- A major problem we face in preaching the gospel in this area of the world is the general apathy toward religion, toward things spiritual. Too many are very comfortable with their present lifestyle and feel no need to do more than "eat, drink, and be merry." They are not interested in anything but themselves--here and now.
- The Lord, during His earthly ministry, recognized the need to have a structure in place to build faith in the hearts of the members of His Church and to keep them growing in His Gospel.
- "When we undertake to cover our sins, ... behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."
- When persons entertain evil thoughts long enough for the Spirit to withdraw, they lose their spiritual protection and they are subject to the power and direction of the evil one.
- But the good news is that no one needs to follow the evil, downward descent to torment. Everyone caught on that terrible escalator has the key to reverse his course. He can escape. Through repentance he can be clean.
- First, acknowledge the evil. Don't defend it or try to justify yourself.
- Second, seek the help of the Lord and His servants.
- Third, do all that you can to avoid pornography.
- Don't accommodate any degree of temptation. Prevent sin and avoid having to deal with its inevitable destruction. So, turn it off! Look away! Avoid it at all costs. Direct your thoughts in wholesome paths.
- Finally, do not patronize pornography.
- The Lord dint' say, "Tend my sheep when it is convenient; watch my sheep when you aren't busy." He said, "Feed my sheep and my lambs; help them survive his world; keep them close to you. Lead them to safety--the safety of righteous choices that will prepare them for eternal life."
- Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality. God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships--in how you treat others. Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives? Isn't the measure of the level of your conversion how you treat others? That person who does only those things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the gospel and exalted life are all about.
- The Savior said, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." As iniquity increases, true love disappears. As a result, fear, insecurity, and despair grow!
- Trials are opportunities for our growth. The Lord said, "My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom."
- To the Prophet Joseph Smith: "Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
- "In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me."
- "The Lord knows and loves the elderly among His people. It has always been so, and upon them He has bestowed many of His greatest responsibilities. In various dispensations He has guided His people through prophets who were in their advancing years. He has needed the wisdom and experience of age, the inspired direction from those with long years of proven faithfulness to His gospel."
- "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
- The tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord's timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.
- Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord's timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings.
- We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord's tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
- To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen.
- "Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
- "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men."
- I believe the implication of these verses is quite straightforward. God doe snot have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit "the chosen" to a restricted few. Rather it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God's chosen.
- "Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength."
- "The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works."
- Our membership in this Church, with eligibility for all of the blessings that flow therefrom, should never be any cause for self-righteousness, for arrogance, for denigration of others, for looking down upon others. All mankind is our neighbor.
- Wherever we may live we can be friendly neighbors. Our children can mingle with the children of those not of this Church and remain steadfast if they are properly taught. They can even become missionaries to their associates.
Susan W. Tanner -Glad Tidings from Cumorah
- Repetition ingrains gospel principles in our minds and hearts.
- I realize that many of us also at times feel without friends and alone in a wicked world. Some of us feel we have not "whither to go" as we face our trials. But you and I can not only survive but prevail, as did Moroni, in our efforts to stand for truth in perilous times.
- "The leaders in those ages past, were able to keep going, ... not because they knew that they would succeed but because they knew that you would."
- The day of miracle is not over, and the marvelous work is still going on.
- You may not have heard the Lord call you by name, but He knows each one of you and He knows your name.
- God has known you individually ... for a long long time. He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars; He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys!
- "No one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. ... He loves each of us--insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. ... He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other."
- "But undaunted, still he trusted / In his Heav'nly Father's care." To be undaunted means unshaken in purpose, resolutely courageous. Joseph described himself as a "disturber" of the adversary's kingdom. He said, "It seems as though the adversary was aware ... that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom." I have written in the margin of my scriptures, "Be a disturber!" Trust in your Heavenly Father's care.
- "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
- First, you have a heritage; honor it.
- "They do not love that do not show their love."
- Be honest with your mother and your father. One reflection of such honesty with parents is to communicate with them. Avoid the silent treatment. The clock ticks more loudly, its hands move more slowly when the night is dark, the hour is late, and a precious daughter has not yet come home. If you are detained, make a telephone call: "Mom, Dad, we're OK. Just stopped for something to eat. Don't worry; we're fine. Be home soon."
- Next in our code of conduct: You will meet temptation; withstand it.
- "Wickedness never was happiness."
- "Choose your friends with caution." We tend to become like those whom we admire, and they are usually our friends. We should associate with those who, like us, are planning not for temporary convenience, shallow goals, or narrow ambition--but rather with those who value the things that matter most, even eternal objectives.
- Every Cinderella has her midnight--it's called Judgment Day.
- Next in our code of conduct: You know the truth; live it.
- Remember, faith and doubt cannot exist in the mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Cast out doubt. Cultivate faith. Strive always to retain that childlike faith which can move mountains and bring heaven closer to heart and home.
- Finally, you possess a testimony; share it.
- Never underestimate the far-reaching influence of your testimony. You can strengthen one another; you have the capacity to notice the unnoticed. When you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel, you can reach out and rescue others of your age.
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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