Thank you MacKenzie Ostler for this study guide on talk: United in Accomplishing God’s Work. We hope you are able to use this to enhance your personal learning and study of this inspired message!
Sisters! Did you read this yet?! If not, what are you waiting for? It is So. Good. If
you work with males, ever, in a relationship, as a son, or in work, or at the grocery
store… orrrr…. Do you get where I am headed? This talk is applicable to us all
Let’s start at the very beginning. “When we think of Adam and Eve, often our first
thought is of their idyllic life in the Garden of Eden. I imagine that the weather was
always perfect—not too hot and not too cold—and that abundant, delicious fruits
and vegetables grew within reach so they could eat whenever they liked. Since this
was a new world for them, there was much to discover, so every day was interesting
as they interacted with the animal life and explored their beautiful surroundings.
They also were given commandments to obey and had different ways of
approaching those instructions, which caused some initial anxiety and
confusion. 1 But as they made decisions that changed their lives forever, they learned
to work together and became united in accomplishing the purposes God had for
them—and for all of His children.”
I love two things:
1: They LEARNED to work together. This was not innate to them, it took hard work.
2: They BECAME untied. It was a process, it wasn’t just something that just
happened.
Next: “Now picture this same couple in mortality. They had to labor for their food,
some of the animals considered them food, and there were difficult challenges that
could be overcome only as they counseled and prayed together. I imagine there
were at least a few times they had differing opinions about how to approach those
challenges. However, through the Fall, they had learned that it was essential to act in
unity and love. In the tutoring they received from divine sources, they were taught
the plan of salvation and the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ that make the
plan operable. Because they understood that their earthly purpose and eternal goal
were identical, they found satisfaction and success in learning to labor in love and
righteousness together.”
It was ESSENTIAL to act in UNITY and LOVE. They were TUTORED and received
from divine sources. My question is this: do we have the same ability to be tutored
from divine sources? Absolutely, we do. What a fantastic blessing to have, and
amazing knowledge we have to know that we have divine sources to draw from to
tutor us in our relationships… all relationships.
I really love this part in that last paragraph too: “Because they understood that their
EARTHLY PURPOSE and ETERNAL GOAL were IDENTICAL, they found
SATISFACTION and SUCCESS in learning to labor in love and righteousness
together.” So much power in that sentence.
It goes on to tell us that Adam and Eve took joy in teaching their family what they
had learned from heavenly messengers. “They were focused on helping their
children also understand and embrace those principles that would make them
happy in this life, as well as prepared to return to their heavenly parents after
having increased their abilities and proved their obedience to God.”
1: Understand
2: Embrace
Isn’t this an amazing concept as we teach our children, grandchildren, nieces,
nephews, and friends? Teach them to #1 understand and THEN #2 embrace.
“In the process, Adam and Eve learned to appreciate their differing strengths and
supported one another in their eternally significant work.”
Through time, misunderstanding and misinformation clouded truth. “During the
time between that marvelous beginning in the Garden of Eden and now, the
adversary has been quite successful in his goal to divide men and women in his
attempts to conquer our souls. Lucifer knows that if he can damage the unity men
and women feel, if he can confuse us about our divine worth and covenant
responsibilities, he will succeed in destroying families, which are the essential units
of eternity.”
Adversary=the enemy
His mission is to:
1: Damage unity between men & women
2: Confuse us about our divine worth & covenant responsibilities
If he succeeds in his mission, he will destroy families
Tools he uses:
1: Comparison between men and women
2: Demean contributions
3: Foster power struggles
And then, the Restoration happened and the organization of the Relief Society
happened. “And throughout that time until our day, the ongoing restoration of all
things has brought enlightenment on the necessity of the authority and power of the
priesthood in helping both men and women accomplish their divinely appointed
responsibilities.”
“In October 2019, President Russell M. Nelson taught that women who are endowed
in the temple have priesthood power in their lives and in their homes as they keep
those sacred covenants they made with God.” He explained that “the heavens are
just as open to women who are endowed with God’s power flowing from their
priesthood covenants as they are to men who bear the priesthood.” And he
encouraged every sister to “draw liberally upon the Savior’s power to help your
family and others you love.” I love this paragraph so much. Such power and
promised blessings in this section.
So what does that mean for you and me? How does understanding priesthood
authority and power change our lives?
1: When men and women work together, we accomplish a great deal more than we
do working separately.
2: Roles are complementary
3: Women are blessed with priesthood power and operate with authority when they
are set apart to a calling.
From Sister Bingham: “On a lovely August day, I was privileged to sit down with
President Russell M. Nelson in the reconstructed home of Joseph and Emma Smith in
Harmony, Pennsylvania, near where the Aaronic Priesthood was restored in these
latter days. In our conversation, President Nelson talked about the important role
women played in the Restoration.
“President Nelson: “One of the most important aspects that I am reminded of when
I come to this restoration of the priesthood site is the important role that women
played in the Restoration.
“When Joseph first started to translate the Book of Mormon, who did the writing?
Well, he did a little, but not much. Emma stepped in.
“And then I think of how Joseph went into the woods to pray near their home in
Palmyra, New York. Where did he go? He went to the Sacred Grove. Why did he go
there? Because that’s where Mother went when she wanted to pray.
“Those are just two of the women who had key roles in the restoration of the
priesthood and in the Restoration of the Church. No doubt, we could say our wives
are just as important today as they were then. Of course they are.”
We must be like Emma and Lucy and Joseph and continue to understand that we
are most effective when we work together to further the work.
She gives a great example of a tandem biking team that had to work together in
order to accomplish their great goals. Look up that story. It is a good one.
“Becoming more in tune with the divine pattern of working together in unity is
critical in this day of “me first” messages that surround us. Women do possess
distinctive, divine gifts and are given unique responsibilities, but those are not
more—or less—important than men’s gifts and responsibilities. All are designed
and needed to bring about Heavenly Father’s divine plan to give each of His children
the best opportunity to fulfill his or her divine potential.”
ALL are designed and NEEDED to bring about His divine plan.
“Are we ready? Will we strive to overcome cultural bias and instead embrace divine
patterns and practices based on foundational doctrine? President Russell M. Nelson
invites us to “walk arm in arm in this sacred work … [to] help prepare the world for
the Second Coming of the Lord.” As we do, we will learn to value each
individual’s contributions and increase the effectiveness with which we fulfill
our divine roles. We will feel greater joy than we have ever experienced.
May each of us choose to become united in the Lord’s inspired way to help His work
go forward.”
It is our choice. And blessing. To become united. Let us make the choice.
I am so grateful for this beautiful guidance and teachings of our sweet Sister
Bingham. Let us follow her guidance and teachings.
Where can you improve? What can we do to be better? Use the divine guidance of
our heavenly tutors to find more unity in the Lord’s inspired way to help His work
go forward.
Asheville Ward News 