Embedded Files
August 2nd: Strive
The Lord has said that all things are to be “done in cleanliness” before Him (Doctrine and Covenants 42:41). Do you strive for moral cleanliness in your thoughts and behavior?
Do you strive to keep the Sabbath day holy, both at home and at church; attend your meetings; prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament; and live your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?
Do you strive to be honest in all that you do?
President Russell M. Nelson gave this important prescription: “As the world grows more and more secular and less spiritual, your growth should be more and more spiritual and less secular. Strive to stand for principle instead of popularity...Know the truth and stand for it, even if the truth is not politically popular.”
“If you hope to have an eternal companion who has certain spiritual qualities, then you must strive to develop those spiritual qualities in yourself. Then someone who has those qualities will be attracted to you” (Elder Bednar in “Understanding Heavenly Father’s Plan”; lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/understanding-heavenly-fathers-plan).
“There are many around the Church who worry they are not good enough and that they will never measure up…. we could pursue personal improvement” in a way that doesn’t include getting ulcers, depression or diminished self-esteem…. Except for Jesus Christ, there have been no “flawless performances” during mortality. “So while in mortality, let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call ‘toxic perfectionism’.” –Elder Holland be ye therefore perfect eventually
Holiness is in the striving and the struggle to keep the commandments and to honor the covenants we have made with God...Over time, as we continually strive to become one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we become partakers of Their divine nature. —Carol F. McConkie
"Rigorous standards and high achievement in any field of learning are not at odds with faith and devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Strive for excellence, use the talents that the Lord has given you, meet and master the learning of men. -DHO
"True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world. They are undaunted, devoted, and courageous...There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought.But when we do, our doubts and fears flee." RMN https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/04/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng
"The scriptures affirm that those who practice works of righteousness and strive to walk in the meekness of the Spirit of the Lord are promised the peace they need to survive the days of commotion in which we live today...as we strive to develop attributes like the Savior’s, we can become instruments of His peace in the world according to the pattern that He Himself established." US https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/43soares?lang=eng
Taking upon us our cross and following the Savior requires us to follow His example and strive to become like Him, patiently facing the circumstances of life, denying and despising the appetites of the natural man, and waiting on the Lord. (“Take Up Our Cross,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 115–16)
"In this age of instant answers—where seemingly absolute and unassailable knowledge is merely a Google search away—we sometimes get frustrated when answers to our most personal, important, and urgent questions are delayed. We lift up our hearts to heaven, and all we seem to get is a frustrating, spinning “wait cursor.” We don’t like waiting......When we have to wait more than a few seconds for a search engine to respond, we might suppose the connection is down or broken. In our frustration, we might even abandon the search. But when it comes to eternal questions, matters of the soul, we must be more patient.
Not all answers are of equal worth. Answers that come from worldly wisdom or popular opinion are easy to come by, but they lose their worth quickly when new theories or trends emerge. Heavenly answers—eternal answers—are priceless. Receiving these answers often requires sacrifice, work, and patience. These answers are worth the wait.
My purpose is to offer my certain witness that your Father in Heaven knows you, hears you, and will never abandon you. As you incline your hearts to Him and strive to follow His way, He will intervene in your life and direct your path as you journey through this great and exciting adventure of mortality...
We may not be able to see the entire picture just yet, but with patience we can see enough to trust that there is a beautiful, grand design. And as we strive to trust God and follow His Son, Jesus Christ, one day we will see the finished product, and we will know that the very hand of God was directing and guiding our steps...
Your work is to make the best decisions you can based on the information available to you, grounded in the values and principles of the gospel. Then strive with all your might to succeed in the things you undertake—and be faithful.
Do that, and the dots will connect. Perhaps it’s disappointing to hear that God won’t necessarily give you a detailed itinerary for your life’s journey. But do you really want direction in every detail of your life? Do you really want someone giving you the cheat codes to life before you have a chance to figure things out for yourself? What kind of adventure would that be?
August 8th: Christlike Attributes
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/13whiting?lang=eng
July 27th: Paul's approach to the waiting game
"There are so many, young and old, who are loyal and true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, even though their own current experience does not fit neatly inside the family proclamation: children whose lives have been shaken by divorce; … divorced women and men who have been gravely wounded by the unfaithfulness of a spouse; husbands and wives who are unable to have children; … single women and men who, for various reasons, have been unable to marry." NLA (“The Eye of Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 36)
"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. Of that I personally attest." JRH (“An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 38)
"More than half of adults in the Church today are widowed, divorced, or not yet married. Some wonder about their opportunities and place in God’s plan and in the Church. We should understand that eternal life is not simply a question of current marital status but of discipleship and being “valiant in the testimony of Jesus” [Doctrine and Covenants 76:79; see also Doctrine and Covenants 121:29]. … All those who accept the Savior’s gracious gift of repentance and live His commandments will receive eternal life, even though they do not attain to all its characteristics and perfections in mortality." MRB (“Hope in Christ,” Liahona, May 2021, 55)
"Being single myself, I get how this feels. You have no wingman; sitting at church is awkward; parties can be torture; relatives feel they can comment when no one should be saying a word. …Fitting into a Church focused on family can also be challenging. But the reality is that a majority of Church members do not live in perfect family situations. I’m not sure anyone lives in that perfect, ideal family. So why keep the emphasis? Because family is our destiny, and we are on this earth to learn the skills of strong family relationships, no matter what our own situation is." -Sister Eubank (“A Letter to a Single Sister,” Ensign, Oct. 2019, 40)
“Faith means trust—trust in God’s will, trust in His way of doing things, and trust in His timetable” DHO (“Timing,” Ensign, Oct. 2003, 12).
"Sometimes, in our earthly impatience, we may lose sight of the Lord’s precious promises and disconnect our obedience from the fulfillment of these promises." Elder Condie (“Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 17)
"Waiting upon the Lord implies continued obedience and spiritual progress toward Him. Waiting upon the Lord does not imply biding one’s time. You should never feel like you are in a waiting room. …The personal growth one can achieve now while waiting upon the Lord and His promises is an invaluable, sacred element of His plan for each one of us. … The Lord honors those who serve and wait upon Him in patience and faith [see Isaiah 64:4; Doctrine and Covenants 133:45]. -MRB (“Hope in Christ,” 55)
"I received a letter from a woman studying at Harvard University. I was impressed with its content. She said, “I am only 26 and I have felt the trial of singleness overtake me.”......After sharing more in her letter, she concluded: “I was walking home from work one afternoon one year ago, pouring my heart out to God, telling Him my deepest desire was to be a wife and mother. I was stopped in my tracks as a powerful thought and feeling came into my heart and mind. The thought was that I was wrong. The deepest desire of my heart should be discipleship of Jesus Christ and then the second can be to be a wife and mother. My outlook on life has changed since then. I had them switched around. I know all the blessings promised will be mine, but this will happen in the Lord’s time and not mine.” What a powerful thought!" DHO (Facebook, July 11, 2016, facebook.com/dallin.h.oaks)
July 25th: Christ's Grace vs Perfectionism
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/35wilcox?lang=eng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ3731i7czg&ab_channel=JakeBlazzard
“There are many around the Church who worry they are not good enough and that they will never measure up…. we could pursue personal improvement” in a way that doesn’t include getting ulcers, depression or diminished self-esteem…. Except for Jesus Christ, there have been no “flawless performances” during mortality. “So while in mortality, let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call ‘toxic perfectionism’.” –Elder Holland be ye therefore perfect eventually
“To the individual who is weak in the heart, fearful in the heart, be patient with yourself. Perfection comes not in this life but in the next life. Don’t demand things that are unreasonable. But demand of yourself improvement. As you let the Lord help you through that, He will make the difference.” RMN
"I am an optimist! ... My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we 'accentuate the positive. I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort."...GBH
“Heavenly Father doesn’t want us, as His spirit sons and daughters, to be mere automatons, dutifully jumping over what seem to be arbitrary hurdles. Instead, He wants us, His children, being empowered to choose for ourselves, to choose joy instead of misery. Joy will come in a thousand ways—when we see a relationship mended or enriched as between spouses and siblings and friends…Brigham Young would say, “If you want to enjoy exquisitely, become a Latter-day Saint, and then live the doctrine of Jesus Christ” (JD 18:247).
