Mormon Musings

Life can sometimes be difficult. Perhaps you have already discovered that. In the days and years ahead, you may suffer some discouragement and disappointment. On occasion you may feel genuine despair, either for yourself or for your children or for the plight and conditions of others. You may even make a personal mistake or two—serious mistakes, perhaps, though I hope not—and worry that the chance to be happy and secure in life has eluded you forever. When such times come, I  ask you to remember this: Troubles need never be permanent nor fatal. Darkness always yields to light. The sun always rises. Faith, hope, and charity will always triumph in the end. Furthermore, they will triumph all along the way. Remember God’s unfailing love for you. You undoubtedly will have days when you may feel dark, cold, clouded, or eclipsed. But if you desire God’s mercy, I promise that help will come to you. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Facebook post 6.19.18

Jesus is the Light and Life of the World.  Elder Bednar recently gave a talk on this very subject: https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/christmas-devotional/2015/12/the-light-and-the-life-of-the-world?lang=eng

"Man was also in the beginning with God.  Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.  All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence." D&C 93:29-30

"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46

"I am the light of the world.  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

"Yes, we will make mistakes. Yes, we will falter. But as we seek to increase our love for God and strive to love our neighbor, the light of the gospel will surround and uplift us. The darkness will surely fade, because it cannot exist in the presence of light. As we draw near to God, He will draw near to us." —Dieter F. Uchtdorf, " The Hope of God's Light "

The gospel teaches us to be happy, to have faith rather than fear, to find hope and overcome despair, to leave darkness and turn toward the light of the everlasting gospel.   Paul and others warned about the trials of our time and the days yet to come. But peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and unlocks the promises of protection and redemption that are taught therein.   President Boyd K. Packer, October 2013 General Conference   http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-key-to-spiritual-protection?lang=eng

36  The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.   37  Light and truth forsake the evil one.   D&C 93:36-37

  43  And  I  now  give  unto  you  a  commandment  to  beware  concerning  yourselves,  to  give  diligent   heed  to  the  words  of  eternal  life.   44  For  you  shall  live  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  forth  from  the  mouth  of  God.   45  For  the  word  of  the  Lord  is  truth,  and  whatsoever  is  truth  is   light ,  and  whatsoever  is  light  is  Spirit ,  even  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ.   46  And  the  Spirit  giveth  light  to  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world;  and  the  Spirit  enlighteneth  every  man  through  the  world, that  hearkeneth  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit.   47  And  every  one  that  hearkeneth  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit   cometh  unto  God,  even  the  Father. D&C 84:43-47

  24  That  which  is  of  God  is  a light ;  and  he  that  b receiveth   c light ,  and  d continueth  in  God,  receiveth  more  e light ;  and  that  light  groweth  brighter  and  brighter  until  the  perfect  day.   25  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  and  I  say  it  that  you  may  know  the  a truth ,  that  you  may  chase  darkness  from  among  you; Doctrine and Covenants 50:24-25

Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh into it.  No son or daughter of Adam ever lived on the earth, or ever will, but has had or will have the light of Christ within them. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses  7:158

Obedience to commandments is the way we build a foundation of truth. Here is the way that works, in words that are so simple a child could understand. The truth of most worth is to know God our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and Their plan for us to have eternal life with them in families. When God communicates that priceless truth to us, He does it by the Spirit of Truth. We have to ask for it in prayer. Then He sends us a small part of that truth by the Spirit. It comes to our hearts and minds. It feels good, like the light from the sun shining through the clouds on a dark day. He sends truth line upon line, like the lines on the page of a book. Each time a line of truth comes to us, we get to choose what we will do about the light and truth God has sent to us. If we try hard to do what that truth requires of us, God will send more light and more truth. It will go on, line after line, as long as we choose to obey the truth. That is why the Savior said that the man who obeyed

“When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all of the principles of exaltation.  But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them.  It is not all to be comprehended in this world ; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.” Joseph Smith , History of the Church, 6:306-7; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on April 7, 1844, in Nauvoo Illinois “We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer a man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desir

"An Elder of Israel may preach the principles of the Gospel, from first to last, as they were taught to him, to a congregation ignorant of them; but if he does not do it under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, he cannot enlighten that congregation on those principles, it is impossible." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Volume 1, January 1853 " And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach." D&C 42:14 " Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question--unto what were ye ordained?  To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.  And then ye received spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this thing are ye justified?...Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth