Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening,
this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.
The post focuses on April 1974 General Conference talk, and it is called "Strength of the Spirit" by Elder Joseph Anderson. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk, and I hope that you would be able to learn something new while reading through this post.
Elder Anderson has mentioned the following; "... It would seem of the utmost importance that thinking people everywhere should conscientiously reflect upon their spiritual assets. Man is a dual being, spiritual and physical. Whether it be an individual or a nation, he or it cannot achieve permanent success or happiness without spirituality.
Paul said: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6.) There is a constant battle between the things of the flesh and the things of God the desire for peace and the attractions of the flesh. It is also a well-known fact that in times of prosperity man is often tempted to forget God, but in days of trial and sorrow he prays unto the Lord that his countenance may smile upon him and that the Lord will remember him in the days of his affliction.
... We need to return to a faith in God and a determination to serve him. ... We are living in an important time in the history of mankind and in the history of the Church. People are confused. There was a time when they were willing to accept the word of their ministers and religious advisers, but that time is changing.
... We are living in a time of unrest, or fear, in many respects. Men with money are in doubt as to how they should invest it so that it may be safe. Parents of children are concerned as to where their children are and what they are thinking and doing.
Men and women of religious faith are seeking a church, a doctrine that will satisfy their longing and their desire to find a religion that will satisfy their yearning. ... We cannot expect permanent peace, nor will it come until such time as the hearts of men are turned to peace, and men will not have peace in their hearts until they no longer permit selfishness to be their ruling power.
... Man must love God and his neighbor as himself. Man the world o’er must recognize that we are all the children of God, truly brothers and sisters, before peace in the true sense will prevail upon the earth. The following is an excerpt from President McKay’s remarks at the Christmas program in the Church Office Building, December 22, 1961:
“Jesus taught that God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, it is a natural result of continued effort and right thinking, the effect of long cherished association with God-like thoughts. … That man is not at peace who is untrue to the whisperings of Christ and the promptings of his conscience.
He cannot be at peace when he is untrue to his better self, when he transgresses the law of righteousness in any way, either in dealing with himself or indulging his passions, his appetites, yielding in any way to the temptations of the flesh, or whether he is untrue to a trust imposed upon him, transgressing the law of righteousness in dealing with his fellowmen.
... Peace is to the individual that he may be at peace with his God, perfect harmony existing between himself and law, the righteous laws to which he is subject and from which he can never escape. … Life is a struggle, really a struggle to gain mastery over these tendencies, ...”
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| "being deeply loved gives you STRENGTH; loving deeply gives you COURAGE." - Lao Tzu |
... The commandments which have been given by the Lord to his prophets in this dispensation pertain to eternal truth and set forth the mind and will of the Lord to his people in this day and age, which is the dispensation of the fulness of times, preparing a people to be worthy to meet the Lord when he shall come again in power and in glory.
There are those who would desire to destroy this great nation and its liberties for which our forefathers struggled and fought and bled, ... They seriously question God’s revealed word and seem to have no desire for or interest in matters pertaining to the Spirit, which are of an eternal nature.
The Lord has revealed to us in our time a life-shaping purpose in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is given to us to bless mankind. It is our responsibility to carry its message, the message of salvation and exaltation, the message of freedom and happiness, to all mankind, that none may be left without excuse.
... While it is only natural and proper that we should desire and seek those things of a temporal nature that tend to make mortal life wholesome and pleasurable, it is of the utmost importance that we keep in mind the great purpose of life, which is to prepare us for eternal life - the salvation and exaltation of the souls of God’s children.
... There is no greater service in which we can be engaged than that of helping our fellowmen and ourselves to attain the glorious salvation which is dependent upon obedience to the principles of righteousness which he has revealed.
... Our lives consist of this act and that act, this experience and that, one accomplishment after another. But if we are to accomplish the great purpose of our earth life, we must have power to resist the forces of the evil one; we must overcome the weaknesses of the flesh; we must distinguish between the physical desires and the spiritual strength, which latter provides the cement that makes possible the accomplishment of life’s purposes and goal.
And what is that life-giving purpose, that goal toward which we should all be striving? ... It is, of course, necessary that we have the physical necessities of life. It is natural that we should want the things that make life, physical life, desirable and pleasurable.
But if in obtaining such things we neglect those things that are of eternal worth, the spiritual part of life, ... We have failed to recognize the eternal purpose of our existence. We have neglected the cement which is necessary if we are to build a life that will make our calling and election sure—yes, eternal life in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
Again may I say it is of the utmost importance that people everywhere reflect upon their spiritual assets and spiritual strength, thus preparing themselves for eternal life in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. ..."
If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
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