"The Field Is White..."
President Joseph Fielding Smith
- Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
The speaker urges members to keep the commandments and set an example for others, so that the Lord may be pleased with the Church not only collectively but also individually.
I wish the Lord could have said, and I wish he could say it today, that this is the only Church upon the face of the earth with which he is well pleased considering this Church individually. That he cannot say, but if we would humble ourselves, if those who are wayward and indifferent, who have received the testimony of the truth would repent, and if every man and every woman and child who is old enough to understand would turn unto the Lord with full purpose of heart and honor and serve him as ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"The First and Great Commandment"
Elder Robert F. Orton
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A man in the Transylvanian Alps of Romania was baptized and later became inactive due to pressures. He returned to activity, recalling the love expressed to him at baptism and from his branch members.
Permit me two illustrations. In the Transylvanian Alps of Romania, a man, with his wife and two children, was baptized into the Church. He became the leader of his branch; however, due to economic and family pressures, he became inactive for a time. Upon his return to activity, he reported that as he had stepped out of the water at the time of his baptism, someone whispered in his ear, “I love you.†No one had ever told him that before. His recollection of that expression of love, an ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"The First and Great Commandment"
Elder Robert F. Orton
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A young man involved in worldly ways was influenced and brought back to activity by two high priests, an uncle, and others who showed him love and encouraged him to prepare for a mission.
Several years ago, a young man became involved in the ways of the world. For a time, his parents had no influence on him. Two high priests who were neighbors and members of his ward but who had no specific calling to serve him, together with an uncle and others, put their arms around and befriended him. They nursed him back into activity and encouraged him to prepare for a mission. They told him that they loved him and demonstrated that love by their conduct towards him. This changed the young m ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"The First and Great Commandment"
Elder Robert F. Orton
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
While jogging in Bucharest, the speaker saw an old tree struggling to give new life, which symbolized the importance of continuing to give despite difficulties, just as Christ did.
Early one morning in Bucharest, as I jogged through Cismigiu Park, I observed an old tree which was struggling to give new branches—to give new life. The symbol of life is to give. We give so much to family and friends and to community and Church that at times we, as the old tree, may think that life is too difficult—that constantly giving is a burden too heavy to bear. We may think that it would be easier to give up and to do only that which the natural man does. But we should not ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"The Gospel of Jesus Christ Is the Golden Door"
Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone
- Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
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📖 general conference
President Marion G. Romney humorously invites a newsman to contribute to the Church's welfare program during a news conference in Mexico City.
At a news conference in Mexico City after the area conference, President Marion G. Romney was invited by a newsman to answer a question. The question was this: Do you have a welfare program in your church? And President Romney responded, "Yes, and if you join the Church, you can contribute to it also."
Forgiveness
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"The Gospel of Jesus Christ Is the Golden Door"
Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone
- Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
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📖 general conference
The speaker recounts a story told by a friend about a young man who is hired by a countess to take care of her lawn, and through her guidance, learns the value of striving for excellence.
I am indebted to a good friend of mine, Aldin Porter, for a story and I would like to share it with you. He shared it with me about two years ago. "No one in our Utah town knew where the Countess had come from; her carefully precise English indicated that she was not a native American. From the size of her house and staff we knew that she must be wealthy, but she never entertained and she made it clear that when she was at home she was completely inaccessible. Only when she stepped outdoors did ... (continued)
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"The Gospel of Jesus Christ Is the Golden Door"
Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone
- Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
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📖 general conference
A stake president chooses to sell cattle at market price and donate cash to the Church instead of providing the cattle directly, resulting in the Church having to buy beef at a higher price.
For example, we had one stake president in a nearby stake who the central storehouse called and said, "We need a few head of cattle." The wholesale index that the Church was working on was a little under that which represented the present market. He said, "No, we won"™t furnish you the cattle. We will sell them and then we will give you the cash in lieu," which he did. They gave us the cash in lieu, brethren. We had to go out on the wholesale market and buy dressed beef at an up price. Now ... (continued)
Forgiveness
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"The Gospel of Jesus Christ Is the Golden Door"
Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone
- Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric
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📖 general conference
The speaker shares a personal shift in eating habits due to rising food costs and suggests that bishops adjust the mix of commodities given out from the bishops storehouse accordingly.
I think there is another thing we must consider: have your eating habits changed a little over the past year? Ours have, greatly. We used to eat potatoes regularly, but when they got up to $1.69 for ten pounds, we decided to not eat as much of that product as we used to. We switched to rice. Our meat diet has considerably decreased. Our grocery mix has changed at home. However, we understand that those who are receiving commodities through the storehouse are receiving just as much meat as they w ... (continued)
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"The Great and Wonderful Love"
Elder Anthony D. Perkins
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
An outstanding missionary doubts his worthiness before God, imagining a stern Heavenly Father and a Savior who can cleanse others but not him, and a Holy Ghost who avoids the imperfect.
The snare of exaggerated imperfection. An outstanding missionary feels incapable of meeting the expectations of God. In his mind, this worthy elder imagines a stern Heavenly Father bound to irrevocable justice, a Savior capable of cleansing others"™ transgressions but not this elder"™s own, and a Holy Ghost unwilling to accompany an imperfect person.
Forgiveness
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"The Great and Wonderful Love"
Elder Anthony D. Perkins
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A faithful young person feels inadequate due to lack of praise and criticism from others and negative media messages, leading her to question her worthiness of divine love and guidance.
The snare of false inadequacy. A faithful young person feels unable to meet the expectations of others. At home and school, she is rarely praised and often criticized. The popular media tells her she is not beautiful enough or smart enough. Every day this righteous sister questions whether she is an individual worthy of Heavenly Father"™s love, the Savior"™s atoning sacrifice, or the Spirit"™s constant guidance.
Forgiveness
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"The Great and Wonderful Love"
Elder Anthony D. Perkins
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
A middle-aged woman, despite being devoted and faithful, cannot forgive herself for past sins that have been repented of and resolved, leading her to doubt her acceptability to the Lord.
The snare of needless guilt. A middle-aged woman is a devoted mother, a loving friend, a faithful Church servant, and a frequent temple patron. But in her heart, this sister cannot forgive herself of sins committed years ago that she has repented of and fully resolved with priesthood leaders. She doubts that her life will ever be acceptable to the Lord and has lost hope of eternal life in Heavenly Father"™s presence.
Forgiveness
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"The Great and Wonderful Love"
Elder Anthony D. Perkins
- Of the Seventy
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📖 general conference
Alma the Elder, who once lived immorally, experienced complete repentance and received a promise of eternal life, demonstrating the infinite reach of Christ's Atonement.
If you imagine that your prior sins, character flaws, and poor decisions prevent you from receiving all of God"™s blessings, consider the experience of Alma the Elder. Referring to his younger years as an immoral priest for the wicked King Noah, Alma admitted, "I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance."24Mosiah 23:9Yet Alma"™s repentance was so complete and Christ"™s Atonement so infinite that Alma ... (continued)
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"The Great Imitator"
Elder James E. Faust
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
A Sunday School teacher threatens to cast out devils when noisy boys claim they attend to see a miracle.
You may have heard the story, and it is a story, of the disruptive, noisy boys in a Sunday School class who were asked by their exasperated teacher why they bothered to attend Sunday School. One of the more impudent boys replied, "We came to see you perform a miracle."
The teacher walked slowly over to the boy and menacingly responded, "We don"™t perform miracles here, but we do cast out devils!"
Forgiveness
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"The Great Imitator"
Elder James E. Faust
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
The speaker recalls how Satan tried to divert him from his mission path nearly fifty years ago.
When I was on my first mission, Satan sought to divert me from my future path and, if possible, to destroy my usefulness in the Lord"™s work. That was almost fifty years ago, and I still remember how reasonable his entreaties seemed.
Forgiveness
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"The Great Imitator"
Elder James E. Faust
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
President Ernest LeRoy Hatch of the Guatemala City Temple remarked on the devil's intelligence due to his age.
We just recently heard President Ernest LeRoy Hatch of the Guatemala City Temple say, "The devil is not smart because he is the devil; he is smart because he is old."
Forgiveness
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"The Great Imitator"
Elder James E. Faust
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
The speaker discusses the devil's initial proposal to God and his subsequent fall from grace.
Satan became the devil by seeking glory, power, and dominion by force (seeMoses 4:3"“4But Jesus, chosen "from the beginning"Moses 4:2said unto God, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever"Moses 4:2What a contrast in approaches! Wrong as his plan was, Satan was persuasive enough to entice one-third of the hosts of heaven to follow him (seeD&C 29:36Rev. 12:4He practiced a great deception by saying, "I am also a son of God"Moses 5:13
Forgiveness
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"The Great Imitator"
Elder James E. Faust
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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📖 general conference
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught about the power of humans over disembodied beings like the devil.
The power to resist Satan may be stronger than we realize. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: "All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 181).
Forgiveness
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"The Great Imitator"
Elder James E. Faust
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
C. S. Lewis's fictional devil Screwtape instructs his apprentice on the subtlety of leading humans astray.
C. S. Lewis gave us a keen insight into devilish tactics. In a fictional letter, the master devil, Screwtape, instructs the apprentice devil Wormwood, who is in training to become a more experienced devil:
"You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. "¦ It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothin ... (continued)
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"The Great Plan of Happiness"
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
Before our mortal birth, we existed as spirit children of God and attended a council in heaven where God's plan for our destiny was taught.
Our understanding of life begins with a council in heaven. There the spirit children of God were taught his eternal plan for their destiny. We had progressed as far as we could without a physical body and an experience in mortality. To realize a fulness of joy, we had to prove our willingness to keep the commandments of God in a circumstance where we had no memory of what preceded our mortal birth.
Forgiveness
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"The Great Plan of Happiness"
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
Satan proposed his own plan to save all God's children by removing their power to choose, which was rejected and led to his expulsion.
Satan had his own plan. He proposed to save all the spirit children of God, assuring that result by removing their power to choose and thus eliminating the possibility of sin. When Satan’s plan was rejected, he and the spirits who followed him opposed the Father’s plan and were cast out.
Forgiveness
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