February 2014

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life and mission 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 aspects of the mission of the Savior.

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Good Shepherd

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Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, taught:

“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? …

“I say unto you, that … joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:4, 7).

As we come to understand that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, our desire increases to follow His example and serve those in need. Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. … And I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14–15). Because of Christ’s Atonement, none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot find our way home (see Luke 15).

President Thomas S. Monson said, “Ours is the responsibility to care for the flock. … May we each step up to serve.”1

From the Scriptures

Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Mosiah 26:21

From Our History

Elizabeth Ann Whitney, who attended the first Relief Society meeting, said of her conversion in 1830: “As soon as I heard the Gospel as the Elders preached it, I knew it to be the voice of the Good Shepherd.”2 Elizabeth followed the voice of the Good Shepherd and was baptized and confirmed.

We too can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and share His teachings with others. President Monson said, “We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children.”3

Just as a shepherd seeks out a lost sheep, parents may seek after a child who has wandered. President James E. Faust (1920–2007), Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “To those brokenhearted parents who have been righteous, diligent, and prayerful in the teaching of their disobedient children, we say to you, the Good Shepherd is watching over them. God knows and understands your deep sorrow. There is hope.”4

What Can I Do?

1. How does knowing that the Savior is the Good Shepherd bring peace into our lives?
2. How can I support parents whose children have wandered from living the gospel?

Notes

1. Thomas S. Monson, “Heavenly Homes, Forever Families,” Ensign, June 2006, 102; Liahona, June 2006, 70.
2. Elizabeth Ann Whitney, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 128.
3. Thomas S. Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 86.
4. James E. Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2003, 68.


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January 2014

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life and mission 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 aspects of the mission of the Savior.

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Exemplar

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As we understand that Jesus Christ is our example in all things, we can increase our desire to follow Him. The scriptures are full of encouragement for us to follow in Christ’s footsteps. To the Nephites, Christ said, “For the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do” (3 Nephi 27:21). To Thomas, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Today our leaders remind us to set the Savior as our example. Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, said, “When each of us has the doctrine of the Atonement written deep in our hearts, then we will begin to become the kind of people the Lord wants us to be.”¹

President Thomas S. Monson said, “Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is our Exemplar and our strength.”²

Let us resolve to draw near to Jesus Christ, to obey His commandments, and to strive to return to our Heavenly Father.

From the Scriptures

2 Nephi 31:16; Alma 17:11; 3 Nephi 27:27; Moroni 7:48

From Our History

“He marked the path and led the way,” wrote Eliza R. Snow, second Relief Society general president, of the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ.³ He ministered to individuals—one by one. He taught that we should leave the ninety and nine to save the straying one (see Luke 15:3–7). He healed and taught individuals, even taking time for each person in a multitude of 2,500 people (see 3 Nephi 11:13–15; 17:25).

Of Latter-day Saint women, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “You wonderful sisters render compassionate service to others for reasons that supersede desires for personal benefits. In this you emulate the Savior … . His thoughts were always tuned to help others.”⁴

What Can I Do?

1. Why and how is Jesus Christ my exemplar?
   
2. How can ministering to the sisters I visit help me follow the Savior?
   

Notes

1. Linda K. Burton, “Is Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ Written in Our Hearts?” Ensign, Nov. 2012, 114.
   
2. Thomas S. Monson, “Meeting Life’s Challenges,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 71.
3. “How Great the Wisdom and the Love,” Hymns, no. 195.
   
4. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov. 2008, 120.
   

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December 2013

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life and mission 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.

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: The Only Begotten Son

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Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is called the Only Begotten Son because He is the only person on earth to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father. He inherited divine powers from God, His Father. From His mother, Mary, He inherited mortality and was subject to hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, and death.1

Because Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father, He was able to lay down His life and take it up again. The scriptures teach that “through the atonement of Christ,” we “obtain a resurrection” (Jacob 4:11). We also learn that all “might be raised in immortality unto eternal life” if we “would believe” (D&C 29:43).

