Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - 1 Corinthians 8-13 Part 2 • Dr. Mary Jane Woodger • Aug 28 - Sept 3

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

Dr. Woodger continues to explore spiritual gifts, administrative challenges, and cultural customs of Paul’s days and how they differ from today.Please rate and review the podcast which makes it easier to find.Show Notes (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): https://followhim.co/new-testament-episodes-31-40/00:00 Part II–Dr. Mary Jane Woodger00:07 Additional gifts of the Spirit03:15 Seeking gifts of the Spirit05:30 President Grant and his brother Fred05:58 War on Latter-day Saint women8:21 Patricia Holland on her gifts11:24 All gifts are necessary13:35 Elder Holland and Church as a choir15:39 Differences unite us, not divide17:27 Brandon Flowers in the airport19:26 Spiritual gifts for this life and the next21:24 President Eyrings on charity25:08 Developing charity or receiving the gift of charity30:43 Fear, jealousy, and charity34:42 Meekness and God’s love37:01 Long suffering and patience40:59 Robert C. Oaks and natural man45:59 President Uchtdorf “You are My Hands”48:01 Eliza R. Snow and forbearance49:10 Dr. Mary Jane Woodger on gifts of the Spirit52:16 End of Part II–Dr. Mary Jane WoodgerYouTube: https://youtu.be/R1eqqsj-iekFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followhimpodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15G9TTz8yLp0dQyEcBQ8BYThanks to the follow HIM team:Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignAnnabelle Sorensen: Creative Project ManagerWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Welcome to part 2 with Dr. Mary Jane Woodger, 1 Corinthians 8-13. What's next, Mary Jane, on our list of spiritual gifts? 12-9 to another faith by the same spirit, another gift of healing by the same spirit. Faith to heal and be healed. I would say in our generation, there is a relationship between faith and the priesthood. Gifts to have faith to heal or be healed, increasing our faith, the Lord is willing, and able to heal us through the administration of the priesthood. And so we have elder ox that says, in emergencies prayers and blessings come first, but most often we pursue all efforts simultaneously. And then of course he said, this is Elder Oaks again, we must always remember that faith in the healing power the priest did cannot produce a result contrary to the will of him,

his priesthood it is. Captain Murrona is sent spies to follow the camp of Malachi, and he sent people to go ask the prophet where they were going to show up. I love that he did both. We've talked to one the podcast before about gift of healing and then elder bednars, faith to not be healed, to another faith by the same spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit.

This is President Kimball. Two freaking administrations may be an indication of a lack of faith, or if the ill one is trying to pass the responsibility for faith development to the elders rather than themselves. He told about this faithful sister who received a priesthood blessing, and when she was asked the next day if she wished to be administered to again, she replied, no, I've been anointed and administered to the ordinance has been performed. It's up to me now to claim my blessing through that faith. I remember President Oaks giving a talk about that, which was so incredibly helpful. I

remember him talking about Jesus saying, by faith, hath made the whole. It was just what you were saying, Mary Jane, that it was up to her now. The person pronouncing the blessing, that can be a very nerve-wracking, humbling experience, but the faith of the person receiving the blessing is what? Present, oaks emphasized. Twelve, ten, to another, the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, and other the interpretation of tongues. He kind of groups all those real fast. Yes, this is where it's getting back to what you said. This is illustrative and not comprehensive. He's trying to list off a bunch, maybe so people can go, oh, there are lots. Yeah. Paul is just listing all those together to get us to

think about the different kinds of gifts that there are. I think Elder Ashton did the same thing when he gave that list about the gift to laugh, the gift to smile, the gift to cry. To weep, to avoid contention. I have it right in front of me. The gift of being agreeable, the gift of avoiding fame repetition. I remember you talking about that. The gift of seeking righteousness, the gift of not passing judgment, the gift of avoiding pain repetition, I remember you talking about that. The gift of seeking righteousness,

the gift of not passing judgment, the gift of being a disciple, the gift of caring for others, the ability to ponder, the gift of ponder to offer prayer, to bear mighty testimony. And I think Paul, after he lists those, notice then he says, okay,

but Cavitt earnestly the best gifts and yet shoe I unto you a more excellent way. So we might say, what are the best gifts and how am I supposed to determine what gift I really desire? And of course, we need to ask for spiritual gifts. But sometimes we're like a little child who's so scared when he sits on Santa Claus's lap That we forget to ask for anything Bruce Armacaki said we are commanded to seek the gifts this spirit if we do not do so

We are not walking in the course which is pleasing to him whose gifts they are Marona put it this way. He said Lay hold upon every good gift. How do you covet the gifts? How do you lay a hold on them? You just ask for them. And then we come back to. So what are the best ones? What should I desire the most? It depends on your circumstances. Here's George Cucannon, and I love this. He says, how many of you are seeking for those gifts that God has promised to be stole? How many of you, when you bow before your heavenly father and your family circle and your secret places, contend for these gifts to be distilled upon you?

