President Russell M. Nelson - The Power of Spiritual Momentum

 As President Nelson taught principles of Spiritual Momentum, one seemed to stand out to me - 

"Discover the joy of daily repentance."

I specifically note - daily.

"...Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path.

Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery..."

"Walking the covenant path, coupled with daily repentance, fuels positive spiritual momentum."

Job 42

 After Job struggles with accusations from his friends the Lord said to Job - 

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(Job 38:2–7)

The Lord then proceeds to declare all things that He has done which for me was very humbling.  Job then responds - 

"...I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."  (Job 42:2–6)

As should anyone that really contemplates the things of God.

Job 1

You can tell his faithful attitude and what kind of man Job was when bad events happen - 

"...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."  (Job 1:21)

Elder Ronald A. Rasband - To Heal the World

 Elder Rasband addressed the need for freedom of religion to heal the world teaching - 

"It is freedom of worship in all its configurations: freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom to act on personal beliefs, and freedom for others to do the same. Religious freedom allows each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe, how we live and act according to our faith, and what God expects of us."

"First. Religious freedom honors the first and second great commandments, placing God at the center of our lives."

"Second. Religious freedom fosters expressions of belief, hope, and peace."

"Third. Religion inspires people to help others."

"And fourth. Freedom of religion acts as a unifying and rallying force for shaping values and morality."

"Religious freedom brings balance to competing philosophies. The good of religion, its reach, and the daily acts of love which religion inspires only multiply when we protect the freedom to express and act on core beliefs."

Nehemiah 5

 Where many Jewish leaders were demanding money and usury from the people, Nehemiah confesses - 

"Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

15 But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God."  (Nehemiah 5:14–15)

Would that many of our current civil servants do the same.

Ezra 1

 I believe because of faithful Jews such as Daniel that - 

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah."  (Ezra 1:1–2)

And later Darius decreed - 

"Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.

8 Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God..."  (Ezra 6:7–8)

Even - 

"Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.

13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee."  (Ezra 7:12–13)

All filled the prophecies of Jeremiah.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson - Love, Share, Invite

When it comes to member missionary work, Elder Stevenson explained - 

"You might ask, “How can I be a missionary without a name badge?” Or we tell ourselves, “The full-time missionaries are set apart to do this work. I would like to help but perhaps later when life has calmed down a bit.”

Brothers and sisters, it is much simpler than that! Gratefully, the Savior’s great commission can be accomplished through simple, easily understandable principles taught to each of us from childhood: love, share, and invite."

"The first thing we can do is love as Christ loved."

"The second thing we can do is share."

"The third thing you can do is invite."

"As these three things become a natural part of who we are and how we live, they will become an automatic, unforced expression of genuine love."

2 Kings 25

 In 2 Kings, we learn that the Babylonians - 

"...slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon."  (2 Kings 25:7)

I wonder if Mulek know this and how lucky he was.

2 Kings 19

 Isaiah prophesied to King Hezekiah that the Assyrians would be defeated and the leader, Sennacherib would die.  As they came to the outskirts of Jerusalem - 

"...it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword..."  (2 Kings 19:35–37)

Now that is a miracle that the angel of the Lord smote 185,000 soldiers.

2 Kings 20

 I am touched by righteous King Hezekiah sickly but prayerful request as Isaiah reveals that  - 

"...thou shalt die, and not live."  (2 Kings 20:1)

Hezekiah prays - 

"I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore."  (2 Kings 20:3)

The Lord heard his prayer and told Isaiah to return - 

"And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.

6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered."  (2 Kings 20:4–7)

Righteousness and obedience brings forth the blessings of Heaven.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson - Our Relationship with God

 Elder Christofferson's talk seemed to touch me the most in general conference.   Among other things he taught - 

"Some misunderstand the promises of God to mean that obedience to Him yields specific outcomes on a fixed schedule. They might think, “If I diligently serve a full-time mission, God will bless me with a happy marriage and children” or “If I refrain from doing schoolwork on the Sabbath, God will bless me with good grades” or “If I pay tithing, God will bless me with that job I’ve been wanting.” If life doesn’t fall out precisely this way or according to an expected timetable, they may feel betrayed by God. But things are not so mechanical in the divine economy. We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we (1) select a desired blessing, (2) insert the required sum of good works, and (3) the order is promptly delivered."

I have to confess that I sometimes think this way when I meet challenges.  He explains - 

"God will indeed honor His covenants and promises to each of us. We need not worry about that.9 The atoning power of Jesus Christ—who descended below all things and then ascended on high10 and who possesses all power in heaven and in earth11—ensures that God can and will fulfill His promises. It is essential that we honor and obey His laws, but not every blessing predicated on obedience to law12 is shaped, designed, and timed according to our expectations. We do our best but must leave to Him the management of blessings, both temporal and spiritual."

"Our repentance and obedience, our service and sacrifices do matter. We want to be among those described by Ether as “always abounding in good works.”14 But it is not so much because of some tally kept in celestial account books. These things matter because they engage us in God’s work and are the means by which we collaborate with Him in our own transformation from natural man to saint..."

After many scriptural examples, he states - 

"In the end, it is the blessing of a close and abiding relationship with the Father and the Son that we seek. It makes all the difference and is everlastingly worth the cost. We will testify with Paul “that the sufferings of this present [mortal] time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”34 I bear witness that no matter what our mortal experience may entail, we can trust God and find joy in Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”"

2 Kings 17

 As much as the Lord sent great prophets to the people of the Kingdom of Israel - 

"Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God."  (2 Kings 17:14)

Sounds like much today!

"So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day."  (2 Kings 17:23)

Thus we call them the lost ten tribes of Israel.

2 Kings 5

 After Naaman was healed of leprosy and Elisha refused any compensation for his service, "Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God" - 

"...followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?

22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments."  (2 Kings 5:21–22)

It becomes obvious that Gehazi was not telling the truth for after Naaman provided Gehazi's request for -

"...when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed."  (2 Kings 5:24)

Elisha knew of this deception for he asks Gehazi - 

"...Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?"  (2 Kings 5:26)

Sadly, Elisha tells the selfish Gehazi - 

"The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."  (2 Kings 5:27)

There should be no greed in the Lord's service.

Elder Dale G. Renlund - Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny

 As Elder Renlund addressed the women and the Young Women's theme, one thing stood out to me - 

"The final paragraph of the Young Women theme begins, “As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day.” Because of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, we can repent, learn from our mistakes, and not be condemned by them. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Too many people consider repentance as punishment. … But this feeling of being penalized is engendered by Satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, purify, and sanctify us.”27

When we sincerely repent, no spiritual scar remains, no matter what we have done, how serious it was, or how many times we repeated it.28 As often as we repent and seek forgiveness with real intent, we can be forgiven.29 What a remarkable gift from our Savior, Jesus Christ!30 The Holy Ghost can assure us that we have been forgiven. As we sense joy and peace,31 guilt is swept away,32 and we are no longer tormented by our sin."

I emphasize, "The Holy Ghost can assure us that we have been forgiven. As we sense joy and peace, guilt is swept away, and we are no longer tormented by our sin