LDS Gem Archives, August 2007
Young Single Adult Gems - 31 August 2007
The Key to Heaven
"Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil."
Topics: Revelation
Daily Gems - 31 August 2007
Jesus Wants to Fully Heal Us
"Jesus suffered deeply because He loves us deeply! He wants us to repent and be converted so that He can fully heal us.
"When sore trials come upon us (see "Did You Think to Pray?" Hymns, no. 140, verse 3), it's time to deepen our faith in God, to work hard, and to serve others. Then He will heal our broken hearts. He will bestow upon us personal peace and comfort. Those great gifts will not be destroyed, even by death."
Church History Gems - 31 August 2007
The Doctrine or Sealing Power of Elijah.
"The Prophet Joseph Smith said: 'The doctrine or sealing power of Elijah is as follows:—If you have power to seal on earth and in heaven, then we should be wise. The first thing you do, go and seal on earth your sons and daughters unto yourself, and yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 340).
Topics: Temple Work
Family Gems - 31 August 2007
Men and Women Were Created to Complement One Another
"In His grand design, when God first created man, He created a duality of the sexes. The ennobling expression of that duality is found in marriage. One individual is complementary to the other. As Paul stated, 'Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord' (1 Corinthians 11:11).
"There is no other arrangement that meets the divine purposes of the Almighty. Man and woman are His creations. Their duality is His design. Their complementary relationships and functions are fundamental to His purposes. One is incomplete without the other."
Topics: Marriage
Daily Gems - 30 August 2007
Hear the Voice of the Savior through the Scriptures
"I find that if I pray not only to have a witness of the truthfulness of the scriptures but also to have the Spirit with me as I read, my sensitivity is heightened, and I see ever so much more clearly. I can see where I am in my life and where my Heavenly Father wants me to be. I can understand principles of truth, and I can see how to make the needed changes in my life. I can feel assured that the Lord will help and strengthen me to accomplish the task. Thus the scriptures become written in my life.
"When we read the scriptures we are hearing the voice of the Savior. He is not absent from our lives. He is actively positioned in the verses of these holy books."
Topics: Scripture
Young Single Adult Gems - 29 August 2007
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."
Topics: Jesus Christ
Daily Gems - 29 August 2007
Perfection Is a Process
"Do we frequently reject the Lord's love that He pours out upon us in much more abundance than we are willing to receive? Do we think we have to be perfect in order to deserve His love? When we allow ourselves to feel 'encircled about eternally in the arms of his love' (2 Nephi 1:15), we feel safe, and we realize that we don't need to be immediately perfect. We must acknowledge that perfection is a process. This is a gospel of eternal progress, and we must remember to appreciate the journey."
Topics: Charity
Church History Gems - 29 August 2007
Trace Your Genealogies As Far Back As You Can.
"Among the first in this dispensation to sow seeds of interest in family history were the brothers Orson and Parley P. Pratt, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Their efforts resulted in a Pratt family genealogy and the performance of temple ordinances for about 3,000 of their ancestors.
"Yet there were many Church members who did not fully understand the responsibility for their own kindred. President Wilford Woodruff was so concerned that he made the issue a matter of fervent prayer. Then, at April 1894 general conference, he presented a revelation to the membership of the Church. From it I quote: 'We want the Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. . . . This is the will of the Lord to his people' (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham [1946], 157)."
Topics: Family History
Daily Gems - 28 August 2007
Feelings of Peace to Remember during Difficult Times
"One night as I was praying and crying [after my mother's death], I felt comfort fill my body--suddenly and powerfully. The feeling restored me; it gave me peace. It did not last long physically, yet it was immensely comforting. I knew what it was--the Lord's love encircling me and granting me peace and strength. But just as important, that moment has remained in my memory as a sweet gift to unwrap and remember when life is difficult.
"Sometimes, too, the moments of love and the resultant peace have come unexpectedly and when there has been no need--no particular problem or issue I have been facing."
Topics: Peace
Young Single Adult Gems - 27 August 2007
Lift Up Your Heart
"Enoch rejoiced, and so can you over the grand, consoling reality regarding God: 'And yet thou art there' (Moses 7:30). Privileged Enoch even saw the God of heaven weep! (see v. 29). Yet Enoch was very discouraged by the gross wickedness anciently. He said he would 'refuse to be comforted' (v. 44). The mentoring Lord, however, told Enoch to 'lift up your heart, and be glad; and look' (v. 44). Then revealed to Enoch was Jesus' Atonement in the meridian of time and also the latter-day Restoration. Enoch, who had been so distraught, now rejoiced!"
"Do not 'refuse to be comforted.' Let the revelations comfort you. Let the scriptures refresh you!"
Topics: Atonement
Church History Gems - 27 August 2007
The Missionary Field Broadens One's Field of Vision
"One's labor in the missionary field broadens his field of vision, vitalizes his energies, enlarges his capacity for good work in any direction and makes of him in every way a stronger and more useful citizen, as well as a more devoted member of the Church."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 27 August 2007
In the Footsteps of the Master
"Time marches on. Duty keeps cadence with that march. Duty does not dim nor diminish. Catastrophic conflicts come and go, but the war waged for the souls of men continues without abatement. Like a clarion call comes the word of the Lord to you and to me, and to priesthood holders everywhere. I reiterate that word: 'Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence' (D&C 107:99).
"Brethren, let us learn our duties. Let us ever be worthy to perform those duties and, in so doing, follow in the footsteps of the Master. When to Him came the call of duty, He answered, 'Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever' (Moses 4:2). May we do likewise."
