"Human judgment and good intentions will not be enough."
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Friday, April 10, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
The Best Exercise of All
I love this poster! I've had it displayed in my "exercise room" for several years. I feel it is apropos following my most recent post. I currently use a stationary bicycle on Monday and Thursday mornings for my aerobic exercise. Other days I use the elliptical. When I exercise physically, I also study the scriptures and ponder. In my last post, Elder Scott made mention of the "non-negotiables" for exercising our faith in Jesus Christ.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority
Secure your life in the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality. Today I have chosen to discuss four of these tools. As I speak, consider evaluating your personal use of each tool; then seek the guidance of the Lord to determine how you could make better use of each one of them.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children
One of the most meaningful things we can do as parents is
teach our children the power of prayer.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Joseph Smith
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Stay On The Right Track
Many years ago I
worked for a railroad in the central offices in Denver. I was in charge of what
is called head-end traffic. That was in the days when nearly everyone rode
passenger trains. One morning I received a call from my counterpart in Newark,
New Jersey. He said, “Train number such-and-such has arrived, but it has no
baggage car. Somewhere, 300 passengers have lost their baggage, and they are
mad.”
I went
immediately to work to find out where it may have gone. I found it had been
properly loaded and properly trained in Oakland, California. It had been moved
to our railroad in Salt Lake City, been carried to Denver, down to Pueblo, put
on another line, and moved to St. Louis. There it was to be handled by another
railroad which would take it to Newark, New Jersey. But some thoughtless
switchman in the St. Louis yards moved a small piece of steel just three
inches, a switch point, then pulled the lever to uncouple the car. We
discovered that a baggage car that belonged in Newark, New Jersey, was in fact
in New Orleans, Louisiana—1,500 miles from its destination. Just the three-inch
movement of the switch in the St. Louis yard by a careless employee had started
it on the wrong track, and the distance from its true destination increased
dramatically. That is the way it is with our lives. Instead of following a
steady course, we are pulled by some mistaken idea in another direction. The
movement away from our original destination may be ever so small, but, if
continued, that very small movement becomes a great gap and we find ourselves
far from where we intended to go. –
Gordon B. Hinkley.
Friday, March 7, 2014
We Ask Thee ...
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Let me call attention to the blessing [on the bread]. I am going
to read it humbly so we’ll understand what’s in it:
“O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son,
Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who
partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and
witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take
upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his
commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to
be with them. Amen.” [D&C 20:77.] …
To eat in remembrance of him. Does that mean that I would just
remember that nearly 2,000 years ago wicked men took him, hung him on the
cross, drove nails in his hands and feet and left him there to die? To me it
has a far deeper meaning than that. To remember him—why was he on the cross?
What benefit comes to [me] because he was on the cross? What suffering did he
go through on the cross that I might be redeemed or relieved of my sins?
Well, naturally a person would think: He had nails driven in his
hands and his feet and he hung there until he died. … What else did he suffer?
This is a thing I think that most of us overlook. I am convinced that his
greatest suffering was not the driving of nails in
There isn’t one of us I take it that hasn’t done something wrong
and then been sorry and wished we hadn’t. Then our consciences strike us and we
have been very, very miserable. Have you gone through that experience? I have.
… But here we have the Son of God carrying the burden of my transgressions and
your transgressions. … His greatest torment was not the nails in his hands or
in his feet, as bad as they were, but the torment of mind in some way that is
not clear to me. But he carried the burden—our burden. I added something to it;
so did you. So did everybody else. He took it upon himself to pay the price
that I might escape—that you might escape—the punishment on the conditions that
we will receive his gospel and be true and faithful in it.
Now that’s what I’m trying to think about. That’s what I’m
remembering—the excruciating agony when he was crying in his prayer to his
Father to let the cup pass. He’s not pleading just for relief from driving
nails in his hand[s] or in his feet, he had a more severe torment than all of
that, in some way that I do not understand.6
It is impossible for weak mortals, and we are all weak, to fully
comprehend the extent of the suffering of the Son of God. We cannot realize the
price He had to pay. To the Prophet Joseph Smith He said:
“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that
they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent, they
must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of
all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both
body and spirit; and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and
shrink—nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my
preparations unto the children of men.” [D&C 19:16–19.]
It is, however, within our grasp to know and realize that this
excruciating agony of His sacrifice has brought to us the greatest blessing
that could possibly be given. Moreover, we are able to
… If we fully appreciated the many blessings which are ours
through the redemption made for us, there is nothing that the Lord could ask of
us that we would not anxiously and willingly do.7
I am sure if we could picture before us—as I have tried many
times to do—the solemn occasion when the Savior met with his apostles; if we
could see them there assembled, the Lord in his sadness, sorrowing for the sins
of the world, sorrowing for one of his apostles who was to betray him, yet
teaching these eleven men who loved him and making covenant with them, I am
sure we would feel in our hearts that we would never forsake him. If we
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Building Your Eternal Home
Building Your Eternal Home
When
Jesus walked the dusty pathways of towns and villages that we now reverently
call the Holy Land and taught His disciples by beautiful Galilee, He often
spoke in parables, in language the people understood best. Frequently, He
referred to home building in relationship to the lives of those who listened.
He
declared: “Every … house divided against itself shall not stand.” (Matt. 12:25.)
Later He cautioned: “Behold, mine house is a house of order, … and not a house
of confusion.” (D&C 132:8.)
In
a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph
Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, December 27, 1832, the Master
counseled: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a
house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of
learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” (D&C 88:119.)
Where
could any of us locate a more suitable blueprint whereby we could wisely and
properly build a house to personally occupy throughout eternity?
Such
a house would meet the building code outlined in Matthew—even a house built
“upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24), a
house capable of withstanding the rains of adversity, the floods of opposition,
and the winds of doubt everywhere present in our challenging world.
Some
might question: “But that revelation was to provide guidance for the
construction of a temple. Is it relevant today?”
I
would respond: “Did not the Apostle Paul declare, ‘Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’” (1 Cor. 3:16.)
Perhaps
if we consider these architectural guidelines on an individual basis, we can
more readily appreciate this divine counsel from the Master Builder, the
Creator of the world, our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Our
inspired blueprint first cautions that our house should be a house of prayer. The Master taught:
“And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to
pray … , that they may be seen of men. …
“But
thou, when thou prayest, … pray to thy Father which is in secret. …
“Use
not vain repetitions. …
“After
this manner … pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
“Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give
us this day our daily bread.
“And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” (Matt. 6:5–7, 9–13.)
This
element of our blueprint can be taught to children when they are yet young.
When our oldest son was about three, he would kneel with his mother and me in
our evening prayer. I was serving as the bishop of the ward at the time, and a
lovely lady in the ward, Margaret Lister, lay perilously ill with cancer. Each
night we would pray for Sister Lister. One evening our tiny son offered the
prayer and confused the words of the prayer with a story from a nursery book.
He began: “Heavenly Father, please bless Sister Lister, Henny Penny, Chicken
Licken, Turkey Lurkey, and all the little folks.” We held back the smiles that
evening. Later we were humbled as Margaret Lister sustained a complete
recovery. We do not demean the prayer of a child. After all, our children have
more recently been with our Heavenly Father than have we.
Let
our house be a house of prayer.
Our
house should also be a house of fasting. This
portion of the blueprint is personified in the account found in Isaiah titled
the “True Fast”: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? …
“To
deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to
thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide
not thyself from thine own flesh?”
The
reward is then announced: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and
thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before
thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
“Then
shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say,
Here I am. …
“And
if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then
shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
“And
the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, … and
thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters
fail not.” (Isa. 58:6–11.)
Let
our house be a house of fasting.
Our
house is to be a house of faith. James
recorded:
“If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“But
let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” (James 1:5–6.)
A
practical application of such abiding faith is found in the spirit of Nephi and
his stirring declaration: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath
commanded.” (1 Ne. 3:7.) He
did not waver; he believed. Is there a counterpart application even today?
Some
years ago I accompanied President Hugh B. Brown on a tour of the Samoan
Mission. The members and missionaries in American Samoa had advised us that a
severe drought had imperiled their water supply to the point that our chapels
and our school would of necessity be closed if rain did not soon fall. They
asked us to unite our faith with theirs.
Signs
of the drought were everywhere as we left the airport at Pago Pago and
journeyed to the school at Mapasaga. The sun was shining brightly; not a cloud
appeared in the azure blue sky. The members rejoiced as the meeting began. He
who offered the opening prayer thanked our Heavenly Father for our safe
arrival, knowing that we would somehow bring the desired rainfall. As President
Brown rose to speak, the sun was soon shaded by gathering clouds. Then we heard
the clap of thunder and saw the flash of lightning. The heavens opened. The
rains fell. The drought ended.
Later
at the airport, as we prepared for the short flight to Western Samoa, the pilot
of the small plane said to the ground crew, “This is the most unusual weather
pattern I have ever seen. Not a cloud is in the sky except over the Mormon
school at Mapasaga. I don’t understand it!”
President
Brown said to me, “Here’s your opportunity. Go help him understand.” I did so.
Our
house surely is a house of faith.
Let
our house be a house of learning. Said the
Lord: “Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by
study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118.)
He counseled: “Come … learn of me … and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:28–29.)
No other quest for learning promises such a profound reward.
Let
our house be a house of learning.
Our
house is to be a house of glory. For our house
to be such, we need to be square with God, fair with others, and honest with
ourselves. One cannot be one person and pretend to be another. Samuel Clemens,
better known as Mark Twain, had Huckleberry Finn teach us this vital lesson.