How many of you ask the father in the name of Jesus to manifest himself to you through these powers and these gifts? Or do you go a long day by day like a door turning on its hinges without having any feeling upon the subject, without exercising any faith, whatsoever, just being content to be baptized to be members of the church and to rest there, thinking that your salvation is secure because you've done this. If any of you are imperfect, it is your duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I'm full of them.

What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct my imperfections. That's fantastic. I think one thing that maybe Paul is trying to teach and Elder Cannon there is that the Lord is anxious to give these gifts, right, wants to give these gifts, but maybe we don't ask, we don't seek. I think of a great story about President Grant again. He was on the, on the pulpit, not the pulpit, what do they call that one? He was on the stand and he saw his brother Fred, who was totally an active walk in. And so President Grant is supposed to get up

and give us sermon and he said, okay, there's Fred, I've never seen a general conference before and he said, he prayed, of course this is a prayer in the heart. And we father, I've really got to reach Fred. And I don't think I can do it by myself. I need the gift of being able to speak beyond my natural ability. He got up to talk and he said, I completely forgot about my sermon. He said, I have no idea

what I said, but I did not give the sermon that I had planned. And he sat down and he said, President Grant said, I put my hand in my hands and I wept like a baby. And the next day Fred came into his office and said, Heber, I was at conference yesterday. He said, I know. I don't think you've ever come to general conference before and Fred said, oh yeah, I come all the time. I just slip into the gallery and then I leave lead before you know, said, oh, well, then you've heard me speak before they said, yeah, I have fever, but I've never heard

you speak like you spoke yesterday. And then he used the same words yesterday, you spoke beyond your natural ability. Sister Holland, who we just lost at one time said that Satan is executing a full blown blitz waging war against slatterty saint women. And she said, all that Satan can wield is miniscule and comparison to a woman or a man of God who possesses spiritual gifts. Mm-hmm. President Nelson recently said, Satan and his minions will constantly contrive roadblocks prevent you from understanding the spiritual gifts with which you have been and can be

blessed. Interestingly, she talked about in that talk, I find her remember right, having the courage to be imperfect. She said, if I were Satan, I would keep women so distraught and distracted that they would never find calming strength and serenity, catching them in the crunch of trying to be superhuman, instead of realistically striving to reach their individual purpose and unique God-given potential, we must have the courage to be imperfect. I like that. Maybe that's a gift to being able to be settled, and to know I'm on the path, I'm doing the best I can, I'm on the covenant path, I'm not perfect,

but I'm on and I'm continuing. Maybe that's a gift to be able to to feel settled in that. As you mentioned Sister Holland, Mary Jane, I thought of it, it's kind of a long quote from her that really impacted me. Because sometimes I look around and I look at other people with their spiritual gifts and I think I should probably be more like him. I need to be more like him or why can I have that gift like she does. And you can get caught up in that almost the comparison of spiritual gifts. And here's what she said, for many years, I tried to measure the off-times quiet, reflective, thoughtful, pat Holland against the robust, bubbly, talkative, and energetic Jeff Holland, and others with light qualities.

She says, I have learned through several fatiguing failures that you can't have joy in being bubbly if you're not a bubbly person. It is contradiction in terms. I have given up seeing myself as a flawed person because my energy level is lower than Jeff's. And I don't talk as much as he does nor is fast. Giving this up has freed me to embrace and rejoice in my own manner and personality in the measure of my creation. Ironically, that has allowed me to admire and enjoy

Jeff's and chooses a word I don't know here. Abulliance, even more. Somewhere, somehow, the Lord blipped the message onto my screen. that my personality was created to fit precisely the mission and talents he gave me. For example, the quieter, calmer talent of playing the piano reveals much about the real pat island. I would never have learned to play the piano if I hadn't enjoyed the long hours of solitude required for its development. This same principle applies to my love of writing, reading, meditation,

and especially teaching and talking with my children. Miraculously, I have found that I have untold abundant sources of energy to be myself. But the moment I indulge in imitation of my neighbor, I feel fractured and fatigued and find myself forever swimming upstream. When we frustrate God's plan for us, we deprive this world and God's kingdom of our unique contributions and a serious schism settles in our soul. God never gave us any task beyond our ability to accomplish it. We just have to be willing to do it our own way. We will always have enough resources for being who we are and what we can become.

