Willlingness & ability

One of my favorite scriptures is where Nephi says in 1 Nephi 2:7 "I will go & do the things which the Lord hath commanded, …" President James E. Faust says,

"It is important that you have oil in your lamps so that when you say to the Lord, "Here am I; send me," you are prepared and qualified to be sent. We are all heaven sent, but what we are able to accomplish in the Lord's work depends to a large extent on our willingness and ability."

--James E. Faust, "You Are All Heaven Sent", Ensign, Nov. 2002, 110

 President Faust says in another conference address,

"We must keep our faith simple and our worship pure. Religion is more than a ritual; it is righteousness."

--President James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1999, 18

Religion is more than a ritual sounds nice, but just as the Pharisees and Sadducees, powerful & rival sects during the time between the Old & New Testament, had their rituals; so does the latter day church. White shirts & ties must be worn to officiate in the Sacrament; flip flops & denim cannot be worn in the church. Women MUST wear dresses or skirts.

The cost of discipleshlip

Everything in life has a cost, so what is the cost of discipleshlip? President James E. Faust talked about this in General Conference in 1999

"What is the cost of discipleship? It is primarily obedience. It is the forsaking of many things. But since everything in life has a price, it is a price worth paying, considering that the great promise of the Savior is for peace in this life and eternal life in the life to come. It is a price we cannot afford not to pay."

─ James E. Faust, "The Price of Discipleship", Ensign, April 1999, 2

President Ezra Taft Benson's thought goes almost hand in hand with this thought. There's not much of a stretch

"Some men are willing to die for their faith but will not fully live for it. Christ both lived and died for us. By walking in his steps and through his atonement we can gain the greatest gift of all ─ eternal life ─ which is that kind of life of the great Eternal One, our Father in heaven."

─ Ezra Taft Benson, "Jesus Christ - Gifts and Expectations," BYU Devotional 10 December 1974

Prayers are heard & answered

Both of tonight's quotes are new. On Sunday mornings I spend my time at church in the library. It smells good, paper, books, pictures; some Sundays there isn't very much to do, like today. Today, I pulled out some issues of the Friend, the children's magazine. There was a house & the house was divided into 4 parts. I wish I could remember it, but one of the things to do was pray every night before you go to bed. Get down on your knees & pray.

"The problems of our day loom ominously before us. Surrounded by the sophistication of modern living, we look heavenward for that unfailing sense of direction, that we might chart and follow a wise and proper course. He whom we call our Heavenly Father will not leave our sincere petition unanswered."

--Thomas S. Monson, "Sailing Safely the Seas of Life", Ensign, July 1999, 2 

Another thing to do was study the scriptures. I've done that quite consistently over the past year. I started reading The Book of Mormon a year ago on Feb. 18. The Book of Mormon was nothing compared to the Old Testament. That has been quite the journey.

"Our Heavenly Father never gives up on us … But we must have the desire to open the door, even if it shakes the very foundation of our past beliefs and way of life … Our Father in Heaven will never take away our agency. We must seek after or desire to know our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ."

--Elder Ronald T. Halverson, "I Stand at the Door, and Knock," Ensign, November 2004, 32

And what better way to know our Father & His Son, Jesus Christ, than to read the scriptures.

Celestial Sight

I do not have a prayer blog, but I have a scripture journal & a quotes blog. True, this blog wasn't quite what I envisioned when I first started it, but I enjoy adding to it. This quote by Elder Russell M. Nelson intrigued me:

"With celestial sight, trials impossible to change become possible to endure."

--Russell M. Nelson, "With God Nothing Shall Be Impossible", Ensign, May 1988, p. 35

Facing foreclosure is intimidating, but I am putting my faith in the Lord & hoping for a positive outcome.

"In the meridian of time, among other things, the Savior gave a touch here, a kind word there, food (both real and spiritual) to the hungry, advice and counsel to those in need. He gave prayers with the frightened, kindness to the passed-over, respect and affection for the children, loving care for those who are burdened. "And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things."

--Stephen A. West, "Out of Small Things", Ensign, May 1999, 28

Elder West was a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 1998 to 2004.

The power of correct principles

I thought of this familiar quote from Joseph Smith, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."

"Well-taught doctrines and principles have a more powerful influence on behavior than rules."

--Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 1999, 79

And yes, onward ever onward

"The path to eternal life is not on a plateau. Rather, it is an incline, ever onward and upward. Hence, ever-increasing spiritual understanding and energy are required to reach our destination. Because the pernicious opposition by Satan continues, the continuous enlightened guidance of the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential."

--Elder Keith K. Hilbig, "Quench Not the Spirit Which Quickens the Inner Man", October 2007 General Conference

I went searching for Joseph Smith's quote & found this in Elder Richard G. Scott's talk, The Power of Correct Principles.

Joseph Smith’s inspired statement, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves,” still applies. (Quoted by John Taylor, in Millennial Star, 15 Nov. 1851, p. 339.) The Lord uses that pattern with us. 

- Elder Richard G. Scott, "The Power of Correct Principles", Ensign, May 1993, 32

Friendship

I read the quotes tonight & I'm thinking, "I know I just read this about Joseph Smith saying friendship is a fundamental principle of 'Mormonism.' I didn't like it then & it still bugs me." So, I proceeded to search for Jensen, friendship & Joseph Smith in every one of my blogs. No result for that quote. Then I wondered if maybe someone else had used the same quote & there it was. Kathleen Hughes used it in her conference talk in 2005. Here it is: different talk, different speaker, same quote.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of ‘Mormonism.' " That thought ought to inspire and motivate all of us because I feel that friendship is a fundamental need of our world. I think in all of us there is a profound longing for friendship, a deep yearning for the satisfaction and security that close and lasting relationships can give. Perhaps one reason the scriptures make little specific mention of the principle of friendship is because it should be manifest quite naturally as we live the gospel. In fact, if the consummate Christian attribute of charity has a first cousin, it is friendship."

