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Gerard Geis: Listening to God’s words

Gerard Geis/For the Saturday Morning Press

I try hard. I really do. Sometimes, though, I just can’t seem to focus on the happenings during church on Sundays, what with the distractions and all. Oh, sure, I see and hear all the pew monkeys screaming and complaining and I see the Fruit Loops go flying across the floor when they spill them. If I look really closely I even see some of them picking their noses (some adults are even guilty of this). During the chaos and boredom and drudgery that is church at times, I even think to myself, “The reason we talk so much in church about the afterlife is because we really wish we were dead right now.” Kidding, of course. A couple weeks ago I even thought it to be of the utmost importance to check my smartphone to see how my fantasy football team was faring (Sammy Watkins and Kelvin Benjamin were rocking it for me!).

Jolting me from my comatose state was a statement from one of our church leaders, however, as he urged us to “hasten the work.” He went on to explain the importance of helping spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world in preparation for the return of our savior. The hastening of the Lord’s work requires that we continue to learn, change and move forward with all our faith in Jesus. What is does not include is checking fantasy football scores (it’s probably best seeing as how my friend Chappy pummeled me that week). Hastening the work means listening to the words and counsel of our church leaders. It means understanding the important role we play in taking God’s work across the globe. It’s His work, not ours, and he will do the hastening.

As Christians we have to find a way to keep up the pace of the Lord’s hastening and continually must teach and learn as our savior would have us do. We must invite others to act and we must do all we can to bring the Gospel message to those in need of it. We are lucky in this day and age to have technology at our disposal. It isn’t totally necessary for us to schlep around in our Chuck Taylor’s to bring the message to others. We have the ability to use social media, as our church leader explained, to flood the Earth with gospel messages. It is a fairly simple thing to have a message sent out in seconds today instead of the days, weeks and months it once took. This “flood” starts out as a trickle as a few individuals spread the message. When thousands and tens of thousands do so, the trickle becomes a raging flood and the earth will be flooded in a way that would make Noah blush.



We all are responsible for contributing to the flooding of the gospel. It falls squarely upon my shoulders and upon yours. Contributions even can come from the little kid with Cocoa Pebbles on his breath in the pew behind us.

Gerard Geis is from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.




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