Spirituality
Daily Gems - 23 November 2009
Reverence and Revelation
“I remember a talk that President Boyd K. Packer gave in conference almost 20 years ago entitled “Reverence Invites Revelation” (see Ensign, Nov. 1991, 21–23). That phrase has remained in my heart all these years. It reminds me that we must create in our hearts, our homes, and our meetings places of reverence that will invite the Spirit to comfort, guide, teach, and testify. Because when the Spirit testifies to each of us that God is our Father and Jesus Christ is our Savor, it is that revelation that will invite true reverence born of love and profound respect.”
Topics: Reverence, Spirituality
Daily Gems - 23 September 2009
Reverence in Our Meetings
“As parents and leaders, we must set the example of reverent behavior in our Church meetings. Our chapels provide places for many different functions, but on Sunday they are places of worship.”
Topics: Spirituality, Worship
Daily Gems - 22 September 2009
Inspiration of the Spirit
“Our Church leaders have taught and we have felt the Spirit invite the use of inspired questions given of the Spirit to help us learn of God and His will for us (see Henry B. Eyring, “Elder David A. Bednar: Going Forward in the Strength of the Lord,” Ensign, Mar. 2005, 16-21).”
Topics: Spirituality, Prayer
Youth Gems - 15 July 2009
Receiving Inspiration
“When the winds blow and the rains pour, they blow and pour on all. Those who have built their foundations on bedrock rather than sand survive the storms. There is a way to build on bedrock by developing a deep personal conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing how to receive inspiration. . . . We need to learn how to recognize and apply these promptings.”
Topics: Spirituality
Daily Gems - 29 June 2009
Spiritual Home Storage
"Brothers and sisters, we each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty."
Topics: Spirituality
Daily Gems - 19 June 2009
Qualify for Guidance from the Spirit
"We need to qualify for the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ . . . by keeping His commandment to come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and in that wonderful weekly meeting partake of the emblems of the sacrament and make the covenants that qualify us for the precious promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us."
Topics: Spirituality, Sacrament
Daily Gems - 15 June 2009
Urgency to Share the Gospel
"The Lord's Church has the responsibility to preach the gospel in the world. This is the foundation of missionary work, and the duty of our missionaries is to 'invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end' (Preach My Gospel [2004], 1)."
Topics: Spirituality, Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 1 June 2009
Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit
"When the Savior appeared to the Nephites following His Resurrection, He taught them that they should stop the practice of sacrifice by the shedding of blood. Instead, 'ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit' (3 Nephi 9:20)."
Topics: Sacrament, Spirituality
Church History Gems - 29 May 2009
Still, Small Voice
"Several years after Joseph Smith was martyred, he appeared to President Brigham Young. Hear his message:
" 'Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it.' (Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 23 Feb. 1847, 2 vols., ed. Elden Jay Watson, Salt Lake City: Elden J. Watson, 1968, 1971, 2:529.)
"The Lord has prospered this work and will continue to do so. He is close to His servants, even within whispering distance.
"This latter-day work is spiritual. It takes spirituality to comprehend it, to love it, and to discern it. Therefore, seek the Spirit in all you do. Keep it with you continually. That is our challenge.
"I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will be with each of you in your homes and families."
Topics: Holy Ghost, Spirituality
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
Daily Gems - 23 April 2009
Improving the World around and within You
"Nearly a century and a half ago, President Brigham Young spoke to the Saints of his day. 'There is a great work for the Saints to do,' he said. 'Progress, and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the mean time continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ' (Deseret News, Aug. 8, 1860, 177).
"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."
Topics: Spirituality, Creation, Light of Christ
Youth Gems - 14 April 2009
Serving Others
"Increased spiritual strength is a gift from God which He can give when we push in His service to our limits. Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our natures can be changed. Then our power to carry burdens can be increased more than enough to compensate for the increased service we will be asked to give.
