Ezra Taft Benson

BYU Devotional | March 04, 1979

"In His Steps"

YW message

This was my message to the YW in my ward in March of 2011

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make you appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord. Every precious gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not. True, there will be some individuals who will fall away; but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of Jesus Christ. While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, this time it's different. God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children to bear the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God. "

Ezra Taft Benson "In His Steps" BYU devotional March 4, 1979

You are spiritually awesome! But like all other gifts and talents you are awesome at--it takes practice and work to strengthen your spirit. It is my prayer that you will develop those Spiritual Skills that will help you defend your standards and understand the promptings of the spirit. I have confidence in you!

President Monson--Decisions

"Decisions determine destiny...I would not be standing before you, had I not followed the counsel of a prophet, had I not prayed about a decision, had I not come to an appreciation of the important truth: The wisdom of God oft times appears as foolishness to men, But the greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right." p.111

President Monson--Family

"Where in all the world could we find a better blueprint to fashion the home, the house, the family--one's self?...Such a home will meet the building code recorded in Matthew--the house built upon the rock. It will withstand the rains or adversity, the floods or opposition, the winds of doubt everywhere present in our challenging world...Kneel down to pray, step up to serve, and reach out to rescue." p. 113

Purpose of Life

"You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you (Abraham 3:25). The tempering effect of patience is required (Mosiah 3:19). Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter; whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered on His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you. (1 Nephi 3:7)"

Elder Richard G. Scott, Ensign May '96 p. 24

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echos of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much as sand, the everlasting family will still be standing because of it's celestial institution, formed outside telestial time."
~Neal A. Maxwell
Ensign May 1978, 10