Family
“When I hear of a family breaking up, I question if family home evening and family prayers have
been regularly held in that home and if the law of tithing has been observed.
Has that family reverenced the Sabbath day? Have the parents murmured against
Church teachings and leaders? I wonder what could possibly justify the
forsaking of eternal promises made in the temple, or what could warrant the
breaking up of a family with children of tender years.”
James E. Faust: Enriching
Family Life, April 1983
“We need to make our homes a place of refuge from the
storm, which is increasing in intensity all about us. Even if the smallest
openings are left unattended, negative influences can penetrate the very walls
of our homes.”
L. Tom Perry: The
Importance of the Family, April 2003
“Our family work has become a big factor in bringing a
higher degree of love, peace, and unity into our home. Many neighbors have
commented on how much our children really enjoy each other. I am amazed as I
witness our children stretching in their tender years toward self-reliance.
Yes, work is a spiritual and essential principle. Our own beloved prophet has
taught that “life is not wholly for fun and frolic.”
President Dean Jarman: The
Blessings of Family Work Projects, October 1982
“Life in families will test us. That is one of God’s
purposes in giving us the gift of mortality—to strengthen us by passing through
tests. That will be especially true in family life, where we will find great
joy and great sorrow and challenges which may at times seem beyond our power to
endure them.”
President Henry B. Eyring: To My Grandchildren, October 2013
“Principles like faith, repentance, love, forgiveness, and prayer, lived in the process I
just described, become the best vaccine to combat the disease of sin, which can
manifest itself in families in different ways, such as immorality, pride, envy,
contention, abuse, and other practices that affect family relationships and
that result in pain, deception, and the breakup of family ties.”
Francisco J. Vinas: Applying
the Simple and Plain Gospel Principles in the Family, April 2004
President
Wilford Woodruff declared: “The Lord has a great many principles in store for
us, and the greatest principles which he has for us are the most simple and
plain. The first principles of the gospel which lead us unto eternal life are
the simplest and yet none are more glorious or important unto us”
(“Remarks,” Deseret News, 1 Apr. 1857,
27).
It
is precisely because these principles are plain and simple that many times they
are not considered when there are challenges to face that affect family life. At times we have the
tendency to think that the more serious the problem, the bigger and more
complex the solution should be. That idea can lead us, for example, to seek
help from people or institutions outside the home when in reality the most
effective solution will come by applying the glorious principles of the gospel
in our homes in the small actions and duties of everyday life. The scriptures
remind us “that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma
37:6).
Francisco J. Vinas: Applying
the Simple and Plain Gospel Principles in the Family, April 2004
Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise
children. There is a safe
place. It is in a gospel-centered home. We focus on the family in the Church, and we counsel parents everywhere to raise their
children in righteousness.
President Boyd K. Packer: The Key to Spiritual Protection, October 2013
“A
wise mother I know intentionally includes her children in her efforts to keep
her covenants. She joyfully bears the burdens of neighbors, friends, and ward
members—and comforts those who stand in need of comfort. It was not surprising
when her young daughter recently came asking for help to know how to best
comfort her friend whose father had just passed away. That was a perfect
setting to teach that her desire to comfort her friend was one way to keep her
baptismal covenant. How can we expect children to make and keep temple
covenants if we don’t expect them to keep their first covenant—their baptismal
covenant?
Elder
Richard G. Scott observed, “One of the greatest blessings we can offer to
the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught,
covenants are kept, and love abounds.”11 What are some ways we can create such a home to
prepare our children to make and keep temple covenants?”
Linda
K. Burton: The Power, Joy, and Love of
Covenant Keeping, October 2013 General Conference
Protect and guard your gift. Your actual happiness is at
stake. Eternal family life, now only in your anticipations and dreams, can be achieved because
our Heavenly Father has bestowed this choicest gift of all upon you—this power
of creation. It is the very key to happiness. Hold this gift as sacred and
pure. Use it only as the Lord has directed.
Boyd K. Packer: Why
Stay Morally Clean, April 1972
The hard doctrines, however, insist that we ask some hard
questions. How can a nation nurture family values without consistently valuing
and protecting the family in its public policies? How can we value the family
without valuing parenting? And how can we value parenting if we do not value
marriage? How can there be “love at home” without love in a marriage? So many
selfish tugs draw fathers and mothers away from each other and away from their
children.
Neil A. Maxwell: Take Especial Care of Your Family, April
1994
Atonement
Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic
word for atonement is kaphar, a
verb that means “to cover” or “to forgive.” 19Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning “a close embrace”—no doubt
related to the Egyptian ritual embrace. References to that embrace are evident
in the Book of Mormon. One states that “the Lord hath redeemed my soul … ; I
have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his
love.” 20 Another proffers the glorious hope of our being “clasped in the arms
of Jesus.” 21
Russell M. Nelson: The Atonement, October 1996
An atonement was made. Ever and always it offers
amnesty from transgression and from death if we will but repent. Repentance is
the escape clause in it all. Repentance is the key with which we can unlock the
prison from inside. We hold that key within our hands, and agency is ours to
use it.
