It was wonderful to celebrate Christmas with all of you. On Christmas evening Mom and I shared our thoughts with most of you (some were on kid duty) about how our trip to Israel tied in with the three elements of On Our Way Home - Prayer, Scripture Study, and Temple Attendance.
Here's a summary of those ideas:
PRAYER: Our Savior gave his great intercessory prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a very special spirit there.
The New Testament tells us Jesus was in constant communication with his Father. It is essential that we use prayer as he did, as the means to know his Father's will and to receive strength and guidance.
PRAYER: Our Savior gave his great intercessory prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a very special spirit there.
The New Testament tells us Jesus was in constant communication with his Father. It is essential that we use prayer as he did, as the means to know his Father's will and to receive strength and guidance.
SCRIPTURES: We visited the Judean desert where Jesus fasted forty days before beginning
his ministry and where he was tempted of Satan. The way he overcame each temptation was by quoting scripture. Again, we would do well to follow his example, and know and study the scriptures as a means of overcoming temptation, and of gaining strength and inspiration.
his ministry and where he was tempted of Satan. The way he overcame each temptation was by quoting scripture. Again, we would do well to follow his example, and know and study the scriptures as a means of overcoming temptation, and of gaining strength and inspiration.
TEMPLE: We visited Mount Moriah, the temple mount in Jerusalem, where Jesus and the apostles taught the people, and where Abraham came to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to the Lord. Because of excavations that have taken us to the times of the Romans, this was the one site where it was certain that we were actually walking where Jesus walked.
Symbolically, today the temple is where the Savior walks. The temple is a great source of strength to us, a sanctuary from the world where we can commune with the Holy Ghost. We are promised great blessings when we attend the temple.
I pray that all of us will consider the life and teachings of the Savior in this new year, and seek to draw closer to Him.
2 comments:
What a wonderful post! It was inspiring to hear your words and now see them written. Love you!
Thanks Dad! It looks like such an amazing trip and you definitely seemed to have learned a lot from the experience.
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