Spiritual Hobbies

President Uchtdorf recently taught that our activities should not be inspired by any flashy trend or interest of the moment. He says, "Otherwise, they can distract our efforts, dilute our energy, and get us caught in our own hobbies, spiritual or temporal, that are not the center of discipleship."

So what exactly is a spiritual hobby?

Here's an example that will hopefully make sense:

Jessica reads her scriptures for an hour everyday at 6:00 AM. One morning she gets a phone call at 5:45 AM. One of Jessica's friends has been seriously hurt and needs her assistance to get to the hospital. She considers going to help but remembers that she has to study so she decides to stay home and read instead.

Now, this is kind of an extreme example but hopefully it gets the point across. I would encourage each of us to take a look at the activities that occupy our lives. Ask yourself, "Is this activity worth my time?"

1/2 Hearted

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts." - Jacob 6:5

The Lord asks for our whole hearts. Therefore we must do everything that He asks of us. Sometimes these things can seem difficult, for instance: paying a full tithe, waking up at 8:00 AM to make it church on time, or taking time out of our schedules to serve others. However, to grasp onto His arm of mercy we must not harden or withhold our hearts from Him. We must never give a 1/2 hearted effort.

Steroids!

Recently, I have been studying the Book of Job in the Old Testament. I am continually impressed with his perseverance and faith. One thing, in particular, stood out to me. In Chapter 24 it talks about the fact that murderers, adulterers, those who oppress the poor, and wicked often go unpunished. In verse 12 Job points out that though, "Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out . . . God layeth not folly to them."

In life those who cheat the system may seem to gain the upperhand. However, in the end everyone will gain that which they have earned (see 2 Corinthians 9:6). As of late, the sporting world has uncovered many cases of athletes using steroids. It seems to me that those athletes who knowingly break the rules by using steroids will gain an advantage over those who do not. However, those who cheat in order to win are never fully satisfied. Not to mention, once they find out that you have been using steroids you could end up in prison.

There are always consequences to our actions whether they come immediately or not. You can never get something for nothing.

Mormon Channel Video

While perusing through the Mormon Channel on Youtube I discovered a video that I found quite comical. I figured I'd post it here and share it with everyone. Enjoy!