Gospel Thoughts

I thought I'd share with you today a few of my favorite quotes from General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

"To you who are worthy and able to attend the temple, I would admonish you to go often. The temple is a place where we can find peace. There we receive a renewed dedication to the gospel and a strengthened resolve to keep the commandments."

-President Thomas S. Monson

Manti Utah Temple

"When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked. When we have been weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks; and, therefore, let us continue, but with a more determined discipleship. When we feel overwhelmed, let us recall the assurance that God will not overprogram us; he will not press upon us more than we can bear."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"I seldom use the word absolutely. It seldom fits. I use it now—twice:

"Because of the Fall, the Atonement was absolutely essential for resurrection to proceed and overcome mortal death. The Atonement was absolutely essential for men to cleanse themselves from sin and overcome the second death, spiritual death, which is separation from our Father in Heaven, for the scriptures tell us … that no unclean thing may enter the presence of God."

-President Boyd K. Packer

“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”
-Joseph Smith

"Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy. We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities."

-Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Scripture Saturday — 2 Nephi 9:23

"And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 9:23)

Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. He took upon Himself all of our pains and afflictions.

So how can we expect to go through life without enduring some miniscule measure of the pain He suffered? How can we expect to be saved simply by saying we believe in Him? 

We are repeatedly commanded in the scriptures to have faith. Faith is a principle of action. Belief alone is not enough. We learn this principle in James 2:17-18—

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." 

The way to return to live with our Father in Heaven is clear. My purpose as a missionary focuses on showing others that way. I invite others to come unto Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. These principles and ordinances are necessary for our salvation.

We demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ by obeying commandments and serving Him, just was we would demonstrate love for a child or spouse by serving them.

How can we develop 'perfect faith' in Jesus Christ?

A Lesson in Adversity

Sometimes life is tough. Adversity is all around us. We each experience a variety of physical and emotional pain. It seems the longer we go through life, the more we have to endure.


How can we find joy in the midst of life's treacherous storms?

So why are some people so happy? Cynics would say that happy people just have it easy; that they can't comprehend the suffering around them.
They're wrong. Chances are the happiest people you know have been through trials you can't even imagine.

So, again, why are they so happy?

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that suffering, coupled with a positive attitude, brings a more fulfilling sense of joy—

"Righteous sorrow and suffering carve cavities in the soul that will become later reservoirs of joy."

It may not be easy to find joy while you are suffering, but you can trust in the promise that those trials will bring joy later on, if you let them. Even our most difficult burdens can work for our good when we trust in the Lord and allow Him to help us. Indeed, suffering makes us capable of experiencing greater joy.

This concept is taught beautifully in the poem "A Lesson in Adversity" by Lisa South—

Traveling by bus,

those around me slumbered,

yet sleep eluded me.

I thought how fortunate

my companions were,

oblivious to the aches and pains.

They missed the tedious hours.

They missed the pouring rain.

I envied them so—

until they missed the rainbow.

 

"I envied them so—until they missed the rainbow."

 

Attitude of Gratitude

In this age of instant gratification, it's easy to forget that we are blessed. Instead of being content with what we have, we often seem to be wanting more. Instead of looking for opportunities to serve others, we often selfishly ask "What's in it for me?"

Do we remember to express gratitude to God, who has given us everything?

We ought to be grateful for what we have. President Thomas S. Monson admonished us to have an "attitude of gratitude"—

"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude."

And President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) said:

“When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

I'm grateful for many things, but most especially for my wonderful family and friends. They've shaped me into who I am. They've blessed my life tremendously.

I'm grateful for music. Beautiful music has had a profound influence on my life. I feel closer to God when I listen to uplifting music.

I'm grateful for a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and for the Book of Mormon and Holy Bible.

And I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered for my sins and provided for me a way to return to live with my Father in Heaven.

What are you grateful for?

Spiritual Noise

Middle Tennessee is swarming with cicadas. If you've never heard a cicada, you won't be able to comprehend how annoying they are. If you have, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Cicada

This particular variety of cicada comes out of the ground only once every 13 years. Naturally, I happened upon Tennessee while the things are actively flying around, making noise and getting in your face. They won't be around again until 2024, so I suppose I should relish in the experience.

As I was walking along the streets of Franklin yesterday, I thought about how harmless a single cicada is. Sure, it may be ugly, but it can't hurt you and doesn't even make a whole lot of noise on its own. If you grab its wings, it can't even fly around.

In this sense, a cicada is comparable to a distraction—a text message from a friend, a Facebook game like Farmville, or the hit new Katy Perry single, for example.

By itself, one distraction doesn't damage our spiritual sensitivity much. While it may be ugly, such a distraction doesn't make a whole lot of 'noise' on its own.


Like cicadas, spiritual distractions
are ugly and noisy

But like cicadas, spiritual distractions most often come in groups—perhaps by the tens of thousands. Instead of one text, it's several hundred in a day; instead of five minutes on Farmville, it's five hours; instead of one listen to the hit new single, it's filling every spare moment of the day with degrading lyrics.

How can one find time for prayer and scripture study when the noise around them is truly deafening? How can you feel promptings from the Holy Ghost when the cell phone is constantly vibrating, the iPod constantly playing, and the television constantly blaring?

Prolonged exposure to worldly noise dulls spiritual senses. If media is interfering with your ability to feel the spirit, it's time to turn it off. Wholesome entertainment is desirable, but it shouldn't be our priority; the gospel of Jesus Christ should be. In fact, it must be. Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated:

“If you haven’t chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will make no difference in the end what you have chosen instead.” 

Unfortunately, there's not much I can do to rid Tennessee of its cicada problem. But we can each make a more determined effort to eliminate 'spiritual noise' from our lives. How do we do this? I offer three suggestions:

1) Pray daily. Ask God for help to resist temptation. Fill your day with uplifting activities and look for ways to serve others.

2) Study the scriptures daily. Study from the Book of Mormon for 15 minutes or more each day. Apply what you learn.

3) Attend the temple regularly. If you cannot yet attend the temple, prepare for the day when you will. President Ezra Taft Benson promised that attending the temple will bring peace and clarity into our lives:

"Temples are places of personal revelation. When I have been weighed down by a problem or a difficulty, I have gone to the House of the Lord with a prayer in my heart for answers. The answers have come in clear and unmistakable ways."