--Marlin K. Jensen, "Friendship: A Gospel Principle", Ensign, May 1999, 64

 And another one about friendship,

"It takes courage to be a real friend ... A friend is a person who will suggest and render the best for us regardless of the immediate consequences. Sir Winston Churchill became Great Britain's greatest friend in his country's darkest hour because he was courageous enough to call for "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" when some would have accepted him more readily as a friend had he advocated peaceful surrender. President Abraham Lincoln was once criticized for his attitude toward his enemies. "Why do you try to make friends of them?" asked an associate. "You should try to destroy them." "Am I not destroying my enemies," Lincoln gently replied, "when I make them my friends?"

--Marvin J. Ashton, "What Is a Friend?", Ensign Jan. 1973, 41

I have always liked Abraham Lincoln. I hope some day to meet him & not be tongue-tied in his presence.

Past & present

This first quote is going to have several "labels."

"In 1844 Josiah Quincy (a non-member), a respected mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois. He toured the city, visited with the Saints, and interviewed the Prophet Joseph Smith. Mr. Quincy later wrote a book titled Figures of the Past and included a chapter on the Prophet with this prediction: "It is by no means improbable that some future text-book for the use of generations yet unborn will contain a question something like this: 'What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen?' And it is by no means impossible that the answer to the interrogatory may be thus written: 'Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet.'"

--John Henry Evans, Joseph Smith: An American Prophet (1946), 3-4. Quoted by Tad R. Callister, "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration," Ensign, June 2002, 62

and next ...

"As we move toward the future, we must not neglect the lessons of the past. Our Heavenly Father gave His Son. The Son of God gave His life. We are asked by Them to give our lives, as it were, in Their divine service. Will you? Will I? Will we? There are lessons to be taught, there are kind deeds to be done, there are souls to be saved."

--Thomas S. Monson, "Becoming Our Best Selves", Ensign, Nov. 1999, 18

Think of others

This first quote reminds me of counsel my mission president often gave me to have a gracious heart.

"At the heart of the message of the Savior of the world is a single, glorious, wonderful, still largely untried concept. In its simplest terms the message is that we should seek to overcome the selfishness we all seem to be born with, that we should overcome human nature and think of others before self."

--James E. Faust, "A Pattern of Love," Ensign, Dec. 1999, 2

And I try, I truly do try. But I find it hard when others don't.

"If we truly understood the Atonement and the eternal value of each soul, we would seek out the wayward boy and girl and every other wayward child of God. We would help them to know of the love Christ has for them. We would do all that we can to help prepare them to receive the saving ordinances of the gospel."

--M. Russell Ballard, "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul," Ensign, May 2004, 86

 But how? I wish I knew.

He is risen

President Gordon B. Hinckley said

"These simple words — "He is not here, but is risen" — have become the most profound in all literature. They are the declaration of the empty tomb. They are the fulfillment of all He had spoken concerning rising again. They are the triumphant response to the query facing every man, woman, and child who was ever born to earth."

--Gordon B. Hinckley, "He Is Not Here, but Is Risen", Ensign, May 1999, 70

 The next quote is the emphatic one from Elder Ashton. I still think it should be empathetic & readthescriptures dot com has made a mistake. I should take a minute & find out.

So, in searching for Elder Ashton's talk, "Straightway," in the May 1983 Ensign, I came upon this quote:

Procrastination is unproductive delay. Someone has wisely said, “Procrastination is a silly thing, it only makes me sorrow; but I can change at any time—I think I will tomorrow!” 

And yes, I was right, the word is empathetically. Here is the correct quote:

Just by listening empathetically, we often can help others find their own solutions. Recently a stake president told me that one of the most sincere thank-yous he had ever received came from a young mother with two children who, under very difficult conditions, was trying diligently to succeed as a single parent. After a lengthy interview, her words of appreciation were simply, “Thank you for listening to me. I think I can face my problems much better now.”

Choose the road of faith

Another set of quotes from readthescriptures dot com.

"Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith."

--Elder Neil L. Andersen, "You Know Enough", Ensign, Nov 2008, 13–14

And another, this may be a repeat,

"Through service to others, we develop a Christlike love and we experience joy. Service teaches patience and long-suffering as well as gentleness, goodness, and faith."

--Merrill J. Bateman, "Living a Christ-Centered Life", Liahona, Dec 1999, 13

Two different subjects

More quotes from Read the Scriptures.com

"When you read the Book of Mormon, concentrate on the principal figure in the book . . . the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God."

--Elder Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, Nov. 1999, 69

An another one:

"President David O. McKay put it beautifully when he said, speaking of mothers, 'This ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness, yes, longing to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. . .' (Gospel Ideals, Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1953, pp. 453-54)."

--H. Burke Peterson, "Mother, Catch the Vision of Your Call," Ensign, May 1974, 31-32

Choose the right way

More quotes,

"We are not born into this world with fixed habits. Neither do we inherit a noble character. Instead, as children of God, we are given the privilege and opportunity of choosing which way of life we will follow—which habits we will form. Confucius said that the nature of men is always the same. It is their habits that separate them. Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action. Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired by practice."

--Delbert L. Stapley, "Good Habits Develop Good Character", Ensign, Nov. 1974, 20

And another one:

"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 Heavenly Father desires for us in becoming celestial beings worthy some day to live in His presence."

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