ammon’s conditions. “And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly (Alma 20:25).” We learn from this account that the love of just one man can have such a powerful effect upon the hearts of so many thousands. Ammon not only loved those whom he served but he also brought the light of the Gospel into their lives which transformed them into a people of God.
It is our challenge and duty to love those whom we serve with Ammon-like love which is Christ-like love and then to bring the light of the Gospel into their lives. We must make a difference in their lives. In this last Priesthood Session, Elder Stanley G. Ellis said, "But the Spirit taught me this truth-the Lord expects a difference! I knew in that moment that each of us will one day stand before God and give an accounting of our priesthood service and stewardships. Did we make a difference? (General Conference October 2006)”
I will close with this question, "Will you make a difference in the lives of your Home Teaching Families?"
The Lord is involved in aligning home teaching families with Home Teachers. These questions should be on your mind often:
1. For what purpose have I been aligned with this family?I was in the Temple about a week ago and had been praying for understanding and guidance in my new calling. While I was in the Celestial room I felt impressed to open the scriptures and turned to 4 Nephi. I thought to myself, Oh no, I will not find what I need here, but I kept reading. I started at verse 1 and when I got to verse three it hit me that this was specifically for Home Teachers.
2. How can I make a difference is this families life?
"And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift (4 Nephi 1"3)."Although we do not as of yet practice the law of consecration, we have a responsibility to our families to strive to help make them become "free, and partakers of the heavenly gift". If you look at the cross-reference for "gift" it is described as the Gifts of God. The scriptures are full of the gifts of the Spirit and our charge to obtain these gifts. The use of these gifts of the spirit are described in 3 Nephi 8:1
"... for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity."So how do we as Home Teachers help our families to obtain these great gifts that will bless our Home Teaching Families lives and well as our own.
First and foremost we are counseled to have the Spirit with us when we teach and so we MUST live in such a way that we will have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. If we will live this way I promise that the power of God will rest upon you as you teach and befriend your families and that the Spirit will flow into the hearts of your families as you teach.
After we have the Spirit ourselves, our focus must be on our families. President Gordon B Hinckley has taught, "the most important thing we can do for those whom we lead is to cultivate in their hearts a living, vital, vibrant testimony and knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world (Teachings of Gordon B Hinckley, p. 648)." Faith on Jesus Christ is how we will help our Home Teaching Families to become free and partakers of the heavenly gift.
Home Teaching is all about the families of whom we visit. Home Teaching is almost like Friendship with an added stewardship. We are to show absolute love for our Home Teaching Families and be prayerful and listen to the Spirit so that we can have a spiritual impact as well. I was also impressed to talk about Ammon and his love for those Lamenites that he served who became the people of Ammon or the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. Ammon told King Lamoni, “Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die (Alma 17:23).” He ended up converting all of the people of King Lamoni and then he met King Lamoni’s father and had the opportunity to kill him but did not because he met Ammon’s conditions. “And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly (Alma 20:25).” We learn from this account that the love of just one man can have such a powerful effect upon the hearts of so many thousands. Ammon not only loved those whom he served but he also brought the light of the Gospel into their lives which transformed them into a people of God.
It is our challenge and duty to love those whom we serve with Ammon-like love which is Christ-like love and then to bring the light of the Gospel into their lives. We must make a difference in their lives. In this last Priesthood Session, Elder Stanley G. Ellis said, "But the Spirit taught me this truth-the Lord expects a difference! I knew in that moment that each of us will one day stand before God and give an accounting of our priesthood service and stewardships. Did we make a difference? (General Conference October 2006)”
I will close with this question, "Will you make a difference in the lives of your Home Teaching Families?"
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