October 2015 Visiting Teaching Message

Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Filled with Charity and Love

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the divine attributes of the Savior increase your faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching? For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring divine attributes of the Savior.

The Influence of Righteous Women, by Julie Rogers

The Guide to the Scriptures defines charity as “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love” (“Charity”). It is the pure love of Jesus Christ. As we learn of Jesus Christ and strive to become like Him, we will begin to feel His pure love in our lives and be prompted to love and serve others as He would. “Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down,” said President Thomas S. Monson. “It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.”¹

In the Book of Mormon, we learn the great truth that we “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that [we] may become the sons [and daughters] of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48).

Additional Scriptures

John 13:34–35; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13; 1 Nephi 11:21–23; Ether 12:33–34

From Our History

“A sister who had recently been widowed was grateful for visiting teachers who mourned with her and comforted her. She wrote: ‘I was in desperate need of someone to whom I could reach out; someone who would listen to me. … And they listened. They comforted me. They wept with me. And they hugged me … [and] helped me out of the deep despair and depression of those first months of loneliness.’

“Another woman summed up her feelings when she was the recipient of true charity from a visiting teacher: ‘I knew that I was more than just a number on the record books for her to visit. I knew that she cared about me.’”²

Like these sisters, many Latter-day Saints around the world can attest to the truth of this statement by President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015), President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “How consoling it is to know that no matter where [a family may] go, a Church family awaits them. From the day they arrive, he will belong to a quorum of the priesthood and she will belong to Relief Society.”³

Consider This

How is Christ our perfect example of love and charity?

September 2015 Visiting Teaching Message

Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Powerful and Full of Glory

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the divine attributes of the Savior increase your faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching? For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Detail from Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead, by Carl Heinrich Bloch

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring divine attributes of the Savior.

The scriptures teach us that Jesus Christ “received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him” (D&C 93:17). Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that by this power our Savior created the heavens and earth, performed miracles, and endured the pain of Gethsemane and Calvary.¹ As we come to understand this, our faith in Christ will increase, and we will become stronger.

As we make and keep temple covenants, the Lord blesses us with His power. Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, said: “Covenant keeping strengthens, empowers, and protects. … I recently met a dear new friend. She testified that after she had received her temple endowment, she felt strengthened with power to resist temptations.”²

Nephi bears testimony of covenant power: “I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended … upon the covenant people of the Lord, … and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:14).

Additional Scriptures

Jeremiah 51:15; Revelation 1:6; Jacob 4:6–7; Mosiah 3:17

From the Scriptures

Being filled with great compassion for Martha and Mary, Jesus Christ raised their brother Lazarus from the dead by the power of God He possessed.

Jesus arrived at Martha and Mary’s home after Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. They went to Lazarus’s tomb, and Jesus commanded that the stone covering the entrance be taken away. Jesus said to Martha, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” He then prayed to God the Father and “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

“And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes.” (See John 11:1–45.) The Savior uses His power to redeem and empower us. Our faith in Him will increase as we remember that He is full of power and glory.

Consider This

How does the power of God arm us with power and glory?

Notes

1.   1. 
   See M. Russell Ballard, “This Is My Work and My Glory,” Liahona, May 2013, 18.
2.   2. 
   Linda K. Burton, “The Power, Joy, and Love of Covenant Keeping,” Liahona, Nov. 2013, 111

August 2015 Visiting Teaching Message

August 2015 Visiting Teaching Message

Please report your visiting teaching to your supervisors.

Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ

Meek and Humble

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life and roles of the Savior increase your faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching?

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring divine attributes of the Savior.

Jesus Washing the Feet of the Apostles, by Del Parson

Jesus said, “He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:26–27).

“The Savior is our supreme example of the power of humility and submissiveness. After all, His submitting His will to the Father brought about the greatest, and even the most powerful, event in all of history. Perhaps some of the most sacred words in all the scriptures are simply, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke 22:42).”¹

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we always seek to be like Him. “Meekness is vital for us to become more Christlike,” said Elder Ulisses Soares of the Seventy. Without it we won’t be able to develop other important virtues. Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control.”² As we work to develop this attribute, we will find that “humbly submitting our will to the Father brings us the empowerment of God—the power of humility. It is the power to meet life’s adversities, the power of peace, the power of hope, the power of a heart throbbing with a love for and testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, even the power of redemption.”³

Additional Scriptures

Matthew 26:39; John 5:30; Mosiah 3:19; Helaman 3:35

From the Scriptures

One of the sweetest and most powerful moments of Christ’s ministry was when He washed the feet of His disciples. “He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded” (John 13:4–5).