The phrase “alive in Christ” describes individuals whose aliveness is enhanced by their righteousness. We are the most joyful when we are the most alive. And Jesus, because He was the most empathic, most loving, most forgiving, and the most appreciative individual to ever live on this planet, has a perfect fullness of joy. When we reach a point of consecration, our afflictions will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ. It does not mean we won’t have afflictions, but they will be put in a perspective that permits us to deal with them. With our steady pursuit of joy and with each increasing measure of righteousness, we will experience one more drop of delight—one drop after another—until, in the words of a prophet, our hearts are “brim with joy” (Alma 26:11)…May you be sufficiently committed to be “alive in Christ,” even in the turbulent last days in which you will live. For, indeed, whatsoever afflictions you may have, they can be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38). Thereby you will be acknowledging the hand of God. For His hand is a loving hand, stretched out to love and to lead us, if we will, into a fullness of joy.” NAM
“The Redeemer is the ultimate and only source of enduring and eternal joy… Because of Heavenly Father’s plan and the Savior’s Atonement, sincere repentance invites us to turn to and depend upon Jesus Christ, the true source of joy… Because of Heavenly Father’s plan and the Savior’s Atonement, obedience invites us to follow Jesus Christ, the true source of joy… Because of Heavenly Father’s plan and the Savior’s Atonement, service invites us to emulate the character of Jesus Christ, the true source of joy…. Because of Heavenly Father’s plan and the Savior’s Atonement, challenges and afflictions invite us to lift up our eyes35 to Jesus Christ, the true source of joy… Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, obedience, service, and a gospel perspective about the trials we encounter in mortality all invite us to come unto the source of enduring joy—Jesus Christ… Enduring joy is not a blessing reserved for a select few. Rather, every member of the Lord’s restored Church who is striving to remember and honor sacred covenants and keep the commandments can receive this gift, according to God’s will and timing” (DAB BYU Speeches Dec 2018)
July 18th: Seeing Christ Everywhere
"In our lives that are often filled with questions, worries, pressures, and opportunities, our Savior’s love for us individually and as His covenant children and also His teachings and laws are available daily resources that we can depend on to be a “light which shineth, … enlighten[ing our] eyes [and] quicken[ing our] understandings.”2 As we seek for the blessings of the Spirit in our lives, we will be able to, as Jacob taught, see “things as they really are, and … as they really will be."...As covenant children of God, we have been uniquely blessed with a rich supply of divinely appointed tools to improve our spiritual vision." -Sister Browning https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/13browning?lang=eng
"When we bring our offering to the Savior, we are being invited to see more of Jesus Christ in our lives, as we humbly submit our will to Him in recognition and understanding of His perfect submission to the will of the Father. When we fix our sight on Jesus Christ, we recognize and we understand that He is the only source and way to receive forgiveness and redemption, even unto eternal life and exaltation." -MRB
"When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do..When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you." -Pres Nelson
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2006/04/all-men-everywhere?lang=eng
July 12th: Finding My Place in the Good Shepherd’s Fold
There may be times when someone you know feels they don’t fit the “mold” of a Latter-day Saint or that they don’t belong at church. (You might even see yourself in this category.) Some feel this way because they are new members, feel embarrassed about past choices, dress or appear different from others, struggle economically or with family problems, worry their testimony is faltering, have mental health challenges, experience same-sex attraction, or are shy, less active, or a racial minority.
If you feel marginalized, excluded, judged, or ignored, turn to the Savior for His reassurance that you are precious to Him and that He wants you to be part of His fold (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:10; Alma 31:35; Isaiah 43:4). Nephi taught that the Savior invites “all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female … all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33).
"The New Testament shows the great efforts Jesus made to reach out to all kinds of people: lepers, tax collectors, children, Galileans, harlots, women, Pharisees, sinners, Samaritans, widows, Roman soldiers, adulterers, the ritually unclean. In almost every story, He is reaching someone who wasn’t traditionally accepted in society." -Sister Eubank (“Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness,” Ensign or Liahona May 2019, 74)
"We all belong to a community of Saints, we all need each other, and we are all working toward the same goal. Any one of us could isolate ourselves from this ward family on the basis of our differences. But we must not shut ourselves out or isolate ourselves from opportunities because of the differences we perceive in ourselves. Instead, let us share our gifts and talents with others, bringing brightness of hope and joy to them, and in so doing lift our own spirits." -Elder Hales (“Belonging to a Ward Family,” Ensign, Mar. 1996, 16)
Ezekiel 34
John 10
Psalm 23
July 11th
The Love of God and Simplicity of the Gospel
"Sometimes the truth may just seem too straightforward, too plain, and too simple for us to fully appreciate its great value. So we set aside what we have experienced and know to be true in pursuit of more mysterious or complicated information. Hopefully we will learn that when we chase after shadows, we are pursuing matters that have little substance and value....are we making our discipleship too complicated? This beautiful gospel is so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it.
But sometimes we take the beautiful lily of God’s truth and gild it with layer upon layer of man-made good ideas, programs, and expectations. Each one, by itself, might be helpful and appropriate for a certain time and circumstance, but when they are laid on top of each other, they can create a mountain of sediment that becomes so thick and heavy that we risk losing sight of that precious flower we once loved so dearly. Therefore, as leaders we must strictly protect the Church and the gospel in its purity and plainness and avoid putting unnecessary burdens on our members. And all of us, as members of the Church, we need to make a conscientious effort to devote our energy and time to the things that truly matter, while uplifting our fellowmen and building the kingdom of God.... It is beautifully simple, and it works beautifully. If you ever think that the gospel isn’t working so well for you, I invite you to step back, look at your life from a higher plane, and simplify your approach to discipleship. Focus on the basic doctrines, principles, and applications of the gospel. I promise that God will guide and bless you on your path to a fulfilling life, and the gospel will definitely work better for you....I learned in my life that we don’t need to be “more” of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become. God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you." -Elder Utchdorf https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/it-works-wonderfully?lang=eng
"When I hear the questions “Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer [every] child’s prayer?,”I like to answer: “He has been, He is, and He will always be there for you and me. I am His son, He is my Father, and I am learning to be a good father, as He is...They hope we will choose to keep our covenants and return to Their presence. This second estate is not our final estate; we do not belong to this earthly home, but rather we are eternal beings living temporary experiences." -Elder Montoya https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/16montoya?lang=eng
"The Lord has graciously provided the means for conversion even in the most simple and humble of circumstances. Unfortunately, some of us look beyond the mark and depend too much on buildings, budgets, programs, and activities for conversion rather than on the small and simple things that are central to the gospel. We need not look beyond our own hearts to experience the sweet spiritual feelings promised to those who obey God. That is why a new member in the most humble conditions can experience the gospel as deeply as a lifetime member who was raised in the shadow of Church headquarters...I was sobered by how small and simple things can be negative and destructive to a person’s salvation. A series of seemingly small but incorrect choices can become those little soul-destroying termites that eat away at the foundations of our testimony until, before we are aware, we may be brought near to spiritual and moral destruction...(Story of RM) Like weak fibers that form a yarn, then a strand, and finally a rope, these small things combined together can become too strong to be broken. We must ever be aware of the power that the small and simple things can have in building spirituality. At the same time, we must be aware that Satan will use small and simple things to lead us into despair and misery...
Is our journey sometimes impeded when we forget the importance of small things? (See Alma 37:46.) Do we realize that small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the direction of great ships? (See James 3:4; D&C 123:16.) Are we ever like Naaman, the leper, expecting some great thing before we will pay attention to prophets? (See 2 Kgs. 5:1–14.)" -Elder Ballard https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1990/04/small-and-simple-things?lang=eng
Matt 18 Forgiveness
"I bear testimony that this work is true, that our Savior lives, and that He guides and directs His Church here upon the earth. I leave with you my witness and my testimony that God our Eternal Father lives and loves us. He is indeed our Father, and He is personal and real. May we realize how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, and how much He loves us." Pres Monson "Until We Meet Again" April 2014 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/04/until-we-meet-again?lang=eng
“How will we get back what we lost if we simply forgive? How can this be fair? In most cases, and certainly in the case of serious wrongdoing, those who have injured or robbed us are not in a position to restore what they have taken. They cannot make full restitution for our lost peace of mind, self-esteem, or sense of well-being. They cannot give us back lost trust, hope, or safety. They cannot restore our lost options or heal our worldview. So if the people who hurt us cannot restore these things to us, how can we ever get back what we lost?