President Boyd K. Packer: Atonement, Agency, and Accountability, April 1988
M. Russell Ballard: The
Atonement and the Value of One Soul, April 2004
Without the Atonement, Father in
Heaven’s plan of happiness could not have been placed fully into effect. The Atonement gives all the opportunity to overcome the consequences of mistakes
made in life. When we obey a law, we receive a blessing. When we break a law,
there is nothing left over from prior obedience to satisfy the demands of
justice for that broken law. The Savior’s Atonement permits us to repent of any
disobedience and thereby avoid the penalties that justice would have imposed.
Richard G. Scott: He
Lives! All Glory to His Name, April 2010
It
is a fundamental truth that through the Atonement of
Jesus Christ we can be cleansed. We can become virtuous and pure. However,
sometimes our poor choices leave us with long-term consequences. One of the
vital steps to complete repentance is to bear the short- and long-term consequences
of our past sins. Their past choices had exposed these Ammonite fathers to a
carnal appetite that could again become a point of vulnerability that Satan
would attempt to exploit.
Satan
will try to use our memory of any previous guilt to lure us back into his
influence. We must be ever vigilant to avoid his enticements. Such was the case
of the faithful Ammonite fathers. Even after their years of faithful living, it
was imperative for them to protect themselves spiritually from any attraction to
the memory of past sins.
Richard
G. Scott: Personal Strength through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ, October 2013
Each of us makes
mistakes in life. They result in broken eternal laws. Justice is that part of
Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness that maintains order. It is like gravity
to a rock climber, ever present. It is a friend if eternal laws are observed.
It responds to your detriment if they are ignored. Justice guarantees that you
will receive the blessings you earn for obeying the laws of God. Justice also
requires that every broken law be satisfied. When you obey the laws of God, you
are blessed, but there is no additional credit earned that can be saved to
satisfy the laws that you break. If not resolved, broken laws can cause your
life to be miserable and would keep you from returning to God. Only the life,
teachings, and particularly the Atonement of Jesus Christ can release you from
this otherwise impossible predicament.
Richard
G. Scott: The Atonement Can Secure Your
Peace and Happiness: October 2006
Many lessons can
be learned from the account of the Atonement. It is
comforting to know that, though suffering, Jesus Christ was able to look down
from the cross and be concerned for His mother, that she should be properly
cared for, as He asked for the help of a disciple. This is one of the great
messages we have heard this conference—that we turn some of our attention from
our own trials and tribulations to concern and caring for others.
Robert
D. Hales: Lessons from the Atonement That
Help Us to Endure to the End, October 1985
The
study of behavior is greatly improved when linked to standards and to values.
Practical values, useful in everyday life, are found in the scriptures and the
doctrines they reveal. I will give you one example: “We believe that through
the Atonement of Christ, all mankind
may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” 1
You
should learn while you are young that while the Atonement of
Christ applies to humanity in general, the influence of it is individual, very
personal, and very useful. Even to you beginners, an understanding of the Atonement is of immediate and very
practical value in everyday life.
President Boyd K. Packer: Washed Clean, April 1997
It is not repentance per se that saves man. It is the blood
of Jesus Christ that saves us. It is not by our sincere and honest change of
behavior alone that we are saved, but “by grace that we are saved, after all we
can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). True
repentance, however, is the condition required so that God’s forgiveness can
come into our lives. True repentance makes “a brilliant day [out] of the
darkest night” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 362).
True repentance blesses our lives with the effects of the Atonement: we feel God’s forgiveness and His peace, and our guilt and sorrow
are lifted away; we enjoy the influence of the Spirit in greater abundance; and
we are better prepared to live with our Heavenly Father.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Point of Safe Return, April 2007
Uniquely, atoning Jesus also “descended below all things,
in that he comprehended all things” (D&C 88:6; see also D&C 122:8). How deep that
descent into despair and abysmal agony must have been! He did it to rescue us
and in order to comprehend human suffering. Therefore, let us not resent those
tutoring experiences which can develop our own empathy further (see Alma 7:11–12). A slothful
heart will not do, and neither will a resentful heart. So being admitted fully
to “the fellowship of his sufferings” requires the full dues of discipleship (Philip. 3:10; see also 1 Cor. 1:9).
Neal A. Maxwell: Plow
in Hope, April 2001
Agency
We have been given agency, we have been
given the blessings of the priesthood, and we have been given the Light of
Christ and the Holy Ghost for a
reason. That reason is our growth and happiness in this world and eternal life
in the world to come. Today I ask, have we received that Spirit? Are we
following on the strait and narrow path that leads to God and eternal life? Are
we holding onto the iron rod, or are we going another way? I testify that how
we choose to feel and think and act every
day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal
destination.
Robert D. Hales: To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency, April
2006
In our mortal journey, it is helpful to remember that the
opposite is also true: when we don’t keep the commandments or follow the
promptings of the Holy Ghost, our opportunities are reduced; our
abilities to act and progress are diminished.
Robert D. Hales, Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life, April
2010
Lucifer in clever ways manipulates our choices, deceiving
us about sin and consequences. He, and his angels with him, tempt us to be
unworthy, even wicked. But he cannot, in all eternity he cannot, with all his
power he cannot completely destroy us; not without our own consent. Had agencycome to man without the Atonement, it would have been a fatal gift.