Huckleberry Finn is talking:
“It
made me shiver. And I about made up my mind to pray, and see if I couldn’t try
to quit being the kind of a boy I was and be better. So I kneeled down. But the
words wouldn’t come. Why wouldn’t they? It warn’t no use to try and hide it
from Him. … I knowed very well why they wouldn’t come. … It was because I was
playing double. I was letting on to give up
sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was
trying to make my mouth say I would do
the right thing and the clean thing, … but deep down in me I knowed it was a
lie, and He knowed it. You can’t pray a lie—I
found that out.” (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, New
York: Washington Square Press, Pocket Books, 1973, pp. 271–72; italics added.)
Someone
once philosophized, “Consistency, thou art a jewel.” (The Home Book of Quotations, sel. Burton
Stevenson, New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1934, p. 304.) By being
consistently good, we can ensure a house of glory.
Our
house is to be a house of order. “To every thing
there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Eccl. 3:1),
advised Ecclesiastes, the Preacher. Such is true in our lives. Let us provide
time for family,
time for work, time for study, time for service, time for recreation, time for
self—but above all, time for Christ.
Then
our house will be a house of order.
Finally,
let our house be a house of God. Clean
thoughts, noble purpose, a willing heart, and ready hands are all features of a
house of God. He does not leave us to struggle alone but stands ever ready to
help.
A
few years ago, I was afforded the privilege to serve as a mission president and
became intimately acquainted with more than four hundred missionaries. We had
one young missionary who was very ill. After weeks of hospitalization, as the
doctor prepared to undertake extremely serious and complicated surgery, he
asked that we send for the missionary’s mother and father. He advised there was
a possibility the patient would not survive the surgery.
The
parents came. Late one evening, the father and I entered a hospital room in
Toronto, Canada, placed our hands upon the head of the young missionary, and
gave him a blessing. What happened following that blessing was a testimony to
me.
The
missionary was in a six-bed ward in the hospital. The other beds were occupied
by five men with a variety of illnesses. The morning of his surgery, the
missionary’s bed was empty. The nurse came into the room with the breakfast
these men normally ate. She took a tray over to the patient in bed number one
and said, “Fried eggs this morning, and I have an extra portion for you!”
The
occupant of bed number one had suffered an accident with his lawnmower. Other
than an injured toe, he was well physically. He said to the nurse, “I’ll not be
eating this morning.”
“All
right, we shall give your breakfast to your partner in bed number two.”
As
she approached that patient, he said, “I think I’ll not eat this morning.”
Each
of the five men declined breakfast. The young lady exclaimed, “Other mornings
you eat us out of house and home, and today not one of you wants to eat! What
is the reason?”
Then
the man who occupied bed number six answered: “You see, bed number three is
empty. Our friend is in the operating room under the surgeon’s hands. He needs
all the help he can get. He is a missionary for his church, and while we have
been patients in this ward, he has talked to us about the principles of his
church—principles of prayer, of faith, of fasting wherein we call upon the Lord
for blessings.” He continued, “We don’t know much about the Mormon church, but
we have learned a great deal about our friend; and we are fasting for him
today.”
The
operation was a success. When I attempted to pay the doctor, he countered,
“Why, it would be dishonest for me to accept a fee. I have never before
performed surgery when my hands seemed to be guided by a Power which was other
than my own. No,” he said, “I wouldn’t take a fee for the surgery which Someone
on high literally helped me to perform.”
Such
is a house of God.
This,
then, is our building project. We are master builders of eternal houses, even
“temples of God.” (See 1 Cor. 3:16.)
“Organize
yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of
prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of
glory, a house of order, a house of God.” (D&C 88:119.)
Then
the Lord, even our building inspector, may say to us, as He said when He
appeared to Solomon, a builder of another day: “I have hallowed this house,
which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine
heart shall be there perpetually.” (1 Kgs. 9:3.)
May
we follow this divinely provided blueprint. May we be successful builders of
our eternal homes, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. -- Thomas S Monson
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Pure and Simple Faith
The
testimony of a young woman is strengthened as she recognizes the Lord’s hand in
providing for her family.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
It's So Hard To See When My Eyes Are On Me
Make My Life A Prayer To You
Make my life a prayer to You,
I want to do what you want me to,
No empty words and no white lies,
No token prayers, no compromise,
I want to shine the light you gave,
Through Your Son, you sent to save us,
From ourselves and our despair,
It comforts me to know you're really there.
Oh, I want to thank you now, for being patient with me,
Oh, it's so hard to see, when my eyes are on me,
I guess I'll have to trust and just believe what you say,
Oh, you're coming again, coming to take me away,
I want to die, and let you give,
Your life to me, so I might live,
And share the hope you gave to me,
The love that set me free,
I want to tell the world out there,
You're not some fable or fairy tail,
That I made up inside my head,
You're God, The Son, you've risen from the dead.