Isn't that beautiful? The way she was vulnerable then. Never heard that before. We will always have enough resources for being who we are and what we can become. Isn't that beautiful? The way she was vulnerable, that never heard that before. Yeah, she said, I'm not like Jeff, but that's okay. He's not like me. And that's okay. Pat also talked once about reading her daughter Mary's journal. And I'm not sure exactly what the activities were, but she said, I tried to play the piano and I couldn't.

I tried to do a dance and it was porridge, she said, and I tried to draw a picture and it was terrible, and I said, it was her little brother. Was it Matt? What can I do? What can I be? And he said, you can be my sister. That's a gift. Yeah, I like that. Love that. Mary Jane, I've noticed next that as Paul goes through the spiritual gifts, he then talks about how every gift is needed to be part of this body of Christ. Am I getting that right? I think he is comparing those spiritual gifts to the body parts and that they're all needed. And also, there's an interesting phenomenon because you would think as different people exhibit different spiritual gifts that exhibiting all these spiritual gifts would divide us.

Instead, amazingly, they unify us even as the different body parts become one whole human being. Interestingly, doesn't he compare like the foot doesn't say, I am not the hand, so I am not of the body. The foot feels bad that it's not a hand. He then does the same thing with the ear, the ear is like, I am not the eye. So I don't belong here. And he says, if the whole body were an eye, how would we hear? I think there's two ways we could mess this up. One is when we think we need to be like someone else. And the other one would be when we think other people need to be like us. I think we could get into trouble thinking I think we could get into trouble thinking everyone needs to be like me. Any thoughts on that?

When I was first called to be a bishop, I thought I had to be a bishop. I had to get into this role one night. The Lord called me, and the best of me I can be is still me. So I'll bring what I have to this type of a thing. That was I think an important moment for me and everyone's different. My wife and I were talking about how some church leaders in general conference have the gift to weep. Some I've never seen weep, who speak a lot. And that's okay. And we all bring something different. So somebody once said, harmony is being different together. And so I like that idea with Paul's analogy here of the body.

We need everybody, but we're all different. I think you're right, John. This is just like a choir. I think it was Elder Holland who described the church as a choir. And Mary Jane, I want to... If you'll comment on this, let me read what he said. On those days, when we feel a little out of tune, a little less than we think we see or hear in others, I would ask, especially the youth of the church, to remember is by divine design that not all the voices in God's choir are the same. It takes variety,

sopranos and altos, baritones and bases to make rich music. To borrow a line quoted in the cherry correspondence of two remarkable later-day Saint-Women, all God's critters got a place in the choir. When we disparage our uniqueness, or try to conform to a fictitious stereotype, stereotypes driven by an insatiable consumer culture, and idealized beyond our possible realization by social media, we lose the richness of tone and timber that God intended when he created a world of diversity. I think, especially among Laryse women, there is this idea of the superwoman and that there's a stereotype what is successful in being an

LDS woman. And of course one of those is that she's married and she's a mother. I think that being single in the church sometimes because you're not the stereotypical ladder-state woman or what we think of as being such that you think you don't belong. Yeah, you're not part of the body. Yeah, that just is not true. I think pause trying to say, you know, the foot might not be as attractive as the eyes, but boy, trying to get along without a foot.

I remember moving into a ward and having my home teacher come for the first time. He brought his wife and she turned to me and she said, so you're not married and you don't have children. So what do you have? I said, I got nothing. I guess I got nothing. What do you have? So I especially can't tell you how grateful I am for President Nelson. If he didn't do anything else, his remark of telling me that I'm a mother has made all the difference in the world to me on Mother's Day especially. So those unique, I'm a different kind of mother, but I am a mother, even though I have never

given birth or adopted a child. I think that's what Paul's saying in our congregations in the Church of Jesus Christ, every member is necessary and brings something unique that unifies us rather than divides us. Thank you for sharing that. Mary Jane, sometimes it sounds like some parts of the body hurt the other parts of the body sometimes. And then Paul makes mention in verse 26, and whether one member suffer, right, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. I think we could talk a long time about this, that we're not in a competition with one another. We are

a team. I think when you said that, Hank, I thought about our great colleague, Fred Woods. Yeah. Anytime something happens, great in my career, he will write me or email me or call me and he'll use that verse and he'll say, you did such an incredible thing and that brings honor on me too. And that should be our attitude. And I think that Paul is really emphasizing that as he's going to talk about charity in a few minutes. We could probably do better. I know I could about cheering others on. Yeah, absolutely. I was at the airport the other day and I ran into Brandon Flowers. In fact, I've run into him twice in my life and both times have been at the Salt Lake Airport. He approached me and he said, hi, I'm Brandon and I went I kind of I think I know who you are

He said, I just love your podcast. I just think you guys are doing so much good. In fact, John, he gave me a piece of paper where you had said something, oh, it's one of your favorite verses in the doctrine, Covenants, that God deals his mercies according to the conditions. 46, 15. Yeah, he said, I wrote that down and shared it with my son.

