Daily LDS Wisdom

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GEMS-Youth: Sister Julie B. Beck on Scriptures

"The scriptures are so important that Nephi risked his life to obtain
a copy of them."

( "My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures," Ensign, May 2004, 109)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President N. Eldon Tanner on Showing Gratitude for Freedom

"How can we best show our appreciation to God for these marvelous
blessings of freedom, of a place where his true and everlasting gospel was
restored, of the preparation and divine guidance in every event leading to
that most significant event? We must remember what the Lord told the
Jaredites when they were first brought to this land: 'Behold, this is a
choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from
bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if
they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been
manifested by the things which we have written' (Ether 2:12)."

( "If They Will But Serve the God of the Land," Ensign, May 1976, 48)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President Gordon B. Hinckley on Honoring Our Heritage

"To you I say with all of the energy of which I am capable, do not
become a weak link in the chain of your generations. You come to the world
with a marvelous inheritance. You come of great men and women. . . . Never
let them down. Never do anything which would weaken the chain of which you
are a fundamental part."

( Quoted in Stephen B. Oveson, "Our Legacy," Ensign, Nov. 1999, 29)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President N. Eldon Tanner on the Future of America

"We are all a part of America's future. Our job is to learn and
benefit from the past and to go forward in righteousness, keeping the
commandments of God. In this connection the prophet Lehi said,
'Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And
if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which
he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they
shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of
iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their
sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever' (2 Nephi
1:7)."

( "If They Will But Serve the God of the Land," Ensign, May 1976, 48)

 

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GEMS-Family: Mothers Are Responsible to Teach Their Children

Mothers Are Responsible to Teach Their Children

"You, my beloved sisters, know who you are and what God expects you to
become. Your challenge is to bring all for whom you are responsible to a
knowledge of this truth. The Relief Society of this, the Lord's Church,
can be the means to achieve such a goal.
" 'The first and
foremost opportunity for teaching in the Church lies in the home,'
observed President David O. McKay. (Priesthood Home Teaching Handbook, rev.
ed. [1967], ii.) 'A true Mormon home is one in which if Christ
should chance to enter, he would be pleased to linger and to rest.'
(Gospel Ideals [1953], 169.)
"What are we doing to ensure
that our homes meet this description? It isn't enough for parents alone
to have strong testimonies. Children can ride only so long on the coattails
of a parent's conviction.
"President Heber J. Grant declared:
'It is our duty to teach our children in their youth. . . . I may know
that the gospel is true, and so may my wife; but I want to tell you that
our children will not know that the gospel is true, unless they study it
and gain a testimony for themselves.' (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer
Durham [1941], 155.)"

( Thomas S. Monson, "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 115.)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President Ezra Taft Benson on the Inspired Founding Fathers

"We know the signers of the sacred Declaration of Independence and the
Founding Fathers, with George Washington at their head, have made
appearance in holy places. Apostle Wilford Woodruff was president of the
St. George Temple at the time of their appearance and testified that the
founders of our republic declared this to him: 'We laid the foundation
of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we
remained true to it and were faithful to God' (Journal of Discourses,
19:229).

"Later, after he became President of the Church,
President Woodruff declared that 'those men who laid the foundation of
this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were
the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth.
They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the
men who labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord' (in
Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 89)."

( "Our Priceless Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 1976, 33)

 

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GEMS-Youth: Elder D. Todd Christofferson on God's Right to Rule Over Us

Elder D. Todd Christofferson on God's Right to Rule Over Us

"If we are honest, we must first acknowledge that God has every right
to direct us. After all, we are His creation."

( "Allegiance to God," Ensign, Jan. 2005, 8)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Elder Neal A. Maxwell on Lifting Others by Our Positive Attitude

"We can respond to irritation with a smile instead of scowl, or by giving warm praise instead of icy indifference. By our being understanding instead of abrupt, others, in turn, may decide to hold on
a little longer rather than to give way. Love, patience, and meekness can be just as contagious
as rudeness and crudeness."

( Neal A. Maxwell, "The Tugs and Pulls of the World," Ensign, Nov. 2000, 36)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Elder M. Russell Ballard on the U.S. Constitution

"The principles and philosophies upon which the U.S. constitutional
law is based are not simply the result of the best efforts of a remarkable
group of brilliant men. They were inspired by God, and the rights and
privileges guaranteed in the Constitution are God-given, not
man-derived. The freedom and independence afforded by the Constitution
and Bill of Rights are divine rights--sacred, essential, and
inalienable. In the 98th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord
indicates that the 'law of the land which is constitutional, supporting
that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to
all mankind, and is justifiable before me' (D&C 98:5)."

( "Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992, 65)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Elder M. Russell Ballard on the Future of American Civilization

"Believe it or not, at one time the very notion of government had less
to do with politics than with virtue. According to James Madison, often
referred to as the father of the Constitution: 'We have staked the
whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the
government--far from it. We have staked the future of all of our
political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern
ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God' (Russ Walton,
Biblical Principles of Importance to Godly Christians, New Hampshire:
Plymouth Foundation, 1984, p. 361)."

( "Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992, 65)

 

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GEMS-Youth: President Ezra Taft Benson on the Cost of Bringing Forth Modern-day Scriptures

"The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants are bound together
as revelations from Israel's God to gather and prepare His people for
the Second Coming of the Lord.

"The bringing forth of these
sacred volumes of scripture 'for the salvation of a ruined world'
cost 'the best blood of the nineteenth century'--that of
Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (D&C 135:6).

( "The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants," Ensign, Jan. 2005, 24)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Elder M. Russell Ballard on Independence and Freedom

"If we would maintain the independence and freedom the Founding
Fathers intended, we must work to preserve and protect the moral foundation
upon which they built the U. S. government. We must stand boldly for
righteousness and truth, and must defend the cause of honor, decency, and
personal freedom espoused by Washington, Madison, Adams, Lincoln, and other
leaders who acknowledged and loved God."

( "Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992, 68-69)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Elder Dallin H. Oaks on the Divinely Inspired Constitution

"The United States Constitution was the first written constitution in
the world. It has served Americans well, enhancing freedom and prosperity
during the changed conditions of more than two hundred years. Frequently
copied, it has become the United States' most important export. After
two centuries, every nation in the world except six have adopted written
constitutions (see "The Constitution," Wilson Quarterly, Spring
1987, pp. 97, 126), and the U.S. Constitution was a model for all of them.
No wonder modern revelation says that God established the U.S.
Constitution and that it 'should be maintained for the rights and
protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles' (D&C
101:77)."

( "The Divinely Inspired Constitution," Ensign, Feb. 1992, 68)

 

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GEMS-Family: Successful Marriages Are Built on Selflessness

"Total unselfishness is sure to accomplish another factor in
successful marriage. If one is forever seeking the interests, comforts, and
happiness of the other, the love found in courtship and cemented in
marriage will grow into mighty proportions. Many couples permit their
marriages to become stale and their love to grow cold like old bread or
worn-out jokes or cold gravy. Certainly the foods most vital for love
are consideration, kindness, thoughtfulness, concern, expressions of
affection, embraces of appreciation, admiration, pride, companionship,
confidence, faith, partnership, equality, and interdependence."

( (President Spencer W. Kimball, "Oneness in Marriage," Ensign, Mar. 1977, 5))

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President Ezra Taft Benson on the Key to a Country's Greatness

"In the year 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French historian,
came to our country. . . . Here is his own stirring explanation of the
greatness of America:

" 'I sought for the greatness and
genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it
was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not
there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.
Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame
with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.
America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be
good, America will cease to be great' (Prophets, Principles and
National Survival, compiled by Jerreld L. Newquist, p.
60).

"How strong is our will to remain free--to be
good? False thinking and false ideologies, dressed in the most pleasing
forms, quietly--almost without our knowing it--seek to
reduce our moral defenses and to captivate our minds. They entice with
bright promises of security, cradle-to-grave guarantees of many
kinds. They masquerade under various names, but all may be recognized by
one thing--one thing they all have in common: to erode away
character and man's freedom to think and act for himself."

( "Watchman, Warn the Wicked," Ensign, July 1973, 39)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Elder M. Russell Ballard on Lessons of the Journey

"We cannot begin to understand the journeys made by those who laid the foundation of this dispensation until we understand their spiritual underpinnings. Once we make that connection, however, we will begin to see how their journeys parallel our own. There are lessons for us in every footstep they took--lessons of love, courage, commitment, devotion, endurance, and, most of all, faith."

( "You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey," Ensign, May 1997, 59)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President James E. Faust on the Consecration of the Pioneers

"I have wondered why these intrepid pioneers had to pay for their
faith with such a terrible price in agony and suffering. Why were not the
elements tempered to spare them from their profound agony? I believe their
lives were consecrated to a higher purpose through their suffering. Their
love for the Savior was burned deep in their souls and into the souls of
their children and their children's children. The motivation for their
lives came from a true conversion in the center of their souls. As
President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, 'When there throbs in the heart
of an individual Latter-day Saint a great and vital testimony of the
truth of this work, he will be found doing his duty in the Church'
("Missionary Service, Activation, Temple Work Emphasized in Conference
Leadership Meetings," Ensign, May 1984, 99)."

( "A Priceless Heritage," Ensign, July 2002, 5)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: President Thomas S. Monson on the Perseverance of the Pioneers

"That first trek of 1847, organized and led by Brigham Young, is described by historians as one of the great epics of United States history. Mormon pioneers by the hundreds suffered and died from disease, exposure, or starvation. There were some who, lacking wagons and teams, literally walked the 1,300 miles across the plains and through the mountains, pushing and pulling handcarts.

"As the long, painful struggle approached its welcome end, a jubilant spirit filled each heart. Tired feet and weary bodies somehow found new strength.

"Time-marked pages of a dusty pioneer journal speak movingly to us: 'We bowed ourselves down in humble prayer to Almighty God with hearts full of thanksgiving to Him, and dedicated this land unto Him for the dwelling place of His people' (Erastus Snow, "Discourse on the Utah Pioneers," in The Utah Pioneers [1880], 46)."

( "Pioneers All," Ensign, May 1997, 93)

 

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GEMS-Youth: Elder Glenn L. Pace on Humility

"To be humble is to recognize our utter dependence upon the Lord. We
are conscious of our strengths, but we do not exalt ourselves and become
prideful, for we know that all good things ultimately come from God. We are
conscious of our weaknesses, but we know the Lord can use those very
weaknesses to bless our lives and that through Him, as we learn from the
book of Ether, our weaknesses can become strengths."

( "Confidence and Self-Worth," Ensign, Jan. 2005, 32)

 

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GEMS-Teachings: Sister Virginia H. Pearce on the Pace of Pioneers

"Most of our lives are not a string of dramatic moments that call for
immediate heroism and courage. Most of our lives, rather, consist of daily
routines, even monotonous tasks, that wear us down and leave us vulnerable
to discouragement. Sure, we know where we're going, and if it were
possible we would choose to jump out of bed, work like crazy, and be there
by nightfall. But our goal, our journey's end, our Zion is life in the
presence of our Heavenly Father. And to get there we are expected to walk
and walk and walk."

( "Keep Walking, and Give Time a Chance," Ensign, May 1997, 86)