A Greater Opportunity

“When marriage is not possible, experience has shown that adoption, difficult though this may be for the young mother, may afford a greater opportunity for the child to live a life of happiness. Wise and experienced professional counselors and prayerful bishops can assist in these circumstances.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Save the Children,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 53. 

It Begins at Home

“The responsibility of building leadership in the Church belongs to the father and the mother. As youth grow and mature through their teenage yours and move toward adulthood, the Church picks up an important role in this process of giving youth an opportunity to lead, but it begins in the home.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Tending the Flock: Teaching Leadership Skills to Youth,” Ensign, June 2008, 16. 

This Christmas Season

 “Perhaps this Christmas season we might each resolve to approach our Father in Heaven humbly in prayer and petition the power of His Beloved Son to be with us in our daily walk and to free us from our personal forms of captivity, great or small.”

Elder Bruce D. Porter, “Come Let Us Adore Him,” Ensign, Dec 2013, 25

Christ Frees Us

 “Whatever binds us—sins, circumstances, or past events—the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Immanuel, came to set us free, He proclaims liberty to the captives and freedom from the bonds of death and the prison of sin, ignorance, pride, and error. It was prophesied that He would say to the prisoners, “Go forth” (Isaiah 49:9). The only condition of our freedom is that we come unto Him with broken hearts and contrite spirits, repent, and seek to do His will.”

Elder Bruce D. Porter, “Come Let Us Adore Him,” Ensign, Dec 2013, 24. 

John Weightman

“John Weightman was a successful man whose charities brought him attention and renown. One evening, after perusing a pile of newspaper clippings praising him for his generosity, he picked up hi Bible. Soon he fell asleep after reading the Savior’s words: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

As he slept, John found himself in “the heavenly city,” traveling with others as they received their mansions. When the Keeper of the Gate stopped in front of a tiny hut built of cast-off materials, he said to John, “This is your mansion.”

John protested, listing his many public contributions.

“Were not all these carefully recorded on earth where they would add to your credit?” asked the Keeper of the Gate. “You have had your reward for them. Would you be paid twice?”

During this Christmas season, I hope each of us has the opportunity to give anonymously.”

Elder Robert D. Hales, “The Promise of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec 2013, 19. 

Offer Precious Gifts

"You need not fear that you will lose friends by inviting the missionaries to meet them. I have friends who rejected the missionaries but have thanked me over many years for offering them something they knew was so precious to me. You can make friends forever by offering the gospel, which they see has brought you happiness. Never miss an opportunity to invite a friend and especially a family member to choose to follow the plan of happiness."

President Henry B. Eyring, "Family and Friends Forever," Ensign, Dec 2013, 4-5.

Spirits to Blossom

"... we must exercise works. . . .We cannot hope to receive personal revelation unless we conduct ourselves like faithful disciples of Christ. Respecting the covenants we have made with God qualifies us to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, who enlightens our intelligence and causes our spirits to blossom."

Bishop Gerald Causse, "Keeping the Faith in a World of Confusion," Ensign, Aug 2012, 29.

Strengthen Testimonies

"To strengthen our testimonies and protect ourselves from error, we must therefore constantly nourish and fortify our faith. To begin with, we need to have pure hearts and great humility."

Bishop Gerald Causse, "Keeping the Faith in a World of Confusion," Ensign, Aug 2012, 29.

First Reflex - Scriptures

"When we are troubled, our first reflex must be to search the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. Their writings are beacons that cannot deceive us: "Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and out faith becometh unshaken" (Jacob 4:6)."

Bishop Gerald Causse, "Keeping the Faith in a World of Confusion," Ensign, Aug 2012, 29.

Test of Testimonies

"All members of the Church at some time in their lives face moments that test the sincerity and strength of their testimonies. Braving these trials of our faith helps us stand firm in a world that is falling more and more into the depths of confusion. This confusion is evident in the barrage of messages that surround us. With the advent of the Internet, for example, an uninterrupted avalanche of contradictory opinions and information invades our everyday lives. These contradictions can become disconcerting and paralyzing."

Bishop Gerald Causse, "Keeping the Faith in a World of Confusion," Ensign, Aug 2012, 26.

Duty = Great Sacrifice

"These great men . . . might have chosen to follow a path easier than the one where duty led. But they did not. Certainly their duty did not always lead to personal comfort or casual convenience. Their duty frequently meant great sacrifice and personal hardship; but nevertheless, duty they chose, and duty they performed."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Learn Your Duty," Ensign, Aug 2012, 16.

Find Happiness

"When we accept duties willingly and faithfully, we find happiness. Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. Happiness comes from doing one's duty and knowing that his life is in harmony with God and His commandments. . . ."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Learn Your Duty," Ensign, Aug 2012, 16.

Duty

"Most of us don't mind doing what we ought to do when it doesn't interfere with what we want to do, but it takes discipline and maturity to do what we ought to do whether we want to or not. Duty is too often what one expects from others and not what one does. What people think and believe and plan are all very important, but what they do is the thing that counts most. It is a call to throw out selfishness and to think of the common good of all."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Learn Your Duty," Ensign, Aug 2012, 16.

Become Like Him

 “By learning of Him, by believing in Him, by following Him, there is the capacity to become like Him. [Our] countenance can change; [our] outlook enhanced. Life becomes what it should become.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Way of the Master,” Ensign, Jan 2003, 4. 

How Many People Did You Help?

 “There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.”

“Perhaps when we have our Maker, we will not be asked, ‘How many positions did you hold,’ but rather, ‘How many people did you help?’ In reality, you can never love the Lord until you serve him by serving his people.“

Thomas S. Monson, “How Firm a Foundation,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 68. And “Face and Attitudes,” New Era, Sept, 1977, 50.

Our Callings

 “Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears or anxieties, let us pray and then go and do, remembering the words of the Master, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who promised, ‘I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’”

“We can strengthen one another; we have the capacity to notice the unnoticed. When we have eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that know and feel, we can reach out and rescue those for whom we have responsibility.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Call to Serve,” Ensign, Nov, 2000, 47.

The Happiness Project

“To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow men. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Lord’s Way,” Ensign, May 1990, 93.

Small Acts of Service

 “Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another: a question concerning a person’s family, quick words of encouragement, a sincere compliment, a small note of thanks, a brief telephone call. If we are observant and aware, and if we act on the promptings which come to us, we can accomplish much good.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Three Goals to Guide You,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 120-21.

Visiting Teaching...

“One of the bishop’s duties was to send to every serviceman a subscription to the Church News and to the Improvement Era and to write a personal letter to him each month. Since President Monson had served in the navy in World War II, he appreciated the importance of a letter from home. He had 23 ward members serving in the military, so he called a sister in the ward to handle the details of mailing these letters. One evening he handed her the monthly stack of 23 letters.

“Bishop, don’t you ever get discouraged?” she asked. “Here is another letter to Brother Bryson. This is the 17th letter you have sent to him without a reply.”

“Well, maybe this will be the month,” he said. It was. The reply from Brother Bryson read: “Dear Bishop, I ain’t much at writin’ letters. Thank you for the Church News and magazines, but most of all thank you for the personal letters. I have turned over a new leaf. I have been ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. My heart is full. I am a happy man.”

President Monson saw in that letter the practical application of the adage “Do you duty, that is best. Leave unto the Lord the rest.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Call of Duty,” Ensign, May 1986, 39.

Prophetic Promise

“The Holy Ghost has confirmed truth in this conference and will again as you seek it, as you listen, and as you later study the messages of the Lord’s authorized servants.”

President Henry B. Eyring, “Mountains to Climb,” Ensign, May 2012, 26. 

If We Do Our Part, We Won't Fail

 “[The Lord] will not permit us to fail if we do our part. He will magnify us even beyond our own talents and abilities. . . . It is one of the sweetest experiences that can come to a human being”

Ezra Taft Benson, in Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 20.

Whom You Might Have Saved

 “If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty.”

Teaching of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor (2001), 164. 

Living Water of Christ

 “Like the pioneers of 1847 who ventured west along a trail that kept them relatively close to life-sustaining fresh water from rivers . . . we need to follow and partake of the Living Water of Christ to refresh our faith and sustain our efforts as we travel the road through mortality.”

M. Russell Ballard