The world will be the poorer

 If our good women are to continue in their primary roles as nurturers, teachers, homemakers, and managers, they will need more support and help in order for them to find time to give compassionate service to their families and others. If this help is withheld, our lives, our homes, the Church, and the world will be the poorer, for so much love, gentleness, and understanding will be lost.

The Highest Place of Honor, April 1988 General Conference, James E. Faust

The Greatest Need in the World

Sisters, it is always between us and the Lord. As President James E. Faust said: “‘What is the greatest need in the world?’ … ‘Is not the greatest need in all of the world for every person to have a personal, ongoing, daily, continuing relationship with the Savior?’ Having such a relationship can unchain the divinity within us, and nothing can make a greater difference in our lives as we come to know and understand our divine relationship with God.”

For Him

October 2018

General Conference

Joy D. Jones

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/for-him?lang=eng&verse=#p

The Older I Get, The Less Judgement I Become. The Greatest Form of Charity May Be To Withhold Judgement.

Some years ago a cherished friend noted, “The greatest form of charity may be to withhold judgment.”4 That is still true today.

Recently, as three-year-old Alyssa watched a movie with her siblings, she remarked with a puzzled expression, “Mom, that chicken is weird!”

Her mother looked at the screen and responded with a smile, “Honey, that is a peacock.”

Like that unknowing three-year-old, we sometimes look at others with an incomplete or inaccurate understanding. We may focus on the differences and perceived flaws in those around us whereas our Heavenly Father sees His children, created in His eternal image, with magnificent and glorious potential.

President James E. Faust is remembered to have said, “The older I get, the less judgmental I become.”5 That reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s observation:

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became [older], I put away childish things.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”6

When we see our own imperfections more clearly, we are less inclined to view others “through a glass, darkly.” We want to use the light of the gospel to see others as the Savior does—with compassion, hope, and charity. The day will come when we will have a complete understanding of others’ hearts and will be grateful to have mercy extended to us—just as we extend charitable thoughts and words to others during this life.
"I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel Into My Home", Jean B. Bingham

4 Absolutes About Which It Is Always Appropriate For Us to Testify

There are four absolutes about which it is always appropriate for us to testify:

The first is that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Mediator and Redeemer of the world.

The second is that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and reestablished the Church of Christ upon the earth with its keys and authority.

The third is that all of the Presidents of the Church since Joseph Smith have been successors in that power and authority.

The fourth is that President Gordon B. Hinckley is the only prophet of God upon the earth, holding all of the keys, powers, and authorities of the Church in the earth today.

The Importance of Bearing Testimony - James E. Faust - Ensign 1997

The Priesthood is the Authority to Minister

President James E. Faust taught, “Priesthood is the authority delegated to man to minister in the name of God.”⁴ The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels.⁵.....Jesus Christ is your example. He “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.”⁷ To minister means to love and care for others. It means to attend to their physical and spiritual needs. Put simply, it means to do what the Savior would do if He were here.

 APRIL 2013 GENERAL CONFERENCE - YOUR SACRED DUTY TO MINISTER - DAVID L. BECK

An Excellent Insurance Against Divorce Is The Payment of Tithing

Tithing. I learned in serving almost 20 years as bishop and as stake president that an excellent insurance against divorce is the payment of tithing. Payment of tithing seems to facilitate keeping the spiritual battery charged in order to make it through the times when the spiritual generator has been idle or is not working.


President James E. Faust,"Enriching Your Marriage",Liahona  Apr. 2007

Too Hurried to Serve

Let me illustrate this with a story from the Church News:
“A group of religion instructors [were] taking a summer course on the life of the Savior and focusing particularly on the parables.
“When the final exam time came, … the students arrived at the classroom to find a note that the exam would be given in another building across campus. Moreover, the note said, it must be finished within the two-hour time period that was starting almost at that moment.
“The students hurried across campus. On the way they passed a little girl crying over a flat tire on her new bike. An old man hobbled painfully toward the library with a cane in one hand, spilling books from a stack he was trying to manage with the other. On a bench by the union building sat a shabbily dressed, bearded man [in obvious distress].
“Rushing into the other classroom, the students were met by the professor, who announced they had all flunked the final exam.
“The only true test of whether they understood the Savior’s life and teaching, he said, was how they treated people in need.
“Their weeks of study at the feet of a capable professor had taught them a great deal of what Christ had said and done.” 8 In their haste to finish the technicalities of the course, however, they failed to recognize the application represented by the three scenes that had been deliberately staged. They learned the letter but not the spirit. Their neglect of the little girl and the two men showed that the profound message of the course had not entered into their inward parts.

James E. Faust, “‘Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart’,” Ensign, May 1998, 17

"OH, I Like What's Behind Them."

President Faust's secretaries often see the tenderness and love he shows for Sister Faust, and Sister Bury tells of a day when the four of them had lunch together and Sister Faust was commenting on a new pair of glasses she had, and which she didn't feel comfortable in. "President Faust listened and then said, 'Oh I like what's behind them."

In the Strength of the Lord: The Life and Teachings of James E. Faust, Jim Bell, Deseret Bk. Co., 1999 - 487 pages,p. 239

Integrity the Mother of May Virtues

President James E. Faust suggested that integrity is the mother of many virtues. He noted that integrity can be defined “as a firm adherence to a code of moral values.” He also suggested that “integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us” (“Integrity, the Mother of Many Virtues,” in Speaking Out on Moral Issues [1998], 61, 62). It is difficult for a person to display virtuous traits if he or she lacks integrity. Without integrity, honesty is often forgotten. If integrity is absent, civility is impaired. If integrity is not important, spirituality is difficult to maintain.

H. David Burton, "Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts", Ensign, Nov. 2009, 76–78

Sabbath Day Observance for Professionals and Students

Over a lifetime of observation, it is clear to me that the farmer who observes the Sabbath day seems to get more done on his farm than he would if he worked seven days. The mechanic will be able to turn out more and better products in six days than in seven. The doctor, the lawyer, the dentist, the scientist will accomplish more by trying to rest on the Sabbath than if he tries to utilize every day of the week for his professional work. I would counsel all students, if they can, to arrange their schedules so that they do not study on the Sabbath. If students and other seekers after truth will do this, their minds will be quickened and the infinite Spirit will lead them to the verities they wish to learn. This is because God has hallowed his day and blessed it as a perpetual covenant of faithfulness. (See Ex. 31:16.)


Author: James E. Faust
Title: The Lord’s Day
Where: Ensign, Nov 1991, 33

Don't Take Counsel From Your Fears

I would like to say one thing to the young men: don’t take too much counsel from your fears. Now think about that.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: The Value of Self-Esteem
Where: CES Fireside for Young Adults • May 6, 2007 • Salt Lake Tabernacle

Another example of President Hunter's courage and determination to complete a task given him by the First Presidency is demonstrated by the completion of the Jerusalem Center. President Hunter purchased the land, supervised the architecture and construction of the center, and negotiated with government and religious leaders the teaching objectives for the center. During the years it took to complete the Jerusalem Center, President Hunter demonstrated a steadfastness and courage against opposition. He told those who worked with him, "Go ahead, move forward. Don't take counsel from your fears." How often we don't even try, and we fail simply because of our fear of failure.

Author: Robert D. Hales
Title: A Testimony of Prophets
Where: Brigham Young University on 5 June 1994.

Faithfully Perservere in Church Callings...Guided to Other Opportunities, Even Beyond My Dreams

One of the important things I learned was that if I faithfully persevered in my Church callings, the Lord would open up the way and guide me to other opportunities and blessings, even beyond my dreams.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: Perseverance
Where: Ensign, May 2005, 51
Why I liked it: I've seen this already in my short life.

Keep a Place in Your Heart for Forgiveness

A sister who had been through a painful divorce wrote of her experience in drawing from the Atonement. She said: “Our divorce … did not release me from the obligation to forgive. I truly wanted to do it, but it was as if I had been commanded to do something of which I was simply incapable.” Her bishop gave her some sound advice: “Keep a place in your heart for forgiveness, and when it comes, welcome it in.” Many months passed as this struggle to forgive continued. She recalled: “During those long, prayerful moments … I tapped into a life-giving source of comfort from my loving Heavenly Father. I sense that he was not standing by glaring at me for not having accomplished forgiveness yet; rather he was sorrowing with me as I wept. …

“In the final analysis, what happened in my heart is for me an amazing and miraculous evidence of the Atonement of Christ. I had always viewed the Atonement as a means of making repentance work for the sinner. I had not realized that it also makes it possible for the one sinned against to receive into his or her heart the sweet peace of forgiving.” 33

The injured should do what they can to work through their trials, and the Savior will “succor his people according to their infirmities.” 34 He will help us carry our burdens. Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that they cannot be healed without help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life. Since the Savior has suffered anything and everything that we could ever feel or experience, 35 He can help the weak to become stronger. He has personally experienced all of it. He understands our pain and will walk with us even in our darkest hours.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope
Where: Ensign, Nov 2001, 18

Some Great Thing

As persecutions came and Joseph fled the mob at Nauvoo in 1844, Hyrum went with him. As they stood on the bank of the river, contemplating whether to return, Joseph turned to Hyrum and said, 'You are the oldest, what shall we do?'" 'Let us go back and give ourselves up and see the thing out,' Hyrum replied."They returned to Nauvoo and were taken to Carthage, where they died as martyrs within minutes of one another. Hyrum had been faithful to his trust even to the laying down of his life. In all respects he was a disciple of the Savior. But his day-to-day striving made him truly great. In contrast, Oliver Cowdery was great when handling the plates and being attended to by angels, but when called upon to faithfully endure day-to-day trials and challenges, Oliver faltered and fell away from the Church."We do not prove our love for the Savior only by doing 'some great thing.' If the prophet personally asked you to go on a mission to some strange and exotic place, would you go? You would probably make every effort to go. But what about paying tithing? What about doing your home teaching? We show our love for the Savior by doing the many small acts of faith, devotion, and kindness to others that define our character.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: Some Great Thing
Where: Ensign, Nov. 2001, 48

Goes along with this:

What you have done is a very good thing. Now go home, walk across the street, and serve your neighbor

1

If You Don't Pay the Price That Is Needed for Success, You Will Pay the Price of Failure

If you don’t pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure. Preparation, work, study, and service are required to achieve and find happiness. Disobedience and lack of preparation carry a terrible price tag. As priesthood holders of this Church...we are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers which can and do roll back the power of Satan on the earth.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: The Devil’s Throat
Where: Ensign, May 2003, 51

1

Fathers Play an Important Role in Strengthening Gender Identity in Their Children

One authority states: “Studies show that fathers also have a special role to play in building a child’s [self-respect]. They are important too, in ways we don’t really understand, in developing internal limits and control in children.” He continues: “Research also shows that fathers are critical in the establishment of gender in children. Interestingly, fatherly involvement produces stronger sexual identity and character in both boys and girls. It’s well established that the masculinity of sons and the femininity of daughters are each greater when fathers are active in family life.” 5

Author: James E. Faust
Title: Fathers, Mothers, Marriage
Where: Ensign, Aug 2004, 2–7

Divorce Can Be Justified Only in the Rarest of Circumstances

Divorce can be justified only in the rarest of circumstances. In my opinion, “just cause” for divorce should be nothing less serious than a prolonged and apparently irredeemable relationship that destroys a person’s dignity as a human being. Divorce often tears people’s lives apart and shears family happiness. Frequently in a divorce the parties lose much more than they gain.


Author: James E. Faust
Title: Enriching Your Marriage
Where: Ensign, Apr 2007, 4–8

Confession...Eliminates the Deceit Inherit in Wrongdoing.

The price of discipleship is to forsake evil transgression and enjoy what President Spencer W. Kimball has called “the miracle of forgiveness.” It is never too late. But there can be no remission of sin without a godly sorrow being abundantly manifested in the mind, in the heart, and in the actions of the offender. A major step toward purging oneself of wrongdoing is for the transgressor to confess the transgression to the common judge in Israel, who is the inspired bishop or branch president of the offender. While forgiveness comes only from the Lord, confession is necessary, among other reasons, to eliminate the deceit inherent in wrongdoing.

Author: James E. Faust
Title: The Price of Discipleship
Where: Ensign, Apr 1999, 2