Brigham Young on contentment and joy from heaven

President Brigham Young (1801-1877) was part of the first Quorum of Twelve Apostles of this dispensation, called and ordained in 1835. He served as the second Church president, succeeding Joseph Smith, from 1847 until his death in 1877.

"It is a mistaken idea in the inhabitants of the earth to conclude that it will not do for them to yield obedience to the commandments of heaven, lest it should abridge them in their comforts and in their enjoyments; for there is no real peace, there is no real happiness in anything in heaven or on the earth, except to those who serve the Lord. In His service there is joy, there is happiness; but they are not to be found anywhere else. In it there are peace and comfort; but when the soul is filled with joy, with peace, and with glory, and is perfectly satisfied therewith a person even then has but little idea of that which is in store for all the faithful.

"Thrust a man into prison and bind him with chains, and then let him be filled with the comfort and with the glory of eternity, and that prison is a palace to him. Again, let a man be seated upon a throne with power and dominion in this world, ruling his millions and millions, and without that peace which flows from the Lord of Hosts—without that contentment and joy that comes from heaven, his palace is a prison; his life is a burden to him; he lives in fear, in dread, and in sorrow. But when a person is filled with the peace and power of God, all is right with him."

- Brigham Young, remarks in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, July 5, 1857; see JD 5:1-2, DBY 33
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The great quest of mankind seems to be happiness—where to find it, how to preserve it. President Young points out the fallacy of his time, dramatically more common in our own day, of men thinking that God's commandments are restricting and confining, and contrary to happiness. He asserts just the opposite; "there is no real happiness in anything in heaven or on the earth, except to those who serve the Lord." Further, he points out that the joy and comfort a righteous soul experiences in this life are but a small taste of things to come.

He goes on to illustrate his belief in this interesting excerpt:

The outer, physical circumstances have little to do with real joy, deep joy. It's what lies in our heart and our spirit that matter, not where we are or what our surrounding circumstances might me.  "All is right" in any circumstance "when a person is filled with the peace and power of God."

Ezra Taft Benson on thinking Christlike thoughts

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1943, and served as the 13th President of the Church from 1985 until his death in 1994 at age 94.

"If our thoughts make us what we are, and we are to be like Christ, then we must think Christlike thoughts.

"Paul, en route to Damascus to persecute the Saints, saw a light from heaven and heard the voice of the Lord. Then Paul asked a simple question—and the persistent asking of the same question changed his life. 'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?' (Acts 9:6.) The persistent asking of that same question can also change your life. There is no greater question that you can ask in this world. 'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?' I challenge you to make that the uppermost question of your life.

"We are accountable for our thoughts and what we think about. Our thoughts should be on the Lord. We should think on Christ."

- Ezra Taft Benson, "Think on Christ," Ensign, March 1989, p. 2
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This is a simple axiom: "If our thoughts make us what we are, and we are to be like Christ, then we must think Christlike thoughts." We might effectively reverse the conditional and say, "If we think Christlike thoughts, we will become like Christ because our thoughts make us what we are."

That is certainly the beginning of the process. The next insight comes as we ponder Paul's profound and faith-filled question as experienced his soul-changing conversion: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

President Benson challenges us to make Paul's question "the uppermost question of [our] life." We should, in a spirit of constant humility and discipleship, be asking Him what He would have us do in life. The results of that kind of life will be astonishing. That certainly accelerates the process, helping us think most Christlike thoughts, and therefore progress much more rapidly on the path towards becoming Christlike ourselves.

Boyd K. Packer on worthiness for personal inspiration

President Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015) served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve (a position that no longer exists) from 1961 to 1970, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He served as president of that Quorum from 1994 until his death on July 3, 2015 at age 90.

"That sweet, quiet voice of inspiration comes more as a feeling than it does as a sound. Pure intelligence can be spoken into the mind. The Holy Ghost communicates with our spirits through the mind more than through the physical senses. This guidance comes as thoughts, as feelings through promptings and impressions. We may feel the words of spiritual communication more than hear them and see with spiritual rather than with mortal eyes....

