Mormon Musings

In its simplest terms, self-mastery is doing those things we should do and not doing those things we should not do. President James E. Faust April 2000 General Conference

“Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.” -Sidney B. Simon and Suzanne Simon, as quoted in James E. Faust, “The Healing Power of Forgiveness,” Ensign , May 2007, 68 (this was his last General Conference address)

“What was learned from the First Vision?” The existence of God our Father as a personal being, and proof that man was made in the image of God. That Jesus is a personage, separate and distinct from the Father. That Jesus Christ is declared by the Father to be his Son. That Jesus was the conveyer of revelation as taught in the Bible. The promise of James to ask of God for wisdom was fulfilled. The reality of an actual being from an unseen world who tried to destroy Joseph Smith. That there was a falling away from the Church established by Jesus Christ–Joseph was told not to join any of the sects, for they taught the doctrines of men. Joseph Smith became a witness for God and his Son, Jesus Christ.” President James E. Faust -in Conference Report, Apr. 1984, 92-93;  Ensign,  May 1984, 68

“We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power.  He can have no power over us unless we permit it.  He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat.  The Apostle James counseled: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7).  He cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them.  And Nephi states that ‘he hath no power over the hearts’ of people who are righteous (see 1 Nephi 22:26).” President James E. Faust - Ensign,  Nov. 1987, 35

No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. there is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. there is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place. President James E. Faust, Ensign, May 2002, 59

“Life isn’t fair. We know some people who have done some very bad things, and yet they seem to have everything they want or need.” Dr. Arthur Wentworth Hewitt suggested some reasons why the good suffer as well as the wicked: “First: I don’t know. Second: We may not be as innocent as we think. Third: … I believe it is because He loves us so much more than He loves our happiness. How so? Well, if on a basis of strict personal return here and now, all the good were always happy and all the bad suffered disaster (instead of often quite the reverse), this would be the most subtle damnation of character imaginable.” 1 -Where Do I Make My Stand? -President James E. Faust, November 2004 Ensign

The word for disciple and the word for discipline both come from the same Latin root--discipulus, which means pupil. . . . What is discipleship? It is primarily obedience to the Savior. Discipleship includes many things. It is chastity. It is tithing. It is family home evening. It is keeping all the commandments. It is forsaking anything that is not good for us. Everything in life has a price. Considering the Savior's great promise for peace in this life and eternal life in the life to come, discipleship is a price worth paying. It is a price we cannot afford not to pay. By measure, the requirements of discipleship are much, much less than the promised blessings. James E. Faust, "Discipleship," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 20

We have in the modern history of the Church contrasting examples of men who were highly favored of the Lord.  One, Hyrum Smith, remained totally faithful and committed, even to the giving of his life, while the other, Oliver Cowdery, despite having witnessed 'some great things' in the history of the Restoration, became blinded by his personal ambition and lost his exalted place in the leadership of the Church. . . . No one except the Prophet Joseph was more honored with the ministering of angels than Oliver Cowdery. But when the Prophet Joseph fell upon hard times, Oliver was critical of him and became estranged from him. . . . . . Even though Oliver came back, he lost his exalted place in the Church. In contrast, President Heber J. Grant said of Hyrum Smith: 'There is no better example of an older brother's love than that exhibited in the life of Hyrum Smith for the Prophet Joseph Smith. . . . They were as united and as affectionate and as loving as mortal men ...

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we invite people of all backgrounds—many of which are very different from our own—to come unto Christ. We should not hesitate to invite those of other religions. Many of these good people have been seeking for the truth, even by study and also by faith, for a long time. We need to reach out to them in a courageous way with a sweet boldness, with love, and with a pure desire to share the truth from which they have been kept “because they know not where to find it” (D&C 123:12). President Gordon B. Hinckley said: We do not stand out in opposition to other churches. We respect all men for all the good that they do, and we say to those of all churches, we honor the good that you do and we invite you to come and see what further good we can do for you.  [ TGBH, 667] The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: We don’t ask any people to throw away any good they have got; we only ask them to come and get more.  [ HC ...

http://mormonthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/after-all-we-can-do/

 When obedience becomes our goal, it is no longer an irritation; instead of a stumbling block, it becomes a building block. …Obedience leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated. President James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1999, p. 47

“I recently recalled a historic meeting in Jerusalem about 17 years ago. It was regarding the lease for the land on which the Brigham Young University’s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies was later built. Before this lease could be signed, President Ezra Taft Benson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, then president of Brigham Young University, agreed with the Israeli government on behalf of the Church and the university not to proselyte in Israel. You might wonder why we agreed not to proselyte. We were required to do so in order to get the building permit to build that magnificent building which stands in the historic city of Jerusalem. To our knowledge the Church and BYU have scrupulously and honorably kept that nonproselyting commitment. After the lease had been signed, one of our friends insightfully remarked, ‘Oh, we know that you are not going to proselyte, but what are you going to do about the light that is in their eyes?’ He was referring to our students who were studying in...