Precious Souls

Our Savior's Love

Our Savior’s love
Shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above
It breaks thru clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.

The Spirit, voice
Of goodness, whispers to our hearts
A better choice
Than evil’s anguished cries.
Loud may the sound
Of hope ring till all doubt departs,
And we are bound
To him by loving ties.

Text: Edward L. Hart, b. 1916

(1st and 2nd verse)

Remember the ^aworth of ^bsouls is great in the sight of God;
D and C 18:10


"Brothers and sisters, I believe that if we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God. I believe our Heavenly Father’s everlasting purpose for His children is generally achieved by the small and simple things we do for one another. At the heart of the English word atonement is the word one. If all mankind understood this, there would never be anyone with whom we would not be concerned, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, or social or economic standing. We would strive to emulate the Savior and would never be unkind, indifferent, disrespectful, or insensitive to others."
M. Russel Ballard, "The  Atonement and the Value of One Soul",  April 2004

"Speaking to the sisters, the Prophet Joseph said: “Don’t be limited in your views with regard to your neighbors’ virtues. … You must enlarge your souls toward others if you [would] do like Jesus. … As you increase in innocence and virtue, as you increase in goodness, let your hearts expand—let them be enlarged towards others—you must be longsuffering and bear with the faults and errors of mankind. How precious are the souls of men!”^3"
Silvia H. Allred,  "Charity Never Failleth", October 2011 LDS General Conference

"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."

"Regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us."

President Dieter E. Uchtdorf, 2009

(LInk to this wonderful talk...)

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-love-of-god?lang=eng&query=love+god

We are precious to our Savior and our Father in Heaven.

Every single one of us.

They love us.

It's true.

Matthew 7:9-11

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask ^abread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

 If ye then, ^abeing evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

The Privilege of Prayer

J. DEVN CORNISH

Of the Seventy

"Perhaps a personal experience will help to illustrate the point. When I was a young resident physician at Boston Children’s Hospital, I worked long hours and traveled between the hospital and our home in Watertown, Massachusetts, mostly by bicycle since my wife and young family needed our car. One evening I was riding home after a long period in the hospital, feeling tired and hungry and at least a bit discouraged. I knew I needed to give my wife and four small children not only my time and energy when I got home but also a cheery attitude. I was, frankly, finding it hard to just keep pedaling.

My route would take me past a fried chicken shop, and I felt like I would be a lot less hungry and tired if I could pause for a piece of chicken on my way home. I knew they were running a sale on thighs or drumsticks for 29 cents each, but when I checked my wallet, all I had was one nickel. As I rode along, I told the Lord my situation and asked if, in His mercy, He could let me find a quarter on the side of the road. I told Him that I didn’t need this as a sign but that I would be really grateful if He felt to grant me this kind blessing.

I began watching the ground more intently but saw nothing. Trying to maintain a faith-filled but submissive attitude as I rode, I approached the store. Then, almost exactly across the street from the chicken place, I saw a quarter on the ground. With gratitude and relief, I picked it up, bought the chicken, savored every morsel, and rode happily home.

In His mercy, the God of heaven, the Creator and Ruler of all things everywhere, had heard a prayer about a very minor thing. One might well ask why He would concern Himself with something so small. I am led to believe that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that the things that are important to us become important to Him, just because He loves us. How much more would He want to help us with the big things that we ask, which are right?

Little children, young people, and adults alike, please believe how very much your loving Heavenly Father wants to bless you. But because He will not infringe upon our agency, we must ask for His help. This is generally done through prayer. Prayer is one of the most precious gifts of God to man."

3rd Nephi 18:20


And ^awhatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

Hope

Romans 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Jer. 17:7  Blessed is the man whose hope the Lord is.

2 Ne. 31:20  Ye must press forward, having a perfect brightness of hope.

Hail to the Brightness of Zion’s Glad Morning!

Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning!
Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain!
Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning.
Zion in triumph begins her glad reign.

Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning,
Long by the prophets of Israel foretold!
Hail to the millions from bondage returning!
Gentiles and Jews the glad vision behold.

Lo! in the desert the flowers are springing;
Streams, ever copious, are gliding along.
Loud from the mountaintops echoes are ringing;
Wastes rise in verdure and mingle in song.

Hark! from all lands, from the isles of the ocean,
Praise to Jehovah ascending on high.
Fallen the engines of war and commotion;

Shouts of salvation are rending the sky.

Text: Thomas Hastings, 1784–1872
Music: Edwin F. Parry, 1850–1935

Isaiah 35:10

 And the ransomed of the Lord shall ^areturn, and come to^bZion with ^csongs and everlasting ^djoy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and ^esorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Stand in Holy Places

Stand in Holy Places

THOMAS S. MONSON

President of the Church

October 2011

...evolving at a rapid rate has been the moral compass of society. Behaviors which once were considered inappropriate and immoral are now not only tolerated but also viewed by ever so many as acceptable.

I recently read in the Wall Street Journal an article by Jonathan Sacks, Britain’s chief rabbi. Among other things, he writes: “In virtually every Western society in the 1960s there was a moral revolution, an abandonment of its entire traditional ethic of self-restraint. All you need, sang the Beatles, is love. The Judeo-Christian moral code was jettisoned. In its place came [the adage]: [Do] whatever works for you. The Ten Commandments were rewritten as the Ten Creative Suggestions.”

Rabbi Sacks goes on to lament:

“We have been spending our moral capital with the same reckless abandon that we have been spending our financial capital. …

“There are large parts of [the world] where religion is a thing of the past and there is no counter-voice to the culture of buy it, spend it, wear it, flaunt it, because you’re worth it. The message is that morality is passé, conscience is for wimps, and the single overriding command is ‘Thou shalt not be found out.’”¹

(1.  Jonathan Sacks, “Reversing the Decay of London Undone,” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 20, 2011, online.wsj.com; emphasis added. Note:Lord Sacks is the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth.)

As the winds of change swirl around us and the moral fiber of society continues to disintegrate before our very eyes, may we remember the Lord’s precious promise to those who trust in Him: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”⁹

"Wherefore, ^astand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh ^bquickly, saith the Lord. Amen."

Guide Us Oh Great Jehovah....