Henry B. Eyring -The Sustaining of Church Officers
Robert D. Hales -Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life
- We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and "to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon." Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions.
- Know this, that ev'ry soul is free To choose his life and what he'll be; For this eternal truth is giv'n: That God will force no man to heav'n.
- Those who followed Satan lost the opportunity to receive a mortal body, live on earth, and progress. Because of the way they used their agency, they lost their agency.
- Today the only power Satan and his followers have is the power to tempt and try us. Their only joy is to make us "miserable like unto [themselves]." Their only happiness comes when we are disobedient to the Lord's commandments.
- Whenever we disobey, we spiritually paint ourselves into a corner and are captive to our choices. Though we are spiritually stuck, there is always a way back. Like repentance, turning around and walking across a newly varnished floor means more work--a lot of resanding and refinishing! Returning to the Lord isn't easy, but it is worth it.
- When we follow the prophets' counsel to hold family home evening, family prayer, and family scripture study, our homes become an incubator for our children's spiritual growth. There we teach them the gospel, bear our testimonies, express our love, and listen as they share their feelings and experiences. By our righteous choices and actions, we liberate them from darkness by increasing their ability to walk in the light.
Quentin L. Cook -Let There Be Light!
- Freedom and light have never been easy to attain or maintain.
- The level of decadence is accelerating. If we do not black out evil from our homes and lives, do not be surprised if devastating moral explosions shatter the peace which is the reward for righteous living. Our responsibility is to be in the world but not of the world.
- If we make of our homes holy places that shelter us from evil, we will be protected from the adverse consequences that the scriptures have foretold.
- Religious faith is a store of light, knowledge, and wisdom and benefits society in a dramatic way when adherents engage in moral conduct because they feel accountable to God.
- "An honest man's the noblest work of God."
Richard C. Edgley -Faith--the Choice Is Yours
- When our sacred doctrine and beliefs are challenged, this is our opportunity to become acquainted with God in a most private and intimate manner. This is our opportunity to choose.
- 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.
- I say, choose faith. Choose faith over doubt; choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.
- Faith is a choice, and it must be sought after and developed. Thus, we are responsible for our own faith. We are also responsible for our lack of faith. The choice is yours.
- While I don't know everything, I know the important.
Kevin R. Duncan -Our Very Survival
- "There is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred."
- This world is full of so many self-help books, so many self-proclaimed experts, so many theorists, educators, and philosophers who have advice and counsel to give on any and all subjects. With technology today, information on a myriad of subjects is available with the click of a keystroke. It is easy to get caught in the trap of looking to the "arm of flesh" for advice on everything from how to raise children to how to find happiness. While some information has merit, as members of the Church we have access to the source of pure truth, even God Himself. We would do well to search out answers to our problems and questions by investigating what the Lord has revealed through His prophets.
Gerrit W. Gong
- Sometimes things go wrong even though we have one our very best. A Lamb innocent and pure, our Savior weeps with and for us. When we always remember Him, He can stand with us "at all times an din all things, and in all places that [we] may be in." His "faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death." In drawing us to Him, our Savior also draws us to our Father in Heaven. While some things are imperfect on earth, we can trust our Heavenly Father to complete "redemption's grand design, where justice, love, and mercy meet in harmony divine!"
Neil L. Andersen -Never Leave Him
- No one of us is immune from the influence of the world. The Lord's counsel keep us on guard.
- Offense comes in many costumes and continually finds its way onstage. People wee believe in disappoint us. We have unanticipated difficulties. Our life doesn't turn out exactly the way we were expecting. We make mistakes, feel unworthy, and worry about being forgiven. We wonder about a doctrinal issue. We learn of something spoken from a Church pulpit 150 years ago that bothers us. Our children are treated unfairly. We are ignored or underappreciated. It could be a hundred things, each very real to us at the time.
- In our weakened moments, the adversary seeks to steal our spiritual promises. If we are not watchful, our injured, childlike spirit will retreat back into the cold, dark crust of our former bloated ego, leaving behind the warm, healing light of the Savior.
- "Whatever his personal weaknesses, he had the strength of character to [renew] his loyalty to the [Lord,] the Prophet and ... to the Church, when it would have been so easy to have disintegrated in bitterness."
- As disciples of Christ, we stand apart from the world. There may be times we feel uncomfortable as the fingers of scorn mock and dismiss what is sacred to us. President Thomas S. Monson warned, "Unless the roots of your testimony are firmly planted, it will be difficult for you to withstand the ridicule of those who challenge your faith." Nephi said, "[Heed] them not." Paul admonished, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; ... Be not ... ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. We never leave Him.
- I promise you, as you choose not to be offended or ashamed, you will feel His love and approval.
Richard G. Scott -The Transforming Power of Faith and Character
- 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.
- "Wherever in life great spiritual values await man's appropriation, only faith can appropriate them. Man cannot live without faith, because in life's adventure the central problem is character-building--which is not a product of logic, but of faith in ideals and sacrificial devotion to them."
- We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. Righteous character is a precious manifestation of what you are becoming. Righteous character is more valuable than any material object you own, any knowledge you have gained through study, or any goals you have attained no matter how well lauded by mankind. In the next life your righteous character will be evaluated to assess how well you used the privilege of mortality.
- Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. Such choices are made with trust in things that are believed and when acted upon are confirmed.
- Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow.
- The bedrock of character is integrity. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to recognize the direction of the Spirit and to be obedient to it. Your consistent exercise of faith builds strong character. A secure foundation for your growing character is laid by making Jesus Christ and His teachings the center of your life.
- Your happiness on earth as well as your eternal salvation require many correct decisions, none of which is difficult to make. Together those decisions forge a character resistant to the eroding influences of sin and transgression. Noble character is like a treasured porcelain made of select raw materials, formed with faith, carefully crafted by consistent righteous acts, and fired in the furnace of uplifting experience. It is an object of great beauty and priceless worth. Yet it can be damaged in a moment through transgression, requiring painful, prolonged effort to be rebuilt. When protected by self-control, righteous character will endure for eternity.
- It is nobility of character, that fabric of inner strength and conviction woven from countless righteous decisions, that gives life its direction. A consistent, righteous life produces an inner power and strength that can be permanently resistant to the eroding influence of sin and transgression.
- You become what you do and what you think about.
- You cannot successfully bolster a weak character with the cloak of pretense.
- If you have determined to live righteously, don't become discouraged. Life may seem difficult now, but hold on tightly to that iron rod of truth. You are making better progress than you realize. Your struggles are defining character, discipline, and confidence in the promises of your Father in Heaven and the Savior as you consistently obey Their commandments.
Russell M. Nelson -Be Thou an Example of the Believers
- Each member can be an example of the believers. Brethren, as followers of Jesus Christ, each of you can life in accord with His teachings. You can have "a pure heart and clean hands"; you can have "the image of God engraven upon your [countenance]." Your good works will be evident to others. The light of the Lord can beam from your eyes. With that radiance, you had better prepare for questions. The Apostle Peter so counseled, "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you."
- As a member of the Church, reach out to those you do not know and greet them warmly. Each Sunday extend a hand of fellowship to at least one person you did not know before. Each day of your life, strive to enlarge your own circle of friendship.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves!
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Happy Independence Day!!
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