Talk - Follow the Prophet

One of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter series is Dumbledore. He is wise, calm and often times can be found encouraging and counseling the Hogwarts students, especially Harry. On one occasion he says, “dark and difficult times lie ahead, soon we must all face the choice, between what is right and what is easy.”

We know and have seen many dark and difficult times during our life. Perhaps it was last week with terror acts, perhaps it was yesterday with a family member, perhaps it was over the past few years with wars and natural disasters. And what Dumbledore said was key, because we all have the choice to choose between what is right and what is easy.

It has never been entirely easy to follow the Prophet but we know it is right. Let’s take for example a few stories from the scriptures. Noah, a Prophet called of God to preach repentance to the people was met with ridicule, death threats and mockery. God, using his Prophet tried to preserve not only the temporal life but spiritual life of the people, but they would not listen. Why? Was it just plain easier to follow the crowd rather than follow the right? And, I have to wonder if there were times when Noah thought that too? But rather than giving into the easy, he put his complete trust in God and built the ark and gathered the animals and provisions even on the driest of days. And this is the best part – he and his family were blessed because they put their trust in God and in the Prophet. President Eyring teaches, “The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late.

Talk - The Commandments

I was asked to speak about The Commandments.  A lot of the information from my talk comes from lesson 4 in the missionary book called “Preach My Gospel.”  Since I will be able to go on a mission soon, it was good for me to study from this book.

Since the beginning of time, parents have been giving rules to their children. Rules like not playing in the street or not playing with matches. Sometimes the rules seemed like a burden to kids, like their parents must have invented them to keep them from doing the things they really wanted to do—the things they thought would make them happy. As we grow up we learn how important these rules are, how we could have been seriously injured or even killed if we had not obeyed.

Like our earthly parents, God gives us commandments to help keep us focused on what is most important and how to stay safe. All of His guidance is meant to keep us safe, help us stay close to Him and, in the end, to give us more freedom and happiness.

Unhappy Consequences of Dialing 912

In the midst of our Super Bowl party yesterday, I received a phone call from the police department.  They asked me if I had dialed 911 and if I had an emergency.  Of course I hadn't called the police, but I had a sneaking suspicion that one of the dozen neighbor kids playing in our backyard had goofed around and dialed it on our outdoor phone.

I went outside and hollered, "Who dialed 911!?"  In unison all the boys said my youngest son's name.  I brought him into the house to discuss it.  His defense?  "I dialed 912!" which made all the adults burst out laughing.  We thought he must be trying to cover his tracks and stay out of trouble.

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Here is a talk by President Hinckley from the New Era magazine, July 1999. I used this article in a lesson that I taught the Young Women.

Words of the Prophet: Blessed Are the Pure in Heart by President Gordon B. Hinckley

My young friends, “Be not faithless, but believing”—in virtue, in goodness, in decency, in purity, in that which the Lord has declared He would have for His children, virtue. It is old-fashioned. It may appear out-of-date. It does not square up with a lot of thinking and teaching, but it is true.
There is nothing lovelier, there is nothing sweeter, there is nothing finer, there is nothing more ennobling, there is nothing more beautiful in all the world than virtue in young men and women. God has designed that it should be so. “Be not faithless, but believing.” And in the light of that belief, and in the light of that faith, practice discipline (from Brigham Young University Speeches, Jan. 3, 1962, 5).

Blessed are the pure in heart

Youth is the seedtime for the future flowering of family life. To hope for peace and love and gladness out of promiscuity is to hope for that which will never come. To wish for freedom out of immorality is to wish for something that cannot be. Said the Savior, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34).

Is there a valid case for virtue? It is the only way to freedom from regret. The peace of conscience which flows therefrom is the only personal peace that is not counterfeit.
And beyond all of this is the unfailing promise of God to those who walk in virtue. Declared Jesus of Nazareth, speaking on the mountain, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). That is a covenant, made by Him who has the power to fulfill (from Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 66).

Lure of immorality

I am going to speak plainly. We hear much these days of teenage sexual misbehavior. There is too much of it among our own youth.

Those who indulge in illegitimate sexual activity, as we define that in the doctrines and standards of this Church—and I think no one misunderstands what I mean when I say that—do irreparable damage to themselves and rob the one with whom they are involved of that which can never be restored. There is nothing clever about this kind of so-called conquest. It carries with it no laurels, no victories, no enduring satisfaction. It brings only shame, sorrow, and regret. Those who so indulge cheat themselves and rob another. In so doing, they affront their Father in Heaven, for they are children of God.

I know that this is strong language, plainly spoken. But I feel the trends of our times call for strong language and plain words (from Ensign, Nov. 1983, 45).

Let virtue be your cornerstone

In April of 1942, the First Presidency of the Church issued a message that has the tone of scripture. I commend it to you:

“To the youth of the Church … above all we plead with you to live clean, for the unclean life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe physically—and spiritually it is the path to destruction. How glorious and near to the angels is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here and eternal happiness hereafter” (Improvement Era, 45:273).

You of marvelous promise, you young men and women of great ability, do not mock God. Do not flout his law. Let virtue be a cornerstone on which to build your lives (from Conference Report, Oct. 1964, 116).

Pornography

I would just like to say a word about pornography. It is a growing, vile, and evil thing. It is on our motion picture screens, it comes into the homes of the people on television receivers, it is on newsstands, it reaches out in other ways to entrap and beguile and destroy those who are enticed to partake of it. I am satisfied, my brethren and sisters, that no Latter-day Saint can with impunity afford to witness or read or partake of this growing evil in any way. God help us and bless us with the self-discipline to resist and abstain and flee from, if necessary, this pernicious and growing thing which would destroy us (from Ensign, Nov. 1982, 76).

Control thoughts to control actions

Mental control must be stronger than physical appetites or desires of the flesh. As thoughts are brought into complete harmony with revealed truth, actions will then become appropriate.
The timeless proverb is as true now as when it was first spoken: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7).

Each of us, with discipline and effort, has the capacity to control his thoughts and his actions. This is part of the process of developing spiritual, physical, and emotional maturity (from Ensign, May 1987, 48).

Repentance and forgiveness

If there be any here who have so sinned, there is repentance and there is forgiveness, provided there is “godly sorrow” (2 Cor. 7:10). All is not lost. Each of you has a bishop, who has been ordained and set apart under the authority of the holy priesthood and who, in the exercise of his office, is entitled to the inspiration of the Lord. He is a man of experience, he is a man of understanding, he is a man who carries in his heart a love for the youth of his ward. He is a servant of God who understands his obligation of confidentiality and who will help you with your problem. Do not be afraid to talk with him (from Ensign, Nov. 1983, 45).

Prove your strength

For your own sakes, for your happiness now and in all the years to come, and for the happiness of the generations who come after you, avoid sexual transgression as you would a plague.
Prove your strength, show your independence, by saying no when enticement from peers comes your way. Your own strength will add strength to those who are weak. Your own example will give determination to others (from Ensign, May 1987, 48).

Stay on the Lord’s side

Of course you are to socialize, to date, to have fun of a wholesome kind in a hundred ways. But there is a line which you must not cross. It is the line that separates personal cleanliness from sin. I need not get clinical in telling you where that line is. You know. You have been told again and again. You have a conscience within you. Stay on the Lord’s side of the line (from Ensign, May 1996, 48).

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 29

Book of Mormon Lesson #29: “Give Ear to My Words”
Alma 36-39

1. Spencer W. Kimball: When we come to recognize our sin sincerely and without reservations, we are ready to follow such processes as will rid us of sin’s effects. … Young Alma was so deep in his sin that it was most difficult for him to humble himself toward repentance, but when his experience broke down his resistance, softened his rebellion and overcame his stubbornness, he began to see himself in his true light and appraise his situation as it really was. His heart was softened. His repentance was being born. Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 157, 159.

2. Jeffrey R. Holland: Repentance is a very painful process. … No one should think that the gift of forgiveness is fully realized without significant effort on the part of the forgiven. No one should be foolish enough to sin willingly or wantonly, thinking forgiveness is easily available. Repentance of necessity involves suffering and sorrow. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not read the life of the young Alma, nor tried to personally repent. In the process of repentance we are granted just a taste of the suffering we would endure if we failed to turn away from evil. That pain, though only momentary for the repentant, is the most bitter of cups. No man or woman should be foolish enough to think it can be sipped, even briefly, without consequence. The Book of Mormon: It Begins With a Family, pp. 195-96.

3. Joseph Smith: [Alma 36:14 – I had murdered many of his children] None but fools will trifle with the souls of men. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 137.

4. Richard G. Scott: Of all the necessary steps to repentance, I testify that the most critically important is for you to have a conviction that forgiveness comes because of the Redeemer. It is essential to know that only on His terms can you be forgiven. Witness Alma’s declaration [in Alma 36:18]. That means you trust him and you trust his teachings. Satan would have you believe that serious transgression cannot be entirely overcome. The Savior gave His life so that the effects of all transgression can be put behind us, save the shedding of innocent blood and the denial of the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 1995.

5. Jack Christensen & K. Bassett: [Alma 36:17] During this time of suffering, Alma’s mind turned to the words of his father: “I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy … concerning … Jesus Christ”. Upon crying out to the Savior, he stated, “I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more”. … [N]otice the role of the father in the process of spiritual growth. The Savior removed Alma’s pain and stain of sin, but the words of the elder Alma led his son to the fruits of Gethsemane. The quality of spiritual example and instruction by parents illuminated the strait and narrow path for many of those who have become our heroes in the Book of Mormon. Life Lessons From the Book of Mormon, pp. 79-80.

6. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: True repentance requires that we surrender the memory of the sin, not in the sense that we are without the knowledge that we once transgressed but rather in the sense that we have laid down the burden, that our confidence might now wax strong in the presence of the Lord. If Alma was without any memory whatsoever of his sin, he could not have given this recitation to Helaman. We must retain sufficient memory of the pain to avoid a repetition of the suffering. Still, as we grow in the things of the Spirit, that which is forgiven is to be forgotten. It is not true repentance when we cling to a sensuous memory in whose mental replaying we find delight. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, pp. 265-66.

7. Ezra Taft Benson: We must be cautious, as we discuss these remarkable examples. Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule. For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. Ensign, Oct. 1989, p. 5.

8. Robert L. Millet: The Spirit of God sanctifies – it cleanses and purges filth and dross out of the human soul as though by fire. The Spirit does far more, however, than remove uncleanness. It also fills. It fills one with a holy element, with a sacred presence that motivates the person to a godly walk and goodly works. Life in Christ, pp. 98-99.

9. M. Russell Ballard: [Alma 37:6 – small and simple things] We observe vast, sweeping world events, however, we must remember that the purposes of the Lord in our personal lives generally are fulfilled through the small and simple things, and not the momentous and spectacular. Gen. Conference, April 1990.

10. Boyd K. Packer: You can put down in your little black book, that if you will not be loyal in the small things, you will not be loyal in the large things. If you will not respond to the so-called insignificant or menial tasks which need to be performed in the Church and Kingdom, there will be no opportunity for serving in the so-called greater challenges. A man who says he will sustain the President of the Church or the General Authorities, but cannot sustain his own bishop, is deceiving himself. The man who will not sustain the bishop of his ward and the president of his stake will not sustain the President of the Church. Follow the Brethren, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1965.

11. G. Reynolds & J. Sjodahl: [Alma 37:23 – Gazelem] Gazelem is a name given to a servant of God. The word appears to have its root in Gaz – a stone, and Aleim – a name of God as a revelator, or the interposer in the affairs of men. If this suggestion is correct, its roots admirably agree with its apparent meaning – a seer. Liahona – This interesting word is Hebrew with an Egyptian ending. It is the name which Lehi gave to the ball or director he found outside his tent. … L is a Hebrew preposition meaning “to” and sometimes used to express the possessive case. Iah is a Hebrew abbreviated form of “Jehovah,” common in Hebrew names. On is the Hebrew name of the Egyptian “City of the sun.” … L-iah-on means, therefore, literally, “To God is Light;” or, “Of God is Light.” That is to say, God gives light, as does the Sun. The final a reminds us that the Egyptian form of the Hebrew name On is Annu, and this seems to be the form Lehi used. Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, pp. 162, 178.

12. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Alma 37:33 – to withstand every temptation of the devil] We do not come to resist evil and forsake wickedness through merely gritting our teeth and exercising constant willpower. To be sure, we must do all in our power to hold tightly to the iron rod, but the power to overcome is in and through Jesus Christ. To have faith in Jesus Christ is to trust in him and rely on his holy arm. It is to acknowledge our weakness, our mortality, our frailty, our utter inability to withstand temptations and conquer sin on our own. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 280.

13. Robert L. Millet: [Alma 37:44 – it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ] His way, the gospel way, is easy for those who pursue it with singlemindedness. It is more difficult for those who embark on the Christian cause with hesitation or reservation. Those who have charted their course and pointed themselves toward the abundant life in Christ have their challenges, their difficulties, like anyone else. They meet these roadblocks, however, with courage and perspective, with a quiet confidence born of the Spirit. Such individuals have no difficulty living the gospel. It is not hard. It is not burdensome. An Eye Single to the Glory of God, p. 4.

14. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: Living the gospel and giving heed to the word of Christ are only difficult as we seek to hold on to the trappings of Babylon and pay attention to the enticements of its municipals. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 283.

15. Joseph F. Smith: [Alma 39:5] We desire with holy zeal to emphasize the enormity of sexual sins. Though often regarded as insignificant by those not knowing the will of God, they are in his eyes an abomination; and if we are to remain his favored people, they must be shunned as the gates of hell. The evil results of these sins are so patent in vice, crime, misery and disease that it would appear that all, young and old, must perceive and sense them. They are destroying the world. If we are to be preserved we must abhor them, shun them, not practice the least of them, for they weaken and enervate, they kill man spiritually, they make him unfit for the company of the righteous and the presence of God. Gospel Doctrine, pp. 275-76.

16. Joseph F. Smith: There are at least three dangers that threaten the Church within. … They are flattery of prominent men in the world, false educational ideas, and sexual impurity. But the third subject mentioned – personal purity – is of perhaps greater importance than either of the other two. We believe in one standard of morality for men and women. If purity of life is neglected, all other dangers set in upon us like the rivers of water when the floodgates are opened. Gospel Doctrine, p. 313.

Next week: Alma 40-42 “The Great Plan of Happiness”