Adam was a Prophet, first one that we know,
In a place called Eden, he helped things to grow.
Adam served the Lord by following His way,
We are his descendants, in a latter day.
Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet,
Follow the Prophet, don't go Astray!
Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet,
Follow the Prophet, he knows the way!
Children's Songbook, p. 110
This is such a fun and upbeat song, all of the Primary children love to march and sing along. They sing with conviction, they sing with faith. They sing with the strength of a holy army! How is it that we can forget the strength of our childlike faith as we grow and "learn everything"? I was reading in my Teachings of the Living Prophets manual in which Elder M. Russell Ballard recounted the story of Naaman, a man with leprosy who was counseled by the Prophet Elisha to wash seven times in the Jordan River. After deliberating on this counsel and almost forsaking the promised blessing however, Naaman did what was required, washed, and was healed. Elder Ballard goes on to state that "his pride and stubbornness were keeping him from recieving the Lord's blessing through His prophet....
What a humbling thing it must have been for Naaman to realize how close he had come to allowing his own pride to prevent him from receiving such a great, cleansing blessing." (Ballard, Ensign, May 2001)
The text spoke heavily of our responsibility to not only listen to the prophet, but to heed their counsel and ACT in accordance to it. The most important protection we can expect from the Lord only comes after the trial of our faith, after we choose to act on what we have been taught. We must not allow pride to overcome our desire to act and be one with our Father. It is the times when we think we know better how to run the Lord's church than He does, that we need deeper understanding and an opportunity to experience a broken heart and contrite spirit. It is important for me to remember that I am not living my life to gain the approval or acceptence of the children of men, I am living to be an example of faith and humility to my children, so that they might never lose the precious tendrils of faith that the Spirit has helped them cultivate as they ready themselves for the onslaught of the Adversary. I want to be strong so that I can recieve the blessings promised, so that I might pass on that knowledge to my children.
What a humbling thing it must have been for Naaman to realize how close he had come to allowing his own pride to prevent him from receiving such a great, cleansing blessing." (Ballard, Ensign, May 2001)
The text spoke heavily of our responsibility to not only listen to the prophet, but to heed their counsel and ACT in accordance to it. The most important protection we can expect from the Lord only comes after the trial of our faith, after we choose to act on what we have been taught. We must not allow pride to overcome our desire to act and be one with our Father. It is the times when we think we know better how to run the Lord's church than He does, that we need deeper understanding and an opportunity to experience a broken heart and contrite spirit. It is important for me to remember that I am not living my life to gain the approval or acceptence of the children of men, I am living to be an example of faith and humility to my children, so that they might never lose the precious tendrils of faith that the Spirit has helped them cultivate as they ready themselves for the onslaught of the Adversary. I want to be strong so that I can recieve the blessings promised, so that I might pass on that knowledge to my children.
