Advancements

Ether 4:12 – 13:
“And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.
“Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.

I remember a fireside I went to where the speaker spoke about the Restoration of the Gospel and why it took place when it did. He pointed out something I thought was interesting.. it was that in 1830 the Patent Office in America was closed as they thought that everything had been invented, that was ever going to be. Since then there have been more inventions and advancements than ever before. When the light of the gospel was restored to the earth of the light of Christ burned brighter, and it’s amazing what has happened since then.

It is like that in our life also – we make look at ourselves (or others) and think that we have stopped progressing, or that we aren’t able to achieve miraculous things, but when the light of Christ burns brighter in our live, and we abandon unbelief, the Lord will show us “greater things”. The Saviour will lead us and persuade us, with Him we can become who we really are, and have oodles of joy:)

Faith

Mosiah 8:18
“Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings”

A. Theodore Tuttle:
"The Lord’s ability to help us succeed is limited only by our faith in him."
(Ensign, Nov. 1975)

Our Whole Hearts

By Elder Theodore M. Burton:

"A person’s attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal attributes to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is made right. If your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking will change and your life will change for the better accordingly.

I believe we must become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we become physically as well as mentally more and more like the Lord himself. We must yield our whole hearts to him. What we then do is done not because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to, but because we want to. Neither pressure nor force can be exerted upon us from outside, when what we do is done because it is our own choice and desire. It then makes no difference to us what other men may think, or say, or do. Our hearts being committed wholly to God, what we do is done out of our love for and our trust in him".
(“Conference Excerpts,” New Era, Jan. 1974, 6)

Giving All

"The Lord has seldom required individuals to give all, but it is important for Him to know that we would and could do it, if asked."

—Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, May 1975 -

The Women in Our Lives by President Hinckley

Giving Parental Love

"The giving of love from a parent to a son or daughter must not be dependant on his or her performance. Oftimes those we think deserve our love the least need it the most".
(Elder H Burke Peterson)

Love Reaches

"Love reaches deep into the inner soul, removes barriers, and causes an open spirit to emerge to be receptive to truth, goodness and change".

(Elder James M Paramore)

Get the Venom or Pursue the Creature?

"It is reported that President Brigham Young once said that he who takes offense when no offence was intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense was intended is usually a fool. It was then explained that there are two courses if action to follow when one is bitten by a rattlesnake. One may, in anger, fear, or vengefulness, pursue the creature and kill it. Or he may make full haste to get the venom out of his system. If we pursue the latter course, we will likely survive, but if we attempt to follow the former, we may not be around for long enough to finish what we started".
(Elder Marion D Hanks, "Forgiveness: The Ultimate Form of Love")

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I just really liked that too. I think not forgiving people is ..... stupid (don't know what other word to use here...) and is something that is as a result of selfish pride. The Saviour died so that we would be able to be forgiven, so what right do we have withold forgiveness from another? I am sure this is what is lacking in the majority of marriages/relationships that struggle.

Witholding Love

From Elder Marion D Hanks's talk called "Forgiveness: The Ultimate Form of Love":

"Someone has written: The witholding of love is the negation of the spirit of Christ, the proof that we never knew him, that for us he lived in vain. It means that he suggested nothing in all our thoughts, that he inspired nothing in all our lives, that we were not once near enough to him to be seized with the spell of his compassion for the world". Christ's example and instructions to his friends are clear. He forgave, and he said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you". (Matthew 5:44)

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When I read this it, the part that really struck me is where it says, 'the witholding of love is the ..... proof that we never knew him, that for us he lived in vain'. I think it's sometimes so easy to 'withold' love from people - but it is so important to 'show' love to people, the genuine kind of love which softens peoples hearts, and helps them to see who they are more clearly. It would be a feeling I don't think I could handle to be told at the end of my days that I never really came to know Christ during my life - I can't imagine a worse possible feeling.

Love Cannot be Coaxed

Quoted by President Hinckley in "And the Greatest of These is Love":
"I am one who believes that love, like faith, is a gift of God. I agree with the epxression, "Love cannot be forced, love cannot be coaxed or teased."

(Pearl Buck).

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I've just always felt this way about love - that it is a gift of God, a gift from the Spirit, that it's more spiritual in nature than emotional, social or physical. It's two spirits seeing in the other what heaven sees in them - and that kind of feeling can't be forced or coaxed. What are your thoughts?

The Saviors Love

2 Nephi 26:24:
"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."

Ezra Taft Benson:
"We may never understand nor comprehend in mortality how [Jesus Christ] accomplished what He did, but we must not fail to understand why He did what He did."
(Ensign, November 1983)

Counsel to Youth

I love this talk by Elder Packer, some great counsel for youth, parents of youth and leaders:

Paddling in Circles

Chieko N. Okazaki:
"What happens if you try to paddle a boat using only one oar? You go around and around in circles. If you paddle hard, you go fast. If you paddle slowly, you turn gently. But you still just go around in circles. It’s the same with trying to make study replace faith or trying to exercise faith but without study. We can often find ourselves just going around in circles. I think that the Holy Ghost cannot give us some answers until we are actively seeking knowledge."
(Ensign, Nov. 1994)

"Why?"

James E. Faust:
"Many believe that the transcendent answers to life’s questions lie in the test tube, in the laboratories, in the equations, and in the telescopes. This theocracy of science leaves out the ultimate answer to the overarching question, “Why?” Knowing cause and effect is fascinating but does not explain why we are here, where we came from, and where we are going."
—Ensign, May 2000-

Secrets for a Happy Day

2 Nephi 9:52

"Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice."

Climbing Personal Mountains

Carlos E. Asay:
"God help us all to climb our personal mountains of Moriah and place our all upon the altar..."
(Seven M's of Missionary Service)

Omni 1:26 "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

Apologies

Sorry I have not been posting as much recently, but this last week has been kind of manic, hopefully I will get on top of things and have a minute to breathe tomorrow:). Thanks for still stopping by!

A Family Experience

"Exaltation is an eternal family experience, and it is our mortal family experiences that are best suited to prepare us for it."

—Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 2000-