Prayerful
study of the Book of Mormon will build faith in God the Father, in His
Beloved Son, and in His gospel. It will build your faith in God’s
prophets, ancient and modern.
It can
draw you closer to God than any other book. It can change a life for
the better. I urge you to do what a missionary companion of mine did. He
had run away from home as a teenager, and someone had placed a Book of
Mormon in a box he carried with him in his search for more happiness.
Years
passed. He moved from place to place across the world. He was alone and
unhappy one day when he saw the box. The box was filled with things he
had carried with him. At the bottom of the box, he found the Book of
Mormon. He read the promise in it and tested it. He knew it was true.
That witness changed his life. He found happiness beyond his fondest
dreams.
Your
copy of the Book of Mormon may be hidden from your view by cares and
attention to all you have accumulated in your journey. I plead with you
to drink deeply and often from its pages. It has in it the fulness of
the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only way home to God.
Life is challenging. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. It was meant to be challenging. What do we do when we feel overwhelmed?
We should look to God. I love this talk from the last General Conference, given by Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy. Not only does he begin with a powerful object lesson, but he offers some wonderful counsel on how to get through life's challenges.
I love this passage in particular:
Experience has taught me that if we, like President Monson, exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy.
Here is the zinger:
We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance—and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction.
I've always tried to be a firm believer in 1 Nephi 3:7-- that if God asks us to do something, He will help us do it. I believe this applies to every aspect of our lives that involves some form of commandment from the Lord-- church callings, overcoming addictions, even raising families. If it's something that matters in the long run, God will help us with it. If it doesn't matter so much, why are we worrying so much?
That always seems to help me get through trials-- and it's helping me get through a particularly difficult one right now. I know that what I'm trying to do matters to God, so I know that He is helping me.
I love this talk from Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy. The growth of the Church never ceases to amaze me. The coolest part about it is that, as Elder Clayton mentions, the growth of the Church means the spreading of the knowledge of a Savior to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (Mos. 3:20).
Think about that for a second-- the more lives the Gospel touches, the more people are able to come unto Christ, learn of Him and enter on the road to salvation and exaltation. This truly is His work, and I hope to be able to contribute to its growth in any way I can (even through this small and simple blog).
I encourage you to think of a way you can share the Gospel too, and perhaps help somebody come to know their Savior.
This morning I listened to this talk from President Uchtdorf (in the Sunday morning session of April's Conference) about Christlike love. How powerful! It's amazing how often I forget that without charity, I am nothing. I love how President Uchtdorf presents this message-- that everybody is a V.I.P. to the Lord, and so should be to us. This is something that I really struggle with-- I judge too quickly, get angry too easily, feel too entitled, and forget how small and insignificant I really am. I tend to think too highly of myself and not highly enough of others, when it should probably be the other way around.
I need to listen to this talk again, I think, and really try to focus on how to love others in a Christlike way.
I just wanted to post a link to Elder Holland's most recent Conference talk. This is an amazing discourse on the difference between love and lust, and the opposing fruits they produce. I especially like this portion:
Like thieves in the night, unwelcome thoughts can and do seek entrance to our minds. But we don’t have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets, and then tell them where the silverware is kept! (You shouldn’t be serving tea anyway.) Throw the rascals out! Replace lewd thoughts with hopeful images and joyful memories; picture the faces of those who love you and would be shattered if you let them down. More than one man has been saved from sin or stupidity by remembering the face of his mother, his wife, or his child waiting somewhere for him at home. Whatever thoughts you have, make sure they are welcome in your heart by invitation only.
We need to be sure that we don't let the adversary take control of our lives. The truth is we are behind the wheel-- and it's only when we let him take the driver's seat that he can take us where he wants us to be (which is a little town called "Misery"). It's amazing to fathom that-- why would we ever let him drive? Why would we give place to the enemy of our souls? I guess a lot of it comes down to the way sin is presented. The world is awash with messages of how appealing it is, how fun it is, even sometimes how right it is!
But none of that is the truth. I guess the important thing is to keep the Holy Ghost with us to help us know the truth (and remember it). It's a hard thing to "always remember". But we certainly can do it, with help from the Lord.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson's most recent Conference address is AMAZING. Again, if the world (and myself) could really apply this to everyday living, how different things could be!
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Seventy gave an AMAZING talk this past Conference. He likened heart transplants to spiritual change, and noted that both require not just the initial procedure but consistent effort to maintain the operation. He said:
To endure to the end, we need to be eager to please God and worship Him with fervor and passion. This means that we maintain faith in Jesus Christ by praying, studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament each week, and having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. We need to actively help and serve others and share the gospel with them. We need to be perfectly upright and honest in all things, never compromising our covenants with God or our commitments to men, regardless of circumstances. In our homes we need to talk of, rejoice in, and preach of Christ so that our children—and we ourselves—will desire to apply the Atonement in our lives.10 We must identify temptations that easily beset us and put them out of reach—way out of reach. Finally, we need to frequently biopsy our mightily changed hearts and reverse any signs of early rejection.
