President Henry B. Eyring conducting.
Elder L. Tom Perry: The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith
- This doctrine is to the Church like a battery is to a cell phone. When you remove the battery from your cell phone it becomes useless. A church in which true doctrine is no longer taught is similarly useless. It cannot guide us back to our Heavenly Father and our eternal home.
- All of us should aspire to embody these attributes and lead lives that exemplify them. The truths taught in the Articles of Faith build upon one another like the components of a cell phone mutually support one another. Like the elaborate supply chain that adds components to a cell phone, the Articles of Faith supply us with the key doctrines of the restoration. Each article of faith adds unique value to our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Bishop Gérald Caussé: “Ye Are No More Strangers”
- One marvelous aspect of our gospel dispensation is that it is not limited to a geographical area or a group of nations. It is global and universal. It is preparing for the glorious return of the Son of God by gathering “his children from the four quarters of the earth.”
- In this Church, there are no strangers and no outcasts. There are only brothers and sisters. The knowledge that we have of an Eternal Father helps us be more sensitive to the brotherhood and sisterhood that should exist between all men and women upon the earth.
- In this Church, our wards and our quorums do not belong to us. They belong to Jesus Christ. Whoever enters our meetinghouses should feel at home.
- The responsibility to welcome everyone has growing importance. The world in which we live is going through a period of great upheaval. Because of the increased availability of transportation, speed of communication, and globalization of economies, the earth is becoming one large village where people and nations meet, connect, and intermingle like never before. These vast worldwide changes serve the designs of Almighty God. The gathering of His elect from the four corners of the earth is not only taking place by sending missionaries to faraway countries, but also with the arrival of people from other areas into our own cities and neighborhoods. Many, without knowing it, are being led by the Lord to places where they can hear the gospel and come into His fold.
- Unity is not achieved by ignoring and isolating members who seem to be different or weaker and only associating with people who are like us. On the contrary, unity is gained by welcoming and serving those who are new or who have particular needs. These members are a blessing for the Church and provide us with opportunities to serve our neighbors and thus purify our own hearts.
Elder Randy D. Funk: Called of Him to Declare His Word
- The Lord’s promises are clear. In order to have the spiritual power necessary to open the door of the kingdom of God in the nation to which you are sent, you must be humble, obedient, and have the ability to hear and follow the Spirit.
- The process of being made whole spiritually begins with a broken heart. Think of the good that comes from broken things: Soil is broken to plant wheat. Wheat is broken to make bread. Bread is broken to become the emblems of the sacrament. When one who is repentant partakes of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he or she becomes whole. As we repent and become whole through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have much more to offer the Savior as we serve Him.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: You Can Do It Now!
- Even when we think we cannot rise up – there is still hope. And sometimes we just need someone to look us in the eyes, take our hand, and say, “You can do it now!”
- We may think that women are more likely than men to have feelings of inadequacy and disappointment—that it affects them more than us. I’m not sure that this is true. Men experience feelings of guilt, depression, and failure. We might pretend these feelings don’t bother us, but they do. We can feel so burdened by our failures and shortcomings that we begin to think we will never be able to succeed. We might even assume that because we have fallen before, falling is our destiny.
- Brethren, our destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble but by the number of times we rise up, dust ourselves off, and move forward.
- Of all the principles taught by prophets over the centuries, one that has been emphasized over and over again is the hopeful and heartwarming message that mankind can repent, change course, and get back on the true path of discipleship. That does not mean that we should be comfortable with our weaknesses, mistakes, or sins. And there is an important difference between the sorrow for sin that leads to repentance and the sorrow that leads to despair.
- One of the adversary’s methods to prevent us from progressing is to confuse us about who we really are and what we really desire. We want to spend time with our children, but we also want to engage in our favorite manly hobbies. We want to lose weight, but we also want to enjoy the foods we crave. We want to become Christlike, but we also want to give the guy who cut us off in traffic a piece of our mind.
- If we see healthy eating and exercise as something only our doctor expects of us, we will likely fail. If we see these choices as who we are and who we want to become, we have a greater chance of staying the course and succeeding. If we see home teaching as only the stake president’s goal, we may place a lower value on doing it. If we see it as our goal—something we desire to do in order to become more Christlike and minister to others, we will not only fulfill our commitment but accomplish it in a way that blesses the families we visit and our own as well.
President Henry B. Eyring: Bind Up Their Wounds
- All of us are blessed with responsibility for others. To hold the priesthood of God is to be held responsible by God for the eternal lives of His children. That is real, that is wonderful, and at times that can feel overwhelming.
- The Lord knew you would have such days when He called you to this position, so He gave you a story to encourage you. It is a parable for overloaded priesthood holders. We sometimes call it the story of the Good Samaritan. But, it is really the story for a great priesthood bearer, in these busy last days.
- You and the priesthood bearers you are called to lead can have at least three assurances. First, the Lord will give you, if you ask, the feelings of the compassion He feels for those in need. Second, He will provide others, like the innkeeper, to join with you in your service. And third, the Lord, like the good Samaritan, will more than recompense all who join in giving help to those in need.
- You young men cannot know what acts of priesthood service the Lord is preparing you to give. But the greater challenge for every priesthood holder is to give spiritual help. All of us have that charge. It comes with being a member of a quorum. It comes with being a member of a family. If the faith of anyone in your quorum or your family is attacked by Satan you will feel compassion. Much like the service and mercy given by the Samaritan, you will also minister to them with healing balm for their wounds in their time of need.
- As a quorum member, as a home teacher, and as a missionary you cannot help people repair spiritual damage unless your own faith is vibrant. That means far more than reading the scriptures regularly and praying over them. The prayer in the moment and quick glances in the scriptures are not preparation enough.
President Thomas S. Monson: True Shepherds
- Brethren, as the priesthood of God we have a shepherding responsibility. The wisdom of the Lord has provided guidelines whereby we might be shepherds to the families of the Church, where we can serve, we can teach and we can testify to them. Such is called home teaching…
- Home teaching is more than a mechanical visit once per month. Ours is the responsibility to teach, to inspire, to motivate, and, where we visit those who are not active, to bring to activity and to eventual exaltation the sons and daughters of God.
- A friend makes more than a dutiful visit each month. A friend is more concerned about helping people than getting credit. A friend cares. A friend shows love. A friend listens. And a friend reaches out. Home teaching answers many prayers and permits us to see the transformations which can take place in people’s lives.