LDS Gem Archives, August 2009
Family Gems - 31 August 2009
Career Choices Impact Family Life
“Each of you has the agency to prayerfully and humbly choose how to approach your career opportunities. Every choice has a consequence. You cannot have everything and do everything. You must choose with eternal priorities in mind. I would hope that you will understand that there are no glamorous careers. Every form of employment has its own innate challenges. Many choices available in the world today compete with eternal goals and responsibilities. Many choices could persuade you to delay or limit the number of children you invite into your family. Many choices could rob you of critical time and energy necessary to adequately care for your spouse, your children, and your responsibilities in the Lord’s kingdom. These decisions are between you and the Lord. He knows the desires of your heart and your unique situation.”
Topics: Family
Young Single Adult Gems - 31 August 2009
To Those Who Are Unemployed
To Those Who Are Unemployed—Speak Up
“Now, let me say a few words to those of you who are currently unemployed. The responsibility for finding employment or improving your employment rests with you. Continued guidance comes from the Lord through regular fasting and prayer. Your quorum leaders, bishops, specialists, and employment resource center staff will help in your efforts. We fear, however, that often priesthood leaders are unaware of your situation. Speak up! Let them know you are looking for work. And bishops and priesthood leaders, rise up and let the brotherhood of the priesthood engage themselves in the wonderful opportunity to truly be a quorum, a brotherhood, a brother’s keeper.”
Topics: Melchizedek Priesthood
Church History Gems - 31 August 2009
Open to Our Understanding
"Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery set the example for this dispensation. After their baptism, they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Then, as Joseph explained in his personal history, 'Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of' (JS—H 1:74).
"Latter-day Saints know that learned or authoritative commentaries can help us with scriptural interpretation, but we maintain that they must be used with caution. . . .
"One trouble with commentaries is that their authors sometimes focus on only one meaning, to the exclusion of others. As a result, commentaries, if not used with great care, may illuminate the author's chosen and correct meaning but close our eyes and restrict our horizons to other possible meanings. Sometimes those other, less obvious meanings can be the ones most valuable and useful to us as we seek to understand our own dispensation and to obtain answers to our own questions. This is why the teaching of the Holy Ghost is a better guide to scriptural intrpretation than even the best commentary."
Topics:
Daily Gems - 31 August 2009
Simplicity of the Gospel
"All the knowledge of the gospel which is meaningful for our salvation can be summarized in a few points of doctrine, principles, and essential commandments."
Topics: Knowledge
Family Gems - 28 August 2009
Fathers Have Responsibility to Prepare Their Sons Spiritually and Temporally
“As fathers, we also have the sacred responsibility to set a worthy example for our children to help them to become better parents and leaders in their own homes. Quoting Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve: ‘May we ask all priesthood leaders, especially you fathers, to help prepare your sons. Prepare them both spiritually and temporally, to look and to act as servants of the Lord’ (M. Russell Ballard, “Prepare to Serve,” Ensign, May 1985, 43).”
Topics:
Young Single Adult Gems - 28 August 2009
Ours Is Not a Secondhand Religion
“It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, ‘spectator discipleship’ is a preferred if not a primary way of worshipping.
“Ours is not a secondhand religion. We cannot receive the blessings of the gospel merely by observing the good that others do. We need to get off the sidelines and practice what we preach.”
Topics: Gospel of Jesus Christ
Daily Gems - 28 August 2009
Opening Our Hearts
"I pray that we will know how to open our hearts like a little child and take pleasure in hearing and practicing the word of God in all the power of its simplicity."
Topics: Teaching
Church History Gems - 28 August 2009
Fire in My Bones
"As we share our testimony with others, I hope that we will have the same convincing power and enthusiasm the members had who brought the message to Brigham Young. He said:
" 'The brethren who came to preach the Gospel to me, I could easily out-talk them . . .; but their testimony was like fire in my bones; I understood the spirit of their preaching; I received that spirit; it was light, intelligence, power, and truth, and it bore witness to my spirit, and that was enough for me' (Remarks by Brigham Young, 28 July 1861; JD 9:141)."
Topics: Testimony
Daily Gems - 27 August 2009
Apply the Book of Mormon Promise
"I invite all . . . to read the Book of Mormon and to apply the promise it contains. Those who do will know that the book is true."
Topics: Prayer
Daily Gems - 26 August 2009
Daily Prayers Linked
"Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years."
