Matthew 26

In the last week of the Savior's ministry, we read - 

"Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat."  (Matthew 26:6–7)

After some dispute amongst His disciples, the Savior declares - 

"...she hath wrought a good work upon me."  (Matthew 26:10)

And - 

"Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her."  (Matthew 26:13)

I couldn't find the woman's name.  The scripture only mentions a woman.  Talmage suggests it is Mary, sister to Martha.  It just seems to me that this woman understood what was about to happen to the Savior.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson - One in Christ

 Elder Christofferson addressed the need to be "One in Christ" quoting - 

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.”

"Becoming one in Christ happens one by one—we each begin with ourselves. We are dual beings of flesh and spirit and are sometimes at war within ourselves."

"Jesus was also a being of flesh and spirit. He was tested; He understands; He can help us achieve unity within.13 Therefore, drawing upon the light and the grace of Christ, we strive to give our spirit—and the Holy Spirit—dominance over the physical. And when we fall short, Christ, by His Atonement, has given us the gift of repentance and the opportunity to try again.

If individually we each “put on Christ,” then together we can hope to become one, as Paul said, “the body of Christ.”14 To “put on Christ” certainly includes making His “first and great commandment”15 our first and greatest commitment, and if we love God, we will keep His commandments."

"When we “put on Christ,” it becomes possible either to resolve or to lay aside differences, disagreements, and disputes."

"Unity does not require sameness, but it does require harmony. We can have our hearts knit together in love, be one in faith and doctrine, and still cheer for different teams, disagree on various political issues, debate about goals and the right way to achieve them, and many other such things. But we can never disagree or contend with anger or contempt for one another."

"I say again that it is only in and through our individual loyalty to and love of Jesus Christ that we can hope to be one—one within, one at home, one in the Church, eventually one in Zion, and above all, one with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost."

Mark 12

 In answering a question from the Sadducees, the Savior declares this truth - 

"...Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."  (Mark 12:24–25)

It appears that the covenant of  "eternal marriage" must be performed in this life or estate, whether in person or by proxy, before the resurrection.  Where after all are resurrected there will be know left from this life to perform the ordinance.

With this logic would suggest that the Savior must have been married for time and all eternity during His life.

Joseph Smith - Matthew

 Two additions of Joseph Smith - Matthew and Matthew 24 I particular appreciate are - 

"...remaineth steadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved."  (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:11)

And - 

"And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come..."  (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37)

Matthew 24

 One of the signs of the times of the Savior's second coming include that - 

"...this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."  (Matthew 24:14)

Leading to - 

"For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together."   (Matthew 24:28)

In other words, the saints will be gathered to His Church.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf - Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Parents

 As Elder Uchtdorf taught that Jesus Christ is the strength of parents, he said - 

"Another strength you have, as a parent, is the opportunity for daily, ongoing influence. Peers, teachers, and media influencers come and go. But you can be the most constant, steady influence in your child’s life.

"Your efforts may seem small compared to the loud voices your children hear in the world. At times it may feel that you’re not accomplishing much. But remember that “by small means the Lord can bring about great things.”7 One home evening, one gospel conversation, or one good example may not change your child’s life in a moment, any more than one drop of rain causes a plant immediately to grow. But the consistency of small and simple things, day after day, nourishes your children much better than an occasional flood."

He also explained - 

"My dear friends, my dear brothers and sisters, building faith in a child is somewhat like helping a flower grow. You cannot tug on the stem to make it taller. You cannot pry open the bud to get it to blossom sooner. And you cannot neglect the flower and expect it to grow or flourish spontaneously.

What you can and must do for the rising generation is provide rich, nourishing soil with access to flowing heavenly water. Remove weeds and anything that would block heavenly sunlight. Create the best possible conditions for growth. Patiently allow the rising generation to make inspired choices, and let God work His miracle. The result will be more beautiful and more stunning and more joyful than anything you could accomplish just by yourself."

He also taught - 

"Another powerful way the Lord supports parents is through the gift of personal revelation. God is eager to pour out His Spirit to guide parents.

As you are prayerful and sensitive to the Spirit, He will warn you of hidden dangers.15 He will reveal your children’s gifts, their strengths, and their unspoken concerns.16 God will help you see your children as He sees them—beyond their outward appearance and into their hearts.17

With God’s help, you can learn to know your children in a pure and heavenly way. I invite you to accept God’s offer to guide your family by personal revelation. Seek His guidance in your prayers."

