Mormon Musings

The companionship of the Holy Ghost makes what is good more attractive and temptation less compelling. That alone should be enough to make us determined to qualify for the Spirit to be with us always. Just as the Holy Ghost strengthens us against evil, He also gives us the power to discern truth from falsehood. The truth that matters most is verified only by revelation from God. Our human reason and the use of our physical senses will not be enough. We live in a time when even the wisest will be hard-pressed to distinguish truth from clever deception. Henry B. Eyring, October 2015 General Conference

Meekness permits us to be prompted as to whether to speak out or, as Jesus once did, be silent.  But even when the meek speak up, they do so without speaking down. Neal A. Maxwell

One of the great challenges each of us faces every day is to not allow the concerns of this world to so dominate our time and energy that we neglect the eternal things that matter most. 1  We can be too easily diverted from remembering and focusing on essential spiritual priorities because of our many responsibilities and busy schedules. Sometimes we try to run so fast that we may forget where we are going and why we are running... We easily can be overcome by the routine and mundane matters of mortality. Sleeping, eating, dressing, working, playing, exercising, and many other customary activities are necessary and important. But ultimately, what we become is the result of our knowledge of and willingness to learn from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; it is not merely the sum total of our daily pursuits over the course of a lifetime. David A. Bednar, October 2017 General Conference

You don't pray to tell God what you want or what you need.  You pray to find out what God wants for you.  Big difference. That will change the way you pray forever.  David A Bednar

There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many. Our doctrine is not difficult to find.  Neal L. Anderson October 2012 General Conference https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/trial-of-your-faith?lang=eng&id=p30#p30

The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, is not an independent revelator.  He does not put forth His own views or His own point of view.  Rather, He is the messenger of the first two members of the Godhead and is commissioned to deliver the mind, will, purposes, and words of God the Father and Christ the Son to God's children.  And so, when Nephi informs us that those who receive the gift of The Holy Ghost--those who are baptized by fire--are enabled to speak with the tongue of angels, to speak the words of Christ, he is in essence unfolding to use the marvelous oneness of The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, and the angels of God.  They speak with one and the same mind.  That is, what an angel declares is what Jesus or The Father would have declared, and the message is delivered by the power of the Spirit.  (see also John 16:13) Robert Millet, The Holy Spirit, page 194

We are taught that for those who do not repent, it is as though no redemption had been made. Consider the converse. For those who do repent—truly repent—it is as though no sin had been committed. “I, the Lord, remember them no more,” not because He has some godly power to forget but because there is simply nothing to remember. In His world, the eternal world, it is gone, its effects are canceled, it is undone. President Boyd K. Packer taught: “The Atonement [of Jesus Christ] leaves no tracks, no traces. What it fixes is fixed . . . , and what it heals stays healed.”  Kyle S. McKay https://speeches.byu.edu/ talks/kyle-s-mckay/there-must- needs-be-a-christ/

Just as chalk can be removed from a blackboard, with sincere repentance the effects of our transgression can be erased through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  That promise applies in every case. Boyd K. Paker, October 2013 General Conference

If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you do not like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.   Saint Augustine

If any man has a truth that we have not got, we say, "Let us have it." I am willing to exchange all the errors and false notions I have for one truth, and should consider that I had made a good bargain. We are not afraid of light and truth. Our religion embraces every truth in heaven, earth or hell; it embraces all truth, the whole Gospel and plan of salvation, and the fulfillment of the whole volume of revelation that God has ever given.  Wilford Woodruff (Journal of Discourses 18:117)  

Our willingness to repent shows our gratitude for God’s gift and for the Savior’s love and sacrifice on our behalf. Commandments and priesthood covenants provide a test of faith, obedience, and love for God and Jesus Christ, but even more importantly, they offer an opportunity to experience love from God and to receive a full measure of joy both in this life and in the life to come. These commandments and covenants of God are like navigational instructions from celestial heights and will lead us safely to our eternal destination. It is one of beauty and glory beyond understanding. It is worth the effort. It is worth making decisive corrections now and then staying on course. Remember: the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth. The more we treasure the words of the prophets and apply them, the better we will recognize when we are drifting ...

