David O. McKay on making God the center of our being

President David O. McKay (1873-1970) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1906.  He served as a counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant and George Albert Smith beginning in 1945, then then as the president of the Church from 1951 to his death in 1970 at age 96.

"There has been but one perfect character in this world—the peerless personality of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. No man can do better than to accept Christ as the great Exemplar and the safest Guide.

"It is not an easy thing in this old world to make God the center of our being. To do so we must determine to keep his commandments. Spiritual attainment, not physical possessions, not the indulgence and the gratification of the body, must become the chief goal.

"Only in the complete surrender of our inner life may we rise above the selfish, sordid pull of nature. We should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What the spirit is to the body, God is to the spirit. As the body dies when the spirit leaves it, so the spirit dies when we exclude God from it. I cannot imagine peace in a world from which God and religion are banished."

- David O. McKay, "Old Battles Yet to be Fought—New Victories to Win," Conference Report, October 1945, pp. 129-135
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As disciples of Christ, we face the task of striving to "accept Christ as the great Examplar and the safest Guide." A disciple is one who disciplines himself in following the teachings and example of another. But as President McKay teaches, it's not always an easy task:

So with obedience to commandments as our chief discipline, we must surrender ourselves. Not just superficially, in outward compliance; but "the complete surrender of our inner life" is the key to having God at the center of our being. In the end, that is truly the only source of peace in the world.

Howard W. Hunter on following Christ in simplicity

President Howard W. Hunter (1907-1995) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1959.  He served as Church President for only nine months, from June 5, 1994 to his death on March 3, 1995.

"In this world of confusion and rushing, temporal progress, we need to return to the simplicity of Christ. We need to love, honor, and worship him. To acquire spirituality and have its influence in our lives, we cannot become confused and misdirected by the twisted teachings of the modernist. We need to study the simple fundamentals of the truths taught by the Master and eliminate the controversial. Our faith in God needs to be real and not speculative. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ can be a dynamic, moving influence, and true acceptance gives us a meaningful, religious experience. One of the great strengths of the Mormon religion is this translation of belief into daily thinking and conduct. This replaces turmoil and confusion with peace and tranquility."

- Howard W. Hunter, "Where, Then, is Hope?", Conference Report, October 1970, pp. 129-132; see also Improvement Era Dec. 1970, p. 117
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Some of President Hunter's most moving and inspiring messages were simple reminders of the power and blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of discipleship in following Him. This is a wonderful example. While we sometimes are tempted to complicate our lives and our faith, President Hunter invites us "to return to the simplicity of Christ."

The message of the Gospel "can be a dynamic, moving influence"—can be, but only if we are committed in every way to allow it to be, as we fulfill the conditions to make it so. The great key to the process lies in the "translation of belief into daily thinking and conduct." The teachings of the Church are empty and meaningless if they do not result in changes in behavior. True disciples not only believe differently, they behave differently!

Elder Neal A. Maxwell on dealing with the challenges of the last days

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) served as a Seventy from 1976-1981, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve until his death from cancer in 2004.

"We surely have been warned and forewarned about our time, a period in which the compression of challenges may make a year seem like a decade. Members will be cleverly mocked and scorned by those in the 'great and spacious building,' representing the pride of the world (1 Ne. 8:26; 1 Ne. 11:36). No matter, for ere long, He who was raised on the third day will raze that spacious but third-class hotel!

"Ours will be a time of great inversion as well as perversion, as some will call good evil and evil good (see Isa. 5:20; 2 Ne. 15:20; D&C 64:16; 2 Ne. 2:5). Others, in their ignorance of spiritual truths, will 'speak evil of those things which they know not' (Jude 1:10; see 2 Pet. 2:12).

"Peace has already been taken from the earth (see D&C 1:35). Nation will rise against nation (see Matt. 24:7). It will also be a time of hardening as the love of many waxes cold and iniquity abounds (see D&C 45:27). Secular bewilderment will be epidemic amid the 'distress of nations, with perplexity' (Luke 21:25) as various vexations will mock man’s cosmetic remedies....

"We cannot expect to live in such a world without experiencing certain consequences of these conditions. Yet we can always keep our covenants, even if we cannot keep such conditions from coming.

"The Lord, who knows all that through which we will pass, will help us to overcome in our 'small moment' of time (D&C 122:4). If we are settled, we will 'endure it well' (D&C 121:8) and 'hold fast' (1 Thes. 5:21). Endured righteously, 'all these things shall give [us] experience, and shall be for [our] good' (D&C 122:7). 'Think it not strange' when disciples are called upon to pass through 'the fiery trial,' said Peter (1 Pet. 4:12)....

"The spiritually settled will finally overcome, and the glorious promise is, 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne' (Rev. 3:21)."

- Neal A. Maxwell, "Overcome... Even as I also Overcame," Ensign, May 1987, pp. 70-71
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The challenges of "our time" are escalating, as prophets have foretold. For those seeking to stay on the path Lehi and Nephi were shown, the pressures of the world are increasing. We've seen in recent months how dramatic those swings in public sentiment can be; and we are far from over with the challenges to come. But as Elder Maxwell points out, the mockery from the "great and spacious building" will eventually cease:

Elder Maxwell goes on to describe the deteriorating moral, intellectual, and spiritual environment of the modern world, and warns that suffering some consequences of that decline will be inevitable for many of us. But the key is to cling to covenants; earlier in this talk, he says, "if we will keep our covenants, the covenants will keep us spiritually safe." We truly need to be "spiritually settled" in order to survive those conditions and eventually overcome the world and its shortcomings.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)

Neil L. Andersen on seeking the Savior's help in our lives

Elder Neil L. Andersen (1951- ) served as a Seventy beginning in 1993, and was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2009.

"Personal revelation received through the gift of the Holy Ghost guides us through the unforeseen in accomplishing what we are here to do. And personal righteousness is essential to having the gift of the Holy Ghost. We will not be guided by the Holy Ghost if we are casual about our obedience.

"Central to all that we think and do is the Lord Jesus Christ. His life is our model. It is because of Him that we will live again. It is by the power of His Atonement that we can stand clean in the presence of our Father. We learn to love our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. I like the statement 'He loves the Lord with all his heart who loves nothing in comparison of him, and nothing but in reference to him' (Howard W. Hunter, in CR, April 1965, 58). Jesus said, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' (John 14:15)."

- Neil A. Andersen, "Preparing for Your Spiritual Destiny," CES fireside, January 10, 2010
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This is one of the most repeated instructions of the Gospel message. Personal righteousness, through diligent obedience, is the fundamental requirement to qualify for the gift of the Holy Ghost in our lives. With that gift, we are enabled to receive personal revelation to guide us in accomplishing our mortal purpose.

I was grateful for Elder Andersen's expression of the central role of the Savior in that process. How very true this statement feels to one who strives to be a disciple of Jesus Christ!

D. Todd Christofferson on appropriate leisure activities

Elder D. Todd Christofferson (b. January 24, 1945) was called to the Seventy in 1993, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2008.

"Having spoken in praise of labor, I must also add a kind word for leisure. Just as honest toil gives rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steadying companion of work. Music, literature, art, dance, drama, athletics—all can provide entertainment to enrich one's life and further consecrate it. At the same time, it hardly needs to be said that much of what passes for entertainment today is coarse, degrading, violent, mind-numbing, and time wasting. Ironically, it sometimes takes hard work to find wholesome leisure. When entertainment turns from virtue to vice, it becomes a destroyer of the consecrated life."

- D. Todd Christofferson, "Reflections on a Consecrated Life," Ensign, November 2010, pp. 16-19
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This was a particularly fascinating talk, as Elder Christofferson discussed what a "consecrated life" represents and includes. The focus on both labor and leisure was particularly interesting to me; each plays a critical in the disciple's life.

But the caution is also very appropriate; we should never justify inappropriate leisure activities as beneficial just in the name of "entertainment." Elder Christofferson notes that "it sometimes takes hard work to find wholesome leisure." We can't just accept what the world around us suggests, since that is one of the areas where the adversary works diligently to distract. And we also need to be cautious that leisure has the appropriate balance of time and energy in our lives. Good reminders!

Quentin L. Cook on living in tune with the music of faith

Elder Quentin L. Cook (b. 1940) was called as a Seventy in 1996, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2007.

"Please understand that having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments are and always will be the defining test of mortality. Above all else, each of us must realize that when one is tone-deaf to the music of faith, he or she is out of tune with the Spirit. As the prophet Nephi taught, 'Ye have heard his voice...; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words' (1 Nephi 17:45).

"Our doctrine is clear; we are to be positive and of good cheer. We emphasize our faith, not our fears. We rejoice in the Lord's assurance that He will stand by us and give us guidance and direction. (See D&C 68:6.) The Holy Ghost testifies to our hearts that we have a loving Father in Heaven, whose merciful plan for our redemption will be fulfilled in every aspect because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ....

"Let us, therefore, wherever we are on the path of discipleship in Lehi's vision, resolve to awaken within us and our families a greater desire to claim the Savior's incomprehensible gift of eternal life. I pray that we will stay in tune with the music of faith."

- Quentin L. Cook, "In Tune with the Music of Faith," Ensign, May 2012, pp. 41-44
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This is one of those quotes where I like to second-guess myself. What might I have said is "the defining test of mortality"? Elder Cook suggests his answer is "having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments." That's a wonderful answer! Will we learn to trust God? Will we learn to obey under any circumstances?

But then the caution. Though the gospel and God's plan are presented as the sweet music of eternity, we can become "tone-deaf to the music of faith" (a wonderful phrase he borrows from an English Rabbi) to the point that we fail to hear and feel the power that is offered to us. While those who are "tone-deaf" to music in the traditional sense might not have chosen that malady, and might long to appreciate the beauty music offers, in this symbolic sense, we choose to block out the ability to appreciate the sweet music of the Gospel as we fall short in that defining test of mortality.

The challenge from Elder Cook in this wonderful address is to "awake within us and our families a greater desire to claim the Savior's incomprehensible gift of eternal life."

Wilford Woodruff on revelation and the strength of women in the Church

Wilford Woodruff (1807-1898) was called as an apostle in 1839 by Joseph Smith, and sustained as the 4th president of the Church in 1889.  He served until his death in 1898 at age 91.

"Oh! Ye Latter-day Saints, you talk about revelation, and wonder if there is any revelation. Why, bless your souls, say nothing about the Apostles and Elders around me, these mountains contain thousands upon thousands of devoted women, holy women, righteous women, virtuous women, who are filled with the inspiration of Almighty God. Yes, these women have brought forth an army of sons and daughters in these mountains, by the power of God, and these sons and daughters partake of the inspiration of their mothers, as well as of their fathers.... Yes, we have revelation. The Church of God could not live twenty-four hours without revelation."

- Wilford Woodruff, Deseret Weekly, 45:545, October 9, 1892; see Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 61
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This statement was shared in 1892, a few months before the dedication of the Salt Lake temple. Life was quite different in the Utah territory (didn't become a state until 1896) than it is today. But I think the message of this quote still rings true. Revelation abounds, and one of the greatest recipients of that gift are the faithful and sensitive women in Zion.

The question then is, am *I* receiving the revelation that I should? If not, why not? Joseph Smith taught, “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them..." (History of the Church, 3:380).