Daily Gems - 31 March 2008

Our Road of Life

"From your position on the road of life, you . . . have many miles to go and many choices to make as you seek to return to our Heavenly Father. Along the road there are many signs that beckon. Satan is the author of some of these invitations. He seeks to confuse and deceive us, to get us on a low road that leads away from our eternal destination."

Dallin H. Oaks, "Be Not Deceived," Ensign, November 2004, 43

Topics: Choice and Accountability, Temptation

Church History Gems - 31 March 2008

Trained to Make Better Men and Women

"My dear young friends, my beloved boys and girls, I am so grateful to be with you when you celebrate Primary's 125th birthday. "I think there never was before a meeting such as this of boys and girls. . . . And your coming together in these many different places is a sign of the wonderful growth which this Church has experienced since it was first established. "There was not always a Primary in the Church. During the first 48 years of its history, boys and girls did not have their own organization. Then a very dear woman whose name was Aurelia Spencer Rogers thought that the little boys ought to have their own organization where they could be 'trained to make better men.' "Her suggestion was taken to the President of the Church, who at that time was John Taylor. He thought that if an organization would be good for little boys, it would also be good for little girls because they would make the singing sound better. And so, way back 125 years ago, the first Primary met with 224 boys and girls 'to be taught obedience, faith in God, prayer, punctuality, and good manners' (in Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. [1992], 3:1146)."

Gordon B. Hinckley, "Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice: You Are a Child of God," Friend, May 2003, 3

Topics: Children

Young Single Adult Gems - 31 March 2008

Making A Stand

“So where should each of us make our stand? As we demonstrate our devotion to God by our daily acts of righteousness, He can know where we stand. For all of us this life is a time of sifting and refining. We all face trials. Individual members in the early days of the Church were tested and refined when they had to decide if they had the faith . . . to put their belongings in a wagon or a pioneer handcart and travel across the American plains. Some did not have the faith. Those who did traveled "with faith in every footstep." In our time we are going through an increasingly difficult time of refining and testing. The tests are more subtle because the lines between good and evil are being eroded. Very little seems to be sacred in any of our public communication. In this environment we will need to make sure where we stand all of the time in our commitment to eternal truths and covenants.”

James E. Faust, “Where Do I Make My Stand?” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 21.

Topics: Gospel Standards, Pioneers

Family Gems - 31 March 2008

Build a Community of Spiritual Saints through Instruction in the Home

L. Tom Perry, "Building a Community of Saints," Ensign, May 2001, 37

Topics: Family, Family Home Evening

Daily Gems - 29 March 2008

Eternal Life

"We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more."

Bruce C. Hafen, "The Atonement: All for All," Ensign, May 2004, 98

Topics: Sacrifice

Family Gems - 28 March 2008

We Strengthen Our Families as We Teach through Word and Example

"As we teach our children the gospel through word and example, our families are spiritually strengthened and fortified."

Robert D. Hales, "Strengthening Families: Our Sacred Duty," Ensign, May 1999, 32

Topics: Family

Young Single Adult Gems - 28 March 2008

How to Overcome Sin and Transgression

“Broken law from sin or transgression causes anguish of mind and heart from an offended conscience. Knowing that all of His spirit children save His Only Begotten, Jesus Christ, would unintentionally or intentionally violate His laws, our Eternal Father provided a means to correct the consequences of such acts. Whether the violation be great or small, the solution is the same: full repentance through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement with obedience to His commandments.”

Richard G. Scott, “Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind,” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 16

Topics: Repentance

Daily Gems - 27 March 2008

Looking on the Positive Side

"You have a choice. You can wring your hands and be consumed with concern for the future or choose to use the counsel the Lord has given to live with peace and happiness in a world awash with evil. If you choose to concentrate on the dark side, this is what you will see. . . . Now the brighter side. Despite pockets of evil, the world overall is majestically beautiful, filled with many good and sincere people. God has provided a way to live in this world and not be contaminated by the degrading pressures evil agents spread throughout it. You can live a virtuous, productive, righteous life by following the plan of protection created by your Father in Heaven: His plan of happiness."

Richard G. Scott, "How to Live Well amid Increasing Evil," Ensign, May 2004, 100

Topics: Joy

Youth Gems - 27 March 2008

Being an Example

"The theme for this conference is so appropriate: 'Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations' (D&C 115:5). I see the light shining in your faces. That light comes from the Lord, and as you radiate that light, it will bless you as well as many others."

James E. Faust, "Your Light—a Standard to All Nations," Ensign, May 2006, 111

Topics: Example, Light of Christ

Church History Gems - 26 March 2008

Joseph Smith Was a Good, Honorable, and Virtuous man

"John Taylor was a gifted and educated Englishman, a lay preacher of the gospel, a man of recognized intelligence. Said he:

" 'I was acquainted with Joseph Smith for years. I traveled with him; I have been with him in public and in private; I have associated with him in councils of all kinds; I have listened hundreds of times to his public teachings, and his advice to his friends and associates of a more private nature. . . . I was with him living and with him when he died; when he was murdered in Carthage jail by a ruthless mob with their faces painted black. I was there and was myself wounded in my body. I have seen him under all these various circumstances, and I testify before God, angels and men that he was a good, honorable, and virtuous man, that his private and public character was irreproachable, and that he lived and died a man of God' (in Ezra C. Dalby, "Joseph Smith, Prophet of God," ms., talk delivered 12 December 1926, Salt Lake City, p. 13)."

Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Lengthened Shadow of the Hand of God," Ensign, May 1987, 54

Topics: Restoration

Daily Gems - 26 March 2008

Necessity of the Fall

"The Fall was not a disaster. It wasn't a mistake or an accident. It was a deliberate part of the plan of salvation. We are God's spirit 'offspring,' sent to earth 'innocent' of Adam's transgression. Yet our Father's plan subjects us to temptation and misery in this fallen world as the price to comprehend authentic joy. Without tasting the bitter, we actually cannot understand the sweet. We require mortality's discipline and refinement as the 'next step in [our] development' toward becoming like our Father. But growth means growing pains. It also means learning from our mistakes in a continual process made possible by the Savior's grace, which He extends both during and 'after all we can do' (2 Nephi 25:23)."

Bruce C. Hafen, "The Atonement: All for All, Ensign," May 2004, 97

Topics: Fall of Man

Young Single Adult Gems - 26 March 2008

On Love

“The more we obey God, the more we desire to help others. The more we help others, the more we love God and on and on. Conversely, the more we disobey God and the more selfish we are, the less love we feel.

“Trying to find lasting love without obeying God is like trying to quench thirst by drinking from an empty cup--you can go through the motions, but the thirst remains. Similarly, trying to find love without helping and sacrificing for others is like trying to live without eating--it is against the laws of nature and cannot succeed. We cannot fake love. It must become part of us.”

John H. Groberg, “The Power of God’s Love,” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 9

Topics: Love

Daily Gems - 25 March 2008

Marriage as a Binding, Eternal Relationship

"Marriage is meant to be and must be a loving, binding, harmonious relationship between a man and a woman. When a husband and a wife understand that the family is ordained of God and that marriage can be filled with promises and blessings extending into the eternities, separation and divorce would seldom be a consideration in the Latter-day Saint home. Couples would realize that the sacred ordinances and covenants made in the house of the Lord provide the means whereby they can return to the presence of God."

W. Douglas Shumway, "Marriage and Family: Our Sacred Responsibility," Ensign, May 2004, 95

Topics: Marriage

Youth Gems - 25 March 2008

Being an Example

"By the way you live the gospel, you reflect [the Savior's] light. Your example will have a powerful effect for good on the earth. 'Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations' (D&C 115:5) is a call to each of you. It is a call to move to higher ground. It is a call to leadership—to lead out in decency, purity, modesty, and holiness. It is a call to share this light with others. It is time to 'arise and shine forth.' "

Elaine S. Dalton, "It Shows in Your Face," Ensign, May 2006, 109

Topics: Example, Light of Christ

Young Single Adult Gems - 24 March 2008

Our Prayers Will Be Answered

"There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost. It is my prayer that we can find the faith, courage, and strength to endure to the end so that we may feel the joy of faithfully returning to the arms of our Heavenly Father."

Robert D. Hales, "Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure," Ensign, May 1998, 77

Topics: Prayer

Daily Gems - 24 March 2008

Doing Our Best with Our Families

"Sometimes as parents we feel we have failed when our children make mistakes or stray. Parents are never failures when they do their best to love, teach, pray, and care for their children. Their faith, prayers, and efforts will be consecrated to the good of their children. . . . No family has reached perfection. All families are subject to the conditions of mortality. All of us are given the gift of agency--to choose for ourselves and to learn from the consequences of our choices."

Robert D. Hales, "With All the Feelings of a Tender Parent: A Message of Hope to Families," Ensign, May 2004, 88

Topics: Parenthood

Family Gems - 24 March 2008

Women Have a Great Influence for Good

"Too frequently, women underestimate their influence for good. Well could you follow the formula given by the Lord: 'Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God' (D&C 88:119).

"In such a house will be found happy, smiling children who have been taught, by precept and example, the truth. In a Latter-day Saint home, children are not simply tolerated, but welcomed; not commanded, but encouraged; not driven, but guided; not neglected, but loved."

Thomas S. Monson, "The Spirit of Relief Society," Ensign, May 1992, 101-102

Topics: Womanhood, Family

Daily Gems - 21 March 2008

Assurance of the Resurrection

"The Savior's Resurrection assures all of us that someday we, too, will follow Him and experience our own resurrection. What peace, what comfort this great gift is which comes through the loving grace of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind."

M. Russell Ballard, "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul," Ensign, May 2004, 84

Topics: Resurrection

Family Gems - 21 March 2008

Good Women Are a Vital Influence to Young Men

"You young men need to know that you can hardly achieve your highest potential without the influence of good women, particularly your mother and, in a few years, a good wife. Learn now to show respect and gratitude. Remember that your mother is your mother. She should not need to issue orders. Her wish, her hope, her hint should provide direction that you would honor."

Russell M. Nelson, "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women," Ensign, May 1999, 38

Topics: Womanhood

Young Single Adult Gems - 21 March 2008

A Priceless Heritage

"In addition to the legacy of faith bequeathed by those who crossed the plains, they also left a great heritage of love—love of God and love of mankind. It is an inheritance of sobriety, independence, hard work, high moral values, and fellowship. It is a birthright of obedience to the commandments of God and loyalty to those whom God has called to lead this people. It is a legacy of forsaking evil. Immorality, alternative lifestyles, gambling, selfishness, dishonesty, unkindness, and addiction to alcohol and drugs are not part of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

James E. Faust, "A Priceless Heritage," Ensign, July 2002, 5

Topics: Pioneers