We understand that. Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the Church are women who are more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish. We have equality as recipients of Gods perfected love for each of us. They are boats, cars, and luxuries. These study aids were helpful not only in clarifying meaning, but also in linking the Bible, Book of Mormon, and other scripture more closely together, fulfilling the prophecy that the sticks of Joseph and Judah would be one in hand. I marvel at the empathy of these men in all ages, because even prophets have no immunity from thorns in the flesh. After serving in stake presidencies and as a stake president, in 1943 Spencer W. Kimball was ordained an apostle. Can they not see the gross selfishness that will lead finally to deep loneliness? If race tracks were closed on the Sabbath, if gambling ceased, drinking eliminated, work and play confined to week days; if stores were closed and all people went to their sanctuaries truly to worship even as best they know; if taverns never opened, and transgressors all repented, and broken homes were mended, and children were trained in uprightness; if families all knelt in prayer night and morning, if tithes were paid and integrity and worship reigned in the lives of men, the era of total peace would be ushered in. Divorce, ever on the increase, jumping from one divorce for thirty-six weddings in Civil War days now has reached somewhere near one to four. In 1969, then-Mormon Apostle Spencer W. Kimball wrote a book addressed to his people titled The Miracle of Forgiveness. The political physicians through the ages have rejected suggested remedies as unprofessional since they came from lowly prophets. There were 832 marriages in a single month, and there were 414 divorces. And learning this the bridegroom will relent. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. He, too, devoted his life to the service of God and his fellow man and influenced thousands of others to do the same. Apparently, the bridegroom had tarried for reasons that were sufficient and good. But had I been wiser then, I would have realized that we were taming ourselves, too. We read of the increased portion of our children who are being reared by a single parent and wonder again about what will come when the law of the harvest operates. nor ever shall be. This is substantially better than the average, but we are chagrined that there should be any divorce following a temple . Instead of disciplining ourselves, we yield to urges and carnal desires. It seems that while remedies have been applied, staph infection has set in, and the patients suffering intensified. The physicians have had summit consultations, and temporary salve has been rubbed on afflicted parts, but it has only postponed the fatal day and never cured it. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. (Hebrews 10:35-37.) The outlook is bleak, but the impending tragedy can be averted. For they have warned that if the inhabitants of this land are ever brought down into captivity and enslaved, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land (see 2 Ne. What a bleak prediction! But we cannot allow ourselves to slumber. Numerous mothers prefer the added luxuries of two incomes to the satisfactions of seeing children grow up in the fear of God Deut. But real as these challenges are, all of you need to drink in deeply the gospel truths about the eternal nature of your individual identity and the uniqueness of your personality. Your heaven shall be as iron and your earth as brass. Where it is permitted, though, which is most of the world, we should listen to the counsel of the Brethren and to the Lord." (President Spencer W. Kimball) We call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your family can weather the vicissitudes of life. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. As we approach the general conference with its priesthood session, we will be no less loving or direct with the brethren, for our counsel will be similar. O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared . With no warning, no last-minute preparation is possible. Be assured, too, that all faithful sisters, who, through no fault of their own, do not have the privilege during their second estate of being sealed to a worthy man, will have that blessing in eternity. The late Elder JohnA. Widtsoe wrote: The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. The holy prophets have not only refused to follow erroneous human trends, but have pointed out these errors. Posted by cconover2 | Jul 23, 2018 | Uncategorized | 0 |, Spencer W. Kimball "Preparedness the Ten Virgins", http://providentlivingandme.blogspot.com/2011/08/spencer-w-kimball-preparedness-ten.html, The ancients looked forward to the coming of the Lord and asked, "When shall all these things be?" Its symptoms are manifested in every corner of the globe. This past month I have received hundreds and hundreds of birthday cards. No wonder the adversary strives, even now, to prevent this from happening! May I stress again the value of reading the addresses given at our general conferences in the Ensign magazine. His eldest brother was peeved at the presumptuousness of David for even being at the front where Goliath taunted the armies of Israel. The time of the reapers is near at hand. Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself. May God help us in the opportunities which are ours to live righteously as a way of witnessing to the world, to speak out humbly but forthrightly, to lead out effectively and thoughtfully, ever using the gospel of Jesus Christ as our constant guide. The man said to himself: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. They knew they should have oil. They suffered the fulfillment of every dire prophecy. From what other source can you learn about your own uniqueness and identity? and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. While corridors are threatened and concessions are made, we live riotously and divorce and marry in cycles like the seasons. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternitythese, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps. From that humble beginning has grown a worldwide organization that has touched the lives of millions of people. Bear in mind, dear sisters, that the eternal blessings which are yours through membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are far, far greater than any other blessings you could possibly receive. ROGER K YOUNG EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR? They had four children who recall that their home was one of support, encouragement, and appreciation between family members. I have heard many amazing sermons, calls to repentance, prophetic warning, and string testimonies. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. He has a prophet on the earth today who receives his revelations. Neither shall the sword go through your land. Now as we conclude this general conference, let us all give heed to what was said to us. Various excuses have been used over the centuries to dismiss these divine messengers. He served in the Quorum of the Twelve for thirty years and became the president of the Church in 1973. 20:15 italics added). God will fight our battles if we honor him and serve him with all our hearts, might, mind, and strength. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46.) While bombs are detonated and tested, and fallout settles on the already sick world, we continue in idolatry and adultery. 