Topics: Worthiness, Duty
Family Gems - 27 August 2007
Protection of a Stable Home
"Parents now are concerned about the moral and spiritual diseases. These can have terrible complications when standards and values are abandoned. We must all take protective measures.
"With the proper serum, the physical body is protected against disease. We can also protect our children from moral and spiritual diseases.
"The word inoculate has two parts: in --'to be within'--and oculate means 'eye to see.'
"When children are baptized and confirmed (see D&C 20:41, 43; 33:15), we place an eye within them--the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 121:26). With the Restoration of the gospel came authority to confer this gift.
"The Book of Mormon gives us the key:
Topics: Parenthood, Children
Daily Gems - 24 August 2007
Making Choices That Qualify Us for God's Blessings
"To become worthy, we make choices that will enable us to return to our Heavenly Father's presence. We do those things which will qualify us to claim all the blessings that He has in store for us. This is the reason we are here on the earth—'to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord . . . shall command' (Abraham 3:25). It is through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we can resist temptation (see Alma 37:33; 3 Nephi 7:18). Our faith will enable us to shun evil. It will be repulsive to us because 'light cleaveth unto light' and 'virtue loveth virtue' (see D&C 88:40).
"To become unspotted from the world requires not only faith but repentance and obedience. We must live the standards and do those things which will entitle us to the constant companionship and guidance of the Holy Ghost--for the Spirit cannot dwell in unholy temples (see Helaman 4:24)."
Topics: Worthiness, Plan of Salvation
Young Single Adult Gems - 24 August 2007
The Power of Prayer
"The inhabitants of the earth do not realize the effect and benefit of prayer. The Lord hears and answers the prayers of men, women and children. Prayer has more power, a great deal, to bring down the blessings of God, than almost any other thing."
Topics: Prayer
Church History Gems - 24 August 2007
Through the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
"On my first mission I began to learn something for myself; I had hitherto believed the testimonies of the servants of God whom I had heard converse and preach, as well as the instructions I received from a most kind and affectionate mother, as also what I could comprehend through reading the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Bible. But in the ministry, where I labored earnestly, I began to comprehend more fully, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what I had read and been taught, and so they became in my mind established facts, of which I was as absolutely certain as I was of my own existence."
Topics: Holy Ghost
Daily Gems - 23 August 2007
Holiness Speaks to the Soul
"Holiness is the strength of the soul. It comes by faith and through obedience to God's laws and ordinances. God then purifies the heart by faith, and the heart becomes purged from that which is profane and unworthy. When holiness is achieved by conforming to God's will, one knows intuitively that which is wrong and that which is right before the Lord. Holiness speaks when there is silence, encouraging that which is good or reproving that which is wrong."
Young Single Adult Gems - 22 August 2007
Dating verses Hanging Out
"Men, if you have returned from your mission and you are still following the boy-girl patterns you were counseled to follow when you were 15, it is time for you to grow up. Gather your courage and look for someone to pair off with. Start with a variety of dates with a variety of young women, and when that phase yields a good prospect, proceed to courtship. It's marriage time. That is what the Lord intends for His young adult sons and daughters. Men have the initiative, and you men should get on with it. If you don't know what a date is, perhaps this definition will help. I heard it from my 18-year-old granddaughter. A 'date' must pass the test of three p's: (1) planned ahead, (2) paid for, and (3) paired off.
"Young women, resist too much hanging out, and encourage dates that are simple, inexpensive, and frequent. Don't make it easy for young men to hang out in a setting where you women provide the food. Don't subsidize freeloaders. An occasional group activity is OK, but when you see men who make hanging out their primary interaction with the opposite sex, I think you should lock the pantry and bolt the front door. . . .
"My single young friends, we counsel you to channel your associations with the opposite sex into dating patterns that have the potential to mature into marriage, not hanging-out patterns that only have the prospect to mature into team sports like touch football. Marriage is not a group activity—at least, not until the children come along in goodly numbers."
Topics: Courtship
Church History Gems - 22 August 2007
Commitment of Early Leaders.
"Stories of the early Church leaders have always been helpful to me as examples of what it means to place the kingdom of God first. . . .
". . . Heber C. Kimball records [one such] event in these words:
" 'September 14th, . . . President Brigham Young left his home at Montrose to start on the mission to England. He was so sick that he was unable to go to the Mississippi, a distance of thirty rods, without assistance. After he had crossed the river he rode behind Israel Barlow on his horse to my house, where he continued sick until the 18th. He left his wife sick with a babe only three weeks old, and all of his other children were sick and unable to wait upon each other. Not one soul of them was able to go to the well for a pail of water, and they were without a second suit to their backs, for the mob in Missouri had taken nearly all he had. . . .
" 'September 18th, . . . I went to my bed and shook hands with my wife who was then shaking with a chill, having two children lying sick by her side; I embraced her and my children, and bade them farewell.' . . . (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967, pp. 265-66). . . .
". . . As Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball left on their missions to Great Britain, there appeared to be a lot of support from their brethren to help them on their way. Israel Barlow assisted Brigham Young across the Mississippi River. Later, Charles Hubbard sent his son with a wagon to the Kimball home to assist the two missionaries as they began their long journey.
Topics: Obedience
Daily Gems - 22 August 2007
As the Lord Blesses Us, We Must Reach Out and Bless Others
"To the extent made possible by resources which come from the generosity of our people, we are reaching down to lift those in distress.
"Surely the Lord is blessing us as a people, and we must reach out to bless His needy wherever they may be."
Topics: Serving Others
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