Disobedient Children

 “We should be considerate of those worthy, righteous parents who struggle and suffer with disobedient children.”

President James E. Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Ensign, June 2013, 20. 

Loving But Firm Discipline

 “An important element of doing the best we can as parents is to provide loving but firm discipline. If we do not discipline our children, society may do it in a way that is not to our liking or our children’s. Part of disciplining children is to teach them to work.”

President James E. Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Ensign, June 2013, 19. 

Disobedient Children

 “The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for theirs; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”

Orson F. Whitney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110. 

Who are Good Parents?

 “Who are good parents? They are those who have lovingly, prayerfully, and earnestly tried to teach their children by example and precept “to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.” This is true even though some of their children are disobedient or worldly. Children come into this world with their own distinct spirits and personality traits. Some children “would challenge any set of parents under any set of circumstances. . . . Perhaps there are others who would bless the lives of, and be a joy to, almost any father or mother.” Successful parents are those who have sacrificed and struggled to do the best they can in their own family circumstances.”

President James E. Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Ensign, June 2013, 16. 

Inheriting our Kingdom

 “An older couple retired from the world of work and also, in effect, from the Church. They purchased a pickup truck and camper and . . . set out to see the world. . . . They had no time for the temple, were too busy for genealogical research and for missionary service. He lost contact with his high priests quorum and was not home enough to work on his personal history. Their experience and leadership were sorely needed in their branch, but . . . they were not available. . . .

“If we insist on spending all our time and resources building up for ourselves a worldly kingdom, that is exactly what we will inherit.”

President Spencer W. Kimball, “Worship the True and Living God,” Ensign, June 2013, 11.

A Poor Exchange

“One man I know of was called to a position of service in the Church, but he felt that he couldn’t accept because his investments required more . . . of his time than he could spare for the Lord’s work. He left the service of the Lord in search of Mammon, and he is a millionaire today.

“But I recently learned an interesting fact: If a man owns a million dollars worth of gold . . . , he possesses approximately one 27-billionth of all the gold that is present in the earth’s thin crust alone. This is an amount so small in proportion as to be inconceivable to the mind of man. But there is more to this: The Lord who created and has power over all the earth created many other earths as well, even “worlds without number” (Moses 1:33); and when this man received the oath and covenant of the priesthood (see D&C 84:33-34), he received a promise from the Lord of “all that my Father hath” (D&C 84: 38). To set aside all these great promises in favor of a chest of gold and a sense of carnal security is a mistake in perspective of colossal proportions. To think that he has settled for so little is a saddening and pitiful prospect indeed; the souls of men are for more precious than this.”

President Spencer W. Kimball, “Worship the True and Living God,” Ensign, June 2013, 10-11.

He Understands

“There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost.”

Elder Robert D. Hales, “Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure,” Ensign, May 1998, 77. 

Guidance

 “Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak too of the whisperings from that still, small voice.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Race of Life,” Ensign, May 2012, 92. 

Your Patriarchal Blessing

 “Your [patriarchal] blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 66. 

Inspired Messages

 “Occasionally I ask myself, “Did I listen to the words given by the men and women who spoke at the most recent general conference of the Church?  Have I read and reread their words? Have I pondered them and applied them to my life? Or have I just enjoyed the fine talked and neglected to apply their inspired messages in my personal life?”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Walking in Circles,” Ensign, June 2013, 4. 

Guardians of Virtue

What can each of you do to be a guardian of virtue? It starts with believing you can make a difference. It starts with making a commitment. When I was a young woman, I learned that some decisions need to be made only once. I wrote my list of things I would always do and things I would never do in a small tablet. It included things like obeying the Word of Wisdom, praying daily, paying my tithing, and committing to never miss church. I made those decisions once, and then in the moment of decision, I knew exactly what to do because I had decided beforehand. When my high school friends said, “Just one drink won’t hurt,” I laughed and said, “I decided when I was 12 not to do that.” Making decisions in advance will help you be guardians of virtue. I hope each of you will write a list of things you will always do and things you will never do. Then live your list.

Elaine S. Dalton, “Guardians of Virtue,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 121–24

Rear Your Children With Confidence in the Lord

“The measure of our success as parents . . . will not rest solely on how our children turn out. That judgment would be just only if we could raise our families in a perfectly moral environment, and that now is not possible. . . . When parents keep the covenants that have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them.”

President Boyd K. Packer, “Our Moral Environment,” Ensign, May 1992, 68.

In Harmony With His Will

“As we exercise the undoubted power of the priesthood of God and as we treasure His promise that He will hear and answer the prayer of faith, we must always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is. This principle is taught in the revelation directing that the elders of the Church shall lay their hands upon the sick. The Lord’s promise is that ‘he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed’ (D&C 42: 48; emphasis added).”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Healing the Sick,” Ensign, May 2010, 50. 

The Stable Family

 “When we look back at what President McKay taught, it was truly prophetic. The current editor-in-chief of the U.S. News and World Report has chronicled the history and consequences that have occurred since then. He reports that “divorce rates have more than doubled since the 1960s,” and births to unwed mothers “have risen from 5 percent in 1960 to about 35 percent today.” He explains the results and the adverse impact on children. He makes it clear that “the stable family of two biological parents . . . turns out to be the ideal vessel for molding character, for nurturing, for inculcating values, and for planning for a child’s future.”

Quentin L. Cook. 

Strength and Power of the Temple

 “The Prophet Joseph often spoke to Relief Society sisters at their meetings. With the Nauvoo Temple under construction, the Prophet instructed the sisters in doctrine, preparing them to receive more knowledge through temple ordinances. In 1842 he said to Mercy Fielding Thompson that the endowment “will bring you out of darkness into marvelous light.”

“An estimated 6,000 Latter-day Saints received temple ordinances before the exodus from Nauvoo. President Brigham Young said, “Such has been the anxiety manifested by the saints to receive the ordinances [of the temple], and such the anxiety on our part to administer to them, that I have given myself up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week.” The strength and power of temple covenants fortified that Saints as they left their city and temple for a journey into the unknown.”

** Unknown reference

Time Passes Quickly

“Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, ‘I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.’

“Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. ‘Where did the years go?’ they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “Dedication Day,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 66. 

In A World of Tribulation

“The Savior [spoke] to His disciples as He faced His Crucifixion and as they faced fear, disarray, and persecution. In His last collective counsel to them in mortality, He said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).

“So, in a world of tribulation, let’s remember our faith. . . . And let’s live life more fully, with more boldness and courage than at any other time.

“Christ has overcome the world and made a path for us.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “This, the Greatest of All Dispensations,” Ensign, July 2007, 54. 

How Can I Become A Disciple of Christ?

“The first step on the path of discipleship begins, luckily enough, in the exact place where we stand! We do not have to prequalify to take that first step. It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor. There is no requirement to be educated, eloquent, or intellectual. We do not have to be perfect or well-spoken or even well-mannered. You and I can walk in the path of discipleship today. . . . It is always the right time to walk in His way. It is never too late.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Way of the Disciple,” Ensign, May 2009, 77, 78. 

The Promise of the Atonement

“Save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ.

“How all can be repaired, we do not know. It may not all be accomplished in this life. . . .

“This knowledge should be as comforting to the innocent as it is to the guilty. I am thinking of parents who suffer unbearably for the mistakes of their wayward children and are losing hope.”

President Boyd K. Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 20.