5:1-31 When the protectors sleep and the leaders are incapacitated with banqueting and drunkenness and immorality, an invading enemy can turn a river from its course and enter through a river bed Isa. We read that he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. You are accountable for those things which long ago were expected of you just as are those we sustain as prophets and apostles! Your enemies will be astonished at the barrenness, sterility, desolation of the land they had been told was so choice, so beautiful, so fruitful. Concerning Jerusalem the Lord said: I will defend this city 2 Kgs. . It was unlike any other talk Ive ever listened to. Why must men rely on fortifications and armaments when the God of heaven yearns to bless them? Ve, inc. 1 some special things here that are left undone by other institutions. 13:55.) Can they change? But it can be only through a great repentance and transformation. Honest toil in subduing sagebrush, taming deserts, channeling rivers, helps to take the wildness out of mans environment but also out of him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. Finally, my dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. . Again, you must be wise in the choices that you make, but we do not desire the women of the Church to be uninformed or ineffective. There were 364 temple marriages, and of the temple marriages about 10 percent were dissolved by divorce. 20:8 italics added). We were in Hamilton, New Zealand, for a large conference with the Saints. We read the headlines. If you liked this archived conference talk, you might also like these: 6 Easy Ways Every Latter-day Saint can be an Effective Missionary on Facebook, 7 Ways Latter-day Saints get Following the Prophet Completely Wrong. You will pay tribute and bondage and fetters shall bind you (see Lev. Terror is substituted for reason. A relatively few people attend their church services, pay their tithing, serve their fellow men. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity. Confidence has been dulled and patience worn thin. 19:35-37 Three hundred soldiers and God and Gideon routed the powerful army of the Midianites Judg. No wonder we who bear the plan of salvation feel a special urgency in sharing the gospel, because we love our own neighbor. The counsel given at our meeting last year is still appropriate. Who, for instance, a scant twenty years ago would have foreseen the massive use of abortion in society today, like all the diseased doctrines of the devil. Partly due to his work in Brazil and other South American countries, he was led to question the Churchs policy of restricting priesthood and temple blessings from those of African descent, a practice which had begun during the time of Brigham Young. and dark the night and chill! Wearing some old overalls, I waded with them into the sea. "There will be no general warning to the membership that things will be shortly falling apart. Unfortunately for me, I am in the hospital here in Salt Lake City and will not be present with you in person, but I will be with you in spirit. The sun was shining and life moved forward as usual. Nothing less will do under those conditions. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other tasks which influence lives for good. Later, Kimball became Mormonism's twelfth president. He could not do the one last thing that Jesus asked: Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor. (Luke 18:22.) It was baptized by water, and its sins were washed away. Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. The Kimball family moved and Spencer grew up there. The pioneers thought it would be soon and watched for signs; our grandparents watched for the sprouting of the fig tree; our parents watched for the reddening of the sky; and we ourselves have heard all our lives that the Second Coming is near. Perhaps they judged Paul by the timbre of his voice or by his style of speech, not the truths uttered by him. It seems that rather than fast and pray, we prefer to gorge ourselves at the banquet tables and drink cocktails. The cares of the world, the honors of the world, and looking beyond the mark are all determined by a persuasive few who presume to speak for all. When he was eight years old, his sister Mary died shortly after her birth. 29-34 (Click here for a link to read the PDF version in the Conference Archives). Prophets who were not glib, but slow of speech, were esteemed as naught. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. We have confidence in you. President Kimball was an instrument in the Lords hands to bring about these and other progresses, and through his devoted and loving leadership the lives of countless Saints, then and now, have been blessed. Sometimes people let their hearts get so set upon things and the honors of this world that they cannot learn the lessons they most need to learn. And because it is from the conference archives (IE, not on the Churchs website or apps, but still official church doctrine/publication) I figured I would share it with you today. One stroke of his omnipotent hand could make powerless all nations who oppose and save a world even in its death throes. He gave the parable of the rich young fool who, in the feeling of temporal security, razed his inadequate barns and built greater ones in which to store his fruits and goods. Far from freeing those involved, sin is an admission of surrender to the herd. 20:7 italics added). It is aging toward senility. But a controlling majority of the people of this world have relegated them to the past. In the daytime, wise and unwise seemed alike; midnight is the time of test and judgmentand of offered gladness. Protection is not in walls nor mountains nor cliffs, yet foolish men still lean on the arm of flesh., The walls of Babylon were too high to be scaled, too thick to be broken, too strong to be crumbled, but not too deep to be undermined when the human element failed Dan. "Noah heeded God's command to build an arkthat they might be saved from the flood waters. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceivedverily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. Their examples helped him gain a testimony of their callings as ministers of Jesus Christ. They had the saving, exalting gospel, but it had not been made the center of their lives. Prophets have a way of jarring the carnal mind. been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord 2 Ne. My beloved brethren and sisters, this is a momentous time. It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lords message merely to make people feel comfortable. We think of Russia and China, of Africa and VietNam, of the Near East and Ireland. The scriptures and the prophets have taught us clearly that God, who is perfect in his attribute of justice, is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). It is not only worth waiting for; it is worth living for! Yet ever-increasing hours of leisure provide ever increasing opportunities for Sabbath breaking and commandment ignoring, and strikes and lobbying go on to increase damaging leisure and decrease work hours further. The book spent 102 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Do we lose faith, do we lose patience, do we lose hope, do we get weary in waiting, because the day is long and the event delayed? How can one share faith or testimony? He goes through an immense personal struggle and emerges victorious. It cannot remember its previous illnesses nor the cure which was applied. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity Ether 2:9. The dignity and self-esteem that honest work produces are essential to happiness. It was the most monumental and celebrated revelation in the Church in its time. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. The Morning Breaks; the Shadows Flee, The Primary Enriches the Lives of Children, Grieve Not the Holy Spirit, Lest We Lose It, I Did Not Reach This Place By Myself, Strengthening the Familythe Basic Unit of the Church, Solving Emotional Problems in the Lords Own Way. They needed all their oil for themselves; they could not save the foolish. Rushing for their lamps to light their way through the blackness, half of them found them empty. 1942, p. 161). But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
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