Boyd K. Packer: Atonement,
Agency, Accountability, April 1988
Some who do not understand the doctrinal part do not
readily see the relationship between obedience and agency. And they miss one vital connection and see obedience only as
restraint. They then resist the very thing that will give them true freedom.
There is no true freedom without responsibility, and there is no enduring
freedom without a knowledge of the truth. The Lord said, “If ye continue in my
word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31–32.)
Boyd K. Packer: Agency and Control,
April 1983
God reveals to His prophets that there are moral absolutes.
Sin will always be sin. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always
deprive us of His blessings. The world changes constantly and dramatically, but
God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable
and unchanging. Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty
and, in turn, their eternal happiness come from obedience to His laws. As Alma
counseled his errant son Corianton, “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).
L. Tom Perry: Obedience to Law is Liberty, April 2013
By “moral discipline,” I mean self-discipline based on
moral standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It
rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of
respect and true greatness through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42–45). The root of
the worddiscipline is
shared by the word disciple, suggesting
to the mind the fact that conformity to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ is the ideal discipline that, coupled with His grace, forms a virtuous
and morally excellent person.
D. Todd Christofferson: Moral Discipline, October 2009
Have you noticed that no matter how worthy your intent and
how many procedures you follow precisely, if you make the tiniest mistake with
a computer, it will not respond? All of your effort is futile. That is not the way the Lord works. There is
nothing tricky about His commandments. He wants you to succeed. Where there is
purity of heart and real intent, it is known to the Lord. Your obedience to
truth and proper use of agency open the door to His divine help. At
first, perhaps only you and He will believe your sincerity. But you will be
rewarded by the joy that comes from positive personal progress. In time, others
will recognize your consistent righteous acts and support you.
Richard G. Scott: Healing Your Damaged Life, October 1992
We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask
someone to define “moral agency,” the answer
will probably be something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for
myself.” Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget
also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be
affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our Heavenly
Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows
his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil.
M. Russell Ballard: Answers to Life’s Questions, April 1995
As all will be resurrected, your
physical body will then be restored to its proper and perfect frame. (See Alma 11:43; Alma 40:23.) The day
of your resurrection will be a day of judgment that will
determine the kind of life you shall have hereafter.
That judgment will consider not
only your actions, but also your innermost intent and heartfelt desires. Your
everyday thoughts have not been lost. Scriptures speak of the “bright
recollection” (Alma 11:43) and
“perfect remembrance” (Alma 5:18) that your
mind will provide in times of divine judgment.
Russell M. Nelson: Choices, October 1990
People who argue that they have
constitutional rights and want to use what they call their free agency to accomplish unrighteous ends abuse the idea of free agency and deprive others of their constitutional
rights. While many of our problems are caused by those who are deliberately
trying to further their own selfish and devilish interests, there is also a
vocal, misled minority which is responsible for other problems as they exist in
our country and in our communities. We must be equally vocal and firm in our
efforts to maintain the quality of our surroundings, where we can enjoy family
solidarity, which is the strength of any nation. We must take a firm stand
against the concerted efforts in many areas to destroy the family unit.
N. Eldon Tanner: Thou Mayest Choose for Thyself, April 1973
Pornography
All immoral behavior directly impacts society. Even innocent people
are affected. Drug and alcohol abuse have public consequences, as do illegitimacy, pornography, and
obscenity. The public cost in human life and tax dollars for these so-called
private choices is enormous: poverty, crime, a less-educated work force, and
mounting demands for government spending to fix problems that cannot be fixed
by money. It simply is not true that our private conduct is our own business.
Our society is the sum total of what millions of individuals do in their
private lives. That sum total of private behavior has worldwide public
consequences of enormous magnitude. There are no completely private choices.
James E. Faust: “Will
I Be Happy?” April 1987
“Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than
filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome
food. With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick but do no
permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or
pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous
retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won’t vomit back filth. Once recorded,
it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across
your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in life.” 1
Dallin H. Oaks: Pornography,
April 2005
Dutch elm disease usually begins with a wilting of the
younger leaves in the upper part of the tree. Later the lower branches become
infected. In about midsummer most of the leaves turn yellow, curl, and drop
off. Life ebbs. Death approaches. A forest is consumed. The bark beetle has
taken its terrible toll.
How like the elm is man. From a minute seed, and in
accordance with a divine plan, we grow, are nurtured, and mature. The bright
sunlight of heaven, the rich blessings of earth are ours. In our private forest
of familyand
friends, life is richly rewarding and abundantly beautiful. Then suddenly,
there appears before us in this generation a sinister and diabolical enemy—pornography. Like the bark beetle it
too is the carrier of a deadly disease. I shall name it “pernicious
permissiveness.”
President Thomas S. Monson: Pornography-The Deadly Carrier, October 1979
Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography
to
limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of
its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering,
heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning influences on
earth. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene
lyrics, vulgarities on the telephone, or flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging. This
potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind and the heart and the soul of any who
use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web and remain so will
become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence. For many, that addiction
cannot be overcome without help. The tragic pattern is so familiar. It begins
with curiosity that is fueled by its stimulation and is justified by the false
premise that when done privately, it does no harm to anyone else. For those
lulled by this lie, the experimentation goes deeper, with more powerful
stimulations, until the trap closes and a terribly immoral, addictive habit
exercises its vicious control.