He said, and it really helped my son. And he said, I wrote that down and shared it with my son. He said, and it really helped my son. And he said, I've kept that piece of paper to give it to John one day. So he gave it to me. I'll have to give it to you sometime. Yeah. I'll meet you at the airport. Yeah. Yeah.

Brandon was a great example to me of someone who is a part of our church that is doing really well, but cheers on others. Hank, tell people why he has some notoriety, who he is, what he does. Brandon is the lead singer for a world famous band called The Killers. No, don't let that turn you off. But he is especially talented,

just has incredible musical gifts. And I was touched that took time for you know, the show. You know, it's always fun to discover when you find out, you know, someone like Brandon Flowers is a member of the church, and because that's part of, I feel like that's part of me, that's part of you, that's part of us, and we were proud of him and happy for him and us and we were proud of him and happy for him and are glad for his influence, you know, and as we move on, we've got all these spiritual gifts and a diversity of gifts and operations and all that. And then I don't know exactly how or who decided chapter 12 was ending in chapter 13 was started, but then Paul's last words at the end of 12, now I'm going to show you a more excellent way. There are some spiritual gifts that are useful in mortality, which will be useless

in the eternities. For instance, when Joseph says that the Holy Ghost speaks spirit to spirit and communicates with you as if you didn't have a physical body. Oh, wow. I think the gift of tongues is probably going to be obsolete. But there are three spiritual gifts that will be absolutely necessary in the eternities. And they are what Elder Maxwell calls portable. We can take them with us. And of course, that is faith, hope, and charity. And notice that Paul says the same thing

in 1 Corinthians 13, 13, he says, and now a bideath faith, hope, and charity, that a bideath, I think he's saying, these are different than those spiritual gifts I listed in chapter 12. So I believe that possessing those three gifts determines our self-esteem. And you might wonder if you have faith, hope, and charity. I believe that Marona and Paul and Joseph Smith understood that concept as they received those revelations pertaining to spiritual gifts. It is with those spiritual gifts, once we've discovered them, that we gain confidence. And the purpose of those spiritual gifts, as Elder Maconkey said, is to enlighten and to edify

and also so that we can have peace in this life and feel secure. President Boyd K. Packer said this, if you learn and earnestly seek the gifts of the Spirit, then you will be competent. The problems will be there, but you will find great solace and comfort, and great power will be with you all of the time. That says, Self-esteem to me.

And so that's all he spends on faith and hope. And then the rest of chapter 13 he's going to talk about charity. He says, and now of my death, faith, hope, and charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. I never read Corinthians 13 that I don't think about present-iring. I believe this is where present-iring's favorite scriptures are, and I'll tell you why. Elder-iring grew up in New Jersey. Before the law wouldn't allow this, three things happened at the first of every school day. One, they pledged allegiance to the flag to they had a prayer and three they read a scripture verse out of the Bible and for how iron he always did the same verse.

So every 25 days when it was his turn the kids would go oh here we go again how are you gonna give us the same one yeah and so he would start out and the rest of the class would repeat it with him. And what did he always quote, though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand on mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing. Now why, as a little boy, did he do that?

Here's his words. He says, The filling was not just that the words were true, but they were about some better world I wanted with all my heart to live in. For me, the filling was even more specific, and I knew it did not come from within me. It was that there would or could be some better life, and that it would be in a family I would someday have. In that then distant future, I would be able to live with people in some better kinder way beyond even the best and Kindest world I had known as a boy

He then says I didn't tell anybody about that. You don't say You know that's not what little boys talk about you might say that someday you want to be the picture on the World Series team But you didn't tell them that someday you wanted to have a home where you felt like you felt when you read 1 Corinthians 13, 1 and 2. I love that. And Eld Eiring said that he came to Salt Lake because he didn't have a stake in New Jersey when he was growing up. So he had come to Salt Lake to get his patriarchal blessing. And he said that the patriarch as he was giving his blessing started to talk about the home he would someday have with his future wife, Kathleen. And he said, I had the same feeling, wash over me. And I'll give you

one more. And then he sees he's our oldest apostle, the Mary, at the age of 29. And he said when he first saw Kathleen, he saw her walk. They were the theater of the pines and he just saw her walk. And he said, I had the same feeling wash over me. So that first Corinthians scripture is important to elder Irene. I don't know if you do this Hank, but I have my students write research papers on gospel topics. And a lot of times they'll choose a charity.

