May 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering – Personal Revelation and Testimony
This month, the May 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable ties together Sister Joy D. Jones April 2020 General Conference talk, “An Especially Noble Calling” with this May’s Come, Follow Me lesson “I am responsible for my own faith and testimony.”
These ministering printables are a great way to help families incorporate the “Come, Follow Me” lessons into their own study. They are also perfect for Young Women’s, Relief Society or Sunday School. While church gatherings are temporarily on hold due to the recent pandemic, I hope that these ministering printables will be a simple way to reach out to those we minister to. We can’t visit each other, but we can drop off something as a little pick-me-up!
Download May 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable
I picked succulents this month because they always remind me of the power of reaching out to others. Did you know that you can cut off a piece of succulent, stick it in the ground, keep it well watered for the first bit, and it will grow an entirely new succulent? It is incredible to me how something can be so hardy and eager to grow. The succulents I used here were originally from my friend Delia. She started them from one of her cuttings and they have been thriving on my front porch ever since. When I look at them, I think of her friendship. And I love the idea that I am passing that friendship on to the amazing sisters I minister to.
If you don’t have succulents to use for cuttings, you can also buy these cute little artificial succulents online.
May 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable
Personal Revelation – I am responsible for my own faith and testimony
Listening to Sister Joy D. Jones in General Conference made me think of another “general conference” that occurred in the Book of Mormon. We can learn a lot about how to seek for revelation and build our testimonies by studying Mosiah 5.
Sister Jones shared, “In this conference, we will hear truths that inspire us to change, improve, and purify our lives. Through personal revelation, we can prevent what some call “general conference overwhelm”—when we leave so determined to do it all now. Women wear many hats, but it is impossible, and unnecessary, to wear them all at once. The Spirit helps us determine which work to focus on today. The Lord’s loving influence through the Holy Ghost helps us know His priority for our progression. Heeding personal revelation leads to personal progression. We listen and act.”
I love how she points out that it isn’t necessary to do it all right away. Our progression is a path, not a sudden leap to our destination. And we can know what to focus on right now by listening to the spirit. Once we get that direction, we must act on it because “heeding personal revelation leads to personal progression.”
Every year for General Conference, we talk to our kids about King Benjamin and how his people gathered around the temple to hear his words. The people pitched tents around the temple with each family in their own tents. As a family, during General Conference, we also pitch a tent in the living room and turn it towards the TV so that the kids can turn their tent towards the prophet and hear his message.
After King Benjamin gave his powerful sermon, the people were so touched by what they heard that they said, “Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2)
Their words made me think of about what Sister Jones said about the messages in General Conference inspiring us to change, improve, and purify our lives.
But after receiving this personal revelation and testimony, the people of King Benjamin didn’t just jot down their notes and pack up their tents. Instead, they acted on it right away. The people said, “And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.” (Mosiah 5:5)
In response, King Benjamin explained that this was a righteous covenant they had made and that because of this covenant, they would be called the children of Christ. And that “ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.” As we read through Mosiah, we see the blessing this generation was to the people of Limhi and Alma. Their faith moved them to make covenants, which magnified their works, which allowed them to bless others.
Like the people of King Benjamin, we must show up, listen, exercise faith, and then act. Noticeably, King Benjamin’s people understood and relied on the power of covenants to help them progress. We would do well to follow their example.
In her conference talk, Sister Jones explained the impact we can have when we become more proficient at this process of receiving and acting on revelation. She says, “We can receive more power in our individual roles to minister and accomplish the work of salvation and exaltation—to truly ‘lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better’.”
I often feel so overwhelmed with the things I should be doing and how many weaknesses I still have to overcome. It is comforting to know that the Lord knows where my efforts are needed and I can turn to Him not only to focus those efforts, but to magnify them as I am blessed and am able to bless others.
