LDS Gem Archives, May 2009
Young Single Adult Gems - 20 May 2009
A Piece at a Time
"Seldom will you receive all at once a complete answer from the Lord. It will come a piece at a time. Inspiration comes in packets so that you will develop and grow and not remain as a child, given everything; also so that you will appreciate it, give thanks for it, treasure it, and apply it. Moreover, it will seldom come as the prayer is offered, rather in quiet moments when the Spirit can most effectively touch your mind and heart. Hence the need for periods of quiet time to keep perspective and to be instructed and strengthened. Discover how a clean, neat, quiet place can enhance spiritual direction in your life."
Topics: Prayer
Church History Gems - 20 May 2009
Faith, Commitment, and Growth
"Today the Church stands at the summit of a century and a half of progress. The terrain over which we have traveled is a grim reminder that struggle, persecution, and sorrow have been the lot of our forebears. Kirtland, Jackson County, Clay County, Haun's Mill, and Nauvoo seem synonymous with suffering—a part of the tribulation the Lord promised that his people would have to endure (see D&C 58:3).
"As we look back in retrospect, we see that it was because of the opposition encountered in our early history that our progress today has been made possible. Out of that caldron of persecution and heartache, the Lord answered the soul-cry of the Prophet Joseph Smith in these words: 'Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
" 'And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high' (D&C 121:7–8).
" 'If thou art called to pass through tribulation, . . . know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good' (D&C 122:5, 7).
"By the tribulation well endured by numerous of our progenitors, a desert blossomed as a rose (see Isa. 35:1), a tried and persecuted people provided a heritage of faith, and Zion put on her beautiful garments for all to see (see D&C 82:14).
"One hundred fifty years of Church history provide us with a lesson that when resistance and opposition are greatest, our faith, commitment, and growth have the greatest opportunity for advancement; when opposition is least, the tendency is to be complacent and lose faith."
Topic:
Topics: Opposition
Daily Gems - 20 May 2009
Children Helping Mothers
"What can children, even young children, do [to help their mothers]? Now, you children, please listen to me because there are some simple things you can do to help your mother.
"You can pick up your toys when you are finished playing with them, and when you get a little older, you can make your bed, help with the dishes, and do other chores—without being asked.
"You can say thank you more often when you finish a nice meal, when a story is read to you at bedtime, or when clean clothes are put in your drawers.
"Most of all, you can put your arms around your mother often and tell her you love her."
Topics: Gratitude, Motherhood, Children
Daily Gems - 19 May 2009
Role of Husbands in Child Rearing
"What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children? First, show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does every day. Notice things and say thank you—often. Schedule some evenings together, just the two of you.
"Second, have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child's needs and what you can do to help.
"Third, give your wife a 'day away' now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does. . . .
"Fourth, come home from work and take an active role with your family. Don't put work, friends, or sports ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children."
Topics: Fatherhood, Motherhood, Children
Youth Gems - 19 May 2009
Opposition
"The Lord's way is not hard. Life is hard, not the gospel. 'There is an opposition in all things' (2 Nephi 2:11), everywhere, for everyone. Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. We have only two choices (see Moroni 7:15–17). We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier?"
Topics: Adversity
Church History Gems - 18 May 2009
Terrible Wounds
"Performance of duty, regardless of the sacrifice involved, is a part of dealing justly with oneself and others. Early in the history of this valley Joseph W. McMurrin was placed in charge of guarding some of the leaders of the Church. At a meeting in Social Hall in Salt Lake City, an intruder under a claim of authority tried to enter the hall; and Joseph W. McMurrin, being true to his trust to guard the servants of the Lord, restrained him from going through the door. President Heber J. Grant relates that the intruder 'finally got his hand loose and took his pistol and, pressing it against Brother McMurrin's body, fired two bullets . . . through his vitals. Those bullets lodged just under the skin in his back. He was attended by Dr. Joseph Benedict who told Joseph W. McMurrin that no man could live after two bullets had passed through his vitals, and then added: "If you wish to make a dying statement you should do so immediately."
" 'I went with John Henry Smith to Brother McMurrin's home and saw where the flesh was burned away around those terrible gaping wounds. I saw where the bullets had gone clear through him. I heard John Henry Smith say, "By the authority of the Priesthood of the living God which we hold, and in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, we say that you shall be made absolutely whole, and that there shall be no physical weakness left upon your body because of these terrible wounds that you have received while guarding the servants of the living God." '
"On November 21, 1931, President Grant concluded, 'Joseph W. McMurrin is alive and well, and has never had any physical weakness because of those terrible wounds.' (Gospel Standards, Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1969, pp. 310–11.)"
Topics: Womanhood
Daily Gems - 18 May 2009
Worthy of the Lord's Delight
" 'My soul delighteth in the things of the Lord' " (2 Nephi 4:16)—His law, His life, His love. To delight in Him is to acknowledge His hand in our lives. Our gospel duty is to do what is right and to love and delight in what is right. When we delight to serve Him, our Father in Heaven delights to bless us. 'I, the Lord, . . . delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end' (D&C 76:5). I want to be worthy always of His delight."
