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Daily LDS Wisdom

DeepShadow

White Crow
Following the marvelous tradition in other forums, I'll be posting the various quotes found in the LDS-GEMS email list offered by the church. See www.LDS.org/gems for more information.

GEMS come in various types, depending on audience and subject, so I'll try to include these categories whenever possible. Also, GEMS often come more than once a day, thus I'll be compiling all the day's GEMS into a single daily post.

Note: I've received permission to post these GEMS on the condition that it's not taking place for profit. From an email that I received September 9th:

"You have permission to post the LDS-GEMS on the web site as described in your e-mail. This permission is given with the understanding this use will be used for non-commercial purposes only. Please include a notice to that effect near the material (LDS-GEMS) on the web site.

"Thank you for checking with us."

Bobbie Reynolds, Legal Specialist
Intellectual Property Office
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Youth: Elder Earl C. Tingey on Decisions

"There are some decisions that we need make only once. Having made the
decision, we no longer need to wonder how we will act in that particular
situation in the future. Decisions develop habits or patterns. . . . It is
important that you know, at your age and experience in life, how to
establish patterns that lead to eternal happiness."

( "Establishing Eternal Patterns," Ensign, Oct. 2004, 32)

------------------------------

Gems from the Teachings of Church Leaders
Spiritual Eyesight from the Touch of the Master's Hand

"Those who have felt the touch of the Master's hand somehow cannot
explain the change which comes into their lives. There is a desire to live
better, to serve faithfully, to walk humbly, and to be more like the
Savior. Having received their spiritual eyesight and glimpsed the promises
of eternity, they echo the words of the blind man to whom Jesus restored
sight: 'One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see'
(John 9:25)."

( President Thomas S. Monson, "Anxiously Engaged," Ensign, November 2004, 58)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Great Eternal Promises to Those Who Persist in Righteousness

"We don't know in detail all that is going to be required of
humanity, of the Saints of God in the uncertain days ahead. Everyday
righteous living will be increasingly difficult. . . .

" . . .
But great eternal promises are extended to those who persist in
righteousness. . . . The key of the knowledge of God, administered by those
who keep the oath and covenant of the Melchizedek Priesthood, will enable
us to come off as the sons of God."

( President James E. Faust, "The Key of the Knowledge of God," Ensign, November 2004, 55)

---------------------------------

"Fathers, grandfathers, we have an even greater responsibility to
guide our precious sons and grandsons. They need our help, they need our
encouragement, they need our example. It has been wisely said that our
youth need fewer critics and more models to follow."

( (Thomas S. Monson, "Anxiously Engaged," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 57))
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Building Zion Together

"If we believe that the Lord's Church has been
restored--and we do--then we must believe that Relief
Society is an essential part of His organizational fold. We need to stop
asking whether we fit--because we do! Our differences are not so
great that we cannot build Zion together."

( Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, "Belonging Is Our Sacred Birthright," Ensign, November 2004, 108)
-----------------------------------------
GEMS-Teachings: Becoming Who and What We Are

"[The] special blending of our common origins and
characteristics [together with] our unique attributes, experiences,
and specialized challenges . . . makes each of us who and what we
are."

( Elder Cecil O. Samuelson Jr., "Perilous Times," Ensign, November 2004, 49)
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
Hi, I looked up LDS, not knowing what that was - why does your church not call itself the Mormon church, if that is what it is ?:)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
The official name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Mormon is a nickname (taken from the Book of Mormon) that often causes confusion with other groups, especially polygamist fundamentalists, one group of them having taken 'Mormons' as the official name of their church.
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
DeepShadow said:
The official name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Mormon is a nickname (taken from the Book of Mormon) that often causes confusion with other groups, especially polygamist fundamentalists, one group of them having taken 'Mormons' as the official name of their church.
Out of context, but just a coincidence, there's a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints just 400 yards from my home; I keep meaning to go, just to see what it is like.:)
 

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
michel said:
Out of context, but just a coincidence, there's a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints just 400 yards from my home; I keep meaning to go, just to see what it is like.:)
Well, why don't you? Then you could come back here and start a new thread about your experience. :jiggy: We definitely don't bite!
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Acting on the Knowledge That God Lives

"It is not enough to know that God lives, that Jesus Christ is our
Savior, and that the gospel is true. We must take the high road by acting
upon that knowledge."

( Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Be Not Deceived," Ensign, November 2004, 46)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Elder Russell M. Nelson on the Roots of our Religion

"We . . . need to know the roots of our religion. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, though officially organized in 1830, has
been restored from roots that . . . go way back. Truths from previous
dispensations have now been gathered, amplified, and clarified."

( "Roots and Branches," Ensign, May 2004, 27 )
-------------------------------
GEMS-Youth: Elder Neal A. Maxwell on Faith

"God watches the times and seasons. He knows your individual bearing
capacities. . . . You can have full faith and trust in God, His mercy and
goodness."

( "These Are Your Days," Ensign, Oct. 2004, 29)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: President Thomas S. Monson on the Roles of Jesus Christ

"[Jesus Christ] is a teacher of truth--but He is
more than a teacher. He is the Exemplar of the perfect life--but
He is more than an exemplar. He is the Great Physician--but He is
more than a physician. He is the literal Savior of the world, the Son of
God, the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of Israel, even the risen
Lord."

( "Your Personal Influence," Ensign, May 2004, 23 )
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Family: Beware of Overindulging Your Children

"Parents who have been successful in acquiring more often have a difficult time saying no to the demands of overindulged children. Their children run the risk of not learning important values like hard work, delayed gratification, honesty, and compassion. Affluent parents can and do raise well-adjusted, loving, and value-centered children, but the struggle to set limits, make do with less, and avoid the pitfalls of 'more, more, more' has never been more difficult. It is hard to say no to more when you can afford to say yes.

"Parents are rightfully anxious about the future. It is difficult to say no to more sports equipment, electronics, lessons, clothes, team participation, et cetera, when parents believe more will help children thrive in an increasingly competitive world. Young people seem to want more, partly because there is infinitely more to catch their eye. The American Academy of Pediatrics
estimated that American children see more than 40,000 commercials a year.

"Fewer and fewer parents ask their children to do chores around the house because they think they are already overwhelmed by social and academic pressures. But children devoid of responsibilities risk never learning that every individual can be of service and that life has meaning beyond their own happiness. . . .

"In discussing our various longings for more, I'm not suggesting we adopt Scrooge as a role model
for good parenting. I am suggesting that it is important for families and individuals to aggressively seek more of the virtues which go beyond this mortal life. A prayerful, conservative approach is the key to successfully living in an affluent society and building the qualities that come from waiting, sharing, saving, working hard, and making do with what we have. May we be blessed with the desire and the ability to understand when more is really less and when more is better."

( H. David Burton, "More Holiness Give Me," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 98, 100)
----------------------------------------
GEMS-Teachings: President Gordon B. Hinckley on Faithful Young People

"It is wonderfully refreshing to see the faith and faithfulness of our
young people. They live at a time when a great tide of evil is washing over
the earth. It seems to be everywhere. Old standards are discarded.
Principles of virtue and integrity are cast aside. But we find literally
hundreds of thousands of our young people holding to the high standards of
the gospel. They find happy and uplifting association with those of their
own kind. They are improving their minds with education and their skills
with discipline, and their influence for good is felt ever more
widely."

( "The Church Grows Stronger," Ensign, May 2004, 4)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin on the Pursuit of Eternal Life

"The riches of this world are as dust compared to the riches that
await the faithful in the mansions of our Heavenly Father. How foolish is
he who spends his days in the pursuit of things that rust and fade away.
How wise is he who spends his days in the pursuit of eternal life."

( "Earthly Debts, Heavenly Debts," Ensign, May 2004, 43)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Youth: President Gordon B. Hinckley: Heavenly Father Hears and Answers Prayers

"There has come to you as your birthright something beautiful and
sacred and divine. Never forget that. Your Eternal Father is the great
Master of the universe. He rules over all, but He also will listen to your
prayers . . . and hear you as you speak with Him. He will answer your
prayers. He will not leave you alone."

( "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004, 112)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: President Thomas S. Monson on Decisions

"Life's journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles,
pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings.
Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is
needed: the courage to say, 'No,' the courage to say,
'Yes,' Decisions do determine destiny. The call for courage comes
constantly to each of us. It has ever been so, and so shall it ever
be."

( "The Call for Courage," Ensign, May 2004, 54-55 )
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: President Gordon B. Hinckley on the Future

"In my quiet moments, I think of the future with all of its wonderful
possibilities and with all of its terrible temptations. I wonder what will
happen to you in the next 10 years. Where will you be? What will you be
doing? That will depend on the choices you make, some of which may seem
unimportant at the time but which will have tremendous consequences."

( "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004, 112-113)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Elder Richard G. Scott on Understanding God's Plan for You

"Avoid worldly wickedness. Know that God is in control. In time, Satan
will completely fail and be punished for his perverse evil. God has a
specific plan for your life. He will reveal parts of that plan to you as
you look for it with faith and consistent obedience. His Son has made you
free--not from the consequences of your acts, but free to make
choices. God's eternal purpose is for you to be successful in this
mortal life. No matter how wicked the world becomes you can earn that
blessing. Seek and be attentive to the personal guidance given to you
through the Holy Spirit. Continue to be worthy to receive it. Reach out to
others who stumble and are perplexed, not certain of what path to
follow."

( "How to Live Well amid Increasing Evil, Ensign, May 2004, 102)
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Family: Apply the Golden Rule in Your Marriage

"The cure for most marital troubles does not lie in divorce. It lies in repentance and forgiveness, in expressions of kindness and concern. It is to be found in application of the Golden Rule.
"It is a scene of great beauty when a young man and a young woman join hands at the altar in a covenant before God that they will honor and love one another. Then how dismal the picture when a few months later, or a few years later, there are offensive remarks, mean and cutting words, raised voices, bitter accusations.
"It need not be, my dear brothers and sisters. We can rise above these mean and beggarly elements in our lives (see Galatians 4:9). We can look for and recognize the divine nature in one another, which comes to us as children of our Father in Heaven. We can live together in the God-given pattern of marriage in accomplishing that of which we are capable if we will exercise discipline of self and refrain from trying to discipline our companion."

( (Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Women in Our Lives," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 84))
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Elder Bruce C. Hafen on Sacrifice

"May we not shrink when we discover, paradoxically, how dear a price
we must pay to receive what is, finally, a gift from Him. When the
Savior's all and our all come together, we will find not only
forgiveness of sin, 'we shall see him as he is,' and 'we shall
be like him' (Moroni 7:48; 1 John 3:2)."

( "The Atonement: All for All," Ensign, May 2004, 99 )
 

DeepShadow

White Crow
GEMS-Teachings: Elder W. Douglas Shumway on the Eternal Nature of Family Relationships

"Loving, protecting, and nurturing our children are among the most
sacred and eternally important things we will do. Worldly belongings will
vanish, today's number-one movie or song will be irrelevant
tomorrow, but a son or a daughter is eternal.

" 'The family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His
children' ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World").
Therefore parents and children must work together in unity to fortify
family relationships, cultivating them day in and day out."

( "Marriage and Family: Our Sacred Responsibility," Ensign, May 2004, 95-96 )
 
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