Oh, I want to thank you now,
For being patient with me,
Oh, it's so hard to see,
When my eyes are on me,
I guess I'll have to trust,
and just believe what you say,
Oh, you're coming again,
Coming to take me away.
I want to die, and let you give,
Your life to me, so I might live,
And share the hope you gave to me,
I want to share the love that set me free.
Performed by: Keith Green. Composed by: Melody Green. Copyright 1978
I bear my witness that it truly is hard
to see when our eyes are on ourselves. --john
Friday, June 22, 2012
Acting on Inspiration
As we act on inspiration from God, our hearts change, and we
can help change the hearts of others.
Juan
Mendoza of Mexico felt like something was missing in his life. Nothing seemed
to fill the emptiness he felt inside—until he chose to begin following the
spiritual promptings he felt to return to Church, read his scriptures, and
pray.
Acting upon
these feelings, he felt a sensation of comfort, relief, and forgiveness. “The
Lord never forgets us,” he says. Having recognized the blessings that came from
acting upon inspiration, he knew what to do…
Friday, April 13, 2012
Ponder Timeless Truths
In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation – even thoughts of timeless truths?
Our Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us and our needs.
Each [of us] can be enlightened and uplifted and comforted as the Spirit of the Lord is felt.
Let us learn and contemplate our duty. Let us be willing and worthy to serve.
How blessed we are to be here in these last days.
I slept and dreamt
That life was joy
I awoke and saw
That life was duty
I acted and behold
Duty was joy
--Rabindranath Tagore
I know what pleasure is,
For I have done good work
--Robert Louis Stevenson
The above words are all excerpts from recent talks given by Thomas S Monson at General Conference
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Peace through the Atonement - Allowing Grace to Save Me
I was so angry this morning. I have allergies that can make me miserable at times. A well-meaning family member washed both my bed sheets and pajamas, and in the process exposed these items to products designed to “freshen” and “soften” the material that was in contact with my body all last night. I wound-up with itchy-watery eyes, a stuffy nose, and itching all over. As if the physical symptoms were not bad enough, I had to compound the agony by allowing myself to be filled with anger over the matter. Fortunately, everyone else is asleep when I am up in the wee hours of the morning, and they weren’t exposed to my uncontrolled emotions. Even more fortunate, I was able to bow myself down in prayer, thank Heavenly Father for the individuals in my family, focus on the atonement of Jesus Christ, and request that this burden of anger and uncontrolled emotion be lifted from me. A peace settled into my soul. I learned before arising from prayer, that I need to express my love to this family member and be thankful for all her kind efforts. I am so grateful for the atonement and the miracle of forgiveness. I know we can have peace in this life through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Discipleship
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going" said Jim Ryun.
Four daily acts that have blessed my life and continue to help me are one, scripture study, two prayer, three service, and four obedience. Feasting on the scriptures every morning energizes me. Talking with my father in heaven points me in the right direction. Doing good deeds and performing acts of kindness sets the right tone. Diligently accomplishing chores and work contributes to the greater good. All four together help me to befittingly endure as a disciple of Christ.
Four daily acts that have blessed my life and continue to help me are one, scripture study, two prayer, three service, and four obedience. Feasting on the scriptures every morning energizes me. Talking with my father in heaven points me in the right direction. Doing good deeds and performing acts of kindness sets the right tone. Diligently accomplishing chores and work contributes to the greater good. All four together help me to befittingly endure as a disciple of Christ.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Remember
A while ago, I heard someone say that the word “remember” was the most important word in the English language. I’ve pondered that thought often. I have come to a realization that the attitude of remembering is indeed a very important concept.
Miracles happen every day. Life itself is a miracle. However, I often become complacent and lose sight of these everyday wonders. It is important to remember these tender mercies, and to be grateful for these experiences.
I remember when I first started earnestly studying the Bible. I had been doing so for about a year. I had a question; I wanted to know if what I was reading was true and if there really was a Jesus Christ. One evening I started reading Matthew again. I paused when I came to Matthew 7:7. Even though I had read this passage many times before, it affected me differently this evening. I looked-up and said, “I gotch ya! If what I’m reading is true, then you have to answer my question.” I had one of the most sincere prayers of my life that night. I totally hoped that what I was reading was true, and I expected a voice from Heaven to confirm my hope – a voice like the one in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. I saw no bright light, and I heard no deep voice. However, God did answer me – through other people.
I now know that what I was reading that night is true. I know that Jesus Christ is real, that he lives, and that he loves me. I know that His love is so strong that he took upon himself my sins. I know that I must remember Him always, so I can be more like Him. Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah said “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Jeremiah said “for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” I have a testimony that God remembers us and wants us to remember Him.
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