Daily Gems - 8 September 2009

Prepared through Adversity for Eternal Life

“With all the differences in our lives, we have at least one challenge in common. We all must deal with adversity. . . . It is in the nature of our being human that comfort gives way to distress, periods of good health come to an end, and misfortunes arrive. . . . The arrival of suffering or the loss of material security can bring fear and sometimes even anger. . . .

“The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of [Heavenly Father and the Savior’s] infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 23

Topics: Adversity, Exaltation

Daily Gems - 16 June 2009

Finding Our Spiritual Footing

"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."

Neil L. Andersen, "You Know Enough", Ensign, Nov. 2008, 13

Topics: Opposition, Exaltation

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."

Julie B. Beck, "Fulfilling the Purpose of Relief Society," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 109

Topics: Exaltation, Relief Society, Spirituality

Daily Gems - 2 January 2009

Being Merciful

"It remains . . . for you and me to both seek and tender [the Savior's] forgiveness—to both repent and to extend charity to others—which enables us to pass through the door the Savior holds open, thus to cross the threshold from this life into exaltation. Today is the day to forgive others their trespasses, secure in the knowledge that the Lord will thus forgive ours. As Luke significantly recorded, 'Be ye therefore merciful' (Luke 6:36; emphasis added). Perfection may elude us here, but we can be merciful. And in the end, repenting and forgiving are among God's chief requirements of us."

Lance B. Wickman, "Today," Ensign, May 2008, 105

Topics: Repentance, Forgiveness, Exaltation

Youth Gems - 18 August 2008

Procrastination

"One of President Spencer W. Kimball's effective encouragements was the succinct 'Do It.' He later expanded this to 'Do It Now' to pointedly teach the need for timeliness.

"President Kimball also taught the profound principle that procrastination leads to the loss of exaltation. He said: 'One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination, an unwillingness to accept personal responsibilities now. . . . Many have allowed themselves to be diverted and have become . . . addicts to mental and spiritual indolence and to the pursuit of worldly pleasure' (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 4-5)."

Donald L. Hallstrom, "Do It Now," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 50

Topics: Choice and Accountability, Exaltation

Daily Gems - 13 August 2008

Love, the Pathway of Discipleship

"Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life.

"For me, the Prophet Joseph Smith has always exemplified the pure love of Christ. Many asked why he gained so many followers and retained them. His answer: It is because I possess the principle of love' (Mark L. McConkie, Remembering Joseph: Personal Recollections of Those Who Knew the Prophet Joseph Smith [2003], 57)."

Joseph B Wirthlin, "The Great Commandment," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 28 29

Topics: Exaltation, Joseph Smith

Family Gems - 16 May 2008

Our Sisters Should Be Honored

"We who bear the holy priesthood have a sacred duty to honor our sisters. We are old enough and wise enough to know that teasing is wrong. We respect sisters--not only in our immediate families but all the wonderful sisters in our lives. As daughters of God, their potential is divine. Without them, eternal life would be impossible. Our high regard for them should spring from our love of God and from an awareness of their lofty purpose in His great eternal plan."

Russell M. Nelson, "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women," Ensign, May 1999, 39

Topics: Children of God, Exaltation

Youth Gems - 6 May 2008

Personal Revelation

"Each of us has been sent to earth by our Heavenly Father to merit eternal life: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' (John 17:3). How do we know the Father and the Son for ourselves? By personal revelation. Personal revelation is the way Heavenly Father helps us know Him and His Son, learn and live the gospel, endure to the end in righteousness, and qualify for eternal life--to return back into Their presence."

Robert D. Hales, "Personal Revelation: The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 87

Topics: Exaltation

Daily Gems - 26 November 2007

The Savior Has All Power to Save Every Man Who Repents

"Each of us needs to repent to some degree or another. To repent means to make the real changes in your life the Savior desires you to make for your happiness. Repentance is the great enabling principle of the gospel: when your faith in the Lord causes personal change, such action on your part, as Helaman states, 'bringeth [you] unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of [your] souls' (Helaman 5:11). As you seek to change, remember that our loving Savior, as Alma states, has 'all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance' (Alma 12:15). This is powerful, liberating, hope-filled doctrine!"

Marcus B. Nash, "The Great Plan of Happiness," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 50

Topics: Forgiving Others, Exaltation

Daily Gems - 15 October 2007

Seeing and Striving for Our Eternal Possibilities

"Two fundamental reasons largely account for . . . changes of attitudes, of habits, of actions.

"First, men have been shown their eternal possibilities and have made the decision to achieve them. They cannot really long rest content with mediocrity once excellence is within their reach.

"Second, other men and women and, yes, young people have followed the admonition of the Savior and have loved their neighbors as themselves and helped to bring their neighbors' dreams to fulfillment and their ambitions to realization.

"The catalyst in this process has been the principle of love."

Thomas S. Monson, "Anxiously Engaged," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 58

Topics: Exaltation

Young Single Adult Gems - 11 October 2007

Christ Broke the Bonds of Death for Everyone

"In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived--the just and the unjust (see John 5:28-29).

"When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the first fruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones."

Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Sunday Will Come," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 29

Topics: Resurrection, Exaltation

Young Single Adult Gems - 5 September 2007

The Valiant Will Be Exalted

"There are . . . many members of the Church who are lax and careless and who continually procrastinate. They live the gospel casually but not devoutly. They have complied with some requirements but are not valiant. They do no major crime but merely fail to do the things required—things like paying tithing, living the Word of Wisdom, having family prayers, fasting, attending meetings, serving. . . .

". . . The Lord will not translate one's good hopes and desires and intentions into works. Each of us must do that for himself. . . .

"Only the valiant will be exalted and receive the highest degree of glory, hence 'many are called, but few are chosen.' (D&C 121:40.) As the Savior put it, '. . . strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.' And conversely, '. . . wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.' (Matt. 7:13, 14.)"

Spencer W. Kimball, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball" (2006), 8

Topics: Exaltation

Young Single Adult Gems - 6 April 2007

The Divine Potential within Each Human Being

"The worldwide significance of the Prophet Joseph Smith's First Vision and the Book of Mormon are not measured by location, but by their message regarding man's relationship to God, the Father's love for His children, and the divine potential within each human being.

"The prophetic call through all ages has been, 'Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him' (Moroni 10:32), that salvation is through the only Begotten Son of the Father (see John 1:14, 18; D&C 29:42). The call is universal and applies to all of God's children, whether African, Asian, European, or any other nationality. As the Apostle Paul declared to the Athenians, all of us 'are the offspring of God' (Acts 17:29)."

Merrill J. Bateman, "A Pattern for All," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 74

Topics: Exaltation

Daily Gems - 6 March 2007

Glorious Blessings Promised for Obedience

"The most fundamental purpose of your being on earth . . . is to prove yourself obedient to the commandments of the Lord and thereby grow in understanding, capacity, and every worthy trait. It is to receive every required ordinance and to make and keep every needed covenant. It is to form and nourish a family. This experience includes having periods of trial and happiness, with the objective of returning triumphantly, having met well the challenges and opportunities of mortal life to receive the glorious blessings promised for such obedience."

Richard G. Scott, "Truth Restored," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 78

Topics: Obedience, Exaltation