One of places that I find a lot of answers to my day-to-day questions and problems is in the scriptures. Different things stick out to different people at different times but we can all find answers. In this post I am going to list a few common problems and solutions found in Philippians.
1. People sometimes argue and complain over petty matters in church meetings or throughout the week.
This is a common problem in church, people get caught up in little things that other members do that they lose sight of the big picture. In
Philippians 2:3-5 Paul says that we need to see each other as equals and be fair like Christ was. We are all working toward the same goal so we need to remember to take into account the views of others. We have to humble ourselves and think about things from another perspective.
2. Many youth feel that their parents' testimony is sufficient for them. Since they have good parents, they rely on them for all of their spiritual strength.
This is a very common misconception of youth that grow up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When I was younger, I relied on the testimony of my parents but as I got older I had to gain my own because they weren't always going to be there. This is exactly what Paul teaches in
Philippians 2:12 where he says to "work out your own salvation," it is fine to rely on someone else for a while but that will only get you so far. We each have to know for ourselves and do something about it in order to gain salvation through Christ.
3. An investigator is considering joining the Church, but his family will no longer associate with him if he does.
This is a really tough problem that, for me, would be really hard to deal with. I love the Church and the gospel but I also love my family so choosing between the two would be really hard. One of my favorite verses in Philippians is
Philippians 4:13 where Paul says "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." In chapter 3 he talks about the things that you give up for the gospel are always worth it even when they are really hard. That is why I love 4:13 because when we have Christ on our side we can do anything that we need to.
Those are just a few examples of solutions to problems but there are many in store for each of us if we "feast upon the words of Christ" as we are directed in
2 Nephi 32:3.