Richard G. Scott: To Acquire
Spiritual Guidance, October 2009
Strangely enough, it may be that the simplest and most powerful
prevention and cure for pornography, or any unclean act, is to ignore
and avoid it. Delete from the mind any unworthy thought that tries to take
root. Once you have decided to remain clean, you are asserting your God-given
agency. And then, as President Smith counseled, “Don’t look back.”
Boyd K. Packer: Cleansing the
Inner Vessel, October 2010
When it comes to morality, some adults believe that adherence to a
single, overriding humanitarian project or principle nullifies the need to
comply with the Savior’s teachings. They say to themselves that sexual
misconduct is “a small thing … [if I am] a kind and charitable person.”21Such
thinking is a gross self-deception. Some young people inform me that in our
current culture it is not “cool” to try too hard in many areas, including
living strictly in accordance with righteous principles.22 Please do not fall into this trap.
Quentin L. Cook: Can Ye Feel So
Now? , October 2012
Remember that those young wives said their husbands’ infidelity began
with an attraction to pornography, but immoral activity is not just a
man’s problem, and husbands aren’t the only ones offending. The compromise
available at the click of a mouse—including what can happen in a chat room’s
virtual encounter—is no respecter of persons, male or female, young or old,
married or single. And just to make sure that temptation is ever more accessible,
the adversary is busy extending his coverage, as they say in the industry, to
cell phones, video games, and MP3 players.
Jeffrey R. Holand: Place No More
for the Enemy of My Soul, April 2010
Some publishers and printers prostitute their presses by printing
millions of pieces of pornography each day.
No expense is spared to produce a product certain to be viewed, then viewed
again. One of the most accessible sources of pornography today is
the Internet, where one can turn on a computer and instantly have at his
fingertips countless sites featuring pornography. President Gordon B. Hinckley has
said: “I fear this may be going on in some of your homes. It is vicious. It is
lewd and filthy. It is enticing and habit-forming. It will take [you] down to
destruction as surely as anything in this world. It is foul sleaze that makes
its exploiters wealthy, its victims impoverished.”4
President Thomas S. Monson: True
to the Faith, April 2006
Another false philosophy that appeals to the Mr. Hyde
side of our natures is that peeking into pornography is harmless. This is a
terrible deception.Pornography is as addictive as cocaine or any
illegal drug. I recently received a heartbreaking
letter from an excommunicated man whose soul is filled with sorrow and regret.
With his permission, I quote the following from his letter: “I hope that this
letter will confirm to any who have doubt that the path of destruction only
reaps sorrow and grief and no sin is worth this price.”
He goes on to state: “I have brought grief
and sorrow upon myself. Only now do I fully realize the great destruction that I
have brought upon myself. No selfish or lustful desire is worth losing your
Church membership for. I have brought terrible grief to my wife and two
wonderful children. I am grateful for my wife’s great efforts to help me
overcome my sins. My wife has been a victim of my sins and had to endure great
sorrow and suffering. I long for the day that I can again be a member of the
Lord’s Church and for our family to be an
eternal family.”
The letter goes on to admit: “My sins are
a direct result of my early childhood addiction to pornography. Without a doubt, pornography is addictive and is poison. Had I
learned early in my life to apply the power of self-mastery, I would be a
member of the Church today.”
James E. Faust: The Enemy Within,
April 2000
After I gave a general conference talk on the evils of pornography (see “Pornography,” Liahona and Ensign, May
2005, 87–90), I received many letters from persons burdened with this
addiction. Some of these letters were from men who had overcome pornography. One man wrote:
“There are several lessons I’ve gleaned from my
experience coming out of the darkness of a sin that so thoroughly dominates the
lives of the people it ensnares: (1) This is a major problem that is
unbelievably difficult to overcome. … (2) The most important source of support
and strength in the repentance process is the Savior. … (3) Intense, daily
scripture study, regular temple worship, and serious, contemplative
participation in the ordinance of the sacrament are all indispensable parts
of a true repentance process. This, I assume, is because all of these
activities serve to deepen and strengthen one’s relationship with the Savior,
one’s understanding of His atoning sacrifice, and one’s faith in His healing
power” (letter dated Oct. 24, 2005).
Dallin H. Oaks: He Heals the
Heavy Laden, October 2006
Marriage
When you as husband and wife recognize the
divine design in your union—when you feel deeply that God has brought you to
each other—your vision will be expanded and your understanding enhanced.
Russell
M. Nelson: Nurturing Marriage, April
2006
Do not threaten nor break up a marriage. Do not translate some disenchantment with your own marriage partner or an attraction for someone else into justification for any
conduct that would destroy a marriage.
Boyd
K. Packer: Marriage, April 1981
Meanwhile, mortal misunderstandings can make
mischief in a marriage. In fact, each marriage starts with two built-in handicaps. It involves two imperfect people.
Happiness can come to them only through their earnest effort. Just as harmony
comes from an orchestra only when its members make a concerted effort, so
harmony in marriage also requires a concerted effort. That effort will succeed if each
partner will minimize personal demands and maximize actions of loving
selflessness.
Russell
M. Nelson: Celestial Marriage,
October 2008
The kind of marriage required for exaltation—eternal in duration and godlike in
quality—does not contemplate divorce. In the temples of the Lord, couples are
married for all eternity. But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal.
Because “of the hardness of [our] hearts,” the Lord does not currently enforce
the consequences of the celestial standard. He permits divorced persons to
marry again without the stain of immorality specified in the higher law. Unless
a divorced member has committed serious transgressions, he or she can become
eligible for a temple recommend under the same worthiness standards that apply
to other members.
Dallin H. Oaks: Divorce,
April 2007
How shortsighted so many of us are, how prone
to look only at today without thought for the morrow. But the morrow will
surely come, as will also come death and separation. How sweet is the
assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we
marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the
certainty of death and the passage of time. Men may write love songs and sing
them. They may yearn and hope and dream. But all of this will be only a
romantic longing unless there is an exercise of authority that transcends the
powers of time and death.
President Gordon B. Hinckley: The Marriage That Endures, April 1974
If you are married, are you faithful to your
spouse mentally as well as physically? Are you loyal to your marriage covenants by never engaging in conversation with another person that
you wouldn’t want your spouse to overhear? Are you kind and supportive of your
spouse and children?
Richard G. Scott: The Eternal Blessings of Marriage, April 2011
Knowledge of God’s plan for His children
gives Latter-day Saints a unique perspective on marriage and family. We are correctly known as a family-centered church. Our
theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain
the fulness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family
relationship. We know that the marriage of a man and a woman is necessary for the accomplishment of God’s
plan. Only this marriage will provide the approved setting for mortal birth and to prepare
family members for eternal life. We look on marriage and the bearing and nurturing of children as part of God’s plan and a
sacred duty of those given the opportunity to do so. We believe that the
ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.
Dallin H. Oaks: No Other Gods, October 2013
Much of what we learn as members of the
Church is by example. We learn as much from our prophets from what they do as
what they say. Watching President Kimball, President Benson, and President
Hunter, the men of the Church have learned volumes about how they should treat
their wives—with gentleness, kindness, and devotion. The women of the Church
have learned a related lesson as they have observed the wives of these great
prophets. They have learned how to be poised and accomplished individuals while
remaining supporting helpmates to their husbands. The sweet relationship of
President and Sister Hinckley offers both the men and women of the Church a
marvelous example to observe and emulate.
L. Tom Perry: An Elect Lady, April 1995
Of utmost importance to the well-being of
children is whether their parents were married, the nature and duration of the marriage, and, more broadly, the culture and expectations of marriage and child care where they live.
Dallin H. Oaks: Protect the Children, October 2012
The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. The goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as self-development. Paradoxically, the
more we serve one another, the greater is our spiritual and emotional growth.
Ezra Taft Benson: Fundamentals of Enduring Family Relationships, October 1982
Raising
Children
When parents fail to transmit testimony and
theology along with decency, those families are only one generation from
serious spiritual decline, having lost their savor. The law of the harvest is
nowhere more in evidence and nowhere more relentless than in family gardens!
Neil A. Maxwell: Take Especial Care of Your Family, April1994
Send that note to the friend you’ve been
neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a
hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to
be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away,
children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted,
until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings
of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest
tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” 4
President Thomas S. Monson: Finding Joy in
the Journey, October 2008
Parents today wonder if there is a safe place
to raise children. There is a safe
place. It is in a gospel-centered home. We focus on the family in the Church, and we counsel parents everywhere to raise their
children in righteousness.
Boyd K. Packer: The Key to Spiritual Protection, October 2013
Boyd K. Packer: Children, April 2002
Our family-centered perspective should make
Latter-day Saints strive to be the best parents in the world. It should give us
enormous respect for our children, who truly are our spiritual siblings, and it
should cause us to devote whatever time is necessary to strengthen our
families. Indeed, nothing is more critically connected to happiness—both our
own and that of our children—than how well we love and support one another
within the family.
M. Russell Ballard: What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest, October 2005
Brothers and sisters, do we really think the
critical factor in the salvation of our children is the neighborhood where we
live? The apostles and prophets have often taught that what happens inside the home
is far more important than what our children encounter outside. How we raise our children is more
important than where we
raise them.
Stanley G. Ellis: The Lord’s Way, April 2013
President Kimball said, “It is an act of
extreme selfishness for a married couple to refuse to have children when they
are able to do so” (Ensign,May 1979, p. 6). When
married couples postpone childbearing until after they have satisfied their
material goals, the mere passage of time assures that they seriously reduce
their potential to participate in furthering our Heavenly Father’s plan for all
of his spirit children. Faithful Latter-day Saints cannot afford to look upon
children as an interference with what the world calls “self-fulfillment.” Our
covenants with God and the ultimate purpose of life are tied up in those little
ones who reach for our time, our love, and our sacrifices.
Dallin H. Oaks: The Great Plan of Happiness, April 1993
We hold in our arms the rising generation.
They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual
capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as
parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but
rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of
their premortal faith.
