So only a few short days ago we got our transfer calls,
which is when I found out I was leaving Pisa to go to Verona. Well, now I'm
there and already enjoying serving with my new companion, Anziano Skinner. Verona,
like Pisa, is another really popular city for tourists because is known to be
one of the prettiest cities in Italy! Also, it is where Juliet's balcony is;
aka, the balcony of the real Juliet that inspired the play. Appear antsy there
is some pretty cool stuff around that too, which I'll definitely need to check
out the next chance I get! (Don't worry, I'll send pictures!)
It's kind of strange to be out of Pisa and out of Tuscany in
general. The weather is colder (I'm no longer so close to the Mediterranean and
Verona is higher north). The city is much bigger and the dialect is slightly
different too. And from what I hear the food is supposed to be pretty good as
well! I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me here and I'm excited
to meet all the wonderful people that live in this great city! I'll give more
insight next week when I have a better feel for the city, but so far I'm liking
it.
As I was reading in the book of Romans this week, I was
struck by many of the words of Paul as he taught the saints in Ancient Rome. In
the parts of his discourse that I read, he talked a lot about how it is important
to have the spirit of God with us always and that we should always yield up our
carnal desires to make room in our hearts to follow the direction of His
spirit. He mentions that "to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace." The death being spoken of here is
spiritual death, or in other words, alienation from God, and, by contrast, the
life spoken of in this verse refers to just the opposite, closeness with God.
Paul teaches that when we let our carnal minds lead our lives, we will
naturally distance ourselves from God, but when we let the spirit lead our lives,
we naturally grow closer to Him.
One of the great purposes of this life is to grow closer to
God and His Son, Jesus Christ, for in so doing we become happier. And as Paul teaches,
the way to receive that happiness is quite simply to be spiritually minded, or
in other words, to consistently listen to and follow the suggestions of the
spirit! This is such an amazing concept! Follow the spirit and you will be
happy! And even more amazingly, the opportunity to enjoy the constant
companionship of His spirit is the gift he joyfully and freely offers to all
who will accept and live His gospel, which is faith in Jesus Christ,
repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then continuing
forever onward with a faithful and repentant heart!
Our loving Heavenly Father has prepared a way for us that we
might be led through this life without having to blindly guess our way through it.
He has given us the opportunity to be fully and completely "spiritually
minded". Let us all take full advantage of this wonderful gift! Seek the
guidance of the spirit in your life and then enjoy the happiness that naturally
comes from following that guidance! God will never lead us to unhappiness, even
if at times the path to get there passes through tribulation and struggle. I
promise that no matter the situation, when we follow the promptings of the
spirit, we find that happiness and peace are always near.
For any of you not of our church, I invite you to come and
feel the spirit that is inherently present in our Sunday meetings and to enjoy the
happiness that comes with it. There is none like it! And for everyone, again I
invite you to seek and follow the spirit more in your lives, and to become more
"spiritually minded" that you might receive the promised "life
and peace". There are no substitutes to these: Peace in this life and
happiness in the next.
Have a great week everyone and happy February!
-Anziano Wilkinson
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