Always they will equate charity with service and they will say if you serve then you have charity. And I will write back charity involve always involve serving, but serving doesn't always involve charity. Because you can serve without being charitable. I've done a lot. The other misconception they'll write is they'll say, here's how you can develop charity. And I will write, you cannot develop charity. It is a gift. Here's what Elder Hohn said. Mormon explicitly taught that this love, this ability, capacity, and reciprocation we also want is a gift. It is bestowed that is Mormon's word.

It doesn't come without effort and it doesn't come without patience. But like salvation itself, in the end, it is a gift given by God to the true followers of His Son Jesus Christ. The solutions to life's problems are always gospel solutions. Not only are answers found in Christ, but so is the power, the gift, the bestowel, the miracle of giving and receiving those answers from Elder Holland. And then Paul goes on to say, though I have the gift of prophecy, in other words, he's saying,

though I have one of these gifts that I talked about in section 12, and I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, there's another one, the gift of knowledge, and though I have all faith, so I could even remove a mountain, and I have not charity. I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, there's the service idea. And though I give my body to be burned and I have not charity it profit it. Me nothing. Those are some pretty incredible things that he's saying. Yeah, and he's like they don't do any good. I'd like to have all knowledge. Yeah. Exactly. I'd like to remove a few mountains. Yeah. Wherefore my beloved brother, and if you have not charity, you are nothing for charity never fell. It's wherefore cleavath unto charity, which is the greatest gift of all for all things must fill.

But charity is the pure love of Christ and in-dorth forever forever and who so has found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with them, wherefore my beloved brethren, prando the Father with all energy of heart that you may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all of you who are true followers of his Son Jesus Christ, that you may become the sons 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. Charity is not something that we develop. Charity is a gift that comes through earnest supplication. And then Paul says this, charity never felleth, but wafer whether there be prophecies they shall fell. And whether there

should be tongues, they cease. He's talking again about those gifts they talked about in section 12. Whether there be knowledge is shall vanish away. Charity never fails. We can feel charity, but charity never fails us. Many gifts are going to be obsolete in the social kingdom, but charity love or loving sealed relationships. Those will not fail. When I write all of those student papers on gospel topics of charity, charity is a gift. It's not achievement.

You can achieve an MBA. You can work for a commission. You can have a nicer yard than your neighbors through your own efforts, but you cannot achieve charity on your own. Here's President Nelson in the most recent peacemakers needed. Charity is the antidote to contention. Charity is the spiritual gift that helps us to cast off the natural man who is selfish, defensive, prideful, and jealous. Charity is the principal characteristic of a true follower of Jesus Christ. Charity defines a peacemaker. I would say it's a gift, and I don't think we get that.

And I've thought, what kind of receiver does the Lord like to give the gift of charity to? And I've thought of myself as a gift giver. I have one friend, I love to give gifts to. Whenever I give her gifts, she just raves and goes on and on about it. If I give her a piece of clothing, she makes sure she wears it around me.

And she says, you are the best gift giver. I have another friend I hate to give gifts to. Her birthday comes around and I just go, oh no, it doesn't matter what I give her. She never mentions it. She never talks about it. She never uses it. Even if I've watched her in a store and she said, oh, I want that. And I've gotten it for she just doesn't like it. There's no gratitude. And so I've thought I bet the Lord really likes to give charity to people who acknowledge it and express gratitude for it.

I think gratitude is a key to receiving that gift of charity. So the synonym is a gift and the commodity is gratitude, but the anonym is always jealousy for charity. I used to think that the great antonym, the opposite of charity was hate. No. It is not. It is not. It is jealousy. Implicit in that jealousy is the assumption that God is unjust. He is unnoticing. He is partial and he is a respecter of persons. It protects the pride in it always, jealousy always signifies insecurity, which is one of those eyes I was taking, which I talk about.

Women and men who are jealous will feel frightened and threatened and seek to find replicas of themselves in order to feel validated. That's why Paul says, though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not charity, I am become a sanding brass or a tinkling symbol. Jealousy is a life and well in our families in the church, in our release societies, in our wards, in our preset corns. A jealous person pits their intellect, opinion works, wealth, towns,

or any other worldly major device against others, pointing the words of C.S. Lewis. Jealousy gets no pleasure out of having something only out of having more of it than the next man. It is in the comparison that makes you proud, the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, jealousy is gone.

