Thursday, September 8, 2005

  from “Strengthen Thy Brethren”, a talk given by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy

I am grateful for the example of the Good Shepherd, who did not give up until He had His lost sheep safely home; for the examples of President Thomas S. Monson, who while serving as a bishop left his flock in the care of the adviser and went to the West Temple Garage to rescue Richard from a grease pit (see "The Aaronic Priesthood Pathway," Ensign, Nov. 1984, 41); of Brother Marques, who rescued Fernando from the ocean; of a quorum adviser and various quorum members I am well acquainted with who knocked on Scott's bedroom window every Sunday morning for six months, fellowshipped and loved him, until Scott returned to the fold; and for the examples of many of you who have gone the extra mile until you have found that which was lost. Your efforts will have an eternal effect on the lives of your quorum members and their posterity for generations to come. They will be living testimonies of the promise given by the Savior when He said: "Feed the flock of God which is among you, . . . and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Peter 5:2, 4), "that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father" (D&C 15:6), and "how great will be your joy" (D&C 18:16).
May each quorum and each one of us individually, working in conjunction with the councils of the Church, follow the example of our Lord and Savior to "take . . . him that is weak, . . . that he may become strong also" (D&C 84:106). I bear humble witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon is scripture, that President Gordon B. Hinckley is indeed a prophet of God, that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and the Good Shepherd, and that He lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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We should do help each other out of love. Remember that.

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Revelation 3:19-22
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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D&C 115:3-6, 8
And also unto my faithful servants who are of the high council of my church in Zion, for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world;
For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations;
And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.
[…]
Therefore, I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may worship me.

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D&C 93:23-29, 33-36, 38-40
Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth;
And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.
The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;
And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.
He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.
Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.
[…]
For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;
And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy.
The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple.
The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
[…]
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

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Fact of the day: The fretted dulcimer originated in the Appalachian mountains, hence one of its other names—the Appalachian dulcimer. Another of its names is the hog fiddle, when it is played with a bow. But that’s a different sound from the lovely music when the strings are strummed or picked. (Thanks to Refi for suggesting today, and tomorrow’s, facts of the day!)
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“Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been”
a talk given by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in General Conference of April 2004

Brethren, there are clusters of memories embedded in each of your lives. And these can help us to "remember how merciful the Lord hath been" (Moroni 10:3). He certainly has been to me!
Brethren, as you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give. Don't wait too long to find the altar or to begin to place the gift of your wills upon it! No need to wait for a receipt; the Lord has His own special ways of acknowledging.
I testify to you that God has known you individually, brethren, for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys! By the way, you have never seen an immortal star; they finally expire. But seated by you tonight are immortal individuals—imperfect but who are, nevertheless, "trying to be like Jesus"! In His name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
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