October 2006 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

36
“There were no robbers, nor
murderers, neither were there
Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites;
but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to
the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:15–17).
When we join ourselves to the kingdom of God on the
earth, we leave behind our former traditions that are not
in harmony with the gospel, and we take upon us a new
culture with new traditions. Our loyalty is to Jesus Christ
and His prophets. We leave behind those old things that
pollute the body, the mind, and the spirit, and we cling to
a better way of life. Some of the wonderful traditions that
we adopt as new members are the following:
1. We sing the hymns. Too many of us are hesitant to
sing the Church hymns, thinking that our voices are not
good enough or that it takes too much effort. Remember
that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me,” saith
the Lord (D&C 25:12). To the young and the old alike,
open your mouths and sing out! It will help you feel more
a part of the Church family, and it will bring the Spirit into
your life.
2. We attend all our meetings. On Sunday we attend
our meetings, including sacrament meeting, and during
the week we attend any other meetings to which we are
invited. We attend to learn more about the Savior, to
renew the covenants we made with Him at our baptism
by partaking of the sacrament, and to discuss and learn
the important truths of the gospel. We are also given an
opportunity to mingle socially with our brothers and sisters
in this new family and to cultivate eternal friendships.
3. We fast and pay fast offerings. The law of the fast
is God’s way to teach us charity, the pure love of Christ,
by providing for the poor and the needy among us. It is
intended that every member who is physically able go
without food or drink for two meals once a month on
fast Sunday and then contribute the cost of those two
meals to the Church to assist our brothers and sisters
in need. There are few things that humble us more
and help us to draw nearer to the Lord than fasting
with prayer.
4. We pay tithing. Tithing is onetenth
of our increase. This money is
returned to the Lord because of His
goodness to us. The money is used to further the work
of the Lord by building chapels and temples, sending missionaries
to preach the gospel, printing Church materials,
and doing a host of other meaningful activities. Every
member old and young should pay his or her tithing.
We often say, “Tithing is not a principle of money, but of
faith.” The Lord said, “Prove me now herewith, . . . if I will
not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive
it” (Malachi 3:10). We cannot afford to withhold our tithes
from Him who gives us everything.
5. We have family and individual prayer. The Savior
commanded us to pray always. Prayer allows us to communicate
personally with our Heavenly Father in the name of
His Son, Jesus Christ. Each prayer is heard and answered
in God’s own way and time, and even if the answer is not
what we wanted or expected, it always blesses us. We
ought to take the opportunity to offer a prayer of thanksgiving
over every meal and to pray morning and night as
families and individuals. Through prayer we come to know
our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And to
know Them is to have eternal life (see John 17:3).
6. We have family home evening on Monday night.
Monday night is to be kept free from other activities to
allow us to be together as a family. It is a wonderful time
to study the scriptures, have fun and exciting activities,
make future plans for the family, and thus progress
together spiritually.
Adjust home evening to the size and needs of your family.
If you are single, ask your bishop or branch president
about home evening groups. Even if you have no spouse
or children, you can still be blessed by having family home
evening and adapting it to your own situation.
7. We have a calling in the Church. Every member
should have an assignment or responsibility to serve his or
her brothers and sisters in the Church. President J. Reuben
Clark Jr. (1871–1961), First Counselor in the First Presidency,