In my younger days, I loved to run. Although it may be hard for you to believe it, I did. And I did win a few races.
Remember this: debt is a form of bondage. It is a financial termite.
This I have observed: There are no language barriers in the Church. There is a mighty power that transcends the power of messages conveyed by words alone, and this is the power of messages communicated by the Spirit to our hearts.
Desire, burning desire, is basic to achieving anything beyond the ordinary.
Each night before I go to bed, I take out a small card and write a list of the things I need to do the next day in order of their priority.
The Gospels record that nearly everywhere the Savior went, He was surrounded by multitudes of people. Some hoped that He would heal them; others came to hear Him speak. Others came for practical advice. Toward the end of His mortal ministry, some came to mock and ridicule Him and to clamor for His crucifixion.
As parents know, little children are, by their nature, without guile. They speak the thoughts of their minds without reservation or hesitance as we have learned as parents when they embarrass us at times. They do not deceive. They set an example of being without guile.
Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful.
Prophets have no other purpose, no other mission except to serve God.
Knowledge is very important and one of the few things that accompanies us into the next life.
The Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit: a separate and distinct member of the Godhead.
The Lord has promised great rewards for those who reach out to strengthen their brothers and sisters.
There is no substitute for kindness in the home. This lesson I learned from my father. He always listened to my mother’s advice. As a result, he was a better, wiser, and kinder man.
President Benson’s mighty influence is felt in many ways. His timely and inspired counsel to read the precious Book of Mormon brought an added appreciation of this sacred scripture to all who followed his direction.
Joining a new church and starting a new life is never easy and often frightening.
Some have been ensnared in the net of excessive debt. The net of interest holds them fast, requiring them to sell their time and energies to meet the demands of creditors. They surrender their freedom, becoming slaves to their own extravagance.
If we seek things that are virtuous and lovely, we surely will find them. Conversely, if we seek for evil, we will find that also.
Some of the choicest blessings of my life have been the close friendships I have experienced over the years. Often, these friendships have been forged in the fires of shared experience.
During my life I have heard many sermons on the Resurrection. I can recite the events of that first Easter Sunday. I have marked in my scriptures passages regarding the Resurrection.
It is not hard for me to remember when I was in college. I loved many things about college life: I loved learning. I loved the comradery. And I loved football.
Anything that does not draw us closer to God takes us away from Him.
We observe that in the scriptures, fasting almost always is linked with prayer. Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry.
Self-control is one mark of a mature person; it applies to control of language, physical treatment of others, and the appetites of the body.
Dates that come around every year help us measure progress in our lives. One annual event, New Year’s Day, is a time of reflection and resolution.
We’ve all met those who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more than others – just being around them makes us happier as well.
There are many reasons our prayers may lack power. Sometimes they become routine. Our prayers become hollow when we say similar words in similar ways over and over so often that the words become more of a recitation than a communication.
In spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result.
My parents were hardworking. They made every penny stretch as far as possible. That was probably the major reason everything they gave me was always two or three sizes too large.
God wants us to serve willingly and obediently.
Jesus Christ is infinitely more than a great teacher and philosopher.
The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy.
To beguile is to deceive or lead astray, as Lucifer beguiled Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Fast offerings are used for one purpose only: to bless the lives of those in need.
Logic itself affirms that a loving Heavenly Father would not abandon His children without providing a way for them to learn of Him.
My mother was a very positive thinker; she was always active, always doing something good.
I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with many wonderful people from many walks of life. I have known rich and poor, famous and modest, wise and otherwise.
My own great-grandfather suffered so much from asthma that he had to walk a mile or two behind the covered wagons crossing the plains to avoid the dust. However, he always arrived at his destination and did his share of the work.
The word ‘seek’ means to go in search of, try to discover, try to acquire. It requires an active, assertive approach to life.
Some people erroneously believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members are not Christian. We have difficulty understanding why anyone could accept and promote an idea that is so far from the truth.
You may feel singled out when adversity enters your life. You shake your head and wonder, ‘Why me?’
I remember when I was young, there was an older boy who was physically and mentally disabled. He had a speech impediment and walked with difficulty. The boys used to make fun of him. They teased and taunted him until sometimes he would cry.
Many feel discouraged because they have not measured up to their potential.
Every person on the earth today lived at one time in heavenly realms. We walked with our Heavenly Father. We knew Him. We heard His voice. We loved Him.
Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself.
For each human being, time is a necessary resource. It can neither be ignored nor changed.
Many today feel troubled and distressed; many feel that, at any moment, the ships of their lives could capsize or sink.
Average leaders inspire people to punch a time clock. Great leaders inspire industry and passion.
Our computers have become windows through which we can gaze upon a world that is virtually without horizons or boundaries.
All too often, lotteries only add to the problem of the financially disadvantaged by taking money from them and giving nothing of value in return.
The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.
The spiritual self of each of us is that part of us that will never grow old, or ill, or die, but it must be nurtured and invigorated!
Pride and vanity, the opposites of humility, can destroy our spiritual health as surely as a debilitating disease can destroy our physical health.
We can easily get our lives out of balance.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is more enduring than fame, more precious than riches, more to be desired than happiness.
Young people should ponder over problems that might confront them and be prepared to cope with them in a way that their parents, their leaders, and their Heavenly Father would have them cope, that they might keep themselves clean and pure.
We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can.
There is no limit to the potential of brethren working together in complete brotherhood and selflessness toward spiritual goals. The power of God working through such channels will bring unimaginable blessings to all concerned.
The consequences of ignoring the Lord and His prophets are certain and often accompanied by great sorrow and regret.
The Spirit is as operative today in communicating the gospel to all who seek the truth as it was on the day of Pentecost anciently.
We are commanded to seek out those who are lost. We are to be our brother’s keeper.
Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.
My father was truly a great man. I remember one day putting my feet in my father’s shoes. I was amazed at the size. Would I ever be big enough to fill his shoes? Could I ever grow into the man my father was? I wondered.