"The Lord has many ways of pouring knowledge into our minds to prompt us, to guide us, to teach us, to correct us, to warn us. The Lord said, 'I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart' (D&C 8:2).

"And Enos recorded, 'While I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again' (Enos 1:10).

"You can know the things you need to know. Pray that you will learn to receive that inspiration and remain worthy to receive it. Keep that channel—your mind—clean and free from the clutter of the world."

- Boyd K. Packer, "Prayer and Promptings," Ensign, Nov. 2009, pp. 43-46
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So much of our mortal communication with one another depends on our physical senses—hearing speech, decoding nuances and inflections, trying to interpret meaning. Often visual cues become a part of that. But President Packer is teaching us about a different kind of communication, one that comes through our spirits. We experience "pure intelligence" entering our minds. We feel words more than hear them. The imagery of God "pouring knowledge into our minds" is a powerful one, much to be desired!

Our part in this process of divine communication is clear. We must prepare the receptacle to receive that which is to be "poured." Our minds must be clean, worthy, open, and ready!

Harold B. Lee on not postponing efforts to improve

President Harold B. Lee (1899-1973) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1941. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1970-1972, then as Church president from July 1972 until his passing less than 18 months later in December 1973.

"Today is the day for us to begin to search our souls. Have you discovered which is the most important of all the commandments to you today? ... Are you going to begin working on it today? Or are you going to wait until it is too late?

"The little boy says, 'Well, when I get to be a big boy, then I’m going to do so and so.' And what is that? When he gets to be a big boy, ... then he says, 'When I get married, then I’ll do so and so.' And then after he gets married, it all changes, and 'Well, when I retire.' And then after he is retired, a cold wind sweeps down over him and suddenly he realizes too late that he has lost everything. And it is too late. And yet all his life he has had all the time that there was. He just hasn’t taken advantage of it.

"Now, today, this is the day for us to begin to do something about it, before it is too late."

- Harold B. Lee, Address given to Ricks College student body and leaders, 3 March 1962, Historical Department Archives, 20–21; see Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee pp. 227-229

In a different setting, President Lee talked about the "most important of all the commandments of God" for each of us as being the one that we might be personally struggling with most today (see this quote). He begins with a similar idea in this excerpt, encouraging us to discover what the most important commandment is and then begin working on it.

The rest of the quote seems to expand the idea of not delaying, applying it not just to repentance and obedience, but other worthwhile aspects of our lives that might be postponed for one reason or another. What a great reminder. There are so many good things to do, so much that competes for our time and attention; but we should never put off dreams or good intentions until it becomes too late. We are meant to live our lives, with joy!

James E. Faust on choosing to stand against the world

President James E. Faust (1920 - 2007) was called as a Seventy in 1976, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve in 1978. He served as a counselor to President Hinckley from 1995 until his death in 2007 at age 87.

"There is another great truth that you... must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure. Preparation, work, study, and service are required to achieve and find happiness. Disobedience and lack of preparation carry a terrible price tag.

"As [members] of this Church, part of the price we need to pay is by living differently from the world. We are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers which can and do roll back the power of Satan on the earth. With all my heart I urge you to please help us push back the world. We must stand against the wind. Sometimes we must be unpopular and simply say, 'This is not right.'"

- James E. Faust, "The Devil's Throat," Ensign, May 2003, pp. 51-53
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"Everything has a price." President Faust calls this "a great truth." We don't often realize that we are paying a price for future results. Sometimes we unwittingly pay a price of negligence or laziness, or disobedience; and are eventually rewarded with exactly what we have earned. "There are no freebies," and there also is no freedom from the consequences of choices and actions.

So the challenge President Faust offers is to live differently from the world. We then will be paying the price of different results from what the world sees.

The call is to "push back the world" as much as we can, individually and collectively in our respective spheres of influence. It's a bold challenge, to be willing to stand for truth and righteousness regardless of the consequences; and one that we should ponder frequently.

Gordon B. Hinckley on doing our best and not feeling like failures

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1961, served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1981-1995, then as Church President until his death in 2008 at age 97.

