LDS Charities: Peter's Roof

They Gave Up Their Christmas

LDS Charities: Mayerlinth's Mobility

LDS Charities: The Boys' Home

Rob & Tracie Morris - Former Super Bowl Champion, Parents of 5 and Mormons

You Will Be Freed

Agency: Choosing Between Good and Evil

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

"In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

"But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

"I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

"That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

I just want to share my testimony with you real quick, it has been a while since I have done this.

I have learned a whole lot in the past several months and have gained more of a surety that our Heavenly Father is there and he is watching over us. He loves and cares deeply for each and every one of His children and wishes for us to be happy and receive every eternal blessing. If we do our part to try our very best to do what is right, He will bless us and we will receive that great gift of his that he has planned for us. All I want is to return home to Him and I want to see how proud and happy he is of me for the things that I have done. I will do anything and everything I can to return to Him and gain my Salvation. He is my everything. One day, when I see him again, I wish for him to say, "Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth." (Alma 5:16). I hope for him to be proud and to have a smile on His face for the things that I have accomplished on this earth, which is why I want to do everything I can in this life to have my will be His and do what is right.

I am so very grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for what He sacrificed for me and for the world. He is my Redeemer, and I can't wait for that day to come for when I'll be able to thank Him for what he has done for me.

I do know that by earnestly praying to our Heavenly Father each day, and studying and pondering the scriptures, we may be blessed and we may receive guidance in our lives and comfort. Make your will His, and He will direct you in this life. I promise you that as long as you do these things, and are obedient to His laws, you may live a happy life, no matter the struggles you may be having. You will be blessed. You will receive comfort and peace. He is there and will always be there for you.

"Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (D&C 4:7).

"Choose to be Good" (Part Three)

"To Draw Closer to God"

by Henry B. Eyring

"'We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.' (Romans 8:28.)'"
"A choice to be good--even with the trials that come--will allow the Atonement to change your heart."
"'Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.' (Mosiah 5:2)"
"'Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.' (Moroni 7:47-48.)"
"You can make the choice to be good early. You can use the Savior as your standard for goodness. And you can stay with it...'Attaining a righteous and virtuous life is within the capability of any one of us if we will earnestly seek for it. If we do not have these character traits, the Lord has told us that we should 'ask, and ye shall receive, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.'' (President Benson, D&C 4:7.)"
"God will bless us to be like His Son when we make an earnest effort."

"Choose to be Good" (Part Two)

"To Draw Closer to God"

by Henry B. Eyring

"How much better to choose to be good and to do it early, a long way upstream from the terrible effects of sin.

"People who postpone repentance may run out of time. They will find more misery in more sin, not the happiness they hope for but can't find.

"'But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.' (Helaman 13:38.)"

"'And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.' (2 Nephi 2:21.)"

"The best guides, the safest source of standards, have always been the people called by God to lead [us].

"The only safe standard to guide our choice to be good is God. Those who can speak for him, under authority, are holding up the true standard of goodness."

"God asks only that we approach him humbly, as a child...A child can enter the kingdom of heaven..'For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his faith.' (Mosiah 3:19)."

"'..The Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.' (Moroni 7:15-16)."

"Read the scriptures to try to feel what the Savior feels."

"As I try to feel what he felt, I've tried to do another thing, both as I read and in prayer: I've tried to know what he would do if he had my opportunities..try asking today, 'What is there that you would have me do?' That prayer will be answered if you are sincere and if you listen like a little child, with real intent to act."

"Choose to be Good" (Part One)

"To Draw Closer to God"

by Henry B. Eyring

"..the Prophet Joseph Smith was accurately describing God and sin with these words:

"'And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

"'For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father--

"'That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

"'And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

"'And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him--he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. (D&C 76:22-26.)'

"...verse 29: 'Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.'

"God, with all his power and with all his love, cannot take us home to live with him again if we are unclean. You, and I, and all of our Father's children will someday know that being with God is being home--and that everywhere else, however beautiful it may be, will be a place where you long for home.

"'Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. (1 Nephi 15:33-34.)'

"'To every forgiveness there is a condition. The plaster must be as wide as the sore. The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and contrite spirit. There must be 'sackcloth and ashes.' There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord. There must be restitution and a confirmed determined change of pace, direction and destination. Conditions must be controlled and companionship corrected or changed. There must be a washing of robes to get them white and there must be a new consecration and devotion to the living of all the laws of God. In short, there must be an overcoming of self, of sin, and of the world. (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.353.) (President Spencer W. Kimball).'"

Matthew 6:5-15

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

"Give us this day our daily bread.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Enos 1:1-17

"Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

"Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

"And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

"And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

"And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

"And I said: Lord, how is it done?

"And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

"Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.

"And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.

"And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

"And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

"And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—

"For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers.

"Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

"And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

"And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest."

Prayer

"Make our prayers meaningful. The prophet Mormon warned that if anyone “shall pray and not with real intent of heart . . . it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such” (Moroni 7:9). To make our prayers meaningful, we must pray with sincerity and “with all the energy of heart” (Moroni 7:48). We must be careful to avoid “vain repetitions” when we pray (see Matthew 6:7)."

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

-James 1:5-6

"And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

"And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."

-Mosiah 4:11-12

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

-3 Nephi 13:6-7

"Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

"For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

-3 Nephi 14:7-8

"Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof."

-Doctrine and Covenants 19:38

"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

"Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;

"And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation."

-Doctrine and Covenants 88:63-65

"Seek Heavenly Father's guidance and strength in all we do. Alma counseled his son Helaman: 'Cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day' (Alma 37:36-37; see also Alma 34:17-26)."

"Prayer is two-way communication. As we close our prayers, we should take time to pause and listen. At times, Heavenly Father will counsel, guide, or comfort us while we are on our knees."

"We should never give in to the idea that we are not worthy to pray. This idea comes from Satan, who wants to convince us that we must not pray (see 2 Nephi 32:8). If we do not feel like praying, we should pray until we do feel like praying."

"The Savior has commanded, 'Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work' (D&C 10:5). Although we cannot be continuously on our knees, always offering a personal, private prayer, we can let our hearts be 'full, drawn out in prayer unto [God] continually' (Alma 34:27; see also 3 Nephi 20:1). Throughout each day, we can maintain a constant feeling of love for our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. We can silently express gratitude to our Father and ask Him to strengthen us in our responsibilities. In times of temptation or physical danger, we can silently ask for His help."

“Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed”

-3 Nephi 18:21

"Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He may not always answer as we expect, but He does answer—in His own time and according to His will. Because He knows what is best for us, He may sometimes answer no, even when our petitions are sincere."

"Answers to prayer come in many ways. They often come through the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. They may come in the circumstances of our lives or through the kind acts of those around us. As we continue to draw near to our Heavenly Father through prayer, we will recognize more readily His merciful and wise answers to our pleadings. We will find that He is our 'refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble' (Psalm 46:1)."

The Atonement

“If we were to let our thoughts be drawn out toward the heavens enough to transcend, even temporarily, the strains and limitations of daily life, we would be likely to hear the promptings of him who overcame all things, assuring us that the promise is true: He will, as an act of mercy, cause the circumstances of our lives to be for our ultimate blessing, if only we love him with all our hearts”
-Bruce C. Hafen

 “It was for our sake that perfectly remarkable Jesus was perfectly consecrated. Jesus let His own will be totally ‘swallowed up in the will of the Father.’ If you and I would come unto Jesus, we must likewise yield to God, holding nothing back. Then other soaring promises await!”
-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

-Alma 7:11-12

For the whole talk, go here.

Come to the House of the Lord

"Come to the temples worthily and regularly. Not only do you bless those who are deceased, but you may freely partake of the promised personal revelation that may bless your life with power, knowledge, light, beauty, and truth from on high, which will guide you and your posterity to eternal life. What person would not want these blessings, as expressed by the Prophet Joseph Smith at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. He said: 'We ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them.' (D&C 109:22.)"