As we grant mercy, we gain the right to reclaim our lost blessings from Jesus Christ himself. When we forgive others, Christ assumes their debt to us, and we can then look to him for the healing, peace, security, hope, trust, well-being, and self-image he alone can restore. He is willing to take this debt if we are willing to release the original debtor to him to deal with on his terms and with his infinite wisdom and perspective on all the factors involved in their choices. We allow Jesus to deal as he sees fit with those who owed us, for now the debt is between him and them alone. We get out of the middle.
Seen in this light, forgiving others their debts is not simply pretending nobody owes us, which would not be just. It is rather a process of turning to Christ for the things we have lost, rather than turning to those who cannot restore our losses anyway.”
- Dr. Wendy Ulrich, "The Temple Experience."
Miracles
Matt 8-9
“The greatest miracles I see today are not necessarily the healing of sick bodies, but the greatest miracles I see are the healing of sick souls, those who are sick in soul and spirit and are downhearted and distraught.” (President Harold B. Lee. Conf. Report, Apr. 1973, p.178)
"Whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives.” Elder Howard W. Hunter, Reading the Scriptures, Ensign (CR), November 1979, p.64
"A critical question to ponder is “Where do we place our faith?” Is our faith focused on simply wanting to be relieved of pain and suffering, or is it firmly centered on God the Father and His holy plan and in Jesus the Christ and His Atonement? Faith in the Father and the Son allows us to understand and accept Their will as we prepare for eternity.
Today I testify of miracles. Being a child of God is a miracle.9 Receiving a body in His image and likeness is a miracle.10 The gift of a Savior is a miracle.11 The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a miracle.12 The potential for eternal life is a miracle.13
While it is good to pray for and work for physical protection and healing during our mortal existence, our supreme focus should be on the spiritual miracles that are available to all of God’s children. No matter our ethnicity, no matter our nationality, no matter what we have done if we repent, no matter what may have been done to us—all of us have equal access to these miracles. We are living a miracle, and further miracles lie ahead." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/has-the-day-of-miracles-ceased?lang=eng
Changing bodies or protecting temples are miracles, but an even greater miracle is a mighty change of heart by a son or daughter of God (see Mosiah 5:2). A change of heart, including new attitudes, priorities, and desires, is greater and more important than any miracle involving the body. I repeat, the body will be resurrected in any event, but a change affecting what the scripture calls the “heart” of a spirit son or daughter of God is a change whose effect is eternal. If of the right kind, this change opens the door to the process of repentance that cleanses us to dwell in the presence of God. Elder Oaks
Matt 6 Prayer
"I am sure that our Heavenly Father, who loves all of his children, hears and answers all prayers, however phrased. If he is offended in connection with prayers, it is likely to be by their absence, not their phraseology." Elder Oaks
“Prayer is less about changing our circumstances and more about changing us. It is about seeking His will and asking for help to do what we need to do.” (Elder Kevin W. Pearson; Ensign June 2013 “Improving Your Personal Prayers”)
Thomas S. Monson, “Prayer is the passport to spiritual power.” (CR, Oct 1990)
Marion G. Romney, “Prayer is the key which unlocks the door and lets Christ into our lives.” (CR, April 1978)
Matt 4:1-11 Like Christ, we can overcome the world
"We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan's power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: 'Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' (James 4:7). He cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them. And Nephi states that 'he hath no power over the hearts' of people who are righteous (see 1 Nephi 22:26)" (James E. Faust in Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 43)
Jesus would eventually satisfy His hunger. He would also receive divine confirmation of and assistance with His ministry, and He will one day rule the world. However, for Jesus to have obtained these desired ends in the ways Satan tempted Him—instead of waiting for the right time and the right way—would have been a selfish abuse of the Savior’s power. Jesus would establish His divine identity as the Son of God in ways that aligned with Heavenly Father’s will,not with Satan’s bidding. (See Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Inconvenient Messiah,” Ensign, Feb. 1984, 68–73.)
"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.
After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have always lived a sheltered life by always giving in.
We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it; and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation really means-the only complete realist." -CS Lewis: (Mere Christianity, p. 126)
"For those who, for whatever reason, fall into temptation and are dwelling upon unrighteous actions, I assure you that there is a way back, that there is hope in Christ... Can you imagine, my brothers and sisters, what would happen if we were to derive strength and courage from the Savior and say, “No” and “Get thee hence” to unvirtuous thoughts that very first moment they come into our minds? What would be the impact on the desires of our hearts? How would our resulting actions keep us close to the Savior and allow the continued influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives? I know that by following Jesus’s example, we will avoid many tragedies and undesirable behaviors that might cause family problems and disagreements, negative emotions and inclinations, perpetrating injustices and abuses, enslavement by evil addictions, and anything else that would be against the Lord’s commandments." (Ulisses Soares, “Seek Christ in Every Thought,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 84–85)
"Through preparation, the Savior grew in power and was able to resist all of Satan’s temptations. As we follow the Savior’s example and prepare through studying the word of God and deepening our faith, we also can draw upon the power of God to resist temptations." (Kelly R. Johnson, “Enduring Power,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 113)
"My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63)
"Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee" -JRH
Isaiah 54:7-8,10
“Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful. Especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.” – Elder Jeffry R. Holland (you may want to copy and add this quote by Isaiah 54:7-8,10 in gospel library)
“The Lord sees weakness differently than rebellion. When the Lord speaks of weaknesses it is always with mercy.” – Dale G. Renlund
“Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee." JRH
"Please know that the Lord is mindful and pleased with every effort you make." -President Nelson
Ecclesiastes 3
"In all the important decisions in our lives, what is most important is to do the right thing. Second, and only slightly behind the first, is to do the right thing at the right time. People who do the right thing at the wrong time can be frustrated and ineffective. They can even be confused about whether they made the right choice when what was wrong was not their choice but their timing."
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2005/07/the-right-thing-at-the-right-time?lang=eng
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/44sikahema?lang=eng
Proverbs 3:3-5
“In English the word lean has a connotation of physically listing or moving to one side. When we physically lean toward one side or another, we move off center, we are out of balance, and we tip. When we spiritually lean to our own understanding, we lean away from our Savior. If we lean, we are not centered; we are not balanced; we are not focused on Christ.” –Sister Cordon 2017
“O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh” (2 Nephi 4:34).
"There is so much we do not know that our only sure reliance is to trust in the Lord and His love for His children." -DHO GC 2019
"Trusting in the Lord includes trusting in His timing and requires patience and endurance that outlast the storms of life....I testify that as we commend (surrender) ourselves unto the Lord and consistently and resiliently trust in Jesus Christ and His divine purposes in our lives, He will visit us with assurances, speak peace to our souls, and cause us to “hope for our deliverance in him.....I witness that Jesus is the Christ. He is the source of all joy. His grace is sufficient, and He is mighty to save. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. He will not let us perish." -Elder Budge GC 2019
Genesis 24 Marriage
“The greatest single factor affecting what you are going to be tomorrow, your activity, your attitudes, your eventual destiny ... is the one decision you make ... when you ask that individual to be your companion for life
That’s the most important decision of your entire life!It isn’t where you are going to school, or what lessons you are going to study, or what your major is, or how you are going to make your living. These, though important, are incidental and nothing compared with the important decision that you make when you ask someone to be your companion for eternity.” _Pres. Kimball
“The most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person in the right place by the right authority”-MCCONKIE(Quoted by President Benson, Come Listen to a Prophets Voice, 50)
“This will be the most important decision of your life, the individual whom you marry. “… Marry the right person in the right place at the right time” (President Gordon B. Hinckley“Life’s Obligations,” Ensign, Feb. 1999, 2).
“There is more to a foundation of eternal marriage than a pretty face or an attractive figure. There is more to consider than popularity or charisma.” (Elder Scott Eternal Marriage Student Manual, p. 189)
“If you hope to have an eternal companion who has certain spiritual qualities, then you must strive to develop those spiritual qualities in yourself. Then someone who has those qualities will be attracted to you” (Elder Bednar in “Understanding Heavenly Father’s Plan”; lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/understanding-heavenly-fathers-plan).
