"Believest Thou the Prophets?"
Elder Alma Sonne
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker reflects on the role of prophets, comparing them to Jesus Christ, and emphasizes their importance throughout history, including the work of President Brigham Young during the pioneer exodus.
Christ's plan of salvation came to light gradually through holy prophets. Back of them is Jesus Christ, the light of the world, and the greatest of all the prophets. His gospel is the beacon light. The voice of the prophets is the voice of God to generations past, present, and future. These prophets came as they were needed. They were chosen before they were born. Their messages were always vital, important, and timely. Their testimonies were strong and fervent. They called people to repentance. ... (continued)
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"Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord"
Elder Dean L. Larsen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Moses counseled the Israelites before entering the land of Canaan, warning them not to forget the Lord once they experienced abundance in the new land.
As the tribes of ancient Israel prepared to cross over Jordan to enter the land of Canaan, Moses gave them his final counsel and instructions. They were about to enter a land that Joshua and Caleb had described as "a land which floweth with milk and honey."Num. 14:8It would be a dramatic change in the circumstances of Israel. For a full generation they had known only the desolation of the desert places, depending upon the Lord for their daily subsistence.
Moses felt some concern for the capaci ... (continued)
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"Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord"
Elder Dean L. Larsen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
Brigham Young expressed concern that the Saints would be tempted by the discovery of gold in California, fearing that prosperity would lead them away from God.
Not long after the early Latter-day Saints had entered the Salt Lake Valley, and as they struggled in their poverty to establish homes and to survive in a land that had been a wilderness, reports came of the discovery of gold in northern California. The news spread to all parts of the country, and fortune hunters passing through the Salt Lake area en route to the gold fields spoke of their hopes for striking it rich in the newly discovered bonanza. It was a great temptation to some of the Saints ... (continued)
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"Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord"
Elder Dean L. Larsen
- Of the Presidency of the Seventy
📅 0
📖 general conference
The Nephite people in the Book of Mormon experienced a cycle of material blessing followed by spiritual decline, as described by Alma.
An episode during the time of Alma in the Book of Mormon illustrates the cycle that has so often occurred when people are blessed materially by the Lord and then turn away from him. In the instance referred to, the Nephite people were struggling to overcome the effects of a devastating civil strife and a Lamanite invasion.
Not only had there been great loss of life; the destruction to lands and to property had been sufficient to seriously jeopardize the prospects of recovery. Alma describes cond ... (continued)
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"Beware of False Prophets"
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recounts how a third of the hosts of heaven revolted against God's plan due to the principle of freedom of worship.
One of our Articles of Faith says:
We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own
conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they
mayA of F 1:11
That is the expression of a great principle, a principle that has been operative among the
children of God from the earliest period of which we have any record. It was pursuant to that
principle, and in the exercise of the rights guaranteed thereby, that a third of the ... (continued)
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"Beware of False Prophets"
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker describes how other churches and secular organizations lead members of their church astray by befriending them, inviting them to social events, and offering more lenient views on practices such as smoking and drinking.
Now, I want to say just a word or two about the church and secular organizations that are
amongst us, and that are doing all they can to lead our young people astray. I say there are
both church organizations and secular organizations. Their method of approach "”or
approaches"”becomes rather clear.
They begin by making friends with our young people and also with members of that body of
priesthood, as to which we have so much concern, the adult Aaronic Priesthood. They
cultivate the friendshi ... (continued)
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"Beware of False Prophets"
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker tells of the heresy that the God of the Old Testament is not the same as the God of the New Testament, which he refutes by citing Jesus' teachings.
There is a heresy which is amongst us now in some degree and which has existed since the
early Christian days, which declares that the God of the Old Testament is not the God of the
New, that the Old Testament God has disappeared. I have never quite been able to see how
the proponents of this idea could square it with the statement which the Savior made
repeatedly, that he did only what he had seen the Father do, and he taught only what the
Father had taught himJohn 5:19-20John 8:28Thus those wh ... (continued)
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"Beware of False Prophets"
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
- First Counselor in the First Presidency
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker narrates how after Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God and how Andrew, after being taught by Jesus, joyfully told Peter they had found the Messiah.
After Jesus had returned from the wilderness following his baptism, he came to the River
Jordan where John was still baptizing. As John stood there, seeing the Savior, he said,
"Behold the Lamb of God"John 1:29and apparently replying to somebody who wanted to flatter him
and tell him how great he was, he added, ". . . whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to
unloose"John 1:27
The next day Jesus came again to the group on the banks where John was baptizing, and
again John said, "Behold t ... (continued)
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"Bind on Thy Sandals"
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
A high school quarterback who rarely played was called into a game without his shoes on, ran the wrong way, and learned there's no excuse for being unprepared.
Some years ago I read an article in the Era of Youth section of our Improvement Era magazine entitled "Bind on Thy Sandals." It told of the less-than-spectacular career of a quarterback on the football team of a small, rural high school. This young man managed to make the team, but it was clear he was not going to be all-state or all-American. Indeed, it didn"™t look like he was going to be all-anything, except perhaps all battered and bruised. He was the fourth of the four quarterbacks. By ... (continued)
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"Bind on Thy Sandals"
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
Oliver Cowdery lost the privilege of translating the Book of Mormon because he was not prepared when the opportunity came.
