Faith, Hope, Patience

                

Doctrine & Covenants 6:19-24

 19 Admonish him in his faults, and also ^areceive admonition of him. ^bBe patient; be sober; be temperate; have patience, faith, hope and charity.

 20 Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore ^atreasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and ^bdiligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my ^clove.

 21 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the ^aSon of God. I am the same that came unto mine ^bown, and mine own received me not. I am the^clight which shineth in ^ddarkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

 22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might ^aknow concerning the truth of these things.

 23 Did I not speak ^apeace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater ^bwitness can you have than from God?

 24 And now, behold, you have received a ^awitness; for if I have^btold you things which no man knoweth have you not received a witness?

Sanctify Yourself

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Sanctify Yourself, Ensign November 2000,

Brethren, I love and revere the priesthood of God, and I am honored to stand with those of you who bear it. My message tonight is intended for all of us, whatever our age or years of service, but I do wish to speak specifically to the deacons, teachers, and priests in the Aaronic Priesthood, and the young, newly ordained elders in the Melchizedek Priesthood—you of the rising generation, you who must be ready to use your priesthood, often at times and in ways you did not anticipate.

In that spirit my call to you tonight is something of the call Joshua gave to an earlier generation of priesthood bearers, young men and those not so young, who needed to perform a miracle in their time. To these who would need to complete ancient Israel’s most formidable task—recapturing and repossessing their promised land of old—Joshua said, “Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” ¹

Let me share a story with you suggesting how soon and how unexpectedly those tomorrows can come and in some cases how little time you may have to make hasty, belated preparation.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 30, 1998, just two years ago last week, a Little League football team in Inkom, Idaho, was out on the field for its midweek practice. They had completed their warm-ups and were starting to run a few plays from scrimmage. Dark clouds were gathering, as they sometimes do in the fall, and it began to rain lightly, but that was of no concern to a group of boys who loved playing football.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an absolutely deafening crack of thunder split the air, inseparable from the flash of lightning that illuminated, literally electrified, the entire scene.

At that very moment a young friend of mine, A. J. Edwards, then a deacon in the Portneuf Ward of the McCammon Idaho Stake, was ready for the ball on a handoff that was sure to be a touchdown in this little intersquad bit of horseplay. But the lightning that had illuminated earth and sky struck A. J. Edwards from the crown of his football helmet to the soles of his shoes.

The impact of the strike stunned all the players, knocking a few to the ground, leaving one player temporarily without his sight and virtually all the rest of the players dazed and shaken. Instinctively they started running for the concrete pavilion adjacent to the park. Some of the boys began to cry. Many of them fell to their knees and began to pray. Through it all, A. J. Edwards lay motionless on the field.

Brother David Johnson of the Rapid Creek Ward, McCammon Idaho Stake, rushed to the player’s side. He shouted to coach and fellow ward member Rex Shaffer, “I can’t get a pulse. He’s in cardiac arrest.” These two men, rather miraculously both trained emergency medical technicians, started a life-against-death effort in CPR.

Cradling A. J.’s head as the men worked was the young defensive coach of the team, 18-year-old Bryce Reynolds, a member of the Mountain View Ward, McCammon Idaho Stake. As he watched Brother Johnson and Brother Shaffer urgently applying CPR, he had an impression. I am confident it was a revelation from heaven in every sense of the word. He remembered vividly a priesthood blessing that the bishop had once given his grandfather following an equally tragic and equally life-threatening accident years earlier. Now, as he held this young deacon in his arms, he realized that for the first time in his life he needed to use his newly conferred Melchizedek Priesthood in a similar way. In anticipation of his 19th birthday and forthcoming call to serve a mission, young Bryce Reynolds had been ordained an elder just 39 days earlier.

Whether he audibly spoke the words or only uttered them under his breath, Elder Reynolds said: “A. J. Edwards, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power and authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood which I hold, I bless you that you will be OK. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” As Bryce Reynolds closed that brief but fervent blessing offered in the language of an 18-year-old, A. J. Edwards drew his first renewed breath.

The ongoing prayers, miracles, and additional priesthood blessings of that entire experience—including a high-speed ambulance drive to Pocatello and a near-hopeless LifeFlight to the burn center at the University of Utah—all of that the Edwards family can share with us at a later time. It is sufficient to say that a very healthy and very robust A. J. Edwards is in the audience tonight with his father as my special guests. I also recently talked on the telephone with Elder Bryce Reynolds, who has been serving faithfully in the Texas Dallas Mission for the past 17 months. I love these two wonderful young men.

Now, my young friends of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood, not every prayer is answered so immediately, and not every priesthood declaration can command the renewal or the sustaining of life. Sometimes the will of God is otherwise. But young men, you will learn, if you have not already, that in frightening, even perilous moments, your faith and your priesthood will demand the very best of you and the best you can call down from heaven. You Aaronic Priesthood boys will not use your priesthood in exactly the same way an ordained elder uses the Melchizedek, but all priesthood bearers must be instruments in the hand of God, and to be so, you must, as Joshua said, “sanctify yourselves.” You must be ready and worthy to act.

That is why the Lord repeatedly says in the scriptures, “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” ² Let me tell you what that phrase “bear the vessels of the Lord” means. Anciently it had at least two meanings, both related to the work of the priesthood.

The first refers to the recovery and return to Jerusalem of various temple implements that had been carried into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. In physically handling the return of these items, the Lord reminded those early brethren of the sanctity of anything related to the temple. Therefore as they carried back to their homeland these various bowls, basins, cups, and other vessels, they themselves were to be as clean as the ceremonial instruments they bore. ³

The second meaning is related to the first. Similar bowls and implements were used for ritual purification in the home. The Apostle Paul, writing to his young friend Timothy, said of these, “In a great house there are … vessels of gold and … silver, … of wood and of earth”—these means of washing and cleansing common in the time of the Savior. But Paul goes on to say, “If a man … purge himself [of unworthiness], he shall be a vessel … sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” Therefore, Paul says, “Flee … youthful lusts: … follow righteousness, … call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” ⁴

In both of these biblical accounts the message is that as priesthood bearers not only are we to handle sacred vessels and emblems of God’s power—think of preparing, blessing, and passing the sacrament, for example—but we are also to be a sanctified instrument as well. Partly because of what we are to do but more importantly because of what we are to be, the prophets and apostles tell us to “flee … youthful lusts” and “call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” They tell us to be clean.

Now, we live in an age when that cleanliness is more and more difficult to preserve. With modern technology even your youngest brothers and sisters can be carried virtually around the world before they are old enough to ride a tricycle safely across the street. What were in my generation carefree moments of moviegoing, TV watching, and magazine reading have now, with the additional availability of VCRs, the Internet, and personal computers, become amusements fraught with genuine moral danger. I put the word amusements in italics. Did you know that the original Latin meaning of the word amusement is “a diversion of the mind intended to deceive”? Unfortunately that is largely what “amusements” in our day have again become in the hands of the arch deceiver.

Recently I read an author who said: “Our leisure, even our play, is a matter of serious concern. [That is because] there is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” ⁵ I believe that to be absolutely true, and no such claiming and counterclaiming anywhere is more crucial and conspicuous than that being waged for the minds and morals, the personal purity of the young.

Brethren, part of my warning voice tonight is that this will only get worse. It seems the door to permissiveness, the door to lewdness and vulgarity and obscenity swings only one way. It only opens farther and farther; it never seems to swing back. Individuals can choose to close it, but it is certain, historically speaking, that public appetite and public policy will not close it. No, in the moral realm the only real control you have is self-control.

Brethren, if you are struggling with self-control in what you look at or listen to, in what you say or what you do, I ask you to pray to your Father in Heaven for help. Pray to Him as Enos did, who wrestled before God and struggled mightily in the spirit. ⁶ Wrestle like Jacob did with the angel, refusing to let go until a blessing had come. ⁷ Talk to your mom and dad. Talk to your bishop. Get the best help you can from all the good people who surround you. Avoid at all costs others who would tempt you, weaken your will, or perpetuate the problem. If anyone does not feel fully worthy tonight, he can become worthy through repentance and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior wept and bled and died for you. He has given everything for your happiness and salvation. He certainly is not going to withhold help from you now!

Then you can help others to whom you are sent, now and in the future, as one holding the priesthood of God. You can then, as a missionary, be what the Lord described as “a physician [to] the church.” ⁸

Young men, we love you. We worry about you and want to help you every way we can. Nearly 200 years ago William Wordsworth wrote that “the world is too much with us.” What on earth would he say about the encroachments pressing in on your souls and sensibilities today? In addressing some of these problems facing you, we are mindful that an absolute multitude of young men is faithfully living the gospel and standing resolutely before the Lord. I am sure that multitude includes the overwhelming majority of all who are listening here tonight. But the cautions we give to the few are important reminders even to the faithful.

In the most difficult and discouraging days of World War II, Winston Churchill said to the people of England: “To every man there comes … that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.”

In an even more serious kind of spiritual warfare, brethren, the day may come—indeed, I am certain will come—when in an unexpected circumstance or a time of critical need, lightning will strike, so to speak, and the future will be in your hands. Be ready when that day comes. Be strong. Always be clean. Respect and revere the priesthood that you hold, tonight and forever. I bear witness of this work, of the power we have been given to direct it, and of the need to be worthy in administering it. Brethren, I testify that the call in every age—and especially our age—is Joshua’s call: “Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Leadership

I know i said i would try and do short quotes but i think this one is hard to just pick and choose just a couple paragraphs from it. So read what you want or read it all. its a great talk on how we need to develop leadership skills.
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Elder Sterling W. Sill. A Personal Observation: The Problem Is Always the Same, Ensign, March 1973

As far as I know, there is only one problem in the world. There aren’t two or six or ten—there is just one, and it is always the same. And I think it doesn’t matter very much what the desired accomplishment is—whether one is doing church work, running a business, building an empire, or raising a family—the problem is always the same. It is always lack ofleadership.

A soldier can fight harder, a salesman can sell more goods, a child can do better school work, and a missionary can make more converts if he works under the direction of someone who knows how to teach and inspire and train and supervise and love and motivate and do those other important things that make up the leadership concept.

We say that the priesthood is the authority to act in the name of the Lord, but leadership is the ability to act in the name of the Lord. And I suppose that neither one is of very great consequence without the other. That is, what good would it do for a missionary to have the authority to make converts if he didn’t have the ability to make converts? The Lord gives us the authority, but he requires that we ourselves develop the ability.

Lack of effective leadership causes trouble for governments. Millions of dollars are being lost because of business failures. Lives are distorted by family contention and rebellion. The carnage of divorce devastates many homes. And, in one way or another, everyone’s life is adversely influenced because of the lack of leadership. And yet, all of the principles upon which the most successful leadership is based are easily available to us.

There is a simple answer for every problem. And because the need forleadership increases with the importance of the institution that it serves,leadership in the home assumes the greatest possible importance. “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” (President David O. McKay.) The basic organization on which everyone’s happiness depends is the family. The finest family leadership is always supplemented by and coordinated with the Church. God established the family and then his Son came into the world to organize the Church and to make available those great principles on which every success depends.

We sometimes criticize those who claim that God made the earth out of nothing; we say that even God can’t make something out of nothing. However, we teach a much more serious false doctrine when we try to make success out of nothing. That is, no one can make a successful family home evening out of nothing. Neither can one make a satisfactory home teaching record out of nothing. The most constructive person is one who puts more into life than he takes out.

Real success in any area of life must be continually won. The scriptures point out that our lives will be judged according to our works. So will our marriages, and so will our family home evenings and every other worthwhile accomplishment be judged by how much we put into them.

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Thou, O God, doth sell us all good things at the price of labor.” Good leadership demands a good portion of industry, proper attitudes, planning, preparation, determination, and follow-through. President David O. McKay once said, “The purpose of the gospel is to change people—to make bad men good and good men better,” and that always means work. William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that you can change your circumstances by changing your attitudes of mind.” Many people want to change their circumstances but are unwilling to change themselves.

Many years ago, Elder Adam S. Bennion of the Council of the Twelve demonstrated a great success principle when he said that he had never gone before a Sunday School class without spending an average of eight hours in preparation. No wonder he was a thrilling, exciting, inspiring teacher! There are some people who never spend more than five minutes in preparing to teach a Sunday School lesson, and they are probably just as good as Adam Bennion was in proportion to the time they spend in preparation.

Leadership is the ability to lead, and everyone can learn to do it effectively if he will work at it continually. That is, everyone can learn how to have a successful family home evening or be an inspiring Sunday School teacher who will regularly and conscientiously devote enough time to prepare well for each activity. However, lack of preparation is the most deadly enemy of all prospective leaders. Those home teachers who fail often fail because they are not prepared to succeed. Marriages may fail because the participants are not prepared. Parents may fail because of lack of sufficient preparation. Children may fail because they don’t take time to prepare.

Recently a couple came to discuss their marital problems. The husband said, “All we need is to have the answer to one question.” He said, “Am I supposed to be the head of the house or not? I said, “I cannot answer that question unless I know what your definition is for being the head of the house.”

In the discussion that followed it was perfectly evident that he was not any more prepared to be the head of the house than I was to fly to the moon. To him, to be the head of the house meant a kind of dictatorship or “unrighteous dominion.” Inasmuch as he was not a member of the Church, he had forbidden his wife and children to attend on the grounds that it would break up their family unity. As the head of the house he had taken possession of all of his wife’s property as well as her income, and then had made her beg and crawl to get back the few pennies required to satisfy her personal needs. And the question was not whether or not it was right for her to have the money, but whether or not she had pleased him personally.

