The Basic Habits of Righteousness Never Change

 

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood session of the October 2012 General Conference.

When I, a woman, read the talks given to the priesthood holders I try to think of how what is said applies to me as a member of the church and a member of Relief Society. This week I felt drawn to what Elder Anthony D. Perkins said in his talk Beware Concerning Yourselves.

He told a story of driving over the Rocky Mountains and noticing the guardrails and warning signs, likening them to "deep personal conversion and strong family relations to help keep us on the heavenly highway," what President Nelson called, the covenant path.

Elder Perkins reminded the brethren (and the rest of us) of six fundamental principles that deepen conversion and strengthen family.

1) Praying always opens the door for divine help to "conquer Satan."

2) Studying ancient and modern scripture connects us to God.

3) Worthily participating in ordinances prepares us to take "the Holy Spirit for [our] guide."

4) Showing genuine love is at the heart of personal conversion and family relations.

5) Obeying the law of tithing is an essential element of faith and family unity.

6) Fully living the law of chastity yields confidence to stand "in the presence of God" with the Holy Ghost as our "constant companion".

My marriage is an example of the consequences of not living these six principles. I have a holy envy of couples who do. Their lives seems to be more united, serene in the face of mortal trials, and genuinely more fun, free of the strife that accompanies disobedience and being unequally yoked.

I call those six principles the basic habits of righteousness--if we do those things we are so much further ahead and so much more blessed than if we neglect them and try to keep, as Elder Maxwell said so eloquently, a summer home in Babylon.

I hope that someday I'll be worthy of the blessing of being equally yoked with a priesthood holder who lives those six basic principles.

Payments and Dividends

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the October 2007 conference.

About six months prior to our son's suicide I felt a strong impression that I needed to "up my game" in gospel study. I worked on being more diligent at studying every day. When the crisis hit my testimony of the Savior and His Atonement was strong enough to support me through that trying time. 

Elder Keith K. Hilbig of the Seventy says, "If you set your payment, which is your personal effort, very low, you may not be able to avail yourself of all the Spirit has to offer. You may even quench the Spirit! However, if you set your personal contribution high, you will reap an abundant harvest from the Spirit. The payment I reference is, of course, not money, rather it is a greater commitment to and involvement in personal spiritual endeavors and behaviors."

"Would you consider investing more of your time in the things of eternity in order to merit the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and to benefit more fully from His influence?"

I'll be forever grateful I paid attention and acted upon that particular prompting.

Spiritual Development

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the October 2001 conference.

What a wonderful session with some really great talks. How to choose? Well, I can't narrow it down to just one, so I'll just recap some principles that spoke to my heart.

First, a funny. Elder David B. Haight said, "A few years ago, when Arturo Toscanini was musical director . . . " I looked it up, it was 65 years ago, at that time in 2001. I guess when you're as old as Elder Haight it probably seems like just yesterday.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke of persevering in our journey through life. ". . . if we will consider the blessings we have, we will forget some of our worries." Wise counsel for any time. He told of a blind man scaling the heights of Mount Everest by taking ". . . each day step by step," and likened it to our climbing higher spiritually.

Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us and understands that this process of climbing higher takes preparation, time and commitment. He understands that we will make mistakes at times, that we will stumble, that we will become discouraged and perhaps even wish to give up and say to ourselves it is not worth the struggle. . . . We don't have to be fast; we simply have to be steady and move in the right direction. . . . We don't have to be perfect today. We don't have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can. . . . it is my testimony to you that you will be happy and content if you only do your best.

 

Elder L. Whitney Clayton spoke of developing faith.

Each day we decide what we will do and what we will not do, among myriad alternatives. When we choose to obey the commandments cheerfully as our first priority, neither murmuring about nor measuring the things He commands, we become the handmaids of the Lord and fishers of men and cast our nets on the right side of our own ships. We simply go and do the things the Lord has commanded, even when we are weary, trusting that He will help us to do exactly as He asks. . . . These must do things include making room first for the minimum daily requirements of faithful behavior: true obedience, humble prayer, serious scripture study, and selfless service to others. No other daily vitamins strengthen the muscles of our faith as fast as these actions We must remember that genuine fasting fosters strong faith. This is especially important as we faithfully seek to fix deeply embedded character flaws which go "not out but by prayer and fasting."

Elder Walter F. Gonzales added to this theme saying that ". . . maintaining the gospel in our hearts is an ongoing task which requires time. Knowledge alone is not enough. We must take time to apply the principles in our lives. . . . Sometimes we recognize that a principle is true, but we don't change our priorities to make time to live the principle. . . . Making time in our lives to learn, to ponder, and especially to practice gospel principles will bring us the joy and peace which come from the Spirit."

These principles are important to me because I'm still a work in progress. I still need to improve; I still want to climb higher! With the Savior's help I can, and that gives me hope and motivation to keep putting one foot in front of the other, however slowly, to make progress on my mortal journey to the promised land.

Power in the Word

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2000 conference.

I'll be brief because I'm packing to go help our son and daughter-in-law in Iowa. 

I loved every talk! So many good things in each. I especially liked Elder L. Tom Perry's talk about the power of the word no matter what technology is used to give it to us.

One challenge remains the same from the time of King Benjamin to the time of President Grant to today--that is, the challenge of each individual and family, through personal and collective study, to internalize the messages of the gospel of our Lord and Savior. Salvation is not in the facilities or technology, but in the word. Only in the power of the word will it impact our lives and help us to live closer to our Father in Heaven.

It is wonderful to be in this beautiful new facility and to have new technology which carries conference sessions throughout the world. But it is the message we receive which, if we study and practice, will bring us the light of the gospel as further preparation in our great quest for eternal life.

That is the benefit I've found in participating in this review of General conference talks. I study and am encouraged in living the gospel and following the Savior more closely. It's not enough to just listen to conference and think, "Oh that was nice." And then go on our merry way until the next time. We must seek and learn, repent and improve, inch by inch along the path of mortal life until we graduate from this boarding school and return to our heavenly home.