Please consider the state of your changed heart. Do you detect any rejection setting in as a result of the tendency of the natural man to become casual? If so, find a place where you too can kneel. Remember, more than mortal years on this earth are at stake. Do not risk forfeiting the fruits of the ultimate operation: eternal salvation and exaltation.
Amazing stuff by President Thomas S. Monson. If everyone tried harder to not get angry so easily (including myself), most of the world's problems would vanish. How huge is that?
This is an awesome talk by President Uchtdorf from the most recent Priesthood Session. He notes that two things can help us get through difficult times: work and learning.
I can't say enough about how wonderful this talk is; it's quite inspiring, and I think it would do wonders if everyone in the country would read it and apply it.
Reading Elder Walter F. González's talk from this past General Conference, I came across an interesting point.... see for yourself:
...the brother of Jared recognized that the Lord was a God of truth; therefore, He could not lie.What great hope this attribute brings to my soul! All the promises in the Book of Mormon and the promises given by the living prophets today will be fulfilled because He is God and cannot lie. Even in these turbulent times, we know that things will be OK if we follow the teachings learned from the Book of Mormon and the living prophets. Once we learn about an attribute of Christ, such as the one recognized by the brother of Jared, we should work to implement it in our own life.
Amazing insight, eh? I never thought of it that way.
Great talk by Elder Oaks in this past General Conference. He spoke on the concept--and importance-- of love and law, and how they actually go hand-in-hand (as opposed to what many think-- that love should overpower law).
A few of my favorite quotes:
There is no greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God’s love than is declared by the Apostle John: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16)....Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!
God’s love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is. For this reason, God’s anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love.
The effect of God’s commandments and laws is not changed to accommodate popular behavior or desires. If anyone thinks that godly or parental love for an individual grants the loved one license to disobey the law, he or she does not understand either love or law.
God loves us so much that He gave us laws and the ability to choose to obey them or not. If we choose wisely, we can become as He is.
If you are a teacher in the Church today (which every member is in some capacity), you need to read this talk that President Osguthorpe gave in the most recent General Conference. It is amazing-- it will change the way you teach.
After I finished reading each of the talks from the most recent Conference, I decided to go all the way back in the Church's online archives and read from there until next Conference. That took me back to 1997, and today I read a great talk from President Packer, titled "Washed Clean". He speaks of the cleansing power of the Atonement and the importance of striving to live worthy of it. I especially enjoyed this line: "Can you imagine how I felt when finally I could see that if I followed whatever conditions the Redeemer had set, I need never endure the agony of being spiritually unclean?" That was a very interesting take on it! I had never really thought of that as a motivation for living right-- to avoid the agony of sin! I guess I have longed for that at times, but I never really thought of it that way-- it's a very real blessing of the Atonement. He closed with this beautiful poem that he wrote:
In ancient times the cry "Unclean!" Would warn of lepers near. "Unclean! Unclean!" the words rang out; Then all drew back in fear,
Lest by the touch of lepers' hands They, too, would lepers be. There was no cure in ancient times, Just hopeless agony.
No soap, no balm, no medicine Could stay disease or pain. There was no salve, no cleansing bath, To make them well again.
But there was One, the record shows, Whose touch could make them pure; Could ease their awful suffering, Their rotting flesh restore.
His coming long had been foretold. Signs would precede His birth. A Son of God to woman born, With power to cleanse the earth.
The day He made ten lepers whole, The day He made them clean, Well symbolized His ministry And what His life would mean.
However great that miracle, This was not why He came. He came to rescue every soul From death, from sin, from shame.
For greater miracles, He said, His servants yet would do, To rescue every living soul, Not just heal up the few.
Though we're redeemed from mortal death, We still can't enter in Unless we're clean, cleansed every whit, From every mortal sin.
What must be done to make us clean We cannot do alone. The law, to be a law, requires A pure one must atone.
He taught that justice will be stayed Till mercy's claim be heard If we repent and are baptized And live by every word. . . .
If we could only understand All we have heard and seen, We'd know there is no greater gift Than those two words--"Washed clean!"
May we all seek to be washed clean through the tremendous Atoning sacrifice of our Savior.
I really enjoyed Elder Gary E. Stevenson's talk this past General Conference. He spoke on the importance of temples, and how we need to strive to make our homes compare in sacredness. He stated the following:
Recently, in a stake conference, all present were invited by the visiting authority, Elder Glen Jenson, an Area Seventy, to take a virtual tour of their homes using their spiritual eyes. I would like to invite each of you to do this also. Wherever your home may be and whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is universal. Let’s begin. Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”
How does your home do with this "spiritual tour"? There are a few things my wife and I need to tweak... but all in all, we're trying hard and doing pretty well! I really need to make the temple a bigger part of my life-- of my routine. By so doing, I will be blessed with a greater measure of the Spirit of the Lord, and me and my family will also be blessed with protection-- temporal and spiritual.