"I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. Please don't nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept of your effort....

"Yes, there are adversities to be overcome, not a few of them. There are trials to be endured. There is much of evil in the world and too much of harshness, even in the home. Do what you can to rise above all of this. Stand up. Speak out against evil and brutality. Safeguard against abuse. Keep out of your homes the filthiness of the world, which can lead to such abuse. Rise up in the stature of your divine inheritance. God bless you."

- Gordon B. Hinckley, "Rise to the Stature of the Divine Within You," Ensign, November 1989, p. 94
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President Hinckley was a enduring optimist. He often encouraged positive outlooks on life in spite of the temporary setbacks and challenges we encounter. I particularly like the counsel in this quote. Recognizing that many are prone to criticize themselves and become discouraged when things don't work out, he reminded us that when we "simply do what [we] can, in the best way [we] know" we can be assured "the Lord will accept of [our] effort."

President Hinckley was also realistic. He recognized the "evil" and "harshness" that abound in the world, and sometimes even in our homes. But he challenged us all to "rise above all of this" as we choose to stand up for hope and righteousness. We do that by combating evil, keeping our homes a safe haven, and always remembering to "rise up to the stature of [our] divine inheritance." Very wise counsel.

Spencer W. Kimball on powerful examples of living by faith

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) was ordained an apostle in 1943 and served as President of the Church from 1973 to 1985.

"Remember that Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and others could not see clearly the end from the beginning. They also walked by faith and without sight.

"Remember again that no gates were open; Laban was not drunk (1 Ne. 4:7); and no earthly hope was justified at the moment Nephi exercised his faith and set out finally to get the plates.

"No asbestos clothes or other ordinary protective devices were in the fiery furnace to protect the three Hebrews from death (Dan. 3:20); there were no leather nor metal muzzles for the mouths of the lions when Daniel was locked in the den (Dan. 6:16).

"Remember that there were no clouds in the sky nor any hydrometer in his hand when Elijah promised an immediate break in the long extended drought; though Joshua may have witnessed the miracle of the Red Sea, yet how could he by mortal means perceive that the flooding Jordan would back up for the exact time needed for the crossing, and then flow on its way to the Dead Sea.

"Remember that there were no clouds in the sky, no evidence of rain, and no precedent for the deluge when Noah builded the ark according to commandment (Gen. 6:14). There was no ram in the thicket when Isaac and his father left for Moriah for the sacrifice (Gen. 22:13).

"Remember there were no towns and cities, no farms and gardens, no homes and storehouses, no blossoming desert in Utah when the persecuted pioneers crossed the plains.

"And remember that there were no heavenly beings in Palmyra, on the Susquehanna or on Cumorah when the soul-hungry Joseph slipped quietly into the Grove, knelt in prayer on the river bank, and climbed the slopes of the sacred hill.

"But know this: that undaunted faith can stop the mouths of lions, make ineffective the fiery flames, make dry corridors through beds of rivers and seas. Unwavering faith can protect against deluge, terminate droughts, heal the sick, and bring heavenly manifestations. Indomitable faith can help us live the commandments and thereby bring blessings unnumbered with peace, perfection, and exaltation in the kingdom of God."

- Spencer W. Kimball, "Faith Precedes the Miracle," Conference Report, October 1952, pp. 46-51
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This message was shared by a relatively young Elder Kimball long before he published a book with the title "Faith Precedes the Miracle." This great talk set the tone and theme for that classic compilation. I like the scriptural analysis of so many examples of those who moved forward in faith and obedience in order to fulfill the Lord's commands. It's reassuring to know that even prophets of God often "could not see clearly the end from the beginning" as they dealt with the challenges of their lives. We can be inspired by their examples as they "walked by faith and without sight" knowing that we must do the same in our lives.

After listing the many examples of those who had no concrete physical justification for the course they were asked to follow, this ringing testimony confirmed the message:

As we develop undaunted, unwavering, and indomitable faith in God and His purposes, the direction of our lives will be clear and that faith will carry us forward.