Every Sister Who Has Made Covenants

“Every sister in this Church who has made covenants with the Lord has a divine mandate to help save souls, to lead the women of the world, to strengthen the homes of Zion, and to build the kingdom of God.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Women of Righteousness,” Liahona, Dec. 2002, 39; Ensign, Apr. 2002, 70.

Save Souls

At a June 9, 1842, meeting of the Relief Society, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught the sisters that their society was “not only to relieve the poor, but to save souls.”

Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:25.

We learned that the purpose of Relief Society as established by the Lord is to organize, teach, and inspire His daughters to prepare them for the blessings of eternal life.

To fulfill this purpose of Relief Society, the Lord has commissioned each sister and the organization as a whole to:

1. 1. 
   Increase in faith and personal righteousness.
2. 2. 
   Strengthen families and homes.
3. 3. 
   Provide relief by serving the Lord and His children.

We can do this work in the Lord’s way only when we seek, receive, and act on personal revelation. Without personal revelation, we cannot succeed.

• APRIL 2011
• THE PURPOSE OF RELIEF SOCIETY

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VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE

The Purpose of Relief Society

Julie B. Beck

Relief Society General President

How to Obtain More Light

• MARCH 2016
• THE LIGHT OF THE PERFECT DAY

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The Light of the Perfect Day

By Elder Larry R. Lawrence

Of the Seventy

The important thing to ask is, how can we obtain more light so that it “groweth brighter and brighter” within us? I suggest five ways.

Love Others

 Love rapidly brings more light into our spirits; contention and jealousy take light away...

 The real secret for learning to love others is found in serving them...

The more you serve, the more you love, and the more you love, the more light you receive.

Study the Scriptures

Before you open your scriptures each day, pray that you will learn something new to add light to your spirit. Then search for new insights and understanding.

Obey the Commandments

As you discover the commandments in the scriptures, go and do them. For example, if you read the divine counsel to “retire to thy bed early” and “arise early” (D&C 88:124), you had better obey. If you are reading the Doctrine and Covenants and come across the commandment “Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor” (D&C 42:27), then you better watch what you say from now on. As you learn truth, you must apply it to accumulate light.

If you gain light but don’t use it, you may lose it.

Hearken to the Holy Ghost

If you expect spiritual promptings, they will come. If you act on them, you will receive more. If the Holy Ghost asks you to do something that is difficult (like break a bad habit), and you listen and obey the prompting, you will experience a spurt of spiritual growth and a big infusion of light.

Serve in the Temple

Temple light is even more beneficial to your spirit than sunlight is to your body. Consider yourself blessed if you are able to bask in this heavenly light on a regular basis.

Be a Light

Protection from Obsession with Worldly Things

President James E. Faust (1920–2007), Second Counselor in the First Presidency, taught that as we avoid worldly distractions on the Sabbath day, we are blessed with protection from obsession with worldly things: “In this day of increasing access to and preoccupation with materialism, there is a sure protection for ourselves and our children against the plagues of our day. The key to that sure protection surprisingly can be found in Sabbath observance.”

James E. Faust, “The Lord’s Day,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 35.

You are Not a Lost Cause

You Are Not a Lost Cause

“It matters not what sins we have committed or how deep we have sunk into that proverbial pit. …

“… What does matter is that Christ is pleading our case before the Father. … That is what really matters and what should give all of us renewed hope and a determination to try one more time, because He has not forgotten us.

“I testify that the Savior will never turn away from us when we humbly seek Him in order to repent; will never consider us to be a lost cause; will never say, ‘Oh no, not you again’; will never reject us because of a failure to understand how hard it is to avoid sin. He understands it all perfectly. …

“Repentance … has the power to lift burdens and replace them with hope.”

Elder Allen D. Haynie of the Seventy, “Remembering in Whom We Have Trusted,” Ensign, Nov. 2015, 122–23.

