Ask the Lord to speak through you

Photo by John L. Hart

"We are all part of a great family of those who worship the Lord and try to teach the doctrine which He has revealed in this the dispensation of the fulness of times."

I know that you pray, of course you pray. You pray every morning. You pray every night. And I hope you pray during the day. But when you pray, do you really ask the Lord, as His servants, to speak through you, to let His power rest upon you, and let the Holy Ghost breathe upon the people, as it were, as you testify to them? Do you really pray that way? Have you really learned to plead with the Lord as if your very life depended upon it? It is necessary because your very life does depend on it … , your lives as missionaries of the gospel of Jesus Christ. — From missionary meeting, Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 25, 2002

Be worthy of that priesthood

You men who have had conferred upon you the priesthood of God, the authority to act in His name; you cannot be worthy of that priesthood, you cannot exercise that priesthood and expect the fulfillment of the blessings you give if you do not live at peace in your homes with your wives and your children. Please, I plead with you, the world will be brighter. You will be happier. Everything will go better if you will live together with love and honor and respect. — From member meeting, Jamaica, May 15, 2002

Future of this Church

You [youth] are the future of this Church … . We count on you so much to live the gospel, to be the kind of people that you ought to be: clean in your lives, strong in your faith, acquiring all of the education that you can, serving the Lord in every way … .

Stand tall and clean. Be Latter-day Saints in a very real way. When the time for marriage comes, marry a girl [or boy] who is a member of the Church. You will be happier if you do so … . You will have the same understanding of things, and your lives will be filled with happiness. God bless you, my dear young friends. — From member meeting, Moscow, Russia, Sept. 10, 2002

Part of a great family

As members of this great Church … . You are not alone in the world. There are [more than] 11 million of us now, scattered through 160 nations. We are all part of a great family of those who worship the Lord and try to teach the doctrine which He has revealed in this the dispensation of the fulness of times.

We live in a great society of Latter-day Saints whose duty and obligation it is to assist one another and help one another and carry one another's burdens. — From member meeting, Jamaica, May 15, 2002

Reach out to help others

Believe in your capacity to reach out to help others, to be a good neighbor, to be a good friend, to be a good companion, to be a good citizen of the nation, and live a life that contributes to the blessing and good of all mankind. — From member meeting, Moscow, Russia, Sept. 10, 2002

Temple ordinances are fundamental

Brigham Young made a very significant statement on one occasion … . He predicted that the time would come when we would return and build here [in Nauvoo] and elsewhere many temples. The ordinances of the temple are a fundamental part of our religious worship, our theology, and without them we cannot give people all that we think they are worthy of having. And so we have been going forward with a temple-building program … . As the Church grows, this work will go on. It is necessary. It is important. And it is something our people desire, wish for, long for, pray for, and it means a great deal to them. — From interview, Lee Groberg, June 27, 2002

Tithes and offerings

Pay your tithes and offerings … . I think the economic salvation of those in need lies in the payment of tithes and offerings. The Lord has said if we will do so, He will open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings that we shall not have room enough to receive them. Those are not my words. I did not make that promise. The Lord has made that promise. He has the power to keep that promise, and it is my testimony to you that He does so. — From member meeting, Jamaica, May 15, 2002

We are a chosen generation

What a wonderful time it is to be alive with all the blessings of science that have prolonged our lives, with all of the opportunities that we have; and on top of all of that, this wonderful restored gospel. We are a chosen generation … .

This is the greatest age in the history of the world when you and I have come to earth and [can] partake of all the blessings that are available to us, and in a particular way, the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How much this Church means to us. How wonderful it is. — From member meeting, Kiev, Ukraine, Sept. 9, 2002