Mormon Musings

Materialism, which gives priority to material needs and objects, is obviously the opposite of spirituality. The Savior taught that we should not lay up 'treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal' (Matthew 6:19). We should lay up treasures in heaven: 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also' (Matthew 6:21). ... There is nothing inherently evil about money. The Good Samaritan used the same coinage to serve his fellowman that Judas used to betray the Master. It is 'the love of money [which] is the route of all evil' (1 Timothy 6:10). The critical difference is the degree of spirituality we exercise in viewing, evaluating, and managing the things of this world and our experiences in it. If allowed to become an object of worship or priority, money can make us selfish and prideful, 'puffed up in the vain things of the world' (Alma 5:37). In contrast, if used for fulfilling our l...

If you read the scriptures with this question in mind, 'Why did the Lord command this or why did he command that you find that in less than one in a hundred commands was any reason given. It's not the pattern of the Lord to give reasons. We can put reasons to commandments. When we do, we're on our own. Some people put reasons to [the ban] and they turned out to be spectacularly wrong. There is a lesson in that...The lesson I've drawn from that, I decided a long time ago that I had faith in the command and I had no faith in the reasons that had been suggested for it. ...I'm referring to reasons given by general authorities and reasons elaborated upon [those reasons] by others. The whole set of reasons seemed to me to be unnecessary risk taking. ...Let's [not] make the mistake that's been made in the past, here and in other areas, trying to put reasons to revelation. The reasons turn out to be man-made to a great extent. The revelations are what we sustain a...

President Howard W. Hunter taught that “frequently it is the commonplace tasks … that have the greatest positive effect on the lives of others, as compared with the things that the world so often relates to greatness.” A persuasive secular teaching of this same principle comes from former Senator Dan Coats of Indiana, who wrote: “The only preparation for that one profound decision which can change a life, or even a nation, is those hundreds and thousands of half-conscious, self-defining, seemingly insignificant decisions made in private.” Those “seemingly insignificant” private decisions include how we use our time, what we view on television and the internet, what we read, the art and music with which we surround ourselves at work and at home, what we seek for entertainment, and how we apply our commitment to be honest and truthful. Another seemingly small and simple thing is being civil and cheerful in our personal interactions. None of these desirable small and simple things w...

Wonderful talk by Elder Oaks: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become?lang=eng

“Scripture reading puts us in tune with the Spirit of the Lord….Because we believe that scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to read the scriptures again and again. By this means, we obtain access to what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives today. That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe in daily scripture study.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks -”Scripture Reading and Revelation,” Ensign, Jan. 1995, 8; quoted in Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual (2012)

We will get promptings of the Spirit when we have done everything we can, when we are out in the sun working rather than sitting back in the shade praying for direction on the first step to take. Revelation comes when the children of God are on the move. Elder Dallin H. Oaks https://www.lds.org/liahona/2013/08/in-his-own-time-in-his-own-way?lang=eng

"We need to know that the Lord rarely speaks loudly. His messages almost always come in a whisper." —Elder Dallin H. Oaks, " In His Own Time, In His Own Way "

“We may have to struggle to achieve our goals, but our struggles may yield as much growth as our learning. The strengths we develop in overcoming challenges will be with us in the eternities to come.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks -“Learning and Latter-day Saints,” Ensign, Apr. 2009, 27

“The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is  change ”  Elder Dallin H. Oaks ( The Lord’s Way  [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991], 223; emphasis in original). 

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/08/in-his-own-time-in-his-own-way?lang=eng

 "I made up my mind at that time that I would observe the Sabbath faithfully so that I could qualify for the blessings of spiritual growth and the companionship of the Spirit that come from observing faithfully the Sabbath of our Lord. I testify to you that I realized those blessings in measurable ways on innumerable occasions. My concern for the Sabbath is to earn the blessings available to those who observe it, not to keep myself from sinning. My attitude is to look on the commandment of the Sabbath as a gift of my Heavenly Father to teach me what I should do if I want to enjoy his richest blessings. That is the attitude I encourage each of us to develop toward each of our Father in heaven’s commandments." —Dallin H. Oaks "The Blessing of Commandments" http://speeches.byu.edu/ ?act=viewitem&id=569

"Those who are baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ make covenants. . . . To perform our covenant duty as the salt of the earth, we must be different from those around us." —Dallin H. Oaks, " Repentance and Change "

“Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks -“Good, Better, Best,”  Ensign , Nov. 2007, 105

“Testimony is to know and to feel.  Conversion is to do and to become.” Elder Dallin H. Oaks -quoted in  Ensign,  July 2008, 29

"We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life.  This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason–for the pure love of Christ.  The Apostle Paul illustrated this in his famous teaching about the importance of charity.  The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, ‘the pure love of Christ,’ is no an  act  but a  condition  or state of being.  Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion.  Charity is something one becomes.  Thus, as Moroni declared, ‘except men shall  have  charity they cannot inherit’ the place prepared for them in the mansions of the Father." Elder Dallin H. Oaks, October 2000 General Conference - Ensign , Nov. 2000, 32-34

“The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is  change. ”  Elder Dallin H. Oaks ( The Lord’s Way  [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991], 223; emphasis in original).

"Heavenly Father loves all His children. This is an immensely powerful idea that children can begin to understand through the love and sacrifice of their earthly parents. Love is the most powerful force in the world. I pray that every parent is providing the kind of loving example that encourages the rising generation to understand the love of God toward them and the great desire of our Heavenly Father that all of His children on earth do what is necessary to qualify for the choicest blessings of eternity." —Dallin H. Oaks, " The Gospel Culture ",  Liahona and Ensign , March 2012

The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have  done.  It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have  become.  It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,”  Liahona,  Jan. 2001, 40;  Ensign,  Nov. 2000, 32.

A few years after the pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, a young man took an ox team up Millcreek Canyon on a cold winter day to get logs to build a house. It was extremely cold, and the snow was deep. His sled held five large logs. After he loaded the first one, he turned around to load another. In that instant, the log already on the sled—22 feet long and about 10 inches in diameter—slipped off the sled and rolled down on him, striking him in the hollow of his legs. He was thrown face-forward across the four logs still on the ground and pinned there, alone, with no way to extract himself. He knew he would freeze to death and die alone in the mountains. "The next thing this young pioneer remembered was waking up, sitting on a load of five logs nicely bound on his sled with his oxen pulling the load down the canyon. In his personal history he wrote, 'Who it was that extricated me from under the log, loaded my sled, hitched my oxen to it, and placed me on it, I cannot s...