Elder Dale G. Renlund - Acessing God's Power through Covenenants

 Speaking on power and covenants, Elder Renlund taught - 

"Before the earth was created, God established covenants as the mechanism by which we, His children, could unite ourselves to Him. Based on eternal, unchanging law, He specified the nonnegotiable conditions whereby we are transformed, saved, and exalted. In this life, we make these covenants by participating in priesthood ordinances and promising to do what God asks us to do, and in return, God promises us certain blessings.6

A covenant is a pledge that we should prepare for, clearly understand, and absolutely honor.7 Making a covenant with God is different than casually making a promise. First, priesthood authority is required. Second, a feeble promise does not have the connecting strength to lift us above the pull of the natural flow. We make a covenant only when we intend to commit ourselves quite exceptionally to fulfilling it.8 We become covenant children of God and inheritors of His kingdom, especially when we identify ourselves completely with the covenant."

"We become His disciples and represent Him well when we intentionally and incrementally take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through covenants. Our covenants give us power to stay on the covenant path because our relationship with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is changed. We are connected to Them by a covenantal bond.

The covenant path leads to the ordinances of the temple, such as the temple endowment.17 The endowment is God’s gift of sacred covenants that connect us more fully to Him. In the endowment, we covenant, first, to strive to keep the commandments of God; second, to repent with a broken heart and contrite spirit; third, to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do this by exercising faith in Him, making covenants with God as we receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, keeping those covenants throughout our lives, and striving to live the two great commandments to love God and neighbor. We covenant, fourth, to keep the law of chastity and, fifth, to dedicate ourselves and everything the Lord blesses us with to build up His Church.18

By making and keeping temple covenants, we learn more about the Lord’s purposes and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost.19 We receive direction for our lives. We mature in our discipleship so that we do not remain perpetual, unknowing children.20 Rather, we live with an eternal perspective and are more motivated to serve God and others. We receive increased capacity to fulfill our purposes in mortality. We are protected from evil,21 and we gain greater power to resist temptation and to repent when we stumble.22 When we falter, the memory of our covenants with God helps us return to the path. By connecting to God’s power, we become our own pororoca, able to go against the flow of the world, throughout our lives and into the eternities. Ultimately, our destinies are changed because the covenant path leads to exaltation and eternal life."

He concludes - 

"As you walk the covenant path, from baptism to the temple and throughout life, I promise you power to go against the natural worldly flow—power to learn, power to repent and be sanctified, and power to find hope, comfort, and even joy as you face life’s challenges. I promise you and your family protection against the influence of the adversary, especially when you make the temple a major focus in your life."

Luke 18

 As Jesus spoke of a Pharisee and a publican going to the temple to pray, He spoke first of  - 

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."  (Luke 18:11–12)

Sounds quite arrogant, and then - 

"...the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."  (Luke 18:13)

 

Of such, the Savior taught - 

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."  (Luke 18:14)

In my mind, humility and contrition of heart brings mercy and forgiveness.

Matthew 19

 After the Savior said to His disciples - 

 "...Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."  (Matthew 19:23–24)

In my mind, they justifiably - 

"...were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?"  (Matthew 19:25)

The Savior's truthfully responded - 

"...With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."  (Matthew 19:26)

Suggesting to me that - 

"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."  (Articles of Faith 1:3)

President Henry B. Eyring - Finding Personal Peace

 Teaching the saints on finding personal peace, President Eyring taught - 

"I have learned at least five truths from that teaching of the Savior.

First, the gift of peace is given after we have the faith to keep His commandments. For those who are covenant members of the Lord’s Church, obedience is what we have already promised to do.

Second, the Holy Ghost will come and abide with us. The Lord says that as we continue to be faithful, the Holy Ghost will dwell in us. That is the promise in the sacramental prayer that the Spirit will be our companion and that we will feel, in our hearts and minds, His comfort.

Third, the Savior promises that as we keep our covenants, we can feel the love of the Father and the Son for each other and for us. We can feel Their closeness in our mortal lives, just as we will when we are blessed to be with Them forever.

Fourth, keeping the Lord’s commandments requires more than obedience. We are to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and soul.3

Those who do not love Him do not keep His commandments. And so they will not have the gift of peace in this life and in the world to come.

Fifth, it is clear that the Lord loved us enough to pay the price of our sins so that we can—through our faith in Him and our repentance, through the effects of His Atonement—have the gift of the peace that “passeth all understanding,”4 in this life and with Him eternally."

He concludes - 

"Members across the Church have felt the Lord’s gift of personal peace. He is encouraging everyone to help others have opportunities to come unto Him and qualify for that same peace themselves. They, in turn, will choose to seek inspiration to know how they can pass that gift along to others."

Luke 12

 We often hear the Savior's words- 

"...take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say."  (Luke 12:11–12)

But seldom hear the precursor - 

"...when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers..."  (Luke 12:11)

Which suggests to me that this is immediate with no time for preparation.  When time restrictions are not limited, I believe the Lord wants us to ponder and pray in preparation and the Holy Ghost will inspire through that period.  

In my mind it doesn't mean that you should not prepare and just depend on inspiration.