As the Savior introduced this ordinance, the disciples may have been overwhelmed that their Lord and Master knelt before them and performed so meek a service. Jesus then explained the lessons He wanted them and all of us to learn:

“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14–15).

Consider This

How can having humility help us love as the Savior did?

July 2015 Visiting Teaching Message

Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Forgiving and Merciful

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life and roles of the Savior increase your faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching? 

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring divine attributes of the Savior.

Understanding that Jesus Christ has been forgiving and merciful to us can help us forgive and extend mercy to others. “Jesus Christ is our Exemplar,” said President Thomas S. Monson. “His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. At the end the angry mob took His life. And yet there rings from Golgotha’s hill the words: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’—a crowning expression in mortality of compassion and love.”¹

If we forgive others their trespasses, our Heavenly Father will also forgive us. Jesus asks us to “be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36). “Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions,” said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. “We must repent. … Haven’t we all, at one time or another, meekly approached the mercy seat and pleaded for grace? Haven’t we wished with all the energy of our souls for mercy—to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed? … Allow Christ’s Atonement to change and heal your heart. Love one another. Forgive one another.”²

Additional Scriptures

Matthew 6:14–15; Luke 6:36–37; Alma 34:14–16

From the Scriptures

“We are to forgive even as we are forgiven,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.³ The story of the prodigal son shows us both sides of forgiveness: one son is forgiven and the other son struggles to forgive.

The younger son took his inheritance, quickly spent it, and when a famine arose, he worked feeding swine. The scriptures say “when he came to himself,” he returned home and said to his father he was not worthy to be his son. But his father forgave him and killed a fatted calf for a feast. The older son returned from working in the fields and became angry. He reminded his father that he had served many years, never transgressed the commandments, yet “thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry.” The father replied, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (see Luke 15:11–32).

Consider This

How can forgiveness benefit the one forgiving?

June 2015 Visiting Teaching Message

June 2015 VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE

Divine Attributes of

 Jesus Christ: Virtue

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the divine attributes of the Savior increase your faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring divine attributes of the Savior.

“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45).

What is virtue? President James E. Faust (1920–2007) said: “Virtue in its fuller sense encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character.”¹ President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) added: “Love of God is the root of all virtue, of all goodness, of all strength of character.”²

Of the relationship between women and virtue, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures. …

“Sisters, of all your associations, it is your relationship with God, your Heavenly Father, who is the source of your moral power, that you must always put first in your life. Remember that Jesus’s power came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father. … Strive to be that kind of disciple of the Father and the Son, and your influence will never fade.”³

Additional Scriptures

Psalms 24:3–5; Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:3–5; Alma 31:5; Doctrine and Covenants 38:23–24

From the Scriptures

Today, virtuous women, full of faith, reach out to the Savior. In Luke 8 we read of a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years that could not be healed. She sought healing when she “came behind [Christ], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood [stopped]. … And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue⁴ is gone out of me.” This virtuous faithful woman fell down before Him, declaring “unto him before all the people” that “she had touched him” and “was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole” (see Luke 8:43–48; see also 6:17–19).

Through His virtue,⁵ Christ can heal, enable, strengthen, comfort, and cheer when we choose with courage and faith to reach out to Him.

Consider This

How does virtue empower and strengthen us?

Notes

James E. Faust, “The Virtues of Righteous Daughters of God,” Liahona, May 2003, 108.

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Apr. 1996, 73.

D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women,” Liahona, Nov. 2013, 29, 31.Virtue has power (see Mark 5:30).

In Guide to the Scriptures, “Priesthood” is defined as “the authority and power that God gives to man to act in all things for the salvation of man” (D&C 50:26–27).