Our Savior's Atonement

Our Savior’s Atonement

The Good Samaritan, by Walter Rane

“Our Savior’s Atonement does more than assure us of immortality by a universal resurrection and give us the opportunity to be cleansed from sin by repentance and baptism. His Atonement also provides the opportunity to call upon Him who has experienced all of our mortal infirmities to give us the strength to bear the burdens of mortality. He knows of our anguish, and He is there for us. Like the good Samaritan, when He finds us wounded at the wayside, He will bind up our wounds and care for us (see Luke 10:34). The healing and strengthening power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is for all of us who will ask.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Nov. 2015, 64.

The Basic Goal of Teaching

In the Church, the goal of gospel teaching is not to pour information into the minds of God’s children, whether at home, in the classroom, or in the mission field. It is not to show how much the parent, teacher, or missionary knows. Nor is it merely to increase knowledge about the Savior and His Church.

The basic goal of teaching is to help the sons and daughters of Heavenly Father return to His presence and enjoy eternal life with Him. To do this, gospel teaching must encourage them along the path of daily discipleship and sacred covenants. The aim is to inspire individuals to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles. The objective is to develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to become converted to His gospel.

• MARCH 2016
• “LEARN OF ME”

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FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE

“Learn of Me”

By President Thomas S. Monson

A Prophet Testifies

A Prophet Testifies

Photograph by Busath Photography

“There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path.”

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 4; also in this issue on page 52.

A Prophet Testifies

A Prophet Testifies

“I cannot understand how any intelligent man could think that anyone without the help of the Lord could have produced the Book of Mormon, which has been before us now for more than a hundred years and has stood the test during all that period of time, notwithstanding the ridicule that has been brought against it, for one reason and then another. Today that book, which was translated byJoseph Smith as the instrumentality of the Lord, stands out supreme. It is today the greatest missionary that we have for proclaiming this gospel; there is nothing else to compare with it.”

President Heber J. Grant (1856–1945), Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham (1941), 15.

A Source of Inspiration and Power

A Source of Inspiration and Power

“What does the Book of Mormon mean to you? Has it been a source of inspiration and power in your life? Will it continue to be?

“If you have not yet drunk deeply from this fountain of pure truth, with all of my soul I encourage you to do so now. Don’t let the consistent study of the Book of Mormon be one of the things that you intend to do but never quite accomplish. Begin today.”

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Power of the Book of Mormon in My Life,” Ensign, Oct. 1984, 11.

A Prophet Testifies

A Prophet Testifies

“[The Book of Mormon] is the word of God. It is a powerful second witness of Christ. And, certainly, all true believers who love the Redeemer will welcome additional evidence of his divinity.

“This inspiring book was never tampered with by unauthorized translators or biased theologians but comes to the world pure and directly from the historians and abridgers. The book is not on trial—its readers are.”

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985), The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball (1982), 133.

The Spirit will Permeate

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”

Marion G. Romney, “The Book of Mormon,” Ensign, May 1980, 67.

The Keystone of Our Religion

A second powerful testimony to the importance of the Book of Mormon is to note where the Lord placed its coming forth in the timetable of the unfolding Restoration. The only thing that preceded it was the First Vision. In that marvelous manifestation, the ProphetJoseph Smith learned the true nature of God and that God had a work for him to do. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the next thing to follow.

Think of that in terms of what it implies. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood. It was published just a few days before the Church was organized. The Saints were given the Book of Mormon to read before they were given the revelations outlining such great doctrines as the three degrees of glory, celestial marriage, or work for the dead. It came before priesthood quorums and Church organization. Doesn’t this tell us something about how the Lord views this sacred work?...

If the early Saints were rebuked for treating the Book of Mormon lightly, are we under any less condemnation if we do the same? The Lord Himself bears testimony that it is of eternal significance. Can a small number of us bring the whole Church under condemnation because we trifle with sacred things? What will we say at the Judgment when we stand before Him and meet His probing gaze if we are among those described as forgetting the new covenant?...

 the Lord Himself has stated that the Book of Mormon contains the “fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (D&C 20:9). That does not mean it contains every teaching, every doctrine ever revealed. Rather, it means that in the Book of Mormon we will find the fulness of those doctrines required for our salvation. And they are taught plainly and simply so that even children can learn the ways of salvation and exaltation. The Book of Mormon offers so much that broadens our understandings of the doctrines of salvation. Without it, much of what is taught in other scriptures would not be nearly so plain and precious...

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (see D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

• OCTOBER 2011
• THE BOOK OF MORMON—KEYSTONE OF OUR RELIGION

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The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion

By President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994)

Warnings from the Book of Mormon

Warnings from the Book of Mormon

“Among the lessons we learn from the Book of Mormon are the cause and effect of war and under what conditions it is justified. It tells of evils and dangers of secret combinations, which are built up to get power and gain over the people. It tells of the reality of Satan and gives an indication of some of the methods he uses. It advises us on the proper use of wealth. It tells us of the plain and precious truths of the gospel and the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for all mankind. It informs us of the gathering of the house of Israel in the last days. It tells us of the purpose and principles of missionary work. It warns us against pride, indifference, procrastination, the dangers of false traditions, hypocrisy, and unchastity.

“Now it is up to us to study the Book of Mormon and learn of its principles and apply them in our lives.”

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Blessings Resulting from Reading the Book of Mormon,” Liahona and Ensign,Nov. 2005, 8.

Jesus is the Christ

Will reading the Book of Mormon now and then ensure faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? ... Diligently surely means regularly. And it surely means pondering and praying. ... And anything less will not be enough for you and for me.”

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, “Going Home,” in Brigham Young University 1986–87 Devotional and Fireside Speeches (1987), 77–78.

The Lord is Mindful of Us

My brothers and sisters, He has prepared us. If we heed His words and live the commandments, we will survive this time of permissiveness and wickedness—a time which can be compared with the waves and the winds and the floods that can destroy. He is ever mindful of us. He loves us and will bless us as we do what is right.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “Closing Remarks,” Liahona and Ensign,Nov. 2009, 109.

I would invite you to ponder these questions to help you liken the teachings of the Book of Mormon to your family:

• What passages in the Book of Mormon teach us that children need to see integrity and righteousness in the faith of their parents?
• What counsel have fathers in the Book of Mormon given their sons that we may want to share with our children?
• What do we learn about our efforts with children who are not being obedient?
• How do parents in the Book of Mormon share their deep beliefs with their children?
• What do we learn about faith as it is transferred from one generation to another?

• OCTOBER 2011
• THE BOOK OF MORMON: STRENGTHENING OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

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The Book of Mormon: Strengthening Our Faith in Jesus Christ

By Elder Neil L. Andersen

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

A Prophet Testifies

A Prophet Testifies

“All the ingenuity of all the men under heaven could not compose and present to the world a book like the Book of Mormon. Its principles are divine—they are from God. They could never emanate from the mind of an imposter, or from the mind of a person writing a novel. Why? Because the promises and prophecies it contains are being fulfilled in the sight of all the earth.”

President Wilford Woodruff (1807–98), Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (2004), 119.

Clinging vs Holding

• OCTOBER 2011
• LEHI’S DREAM: HOLDING FAST TO THE ROD

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Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod

By Elder David A. Bednar

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Those who ignore or treat lightly the word of God do not have access to that divine compass which points the way to the Savior...

Even with faith, commitment, and the word of God, this group eventually was lost—perhaps because they only periodically read or studied or searched the scriptures. Clinging to the rod of iron suggests to me only occasional “bursts” of study or irregular dipping rather than consistent, ongoing immersion in the word of God...

What, then, is the difference between clinging and holding fast to the rod of iron? Let me suggest that holding fast to the iron rod entails, in large measure, the prayerful, consistent, and earnest use of the holy scriptures as a sure source of revealed truth and as a reliable guide for the journey along the strait and narrow path to the tree of life—even to the Lord Jesus Christ.