"Come to the House of the Lord" by David B. Haight

"If we are married, be faithful to our spouse in our thoughts, words, and actions. The Lord has said: 'Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else. And he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her shall deny the faith, and shall not have the Spirit; and if he repents not he shall be cast out' (D&C 42:22-23). We should never flirt in any way. As much as possible, we should avoid being alone with anyone of the opposite sex and ask ourselves if our spouse would be pleased if he or she knew of our words or actions. We should remember the Apostle Paul's counsel to 'abstain from all appearance of evil' (1 Thessalonians 5:22). When we stay away from such circumstances, temptation gets no chance to develop."
(Chastity-lds.org)

These words are inscribed at the Canadian Alberta Temple, written by Orson F. Whitney:

Hearts must be pure to come within these walls,

Where spreads a feast unknown to festive halls.

Freely partake, for freely God hath given,

And taste the holy joys that tell of heaven.

Here learn of Him who triumphed o’er the grave,

And unto men the keys, the kingdom gave;

Joined here by powers that past and present bind

The living and the dead perfection find.

“To some it may seem old-fashioned to speak of virtue and chastity, honesty, morality, faith, character, but these are the qualities which have built great men and women and point the way by which one may find happiness. … These are the qualities which are the anchors to our lives”
~President Harold B. Lee

“‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ … The violator of this commandment suffers a loss second only to the loss suffered by him who kills. With the loss of the Spirit of the Lord, which always accompanies adultery, comes a diminution of the power to choose between right and wrong. Lying, loss of self-respect, and disloyalty are bosom companions of adultery. If we are seriously interested in being successful in any endeavor, we shall avoid every type of immorality as we would avoid the plague”
~President Marion G. Romney 

Doctrine and Covenants 10: 46-52

"And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people.

"And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers;

"Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.

"Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;

"And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;

"Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be.

"And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up."

LDS.ORG

Mormon.org

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

"Jesus warned us that evildoers hate light that illuminates their iniquity. Some foolishly think that if they merely cover their eyes, they can cover their sins."

Joseph Fielding Smith:

"I believe the Lord meant just what he said that we should be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.  That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God.

"But here we lay the foundation.  Here is where we are taught these simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this probationary state, to prepare us for that perfection.  It is our duty to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. ...If we are keeping the commandments of the Lord, we are on that road to perfection."

Institute February 24th, 2011

• Doctrine and Covenants 58: 27-28 "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."
• Make sure you 'walk the walk', not just 'talk the talk.'
• Moroni 10:32 "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."
• Alma 3:26 "And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one."
• OBEDIENCE!! is the key to everything...
• Doctrine and Covenants 76: 81-94, 98-106 
• Revelations 7:9-10 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."
• Two things that can help you get to the Celestial Kingdom:
• Marry the right person at the right time, at the right place
• Keep those covenants that you made in the temple

• Corinthians 15:40-42 "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption."
• Doctrine and Covenants 137: 7-10 "Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven." 
• Doctrine and Covenants 76: 71-80
• Valiant =  Courageous and Bold
• Doctrine and Covenants 76: 50-70 -- the Celestial Kingdom
• Doctrine and Covenants 130: 20-21 "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing to that law upon which it is predicated from God, it is by obedience."
• True happiness is found when progressing in life

Institute on March 3rd, 2011

1. What's wrong with being GOOD? --nothing.
2. Is there power in being GOOD? Why or why not? --Yes, the more obedient or "good" you are, the more the Lord will bless you with the Spirit. The Spirit is power.

OBEDIENCE = BLESSINGS = HAPPY :)

• D&C 93:6 "And John saw and bore record of the fullness of my glory, and the fullness of John’s record is hereafter to be revealed."
• D&C 130: 20-21 "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated--And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."
• D&C 89: 18-21 "And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen." and great treasures
• D&C 130:19 "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." 

