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© 2008 Intellectual
Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Testimony
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
What do we mean when we testify and
say that we know the gospel is true? Contrast that kind
of knowledge with “I know it is cold outside,” or “I
know I lovev my wife.” These are three different kinds of
knowledge, each learned in a different way. Knowledge of outside
temperature can be verified by scientific proof. Knowledge that
we love our spouse is personal and subjective. While not capable
of scientific proof, it is still important. The idea that all important
knowledge is based on scientific evidence is simply untrue.
While there are some “evidences”
for gospel truths (e.g. see Psalms 19:1; Hel. 8:24), scientific
methods will not yield spiritual knowledge. This is what Jesus taught
in response to Simon Peter’s testimony that He was the Christ:
“Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath
not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven”
(Matt. 16:17).
The Apostle Paul explained this. In
a letter to the Corinthians saints he said “the things of
God knoweth no man, but [by] the Spirit of God” ( 1 Cor. 2:11;
also see John 14:17).
In contrast, we know the things of
man by the ways of man, but “the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him;
neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Book of Mormon teaches that God
will manifest the truth of spiritual things unto us by the power
of the H oly Ghost (see Moroni 10:4). In modern revelation God promises
us that we will receive “knowledge” by His telling us
in our mind and in our heart “by the Holy Ghost” (D&C
8:1-2).
One of the greatest things about our
Heavenly Father’s plan for His children is that each of us
can know the truth of that plan for ourselves. That revealed knowledge
does not come from books, from scientific proof, or from intellectual
pondering. As with the Apostle Peter, we can receive that knowledge
directly from our Heavenly Father through the witness of the Holy
Ghost.
When we know spiritual truths by spiritual
means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as a scholar or
scientist is of the different kinds of knowledge they have acquired
by different methods.
The Prophet Joseph Smith provided a
wonderful example of this. When he was persecuted for telling people
about his vision, he likened his circumstance to the Apostle Paul,
who was ridiculed and reviled as he made his defense before King
Agrippa (see Acts 26).
“But all of this did not destroy
the reality of his vision,” Joseph said. “He had seen
a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could
not make it otherwise … So it was with me,” Joseph continued.
“I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light
I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me…I
had seen a vision: I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I
could not deny it, neither dared I do it.” (Joseph Smith —
History 1:23-25).
Gaining a Testimony of God, the Father; His Son, Jesus Christ;
and the Holy Ghost
Elder Robert D. Hales
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder Robert D. Hales
The manner by which God the Father
introduced his Son on several occasions is significant: “”And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water…And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased” (Matt. 3: 16-17). And again, on the Mount
of Transfiguration: “There came a voice out of the cloud saying,
This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35).
When Jesus appeared on the American
continent, He was introduced in the same way: “Behold my Beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name
— hear ye him” (3 Nephi 11:7). And then nearly two millennia
later, the same words were spoken to the young Joseph Smith: “This
is My Beloved Son. Hear Him” (Joseph Smith — History
1:9).
It is of special significance that
whenever Heavenly Father wants to introduce His Son to us, He commands
us to listen — to “hear” the words of Jesus. Who
is this Jesus? He participated with His Father in the creation of
the world and was responsible, under the direction of His Father,
to create all things on the face of the earth. “And world
without number have I created and I also created them for mine own
purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten”
(Moses 1:33).
Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten of
the Father in the flesh. He is our mediator with the Father. He
is the Savior who laid down His life for us and pleads our cause
with the Father.
Opening Our Hearts
Elder Gerald N. Lund
Of the Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Gerald N. Lund
The Holy Ghost is a Personage of Spirit,
which allows Him to dwell in our hearts and communicate directly
with our spirits. The voice of the Spirit is described as still
and small, and one that whispers. How can a voice be still? Why
is it likened to a whisper? Because the Spirit almost always speaks
to our minds and to our hearts, rather than to our ears. President
Boyd K. Packer has said: “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice
that you feel more than you hear.”