Topics: Righteousness, Love, Gospel of Jesus Christ
Family Gems - 18 May 2009
Pray for Others
"Do our spouses, children, and other family members . . . feel the power of our prayers offered unto the Father for their specific needs and desires? Do those we serve hear us pray for them with faith and sincerity? If those we love and serve have not heard and felt the influence of our earnest prayers in their behalf, then the time to repent is now. As we emulate the example of the Savior, our prayers truly will become more meaningful."
Young Single Adult Gems - 18 May 2009
Challenges Mold Character
"The Lord puts challenges in your path to mold your character. For your own personal growth He will often let you struggle with a matter for a while, even when you are pleading for help. But as you follow true principles, He will finally see you through. He intends that when you have reached your extremity, you will turn to Him for comfort, peace, and assistance. He will send these through the quiet prompting of the Spirit. He will give reassurance and guidance that are essential to correct decisions in your life.
"You are learning powerful, eternal lessons. Be sure you understand them. The Lord does not abandon your urgent pleas, nor is He ever, for even a moment, unmindful of your anguish and heartache. He hears every supplication. He invariably answers according to spiritual law. Understanding that law will help you appreciate how the Lord answers your prayer. His silence and seeming absence at times are a powerful means of expanding your vision and understanding as you continue in faith to do your best."
Topics: Prayer, Holy Ghost
Church History Gems - 15 May 2009
Optimism
" 'I suppose every Mormon [man and] woman [have] measured [themselves] at one time or another against [their pioneer ancestors],' wrote Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. 'Am I as stalwart? As self-reliant? As devoted to the gospel? As willing to sacrifice?' Could I leave my wife and children without food or means to support themselves while I responded to a call to serve a mission abroad, or take these same innocent ones, dependent solely upon me for their survival, into hostile territory to set up housekeeping and provide a livelihood for them? Or, were I a woman, 'Could I crush my best china to add glitter to a temple, bid loving farewell to a missionary husband as I lay in a wagon bed with fever and chills, leave all that I possessed and walk across the plains to an arid wilderness?' (Ensign, June 1978, p. 54.)
"Some may feel that their lives of relative ease and convenience lack the vigor and fortitude of those who survived the pioneer days, that they can never measure up to the toil, struggles, and challenges our pioneer ancestors faced and emerge the victor.
"Yet, 'Our challenges are just as important as those of the past. Our testing is as crucial; our contributions may be as great. . . .
" 'An essential quality of the first pioneers was optimism, an ability to see new possibilities in a strange and unsettling environment. To beautify the desert, they needed faith in God, but they also needed faith in themselves and in their ability to help shape the world. The need for that faith has not diminished. . . .
" 'A pioneer is not [necessarily] a woman who makes her own soap' or a man who grubs sagebrush from the land. Pioneers are those who take up their burdens and walk toward the future. With vision and with courage they make the desert blossom and they press on toward new frontiers. (Ibid., p. 55.)"
Topics: Faith, Serving Others
Young Single Adult Gems - 15 May 2009
Make a Good Decision
"Precious young people, make every decision you contemplate pass this test: What does it do to me? What does it do for me? And let your code of conduct emphasize not 'What will others think?' but rather 'What will I think of myself?' Be influenced by that still, small voice. Remember that one with authority placed his hands on your head at the time of your confirmation and said, 'Receive the Holy Ghost.' Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice that testifies of truth. As the prophet Isaiah promised, 'Thine ears shall hear a word . . . saying, This is the way, walk ye in it' (Isaiah 30:21).
"The tenor of our times is permissiveness. A most popular feature of one of the leading newspaper Sunday supplements portrays the idols of the movie screen, the heroes of the athletic field—those whom many young people long to emulate—as flouting the laws of God and rationalizing away sinful practices, seemingly with no ill effect. Don't you believe it! There is a time of reckoning—even a balancing of the ledger. It's called Judgment Day, even the Big Exam of Life. Are we prepared? Are we pleased with our own performances?"
Topics:
Daily Gems - 15 May 2009
True Religion
"The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the faith of our Heavenly Father. It is His truth, revealed to His servants the prophets from the days of Father Adam until our own time. The Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith to restore the faith of our Father on this earth, never to be taken away again. God desires that all of His children receive it, irrespective of their background, culture, or tradition. True religion should not originate from what pleases men or the traditions of ancestors, but rather from what pleases God, our Eternal Father."
Topics: Restoration, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Prophets
Family Gems - 15 May 2009
Instruction in the Home
"The final desire of the Prophet Joseph Smith was to build a community of spiritual Saints. This begins in the home. The most important instruction our children will ever receive will be that which parents give to them in their own home, if parents diligently teach their children the way our Father in Heaven would like them to follow. One instruction our leaders have given us is to hold regular family home evenings where we can meet together weekly, learn gospel principles, and build family unity. Here we can counsel together, read the scriptures, pray together, and play together. Our greatest goal is to become an eternal family. We build a community of Saints one family at a time."
