Step 6 – Participating in the Fellowship of the Church

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:14–19).

As you take upon yourself the name of Christ and are strengthened by His Spirit, you begin to identify yourself with the Saints—brothers and sisters who have been baptized and entered into His family on earth (see Mosiah 5:7). As you have come to know your fellow Saints better, how have you become more willing to participate more fully in the fellowship of priesthood, Relief Society, and Sunday School?

I’ve seen this first hand within the last few years when we moved to our new home and ward. When I first moved in, I didn’t get a calling for quite a while. Instead of reaching out and really striving to get to know people, I kind of held back and was bitter. It was during these times that my addiction was present because I felt justified in my behavior.

Once I did finally decide to look beyond myself and really serve others, even if it was just doing effective home teaching, my attitude began to change and it was at this point that I began the whole process of the program and recovery.

It reminds me of the scripture about losing yourself in the service of others and how you’ll find yourself as you do this.

I’m grateful now for my ward and for the experience I went through. I hope that, when and if the time comes again, I will remember this experience and not hesitate to reach out immediately and get to know people in the ward.

I just read this scripture, not sure it has much to do with this question or section, but it’s one I need (and plan) to implement on a consistent basis:

29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the ^aword of God, which is ^bquick and powerful, which shall ^cdivide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and ^dnarrow course across that everlasting ^egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the ^aright hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. (Helaman 3:29-30)

I’m excited to make a commitment to read at least one scripture from the Book of Mormon every day (starting yesterday) and to really LIVE this scripture. The word of God is quick and powerful and will help me fight off the fiery darts of the adversary.

Things I’m Thankful For

• That Becky and I had a good talk at family council about working with the kids and working as a team
• That I’m sticking to my goals to write in my journal and read from the Book of Mormon
• That I set specific goals for the month of May that I plan to MEET!
• That I was able to go to church today and renew my covenants
• That I have a calling with great young men who I can have influence on for good if I seek the Spirit
• That I was able to listen to Becky talk to me about her frustrations and not get defensive

Ways I Could Have Been Better Today

• My patience with Caleb and Madi at church
• My patience with Caleb this evening when he wasn’t going to bed
• Playing with the kids this morning before church instead of just lounging around
• Justifying watching “Up in the Air” with Becky

Hasta luego!

Nate