Oliver Cowdery was one who, for just a moment, slipped his shoes off while the game was still going, and it led to one of the great disappointments in Church history. He had been serving as scribe for the Prophet Joseph Smith as the Book of Mormon was being translated, and the Lord told him that he, too, would be granted the gift of translation. (See D&C 6:25) Oliver was not as ready as he might have been"”or as he once had been. His belief in himself and in this great latter-day work had falt ... (continued)
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"Bind on Thy Sandals"
Elder Howard W. Hunter
- Of the Council of the Twelve
📅 0
📖 general conference
President Kimball was always prepared and ready for his calling, exemplified by his dedication to reading the Bible cover to cover at age fourteen.
If President Kimball will pardon a personal reference, I would like to refer to his readiness and preparation. At President Harold B. Lee"™s funeral he said with love and emotion: "President Lee has gone. I never thought it could happen. I sincerely wanted it never to happen. I doubt if anyone in the Church has prayed harder and more consistently for a long life and the general welfare for President Lee than my Camilla and myself. I have not been ambitious. I am four years older than Brother L ... (continued)
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
Paul the Apostle found peace after converting to Christianity and used his energy to teach the message of Jesus Christ.
Paul had an evidence of peace. Here was a man, yes, who had fought the Christ, who had fought the principles which will bring peace. Yet after he had received conviction of the truthfulness of the Savior's message and of his divinity as the Son of God, he received a peace in his heart, and he could not be swayed from righteousness but used his energies, his talents, in going forward to teach this great message of which he received a conviction.
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
In 1834, despite persecution, Joseph Smith received a revelation to proclaim peace to the ends of the earth.
In the midst of great persecution when the Saints were being persecuted in June of 1834 at Zion's Camp on Fishing River, the Prophet Joseph received a revelation from the Lord which is recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, '. . . lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace unto the ends of the earth' D&C 105:39
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
A family mortgages their home to finance their sixth son's mission.
Then I think of a husband and wife who had five sons go out into the mission field; the sixth son had reached the required age to go. Not having sufficient funds, they went to the bank and placed a mortgage on their home to assure him finances to fill his mission that he might carry this message of peace to mankind.
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
A widowed mother is willing to scrub floors to financially support her son's mission.
I think of a mother writing to a son in one of the missions which I have visited in the South Pacific. He had indicated to her, knowing her circumstances, a widowed mother, the possibility that she was having financial difficulties, and he earnestly wanted to stay to fill the two and one half years required in a foreign mission where a language has to be learned. He let me read the letter she wrote him in return: 'Son, you will stay out on your mission even if I have to scrub floors to earn mone ... (continued)
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
Missionaries endure a nine-day sea journey to attend a conference and one chooses to return to continue his work.
In May we had a missionary conference on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. All the missionaries had arrived but two. These two were nine days on the water, coming over 640 miles in a small craft, being buffeted about the Pacific, and I want to tell you, you can be buffeted about the Pacific in those small boats, inter-island boats. One of these young men had been made the counselor in the mission presidency at the conference, and it would be unnecessary for him to return to the island ... (continued)
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder John Longden
- Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The captain of a large ocean liner in the South Pacific praises the young missionaries he has encountered for their integrity and moral cleanliness.
While on one of the large ocean liners in the South Pacific recently, I visited with the captain. He related that he had had many of our young missionaries on his ship over the years, and he said he had been deeply impressed with young men of such fine caliber. He had observed they didn't drink tea, coffee, liquor, or use tobacco. Their language and conversation was clean and above board. They appeared to be morally clean. They did not take the name of the Lord in vain. He admired their integrit ... (continued)
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"Blessed Are the Peacemakers"
Elder Russell M. Nelson
- Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
📅 0
📖 general conference
The speaker recalls life-changing family trips to the Holy Land, which is now in turmoil and off-limits for spiritual visits.
Among the most memorable of all our family activities have been trips to the Holy Land. For us, visits to that part of the world have been life changing. But now the Holy Land is a cauldron of turmoil and off-limits to those who would like to go there for spiritual enrichment.
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"Blessed Are They That Do His Commandments"
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
A group of young people ignored a warning about approaching rapids on a river and ultimately went over Niagara Falls.
Many years ago there was a story told in one of our early school books about some young people who were sailing down the river towards Niagara Falls. A man on the shore cried out to them: 'Young men, Ahoy, the rapids are below you!' But they heeded not his warning call until they realized too late that they were in the midst of the rapids. With all the power at their command they failed to turn their boat upstream, 'So,' said the man who tried to warn them 'shrieking and cursing, over they went! ... (continued)
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"Blessed Are They That Do His Commandments"
President David O. McKay
📅 0
📖 general conference
George Washington's character, rather than his intellect, made him the natural leader when the original thirteen colonies sought independence.
It was Washington's character more than his brilliancy of intellect that made him the choice of all as their natural leader when the thirteen original colonies decided to sever their connection with the mother country. As one in eulogy to the father of our country truly said: 'When he appeared among the eloquent orators, the ingenious thinkers the vehement patriots of the Revolution, his modesty and temperate profession could not conceal his superiority; he at once, by the very nature of his cha ... (continued)
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