One of the great challenges each of us faces every day is to not allow the concerns of this world to so dominate our time and energy that we neglect the eternal things that matter most.1 We can be too easily diverted from remembering and focusing upon essential spiritual priorities because of our many responsibilities and busy schedules. Sometimes we try to run so fast that we may forget where we are going and why we are running. The Sabbath day and the holy temple are two specific sources of divine help instituted by God to assist us in rising above the level and corruption of the world. On His holy day, our thoughts, actions, and demeanor are signs we give to God and an indicator of our love for Him. Leaving our homes to spend time in Sunday meetings and to enter the sacred space of a temple is vital but insufficient. Only as we bring the spirit and strength derived from those holy activities back with us into our homes can we sustain our focus upon the great purposes of mortal life and overcome the corruption that is in the world. David A. Bednar, Exceeding Great and Precious Promises, Nov 2017 Ensign, 90.
If we sin, we are less worthy, but we are never worth less! As we’ve often been taught, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”5 We can stop comparing our worst to someone else’s best. “Comparison is the thief of joy.”6
If we choose to focus on our negative thoughts and doubt our worth instead of clinging to the Savior, it becomes more difficult to feel the impressions of the Holy Ghost. Joy D. Jones, Value Beyond Measure, Nov 2017 Ensign, 13.
Our strong conviction of the truth should never cause us to act in a way that is disrespectful or resentful toward others. But at the same time, our desire to show kindness and love to everyone should never undermine our duty to stand for truth...
In a world that is quickly becoming more polarized and more contentious—where bullets often seem to be coming in rapid-fire staccato from all quarters—may I challenge you to examine both sides of your coin? In each circumstance that arises in your life, ask yourself how you can best teach and defend the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ while also showing love, kindness, and understanding to someone who may not accept that doctrine.
As you do so, I testify that you will have our Heavenly Father’s help and guidance. You will feel Him leading you along, putting thoughts in your mind, feelings in your heart, and words in your mouth at the precise moment they are needed.
From a devotional address, “An Example of the Believers,” delivered at Brigham Young University–Idaho on June 14, 2016. For the full address, go to web.byui.edu/devotionalsandspeeches.
I have met people who have lost all hope. Repentance, they feel, is beyond their reach and forgiveness outside their grasp. Such do not understand the cleansing power of the Atonement. Or, if they do understand, they have not internalized the meaning of Jesus Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross. For any of us to give up hope for the purifying of our lives is to disavow the depth, power, and extent of His suffering in our behalf.
“Through Relief Society [and visiting teaching], we practice being disciples of Christ,” said Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president. “We learn what He would have us learn, we do what He would have us do, and we become what He would have us become” (“What Latter-day Saint Women Do Best: Stand Strong and Immovable,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 109; quoted in “Visiting Teaching—Understanding the Power of Ministering,” Ensign, Mar. 2012, 29).
What do we “see” the Savior do in Sychar? First of all, He seeks to get the woman interested in His message. He sets aside His fatigue. He doesn’t worry that the woman is a Samaritan. He wants her to never thirst spiritually, and moved by that genuine interest in her, He invites her to learn more.
How can we do what the Savior did? There are many ways to draw out people’s interest in the well of everlasting life, but one tool in particular stands above the rest. “Combined with the Spirit of the Lord,” President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) said, “the Book of Mormon is the greatest tool which God has given us to convert the world.”2
Do you have neighbors or relatives who could be blessed by knowing how a prophet of God dealt with his own obedient and wayward children? Would your family or friends be blessed by spiritual counsel about how to deal with economic stress, death, or other major concerns? Life makes us ask hard questions, and many of these are answered in the Book of Mormon. When such questions come up, we can invite people to see how people in the Book of Mormon dealt with challenging situations by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can also create interest by inviting people to learn about the visit of our Savior to the ancient American continent.
If we do as Christ did, we will have the boldness to speak. When we open our mouths to create interest in the restored gospel, the scriptures promise that we will “become even as Nephi of old” (D&C 33:8). We can do what the Savior did by engaging in conversations about gospel topics that may awaken in another person a desire to know more.
My friend Harvard professor Roger B. Porter, who is a faithful member of the Church, noted at one of the commencement proceedings at Harvard in May 2015 that gratitude “requires that we acknowledge our debt to others,” and “it often involves a humble response for unearned or unmerited gifts.” He concluded: “If you choose to embrace gratitude as a central element of your life, it will serve you well. It will help you resist the temptation to succumb to pride and to fall into a sense of entitlement. It will help you to see the good and to acknowledge the positive. It will help you to put in context the bumps in the road and the adversity you will from time to time encounter. It will help you focus attention on those less fortunate than you whose lives you can bless.” Roger B. Porter, commencement address, Dunster House, Harvard University, May 28, 2015.
"To teach doctine with power and authority, we need to know the doctrine. The Savior told Joseph and Hyrum Smith that befre they sought to declare His word, they must first seek to obtain it Then they would have His Spirit and His word, "the power of God unto the convincing of men" (D&C 11:21). This kind of understanding "requires more than casual reading" as President Howard W. Hunter taught. It requires daily, concentrated study.
Howard W. Hunter, "Reading the Scriptures," Ensign, Nov. 1979, 64.
Sisters, what matters to you? What is lasting to you? A matter of lasting value to the Father is that we learn of Him, humble ourselves, and grow in obedience to Him through earthly experiences. He wants us to change our selfishness into service, our fears into faith. These lasting matters can test us to our core.
...the Father asks us to love when loving is most difficult, to serve when serving is inconvenient, to forgive when forgiving is soul stretching. How? How will we do it? We earnestly reach for Heavenly Father’s help, in the name of His Son, and do things His way instead of pridefully asserting our own will.
Only the Savior’s Atonement can cleanse us of our sins and close that gap or breach.
As our inner pitcher becomes clean, our earthly relationships begin to heal.
Do we understand that Christ has the power to bring us into loving fellowship with the Father and with one another? He, by the power of the Holy Ghost, can give us needed insight into relationships.
Simple love, honestly expressed, gives hope and value to others.
Healing emotional distance between each other will require our acceptance of God’s love, coupled with a sacrifice of our natural selfish and fearful tendencies.
One memorable night a relative and I disagreed about a political issue. She briskly and thoroughly took my comments apart, proving me wrong within earshot of family members. I felt foolish and uninformed—and I probably was. That night as I knelt to pray, I hurried to explain to Heavenly Father how difficult this relative was! I talked on and on. Perhaps I paused in my complaining and the Holy Ghost had a chance to get my attention, because, to my surprise, I next heard myself say, “You probably want me to love her.” Love her? I prayed on, saying something like, “How can I love her? I don’t think I even like her. My heart is hard; my feelings are hurt. I can’t do it.”
Then, surely with help from the Spirit, I had a new thought as I said, “But You love her, Heavenly Father. Would You give me a portion of Your love for her—so I can love her too?” My hard feelings softened, my heart started to change, and I began to see this person differently. I began to sense her real value that Heavenly Father saw. Isaiah writes, “The Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.”10
