Friday, March 30, 2007

Lot's a looooong quotes. ^___^
"How do we know [the] truths [of the gospel]? How can you confirm their validity? You see around you great confusion regarding the nature of God, His teachings, and the purpose of life. How then does God, our Heavenly Father, guide His children on earth? How does He communicate truth and His will so that faithful, believing children can make the right choices and receive the blessings Heavenly Father wants them to have? I will explain.
"From the foundation of this earth, God our Father has consistently followed His plan. . . . Adam labored to share our Father's plan with his children and descendants. Many believed and were blessed. . . .
"Prophets such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses renewed the truth for their dispensation. . . . In the meridian of time Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of God, was born on earth. He restored the truth and ministered with love and compassion. He established His Church again on earth with apostles and prophets. . . .
"On repeated occasions Jesus Christ has personally appeared to select individuals. Yet there is only one supernal, singular instance of which we have knowledge that God the Father Himself appeared in person. This was done with His precious Holy Son, Jesus Christ, to an audience of one. That one was young Joseph Smith Jr., an extraordinary spirit prepared before the foundation of the earth. He would become the greatest prophet sent to earth. . . .
"Our benevolent Father came from His vast creations to this earth to clarify truth, to disperse the intense clouds of spiritual darkness, to establish His true identity, to restore a fulness of truth, and to provide the only way to obtain secure, spiritual guidance. This momentous Restoration began with the Father's simple phrase 'This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!' There followed a Restoration of truth, priesthood, sacred ordinances, and the true Church, with the Father's plan of salvation and happiness."
Topics: truth, revelation, prophets
(Richard G. Scott, "Truth Restored," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 79-80)

"How I love to carry the scriptures with me in my heart! The spirit of what I have read rests there to bring me peace and comfort. The knowledge I have gained gives me guidance and direction. I have the confidence born out of obedience."
Topics: scriptures, guidance, peace, obedience
(Cheryl C. Lant, "My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 76)

"[Some] people say, 'I would have willingly endured persecution and trials if I might have lived in the early years of the Church when there was such a flow of revelation published as scripture. Why is that not happening now?'
"The revelations that came through the Prophet Joseph Smith, printed as scripture, laid the permanent foundation of the Church through which the gospel of Jesus Christ could go forth to 'every nation' (2 Nephi 26:13). . . .
"The opposition and trials are different now. If anything, they are more intense, more dangerous than in those early days, aimed not so much at the Church as at us as individuals. The early revelations, published as scriptures for the permanent guidance of the Church, define the ordinances and covenants and are still in force.
"One of those scriptures promises, 'If ye are prepared ye shall not fear' (D&C 38:30). . . .
"[Much] has been done to prepare us. . . . I do not fear the future. . . .
". . . Continuing revelation [is] open to the Church and to each individual member."
Topics: revelation, preparation, individual worth
(Boyd K. Packer, "On Zion's Hill," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 70-71)

"Great was the Prophet Joseph Smith's vision. It encompassed all the peoples of mankind, wherever they live, and all generations who have walked the earth and passed on. How can anyone, past or present, speak against him except out of ignorance? They have not tasted of his words, they have not pondered about him, nor prayed about him. As one who has done these things, I add my own words of testimony that he was and is a prophet of God, raised up as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty to usher in a new and final gospel dispensation."
Topic: Joseph Smith
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "Praise to the Man," Ensign, Aug. 1983, 6)
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