Topics: Prayer
Young Single Adult Gems - 26 August 2009
Return to the Temple
“Within the sound of my voice are individuals who have received the ordinances of the temple and for various reasons have not returned to the house of the Lord in quite some time. Please repent, prepare, and do whatever needs to be done so you can again worship in the temple and more fully remember and honor your sacred covenants.”
Topics: Temple
Youth Gems - 26 August 2009
Respect for Others’ Beliefs
“Our leaders have consistently counseled us ‘to live with respect and appreciation for those not of our faith. There is so great a need for civility and mutual respect among those of differing beliefs and philosophies’ (Gordon B. Hinckley, “This Is the Work of the Master,” Ensign, May 1995, 71).
“It is equally important that we be loving and kind to members of our own faith, regardless of their level of commitment or activity.”
Topics: Fellowship, Citizenship
Church History Gems - 26 August 2009
Fine Horse
"A story is told of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who served as both a judge and the mayor of Nauvoo. He was confronted with the case of Anthony, a man of African descent and a former slave. Anthony was accused of a rather serious violation of the law. When Joseph confronted Anthony, he pleaded for mercy, indicating that he needed the money from his illicit activities to purchase the freedom of his child, who was still living in slavery. Joseph expressed his sympathy for Anthony's plight but insisted that the law must be observed and that a fine would have to be imposed.
"The next day, in a sincere effort to do good to his fellowman, Joseph gave Anthony a fine horse that he could use to buy the child's freedom."
Topics: Joseph Smith
Daily Gems - 25 August 2009
Sacrament Administration Sacred
"This ordinance should always be performed with reverence and dignity."
Topics: Sacrament
Family Gems - 24 August 2009
Children Can Learn Principles of Provident Living
“We should regularly review our family income, savings, and spending plan in family council meetings. This will teach our children to recognize the difference between wants and needs and to plan ahead for meaningful use of family resources. . . . Whenever we want to experience or possess something that will impact us and our resources, we may want to ask ourselves, ‘Is the benefit temporary, or will it have eternal value and significance?’ Truthfully answering these questions may help us avoid excessive debt and other addictive behavior.”
Topics: Family
Young Single Adult Gems - 24 August 2009
Fear Not, Be of Good Cheer
“My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”
Topics: Joy
Daily Gems - 24 August 2009
Mutual Support of Faith, Hope, and Charity
"The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity."
Topics: Hope
Church History Gems - 24 August 2009
Humility
"There is a guide for receiving the Lord's power of deliverance from opposition in life. It was given to Thomas B. Marsh, then the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was in difficult trials, and the Lord knew he would face more. Here was the counsel to him that I take for myself and offer you: 'Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers' (D&C 112:10).
"The Lord always wants to lead us to deliverance through our becoming more righteous. That requires repentance. And that takes humility. So the way to deliverance always requires humility in order for the Lord to be able to lead us by the hand where He wants to take us through our troubles and on to sanctification."
Topics: Humility
Church History Gems - 21 August 2009
Answering All Objections Ever Made
"We are to use the Book of Mormon in handling objections to the Church. God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ revealed themselves to Joseph Smith in a marvelous vision. After that glorious event, Joseph Smith told a minister about it. Joseph was surprised to hear the minister say that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days, that all such things had ceased. (See JS—H 1:21.)
"This remark symbolizes practically all of the objections that have ever been made against the Church by nonmembers and dissident members alike. Namely, they do not believe that God reveals his will today to the Church through prophets of God. All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation. . . .
"Therefore, the only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was His prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation."
Topics: Book of Mormon
Young Single Adult Gems - 21 August 2009
The Light of the Gospel
“It should be ‘with great earnestness’ (D&C 123:14) that we bring the light of the gospel to those who are searching for answers the plan of salvation has to offer. . . .
“The gospel is centered on the Atonement of our Lord and Savior. The Atonement provides the power to wash away sins, to heal, and to grant eternal life. All the imponderable blessings of the Atonement can be given only to those who live the principles and receive the ordinances of the gospel—faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our great missionary message to the world is that all mankind is invited to be rescued and to enter the fold of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ.”
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Subscribe to Daily Gems
Subscribe through e-mail
Subscribe through RSSGem Archives by Topic
- Atonement
- Book of Mormon
- Children of God
- Faith
- Family
- Jesus Christ
- Joseph Smith
- Plan of Salvation
- Repentance
- Restoration
LDS Gem Archives by date
- 2009
- 2008