President Spencer W. Kimball on the proper spirit of Christmas giving

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

"Like the wise men who opened their treasury and presented to Jesus gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, we present to our loved ones things to eat and wear and enjoy.

"Though we make an effort to follow the pattern of gift giving, sometimes our program becomes an exchange—gift given for gift expected. Never did the Savior give in expectation. I know of no case in his life in which there was an exchange. He was always the giver, seldom the recipient. Never did he give shoes, hose, or a vehicle; never did he give perfume, a shirt, or a fur wrap. His gifts were of such a nature that the recipient could hardly exchange or return the value. His gifts were rare ones: eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and breath to the lifeless. His gifts were opportunity to the downtrodden, freedom to the oppressed, light in the darkness, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing. His friends gave him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of himself, his love, his service, his life. The wise men brought him gold and frankincense. He gave them and all their fellow mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life. We should strive to give as he gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift."

- Spencer W. Kimball, "The Wondrous Gift," pamphlet, 1978; see also TSWK pp. 246-247

In the gift-giving of this Christmas season, it's very easy to lose focus on the meaning of the action. Even if we're not giving "in expectation" of a return, or in response to a previous gift, we can still give just to impress or just because we feel it's expected. I love President Kimball's analysis of the meaning of our gifts in light of the Savior's example.

This is a beautiful conclusion and a sacred reminder:

"We should strive to give as he gave.
To give of oneself is a holy gift."

Ralph Waldo Emerson — "The only true gift is a portion of thyself."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
December 17, 2015

President James E. Faust on the Christmas message of service to God and man

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.

"At this Christmas season, let us take time to ponder the significance of the birth, the life, and the death of the Savior of the world. Of all the pronouncements in sacred or profane literature, the announcement of the angel to the shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night was highly significant.

"'And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

"'For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord' (Luke 2:10–11)....

"You have heard it said that the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.

"At the heart of the message of the Savior of the world is a single, glorious, wonderful, still largely untried concept. In its simplest terms the message is that we should seek to overcome the selfishness we all seem to be born with, that we should overcome human nature and think of others before self. We should think of God and serve Him, and think of others and serve them."

- James E. Faust, "A Pattern of Love," Ensign, Dec. 1999, pp. 2-4
Click here to read the full talk

President Faust offered a wonderful summary of the spirit of the Christmas season, as embodied in the central message of the Savior's entire mortal ministry.

This message should be the core of our Christmas celebration, this year and always. How may I better love and serve God? How may I better love and serve my fellowmen? This "Christian ideal" must not be neglected just because it may be difficult. But it ceases to become difficult as we follow more faithfully and become more like Him who showed us the way.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
December 12, 2015

Elder Ronald A. Rasband on worshipping at Christmas

Elder Ronald A. Rasband (b. 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 2000.  He was the senior president of the Seventy when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2015.

"Imagine that scene in Judea—the sky filled with the brilliance of a magnificent star and choruses from heaven marking this singular event. The shepherds then went 'with haste' (Luke 2:16) to see the babe lying in a manger. And later they 'made known abroad' (Luke 2:17) what they had seen.

"Each year at Christmas we add our witness to that of the shepherds that Jesus Christ, the literal Son of the living God, came to a corner of the earth in what we call the Holy Land. 

"The shepherds reverently approached the stable to worship the King of kings. How will we worship Him this season? Endlessly shopping? Hustling about and adorning our homes? Will that be our tribute to our Savior? Or will we bring peace to troubled hearts, good will to those in need of higher purpose, glory to God in our willingness to do His bidding? Jesus put it simply: 'Come, [and] follow me' (Luke 18:22)."

- Ronald A. Rasband, "Glory to God," First Presidency Christmas Devotional, December 8, 2013
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

What a powerful experience those humble Judean shepherds had, as they heard announcements from heavenly messengers! They were so deeply touched that they left their accustomed and assigned duties "with haste." One wonders what happened to the sheep under their care. Did some stay behind to watch? Were their heavenly guardians at hand filling in? Regardless, the record says the shepherds quickly made their way to the stable and manger, and then afterwards were eager to share the joyous news of what they had learned and experienced.

As we consider the example of those shepherds, we are led to ask ourselves, as Elder Rasband suggests: what is our method of worship as we enjoy the Christmas season?

The best worship clearly is emulation, following the teachings and example of service, sharing the message of hope and love. The best gift to Him on Christmas would be a renewed commitment to personally follow Him.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
December 24, 2016

Elder James E. Talmage on being purified to feel the powers of God

Elder James E. Talmage (1862-1933) was born in England. He was a brilliant scholar, trained as a geologist and mathematician. But he's perhaps best known today among Church members for his classic writings, including "Jesus the Christ," "The Articles of Faith," and "The Holy Temple." He was called as an apostle in 1911 and served until his death in 1933 at age 70.

"Subtler, mightier, and more mysterious than any or all of the physical forces of nature are the powers that operate upon conscious organisms, the means by which the mind, the heart, the soul of man may be energized by spiritual forces. In our ignorance of the true nature of electricity we may speak of it as a fluid; and so by analogy the forces through which the mind is governed have been called spiritual fluids. The true nature of these manifestations of energy is unknown to us, for the elements of comparison and analogy, so necessary to our human reasoning, are wanting; nevertheless the effects are experienced by all.