“I plead with you young woman to be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or another wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: ‘You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. . . The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self-[the real you.]’ And in the kingdom of God, the real you is ‘more precious than rubies.’ -Elder Holland
“But also, do not expect perfection in your choice of a mate. Do not be so concerned about his physical appearance and his bank account that you overlook his more important qualities. Of course, he should be attractive to you, and he should be able to financially provide for you. But does he have a strong testimony? Does he live the principles of the gospel and magnify his priesthood? Is he active in his ward? Does he love home and family, and will he be a faithful husband and good father? These are qualities that really matter.” (Pres. Benson, Eternal Marriage Student Manual p. 190)
Genesis 22:16 Sacrifice
"Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of old age. Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity. Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury. All are part of the test, and there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect." -BKP
“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!” NAM
“Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed.” NAM
Gen 19:26
“Apparently what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. …
“It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Remember Lot’s Wife”
"Do not company with fornicators – not because you are too good for them but because you are not good enough. Remember that bad situations can wear down even good people." NAM
Posterity (eternal family)
Prosperity (riches of eternity)
Property (eternal inheritance)
Priesthood (God’s power)
Live(live the gospel)
Care (serve those around us as Jesus would)
Invite (share the gospel)
Unite (bring others into the Covenant by helping them make and keep sacred covenants)
“We want you to know that the gathering of Israel ultimately means offering the gospel of Jesus Christ to God’s children on both sides of the veil who have neither made crucial covenants with God nor received their essential ordinances. Every child of our Heavenly Father deserves the opportunity to choose to follow Jesus Christ, to accept and receive His gospel with all of its blessings—yes, all the blessings that God promised to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who, as you know, is also known as Israel.
“My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel.
“There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.” (“Hope of Israel,” June 3, 2018)
Moses 6:34,39 Walk with god
…What does it mean to walk with the Lord? It means to do what He does, to serve the way He serves. He sacrificed His own comforts to bless those in need, so that’s what we try to do. He seemed to take particular notice of people who were overlooked and even shunned by society, so we should try to do that too. He testified boldly yet lovingly of the true doctrine He received from His Father, even if it was unpopular, and so must we. He said to all, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28), and we say to all, “Come unto Him.”
…We act not for ourselves but for Him. We speak not our words but His. The people we serve come to know Him better because of our service.
…As soon as we accept the Lord’s invitation “Walk with me,” the nature of our service changes. It becomes all at once higher and nobler but also more achievable, because we know that we are not alone.
…the Savior Jesus Christ goes with us, for it is His path, His way. His light goes before us, and His angels are round about us. -Elder Eyring
D&C
D&C 124:40
“We do not build or enter holy temples solely to have a memorable individual or family experience. Rather, the covenants received and the ordinances performed in temples are essential to the sanctifying of our hearts and for the ultimate exaltation of God’s sons and daughters.” DAB https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/44bednar?lang=eng
“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”- President Ezra Taft Benson
Work and Self Reliance
Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith. To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort… President Nelson April 2021
Faith takes work. Receiving revelation takes work. But “every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” God knows what will help your faith grow. Ask, and then ask again…President Nelson April 2021
Please know this: if everything and everyone else in the world whom you trust should fail, Jesus Christ and His Church will never fail you. The Lord never slumbers, nor does He sleep. He “is the same yesterday, today, and [tomorrow].” He will not forsake His covenants, His promises, or His love for His people. He works miracles today, and He will work miracles tomorrow. President Nelson April 2021
THE FALL Moses 4-5; 2 Nephi 2
“Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve’s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode, called the Fall. . . . Brigham Young declared, ‘We should never blame Mother Eve, not the least’ (in Journal of Discourses, 13:145). Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: ‘I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. . . . This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin . . . for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do!’[Doctrines of Salvation, 1:114–15]” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 98; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 73)
Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught: “It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and ‘Adam fell that men might be’ [2 Nephi 2:25].
“…to suggest that Eve acted out of ignorance, on impulse, with shortsighted or petty motives or actually accepted Satan’s half-truth (you shall not surely die) delimits her free agency. It is to suggest that Eve took this momentous step for mankind without knowledge and considered judgment, that she was tricked, that she succeeded in spite of her foolish self. Her knowledge is denied, her wisdom ignored, her unselfishness rejected, her faithfulness impugned, and her courage mocked. It is to suggest that mankind’s passage into mortality was not the result of the free and informed choice of a noble parent, but a fortunate accident…
“…Once again I spoke with Dr. Aschkenasy, a Hebrew scholar, who explained that ‘beguiled’ in the Bible does not mean “tricked” or “deceived” as we commonly think. Rather, it is a rare verb which indicates an intense multilevel experience, evoking great emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual trauma. She said that it is likely that this intense multi-level experience, this ‘beguiling’ by the serpent, was the catalyst that caused Eve to ponder and evaluate what her role and purpose in the Garden really was. (Beverly Campbell, Mother Eve: Mentor for Today’s Woman: A Heritage of Honor, 1993)
Hugh Nibley noted:
“The key is the word for sorrow, atsav, meaning to labor, to toil, to sweat, to do something very hard. To multiply does not mean to add or increase but to repeat over and over again; the word in the Septuagint is plethynomai, as in the multiplying of words in the repetitious prayers of the ancients. Both the conception and the labor of Eve will be multiple: she will have many children.”
Thus, in saying He would “multiply thy sorrow and thy conception,” God is not meaning that childbirth will be a cause for sadness. Rather, He seems to have been telling Eve that in mortality childbirth will be difficult, that in childbirth she will sweat and toil and experience pain. This instruction lets her know what is to be expected as she gives bodies to waiting spirits.
God is not cursing Eve or causing pain to be inflicted on her. Instead, He is making her aware that her newly mortal body will experience pain in the process of childbirth—a pain that will come and go and be repeated many times.
Mother EVE
Elder McConkie reminds us:
“We cannot doubt that the greatest of all female spirits was the one then chosen and foreordained to be ‘the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh [Mary]’ (1 Nephi 11:18). Nor can we do other than suppose that Eve was by [Adam’s] side, rejoicing in her own foreordination to be the first woman, the mother of men, the consort, companion, and friend of mighty Michael.
“Christ and Mary, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and a host of mighty men and equally glorious women composed that group of ‘the noble and great ones’ to whom the Lord Jesus said: ‘We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell’ (Abraham 3:24).”
"Certainly these sisters labored as diligently then, and fought as valiantly in the war in heaven, as did the brethren, even as they in like manner stand firm today, in mortality, in the cause of truth and righteousness."
87 Prophecy of Wars
•Civil War – 618,000 (–360,000 North, 258,000 South)
•World War II – 318,000
•World War I – 115,000
•Vietnam – 46,616
•Korean War – 33,000
•Mexican War – 13,270
•American Revolution – 4,044
•War of 1812 – 2,200
Cannon, Studies in Scripture, 1:337
"I traveled thousands of miles with Joseph Smith. I know his spirit. Many of the revelations given through him has been fulfilled. I myself wrote the revelation that was given through him concerning the war that would take place in this country between the north and south. That revelation was published to the world for twenty years before the war. It broke out just as predicted, and I refer to it because it is one of the revelations that is fulfilled. Wilford Woodruff, Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 31
After war had raged for nearly a year, President Young acknowledged that the Saints were much better off in the West: “Had we not been persecuted, we would now be in the midst of the wars and bloodshed that are desolating the nation, instead of where we are, comfortable located in our peaceful dwellings in these silent, far off mountains and valleys. Instead of seeing my brethren comfortably seated around me to-day, many of them would be found in the front ranks on the battle field. I realize the blessings of God in our present safety. We are greatly blessed, greatly favored and greatly exalted, while our enemies, who sought to destroy us, are being humbled.”
CHFoT p. 382
D&C 87:4-5 – Who are the Slaves?
“In many cases I am quite sure we all think this has to do particularly with the slaves in the Southern States, but I believe, brethren and sisters, that it was intended that this referred to slaves all over the world, and I think of those, particularly in the land of Russia and other countries wherein they have been taken over by that great nation and where the people are actually the slaves of those individuals who guide and direct the affairs of Russia and China, and where the rights and the privilege to worship God and to come to a knowledge that Jesus Christ is his Son is denied them.”