As we come to understand more fully what it means for Jesus to be the Only Begotten Son of the Father, our faith in Christ will increase. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Faith in Jesus Christ is the conviction and assurance of (1) His status as the Only Begotten Son of God, (2) His infinite Atonement, and (3) His literal Resurrection.”2 Modern prophets have testified: “[Jesus Christ] was … the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.”3

From the Scriptures

John 3:16; Doctrine and Covenants 20:21–24; Moses 5:6–9

From Our History

In the New Testament we read of women, named and unnamed, who exercised faith in Jesus Christ, learned and lived His teachings, and testified of His ministry, miracles, and majesty. These women became exemplary disciples and important witnesses in the work of salvation.

For example, Martha bore strong testimony of the Savior’s divinity when she said to Him, “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (John 11:27).

Some of the earliest witnesses of the Savior’s divinity were His mother, Mary, and her cousin Elisabeth. Soon after the angel Gabriel visited Mary, she visited Elisabeth. As soon as Elisabeth heard Mary’s greeting, she “was filled with the Holy Ghost” (Luke 1:41) and bore testimony that Mary would become mother to the Son of God.

What Can I Do?

    1. Why is it important for me to understand the roles of Jesus Christ?
    2. How do covenants increase our faith in the Savior?

Notes

    1. See Gospel Principles (2009), 52–53.
    2. D. Todd Christofferson, “Building Faith in Christ,” Ensign, Sept. 2012, 53; Liahona, Sept. 2012, 13.
    3. “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2000, 2–3.



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November 2013

The message for November is taken from a conference talk. As you carefully consider the needs of those under your care select a talk/talks that would uplift them.

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October 2013

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the life and mission 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 the first in a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring aspects of the mission of the Savior.

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Creator 

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Jesus Christ “created the heavens and the earth” (3 Nephi 9:15). He did so through the power of the priesthood, under the direction of our Heavenly Father (see Moses 1:33).

“How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here,” said President Thomas S. Monson, “… that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.”1 When we use our agency to obey God’s commandments and repent, we become worthy to return to live with Him.

Of the Creation, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said:

“We are the reason He created the universe! …

“This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.”2 Knowing that Jesus Christ created the earth for us because we mean everything to Heavenly Father can help us increase our love for Them.

From the Scriptures

John 1:3; Hebrews 1:1–2; Mosiah 3:8; Moses 1:30–33, 35–39; Abraham 3:24–25

 

From Our History

We have been created in God’s image (see Moses 2:26–27), and we have divine potential. The Prophet Joseph Smith admonished the sisters in Relief Society to “live up to [their] privilege.”3 With that encouragement as a foundation, sisters in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been taught to live up to their divine potential by fulfilling God’s purposes for them. “As they come to understand who they really are—God’s daughters, with an innate capacity to love and nurture—they reach their potential as holy women.”4

“You are now placed in a situation where you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in your bosoms,” said the Prophet Joseph Smith. “If you live up to these principles how great and glorious!—if you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.”5

What Can I Do?

    1. How does seeking to understand our divine nature increase our love for the Savior?
    2. How can we show our gratitude for God’s creations?
   

Notes

    1. Thomas S. Monson, “The Race of Life,” Ensign, May 2012, 91.
    2. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “You Matter to Him,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 20.
    3. Joseph Smith, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 171.
    4. Daughters in My Kingdom, 171.
    5. Joseph Smith, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 169.

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September 2013

Visiting teaching messages are currently focused on helping all sisters follow a higher path of discipleship. Visiting teachers can discuss these responsibilities with sisters they watch over, or they can teach a principle that will help sisters increase their faith, strengthen families, and give service.

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org

Self Reliance

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Self-reliance is the ability, commitment, and effort to provide for the spiritual and temporal well-being of ourselves and of our families.1

As we learn and apply the principles of self-reliance in our homes and communities, we have opportunities to care for the poor and needy and to help others become self-reliant so they can endure times of adversity.

