LDS Spiritual Thoughts | Tag Archives: prophet

Patterns Of The Prophets – Scriptures

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Jeff Posted in Thoughts

I have an amazing brother-in-law. Jon Gee is a spiritual giant among men and I am grateful my sister married him. He teaches and helps me to be a better man, especially since my father passed away a few years ago. One of the things he taught me, but he probably doesn’t even know, is the importance of listening to what the prophet and apostles are teaching. Every general conference he gets out a spreadsheet (he is an accountant so he loves a good spreadsheet when he can get one) and tracks the number of times topics are talked about. He is a bishop in his ward so he then takes that information and teaches lessons and directs his ward based off of what the prophet and apostles are teaching.

I am not to the point he is yet, but I often think about and try to notice what the brethren are teaching us. Today after reading my scriptures I went to LDS.org and looking for a pattern of what the Brethren want us to know. What I found on the front page was four references to reading the scriptures on the home page.

Top DropDown – My Study Notebook: Annotate and highlight conference addresses, manuals, and manuals. Save notes and organize them into folders.
Top Banner Item – The Power of Scripture: “Scriptures are like little packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and Inspiration on high”
Top Left – Scriptures: Read, study, and ponder the word of God.
Right Sidebar – First Presidency Message: Precious Promises of the Book of Mormon.

Four places on just the front page of the site there are references to the importance of the scriptures. You would think that the brethren would get tired fo speaking about the same thing day after day, but they do not. A daily and regular study of the scriptures is one of of the core principles of gaining the Spirit and inspiration in our lives. And apparently it is just as important now as it ever was.. perhaps even more given all the media that is out there to detract us and take away the Spirit.

I am going home teaching tomorrow night and in the message this month from President Monson about the Promises of the Book of Mormon he lists of many promises that the Lord gives us in the Book of Mormon. But I love the final suggestion for teaching this message. It says:

In the scriptures "we find principles of truth that will resolve every confusion and every problem and every dilemma that will face the human family" (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 51).

I truly believe that the scriptures do contain all all the answers to all the questions we have. Sometimes they are hidden in principles, but we must spend time in them to understand and find those answers.

The Purpose of Joseph Smith’s Death (Woodruff)

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Jeff Posted in Quotes

“I used to have peculiar feelings about his death and the way in which his life was taken. I felt that if, with the consent and good feelings of the brethren that waited on him after he crossed the river to leave Nauvoo, Joseph could have had his desire, he would have pioneered the way to the Rocky Mountains. But since then I have been fully reconciled to the fact that it was according to the program, that it was required of him, as the head of this dispensation, that he should seal his testimony with his blood, and go hence to the spirit world, holding the keys of this dispensation, to open up the mission that is now being performed by way of preaching the gospel to the ‘spirits in prison.’” (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 35).

John Taylor’s Feelings On Hearing of the Death of Joseph

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Jeff Posted in Quotes

“Soon afterwards Dr. Richards came to me, informed me that the mob had precipitately fled, and at the same time confirmed the worst fears that Joseph was assuredly dead. I felt a dull, lonely, sickening sensation at the news. When I reflected that our noble chieftain, the Prophet of the Living God, had fallen, and that I had seen his brother in the cold embrace of death, it seemed as though there was a void or vacuum in the great field of human existence to me, and a dark gloomy chasm in the kingdom, and that we were left alone. Oh, how lonely was that feeling! How cold, barren, and desolate! In the midst of difficulties he was always the first in motion; in critical positions his counsel was always sought. As our prophet he approached our God, and obtained for us his will, but now our prophet, our counselor, our general, our leader, was gone” (John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p. 362).

Important of General Conference (Kimball)

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Posted in Quotes

“No text nor volume outside of the standard works of the Church should have such a prominent place on your personal library shelves [as the General Conference issue of the Ensign], not because of their rhetorical excellence, nor the eloquence of delivery, but for the content which points the way to eternal life” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 523).