"That helps me understand when I see someone else who makes priesthood service look easy. I know that they have either passed hard tests or that the tests lie ahead. So rather than envying them, I stand ready to help when the going gets harder for them, because it surely will."
Topics: Spirituality, Serving Others
Daily Gems - 31 March 2009
Prepare for Blessings of Eternal Life
"The purpose of Relief Society, as established by the Lord, is to organize, teach, and inspire His daughters to prepare them for the blessings of eternal life.
"To fulfill the prupose of Relief Society, the Lord has commissioned each Relief Society sister and the organization as a whole to:
"1. Increase in faith and personal righteousness.
"2. Strengthen families and homes.
"3. Serve the Lord and His children.
"Each one of these responsibilities supports and reinforces the other two. When we increase our faith, the result of that effort strengthens our family. When we serve the Lord and His children, our faith and capacity for righteousness increase."
Topics: Exaltation, Relief Society, Spirituality
Daily Gems - 27 March 2009
Building Priesthood Strength
"Increased spiritual strength is a gift from God which He can give when we push in His service to our limits. Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our natures can be changed. Then our power to carry burdens can be increased more than enough to compensate for the increased service we will be asked to give.
"That helps me understand when I see someone else who makes priesthood service look easy. I know that they have either passed hard tests or that the tests lie ahead. So rather than envying them, I stand ready to help when the going gets harder for them, because it surely will."
Topics: Atonement, Serving Others, Spirituality
Youth Gems - 10 March 2009
Our Spiritual Journey
"Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes step-by-step, line upon line. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon. . . .
"We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord's answer will be, 'You don't know everything, but you know enough'—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right. Remember Nephi's words: 'I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things' (1 Nephi 11:17)."
Topics: Spirituality, Faith
Daily Gems - 3 March 2009
Hope Is a Gift
"Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. . . .
"Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make 'the heart sick' (Proverbs 13:12).
"Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father's merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls."
Topics: Spirituality, Peace, Hope
Daily Gems - 16 January 2009
Spiritual Capacity and Power
"The Prophet Joseph . . . explained that 'faith is not only the principle of action, but of power also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth' (Lectures on Faith, 3). Thus, faith in Christ leads to righteous action, which increases our spiritual capacity and power. Understanding that faith is a principle of action and of power inspires us to exercise our moral agency in compliance with gospel truth, invites the redeeming and strengthening powers of the Savior's Atonement into our lives, and enlarges the power within us whereby we are agents unto ourselves (see D&C 58:28)."
Topics: Choice and Accountability, Joseph Smith, Spirituality
Daily Gems - 1 January 2009
Words of Doctrine
"Learn true doctrine. Alma discovered that 'the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had . . . more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God' (Alma 31:5). President Henry B. Eyring stated: 'The word of God is the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ and by His prophets. Alma knew that words of doctrine had great power. They can open the minds of people to see spiritual things not visible to the natural eye. And they can open the heart to feelings of the love of God and a love for truth' ("The Power of Teaching Doctrine," Ensign, May 1999, 73)."
Topics: Spirituality
Daily Gems - 12 December 2008
Spiritual Light
"As a young boy I discovered amazing power in a small flashlight. . . . To observe the physical properties of light can be exciting, but discovering the properties of spiritual light and truth is even more awe inspiring and essential.
"We live in marvelous times, yet also an hour when peace has been taken from the earth (see D&C 1:35). For us to prosper in these times, spiritual light must burn within us. How do we obtain this spiritual light and ensure that the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ fill our souls? I would like to suggest three ways: (1) learn true doctrine, (2) gain pure testimony, and (3) live the gospel courageously."
Topics: Courage, Spirituality, Testimony
Family Gems - 12 December 2008
We Strengthen Our Families by Inviting the Spirit of the Lord into Our Homes
“Every family can be strengthened in one way or another if the Spirit of the Lord is brought into our homes and we teach by His example.”
Topics: Spirituality
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