Today, Elder Kato and I have had an AWESOME experience. We have been so busy today! We have been teaching, preaching, expounding, and exhorting... But the best and most spiritual experience we had today was the opportunity to give a young man a blessing..
In the book of James, in the fifth chapter, James is speaking to the sick and the afflicted; he asks if there are any of the saints who are sick, to "call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick..." (James 5:14-15) Giving a blessing is a SUPER spiritual experience. We, being elders of the church, have an authority, called the priesthood. This allows us to do as James says we will, that is, anoint the sick and afflicted with oil and bless them. The blessing is something that our Father in Heaven gives to the sick through us. Its a really cool experience, because while we are giving the blessing, the words we speak are completely guided by the Spirit. We are speaking the words as given to us by God to speak to those whom we are blessing. Its a super humbling experience to be able to perform that kind of service.
The reason for the scripture of the day is because the gentleman who requested the blessing was in a position that his trials and afflictions were really bringing him down. But because of his faith in Christ, those things don't seem as bad to him as they would to most. I know that God lives and that He loves His Children; and I know that Christ is the ONLY sure foundation in this constantly changing world.
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