Topics: Joseph Smith, Spirituality
Youth Gems - 14 May 2009
Unity
"At the end of July this year, young single adults from several countries in eastern Europe gathered outside Budapest, Hungary, for a conference. Among this group were 20 young men and women from Moldova who had spent days obtaining passports and visas and over 30 hours traveling by bus to get there. The conference program included some 15 workshops. Each person needed to select the two or three that he or she most wanted to attend. Rather than focus exclusively on their own interests, these Moldovan young adults got together and made plans so that at least one of their group would be in each class and take copious notes. Then they would share what they had learned with each other and later with the young adults in Moldova who could not attend. In its simplest form, this exemplifies the unity and love for one another that, multiplied thousands of times in different ways, will 'bring again Zion' (Isaiah 52:8)."
Topics: Unity
Daily Gems - 14 May 2009
Exhibiting Compassion
"Being compassionate is [a] great work of our Heavenly Father and a fundamental characteristic of who we are as a people. We are commanded to 'succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5). Disciples of Christ throughout all ages of the world have been distinguished by their compassion. Those who follow the Savior 'mourn with those that mourn . . . and comfort those that stand in need of comfort' (Mosiah 18:9).
"When we reach out to bless the lives of others, our lives are blessed as well. Service and sacrifice open the windows of heaven, allowing choice blessings to descend upon us. Surely our beloved Heavenly Father smiles upon those who care for the least of His children.
"As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves. President Spencer W. Kimball taught, 'The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls' (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 254)."
Topics: Love, Serving Others
Daily Gems - 13 May 2009
Strengthening Families and Homes
"[Women are] to strengthen families and homes. Families worldwide are being assaulted and weakened by corrupt practices and false teachings. . . .
"The First Presidency has counseled, 'However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform' (First Presidency letter, Feb. 11, 1999). . . .
"Relief Society should be organized, aligned, and mobilized to strengthen families and help our homes to be sacred sanctuaries from the world."
Topics: Relief Society, Family, Womanhood
Young Single Adult Gems - 13 May 2009
You Are Responsible for Your Choices
"Strangely, doing the wrong thing often seems reasonable, possibly because it seems to be the easiest course. We often hear as a justification for wrong behavior, 'Well, everybody is doing it.' This evil distorts the truth, and its author is Satan. As Nephi tells us, 'Thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell' (2 Nephi 28:21).
"No matter how many people in our society are involved, none are justified in being dishonest, lying, cheating, using profanity, especially taking the Lord's name in vain, engaging in immoral sexual relationships, or not respecting the Lord's day.
"Other people's actions do not dictate what is right or wrong. One person having the courage to make the right choice can influence many others to also choose wisely. I wish to endorse what is stated in the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth:
" 'You are responsible for the choices you make. You should not blame your circumstances, your family, or your friends if you choose to disobey God's commandments. You are a child of God with great strength. You have the ability to choose righteousness and happiness, no matter what your circumstances' (For the Strength of Youth [2001], 5)."
Topics: Duty
Church History Gems - 13 May 2009
Ready to Receive the Coming of the Lord
"On the day the Church was organized, and shortly thereafter, the word of the Lord came to the prophet-leader of this dispensation. After the announcement of the establishment of the church of Christ in these latter days, the Lord gave to the President of the Church commandments and 'gave him power from on high,' first, to bring forth 'a record of a fallen people, and the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ' (D&C 20:8–9); then, to be a light to the world and a standard for Church members and for those who are not members to seek for it (D&C 45:9); third, to prepare a people ready to receive the coming of the Lord; and finally, to teach the fullness of the gospel with power unto all nations (see Documentary History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 537)."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 12 May 2009
We Are Not Alone
"Paul counseled his beloved friend and associate Timothy, 'Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity' (1 Timothy 4:12).
"I would urge all of us to pray concerning our assignments and to seek divine help, that we might be successful in accomplishing that which we are called to do. Someone has said that 'the recognition of power higher than man himself does not in any sense debase him' (Stephen L. Richards, in Conference Report, Oct. 1937, 10). He must seek, believe in, pray, and hope that he will find. No such sincere, prayerful effort will go unanswered: that is the very constitution of the philosophy of faith. Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. . . .
". . . May we learn what we should learn, do what we should do, and be what we should be. By so doing, the blessings of heaven will attend. We will know that we are not alone. He who notes the sparrow's fall will, in His own way, acknowledge us."
Topics: Faith, Church Callings, Prayer
Youth Gems - 12 May 2009
Hope
"The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity. The three qualities—faith, hope, and charity (see Moroni 10:20)—working together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works (see Alma 7:24)."
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