Forgiveness

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you:

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

~Matthew 6:14-15

“Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”

~D&C 58:42

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"
~Matthew 11:28-30

"Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me"

~3 Nephi 9:13-14

"In addition to seeking forgiveness for our own sins, we must be willing to forgive others. The Lord said: 'Ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men' (D&C 64:9-10)."

"The Savior counseled, 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you' (Matthew 5:44). He set the perfect example of forgiveness when He was on the cross. Referring to the Roman soldiers who had crucified Him, He prayed, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34)."

"We should pray for strength to forgive those who have wronged us, and we should abandon feelings of anger, bitterness, or revenge. We should also look for the good in others rather than focusing on their faults and magnifying their weaknesses. God will be the judge of others' harmful actions."

(This information was given through LDS.org)

“Do not be misled by Satan’s lies. There is no lasting happiness in immorality. There is no joy to be found in breaking the law of chastity. Just the opposite is true. There may be momentary pleasure. For a time it may seem like everything is wonderful. But quickly the relationship will sour. Guilt and shame set in. We become fearful that our sins will be discovered. We must sneak and hide, lie and cheat. Love begins to die. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and even hate begin to grow. All of these are the natural results of sin and transgression.
“On the other hand, when we obey the law of chastity and keep ourselves morally clean, we will experience the blessings of increased love and peace, greater trust and respect for our marital partners, deeper commitment to each other, and, therefore, a deep and significant sense of joy and happiness”
~President Ezra Taft Benson

Faith, baptism and more

"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."

~Doctrine and Covenants 19:23

How can we strengthen our faith in Christ?

-We need to study the scriptures and learn of Him. By reading the scriptures and praying to our Heavenly Father, we may grow closer to Him and to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

-We need to also listen for the Spirit in our lives which will also help us strengthen our faith in Him.

-Following His teachings will also strengthen our faith and the Heavenly Father will bless us for our actions.

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

~John 17:3

"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."

~Doctrine and Covenants 88:118

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."

~Alma 32:27

Optimism is a sign of faith

"Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not."

~Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 

 Why is it essential to be baptized in the Church?

-It is essential for Salvation

Qualifications for baptism:

-To believe

He leads us to do good.

What is repentance?

Notes from Sunday School 2009 (date unknown)

• What is repentance?
• It is a change of heart, recognizing what you did was wrong
• Change is to turn away from evil and looking to God
• Based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

• Look forward, not backwards
• What are consequences for not repenting?
• The Spirit won't be with you
• You won't receive blessings from Heavenly Father
• Increase in sin
• Sorrow and sadness
• Guilt

• Why is it difficult for people to forgive themselves?
• People forget the plan of mercy

• What happens if you don't fully forgive yourself?
• Then you didn't fully repent

• 2 Nephi 4:19
• We should always be repenting

D&C 68:6

"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."

LDS.ORG

Thanks Wyndham

John 3:5

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

"Apostles and Prophets have been set in the church for the purpose of teaching and identifying true doctrine, lest men be 'tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.' (Eph. 4: 11-14). If a church has no prophets and apostles, then it has no way of knowing whether it's doctrines are true or false. 'Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.' (2 John 9)

"The Lord planned to remove blindness and apostasy through the restoration of the Gospel."

Cherubim and the Flaming Sword

 I just love what Alma said to Antionah..anyway, I just thought this was cool. Enjoy!
"What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed ^acherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of ^bEden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? And thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever.

"Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did ^afall by the partaking of the forbidden ^bfruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a ^clost and fallen people.

"And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have ^apartaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: ^bIf thou eat thou shalt surely die.

"And we see that ^adeath comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto ^bman in which he might repent; therefore this life became a ^cprobationary state; a time to ^dprepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

"Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no ^aresurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of ^bredemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

"And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the ^atree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the ^bplan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.

"But behold, it was not so; but it was ^aappointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to ^bjudgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end.

"And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;

"Therefore he sent ^aangels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.

'"And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God ^aconversed with men, and made known unto them the ^bplan of redemption, which had been prepared from the ^cfoundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their ^dholy works.

"Wherefore, he gave ^acommandments unto men, they having first transgressed the ^bfirst^cknowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to ^dact, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good— commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, 

"Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made ^aknown unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second ^bdeath, which was an everlasting ^cdeath as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of ^djustice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme ^egoodness of God. 

"But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the ^aplan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will ^brepent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;

"Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on ^amercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a ^bremission of his sins; and these shall enter into my ^crest.

"And whosoever will harden his heart and will do ^ainiquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.

"And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity ^aprovoketh him that he sendeth down his ^bwrath upon you as in the ^cfirst^ddestruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first. provocation, yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting.

"And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we ^aprovoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the ^brest of God, which is prepared according to his word."

(Alma 12:21-37)

Some notes from Institute. . .

• To be "damned" is to be stopped or held back from blessings we might have received if we had obeyed God's commandments.
• When we sin, we prevent our own progress. Our Heavenly Father wants to bless us. However, because he is just, he will reward us only when we obey his commandments. (see D&C 82:10)
• God loves all his children and will give them the greatest reward that they have prepared for through their obedience and their faith in Jesus Christ.
• We are agents unto ourselves (see D&C 58: 27-28). This means that we are responsible for the choices we make. We will be judged by our thoughts and actions.
• "Each of you will be judged according to your individual works and the desires of your hearts. ...Your eventual placement in the celestial, terrestrial, or telestial kingdom will not be determined by chance. The Lord has prescribed unchanging requirements for each. You can know what the scriptures teach and pattern your lives accordingly."

• A great multitude of Heavenly Father's children will dwell in the celestial kingdom
• Revelation 7:9-10

• We must do more than just say we believe in Jesus Christ; we must follow him. All people, regardless of their level of righteousness, will be saved from death because of the Resurrection of Christ. However, in order to attain the highest degree of glory in the resurrection, we need to "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him" (Moroni 10:32). We come unto Christ by having faith in him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, receiving other saving priesthood ordinances, obeying the commandments, and keeping the covenants we make with our Heavenly Father. How we live does make a difference.
• Alma 3:26

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

"Living water [are] the words of eternal life, the message of salvation, the truths about God and his kingdom; [They are] the doctrines of the gospel. Those who thirst are invited to come unto Christ and drink. Where there are prophets of God, there will be found rivers of living water, wells filled with eternal truths, springs bubbling forth their life-giving draughts that save from spiritual death."

Robert J. Matthews:

"Sitting at a well where people came to draw water and utilizing this setting to make a comparison between earthly water and the 'living water,' Jesus taught the woman that he was the Messiah. He said that if someone drank the water drawn from the well, that person would thirst again; but a person who drank the water He had to give would never thirst again. The woman doubted he could provide such water, because he had neither rope nor bucket and the well was deep. She also asked him if he thought he was greater than Jacob himself, who gave them the well. The whole episode compares secular things to spiritual. The woman was egrossed in the worldly things-the flesh, the natural water, the rope, the bucket. She could hardly grasp the idea of the 'living water,' and even when she began to believe, her response was that she would like some of that special kind of water so that she would never have to come again to the well to draw. She was still thinking in physical terms. It took some time before she could appreciate that the 'living water' Jesus could give would be like a flowing well 'springing up unto everlasting life'."

Elder Charles A. Callis:

"The power to suffer and the will to sacrifice is always encased in great love, and surely only God could have suffered as he did in sending his Only Begotten Son into the world to be slain for the sins of the world.

"The Lord Jesus Christ suffered so much, that he, the greatest of all, even God, sweat great drops of blood, that men might not suffer if they would repent. If the Savior had not come into the world and endured the suffering of death there would have been no redemption for mankind."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

"We are born again when we die as pertaining to unrighteousness and when we live as pertaining to the things of the Spirit. But that doesn't happen in an instant, suddenly. That...is a process. Being born again is a gradual thing, except in a few isolated instances that are so miraculous that they get written up in the scriptures. As far as the generality of the members of the Church are concerned, we are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments."

Latter-Day Saint Temples

Temples

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