Joseph L. Wirthlin, in Conference Report, Oct. 1958, p. 32
87:7 Sabbath vs. Sabaoth
Sabbath = Rest from labor
Sabaoth = Armies, thus Lord of Sabaoth and Lord of Hosts
A remarkable prophecy
In another prophecy, one of the most remarkable pronounced on the head of one man, Joseph Smith said to a young judge named Stephen A. Douglas, in the presence of several others: “Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United States; and if ever you turn your hand against me or the Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of Almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you; for the conversation of this day will stick to you through life” (History of the Church, 5:394).
Stephen A. Douglas did aspire to the presidency of the United States. He did have opportunity to defend the Church. But in a political speech in 1857, he viciously attacked the Church as “a loathsome, disgusting ulcer in the body politic” and recommended that Congress cut it out. Some have asserted that no one had better prospects for the presidency than did Douglas, but when the results of the election were tallied, he received only twelve electoral votes. The election victory went to an obscure backwoodsman by the name of Abraham Lincoln. A few months after the election, Mr. Douglas died a broken man in the prime of life. Ezra Taft Benson, CR, October 1981, p. 84
86:5
“God has held the angels of destruction for many years, lest they should reap down the wheat with the tares. But I want to tell you now, that those angels have left the portals of heaven, and they stand over this people and this nation now, and are hovering over the earth waiting to pour out the judgments. And from this very day they shall be poured out. Calamities and troubles are increasing in the earth, and there is a meaning to these things. Remember this, and reflect upon these matters. If you do your duty, and I do my duty, we’ll have protection, and shall pass through the afflictions in peace and in safety.” (President Woodruff, Young Women’s Journal, Aug.1894, pp. 512–13.)
X-ref. 1c to 130:12-13 – The prophecy was repeated just more than 10 years later and almost exactly 18 years before it came to pass.
85 Uzzah If we attempt to correct the affairs of the Church beyond our authority, we put ourselves in danger.
“It is a little dangerous for us to go out of our own sphere and try unauthoritatively to direct the efforts of a brother. You remember the case of Uzzah who stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. (See I Chron. 13:7‑10.) He seemed justified, when the oxen stumbled, in putting forth his hand to steady that symbol of the covenant. We today think his punishment was very severe. Be that as it may, the incident conveys a lesson of life. Let us look around us and see how quickly men who attempt unauthoritatively to steady the ark die spiritually. Their souls become embittered, their minds distorted, their judgments faulty, and their spirits depressed. Such is the pitiable condition of men who, neglecting their own responsibilities spend their time in finding fault with others.” David O. McKay, C.R. April 1936, p. 60
"Apostates today claim “that the Church has gone astray, that the leaders are no longer inspired, and that ‘one mighty and strong; is needed to take over the affairs of the Lord. And without any evidence of modesty whatsoever on their parts, they themselves volunteer for the position” (Mark E. Petersen, in CR, Apr. 1973, p. 159)
84 background
•[After visiting the saints in Missouri] Joseph Smith, Newel K. Whitney, and Sidney Rigdon left for home (Kirtland) by stagecoach early in May. Near Greenville, Indiana, the horses were frightened and broke and ran. Bishop Whitney jumped from the coach, but his coat tangled and his foot caught in one of the wheels, breaking his leg in several places. Joseph and Sidney leaped from the stagecoach unhurt. The Prophet remained with Bishop Whitney a month in Greenville while Sidney traveled on to Kirtland with the news. During this time Joseph often enjoyed the solitude of walking in the woods. He wrote to Emma that he visited a grove outside of town nearly every day to pray and meditate: “I have called to mind all the past moments of my life and am left to mourn and shed tears of sorrow for my folly in suffering the adversary of my soul to have so much power over me as he has had in times past, but God is merciful and has forgiven my sins.”
•After dinner one day, the Prophet took sick and vomited so severely that he dislocated his jaw. Bishop Whitney administered to him, and he was healed immediately, although the effects of the poison caused him to lose some of his hair. The Prophet decided it was best to move on, assuring Bishop Whitney that their journey would proceed smoothly. Joseph explained: I “told him if he would agree to start for home in the morning, we would take a wagon to the river, about four miles, and there would be a ferry-boat in waiting which would take us quickly across, where we would find a hack which would take us directly to the landing, where we should find a boat, in waiting, and we would be going up the river before ten o’clock.”9 The pair traveled just as Joseph had predicted and arrived in Kirtland early in June.
•For the next several months, the Prophet again occupied most of his time on the inspired translation of the Bible, except for a hurried journey in the fall with Bishop Whitney to Albany, New York City, and Boston, where they took care of business as well as warning the inhabitants to repent and accept the gospel (see D&C 84:114–15). They arrived back in Kirtland on 6 November 1832, just hours after Emma had given birth to her fourth and first surviving child, Joseph Smith III.10 (CHFT p.116)
D&C 76
“Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants in its sublimity and clearness in relation to the eternal destiny of the human family, has not been surpassed. It should be treasured by all members of the Church as a priceless heritage. It should strengthen their faith and be to them an incentive to seek the exaltation promised to all who are just and true. So plain and simple are its teachings that none should stumble or misunderstand.” Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 2:50
“When God revealed to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon that there was a place prepared for all, according to the light they had received and their rejection of evil and practice of good, it was a great trial to many, and some apostatized because God was not going to send to everlasting punishment heathens and infants, but had a place of salvation, in due time, for all and would bless the honest and virtuous and truthful, whether they ever belonged to any church or not”.
Journal of Discourses, 16:42.
“After all, my traditions were such, that when the Vision came first to me, it was directly contrary and opposed to my former education. I said, Wait a little. I did not reject it; but I could not understand it. I then could feel what incorrect tradition had done for me. Suppose all that I have ever heard from my priest and parents–the way they taught me to read the Bible–had been true, my understanding would be diametrically opposed to the doctrine revealed in the Vision. I used to think and pray, to read and think, until I knew and fully understood it for myself, by the visions of the Holy Spirit.” Journal of Discourses, 6:280-281
“When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation… “But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 348)
What does it mean to be valiant in our testimony of Christ?
“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to believe in Christ and his gospel with unshakable conviction. It is to know of the verity and divinity of the Lord’s work on earth.
“But this is not all. It is more than believing and knowing. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. It is more than lip service; it is not simply confessing with the mouth the divine Sonship of the Savior. It is obedience and conformity and personal righteousness.
“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.’ It is to ‘endure to the end.’ (2 Ne. 31:20.) It is to live our religion, to practice what we preach, to keep the commandments. It is the manifestation of ‘pure religion’ in the lives of men; it is visiting ‘the fatherless and widows in their affliction’ and keeping ourselves ‘unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:27.)
“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to bridle our passions, control our appetites, and rise above carnal and evil things. It is to overcome the world as did he who is our prototype and who himself was the most valiant of all our Father’s children. It is to be morally clean, to pay our tithes and offerings, to honor the Sabbath day, to pray with full purpose of heart, to lay our all upon the altar if called upon to do so.
“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord’s side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father.” Bruce R. McConkie, In Conference Report, Oct. 1974, pp. 45–46; or Ensign, Nov. 1974, pp. 33–35.
D&C 64 Forgive More
D&C 64 Forgive More
"If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow-through our premature death or through His unexpected coming-what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear? If we would do those things then, why not now?" --Dallin H. Oaks, "Preparation for the Second Coming", Ensign, May 2004, 7
"What is our response when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly or unkindly treated, or sinned against, made an offender for a word, falsely accused, passed over, hurt by those we love, our offerings rejected? Do we resent, become bitter, hold a grudge? Or do we resolve the problem if we can, forgive, and rid ourselves of the burden? The nature of our response to such situations may well determine the nature and quality of our lives, here and eternally. A courageous friend, her faith refined by many afflictions, said to me only hours ago, "Humiliation must come before exaltation." It is required of us to forgive. Our salvation depends upon it." --Marion D. Hanks, "Forgiveness The Ultimate Form of Love", Ensign Jan. 1974, 20
“It can be very difficult to forgive someone the harm they’ve done us, but when we do, we open ourselves up to a better future. No longer does someone else’s wrongdoing control our course. When we forgive others, it frees us to choose how we will live our own lives. Forgiveness means that problems of the past no longer dictate our destinies, and we can focus on the future with God’s love in our hearts” (Elder Sorenson, “Forgiveness Will Change Bitterness to Love,” )
"Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves."
--James E Faust, "The Healing Power of Forgiveness", May 2007 Ensign
“We cannot repent for someone else. But we can forgive someone else, refusing to hold hostage those whom the Lord seeks to set free!” NAM
“Don’t ever feel that you can’t be forgiven. Our Father in Heaven loves you. He is your Father. He is your Heavenly Parent. He has great concern for you. He reaches out to you in love and in forgiveness.” GBH
"I think [forgiveness] may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed. There is so much of meanness and abuse, of intolerance and hatred. There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness. It is the great principle emphasized in all of scripture, both ancient and modern. Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way." --Gordon B. Hinckley, "Forgiveness," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 81
“I plead with you to ask the Lord for strength to forgive. … It may not be easy, and it may not come quickly. But if you will seek it with sincerity and cultivate it, it will come” (GBH “Of You It Is Required to Forgive,” Ensign, June 1991, 5).
"Each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations. We will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the joy accompanying divine peace of conscience." --Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Point of Safe Return", May 2007 Ensign
"Closely related to our own obligation to repent is the generosity of letting others do the same...In this we participate in the very essence of the Atonement of Jesus Christ...We don't want God to remember our sins, so there is something fundamentally wrong in our relentlessly trying to remember others' sins...It is one of those ironies of godhood that in order to find peace, the offended as well as the offender must engage the principle of forgiveness." --Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Peaceable Things of the Kingdom", Ensign, Nov. 1996, 82
"Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent or ask forgiveness, our heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us." --The Prophet Joseph Smith, "Forgiveness", History of the Church, 3:383.
"We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find." --Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Looking for the Good", Ensign, March 2011, 4–6
D&C 42
• 4-17= Laws of teaching and missionaries
• 18-29= Laws of morality
• 30-42= Laws of consecration
• 43- 52= Laws of helping sick
• 56-68= Laws about asking
• 74-93= Laws for priesthood action for serious sin
"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. But we cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 255–56).
“I testify that when the Lord closes one important door in your life, He shows His continuing love and compassion by opening many other compensating doors through your exercise of faith. He will place in your path packets of spiritual sunlight to brighten your way. They often come after the trial has been the greatest, as evidence of the compassion and love of an all-knowing Father. They point the way to greater happiness, more understanding, and strengthen your determination to accept and be obedient to His will.” (Elder Richard G. Scott, Trust in the Lord, Ensign (CR), November 1995, p.16)
“…enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance....there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose...“Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise.” DFU
“Your responsibility to endure is uniquely yours. But you are never alone. I testify that the lifting power of the Lord can be yours if you will “come unto Christ” and “be perfected in him.” RMN
Stick to your task till it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place, and praise
Will always come to the one who stays.
Stick to your task till it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too;
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories, after awhile.
D&C 18:10-11 YOU'RE WORTH IT!
D&C 18:10-11 YOU'RE WORTH IT!
“God is your Father. He loves you. He and your Mother in heaven value you beyond any measure. … You are unique. One of a kind, made of the eternal intelligence which gives you claim upon eternal life...Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual. The whole intent of the gospel plan is to provide an opportunity for each of you to reach your fullest potential, which is eternal progression and the possibility of godhood.” Pres. Kimball
“It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”-Elder Holland
“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Some Church members feel weighed down with discouragement about the circumstances of their personal lives, even when they are making sustained & admirable efforts. Frequently, these feelings of self-disappointment come not from wrongdoing, but from stresses for which they may not be fully to blame. The atonement of Jesus Christ applies to these experiences because it applies to all of life. The Savior’s atonement is thus portrayed as the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, & all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just for sinners.” ---Elder Hafen
“Our individual worth is already divinely established as “great”; it does not fluctuate like the stock market.” Elder Neal A Maxwell
“Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love. God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“For many years I thought of the Savior's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt "our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15), "bore our griefs, carried our sorrows . . . & was bruised for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:4-5). The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us ---Elder Bateman
“…you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name--God loves you because you are His child.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“In the eyes of Christ, each soul is of infinite worth. No one is preordained to fail. Eternal life is possible for all.” -Elder Gay
“Don’t give up, boy. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead—…You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”-Elder Holland
“The real source that we should turn to to find out our value is our Heavenly Father. … The thing that gives me the greatest comfort is knowing who I am. … If we really understood that we are literal sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, I don’t think we would ever question our value.”-Sister Oscarson
“The worth of a human soul is its capacity to become as God…Your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.” -President Monson
“When we choose to define ourselves … by some characteristic that is temporary or trivial in eternal terms, we de-emphasize what is most important about us and we overemphasize what is relatively unimportant.” -President Oaks
"None of us come to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us." - Sheri Dew
D&C 8:2-3
D&C 8:2-3
President Nelson: “I promise you that if you will sincerely and persistently do the spiritual work needed to develop the crucial, spiritual skill of learning how to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, you will have all the direction you will ever need in your life. You will be given answers to your questions in the Lord’s own way and in His own time.” President Nelson, Worldwide Youth Devotional • June 3, 2018 •
Julie B. Beck: “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is 10 the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life" (“And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit,” Ensign, May 2010).
“Charity is shown perfectly and purely in Christ’s unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us. … It is Christ’s love for us that ‘beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ It is as demonstrated in Christ that ‘charity never faileth.’ It is that charity—his pure love for us—without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of his love at the last day—the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise—surely it shall be well with them” "One [meaning of charity or 'the pure love of Christ'] is the kind of merciful, forgiving love Christ's disciples should have one for another. …
"The greater definition of 'the pure love of Christ,' however, is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. True charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely in Christ's unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us. … It is that charity—his pure love for us—without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of his love at the last day—the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise—surely it shall be well with them.
"This does not in any way minimize the commandment that we are to try to acquire this kind of love for one another. We should 'pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love' [Moroni 7:48; see also 1 Corinthians 13:4–5, 7–8]. … . But the 'pure love of Christ' Mormon spoke of is precisely that—Christ's love. With that divine gift, that redeeming bestowal, we have everything; without it we have nothing and ultimately are nothing, except in the end 'devils [and] angels to a devil' [2 Nephi 9:9]" (Christ and the New Covenant, 336–37).
(Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon[1997], 336).
“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other” (Elder Marvin J. Ashton, “The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword,” Ensign, May 1992, 19).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/28holland?lang=eng
"This hour ordained of the Lord is the most sacred hour of our week. By commandment, we gather for the most universally received ordinance in the Church. It is in memory of Him who asked if the cup He was about to drink could pass, only to press on because He knew that for our sake it could not pass. It will help us if we remember that a symbol of that cup is slowly making its way down the row toward us at the hand of an 11- or 12-year-old deacon." -Elder Holland 2019
Elder Ballard- “I am a witness, that there is a spirit attending the administration of the sacrament that warms the soul from head to foot; you feel the wounds of the spirit being healed, and the load being lifted. Comfort and happiness come to the soul that is worthy and truly desirous of partaking of this spiritual food.”11 Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water remind us of the Savior’s sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our “bread of life”12 and “living water.”13
"Every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called 'the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church'- Elder Holland
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "To have the continuous companionship of the Holy Ghost is the most precious possession we can have in mortality"
Prayer is worship in both its simplest and most powerful form, as the unknown Zenos taught (see Alma 33:3). It is “the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed” (“Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire,” Hymns, 1985, no. 145). “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up--that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed” (3 Ne. 18:24).
The praying Christ. That is the example to which we are to point others. The Christ of humility. The Christ of spiritual communion. The Christ who is dependent upon his Father. The Christ who asks for blessings upon others. The Christ who calls down the powers of heaven. The Christ who submits, yields, and obeys the will of the Father. The Christ who is one with the Father in at least one way that we may be united with him as well--through prayer. That is the light we are to show to the world. It is the image of Christ praying such unspeakable things.
