Disciples charged to retain savor
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
"In the New Testament the Savior referred to His disciples as the `salt of the earth,' and charged them to retain their savor," said Elder Carlos E. Asay of the Presidency of the Seventy in reference to Matt. 5:13.
Elder Asay, addressing the priesthood session of the April 1980 general conference, said a world-renowned chemist told him that salt will not lose its savor with age. "Savor is lost through mixture and contamination," Elder Asay said. "Similarly, priesthood power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination."When a young man or older man mixes his thoughts with pornographic literature, he suffers a loss of savor.
"When a priesthood bearer mixes his speech with lies or profanity, he suffers a loss of savor.
"When one of us follows the crowd and becomes involved in immoral acts and the use of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or other injurious substances, he loses savor.
"I would offer these simple guidelines, especially to the young men, as the means to preserve one's savor: If it is not clean, do not think it; if it is not true, do not speak it; if it is not good, do not do it. (Reference: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.)
"Cleanliness, truth, and goodness have always been and will ever be the watchwords of men with savor. It is said that 65 percent or more of our communications are non-verbal. If this is so, who we are and what we are is most important. . . .
"We must fight daily to retain our savor, our purity. We must press forward, clinging to our standards of holiness, remembering all the while that we are called to be the savor of men."
*****
(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.
Information compiled by Gerry Avant.
Sources: April 1980, October 1982 and April 1989 general conference reports.
