What would you do right now if you knew Jesus was going to speak in General Conference this weekend?
How would you prepare?
No traveling, no driving through the night, just staying where we are and listening.
When Christ told the Nephites that he would be returning the next day, he asked them to “prepare” their minds. (3 Nep. 17:3)
So how do we prepare ourselves for things that we know will be life-changing?
Preparing for a baptism, to receive endowments in the temple, to be sealed, to listen to a stake conference, to listen to General Conference…
What do we do beforehand?
I’ve had stakes give indexing challenges before stake conference, I attended temple prep classes prior to receiving my endowment, I re-listen to all the previous Conference’s talks prior to the upcoming one…
What I’ve discovered is that preparation usually involves some kind of sacrifice.
And when we sacrifice, we are humbled and focused.
And when we are humbled and focused, we make it very easy to feel the Spirit.
And when we feel the full presence of God’s Holy Spirit, our joy is full.
I think we saw this with April’s General Conference – we were asked to prepare by studying the First Vision and Restoration.
For those who did, it was powerful and life-changing, BECAUSE of the preparation and sacrifice that cleared the way for the Spirit’s full presence.
For those who didn’t, there were powerful moments, but the lack of sacrifice yielded a lesser reward.
So what would you do in order to prepare to listen to the Savior?
And what are you doing to prepare to listen to his apostles this weekend?
What are you giving up in order to be qualified for the Spirit to be with you?
For if we are prepared, we shall not fear.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
One Response
This makes me think about the Gospels, and Parables, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
I think preparation allows us to listen differently.
In Proverbs 8 we read of having wisdom in the pre-existence. “Hear; for I will speak of excellent things..”
This is also why we read and re-read scriptures throughout our lives. As we gain more knowledge and wisdom, we hear scriptures differently. It makes the same words better or differently comprehended.
You mentioned Temple Prep Classes. They allowed us comprehend differently.
Thank you for your inspiration.