General Authority Gems: Hope to try again

"[I]t matters not what sins we have committed or how deep we have sunk into that proverbial pit. It matters not that we are ashamed or embarrassed because of the sins that, as the prophet Nephi said, 'so easily beset' us. It matters not that once upon a time we traded our birthright for a mess of potage.

"What does matter is that Christ is pleading our case before the Father, 'saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; . . . wherefore Father, spare these my brethren [and sisters] that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.' That is what really matters and should give all of us renewed hope and a determination to try one more time, because He has not forgotten us.

"I testify that the Savior will never turn away from us when we humbly seek Him in order to repent; will never consider us to be a lost cause; will never say, 'Oh no, not you again'; will never reject us because of a failure to understand how hard it is to avoid sin. He understands it all perfectly, including the sense of sorrow, shame, and frustration that is the inevitable consequence of sin.'" (from Remembering in Home We Have Trusted)

~ Elder Allen D. Haynie, of the Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Words of a Prophet ~ The Lord loves effort

 "Everything to do with becoming more like the Savior is difficult. For example, when God wanted to give the Ten Commandments to Moses, where did He tell Moses to go? Up on top of a mountain, on the top of Mount Sinai. So Moses had to walk all the way up to the top of that mountain to get the Ten Commandments. Now, Heavenly Father could have said, 'Moses, you start there, and I'll start here, and I'll meet you halfway.' No, the Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can't come without it.

"It takes effort, a lot of hard work, a lot of study, and there's never an end. That's good! That's good, because we're always progressing. Even in the next life we're making progress." 

~ President Russell M. Nelson, 17th president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, quoted by Joy D. Jones in An Especially Noble Calling

General Authority Gems: Do your best

 I recently ran across this quote in the first volume of Saints, a history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Newel K. Whitney was the second bishop called in the early days of the Restoration and was the equivalent of what we now call a Presiding Bishop, and is considered a General Authority of the Church, as opposed to a local bishop. 

Bishop Whitney is recorded as giving this counsel to the Relief Society sisters of Nauvoo, Illinois. I hope you find as much personal encouragement in it as I do.

"If we are striving to do right, although we may err in judgment many times, yet we are justified in the sight of God if we do the best we can." ~ Newel K. Whitney, Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, May 27, 1842.

Learn more about Newel K. Whitney here.
Learn more about Presiding Bishoprics here.

Picture: engraving of Newel K. Whitney, Andrew Jenson, 1901, public domain

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's First Vision

THE RESTORATION OF THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

A BICENTENNIAL PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We solemnly proclaim that God loves His children in every nation of the world. God the Father has given us the divine birth, the incomparable life, and the infinite atoning sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. By the power of the Father, Jesus rose again and gained the victory over death. He is our Savior, our Exemplar, and our Redeemer.  

Two hundred years ago, on a beautiful spring morning in 1820, young Joseph Smith, seeking to know which church to join, went into the woods to pray near his home in upstate New York, USA. He had questions regarding the salvation of his soul and trusted that God would direct him.

In humility, we declare that in answer to his prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and inaugurated the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21) as foretold in the Bible. In this vision, he learned that following the death of the original Apostles, Christ’s New Testament Church was lost from the earth. Joseph would be instrumental in its return.

We affirm that under the direction of the Father and the Son, heavenly messengers came to instruct Joseph and re-establish the Church of Jesus Christ. The resurrected John the Baptist restored the authority to baptize by immersion for the remission of sins. Three of the original twelve Apostles—Peter, James, and John—restored the apostleship and keys of priesthood authority. Others came as well, including Elijah, who restored the authority to join families together forever in eternal relationships that transcend death.

We further witness that Joseph Smith was given the gift and power of God to translate an ancient record: the Book of Mormon—Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Pages of this sacred text include an account of the personal ministry of Jesus Christ among people in the Western Hemisphere soon after His Resurrection. It teaches of life’s purpose and explains the doctrine of Christ, which is central to that purpose. As a companion scripture to the Bible, the Book of Mormon testifies that all human beings are sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven, that He has a divine plan for our lives, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, speaks today as well as in days of old.

We declare that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, organized on April 6, 1830, is Christ’s New Testament Church restored. This Church is anchored in the perfect life of its chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, and in His infinite Atonement and literal Resurrection. Jesus Christ has once again called Apostles and has given them priesthood authority. He invites all of us to come unto Him and His Church, to receive the Holy Ghost, the ordinances of salvation, and to gain enduring joy.
Two hundred years have now elapsed since this Restoration was initiated by God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Millions throughout the world have embraced a knowledge of these prophesied events.

We gladly declare that the promised Restoration goes forward through continuing revelation. The earth will never again be the same, as God will “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).

With reverence and gratitude, we as His Apostles invite all to know—as we do—that the heavens are open. We affirm that God is making known His will for His beloved sons and daughters. We testify that those who prayerfully study the message of the Restoration and act in faith will be blessed to gain their own witness of its divinity and of its purpose to prepare the world for the promised Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This proclamation was read by President Russell M. Nelson as part of his message at the 190th Annual General Conference, April 5, 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Listen to President Russell M. Nelson deliver this proclamation here.

Learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here.

Merry Christmas!

General Authority Gems: Then Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him

“There came one running … and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

“And Jesus said unto him, …

“Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

“And he answered … , Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:17-21)

“Then Jesus beholding him loved him.”

As I heard these words, a vivid image filled my mind of our Lord pausing and beholding this young man. Beholding—as in looking deeply and penetratingly into his soul, recognizing his goodness and also his potential, as well as discerning his greatest need.

Then the simple words—Jesus loved him. He felt an overwhelming love and compassion for this good young man, and because of this love and with this love, Jesus asked even more of him. I pictured what it must have felt like for this young man to be enveloped by such love even while being asked to do something so supremely hard as selling all he owned and giving it to the poor.

My dear brothers and sisters, now anytime you feel you are being asked to do something hard—give up a poor habit or an addiction, put aside worldly pursuits, sacrifice a favorite activity because it is the Sabbath, forgive someone who has wronged you—think of the Lord beholding you, loving you, and inviting you to let it go and follow Him. And thank Him for loving you enough to invite you to do more. (from Then Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him)

~ S. Mark Palmer, of the Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Words of a Prophet ~ Following Christ

“[As followers of Christ], we cannot do a mean or shoddy or ungracious thing without tarnishing his image. Nor can we do a good and gracious and generous act without burnishing more brightly the symbol of him whose name we have taken upon ourselves.

“And so our lives must become a meaningful expression, the symbol of our declaration of our testimony of the Living Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living God.

“It is that simple, my brethren and sisters, and that profound and we’d better never forget it.” 

~ President Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, We Look to Christ