I invite each of us to become more like the Savior
by caring for the poor and needy,
by faithfully keeping the law of the fast,
and by contributing a generous fast offering.
by caring for the poor and needy,
by faithfully keeping the law of the fast,
and by contributing a generous fast offering.
This is the fast that the Lord has chosen:
1. Loose the bands of wickedness
2. Undo the heavy burdens
3. Let the oppressed go free
4. That ye break every yoke
5. Deal thy bread to the hungry
6. Bring the poor that are cast out to thy house
7. When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him
8. That thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh
The wonderful blessings promised by the Lord to those who obey the law of the fast:
1. Thy light break forth as the morning
2. Thine health shall spring forth speedily
3. Thy righteousness shall go before thee
4. The glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward
5. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer
6. Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am
"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought."
Regarding this scripture, President Harold B. Lee had this to say: “The tremendous blessings that come [from fasting] have been spelled out in every dispensation, and here the Lord is telling us through this great prophet why there is fasting, and the blessings that come from fasting. … If you analyze … the 58th chapter of the book of Isaiah you will find unraveled why the Lord wants us to pay fast offerings, why he wants us to fast. It’s because by qualifying thus we can call and the Lord can answer. We can cry and the Lord will say, ‘Here I am.’”
President Lee adds: “Do we ever want to be in a condition where we can call and he won’t answer? We will cry in our distress and he won’t be with us? I think it is time we are thinking about these fundamentals because these are the days that lie ahead, when we are going to need more and more the blessings of the Lord, when the judgments are poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.”
Our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, has shared his testimony of these principles—a testimony borne of personal experience. He said: “No member of the Church who has helped provide for those in need ever forgets or regrets the experience. Industry, thrift, self-reliance, and sharing with others are not new to us.”
No comments:
Post a Comment