We feel things in our hearts. In the
scriptures the prophets teach that personal revelation is closely
linked to the heart. For example: Mormon taught, “because
of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the
Holy Ghost” (Moroni 8:26).
Alma said: “he that will harden
his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and
he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion
of the word” (Alma 12:10).
Helaman taught: “[Their souls
were filled} with joy and consolation … because of their yielding
their hearts unto God” (Helaman 3:35).
The Psalmist wrote: “The Lord
is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18).
Isn’t that something we all seek?
To be visited by the Holy Ghost? To have the Lord draw closer to
us? To find joy and consolation in our lives? If so, then carefully
assessing the condition of our hearts is one of the most essential
things we can do in this life.
The heart is a tender place. It is
sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can
be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened
by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is
like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one
can enter that gate unless we allow them to.
In some cases the fence we erect around
our heart could be likened to a small, picket fence with a “Welcome”
sign on the gate. Other hearts have been so hurt or so deadened
by sin, that they have an eight-foot chain link fence topped with
razor wire around them. The gate is padlocked and has a large “No
Trespassing” sign on it.
Service, a Divine Quality
Elder Carlos H. Amado
Of the Seventy
Elder Carlos H. Amado
I testify that through serving our
fellowmen we come to know the Lord. Service makes us strong in our
faith and useful in His kingdom. Service gives us purpose and courage
in life.
It brings us closer to God and helps
us refine our divine nature. It teaches us to love and understand
our fellowmen, and it helps us forget about our personal desires,
eliminating selfishness, pride, and ingratitude. It teaches us to
think of the needs of others, which allows us to develop the virtues
that the Savior possesses.
Kindness, love, patience, understanding,
and unity will increase as we serve, while intolerance, jealously,
envy, greed, and selfishness decrease or disappear. The more we
give of ourselves, the more our capacity to serve, understand, and
love will grow.
Those who serve will always seek to
please God and live in harmony with Him. They will be full of peace;
they will have a cheerful countenance and a spirit of kindness.
Those who serve will strive to ennoble, build, and lift their fellowmen;
therefore they will find the good in others, and they will not find
reason or have time to become offended. They develop the virtue
of praying for those who criticize. They don’t expect recognition
or reward. They possess the love of Christ.
Three Presiding High Priests
Elder William R. Walker
Of the Second Quorum of Seventy
Elder William R. Walker
I first learned the importance of the
First Presidency as a boy growing up in Western Canada. When I would
go to Grandma and Grandpa Walker’s home, I was greeted in
the entry by a framed photo of the First Presidency of the Church.
I remember it well. It seemed that they stood as sentinels, greeting
all who entered.
The beautiful color photo was of President
George Albert Smith, with his counselors, J. Reuben Clark Jr. and
David O. McKay. The photo showed them standing together by a large
world globe. I loved the picture. They were such handsome and dignified
men; I knew them as the prophet of God and his counselors.
That picture hanging in the front foyer
of my grandparents’ home had a powerful influence on me. I
lived in the small prairie town of Raymond, where my grandparents
lived. I could walk to their home, so I visited often. I remember
frequently standing quietly alone in the foyer reverently looking
at that picture of the First Presidency. I remember thinking about
why my grandparents thought it was so important to honor the First
Presidency and have that picture prominently displayed in their
home. All who entered would see it. Perhaps most importantly, for
their children and grandchildren, it was a constant reminder of
what was deeply important in the hearts and lives of Grandma and
Grandpa.
Years later I concluded that displaying
the picture of the First Presidency was equivalent to Joshua’s
beautiful expression: “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
All who entered the home of James and
Fannye Walker knew that written upon their hearts were the words:
“As for (us) and (our) house, we will serve the Lord.”
As their grandson, I knew it and I have never forgotten it.
