SSS - September 29, 2024

Hi there hon, 

1.      Now is the time to LEARN - Learning involves reading, understanding and practicing.  Example hymns – you need to read them before you can sing them (well, that is).  Focus on their gospel message and then practice them so that you can sing them boldly and with confidence.  Also, at times when you are down or in a terrible situation singing or humming a favorite hymn can comfort you.  It can remind you that in Christ you can have all the strength, courage, and peace that you need through Him and his atonement.   We learn line upon line and precept upon precept – take time to study and learn kakra kakra (small small) and you will begin to understand what you mean to Him and what He can mean to you.    

2.      Now is the time to REPENT - My mother would say “you are not promised tomorrow”, but you are living in today.  This is the time to repent because this is the time you have.  Tomorrow you could walk out the door and be hit by a trotro (bus), but right here, right now you can repent for everything that’s been done before.  Take this time now to learn of Christ and then live your life to reflect that.  Don’t just read or hear the word of God but live your life so that it is reflected in your choices.  The sinful choices that were made before coming unto Christ, being baptized and taking His names upon you should be noticeable to others because after that the choices in how you live life have changed.  You don’t do the things you used to do.  But you try your best to live life as the Lord has asked us to.  We’re all spiritual beings having earthly experiences so when we need to repent and turn back towards God and do so, now.

3.      Now is the time to BLESS OTHERS - We share so much with our family, friends, co-workers, associates, social media, etc.  So why wouldn’t I share the most important thing I know to be true.  Why would I not share what I know could bring peace in the lives of others.  Why would I not be willing to share what has helped me in my life.  What I know about Jesus Christ as my lord and savior is far more important than my favorite recipes - which I’ve shared, my favorite music genre – which I’ve shared, my favorite color – which I’ve shared, my favorite movies – yep, I shared.  Just as you have multiple times.  Sharing is caring, remember that one.  Sharing is not beating someone over the head but respectfully sharing the love and peace that one has found in a simple, loving, inviting and kind way – just as Christ did.   So, I share my love and peace with you when it is impressed upon my heart to do so – hence the Sunday snippets. 

I hope your sabbath was full of wonderful and uplifting messages for you, feel free to share – out of all the things I share I know the love and peace of Jesus Christ and loving Heavenly Father are by far the most important.  Remember God loves you and so do I…. soooooo, here’s an Extra:  --You  can’t judge someone because they sin differently from you.  God sees all sin as sin.  We should not try to lift ourselves up or make ourselves feel better than others because we feel like their sins are greater than our own sins.  Sin is sin, you can’t get it in small, medium or large. 

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission  2024

SSS - September 22, 2024

Howdy Hon, 

1) Luke 22:32 - But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

When we are strengthened, we should strengthen our brothers and sisters.

2) Three ways to stay strong and connected to Jesus Christ:

i.) Make and KEEP covenants - when you make a covenant with God, the only one that can and will break it - is you. A covenant is, simple put, a two-way promise. You promise God you will do something, and He promises you that as a result of your promise He in turn, will do something. (notice He does not say it will be exactly the way you want it when you want it, yeah, but it will be done).

ii.) Daily Scripture reading - you can never know it all because each time we read it, we see something we never saw before or the works speak to you differently based on what is going on in your life. God is all in the details of our lives. We talk to Him through prayer, he answers us through His word.

iii.) Forgiving others and repenting ourselves to be clean. Forgiveness: This is a big one for me. It’s just as much for you as it is for them. Actually it’s a lot more for you than them, on many levels - spiritually, emotionally, mentally… I even wrote a paper about it & its effect and the ability to do it & it’s effects on me. It’s a heavy burden to bear, but it is something you NEED to do. (He can help you)

3) This is always worth repeating - The Lord calls us for what we can become, not what we are. People may see you as you are right now - flawed and imperfect, but He knows who he created and what you are truly capable of. All He requires is that you be willing to take the call and prepare you.

I hope you had a wonderful Sabbath, and feel free to share what you learned or felt inspired about today. Remember God loves YOU, and so do I, soooooo… Here's an extra today:

When you live your life with faith, He will help you find your purpose.

