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34 of Linda’s Favorite Quotes!

Some of my favorite quotes from April 2012′s General Conference which you’ll find in this month’s Ensign/Liahona are the following. They are not in any specific order. I have more but it’s super late and I just want to post this so you sisters will have them to share with the sisters you Visit Teach ONTIME and even let your husbands know because they can use these too.  Enjoy & uplift!

1. “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” – quoted by, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (from a bumper sticker he read)
2. “We are not diminished when someone else is added upon.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
3. “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary? The likelihood is most remote, but if so it could never heal its own torn pages, or reproduce its own newer editions!” -Elder Russell M. Nelson
4. “If you come upon a person who is drowning, would you ask if they need help, or would it be better to just jump in and save him from the deepening waters – the offer whilst well-meaning and often given ‘let me know if I can help?’ is really no help at all.” – Elder Ronald A. Rasband
5. “Wonderful, glorious things are in store for you, if only you will believe, obey and endure.” – President Thomas S. Monson
6. “A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.” -Elder Richard G. Scott
7. “In the Kingdom of God there are no second-class citizens.” – Elder David S. Baxter
8. “Acting on even a twig of faith, allows God to grow it.” – President Henry B. Eyring
9. “Envy is… Downing another quart of pickle juice anytime anyone around you has a happy moment!” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
10. “Lesson number one from the Lord’s vineyard: coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
11. ‘You can’t be right by doing wrong, and you can’t be wrong by doing right.’ quoted by: -Ulisses Soares (from an old adage, President Thomas S. Monson frequently quotes this one)
12. “…while you cannot change the past, you can shape the future.” – Elder David S. Baxter
13. “What thinks Christ of me? …love Him, trust Him, believe Him, and follow Him, you will feel His love and approval.” – Elder Neil L. Andersen
14. “Are you a Mormon?  If not, you should be!” – Elder L. Tom Perry
15. “Relief Society is not a program. It is an official part of the Lord’s Church…it is a way of life for Latter-day Saint women” – Sis. Julie B. Beck
16. Speaking of the gospel President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “The WHAT informs, but the WHY transforms.” (from Priesthood Session)
17. “It’s never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith.” – President Henry B. Eyring
18. “Persistence is the answer, and a sense of humor helps.” – Elder Quintin L. Cook
19. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it! – President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
20. “Be worthy to enter the temple now. Put on your “shiney”! -  Sis. Elaine S. Dalton
21. “Don’t hyperventilate about something that happened at 9 o’clock in the morning.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
22. “Seek heavenly guidance one day at a time. Life by the yard is hard; by the inch, it’s a cinch.” – President Thomas S. Monson (General YW Session)
23. “His Spirit guides; his love assures that fear departs when faith endures.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook
24. “There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home… There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life…The home is what needs reforming.” -Elder M. Russell Ballard – quoting Joseph F. Smith
25. “…be in tune with the sacred music of faith.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook
26. “Worthiness and willingness…—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.” – Elder David A. Bednar
27. Speaking of the Priesthood – “Ordination confers authority, but righteousness is required to act with power as we strive to lift souls, to teach and testify, to bless and counsel, and to advance the work of salvation.” – Elder David A. Bednar
28. “One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents.” – President Boyd K. Packer
29. “What we are speaks so loudly that our children may not hear what we say.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook
30. “Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected.” – President Boyd K. Packer
31. “Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously.” – Elder Richard G. Scott
32. “Rarely will you be able to spend as much time dedicated to learning as you can now.” – Sis. Mary N. Cook
33. “wise parents prepare their children to get along without them…ultimately children need to depend upon the Lord, not their parents.” – Elder Larry Wilson
34. “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.” – Sis. Elaine S. Dalton

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Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen

Like the Savior, visiting teachers minister one by one (see 3 Nephi 11:15). We know we are successful in our ministering as visiting teachers when our sisters can say:

(1) my visiting teacher helps me grow spiritually;

(2) I know my visiting teacher cares deeply about me and my family; and

(3) if I have problems, I know my visiting teacher will take action without waiting to be asked.¹

How can we as visiting teachers love, watch over, and strengthen a sister? Following are nine suggestions found in chapter 7 of Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society to help visiting teachers minister to their sisters:

• Pray daily for her and her family.
• Seek inspiration to know her and her family.
• Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her.
• Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness.
• Greet her at Church meetings.
• Help her when she has an emergency, illness, or other urgent need.
• Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the Visiting Teaching Messages.
• Inspire her by setting a good example.
• Report to a Relief Society leader about their service and the sister’s spiritual and temporal well-being.

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Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Daughters in My Kingdom

We are daughters of our Father in Heaven. He knows us, loves us, and has a plan for us. Part of that plan includes coming to earth to learn to choose good over evil. When we choose to keep God’s commandments, we honor Him and acknowledge our identity as daughters of God. Relief Society helps us remember this divine heritage.

Relief Society and its history strengthen and support us. Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, said: “As daughters of God, you are preparing for eternal designations, and each of you has a female identity, nature, and responsibility. The success of families, communities, this Church, and the precious plan of salvation is dependent on your faithfulness. … [Our Heavenly Father] intended Relief Society to help build His people and prepare them for the blessings of the temple. He established [Relief Society] to align His daughters with His work and to enlist their help in building His kingdom and strengthening the homes of Zion.”¹

Our Father in Heaven has given us specific work to help build His Kingdom. He has also blessed us with the spiritual gifts we need to accomplish this specific work. Through Relief Society, we have opportunities to use our gifts to strengthen families, help those in need, and learn how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said of discipleship: “By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God’s will rather than ours.”²

Let us remember we are daughters of God and strive to live as His disciples. As we do so, we will help build God’s kingdom here on earth and become worthy to return to His presence.

From the Scriptures

Zechariah 2:10; “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.”
Doctrine and Covenants 25:1, 10, 16;
1 Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter; for verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.
10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.
16 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all. Amen.
Doctrine and Covenants 138:38–39, 56;
38 Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled in this vast congregation of the righteous were Father Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all,
39 And our glorious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and living God.
56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129). Free PDF download.

From Our History

On April 28, 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith said to the sisters in Relief Society: “You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in [you]. … If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.”³

Recognizing the power of Relief Society to serve others and to help individuals increase in faith, Zina D. H. Young, third Relief Society general president, promised the sisters in 1893, “If you will dig in the depths of your own hearts you will find, with the aid of the Spirit of the Lord, the pearl of great price, the testimony of this work.”⁴

What Can I Do?

1. How can I help my sisters reach their potential as daughters of God?
2. How can I apply in my life the counsel and warnings given to women in Doctrine and Covenants 25?

For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Notes

1. Julie B. Beck, “‘Daughters in My Kingdom’: The History and Work of Relief Society,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2010, 112, 114.
2. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Way of the Disciple,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2009, 76.
3. Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:605.
4. Zina D. H. Young, “How I Gained My Testimony of the Truth,” Young Woman’s Journal, Apr. 1893, 319.

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Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

“You are the guardians of the hearth,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) as he introduced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” in the general Relief Society meeting in 1995. “You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.”1

For almost 17 years now this proclamation has reinforced that our most significant responsibilities are centered in strengthening families and homes—no matter our current circumstances. Barbara Thompson, now second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, was in the Salt Lake Tabernacle when President Hinckley first read the proclamation. “That was a great occasion,” she remembers. “I felt the significance of the message. I also found myself thinking, ‘This is a great guide for parents. It is also a big responsibility for parents.’ I thought for a moment that it really didn’t pertain too much to me since I wasn’t married and didn’t have any children. But almost as quickly I thought, ‘But it does pertain to me. I am a member of a family. I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, and a granddaughter. I do have responsibilities—and blessings—because I am a member of a family. Even if I were the only living member of my family, I am still a member of God’s family, and I have a responsibility to help strengthen other families.’”

Fortunately, we are not left alone in our efforts. “The greatest help,” says Sister Thompson, “we will have in strengthening families is to know and follow the doctrines of Christ and rely on Him to help us.”2

From the Scriptures

Proverbs 22:6; Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1 Nephi 1:1; I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

2 Nephi 25:26; And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Alma 56:46–48;

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:40 – But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

From Our History

“When Sister Bathsheba W. Smith served as the fourth Relief Society general president [from 1901 to 1910], she saw a need to strengthen families, and so she established mother education lessons for Relief Society sisters. The lessons included counsel on marriage, prenatal care, and child rearing. These lessons supported President Joseph F. Smith’s teachings about the Relief Society helping women in their roles at home:

“‘Wherever there is ignorance or at least a lack of understanding in regard to the family, duties of the family, with regard to obligations that should exist and that do rightfully exist between husband and wife and between parents and children, there this organization exists or is near at hand, and by the natural endowments and inspiration that belongs to the organization they are prepared and ready to impart instruction with reference to those important duties.’”3

What Can I Do?

Notes

1. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 101.
2. Barbara Thompson, “I Will Strengthen Thee; I Will Help Thee,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 117.
3. Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 153.

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Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

“Charity [means] far more than a feeling of benevolence,” taught President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency. “Charity is born of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is an effect of His Atonement.”1 For Relief Society sisters, visiting teaching can be charity in action, an important way to exercise our faith in the Savior.

Through visiting teaching, we provide watchcare by contacting each sister, sharing a gospel message, and seeking to know her and her family’s needs. “Visiting teaching becomes the Lord’s work when our focus is on people rather than percentages,” explains Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president. “In reality, visiting teaching is never finished. It is more a way of life than a task. Faithfully serving as a visiting teacher is evidence of our discipleship.”2

As we provide consistent and prayerful watchcare, we learn how to best minister to and meet the needs of each sister and her family. Ministering can take many forms—some large and some not so large. “Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another: a question concerning a person’s family, quick words of encouragement, a sincere compliment, a small note of thanks, a brief telephone call,” taught President Thomas S. Monson. “If we are observant and aware, and if we act on the promptings which come to us, we can accomplish much good. … Countless are the acts of service provided by the vast army of Relief Society visiting teachers.”3
From the Scriptures

John 13:15, 34–35; 21:15; Mosiah 2:17; Doctrine and Covenants 81:5; Moses 1:39

From Our History

In 1843, Church members in Nauvoo, Illinois, were divided into four wards. In July of that year, Relief Society leaders appointed a visiting committee of four sisters for each ward. The visiting committees’ responsibilities included assessing needs and collecting donations. The Relief Society used these donations to provide for the needy.4

While visiting teachers no longer collect donations, they do retain the responsibility to assess needs—spiritual and temporal—and to work to meet those needs. Eliza R. Snow (1804–87), second Relief Society general president, explained: “A teacher … should surely have so much of the Spirit of the Lord, as she enters a house to know what spirit she meets in there. … Plead before God and the Holy Ghost to get [the Spirit] so that you will be able to meet that spirit that prevails in that house … and you may feel to talk words of peace and comfort, and if you find a sister feeling cold, take her to your heart as you would a child to your bosom and warm [her] up.”5

What Can I Do?

1.What am I doing to help my sisters feel that I am a friend who loves and cares for them?
2.How can I become better at watching over and caring for others?

For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Notes

1. Henry B. Eyring, “The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2009, 121.
2. Julie B. Beck, “Relief Society: A Sacred Work,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2009, 114.
3. Thomas S. Monson, “Three Goals to Guide You,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 120–21.
4. See Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 105.
5. Eliza R. Snow, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 108.

“Because the November Liahona and Ensign contain a report of the October general conference, there is not a specifically designated First Presidency Message or Visiting Teaching Message for November. Home and visiting teachers are encouraged to prayerfully select their message from the addresses given during general conference.

Visit the general conference website to read, print, watch, or listen to conference addresses.”

They make it really easy for us to find and search the conference talks:

• Conference Table of Contents
• Conference by Story
• Conference Titles and Speakers by Session
• Conference Titles by Speaker
• Conference by Topic
• General Authorities List

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Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

If We Do Not Doubt
In the Book of Mormon we read about exemplary young men who were exceedingly valiant, courageous, and strong. “Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him” (Alma 53:21). These faithful young men paid tribute to their mothers—their examples and teachers.

The mothers of Helaman’s warriors lived in times not unlike our own. Their circumstances were difficult and dangerous, and youth were being called upon to defend physical and spiritual liberty. Today we live in a world where we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Challenging times cry out for strong parents and examples who teach the truth that Helaman’s warriors knew: “If they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47). Teaching and exemplifying this truth today requires vigilance. However, we need not fear. When we know who we are and who God is and we have made covenants with Him, we—like these mothers of warriors—will have great influence for good.

Most likely, each of Helaman’s 2,060 warriors was influenced by a mother. But these mothers did not act alone. Together with other righteous men and women, these mothers must have united their faith and example to teach the power of covenants. The young people of the day understood the covenant their parents had made not to engage in warfare. And even when it seemed impossible, a loving Heavenly Father opened a way for these parents to keep their covenant—and to preserve their liberty (see Alma 56:5–9). We likewise must honor our covenants so that children and youth—our own children and those in our wards, branches, neighborhoods, and communities—will understand and support covenant keeping.

When we honor our covenants, Heavenly Father can prepare the way for us. We are to live our covenants with precision. We can, for example, be precise in praying, in studying the scriptures, in holding a current temple recommend, in dressing modestly, in honoring the Sabbath. As we do so, our children will know and be able to say, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:48).

Latter-day Saint women who recognize that their strength comes from the Lord’s Atonement do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. As covenant keepers, we excel at upholding, nurturing, and protecting children and youth so that one day we might say of this rising generation, “Never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all” (Alma 56:45).

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Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Strengthening Families by Increasing Spirituality

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, said: “There has grown in me an overwhelming testimony of the value of daughters of God. … I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes.”

Sisters can help create strong homes and families as they act on personal revelation. “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life,” Sister Beck continued. “Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us. Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman’s life. Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation. … Daily prayer is essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.”1

We also strengthen our family members spiritually as we help them understand Heavenly Father’s eternal plan. “What can we do to better prepare our children spiritually for their eternal roles?” asked Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Perhaps the most inclusive answer is: Teach them how to live the principles of the gospel.” This teaching comes through daily prayer, scripture study, and family mealtimes as well as weekly family home evening and Church attendance. Elder Ballard explains: “We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something less, perhaps something far less.”2

From the Scriptures
Proverbs 22:6; Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1 John 3:22; And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Doctrine and Covenants 11:13–14; Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

Doctrine and Covenants 19:38; Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof.

Doctrine and Covenants 68:25; And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.

From Our History
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the sisters in an April 1842 Relief Society meeting that they had a solemn obligation to seek their own salvation. He said, “After [my] instruction, you will be responsible for your own sins; it is a desirable honor that you should so walk before our heavenly Father as to save yourselves; we are all responsible to God for the manner we improve the light and wisdom given by our Lord to enable us to save ourselves.”3 He taught them to be righteous individuals, to become a holy people, and to prepare for temple ordinances and covenants.

What Can I Do?
1. How can I help my sisters increase in spiritual self-reliance?
2. How can I improve my own ability to recognize and respond to the Holy Spirit?

For more information, go to www.reliefsociety.lds.org.

Photo illustration by Welden C. Andersen

References
1. Julie B. Beck, “And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2010, 10, 11.
2. M. Russell Ballard, “Spiritual Development,” Ensign, Nov. 1978, 65, 66.
3. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 355.

This article is found on LDS.org and posted here simply as a quick and easy reference. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

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Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

A Society of Holy Women
Eliza R. Snow, second Relief Society general president, taught: “Paul the Apostle anciently spoke of holy women. It is the duty of each one of us to be a holy woman. We shall have elevated aims, if we are holy women. We shall feel that we are called to perform important duties. No one is exempt from them. There is no sister so isolated, and her sphere so narrow but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth.”¹

Sisters, we are not isolated nor is our sphere narrow. By accepting the gift of activity in Relief Society, we become part of what the Prophet Joseph described as a society “separate from all the evils of the world—choice, virtuous, and holy.”²

This society helps us strengthen our faith and grow spiritually by giving us leadership, service, and teaching opportunities. In our service a new dimension is added to our lives. We progress spiritually, and our sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth increases. We realize that the whole intent of the gospel plan is to provide an opportunity for us to reach our fullest potential.

Relief Society helps prepare us to receive the blessings of the temple, to honor the covenants we make, and to be engaged in the cause of Zion. Relief Society helps us increase our faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families, and seek out and help those in need.

The work of Relief Society is holy, and doing holy work creates holiness in us.
Silvia H. Allred, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency.

From the Scriptures
Exodus 19:5; Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Psalm 24:3–4; Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

1 Thessalonians 4:7; For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

Titus 2:3–4; The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Doctrine and Covenants 38:24; And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me.

D&C 46:33; And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen.

D&C 82:14; For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments.

D&C 87:8; Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.

Moses 7:18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

From Our History
Speaking to the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph emphasized holiness, explaining that as sisters became pure and holy, they would have a marked influence upon the world. He explained: “Meekness, love, purity—these are the things that should magnify you. … This Society … shall have power to command queens in their midst. … The kings and queens of the earth will come unto Zion, and pay their respects.” Relief Society sisters living their covenants command the respect not only of noble people, but “if you live up to your privileges,” Joseph promised the sisters, “the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.”³

As the sisters participated in the work of serving and saving others, they became personally sanctified. Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, shared the good Relief Society could accomplish: “We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction, that we may all sit down in heaven together.”⁴

What Can I Do?

1. How am I helping the sisters I watch over to cultivate and achieve “elevated aims”?
2. What am I doing to make my life “choice, virtuous, and holy”?

Print Text from LDS.org | English PDF, Spanish PDF, Portuguese PDF | Listen to MP3
Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Come to the Temple and Claim Your Blessings
Sisters, we are most blessed. The Savior stands at the head of this Church. We are led by living prophets. We have the holy scriptures. And we have many holy temples throughout the world where we can obtain the ordinances necessary to help us return to our Heavenly Father.

We go first to the temple for ourselves. “The primary purpose of the temple,” explained Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “is to provide the ordinances necessary for our exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Temple ordinances guide us to our Savior and give us the blessings that come to us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Temples are the greatest university of learning known to man, giving us knowledge and wisdom about the Creation of the world. Endowment instructions give guidance as to how we should conduct our lives here in mortality. … The ordinance consists of a series of instructions on how we should live and covenants we make to live righteously by following our Savior.” ¹

But our temple service does not end there. President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “Acting as proxy for someone who has gone beyond the veil, you will have reviewed before you the covenants that you have made. You will have reinforced in your mind the great spiritual blessings that are associated with the house of the Lord. … In the covenants and ordinances center the blessings that you may claim in the holy temple.” ²

Come to the temple and then come again. Making and keeping temple covenants will keep us on course to the greatest of all blessings—eternal life.

Barbara Thompson, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency.

From the Scriptures
Isaiah 2:3; And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 11:11; Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

Revelation 7:13–15; 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Doctrine and Covenants 109; Prayer offered at the dedication of the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, 27 March 1836 (see History of the Church, 2:420–26). According to the Prophet’s written statement, this prayer was given to him by revelation.

From Our History
The Prophet Joseph often spoke to Relief Society sisters at their meetings. With the Nauvoo Temple under construction, the Prophet instructed the sisters in doctrine, preparing them to receive more knowledge through temple ordinances. In 1842 he said to Mercy Fielding Thompson that the endowment “will bring you out of darkness into marvelous light.” ³

An estimated 6,000 Latter-day Saints received temple ordinances before the exodus from Nauvoo. President Brigham Young (1801–77) said, “Such has been the anxiety manifested by the saints to receive the ordinances [of the temple], and such the anxiety on our part to administer to them, that I have given myself up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week.” ⁴ The strength and power of temple covenants fortified the Saints as they left their city and temple for a journey into the unknown.

What Can I Do?

1. What experience will I share to strengthen those I visit in their determination to “come to the temple”?
2. How can I personally claim the blessings of the temple?

Photo illustration by Athley Glori

Notes

1. Robert D. Hales, “Blessings of the Temple,” Liahona, Oct. 2009, 14; Ensign, Oct. 2009, 48.
2. Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple (1980), 170, 171.
3. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 414.
4. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (1997), 299.

This article is found on LDS.org and posted here simply as a quick and easy reference. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.