About the only family activity that he was really qualified for was to argue and make himself unpleasant. He seemed to be a personal fulfillment of that sacred scripture in which the Lord said, “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” (D&C 121:39.)

In order to be great souls in heaven, we need to be great souls here. At every age, we should be leaders in righteousness, leaders in doing our duty, leaders in accepting responsibility, leaders in excellence, leaders in industry, leaders in kindness, leaders in obedience, leaders in example.

It is just as important for a deacons quorum president to be a good leader in his sphere as it is for the President of the Church to be a leader in his. No nation would have a very good army if only the generals were faithful. The Lord set the age of accountability at eight years, and if we fail as children, we will be very likely to fail as parents and as Church members and as occupational successes. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6.) Jesus gave the greatest success formula ever given when he said, “Follow me.” Childhood and youth are some of the best times to practice theleadership of an effective followship.

General Conference

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference-No Ordinary Blessing, Ensign September 2011

General Conference—No Ordinary Blessing

A fine member of the Church was talking with a neighbor who was not of our faith. When the topic of discussion turned to general conference, the neighbor asked, “You say you have prophets and apostles? And twice a year in a worldwide conference they reveal the word of God?”

“Absolutely,” the member replied with confidence.

The neighbor thought about that for a moment. He seemed genuinely interested and then asked, “What did they say in the last general conference?”

At this point the good member of the Church went from feeling excited about sharing the gospel to feeling embarrassed. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of the details of a single talk.

His friend found this troubling and said, “You mean to tell me that God speaks to man in our day and you can’t remember what He said?”

The brother felt humbled by this exchange. He vowed that he would do better to remember the words spoken by the Lord’s servants in general conference.

We all know how hard it is to remember every message of general conference, and I’m confident that we need not be embarrassed if we don’t remember everything. Nevertheless, there are messages in each general conference given as a gift and a blessing from heaven specifically for our personal life situations.

In preparation for general conference, let me suggest three basic concepts that may help us to better receive, remember, and apply the words spoken by the Lord’s servants.

1. Members of the Church are entitled to personal revelation as they listen to and study the inspired words spoken at general conference.

As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. For example, you might yearn for direction and guidance by the Lord regarding challenges you are facing.

Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase, or song. A heart filled with gratitudefor the blessings of life and an earnest desire to hear and follow the words of counsel will prepare the way for personal revelation.

2. Don’t discount a message merely because it sounds familiar.

Prophets have always taught by repetition; it is a law of learning. You will hear repetition in themes and doctrines in general conference. Let me reassure you: this is not due to a lack of creativity or imagination. We continue to hear messages on similar issues because the Lord is teaching and impressing upon our minds and hearts certain foundational principles of great eternal importance that must be understood and acted upon before we can move on to other things. A wise builder first lays the foundation before erecting the walls and the roof.

3. The words spoken at general conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months.

If we listen to and follow the promptings of the Spirit, they will serve as a Liahona, guiding us through the unknown, challenging valleys and mountains that are ahead (see 1 Nephi 16).

Since the world began, God has raised up prophets who speak the will of heaven to the people of their times. It is our responsibility to listen and then apply the messages the Lord provides for us.

Our merciful and loving Heavenly Father has not forsaken and will not forsake His children. Today, as well as in times past, He has appointed apostles and prophets. He continues to reveal His word to them.

What a marvelous privilege it is to hear God’s messages for each of us during general conference! Let us prepare well for this great blessing of divine guidance delivered by His chosen servants.

For this is no ordinary blessing.

Obedience

Obedience: The Path to Freedom, President James E. Faust. Ensign May 1999

"...obedience to righteous principles would have offered them freedom from social diseases, shame, degradation, and feelings of guilt...


Just as order gave life and beauty to the earth when it was dark and void, so it does to us. Obedience helps us develop the full potential our Heavenly Father desires for us in becoming celestial beings worthy someday to live in His presence.

Obedience to the Word of Wisdom keeps us from addictions so we do not become slaves to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. Our bodies will be healthy and our minds clear because the promise associated with this principle is that “all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones.” ⁷

An additional promise in this revelation says we “shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.” ⁸ So by obedience we also gain knowledge. As the Savior said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.” ⁹

Obedience brings peace in decision making. If we have firmly made up our minds to follow the commandments, we will not have to redecide which path to take when temptation comes our way. That is how obedience brings spiritual safety.

Brethren, another aspect of obedience is our obedience to spiritual promptings. This too can be liberating. How many times have we felt regret for ignoring a prompting from a higher source?"

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I know that as we obey the laws and commandments of God and the lands, that we will be blessed by following the commandments. There is safety and peace in obeying the commandments. i know this to be true.