Sis. Roueche taught our lesson this Sunday. It was on Chapter 18 of the manual - Stay on the Lords Side of the line.
The Lord has given us commandments so that we can resist evil and find happiness.
She asked us - "What can we do to stay on the Lord's side?"
The manual says staying on the Lord's side of the line requires strict obedience to the commandments.
It goes on to say, "All safety, all righteousness, all happiness are on the Lord’s side of
the line. If you are keeping the commandments of God by observing the
Sabbath day, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you attend to
your secret prayers and your family prayers, you are on the Lord’s side
of the line. If you are grateful for food and express that gratitude
to God, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you love your
neighbor as yourself, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are
honest in your dealing with your fellow men, you are on the Lord’s side
of the line. If you observe the Word of Wisdom,
you are on the Lord’s side of the line. And so I might go on through
the Ten Commandments and the other commandments that God has given for
our guidance and say again, all that enriches our lives and makes us
happy and prepares us for eternal joy is on the Lord’s side of the line.
Finding fault with the things that God has given to us for our guidance
is not on the Lord’s side of the line."
"If we will follow the advice and counsel that the Lord has given, our
pathway will be one of happiness. It will be a pathway, perhaps not of
ease and comfort always, but in the end it will terminate in the
presence of our Heavenly Father, and glory, immortality and eternal lives will be our portion."
The adversary tries to lead us astray with his deceptions and subtleties.
"There are two influences in the world today and have been from the
beginning. One is an influence that is constructive, that radiates
happiness and that builds character. The other influence is one that
destroys, turns men into demons, tears down and discourages. We are all
susceptible to both. The one comes from our Heavenly Father and the
other comes from the source of evil that has been in the world from the
beginning seeking to bring about the destruction of the human family."
Sis. Roueche asked, "How can we help young people recognize the temptations and trappings of Satan?
We can resist evil by choosing to subject ourselves to the influence of the Lord.
She asked again, "What are places/circumstances you have no desire to do evil?
A quote from the manual rounded out the lesson, " See
that your feet are planted upon the rock. See that you learn the
desires of the Master toward you, and, knowing those desires, see to it
that you keep His laws and commands. See to it that the purity of your
lives shall entitle you to the companionship of the Holy Spirit, because
if you are pure and virtuous and upright, the evil one will have no
power to destroy you.
I
pray that we examine ourselves and find out which side of the line we
are on; and if we are on the Lord’s side, stay there, because that means
eternal happiness in the companionship of the best men and women that
have lived upon the earth.
If
we have slipped in any way, if we have been careless; if we have
listened to the tempter and gone across the line to partake of those
things that the world thinks are so desirable and the Lord has said are
not good for us, let us as quickly as possible get back on the other
side, ask the Lord to forgive us our foolishness, and then with his help
go on living the life that means eternal happiness."
Thank you Sis. Roueche for your lesson and insight. And thank you to all the sisters who attended and also gave offered up their comments.