If we don’t teach our youth the way, they will lose their way.

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

SSS - September 15, 2024

Howdy hon,

 

1.      As you study the scriptures look for patterns.  What is a pattern – a plan or model that can be used as a guide for accomplishing a task.  There are patterns in the scriptures that can show us how the Lord accomplishes His work.  An example of a pattern that helps us – the Lord always sends His servants to warn the people. 

2.      Like any good parent, chastening from the Lord is a sign of His love for us.  Divine chastening has at least 3 purposes:

                                i.            to persuade us to repent.

                              ii.            to refine and sanctify us.

                            iii.            at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path [D. Todd Christofferson]. 

a)      “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:  be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19)

Hugh B. Brown shared this personal experience of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”

3.      Too many people think that repentance is a punishment for something we have done wrong or something we need to avoid unless it’s a more serious offense.  But that is not so, God invites us to repent, wants us to repent, not because he wants to punish us but because of His great LOVE for us. 

                                i.            The word repentance in Greek New Testament is metanoeo. 

a)      Prefix:     “meta-” means to “change”

b)     Suffix:    “-noeo” relating to Greek words meaning “mind”, “knowledge”, “spirit”, and “breath”

                              ii.            Jesus is asking us to “repent”.  Change the way we live, act, think, serve, treat each other, teach/lead, care for self and others…  He does not expect us to be perfect, but by repenting daily we can “do better and be better” [Russell Nelson].  What is stopping you from repenting, changing?  Find it, change it, and repent.  Remember:  Repentance is not a single event ~ it’s a continual process, day by day.    Turn away from sin and toward God. 

God loves you… and so do I.  These 3 are so long and have sub points that I did not feel impressed to leave an extra this time.  But don’t worry, I still LOVE you!

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

SSS - September 8, 2024

Hi there, 

1) As we study the scriptures every day, we also need to make time to ponder them. What does ponder mean - to meditate/think deeply, especially on the scriptures or things that pertain to God. If we study the words of God, then ponder them, then pray about them, He will help us in our understanding of not only the scriptures, but also how we can apply them to our personal lives as well as give us personal revelations. We can learn so much to help us in this life.

2) The Lord has provided prophets to lead his people. “... I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.” (Ezekiel 33:7) I always remember that prophets are the Lord’s mouthpiece. Just like any good parent, our Heavenly Father wants to point us in the direction that will help us grow and prepare to become the sons/daughters that he asks us to be. Like all children, His children need guidance and direction by the older sibling or uncle.

3) Prophets don’t campaign, debate, or seek out the position, so how are they chosen? By the Lord Himself. Jeremiah 1:5 teaches us that “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Have a wonderful Sabbath Day! Remember God loves you…and so do I, so here’s an extra (share answer only if you would like to):

What are you doing to listen to and follow the Lord’s direction?

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

SSS - September 1, 2024

Hi there! 

1.)  Remember, remember who you are and whose you are.  remember the name you took upon you.  Remember the work he did, remember how good he was, remember how he treated people.  Remember what he did for YOU.  Remember who you can and should turn to.  Remember who is the only way!

2.)  Scriptures teach us how pride has been the downfall of many.  Pride causes you to wonder what man thinks about you instead of what God thinks about you.  We can see the sin of pride quickly in others, but slow to see it in ourselves.  Pride has many faces and it limits or stops our progression.  Pride affects our relationship with God.  But the opposite of pride is humility.

3.)  If the foundation of a structure is weak, loose, or soft it has nothing to hold on to when storms come by.  If you want a structure to withstand the storm it has to be built on a firm foundation.  A foundation that it can connect to, lock on to, and stand firmly in place through all the storms.  The house is us, the rock we need to build our  foundation on is Jesus Christ, and the storms are Satan, trials, struggles…. If we want to survive the personal storms of our lives we have to be anchored to the only firm foundation that can help us, strengthen us, and uplift us through it all.  The only rock we can firmly stand on and depend on is the Savior Jesus Christ.

Remember, God loves you and so do I….sooooo…

here’s a quote:  

In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.”

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission