Conference Special

Conference Special

With the days going by at an ever increasing speed it is good to be reminded of the truths and encouragement available to all from last month’s General Conference (April 2014).

With the days going by at an ever increasing speed it is good to be reminded of the truths and encouragement available to all from last month’s General Conference (April 2014).

Below is a definitive or memorable quote taken from each conference talk. We would do well to soak up these treasures, take heed and refer to them often.

The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship

ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND

‘Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them.’ (paragraph 29)

The Joyful Burden of Discipleship

ELDER RONALD A. RASBAND

‘Focusing on serving our brothers and sisters can guide us to make divine decisions in our daily lives and prepares us to value and love what the Lord loves. In so doing, we witness by our very lives that we are His disciples. When we are engaged in His work, we feel His Spirit with us. We grow in testimony, faith, trust, and love.’ (paragraph 36)

Christ the Redeemer

ELDER CARLOS H. AMADO

‘I testify that Christ will return in a way very different from His first coming. He will come in power and glory with all the just and faithful Saints. He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords, as the Prince of Peace, the promised Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer, to judge the living and the dead. ‘(paragraph 22)

Protection from Pornography—a Christ-Focused Home

LINDA S. REEVES

‘The intimate marriage relationship between a man and a woman that brings children into mortality is also meant to be a beautiful, loving experience that binds together two devoted hearts, unites both spirit and body, and brings a fulness of joy and happiness as we learn to put each other first.’ (paragraph 3)

Spiritual Whirlwinds

ELDER NEIL L. ANDERSEN

‘Sin has always been part of the world, but it has never been so accessible, insatiable, and acceptable. There is, of course, a powerful force that will subdue the whirlwinds of sin. It is called repentance.

Challenges will come to you, but as you trust in God, they will strengthen your faith.’ (paragraph 5 and 7)

A Priceless Heritage of Hope

PRESIDENT HENRY B. EYRING

‘Every person born into the world receives the Light of Christ, which helps us see and feel what is right and what is wrong. God has sent mortal servants who can, by the Holy Ghost, help us recognize what He would have us do and what He forbids. God makes it attractive to choose the right by letting us feel the effects of our choices. If we choose the right, we will find happiness—in time. If we choose evil, there comes sorrow and regret—in time.’ (paragraph 34)

Let Your Faith Show

ELDER RUSSELL M. NELSON

‘Spiritual truth cannot be ignored—especially divine commandments. Keeping divine commandments brings blessings, every time! Breaking divine commandments brings a loss of blessings, every time!’ (paragraph 13)

“I Have Given You an Example”

ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT

‘God’s purpose is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” That is fundamental to all we do. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we find fascinating or become so consumed by mundane responsibilities that we lose sight of God’s objectives. As you consistently focus your life on the most basic principles, you will gain an understanding of what you are to do, and you will produce more fruit for the Lord and more happiness for yourself.’ (paragraph 13)

“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments”

ELDER ROBERT D. HALES

‘Using our agency to obey means choosing to “do what is right [and letting] the consequence follow.” It requires self-mastery and brings confidence, eternal happiness, and a sense of fulfillment to us and, by example, to those around us; and it always includes a deep personal commitment to sustain priesthood leaders and follow their teachings and counsel.’ (paragraph 13)

Let's Not Take the Wrong Way

ELDER CLAUDIO D. ZIVIC

‘How often do we make a mistake about the right way, letting ourselves be led along by the trends of the world? We need to continually ask ourselves if we are being doers of the words of Jesus Christ.’ (paragraph 9)

What Are You Thinking?

ELDER W. CRAIG ZWICK

‘The willingness to see through each other’s eyes will transform “corrupt communication” into “minister[ing] grace.” The Apostle Paul understood this, and on some level each of us can experience it too. It may not change or solve the problem, but the more important possibility may be whether ministering grace could change us.’ (paragraph 27)

Roots and Branches

ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK

‘If the youth in each ward will not only go to the temple and do baptisms for their dead but also work with their families and other ward members to provide the family names for the ordinance work they perform, both they and the Church will be greatly blessed. Don’t underestimate the influence of the deceased in assisting your efforts and the joy of ultimately meeting those you serve. The eternally significant blessing of uniting our own families is almost beyond comprehension.’ (paragraph 29)

The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood

ELDER DALLIN H. OAKS

‘Whoever exercises priesthood authority should forget about their rights and concentrate on their responsibilities. That is a principle needed in society at large.

Latter-day Saints surely recognize that qualifying for exaltation is not a matter of asserting rights but a matter of fulfilling responsibilities.’ (paragraph 14)

What Manner of Men?

ELDER DONALD L. HALLSTROM

‘We need to serve! The essence of holding the priesthood is to magnify our calling by serving others. Avoiding our most important duty to serve our wives and children, not accepting or passively fulfilling callings in the Church, or not caring about others unless it is convenient is not who we should be.

Selfishness is the antithesis of priesthood responsibility, and if it is a trait of our character, we need to change.’ (paragraph 13)

The Choice Generation

RANDALL L. RIDD

‘You are growing up with one of the greatest tools for good in the history of man: the Internet. With it comes an elaborate buffet of choices. The abundance of choice, however, carries with it an equal portion of accountability. It facilitates your access to both the very best and the very worst the world has to offer. With it you can accomplish great things in a short period of time, or you can get caught up in endless loops of triviality that waste your time and degrade your potential. With the click of a button, you can access whatever your heart desires. That’s the key—what does your heart desire?’ (paragraph 3)

Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?

PRESIDENT DIETER F. UCHTDORF

‘Always remember, with the Savior’s help, you can break free from addiction. It may be a long, difficult path, but the Lord will not give up on you. He loves you. Jesus Christ suffered the Atonement to help you change, to free you from the captivity of sin.’ (paragraph 39)

The Priesthood Man

PRESIDENT HENRY B. EYRING

‘As you pray and serve others, your knowledge that you are a child of God and your feelings about Him will grow. You will become more aware that He is saddened if you are dishonest in any way. You will be more determined to keep your word to God and to others.’ (paragraph 22)

Be Strong and of a Good Courage

PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

‘We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us—all of us—have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully but also as the determination to live decently. As we move forward, striving to live as we should, we will surely receive help from the Lord and can find comfort in His words.’ (paragraph 25)

Grateful in Any Circumstances

PRESIDENT DIETER F. UCHTDORF

‘All of His commandments are given to make blessings available to us. Commandments are opportunities to exercise our agency and to receive blessings. Our loving Heavenly Father knows that choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will bring us true joy and great happiness.’ (paragraph 10)

Following Up

ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD

‘It is my testimony that as we work together, seeking the one, inviting, and following up with trust and faith, the Lord will smile upon us and hundreds of thousands of God’s children will find purpose and peace in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.’ (paragraph 41)

“Fear Not; I Am with Thee”

JEAN A. STEVENS

‘We can trust that He will help us, not necessarily in the way we want but in the way that will best help us to grow. Submitting our will to His may be difficult, but it is essential to becoming like Him and finding the peace He offers us.’ (paragraph 16)

Your Four Minutes

BISHOP GARY E. STEVENSON

‘In the same way that certain steps are essential in the very brief performance of an Olympic athlete—jumps or maneuvers for ice skaters and snowboarders, negotiating the turns of a bobsled run, or carving through the gates of a downhill slalom course—so it is in our lives, where certain things are absolutely essential—checkpoints which move us through our spiritual performance on earth. These spiritual markers are the essential God-given ordinances of the gospel: baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, priesthood ordinations, temple ordinances, and partaking of the sacrament each week.’ (paragraph 12)

Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease

ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR

‘Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness. Because our individual load needs to generate spiritual traction, we should be careful to not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most.’ (paragraph 11)

Love—the Essence of the Gospel

PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

‘I would hope that we would strive always to be considerate and to be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings and circumstances of those around us. Let us not demean or belittle. Rather, let us be compassionate and encouraging. We must be careful that we do not destroy another person’s confidence through careless words or actions.’ (paragraph 26)

The Witness

PRESIDENT BOYD K. PACKER

‘Parenthood is a sacred privilege, and depending upon faithfulness, it can be an eternal blessing. The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home.’ (paragraph 11)

Live True to the Faith

ELDER WILLIAM R. WALKER

‘The more connected we feel to our righteous forefathers, the more likely we are to make wise and righteous choices.’ (paragraph 33)

Obedience through Our Faithfulness

ELDER L. TOM PERRY

‘We must be sensitive to our spiritual bits. Even with the slightest tug from the Master, we must be willing to completely alter our course. To succeed in life, we must teach our spirit and body to work together in obedience to God’s commandments. If we heed the gentle promptings of the Holy Ghost, it can unite our spirits and bodies in a purpose that will guide us back to our eternal home to live with our eternal Father in Heaven.’ (paragraph 11)

The Prophet Joseph Smith

ELDER LAWRENCE E. CORBRIDGE

‘There is no dispute about what Joseph Smith accomplished, only how he did what he did and why. And there are not many options. He was either pretender or prophet. Either he did what he did alone, or he had the help of heaven. Look at the evidence, but look at all of the evidence, the entire mosaic of his life, not any single piece. Most importantly, do as young Joseph and “ask … God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given [you].” This is not only how you may learn the truth about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, it is also the pattern to know the truth of all things.’ (paragraph 29)

Where Your Treasure Is

ELDER MICHAEL JOHN U. TEH

‘There is no end to what the world has to offer, so it is critical that we learn to recognize when we have enough. If we are not careful, we will begin to chase after the temporal more than the spiritual. Our pursuit for the spiritual and eternal will then take a backseat, instead of the other way around.’ (paragraph 7)

If Ye Lack Wisdom

ELDER MARCOS A. AIDUKAITIS

‘With so much available on the Internet, we must carefully consider where to apply our efforts. Satan can keep us busy, distracted, and infected by sifting through information, much of which can be pure garbage.

One should not roam through garbage.’ (paragraph 5 & 6)

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

ELDER D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON

‘Having satisfied the demands of justice, Christ now steps into the place of justice; or we might say He is justice, just as He is love. Likewise, besides being a “perfect, just God,” He is a perfect, merciful God. Thus, the Savior makes all things right. No injustice in mortality is permanent, even death, for He restores life again. No injury, disability, betrayal, or abuse goes uncompensated in the end because of His ultimate justice and mercy.’ (paragraph 23)

Until We Meet Again

PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

‘We face many serious challenges in the world today, but I assure you that our Heavenly Father is mindful of us. He will guide and bless us as we put our faith and trust in Him and will see us through whatever difficulties come our way.’ (paragraph 6)

Keeping Covenants Protects Us, Prepares Us, and Empowers Us

ROSEMARY M. WIXOM

‘Temple ordinances lead to the greatest blessings available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They are those ordinances necessary for our exaltation in the celestial kingdom. As we strive to keep our covenants, our feelings of inadequacy and imperfection begin to fade, while the ordinances and the covenants of the temple come alive. Everyone is welcome to walk that path to eternal life.’ (paragraph 15)

Sisterhood: Oh, How We Need Each Other

BONNIE L. OSCARSON

‘As we look beyond our differences in age, culture, and circumstance to nurture and serve one another, we will be filled with the pure love of Christ and the inspiration which leads us to know when and whom to serve.’ (paragraph 20)

Wanted: Hands and Hearts to Hasten the Work

LINDA K. BURTON

‘Sometimes we are tempted to give up or turn back because maybe we think we can’t do it alone. And we are right! We cannot do the difficult things we have been asked to do without help. Help comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and the helping hands of others.’ (paragraph 10)