Tuesday, March 20, 2007

*trot* I have a fox!
Doctrine & Covenants 121: 41-46
No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

"Sometimes we carry unhappy feelings about past hurts too long. We spend too much energy dwelling on things that have passed and cannot be changed. We struggle to close the door and let go of the hurt. If, after time, we can forgive whatever may have caused the hurt, we will tap 'into a life-giving source of comfort' through the Atonement, and the 'sweet peace' of forgiveness will be ours ("My Journey to Forgiving," Ensign, Feb. 1997. 43). Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that healing comes only with help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life. . . . You can tap into that higher power and receive precious comfort and sweet peace."
Topics: forgiveness, Atonement, personal growth, peace
(James E. Faust, "Instruments in the Hands of God," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 115)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equus: Well, Kuraiangel, I'm hoping I'll get a new job. *cross fingers* I could use it. Hopefully it'll be better than this one in the work atmosphere, too.

Xihuitl: When you find someone you like, take time to get to know them on a mental and emotional--not physical--level. While physical attraction does play a part in relationships and is nice, it is an added bonus, not the focus. Don't lose yourself in the physicality and miss out on a full relationship of true respect and love. Don't give yourself unless done properly for the level of attachment--and never fully until properly within the bonds of matrimony. It is better to give to little physically than too much. As someone said, 'You'll be loved more for the love you withhold than the love you give.' Not that you don't give love, but if you practice restraint physically, all those equally or more important parts of the relationship have a chance to properly develop.

Okami: Remember, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and want you to do what is right. We are precious sons and daughters of God and can realize our full potential. We need to keep ourselves pure and worthy for eternity and the one, our spouse, with whom we will spend eternity. And when the time is right, you can do things like kiss. ^__^

Emeraulde: Here are your pocket hugs and glomps, and have a good day. ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fact of the day: Hime is Japanese for princess. ^_^

"If we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God."
"Though this world has a way of diminishing and demeaning men and women, the reality is we are all of royal, divine lineage."
~ M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign, May 2004, 84

"There is no greater expression of love than the heroic Atonement performed by the Son of God. Were it not for the plan of our Heavenly Father, established before the world began, in a very real sense, all mankind—past, present, and future—would have been left without the hope of eternal progression. As a result of Adam’s transgression, mortals were separated from God (see Rom. 6:23) and would be forever unless a way was found to break the bands of death. This would not be easy, for it required the vicarious sacrifice of one who was sinless and who could therefore take upon Himself the sins of all mankind.
Thankfully, Jesus Christ courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; D&C 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving the purifying gift of the Holy Ghost by confirmation, and accepting all other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God."
~ M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign, May 2004, 84

'Be grateful. He loves us.' Love and hugs and take care.
Comments (4)