Neil L. Andersen: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, April 2010
Regarding our home evenings, an evening home
with the family or an evening out to some place of interest with your family only partly
solves the need of the home evening. Basically important is the teaching of the
children the way of life that is vitally important. Merely going to a show or a
party together, or fishing, only half satisfies the real need, but to stay home
and teach the children the gospel, the scriptures, and love for each other and
love for their parents is most important.
Spencer W. Kimball: The Foundations of Righteousness, October 1977
Teach your children that many of the
blessings of the Church are available to them because you and they give tithes
and offerings to the Church. Teach them that those blessings could come
virtually no other way.
Jeffrey R. Holland: Like a Watered Garden, October 2001
Faith
Because of the conflicts and challenges we
face in today’s world, I wish to suggest a single choice—a choice of peace and
protection and a choice that is appropriate for all. That choice is faith.
Be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does
not come as the dew falls from heaven. The Savior said, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you” (Matthew 7:7). These are action verbs—come, knock. They
are choices. So I say, choose faith.
Choosefaith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.
Richard C. Edgley: Faith-the Choice is Yours, October 2010
You can learn to use faith more effectively by applying this principle taught by Moroni: “Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not
because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” 3 Thus, every time you try your faith, that is, act in worthiness on an impression, you will receive the
confirming evidence of the Spirit. Those feelings will fortify your faith.
As you repeat that pattern, your faith will become stronger. The Lord knows your needs. When you ask with
honesty and real intent, He will prompt you to do that which will increase your
ability to act in faith.
With consistent practice, faith will become a vibrant, powerful, uplifting, inspiring force in your
life. As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of
uncertainty, exercising faith,
you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. I testify
that I know that is true.
Richard G. Scott: The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing,
April 2003
Faith and character are intimately related. Faith in the power of obedience to the commandments of God will forge
strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character
is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it
is intended to be used. Your exercise of faith in true principles builds character; fortified character expands your
capacity to exercise more faith.
As a result, your capacity and confidence to conquer the trials of life is
enhanced. The more your character is fortified, the more enabled you are to
benefit from exercising the power of faith.
You will discover how faith and character interact to strengthen one another. Character is woven
patiently from threads of applied principle, doctrine, and obedience.
Richard G. Scott: The Transforming Power of Faith and Character, October 2010
The challenge which faces every member of
this Church is to take the next step, to accept that responsibility to which he
is called, even though he does not feel equal to it, and to do so in faith with the full expectation that the Lord will light the way before him.
Gordon B. Hinckley: We Walk By Faith, April 2002
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 20 The very fact that you are viewing, listening
to, or reading the proceedings of this conference means that you are hearing
God’s word. The first step to finding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to let His word—spoken by the mouth of His
servants, the prophets—touch your heart. But it is not enough merely to let
those words wash over you, as if they alone could transform you. We must do our
part. Or as the Savior Himself said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 21In other words, hearing requires an active
effort. “Faith without works is dead.” 22 It means taking seriously what is taught,
considering it carefully, studying it out in our minds. As the prophet Enos
learned, it means letting others’ testimonies of the gospel “[sink] deep into
[our] heart[s].” 23 Let us review some of the elements of Enos’s
profound, faith-building
experience:
Robert D. Hales: Finding Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, October 2004
Unfailing faith is fortified through prayer. Your heartfelt pleadings are important to
Him. Think of the intense and impassioned prayers of the Prophet Joseph
Smith during his dreadful days of incarceration in
Liberty Jail. The Lord responded by changing the Prophet’s perspective. He
said, “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and
shall be for thy good.”7
Russell M. Nelson: Face the Future with Faith, April 2011
Please notice the requirement to ask in faith,
which I understand to mean the necessity to not only express but to do, the
dual obligation to both plead and to perform, the requirement to communicate
and to act.
David A. Bednar: Ask in Faith, April 2008
If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can
be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of
the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if
we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of
salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need
to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never
are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left
and our right to bear us up.10 And He always keeps His word.
Henry B. Eyring: Mountains to Climb, April 2012
How do you remain “steadfast and immovable”6 during a trial of faith?
You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith:
you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep
the commandments, and you serve others.
Neil L. Andersen: Trial of Your Faith,
October 2012
M. Russell Ballard: Faith in Every Footstep, October 1996
Charity
I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and
judging. In speaking of charity, I do not at this moment have in mind the relief of the suffering
through the giving of our substance. That, of course, is necessary and proper.
Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient
toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charitythat is patient.
President Thomas S. Monson, Charity Never Faileth, October 2010
Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith,
hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even
without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith.
The stronger our hope, the purer our charity.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf: The Infinite Power of Hope, October 2008
We are challenged to move through a process
of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is
achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right
reason—for the pure love of Christ. The Apostle Paul illustrated this in his
famous teaching about the importance of charity (see 1 Cor. 13). The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is
that charity, “the pure love of Christ” (Moro. 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, “except men shall have charity they cannot inherit” the place prepared for them in the mansions of
the Father (Ether 12:34; emphasis added).
Dallin H. Oaks: The Challenge to Become, October 2000
The Lord is keeping His promise to you as you
keep yours. As you serve others for Him, He lets you feel His love. And in
time, feelings of charitybecome part of your very nature. And you will receive the assurance of
Mormon in your heart as you persist in serving others in life that all will be
well with you.