We have the privilege and duty to use our agency to become self-reliant spiritually and temporally. Speaking of spiritual self-reliance and our dependence on Heavenly Father, Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught: “We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants—through worthily partaking of the sacrament, being worthy of a temple recommend, and sacrificing to serve others.”2

Elder Hales counseled us to become self-reliant temporally, “which includes getting a postsecondary education or vocational training, learning to work, and living within our means. By avoiding debt and saving money now, we are prepared for full-time Church service in the years to come. The purpose of both temporal and spiritual self-reliance is to get ourselves on higher ground so that we can lift others in need.”3

From the Scriptures

Matthew 25:1–13; 1 Timothy 5:8; Alma 34:27–28; Doctrine and Covenants 44:6; 58:26–29; 88:118

From Our History

After the Latter-day Saints had gathered in the Salt Lake Valley, which was an isolated desert, President Brigham Young wanted them to flourish and establish permanent homes. This meant the Saints needed to learn skills that would allow them to become self-sufficient. In this effort, President Young had great trust in the capacities, talents, faithfulness, and willingness of the women, and he encouraged them in specific temporal duties. While the specific duties of Relief Society sisters are often different today, the principles remain constant:

1. Learn to love work and avoid idleness.
2. Acquire a spirit of self-sacrifice.
3. Accept personal responsibility for spiritual strength, health, education, employment, finances, food, and other life-sustaining necessities.
4. Pray for faith and courage to meet challenges.
5. Strengthen others who need assistance.4

What Can I Do?

1. How am I helping the sisters I watch over find solutions to their temporal and spiritual needs?
2. Am I increasing my spiritual self-reliance through preparing for the sacrament and sacrificing to serve?

Notes

1. See Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), 6.1.1.
2. Robert D. Hales, “Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and Sacrifice in Service,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2012, 34.
3. Robert D. Hales, “Coming to Ourselves,” 36.
4. See Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 51.

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August 2013

Visiting teaching messages are currently focused on helping all sisters follow a higher path of discipleship. Visiting teachers can discuss these responsibilities with sisters they watch over, or they can teach a principle that will help sisters increase their faith, strengthen families, and give service.

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org

Welfare

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The purposes of Church welfare are to help members become self-reliant, to care for the poor and needy, and to give service. Welfare is central to the work of Relief Society. President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, has taught:

“[The Lord] has from the beginning of time provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with Him in serving others. …

“He has invited and commanded us to participate in His work to lift up those in need. We make a covenant to do that in the waters of baptism and in the holy temples of God. We renew the covenant on Sundays when we partake of the sacrament.”1

Under the direction of the bishop or branch president, local leaders assist with spiritual and temporal welfare. Opportunities to serve often begin with visiting teachers who seek inspiration to know how to respond to the needs of each sister they visit.

From the Scriptures

Luke 10:25–37; James 1:27; Mosiah 4:26; 18:8–11; Doctrine and Covenants 104:18

From Our History

On June 9, 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith charged the sisters in Relief Society to “relieve the poor” and to “save souls.”2 These goals are still at the heart of Relief Society and are expressed in our motto, “Charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Our fifth Relief Society general president, Emmeline B. Wells, and her counselors launched this motto in 1913 as a reminder of our founding principles: “We do declare it our purpose to … [hold] fast to the inspired teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he revealed the plan by which women were to be empowered through the calling of the priesthood to be grouped into suitable organizations for the purpose of ministering to the sick, assisting the needy, comforting the aged, warning the unwary, and succoring the orphans.”3

Today the Relief Society has a worldwide reach as sisters extend charity, the pure love of Christ, to their neighbors (see Moroni 7:46–47).

What Can I Do?

    1. How am I preparing to care for myself and for my family spiritually and temporally?
    2. How can I follow the Savior’s example as I help meet the needs of the sisters I watch over?

    Notes

    1. Henry B. Eyring, “Opportunities to Do Good,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2011, 22.
    2. Joseph Smith, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 63.
    3. Daughters in My Kingdom, 63.

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