Monday, January 23, 2012

Mosiah 12

"Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?"
As you may know, I have been called as one of the Relief Society teachers. Teaching is something I really love to do. Especially when it's as close to my heart as the gospel is. To help me become a better teacher, there is a class I attend during the Sunday School hour. It's basically a class to help teachers become better teachers. We received a manual entitled Teaching, No Greater Call: A Resource Guide for Gospel Teaching.

For a teacher to teach what something means, the teacher needs to understand it. For a teacher to understand it, the teacher needs to desire that understanding, seek it, and then apply it. Then when you teach, you have a testimony of it.

"Personal example is one of the most powerful teaching tools we have. When we are truly converted, all our thoughts and motivations are guided by gospel principles. We testify of the truth through everything we do" ("Living What You Teach").

What Abinadi says to the priests of King Noah in the above quote has a lot to do with living what you teach. The priests of King Noah were not living righteously. Nor do I think they really wanted to look closely at the meaning of the things they taught. So what are they teaching the people when they say things to the people, and then act a certain way?

For me to become a more effective teacher, I have to prepare for my lessons by practicing what I will be teaching. This way I can testify what I've learned. Plus, I can continue to give an example of what I've taught throughout life.

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