"As the conducting medium in an electric circuit is capable of conveying but a limited current, the maximum capacity depending upon the resistance offered by the conductor, and, as separate circuits of different degrees of conductivity may carry currents of widely varying intensity, so human souls are of varied capacity with respect to the higher powers. But as the medium is purified, as obstructions are removed, so resistance to the energy decreases, and the forces manifest themselves with greater intensity. By analogous processes of purification our spirits may be made more susceptible to the forces of life, which are emanations from the Holy Spirit. Therefore are we taught to pray by word and action for a constantly increasing portion of the Spirit, that is, the power of the Spirit, which is a measure of this gift of God unto us."

- James E. Talmage, "Personality and Powers of the Holy Ghost," Articles of Faith, pp. 142-154
Click here to read the full chapter

Elder Talmage's scientific training and background are evident in this excerpt. In discussing the flower of electric current through a conductor, he recognizes that the "purity" of the conducting material can enhance the electrical flow. When there are impurities or filled with "obstructions" the resistance increases and the flow of current declines. But for maximum efficiency and optimized current flow, the more pure the conveying substance, the better; and the analogy of the flow of the Spirit through a purified human being makes sense:

An how do we make the "conducting substance" of our beings more pure? I like Moroni's description:  "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness..." (Moroni 10:32). The process of purifying ourselves to maximize our ability to be conductors of the spirit, so that the spiritual forces might "manifest themselves with greater intensity," involves removing all the "ungodly" impurities from our lives. This is the process of repentance.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
September 21, 2017

President George Q. Cannon on God's support for His children

President George Q. Cannon (1827-1901) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1860. He served as counselor in the First Presidency to Brigham Young beginning in 1873, and then to the next three presidents, until his death in 1901.

"No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character. He is an unchangeable being; the same yesterday, the same today, and He will be the same throughout the eternal ages to come.

"We have found that God. We have made Him our friend, by obeying His Gospel; and He will stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep His commandments."

- George Q. Cannon, "Freedom of the Saints," in Deseret Evening News, Mar. 7, 1891, p. 4; or Collected Discourses, comp. Brian H. Stuy, 2:185

I love the faith and optimism expressed in this thought; it is even more needed today than it was 130 years ago when it was first shared. Not only do we believe God will never desert us in trials and afflictions, but he is not able to do so; his character and attributes insure that he will be with us and support us to the very end.

And the key, as always, is that "we have made Him our friend" through obedience and faithfulness. No matter the difficulty that comes, if we "trust in our God and keep His commandments," all will be well! What a beautiful expression of faith.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
January 11, 2016

Elder LeGrand Richards on the sacred gift of the Holy Ghost

Elder LeGrand Richards (1886-1983) served as the Presiding Bishop of the Church from 1938-1952, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He died in 1983 at age 96.

"I humbly pray that the Spirit of the Lord will sustain me while I address you here this afternoon and discuss with you a statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he visited President [Martin] Van Buren, president of the United States. The President asked the Prophet what difference there was between the Prophet’s church and the other churches of the world. The Prophet answered: 'We have the correct mode of baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.' Then he said: 'We considered that all other considerations were contained in the gift of the Holy Ghost'” (see History of the Church, 4:42).

"I would just like to mention a few things that occurred to me that we have by virtue of the Holy Ghost, which each of us, as members of the Church, receives by the laying on of hands by one who has the authority to thus administer that gift.

"To me, the gift of the Holy Ghost is as important to man as sunshine and water are to the plants. You take them away, and the plants would die. You take the Holy Ghost out of this Church, and this Church would not be any different than any other church. And it is manifest in so many ways in the lives and the devotion of the members of the Church."

- LeGrand Richards, "The Gift of the Holy Ghost," General Conference October 1979
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

Understanding the role and function of the Holy Ghost, and having the Priesthood keys to confer that gift on worthy members, is truly a distinguishing feature of Latter-day Saint doctrine. Elder Richards shares his witness of the sacred nature of that gift and its importance to our spiritual progress:

Perhaps we take for granted how important that gift is for us, and how critical it is for our growth and progress in this life. Elder Richards expresses that there is no life without it. And all you have to do is look at "the lives and devotion of the members of the Church" to understand how vitalizing and motivating it is.

We truly need to carefully cultivate the gift of the Holy Ghost in our personal lives, providing the water and sunlight that will sustain growth. Those things represent, of course, the spiritual nourishment that must be a part of our daily lives. It doesn't do to water a plant once in a while, or to provide sunlight on occasion; true growth requires steady, ongoing supplies.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
February 7, 2018

President Boyd K. Packer on desires for righteousness

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.

"I will not consent to any influence from the adversary. I have come to know what power he has. I know all about that. But I also have come to know the power of truth and of righteousness and of good, and I want to be good. I'm not ashamed to say that—I want to be good. And I've found in my life that it has been critically important that this was established between me and the Lord so that I knew that He knew which way I committed my agency. I went before Him and in essence said, 'I'm not neutral, and You can do with me what You want. If You need my vote, it's there. I don't care what You do with me, and You don't have to take anything from me because I give it to you—everything, all I own, all I am.' And that makes the difference."

- Boyd K. Packer, "To Those Who Teach in Troubled Times", seminary and institute conference, Summer 1970; see 'That All May Be Edified' p. 272

I was barely a teenager when Elder Packer was called as an apostle in 1970; he spent decades of his life devoted to the service of the Lord. This address was given shortly after that call came, and helps to explain that lifetime of service. President Packer had already given his life to God's service. What a powerful lesson these words are, that the life that demonstrated their truthfulness.

We should all learn this message deeply and profoundly. We can never be neutral. We must give ourselves fully to God. This is the essence of pure discipleship—to devote everything to Him.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)
July 4, 2015