Obedience

 “We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.”

President Boyd K. Packer, “Agency and Control,” Ensign, May 1983, 66. 

Enabling Power Of the Atonement

 “I suspect that many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us—that is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us.”

Elder David A. Bednar, “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality,” Ensign, Apr. 2012, 42. From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on October 23, 2001. 

Change Human Nature

“The purpose of the gospel is . . . so make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature.”

See Franklin D. Richards, in Conference Report, Oct. 1965, 136-37; see also David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1954, 26. 

In the Strength of the Lord

“With faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and obedience to his gospel, a step at a time improving as we go, pleading for strength, improving our attributes and our ambitions, we will find ourselves successfully in the fold of the Good Shepherd. That will require discipline and training and exertion and strength. But as the Apostle Paul said, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Philippians 4:13).”

President Howard W. Hunter (1907-95), “Developing Spirituality,” Ensign, May 1979, 26.

Where Can I Find Hope?

“Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. . . . My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. . . . Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. . . . It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come. . . . Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.”

Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 36, 38. 

The Surest and Sweetest Remedy

“I wish to speak particularly to you who feel your lives are broken, seemingly beyond repair.

“To all such I offer the surest and sweetest remedy that I know. It is found in the clarion call the Savior of the world Himself gave . . . :

“ ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ [Matthew 11:28.]”

Jeffrey R. Holland, "Broken Things to Mend," April 2006 Conference. 

Whether or Not Anyone is Looking

 “Would you watch pornography in front of your mother, your date, your spouse, or your bishop? If it is wrong in the presence of others, it is just as wrong in their absence. The man of integrity who is true to self and to God will choose the right whether or not anyone is looking because he is self-driven, not externally controlled.”

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 55. 

You Forgot To Look Up

Elder Marion D. Hanks (1921-2011) of the Seventy told of the man and his small son who “stopped at an isolated cornfield on a remote country road” and eyed the delicious corn beyond the fence. The father, after looking in front of him, behind him, to the left of him, and to the right of him, “started to climb the fence” to take some ears of corn. His son looked at him and said reproachfully, “Dad, you forgot to look up.”

Marion D. Hanks, in Conference Report, Oct. 1968, 116. 

Integrity Does Not Yield

 “A man or woman of integrity does not yield or succumb merely because it is hard or expensive or inconvenient.”

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 55. 

Desire and Effort to Repent

 “I believe the Lord can live with our weaknesses and mistakes, provided we demonstrate a desire and effort to repent. That is what the Atonement is all about. But I do not believe He can easily tolerate a deceitful heart or a lying tongue.”

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 54. 

Permanent Change of Nature

 “Integrity is not shortsighted—it is not just a temporary change of behavior; it is a permanent change of nature.”

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 53. 

Cheating

 “One of the young women in our ward was taking a test at the local high school. As she looked up, she saw one of her friends cheating. Their eyes made contact. Embarrassed, the friend shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the words “I need the grade.” Somehow this young lady had lost her eternal vision—it is not grades but godhood that is our destination. What good does it do to be accepted to the most prestigious university but forfeit our exaltation in the process? Every time someone cheats, he trades his spiritual birthright for a mess of pottage (see Genesis 25:29-34). In his shortsightedness he has opted for a dollar today rather than infinite wealth in the life to come.”

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 53. 

Foundation of a Christlike Life

 “Integrity is the foundation upon which character and a Christlike life are built. If there are cracks in that foundation, then it will not support the weight of other Christlike attributes that must be built upon it. How can we be humble if we lack the integrity to acknowledge our own weaknesses? How can we develop charity for others if we are not totally honest in our dealings with them? How can we repent and be clean if we only partially disclose the truth to our bishop? At the root of every virtue is integrity?”

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 52. 

Principles of Integrity

1.       Integrity is the foundation of our character and all other virtues.

2.       Integrity is not doing just that which is legal but that which is moral or Christlike.

3.       Integrity makes decision based on eternal implications.

4.       Integrity is disclosing the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

5.       Integrity knows no alibis or excuses.

6.       Integrity is keeping our covenants and our commitments, even in times of inconvenience.

7.       Integrity is not governed by the presence of others. It is internally, not externally driven.

Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 52-55.