Henry B. Eyring: A Witness, October 2011
Jeffrey R. Holland: The Tongue of Angels, April 2007
From an earlier period, following the carnage
of World War II, Elder Ezra Taft Benson led Church response in providing food,
medicine, and clothing—totaling two million in 1940s dollars and requiring 133
boxcars to transport it—to the cold and starving members in Europe. This
desperately needed aid saved lives, rescued the dispirited, and brought a
newness of hope and quickened prayers of thanksgiving and expressions of
profound gratitude from one and all. “Charity never faileth.”
President Thomas S. Monson: My Brother’s Keeper, October 1994
If we are to have unity, there are
commandments we must keep concerning how we feel. We must forgive and bear no
malice toward those who offend us. The Savior set the example from the cross:
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). We do not know the hearts of those who offend us. Nor do we know
all the sources of our own anger and hurt. The Apostle Paul was telling us how
to love in a world of imperfect people, including ourselves, when he said, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Cor. 13:4–5). And then he gave solemn warning against reacting to the fault of
others and forgetting our own when he wrote, “For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even
as I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12).
Henry B. Eyring: That We May Be One, April 1998
It will help us always to remember Paul’s
succinct prioritizing of virtues—“Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 11 He reminds us we are all of the body of Christ, and that allmembers, whether
comely or feeble, are adored, essential, and important.
Jeffrey R. Holland: The Other Prodigal, April 2002
For caregivers, in your devoted effort to
assist with another’s health, do not destroy your own. In all these things be
wise. Do not run faster than you have strength.7 Whatever else you may or may not be able to provide, you can offer
your prayers and you can give “love unfeigned.”8 “Charitysuffereth long, and is kind; … [it] beareth
all things, … hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.”
Jeffrey R. Holland: Like A
Broken Vessel, October 2013
For each of you to receive revelation unique
to your own needs and responsibilities, certain guidelines prevail. The Lord
asks you to develop “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God.” Then with your firm
“faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, [and] diligence,” you may ask, and you will receive; you may knock, and it will be opened unto you. 12
Russell M. Nelson: Ask, Seek
Knock, October 2009
Service
Last January President Thomas S. Monson
taught Brigham Young University students that their student days should include
“the matter of spiritual preparation,” including service to others. “An attitude of love characterized the mission of the
Master,” President Monson said. “He gave sight to the blind, legs to the lame,
and life to the dead. Perhaps when we [face] our Maker, we will not be asked,
‘How many positions did you hold?’ but rather, ‘How many people did you help?’
In reality,” President Monson concluded, “you can never love the Lord until you
serve Him by serving His people.” 4
Dallin H. Oaks: Unselfish Service, April 2009
It is only when we love God and Christ with
all of our hearts, souls, and minds that we are able to share this love with
our neighbors through acts of kindness and service—the way that the Savior would love and serve all of us if He were
among us today.
M. Russell Ballard: Finding Joy through Loving Service, April 2011
Brethren, the Lord knows each of us. Do you
think for a moment that He who notes the sparrow’s fall would not be mindful of
our needs and ourservice? We simply cannot afford to attribute to the
Son of God the same frailties which we find in ourselves.
President Thomas S. Monson: The Service That Counts, October1989
When we think of service, we usually think of the acts of our hands. But the scriptures teach
that the Lord looks to our thoughts as well as to our acts. One of God’s
earliest commandments to Israel was that they should love him and “serve him
with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deut. 11:13.) When the prophet Samuel was sent to Bethlehem to choose and anoint
one of the sons of Jesse as a new king for Israel, the Lord told him to reject
the first son, though he was a man of fine appearance. The Lord explained,
“Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have
refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7.)
Dallin H. Oaks: Why Do We Serve?, October 1984
Perhaps the most familiar and most important
examples of unselfish service and sacrifice are performed in our families. Mothers devote themselves
to the bearing and nurturing of their children. Husbands give themselves to
supporting their wives and children. The sacrifices involved in the eternally
important service to our families are too numerous to mention and too familiar to need
mention.
Dallin H. Oaks: Service, April 2012
Selfless service is a wonderful antidote to the ills that flow from the worldwide
epidemic of self-indulgence. Some grow bitter or anxious when it seems that not
enough attention is being paid to them, when their lives would be so enriched
if only they paid more attention to the needs of others.
David S. Baxter: Faith, Service, Constancy, October 2006
President Benson has suggested that I bear my
testimony to you at this time. I am pleased to again express my witness that
God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, that this work
is true, and that happiness comes through serving our Heavenly Father and
serving our fellowmen.
President Thomas S. Monson: Happiness through Service, April 1988
I believe the Savior is telling us that
unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live
only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives,
while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.
President Thomas S. Monson: What Have I Done for Someone Today? ,
October 2009
I have a very simple testimony. I know that
God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that we came to this life
with a purpose and that the greatest joy we will receive will be those acts of
love and service that we do for others. Through this love and service we ourselves grow in strength and testimony and have the blessings of
our Heavenly Father poured out upon ourselves and our families. I have also
found in life that there is none too great to need the help of others. There is
none so great that he can “do it alone.”
Robert D. Hales: We Can’t Do It Alone, October 1975
But I can promise you that the Savior will
draw close to you and bless you and your family with what is best. You will
have the comfort of His love and feel the answer of His drawing closer as you
reach out your arms in giving service to others. As you bind up the wounds of those in need
and offer the cleansing of His Atonement to those who sorrow in sin, the Lord’s
power will sustain you. His arms are outstretched with yours to succor and
bless the children of our Heavenly Father, including those in your family.
Henry B. Eyring: “Come Unto Me,” April 2013
Repentance
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. Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we
speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than
interrupting the celebration, the gift ofrepentance is the cause for true celebration.
D. Todd Christofferson: The Divine Gift of Repentance, October
2011
What does it mean to repent? We begin with a
dictionary’s definition that to repent is “to turn from sin … to feel sorrow
[and] regret.” 13 To repent from sin is not easy. But the prize
is worth the price. Repentance needs to be done one step at a time. Humble prayer will facilitate
each essential step. As prerequisites to forgiveness, there must first be recognition, remorse,
then confession. 14 “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of
his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” 15 Confession is to be made to the person who
has been wronged. Confession should be sincere and not merely an admission of
guilt after proof is evident. If many persons have been offended, confession
should be made to all offended parties. Acts that may affect one’s standing in
the Church or the right to its privileges should be confessed promptly to the
bishop, whom the Lord has called as a common judge in Israel. 16
Russell M. Nelson: Repentance and Conversion, April 2007
Repentance is not optional. An angel commanded Adam to “repent and call upon God
in the name of the Son forevermore.” 2 Each one of us is commanded to both repent
and to call upon God continually throughout life. That pattern allows each day
to be an unspoiled page in the book of life, a new, fresh opportunity. We are
given the rejuvenating privilege of overcoming mistakes of commission or
omission, be they small or profoundly serious. Full repentance results in forgiveness with spiritual renewal. One can feel the cleansing, the purity, the
freshness that accompanies sincere repentance at any time in life.
Richard G. Scott: The Path to Peace and Joy, October 2000
The
Redeemer can settle your individual account with
justice and grantforgiveness through the merciful path of repentance. 5 Full repentance is absolutely essential for the Atonement to work its complete miracle
in your life. By understanding the Atonement, you will see that God is not a
jealous being who delights in persecuting those who misstep. He is an
absolutely perfect, compassionate, understanding, patient, and forgiving
Father. He is willing to entreat, counsel, strengthen, lift, and fortify. He so
loves each of us that He was willing to have His perfect, sinless, absolutely
obedient, totally righteous Son experience indescribable agony and pain and
give Himself in sacrifice for all. 6 Through that atonement we can live in a world
where absolute justice reigns in its sphere so the world will have order. But
that justice is tempered through mercy attainable by obedience to the teachings
of Jesus Christ.
Richard G. Scott: Finding Forgiveness, April 1995
The changes we must make to become part of
the gospel culture require prolonged and sometimes painful effort, and our
differences must be visible. As the “salt of the earth,” we are also the “light
of the world,” and our light must not be hidden (see Matt.
5:13–16). The Apostle John warned that this will
cause the world to hate us (see 1 Jn.
3:13). That is why those who have made the
covenant to change have a sacred duty to love and help one another. That
encouragement must be extended to every soul who struggles to come out of the
culture of the world and into the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The
Apostle John concluded, “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in
deed and in truth” (1 Jn.
3:18).
Dallin H. Oaks: Repentance and Change,
October 2003
True repentance brings us back to doing what is right. To truly repent we must
recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow, and confess those sins to
God. If our sins are serious, we must also confess them to our authorized
priesthood leader. We need to ask God for forgiveness and do all we can to
correct whatever harm our actions may have caused.Repentance means a change of mind and heart—we stop doing things that are wrong,
and we start doing things that are right. It brings us a fresh attitude toward
God, oneself, and life in general.
Dieter F.
Uchtdorf: Point of Safe Return, April 2007
For most, repentance is more a journey than a one-time event. It is not easy. To change is
difficult. It requires running into the wind, swimming upstream. Jesus said,
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and
follow me.” 18 Repentance is turning away from some things, such as dishonesty, pride, anger,
and impure thoughts, and turning toward other things, such as kindness,
unselfishness, patience, and spirituality. It is “re-turning” toward God.
Neil L.
Andersen: “Repent…That I May Heal You,” October 2009
Henry B.
Eyring: Do Not Delay, October 1999
In summary, you can regain peace of
conscience by repenting of personal transgressions that cause you internal
turmoil. Then peace of mind can be secured by resolving the external pressures
that cause you temporary anxiety, worry, and distress. Yet try as you might,
you will not find enduring happiness until, through repentance, you satisfy personally broken law to restore peace to a troubled
conscience.
Richard G.
Scott: Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind, October 2004
My brothers and sisters, there is no canyon
deep enough, no cavern dark enough, President Kimball has told us, to hide from
ourselves if we take the long dark journey. The gospel can protect us from
taking the long, dark journey and through the gospel principle of repentance can restore us even if
we are now at the dark journey’s bitter end.
Robert D. Hales: The Lord Offers Everyone a
Way Back from Sin, October 1976
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