Sacred Things

“Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things.”

“But ‘there is an opposition in all things’ (2 Nephi 2:11). The opposite of sacred is profane or secular—that which is temporal or worldly. The worldly constantly competes with the sacred for our attention and priorities.”

“The sacred cannot be selectively surrendered. Those who choose to abandon even one sacred thing will have their minds darkened (see D&C 84:54), and unless they repent, the light they have shall be taken from them (see D&C 1:33).”

Paul B. Pieper, “To Hold Sacred,” Ensign, May 2012, 109, 111.

Great Family Home Evening Idea

Cell Phone Liahona

For one of our family nights, we talked with our four children about the story of the Liahona in the Book of Mormon (see 1 Nephi 16; 18; Alma 37:38–46). We then told them to use my son’s cell phone as if it were a Liahona (I had taped a picture on the back), and it would lead them to the “promised land.” I sent text messages to the cell phone every few minutes with directions that took the children on a journey through the neighborhood. The messages finally led them to a neighbor’s house, where my wife and I were waiting with open arms and some delicious treats. The activity helped the Liahona story come to life for our children.

Brad Peterson, Utah, USA

Express Gratitude For Your Spouse

Express gratitude for what your spouse does for you. Express that love and gratitude often. That will make life far richer and more pleasant and purposeful.

Richard G. Scott, Apr 2011 General Conference

Do What Is Right

You will have challenges and hard decisions to make throughout your life. But determine now to always do what is right and let the consequence follow. The consequence will always be for your best good.

Richard G. Scott, "Do What is Right," Ensign, June 1997, 53. 

I have recently given thought to that of service. I recalled a talk I read by Elder Oaks about the reaons we serve. Yes, it’s good to serve, but it’s even better if our reason behind it is the right reason. And so I pose the same question to you, as he posed to me in his talk, Why do we serve? Service has always been an important part of the church. King Benjamin told us that when we are serving others, we are serving God (Mosiah 2:17). And Christ was the ultimate example of service. He spoke of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick.

Although we may do these things, the Lord looketh on the heart and knows the intents of our hearts. “These scriptures make clear that in order to purify our service in the Church and to our fellowmen, it is necessary to consider not only how we serve, but also why we serve…. we should all strive to serve for the reasons that are highest and best.”

Elder Oaks lists 6 reasons of why we serve, from the lesser to the greater.

1.      Hope of earthly reward – they do this to receive prominence or wealth, honors or power. Such service earns no gospel reward

2.      Motivated by a personal desire to obtain good companionship – they only serve when fellow workers are acceptable

3.      Fear of punishment – they know they need to keep the commandments in order to be happy and be blessed

4.      Sense of duty or loyalty – instinctively do what they are asked without question

5.      Hope of an eternal reward – the expectation of enjoying the fruits of our labors in the Celestial Kingdom

6.      Charity – motivated by the pure love of Christ

“If our service is to be most efficacious, it must be accomplished for the love of God and the love of his children…. Service with all of our heart and mind is a high challenge for all of us. Such service must be free of selfish ambition. It must be motivated only by the pure love of Christ.”

We are all on different spectrums of the service scale. May we each try to do a little better in serving our neighbor, but also in our reason behind it.

• NOVEMBER 1984
• WHY DO WE SERVE?

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Why Do We Serve?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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Better than the Next Person

That is when we run into trouble. Delighting in being richer than our neighbors, more athletic than our friends, or better looking than others is being prideful....
God does not look for the richest, the most beautiful, or the cleverest person. He blesses the humble and meek who are willing to submit to His will.

• SEPTEMBER 2016
• WHAT IS HUMILITY, AND HOW DO WE DEVELOP IT?

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What Is Humility, and How Do We Develop It?

By Barbara A. Lewis

The author lives in Utah, USA.

Looking Inside: How Can We Develop Humility?

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  Submit our will to the Lord’s will (see 3 Nephi 11:11; Moroni 10:32).
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  Recognize the Lord’s hand in all things (see D&C 59:21).
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  Pray to our Father to help us grow in humility (see Helaman 3:33–35;Ether 12:27).
• • 
  Choose not to be offended (see D&C 42:88).
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  Recognize, confess, and forsake our sins (see Mosiah 26:29–30; D&C 58:43).
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  Fast and pray for the needs of others (see Isaiah 58:6–7; Alma 6:6).
• • 
  Think of the Savior and renew our covenants during the sacrament(see Mosiah 18:8–10; D&C 20:77, 79).

Having More

As author C. S. Lewis wrote, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.”

 … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone” (Mere Christianity [1952], 109–10). …

The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment (see D&C 3:6–7; 30:1–2; 60:2). “What will men think of me?” weighs heavier than “What will God think of me?” …