The education then of our desires is one of the far-reaching importance to our happiness in life...God's ways of educating our desires are, of course, the most perfect...And what is God's way?  Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting.  We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we wanted them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come. Joseph F. Smith

The Gospel teaches us to be happy, to have faith rather than fear, to find hope and overcome despair, to leave darkness and turn toward the light of the everlasting Gospel. Boyd K. Packer

There is no doubt, if a person lives according to the revelations given to God's people, he may have The Spirit of The Lord to signify to him His will, and to guide and to direct him in the discharge of his duties, in his temporal as well as his spiritual exercises.  I am satisfied, however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 12:104

Our eventual place in eternity turns on whether our knees bend or shake and what we think and do in daily life. Neal A. Maxwell  

  “I suppose there would never be an apostate, there would never be a crime, if people remembered, really remembered, the things they had covenanted at the water’s edge or at the sacrament table and in the temple.” Spencer W. Kimball The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball , ed. Edward L. Kimball (1982), 112.

 "I am excited to report to you that I am enjoying the scriptures more than ever. I have read a lot in my life—thousands of books, I’m sure. But rarely do I encore reading except for the holy scriptures. Therefore, I am even more anxiously engaged in the restored gospel than ever because the restored gospel is so engaging. It really does get a grasp on our minds, and there is no end to the exploration that one can make of it. It is, as I said from this pulpit years ago, an “inexhaustible gospel.” To be anxiously engaged really does mean that we are engaged intellectually as well as spiritually, and life in the kingdom, as you all know, is also very engaging."  Neal A. Maxwell BYU Devotional, January 1999

In modern revelation we are told very frankly, brothers and sisters, that “when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:21). I don’t know how it is for you, but I have felt so often in my life so greatly blessed for what little obedience I have given. My conclusion with regard to that verse is that the Lord’s ratio of blessings to our obedience is a very generous ratio indeed. He is so quick to reward us, so quick to reassure us, and so anxious to take delight when we serve Him. So if you puzzle over that verse, as I have in life, including in recent times, the only bottom line I can give you is that the ratio of blessings to our minuscule obedience is a very, very generous ratio indeed. Neal A. Maxwell https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/neal-a-maxwell/sharing-insights-life/

All the Scriptures, including the Book of Mormon, will remain in the realm of faith.  Science will not be able to prove or disprove holy writ.  However, enough plausible evidence will come forth to prevent scoffers from having a field day, but not enough to remove the requirement of faith.  Believers must be patient during such unfolding. Neal A. Maxwell, Plain and Precious Things

Spirituality yields two fruits.  The first is inspiration to know what to do.  The second is power, or the capacity to do it.  These two capacities come together. [See 1 Nephi 3:7].  The Scriptures teach, and I have been led to confirm, that we will never be prompted by the Holy Ghost to do something we cannot do.  It may require extraordinary effort and much time, patience, prayer and obedience, but we can do it. Richard G. Scott, 21 Principles, 12

All that we teach in this church ought to be couched in the scriptures.  We ought to chose our texts from the scriptures, and wherever you have an illustration in the scriptures...use it, and do not draw from other sources where you can find it here in these books.  We call these the standard Church works because they are standard.  If you want to measure truth, measure it by the four standard Church works...If it is not in the standard works, you may well assume that it is speculation.  It is a man's own personal opinion.   If there is any teacher who teaches a doctrine that can't be substantiated from the standard Church works--and I make one qualification, and that is unless that one be the President of the Church, who alone has the right to declare new doctrine--then you may know by that same token that such a teacher is expressing his own opinion.   Harold B. Lee, Teachings of Harold B. Lee, 148-49

Today I wish to talk about my brother, my colleague, my fellow Apostle—Simon Barjona or Cephas or Peter the Rock. Some time ago a newspaper in a distant town carried an Easter Sunday religious editorial by a minister who stated that the presiding authority of the early-day church fell because of self-confidence, indecision, evil companions, failure to pray, lack of humility, and fear of man. He then concluded, “Let us as people, especially those who are Christians and claim to abide by the Word of God, not make the same mistakes and fall as Peter fell.”[1] As I read this, I had some strange emotions. I was shocked, then I was chilled, then my blood changed its temperature and began to boil. I felt I was attacked viciously, for Peter was my brother, my colleague, my example, my prophet, and God’s anointed. I whispered to myself, “That is not true. He is maligning my brother.” A Man with Vision Then I opened my New Testament. I could find no such character as this modern minister describ...

 Excellent talk given by Elder Mark D. Eddy at BYUI. https://video.byui.edu/media/t/1_keiickth

If I seem mankind to be an error, shall I bear them down? No, I will lift them up and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better, and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way. Joseph Smith

Could you gaze into heaven for five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject. Joseph Smith

We shall, at last, come to this conclusion, whatever we may think of revelation, that without it we can neither know nor understand anything of God. Joseph Smith

Preach short sermons, make short prayers, and deliver your sermons with a prayerful heart. Joseph Smith

If you wish to go where God is, you must be like God, or possess the principles which God possesses, for if we are not drawing toward God in principle, we are going away from him and drawing toward the devil. Joseph Smith

God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater are his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin ; and like the ancients, arrives at the point in faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment; he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending. Joseph Smith

When a man is born down with trouble when he is perplexed with care and difficulty if he can meet a smile instead of an argument or a murmur...if he can meet with mildness, it will calm down his soul and soothe his feelings; when the mind is going to despair, it needs a solace of affection and kindness. Joseph Smith

If you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates. Joseph Smith

I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. Joseph Smith

We are accustomed to saying that the Atonement took place in Gethsemane and on Calvary. In a literal sense this is true, since it was in the last hours of his life that Christ took upon himself the full burden and weight of the sins of the world. But the trial of Jesus in Gethsemane and on the cross would not have been possible and could not have occurred had it not been preceded by a lifetime of sinless virtue, accomplished in the face of the most vehement spiritual opposition. From his temptation in the wilderness to his rejection in Nazareth to the illegal trial before the Sanhedrin, Christ paid the price of a perfect life, walking in holy sinlessness despite adversity, physical suffering, deep sorrows, and the snares of ruthless and determined adversaries, both seen and unseen. “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them” (D& C 20: 22). All this he did with the knowledge that one misstep would mean creation’s doom! For had he sinned even in the smallest point or slighte...

Our Heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive. Joseph Smith

 “My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity—I have not the slightest doubt of it. I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; for, when acting as his scribe, your father would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.”   Emma Smith speaking to her son many years after Joseph's death

  When Jesus spoke to the multitude gathered on the Mount, he said to them: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matt. 7:7–8) This seems to be an admonition to search with determination and make earnest inquiry for truth. It is as applicable to religion as it is to science—the process is the same in either case. The search may require a lifetime to examine the necessary materials, discard that which proves to be false, and isolate the truth when it is found. As important as scientific research may be, the greatest quest is a search for God—to determine his reality, his personal attributes, and to secure a knowledge of the gospel of his Son Jesus Christ. It is not easy to find a perfect understanding of God. The search requires persistent effort, and there are some who never move themselves to pursue this knowle...

 All good things require effort. That which is worth having will cost part of your physical being, your intellectual power, and your soul power—”Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7) But you have to seek, you have to knock. On the other hand, sin thrusts itself upon you. It walks beside you, it tempts you, it entices, it allures. You do not have to put forth effort. It is like the poor, fallen woman who lies in wait to deceive. It is like the billboard advertising attracting you to drink and to smoke. It is like the message that comes into your very homes with the television and radio or the golden packet put right into your hand. Evil seeks you, and it requires effort and fortitude to combat it. But truth and wisdom are gained only by seeking, by prayer, and by effort. David O. McKay

Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, “astonished”! Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fullness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen him! (See Luke 22:43.) The cumulative weight of all mortal sins—past, present, and future—pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (See Alma 7:11–12; Isa. 53:3–5; Matt. 8:17.) The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from Him, but with this relevant citation. “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me.” (Mark 14:35–36.) Had not Jesus, as Jehovah, said to Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the L...

The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He dies, was buried, and rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it."   Joseph Smith

 “When in situations of stress, we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capabilities perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked. When we have been weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and were found equal to our tasks; and therefore, let us continue but with a more determined discipleship." Neal A. Maxwell (Ensign, Feb. 1979, 73.)

I frequently think of the difference between the power of God and the power of the devil. To illustrate, here is a structure in which we can be seated comfortably, protected from the heat of summer or the cold of winter. Now, it required labor, mechanical skill, and ingenuity and faithfulness and diligence to erect this building, but any poor, miserable fool or devil can set fire to it and destroy it. That is just what the devil can do, but he never can build anything. The difference between God and the devil is that God creates and organizes, while the whole study of the devil is to destroy. Everyone that follows the evil inclinations of his own natural evil heart, is going to destruction, and sooner or later he will be no more. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 13:4

The cares of the world that, on occasion, can rob us of cheerfulness are certainly real cares, but they are not lasting cares; they pass with the passing of the world. Like the pleasures of the world, the cares of the world are fleeting. Someday, when we look back on mortality, we will see that so many of the things that seemed to matter so much at the moment will be seen not to have mattered at all. And the eternal things will be seen to have mattered even more than the most faithful of the Saints imagined. - Neal A. Maxwell