Satan has blocked our increasing efforts to love God our neighbors and ourselves. In the last century, Satan has enticed, oh, you managed to engage, of their energy instead of in the pure love of Christ, which is charity, in romantic love, thing love, or excessive self-love, instead of the pure love of Christ. And paying attention to Satan's counterfeit, we sometimes forget, self-love and self-esteem are promised rewards for putting others first. The desire to serve others comes directly from the gift of charity. Charity initiates all the other spiritual qualities. Bringigham Young said this,

There is one virtue attribute or principle which, if cherished and practiced by the Latter-day Saints, would prove salvation to thousands upon thousands, I allude charity to love from which proceed forgiveness, long suffering, kindness, and patience. Those attributes or personality characteristics that bring a young list above are sometimes mistaken for charity. They are not the gift, rather, they are the result of the possession of the gift.

Those who possess such qualities are displaying charity. Those characteristics, again, are not something we develop rather they are the fruits of charity. Those characteristics, again, are not something we develop, rather they are the fruits of charity. Many of us seek the fruits of charity, yet we find they are elusive. Why? Because I don't know what's going to happen to me during the average day. I don't know if some in-app cells clerk is going to drive me crazy, or if I'm going to go into irritation because somebody pulls out in front of me. And my response should be, I need to get on my knees every morning and beg the Lord for charity.

And then at the end of the day, when I've been blessed with the gift of charity, when I've gone to the bookstore, and the sales clerk has been with me for 25 minutes and charged my card three times. And I was patient and I go, oh, Henry Father, aren't I amazing that I develop patients? No, I gave you the gift of charity. When Paul says, if I have charity, I am nothing. I don't think he meant that we are worthless.

Even the wicked most violent human being is valued by our Heavenly Father. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Paul meant, I believe, if you do not have charity and only think about yourself, you will feel like nothing. Mignus is not being proud or self-concerned. Indeed, the thoughts display of humility or the world's counterfeit. Most self-concerned people who are full of self-pity, the attitude of woe is me leaves little room to think of others.

The humble sub-them think of themselves at all. Paul uses another word describing me as those who are not puffed up. This is how I'm talking about being puffed up. Haven't you ever been with someone who was so conceited so full of themselves that they seem like the pills very doughboy? You know the kind, such a fellow walks down lover's lane,

holding his own hand. True love, in fact, all of blooms when we care more about another person than we care about ourselves. We need to stress with our children. You know, I used to teach homeic and they had this self-esteem unit where I supposed to teach the students you are lovable and capable. I would teach instead. You are loved and grateful. Not you are special, but rather you are special to Jesus Christ. I love that. Very, very.

I mean, Moses did this, Enic did this, somebody I can't do this, I can't do this. And the Lord didn't say, you're great, you're special, you're awesome. The Lord said, I will be with thee. It's kind of what you're saying. Yeah, it's okay, I will be with thee. It's kind of what you're saying. Yeah, it's okay I will be with thee. That was what he needed more than you're great. You're awesome. You're special It was don't worry. I'm right here. I love that and Mary Jane It seems that Paul at least what I'm getting at at least what I'm learning here from you and Paul is that my priority Has to be charity It has to be charity. It has to be my priority over any other spiritual gift.

Yeah, absolutely. I've wondered if the reason that this starts with, though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, because tongues was such an outward visible spiritual gift that maybe he's starting with that and saying, listen, don't think that the gift of tongues is the best one. If I speak with the tongue of men and angels and have not charity, I think it's interesting that Joseph Smith said it was the least. Joseph Smith said there's two gifts the

Spirit that are most visible, the gift of tongues and prophecy. But he said the gift of the tongues is least, the least among the spiritual gifts. But it might be the most visible and the one that might say, look at me or something. And so I love that Paul is saying, wait a minute, let me show you the more excellent way here. It's not tongues. It's definitely charity. And I think that's why he lists that one specifically. In this list of synonyms and anonyms that Elder Maxwell gives, he says, okay, we're to be patient. We're not to be hectic, hurried, pushy, intolerant of ineptness. Suffering long is a gift for me.

I am not a normally patient, deliberate or slow person. As a little girl, you know, I bid into that to zero pop. When I eat ice cream cones, I don't lick them. I go up them. I am at my worst in a long line. My natural tendency is to be pushy and I am usually hectic, hurried and late. My behavior is, you know, characteristic with the society around me. We drive down the street with a cell phone in our ear and that's not the way of charity. God constantly reinforces the principles suffering long in our lives. You cannot have charity without exhibiting being patient. Where to be full of love? Elder Maxwell says we We're to be full of love.

Elder Maxwell says we are not to be demanding, dominating harsh, manipulative, or condescending. Satan's counterfeits of being full of love are being executed in precision. Our society is not full of love, it's full of lust. I recently visited Samir to pin countries where acceptance of the gospel is diminishing, they are combining missions rather than creating new ones. And I said to one in the mission

presidents, why is this trend happening? And he said, it's no wonder conversions are so difficult. The very error of our country is permeated with pornography. Where to be gentle? Where not to be coarse or brusque or vindictive? Where not to be easily provoked? Elder Han says the maturative charity is exhibited in gentleness. We are to seek if not her own or be easily entreated. We are not to be unapproachable, inaccessible, non-listening or over-talkative. Intreat means to ask earnestly or to implore, to ask others about themselves, and gain knowledge about them.

Someone who seeketh not her own, cuts down on verbalism. How can we become like our father in heaven and the Savior if we're poor listeners? Elder Maxwell said, many of us do what Jesus never did. We talk too much. President Brim Young said, you cannot hide the heart when the mouth is open. That's scary. Yeah. Yeah. The easily entreated don't multiply words. Elder Maxwell said those that multiply words display a desire for more air time. Those who are easily entreated, he said, are more settled in their views. They can be succinct without feeling unappreciated. They can even let someone else say what they would have said and still not feel left out.

I think a good barometer for the characteristic of seeking not your own is to ask, what kind of friend am I? Do I have to be heard all the time? Do I pause once in a while? I think of first dates that I've been on where I could tell you the man's entire life story. And I can count the number of sentences I said on one hand. I think of phone calls where all I say is, uh-huh. I think it's a good barometer in our relationships is to ask ourselves, how much does the other person know about me and how much do I know about them? And if those tallies are lopsided, we need to take some action and pray for charity that will help us to

have a real interest in others. A charitable person is temperate, they're self-restraint, they're not ecotistic, eager for attention or recognition. This has been really good for me because I keep thinking of all the people who need to hear this. good for me because I keep thinking of all the people who need to hear this. I was going to share a story that's really touched me and I would love for you to comment on it very soon. This is a talk given in October of 2006 by Robert C. Oaks. He says, the impatient natural man is all about us. We see it manifest in news reports of parents in a fit of rage abusing a child, even unto death.

On our highways, incidents of mobile impatience or road rage result in violent accidents and sometimes fatalities. On a less dramatic, but much more common level are flared tempers. Harsh words uttered in response to slow moving customer lines. He must know you, Mary Jane, never ending telephone solicitation calls or children reluctant to respond to our instructions. Does any of this sound familiar? And then he tells this story.

When Paul says to Cuvitt, spiritual gifts, this is one suffereth long that I personally covet. He said, Fortunately, there are seldom reported, but marvelous to consider stories of great patience. Recently, I attended the funeral of a lifelong friend. His son told a beautiful story of parental patience. When the sun was in his youth, his dad owned a motorcycle dealership. One day, when they received a shipment of shiny new motorcycles and they lined them all up in the store. The boy did whatever boy would like to do. And he climbed up on the closest one, even started it up. Then when he figured he had pushed his luck far enough, he jumped off. To his dismay, his dismount knocked the first bike down, then like a string of dominoes, they all went down one after another. His dad heard the commotion and looked out from behind the partition where he had

been working. Slowly, smiling, he said, well, son, we'd better fix one up and sell it so we can pay for the rest of them. I think my friend's response personifies parental patience. Wow. You know, Paul uses the word we are to strip ourselves. And as you look at that, it's a peeling away, it's a peeling off of those fleshy tendencies that we have of jealousy and fear and doubts as we strip away that natural man. Our Heavenly Father is in it for the long haul for all the right reasons and for with all the right motivations and with the right methodology which is charity. Charity is the most reasonable way of dealing with the human family including dealing with our own families, as Hank told that story of dealing with the human family, including dealing with our own families,

as Hank told that story about dealing with children and Paul says in verse 11, when I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. A person who possesses charity is no longer childish. They are not immature. In other words, they are self-aware.

They know exactly how they are acting. We've all had experiences with someone and we go someday, they will see themselves as they really are. They'll be no more facade, they'll be no more hypocrisy. And so Paul says, for now, we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as also I am known. In other words, people won't be saying anymore, but I wish Mary Jane could really see what she's really like. What does someone who is known as they know themselves look like? Here's Parley P. Pratt. Their very atmosphere diffuses a thrill, a warm glow of pure Godness and sympathy to the heart

and nerves of others who have kindred feelings or sympathy of spirit. No matter if the parties are strangers, entirely unknown to each other in person or character, no matter if they have never spoken to each other, each will be aptly marking his own mind and perhaps exclaim when referring to the interview, oh, what an atmosphere encircles that stranger.

How my heart thrilled with pure and holy feelings in his presence. What confidence and sympathy he inspired, his countenance and spirit gave me more assurance than a thousand written recommendations or introductory letters. That's what a person with charity is like. The very atmosphere around them. Exudes love, interest, awareness. This is sobering to me because I feel like if what we're talking about is a gift that God gave us,

he can probably withdraw it. And if he's given me gifts, he could take them back anytime he wants. And it's sobering. President Oopdorf gave a talk called You Are My Hands. And he said, True Love requires action. We can speak of love all day long. We can write notes or poems that proclaim it, sing songs that praise it, preach sermons that encourage it, but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing, but sounding brass or tinkling symbol to quote Paul." And in 1 Corinthians 13, Christ did not just speak about love. He showed it each day of his life.

He did not remove himself from the crowd. Being amidst the people, Jesus reached out to the one. He rescued the lost. He didn't just teach a class about reaching out in love. Ouch. I think I've done that. And then delegate the actual work to others. He not only taught, but also showed us how to sucker the weak, lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out his hands, those he touches are uplifted and become greater stronger and better people as a result. If we are his hands, should we not do the same? people as a result. If we are his hands, should we not do the same?

Love that. Yeah. Eliza are snow. She wrote down something she heard Joseph Smith teach. He quotes first Corinthians 13, one, though I speak with the tongue of man and angels and have not charity, I become a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol. And then he said, she reports, don't be limited in your views with regard to your neighbors virtue, but beware of self-right, don't be limited in your views with regard to your neighbor's virtue, but beware of self-righteousness and be limited in the estimate of your own virtues. And not think yourselves more righteous than others.

You must enlarge your souls toward each other. If you would do like Jesus and carry your fellow creatures to Abraham's bosom, this is Eliza Arsnow again, he said he had manifested long suffering, four barons, and patience towards the church, and also to his enemies. And we must bear with each other's failings, as an indulgent parent bears with the foibles of his children. He read from the second verse, though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, I can remove mountains and have not charity.

I am nothing." Then he says, as you increase in innocence and virtue, as you increase in goodness, let your hearts expand. Let them be enlarged towards others. And you must be long-suffering and bear with the faults and errors of mankind. So Mary Jane, how do I get this gift?

For what I understand, you've got to pray for a... No. I think daily, like I said, I don't know what's going to happen that day. He's going to set me off in my natural man that comes out all the time. I think we have to pray for a... and ask that it be bestowed. And then when you have received it, and you witness, oh, that wasn't me today.

That was charity. Then we express gratitude. Mary Jane, this has been fantastic. I've learned so much and we've laughed a lot, which has been a lot of fun. We have listeners over the world who are living their lives, best they can, they're busy, they are sometimes overwhelmed by their challenges.

What would you hope that they would get out of our time together today? I would hope that they would succeed in overcoming those eyes that I talked about today. The ones we talked about, of course, were indiscretion, being insumisive, and above all insecurity. It's interesting as you look at the timing and where the spiritual gifts chapters are placed in Scripture. Paul uses it as we're heading into apostasy. Maroni is in phoble on apostasy. And of course Joseph uses it in the doctrine of evidence where he's experiencing some apostasy among those early members.

It would be my hope as Latter-day Saints really look at Paul and what he said in Corinthians, it will guard them against personal apostasy. I truly believe that's one of the things those spiritual gifts do. And that's what I would hope they would get, not from what I've said, but from what Paul and Maronite and Joseph revealed. Beautiful. John, what a great day. Yeah, I feel motivated.

I've got to ask more often for, I think the Lord's willing to give them. I think we need a reminder to ask for these to help us get through this world, like you said. Yeah, plead for charity. We want to thank Dr. Mary Jane Woodier for being with us today. It's been wonderful. We want to thank our executive producer, Shannon Sonson, our sponsors, David and Verla Sonson, and we always remember our founder, Steve Sonson. We hope you'll join us next week. We have another lesson coming up in first Corinthians on Follow Him. Today's transcripts, show notes and additional references are available on our website, follow

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