To Heal the Shattering Consequences of Abuse”
Elder Richard G. Scott
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder Richard G. Scott
Moral agency is a vital element in
our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness. He understood that
some of His spirit children would use that agency improperly causing
serious problems to others. Some would even violate sacred trust,
such as a father or family member abusing an innocent child.
Since our Heavenly Father is completely
just, there has to be a way of overcoming the tragic consequences
of such damaging use of agency for both the victim and the perpetrator.
That secure healing comes through the power of the Atonement of
His Beloved Son Jesus Christ to rectify that which is unjust.
Faith in Jesus Christ and in His power
to heal provides the abused with the means to overcome the terrible
consequences of another’s unrighteous acts. When combined
with complete repentance, the Atonement also affords the perpetrator
a way to avoid the severe punishment the Lord has decreed for such
acts.
I testify that I know victims of serious
abuse who have successfully made the difficult journey to full healing
through the power of the Atonement. After her own concerns were
resolved by her faith in the haling power of the Atonement, one
young woman who had been severely abused by her father requested
another interview. She returned with an older couple. I could sense
that she loved the two very deeply. Her face radiated happiness.
She began, “Elder Scott, this
is my father. I love him. He’s concerned about some things
happened in my early childhood. They are no longer a problem for
me. Could you help him?”
What a powerful confirmation of the
Savior’s capacity to heal! She no longer suffered from the
consequences of abuse because she had adequate understanding of
His Atonement, sufficient faith, and was obedient to His law. As
you conscientiously study the Atonement and exercise your faith
that Jesus Christ has the power to heal, you can receive the same
blessed relief. During your journey of recovery, accept His invitation
to let Him share your burden until you have sufficient time and
strength to be healed.
To find relief from the consequences
of abuse, it is helpful to understand their source. Satan is the
author of all of the destructive outcomes of abuse. He has extraordinary
capacity to lead an individual into blind alleys where the solution
to extremely challenging problems cannot be found. His strategy
is to separate the suffering soul from the healing attainable from
a compassionate Heavenly Father and a loving Redeemer.
If you have been abused, Satan will
strive to convince you that there is no solution. Yet he knows perfectly
well that there is. Satan recognizes that healing comes through
the unwavering love of Heavenly Father for each of His children.
He also understands that the power of healing is inherent in the
Atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore, his strategy is to do all
possible to separate you from your Father and His Son. Do not let
Satan convince you that you are beyond help.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Elder L. Tom Perry
Of the Quorum of the Twelve
Elder L. Tom Perry
The apostle Paul boldly declared: “For
I am not ashamed of the gospel Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16).
This same boldness is declared by our full-time missionaries as
they serve in many parts of the world …
What do we know about eternal life?
We learn from Moses 1:39 that the Lord’s work and glory is
to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. This teaches
us that immortality and eternal life are separate and distinct.
The gift of eternal life, which is promised only when certain conditions
are met, is so much greater than the gift of immortality. According
to Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
Eternal life is not a name that has
reference only to the unending duration of a future life; immortality
is to live forever in the resurrected state, an d by the grace
of God all men will gain this unending continuance of life. But
only those who obey the fullness of the gospel law will inherit
eternal life. It is the greatest of all the gifts of God, ‘for
it is the kind, status, type, and quality of life that God himself
enjoys. Thus those who gain eternal life receive exaltation; they
are sons of God, joint-heirs with Christ, members of the Church
of the Firstborn; they overcome all things, have all power, and
receive the fullness of the Father…
…In many cookbooks there are
pictures of the perfect dishes that recipes make — the fullness
of the joy of cooking. These pictures are important because they
help us envision the outcome if we strictly follow the directions
as given in the recipe. It is important to begin with the end in
mind, but the end represented by pictures in cookbooks is an end
that is only possible if everything is done right.
If directions are not followed or an
ingredient is left out or miscalculated, the desired taste and appearance
are seldom attained. The picture of a perfect dish, however, can
serve as motivation to try again to create something that is both
delicious and beautiful.
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