I just read Elder Quentin L. Cook's most recent Conference talk. I really enjoyed it. Here is an excerpt from it that hit me hard:
A reporter for the Washington Post visited one of our Church meetings in Nigeria. The reporter interviewed one new member and told of his conversion. The reporter states:
“[He] said . . . he jumped off a city bus and walked into the [LDS Church building]. . . . He immediately liked what he heard inside [the chapel], especially that no one preached that people of other faiths were going to hell.” This echoes the feeling of numerous converts to the Church since its organization.
Our leaders have consistently counseled us “to live with respect and appreciation for those not of our faith. There is so great a need for civility and mutual respect among those of differing beliefs and philosophies.”
It is equally important that we be loving and kind to members of our own faith, regardless of their level of commitment or activity. The Savior has made it clear that we are not to judge each other. This is especially true of members of our own families. Our obligation is to love and teach and never give up.
I need to be more kind to everybody. I am really quick to judge--not so much those of other faiths, but those of my own who don't seem to be doing all they can. But it's not my place to judge; I just need to show unconditional love and charity, and do my best to make sure I'm keeping my own covenants.
Last conference Elder D. Todd Christofferson gave a powerful talk on covenants. I just read over it, and wow! It really helped me quite a bit. I've been struggling a bit lately with doing my very best-- I feel like I've become a bit complacent. But this talk gave me quite the lift:
We need strong Christians who can persevere against hardship, who can sustain hope through tragedy, who can lift others by their example and their compassion, and who can consistently overcome temptations. We need strong Christians who can make important things happen by their faith and who can defend the truth of Jesus Christ against moral relativism and militant atheism.
In the covenant path we find a steady supply of gifts and help. "Charity never faileth" (1 Corinthians 13:8; Moroni 7:46), love begets love, compassion begets compassion, virtue begets virtue, commitment begets loyalty, and service begets joy. We are part of a covenant people, a community of Saints who encourage, sustain, and minister to one another. As Nephi explained, "And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them" (1 Nephi 17:3).
Divine covenants make strong Christians. I urge each one to qualify for and receive all the priesthood ordinances you can and then faithfully keep the promises you have made by covenant. In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact. Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer. He will sustain you as you work and watch. In His own time and way He will stretch forth his hand to you, saying, "Here am I."
I need to go to the temple MUCH more. I need to hold ever more tightly to my covenants, nothing wavering (especially when times get tough). Then and only then will I qualify for the Lord's aid and the presence of the Holy Ghost. Then and only then will I be happy.
Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a memorable talk this past General Conference. His subject was provident living, or the importance of putting off the things of this world in favor of the things of God. I really enjoyed reading over it again this morning. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:
...for both debt and addiction, the hopeful solution is the same—we must turn to the Lord and follow His commandments. We must want more than anything else to change our lives so that we can break the cycle of debt and our uncontrolled wants.
When faced with the choice to buy, consume, or engage in worldly things and activities, we all need to learn to say to one another, “We can’t afford it, even though we want it!” or “We can afford it, but we don’t need it—and we really don’t even want it!”
And here's the kicker:
In seeking to overcome debt and addictive behaviors, we should remember that addiction is the craving of the natural man, and it can never be satisfied. It is an insatiable appetite. When we are addicted, we seek those worldly possessions or physical pleasures that seem to entice us. But as children of God, our deepest hunger and what we should be seeking is what the Lord alone can provide—His love, His sense of worth, His security, His confidence, His hope in the future, and assurance of His love, which brings us eternal joy.
We must want, more than anything else, to do our Heavenly Father’s will and providently provide for ourselves and others. We must say, as did King Lamoni’s father, “I will give away all my sins to know thee” (Alma 22:18). Then we can go to Him with steadfast determination and promise Him, “I will do whatever it takes.” Through prayer, fasting, obedience to the commandments, priesthood blessings, and His atoning sacrifice, we will feel His love and power in our lives. We will receive His spiritual guidance and strength through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Only through our Lord’s Atonement can we obtain a mighty change of heart (see Mosiah 5:2; Alma 5:14) and experience a mighty change in our addictive behavior.
This talk is definitely one I needed to hear (just ask my wife!). Though we have mostly avoided large, unnecessary debt (we don't even have a credit card!), I have a hard time avoiding smaller (but equally unnecessary) purchases. So this council is something that can really help me; I never really thought that buying excessive amounts of DVDs or techno-toys I don't need can really take away my agency (or willpower to avoid such purchases), and can draw me away from the Savior. But it's true; in fact, as Elder Hales notes, the scriptures say:
Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted.(2 Nephi 9:51)
So I guess what I'm taking from this is I need to be more careful with not just my money, but my slight obsession with temporal things. I don't always (or maybe ever) need to have the newest, the fastest, the coolest. Leading a simple life can open the mind to the whisperings of the Spirit.
