Notes from EQ Lesson: "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten”

Me: “Do you want to go to time out?”

Braelynn: “Yes” and she’ll sometimes willingly get up and put herself in timeout. Other times she has to be compelled to go. Much of her learning and development is attempting to find out the boundaries of what is or isn’t acceptable, and trying to become (though oft times with tears and frustration), obedient.

How do you usually feel during or after general conference? Uplifted? Inspired? Comforted? I usually feel a deep sense of urgency and inadequacy – as though I’m not doing enough to measure up. Perhaps this is because I’m usually a little complacent or too comfortable in my life situation.

“The purpose of the church is to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.”

What does this scripture mean to you: “Woh unto them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1)

If we truly trust in the Lord, and we’re keeping the commandments, we can know with assurance that any affliction we’re suffering through is for our well being – and is a GIFT – therefore, we ought to rejoice in the gift by 1) searching out the lesson to be learned, and 2) trusting in the Lord that this present suffering serves some greater purpose.

If we feel our burden is too heavy to carry, it is because 1) we haven’t developed a deep enough love and gratitude for our Savior, or 2) we haven’t learned to trust Him fully or both.

If our love for the Savior is strong enough, no trial is too great & every sacrifice is an honor to bear. If our faith in the Lord is strong enough, we trust in Him fully and we know He can and will deliver us from it and that the trial serves some purpose.

Trials aren’t meant to punish us so much as they are meant to change us.

Alma 62:41:

41 But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their ^aafflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.

Do we receive chastisement from the Lord as a gift?

D&C 88:33

33 For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

Scriptures:

Hebrews 12: 1,5-7, 9-11-

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the ^asin which doth so easily ^bbeset us, and let us run with ^cpatience the race that is set before us,

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he ^achasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye ^aendure ^bchastening, God dealeth with you as with ^csons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

9 Furthermore we have had ^afathers of our flesh which ^bcorrected us, and we gave them ^creverence: shall we not much rather be in ^dsubjection unto the ^eFather of ^fspirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his ^aholiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the ^apeaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are ^bexercised thereby.

2 Tim 3:16-17 (esp 16): 16 ^aAll ^bscripture is given by ^cinspiration of God, and is ^dprofitable for ^edoctrine, for ^freproof, for correction, for ^ginstruction in ^hrighteousness:

17 That the man of God may be ^aperfect, throughly furnished unto all ^bgood works.