3 Nephi 17:9“ The greatest miracles I see today are not necessarily the healing of sick bodies, but the greatest miracles I see are the healing of sick souls, those who are sick in soul and spirit and are down hearted and distraught.” -President Harold B. Lee-
3 Nephi 17:1-3 “Reading, studying, and pondering are not the same. We read words and we may get ideas. We study and we may discover patterns and connections in scripture. But when we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit. Pondering, to me, is the thinking and the praying I do after reading and studying in the scriptures carefully.” President Eyring Serve with the Spirit, Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 60
ONE by ONE------------3 Nephi 11:15, 17:21, 18:36, 28:1
“I witness that the Savior knows and is mindful of each of us one by one and name by name.” “He knows each of us individually and loves us infinitely. He knows us one by one, name by name.” –Elder Bednar
“He lives. He knows and loves you. He is mindful of you. He hears your prayers and knows the desires of your heart. He is filled with infinite love for you.” Elder Utchdorf
“For many years I thought of the Savior’s experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt “our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15), “[bore] our griefs, … carried our sorrows … [and] was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:4–5).The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us.
The Pearl of Great Price teaches that Moses was shown all the inhabitants of the earth, which were “numberless as the sand upon the sea shore” (Moses 1:28). If Moses beheld every soul, then it seems reasonable that the Creator of the universe has the power to become intimately acquainted with each of us. He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understands the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses. But more than that, more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith.” Elder Merrill J. Bateman, October 2005 General Conference
3 Nephi 11:3-4 ------HEAR HIM
“The Spirit is a still, small voice—a voice that is felt rather than heard. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought put into your heart….The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all… Occasionally it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed.
But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening and say in our manner and expression, like Samuel of ancient times, “Speak [Lord], for thy servant heareth.” (1 Sam. 3:10.) Pres. Packer
Christ wants me to continually Repent and Return and Come
Christ wants me to continually Repent and Return and Come
Hel. 13:11 “repent and return unto the Lord your God”
3Ne. 9:13-14, 22 “return unto me and repent…come unto me…”
“repenteth…cometh unto me…repent and come unto me…”
3Ne. 10:6 “repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart”
3Ne. 16:13 “repent and return unto me…”
3Ne. 18:32 “return and repent and come unto me…”
3Ne. 30:2 “turn…and Repent…come unto me…”
"God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can” - President Ezra Taft Benson(Ensign, May 1989, 7).
President Nelson
“What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.”
“The Book of Mormon chronicles the classic rise and fall of two major civilizations. Their history demonstrates how easy it is for a majority of the people to forget God, reject warnings of the Lord’s prophets, and seek power, popularity, and pleasures of the flesh. Repeatedly, past prophets have declared “great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe.”
“It is no different in our day. Through the years, great and marvelous things have been heard from dedicated pulpits across the earth. Yet most people do not embrace these truths- either because they do not know where to look for them or because they are listening to those who do not have the whole truth or because they have rejected truth in favor of worldly pursuits.”
(“Hear Him” Gen. Conf. Apr. 2020)
My young friends, the world will not glide calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The scriptures declare that “all things shall be in commotion.”
More concerning than the prophesied earthquakes and wars are the spiritual whirlwinds that can uproot you from your spiritual foundations and land your spirit in places you never imagined possible, sometimes with your barely noticing that you have been moved.
The worst whirlwinds are the temptations of the adversary. Sin has always been part of the world, but it has never been so accessible, insatiable, and acceptable. There is, of course, a powerful force that will subdue the whirlwinds of sin. It is called repentance.
How do you prepare for your whirlwinds? “Remember … it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, … his shafts in the whirlwind, … when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power … to drag you down … because of the rock upon which ye are built.” This is your safety in the whirlwind.
Excerpts taken from Elder Andersen April 2014 “Spiritual Whirlwinds”
¨When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be REMEMBER because all of us have made covenants our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the Priests pray that we may always remember him and keep his commandments….remember is the word. (Pres. Kimball BYU 28 June 1968)
Elder Holland Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing.”6 I testify that that is God’s truth. Christ is everything to us and we are to “abide” in Him permanently, unyieldingly, steadfastly, forever. For the fruit of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives, we must be firmly attached to Him, the Savior of us all, and to this His Church, which bears His holy name. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of eternal life. In Him we not only will endure but also will prevail and triumph in this holy cause that will never fail us.
¨“There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.” … “God has devised means to save each of His children…[but] We cannot force God’s children to choose the way to happiness. God cannot do that because of the agency He has given us”(President Eyring, “To My Grandchildren,” Ensign, Nov. 2013, p. 71).
“Ordinances and covenants are the building blocks we use to construct our lives upon the foundation of Christ and His Atonement. We are connected securely to and with the Savior as we worthily receive ordinances and enter into covenants, faithfully remember and honor those sacred commitments, and do our best to live in accordance with the obligations we have accepted. And that bond is the source of spiritual strength and stability in all of the seasons of our lives” (David A. Bednar, “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears,”Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 48).
Russell M. Nelson “[You] will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments… Obedience to the commandments of God will provide physical and spiritual protection” (Russell M. Nelson, “Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 34, 35).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell “Righteous desires need to be relentless... because said President Brigham Young, ‘the men and women, who desire to obtain seats in the Celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day.’ “Therefore, true Christian soldiers, are more than weekend warriors” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts”, Ensign, 1996).
Bruce C. Hafen “The Prince of Darkness has dragged out the heavy artillery. He is no longer limited to arrows and swords and BB guns. Now he is Darth Vader, with laser guns, light speeds, and the death star. We are near the end of a fight to the finish, and no holds are barred.” Bruce C. Hafen, “The Gospel and Romantic Love,” Ensign, Oct. 1982, 66
Elder Ballard “We need you. Like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, you also are the spirit [children] of God, and you too can be endowed with power to build up and defend His kingdom...We need you to make sacred covenants, just as they did. We need you to be meticulously obedient and faithful, just as they were... What we need now is the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries... Listen to those words, my young brethren: valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We don’t need spiritually weak and semi-committed young men.
We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 4:5).”
Elder M. Russell Ballard “There is not one great and grand thing we can do to arm ourselves spiritually.” “True spiritual power lies in numerous smaller acts woven together in a fabric of spiritual fortification that protects and shields from all evil.” These include prayer, scripture study, and following the living prophets, who are the current “watchmen” positioned atop the towers. (M. Russell Ballard, “Be Strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might,” fireside given at BYU on March 3, 2002, online at speaches.byu.edu.)
President Packer
“Youth today are being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality. But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the prompting that come from the Holy Spirit”
“Dress modestly; talk reverently; listen to uplifting music. Avoid all immorality and personally degrading practices. Take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant… You are never far from the sight of your loving Heavenly Father” (Council to Youth, Ensign Nov 2011, p18).
Alma 36:21 Repentance
Alma 36:21 Repentance
“Another satanic sucker punch is that it takes years and years and eons of eternity to repent. That’s just not true. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change”-and mean it. Of course there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make. You may well spend - indeed you had better spend - the rest of your life proving your repentance by its permanence. But change, growth, renewal, and repentance can come for you as instantaneously as they did for Alma and the sons of Mosiah....Do not misunderstand. Repentance is not easy or painless or convenient. It is a bitter cup from hell. But only Satan, who dwells there, would have you think that a necessary and required acknowledgment is more distasteful than permanent residence. Only he would say, "You can't change. You won't change. It's too long and too hard to change. Give up. Give in. Don't repent. You are just the way you are." That is a lie born of desperation. Don't fall for it.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
“Another satanic sucker punch is that it takes years and years and eons of eternity to repent. That’s just not true. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change”-and mean it. Of course there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make. You may well spend - indeed you had better spend - the rest of your life proving your repentance by its permanence. But change, growth, renewal, and repentance can come for you as instantaneously as they did for Alma and the sons of Mosiah....Do not misunderstand. Repentance is not easy or painless or convenient. It is a bitter cup from hell. But only Satan, who dwells there, would have you think that a necessary and required acknowledgment is more distasteful than permanent residence. Only he would say, "You can't change. You won't change. It's too long and too hard to change. Give up. Give in. Don't repent. You are just the way you are." That is a lie born of desperation. Don't fall for it.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Elder Uchtdorf teaches us about remembering our sins.
“Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process. Alma testified that after he cried out to Jesus for mercy, he could still remember his sins, but the memory of his sins no longer distressed and tortured him, because he knew he had been forgiven (see Alma 36:17-19). It is our responsibility to avoid anything that would bring back old sinful memories. When we continue to have a ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit’ (3 Nephi 12:19), we may trust that God will ‘remember our sins no more’” (The Merciful Obtain Mercy”. By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. GC April 2012)
President Packer April 2001 Gen Conference.
“Racked means ‘tortured.’ Anciently a rack was a framework on which the victim was laid with each ankle and wrist tied to a spindle which could then be turned to cause unbearable pain.
A harrow is a frame with spikes through it. When pulled across the ground, it rips and tears into the soil. The scriptures frequently speak of souls and minds being ‘harrowed up’ with guilt.
Torment means ‘to twist,’ a means of torture so painful that even the innocent would confess” (President Packer “The Touch of the Master’s Hand,” 22)
Alma 34:8-10 The Enabling and Strengthening power of Christ
Alma 34:8-10 The Enabling and Strengthening power of Christ
“I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the redeeming power of the Atonement than we are with the enabling power of the Atonement. Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and who are striving to become better and serve faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.” (Elder David A. Bednar, In the Strength of the Lord, BYI Idaho Speeches, 23 October 2001).
Alma 34:31-34 the time for men to prepare to meet God
Alma 34:31-34 the time for men to prepare to meet God
“...It is so easy to be halfhearted, but this only produces half the growth, half the blessings, and just half a life, really, with more bud than blossom. A superficial view of this life, therefore, will not do, lest we mistakenly speak of this mortal experience only as coming here to get a body, as if we were merely picking up a suit at the cleaners. Or, lest we casually recite how we have come here to be proved, as if a few brisk push-ups and deep knee bends would do.…God’s counsel aligns us and conjoins us with the great realities of the universe; whereas sin empties, isolates, and separates us, confining us to the solitary cell of selfishness. Hence the lonely crowd in hell....Sometimes, our holding back occurs because we lack faith or we are too entangled with the cares of the world. Other times, there is in us an understandable tremulousness which slows our yielding, because we sense what further yielding might bring. Yet we need to break free of our old selves—the provincial, constraining, and complaining selves—and become susceptible to the shaping of the Lord. But the old self goes neither gladly nor quickly.” NAM Willing to Submit
“We are not here to while away the hours of this life and then pass to a sphere of exaltation; but we are here to qualify ourselves day by day for the positions that our Father expects us to fill hereafter.” CR1905Apr:61-62 Elder George Albert Smith
Sister Chieko Okazaki - We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don’t experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means he knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer- how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam. He knows about drug addiction and alcoholism. Let me go further. There is nothing you have experienced…that he does not know and recognize….He understands about rape… and abortion…He knows all that. He’s been there. He’s been lower than all that.
He’s not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don’t need a Savior. He came to save his people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He’s not embarrassed by us, angry at us , or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief…
Our spiritual requirement for light is just as desperate and as deep as our physical need for light. Jesus is the light of the world. We know that this world is a dark place sometimes, but we need not walk in darkness. The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and the people who walk in darkness can have a bright companion. We need him, and He is ready to come to us, if we’ll open the door and let him. (Lighten UP p174-176)
Mosiah 13:11 We need to get the gospel from our heads to our hearts
Mosiah 13:11 We need to get the gospel from our heads to our hearts
Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, YW General President. Mosiah 13:11
“We need to get the gospel from our heads into our hearts! It is possible for us to merely go through the motions of living the gospel because it is expected or because it is the culture in which we have grown up or because it is a habit. …
“We all need to seek to have our hearts and very natures changed so that we no longer have a desire to follow the ways of the world but to please God” (Bonnie L. Oscarson, “Do I Believe?” Ensign, May 2016, 88).
Mosiah 11:26-29. Prophets sometimes throw cold water on a party
Mosiah 11:26-29. Prophets sometimes throw cold water on a party
Elder D. Todd Christofferson. Mosiah 11:26-29
“The message of repentance is often not welcomed. …
“… When prophets come crying repentance, it ‘throws cold water on the party.’ But in reality the prophetic call should be received with joy. Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better. Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation” (D. Todd Christofferson, “The Divine Gift of Repentance,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 38).
Mosiah 3:19
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
Satan would say, “You can’t change. You won’t change. It’s too long and too hard to change. Give up. Give in. Don’t repent. You are just the way you are.” That, my friends, is a lie born of desperation. Don’t fall for it. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “How to Change,” Liahona, Feb. 2017, 60)
Elder Holland taught the following about a young man’s experience shortly before his mission.
“He … told of coming home from a date shortly after he had been ordained an elder at age 18. Something had happened on this date of which he was not proud. He did not go into any details, nor should he have done so in a public setting. To this day I do not know the nature of the incident, but it was significant enough to him to have affected his spirit and his self-esteem.
“As he sat in his car for a while in the driveway of his own home, thinking things through and feeling genuine sorrow for whatever had happened, his nonmember mother came running frantically from the house straight to his car. In an instant she conveyed that this boy’s younger brother had just fallen in the home, had hit his head sharply and was having some kind of seizure or convulsion. The nonmember father had immediately called for an ambulance, but it would take some time at best for help to come.
“‘Come and do something,’ she cried. ‘Isn’t there something you do in your Church at times like this? You have their priesthood. Come and do something.’ …
“… On this night when someone he loved dearly needed his faith and his strength, this young man could not respond. Given the feelings he had just been wrestling with and the compromise he felt he had just made—whatever that was—he could not bring himself to go before the Lord and ask for the blessing that was needed”
“‘No one who has not faced what I faced that night will ever know the shame I felt and the sorrow I bore for not feeling worthy to use the priesthood I held. It is an even more painful memory for me because it was my own little brother who needed me and my beloved nonmember parents who were so fearful and who had a right to expect more of me. But as I stand before you today, I can promise you this,’ he said. ‘I am not perfect, but from that night onward I have never done anything that would keep me from going before the Lord with confidence and asking for His help when it is needed. Personal worthiness is a battle in this world in which we live,’ he acknowledged, ‘but it is a battle I am winning. I have felt the finger of condemnation pointing at me once in my life, and I don’t intend to feel it ever again if I can do anything about it. And, of course,’ he concluded, ‘I can do everything about it’” (“The Confidence of Worthiness,” 59).
2 Nephi 25:23. President Uchtdorf on Grace-
2 Nephi 25:23. President Uchtdorf on Grace-
“Many people feel discouraged because they constantly fall short. They know firsthand that ‘the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak’; They raise their voices with Nephi in proclaiming, ‘My soul grieveth because of mine iniquities’” ….
“I wonder if sometimes we misinterpret the phrase ‘after all we can do.’ We must understand that ‘after’ does not equal ‘because.’
“We are not saved ‘because’ of all that we can do. Have any of us done all that we can do? Does God wait until we’ve expended every effort before He will intervene in our lives with His saving grace?” ….
If grace is a gift of God, why then is obedience to God’s commandments so important? Why bother with God’s commandments--or repentance, for that matter? Why not just admit we’re sinful and let God save us?
Or, to put the question in Paul’s words, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Paul’s answer is simple and clear: “God forbid.”
Brothers and sisters, we obey the commandments of God--out of love for Him!
Trying to understand God’s gift of grace with all our heart and mind gives us all the more reasons to love and obey our Heavenly Father with meekness and gratitude. As we walk the path of discipleship, it refines us, it improves us, it helps us to become more like Him, and it leads us back to His presence. “The Spirit of the Lord [our God]” brings about such “a mighty change in us, … that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” ….
Dear brothers and sisters, living the gospel faithfully is not a burden. It is a joyful rehearsal--a preparation for inheriting the grand glory of the eternities. We seek to obey our Heavenly Father because our spirits will become more attuned to spiritual things. Vistas are opened that we never knew existed. Enlightenment and understanding come to us when we do the will of the Father.
Grace is a gift of God, and our desire to be obedient to each of God’s commandments is the reaching out of our mortal hand to receive this sacred gift from our Heavenly Father. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace,” 110).
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse