Mormon Musings

“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940

God has spoken, and I know it, because I have heard his voice, and know the voice of the Good   Shepherd, and am thankful that I have felt his power. Do I know that he has given this authority to use his name? Yes, gentlemen, I know it; and not only so, but I know that there are heavenly messengers that are now near me, as near as brothers Watt and Long, who are taking notes as faithfully as they are, and more so. The natural eye cannot see them, but they are here, and by our acts and our words shall we be judged. Yes, and these messengers transmit our words and our acts up on high, which are registered there in books; and by-and-by, when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, these are the books that will be opened, and the dead will be judged out of the things that are written in the books. Then let us be careful what we do and what we say. The sacred writings on earth contain the law, but the records above contain the facts. Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses ...

God is infinitely more interested in our having a place in His kingdom than with our spot on a mortal organizational chart. We may brood over our personal span of control, but He is concerned with our capacity for self-control. Father wants us to come home, bringing our real résumés, ourselves! Even so, our mortal jealousies still occur regularly over money, turf, a slight, or the “robes” and the “fatted calf” given to others (see  Luke 15:22–23 ). True belonging occurs when we know who we are and to whom we really belong! Remember the popular lines in  Fiddler on the Roof  about Anatevka? There, “everyone knows  who  he is and  what  God expects him to do ” (Joseph Stein,  Fiddler on the Roof  [1964], 3; emphasis added), to which might be added “and what God expects him to  be. ” Yes, we are free to choose the mortal perks with their short shelf life. However, ahead lies that great moment when every knee shall bow and every tongu...

Many individuals preoccupied by the cares of the world are not necessarily in  transgression.  But they certainly are in  diversion  and thus waste “the days of [their] probation” ( 2 Ne. 9:27 ). Yet some proudly live “without God in the world” ( Alma 41:11 ), with gates and doors locked from the inside! Mark it down, brothers and sisters, people too caught up in themselves will inevitably let other people down! Let us adopt the attitude recommended by President Brigham Young: “Say to the fields, … flocks, … herds, … gold, … silver, … goods, … chattels, … tenements, … possessions, and to all the world, stand aside; get away from my thoughts, for I am going up to worship the Lord” ( Deseret News,  5 Jan. 1854, 2). There are so many ways to say to the world, “stand aside.” Periodically, husbands and wives can reason together, taking inventory. Minor corrections may be needed, and besides, such conversations can be more precious than we know. Alas, so many c...

Like the prodigal son, we too can go to “a far country,” which may be no further away than a vile rock concert. The distance to “a far country” is not to be measured by miles but by how far our hearts and minds are from Jesus! (see  Mosiah 5:13 ). Fidelity, not geography, really determines the distance! Elder Neal A. Maxwell, October 2000 General Conference  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-tugs-and-pulls-of-the-world?lang=eng

Peter counseled, “Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage” ( 2 Pet. 2:19 ). Brothers and sisters, there are so many personalized prisons! Elder Neal A. Maxwell, October 2000 General Conference  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-tugs-and-pulls-of-the-world?lang=eng

Isn’t it marvelous, brothers and sisters, that God,  who knows everything,  still spends time listening to our prayers? Compared to that cosmic fact, what does the world really have to offer us? One round of applause, one fleeting moment of adulation, or an approving glance from a phantom Caesar? Elder Neal A. Maxwell, October 2000 General Conference http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-tugs-and-pulls-of-the-world?lang=eng