Nuggets and Pearls

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday morning session of the October 2010 conference.

A few talks stood out to me from this session, so I gleaned some nuggets and pearls from each one.

President Henry B. Eyring - God does not rule in nations, but He is mindful of them. He can and does place people in positions of influence who want what is best for the people and who trusts in the Lord.

I find that comforting as I think back on the elections of the past twenty-five years. The United States has had ups and downs; scary times and even more frightening times. But this is a land of promise, the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are blessed that in spite of the elected officials, regardless of who is in the White House, the Gospel rolls forth, temples are built, Israel is gathered and preparations continue for the Second Coming. Life is so much better when we elect men and women who make it easier to live the gospel, keep the commandments and prosper in the land but God's work cannot be stopped.

He also said, "You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks."

King Benjamin said, similarly, ". . . and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." (Mosiah 4:10) And we sing, ". . . teach me all that I must do, to live with him someday."

President Boyd K. Packer - There is something very liberating when an individual determines of his or her own free will to be obedient to our Father and our God and expresses that willingness to Him in prayer.

Isn't it wonderful to have free will and choice? With that, though, comes accountability and consequences. This principle, often called the Law of the Harvest, has been largely forgotten in current society, such that when it is invoked people howl in discontent. We reap what we sow. There is no getting around that; it might be delayed, but the harvest always comes.

President Packer also said, "Nowhere are the generosity and the kindness and mercy of God more manifest than in repentance. . . . Repentance is like unto a detergent. Even ground-in stains of sin will come out."

To me that is comforting, reassuring, and hopeful. No matter how sincere my desire to be obedient is I won't be perfect. I will mess up, choose poorly, make mistakes, and fall short. The gift of repentance is just about the best ever.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks - Those who reject the need for organized religion reject the work of the Master, who established His church and its officers in the meridian of time and who reestablished them in modern times.

It is the purpose of the organization of the church first to enable authorized performance of the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, and then help us stay faithful to the covenants we've made. The fellowship with others on the same path is encouraging and strengthening. We need each other; as the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. 

Elder Oaks also said, "Each member needed to seek the Lord in prayer and receive the direct message of comfort and guidance that comes through the Holy Spirit to those who seek and listen." 

He was speaking of a time of an earthquake in Chile when the physical and spiritual needs of the members was great. The church helped with physical needs, but each member needed to draw on God's help also. I know what it's like to go through a big calamity. The ultimate comfort comes to us from Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. I learned long ago that Father and my Savior are dependable and will never let me down or disappoint. They keep their promises.

 

Choice and Accountability

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2009 conference.

One of my pet peeves is members of the church who speed, never allowing enough time to drive somewhere at or below the posted speed limit. I find it rather disingenuous to pray for safe travels and then break the laws. I wonder how members can use justifications to break the speed limit laws that would sound comical to justify breaking other laws or commandments. "Well, I'm just stealing a candy bar, not a television." "I'm just having a little bit of coffee, it's mostly milk." "It's just one cigarette when I'm feeling really stressed." 

In Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk, Stewardship--A Sacred Trust, he says, "This feeling of accountability, which is encompassed by the first great commandment to love God, has been described by some as 'obedience to the unenforceable.' We try to do what is right because we love and want to please our Father in Heaven, not because someone is forcing us to obey." Isn't that how speed laws are? They are rarely enforced, we obey them because we want to be safe, and found on the right side of the law. How much more important are the commandments, especially the ones that will let us into or keep us out of the temple.

Elder Cook tells the story of his grandfather returning to his ranch in his old age to find that the fences protecting the spring had deteriorated and cattle had gotten into the spring and polluted it. The grandfather felt terrible that he hadn't been able to keep up what he felt was his stewardship to protect that source of pure water. Because of the grandpa's reaction to the polluted spring, action was taken to renew the fences and put in place protections to return the spring to its original loveliness and purity.

Elder Cook says, "I would suggest that if we think about giving an accounting of our actions to the Savior, our rationalizations will be seen in their true light."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk, Moral Discipline had similar themes. He said, "Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard."

Exceeding the speed limit is not necessarily a moral issue, except if you think about the example you are setting for your children. Especially if you think about saying to them at the time they get their driver's license--do as I say not as I do, because the insurance cost will skyrocket if you get a ticket.

If we are faithful in small things we are practicing to be faithful and obedient in larger things, especially in the arena of moral choices. 

Elder Christofferson told about President James E. Faust standing before a board of inquiry when he applied to officer candidate school and being asked "In times of war should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?" And his answer, "I do not believe there is a double standard of morality."

Elder Christofferson ended with this timely counsel. "We cannot presume that the future will resemble the past--that things and patterns we have relied upon economically, politically, socially will remain as they have been. Perhaps our moral discipline, if we will cultivate it, will have an influence for good and inspire others to pursue the same course. We may thereby have an impact on future trends and events. At a minimum, moral discipline will be of immense help to us as we deal with whatever stresses and challenges may come in a disintegrating society."

Looking around at the world today we can see how our choices can either draw others to Christ or turn them away. There is no middle ground anymore. We can be moral beacons to guide others to the safety of the Gospel.