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Learn Christ’s gospel and join His True Church and receive Our Savior’s peace and His promised eternal life.

  1. As a member of Christ’s true Church, I invite you to learn Christ’s True Gospel and be baptized by immersion, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Richard Linford.
  2. To enjoy our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, to meet with  missionaries and join Christ’s true Church, I invite you to call right now 1-801-240-1000 in order to arrange to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach the missionaries via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries. And for more details about the Church see www.lds.org.

I invite you –

  • to receive The True Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ:
  • to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
  • to repent of your sins,
  • to be baptized by immersion for the remission of your sins,
  • to be confirmed a member of  The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
  • to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost at the hands of those in the Church who hold legitimate priesthood authority from God.
  • The gospel of Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness.
  • The central doctrine of the gospel is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
  • The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:
  • first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
  • second, Repentance;
  • third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;
  • fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).
  • In its fulness, the gospel includes all the doctrines, principles, laws, ordinances, and covenants necessary for men and women to be exalted in the celestial kingdom.
  • The Savior has promised that if we [repent of our sins and] endure to the end, faithfully living the gospel, He will hold us guiltless before the Father at the Final Judgment (see 3 Nephi 27:16).
  • The fulness of the gospel has been preached in all ages when God’s children have been prepared to receive it.
  • In the latter days, or the dispensation of the fulness of times, the gospel has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
  • Source. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Topics. www.lds.org.
  • The original Church of Jesus Christ “of Latter-day Saints” built on a foundation of living apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, has been restored by Our Savior through the Prophet Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets and apostles.
  • See www.lds.org.
  • The Articles of Faith are:
  • 1
  • We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. [The godhead is comprised of three separate persons: God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, are resurrected glorified perfect men with immortal bodies of flesh and bone. The Holy Ghost is a glorified man with a spirit body.]
  • 2
  • We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
  • 3
  • We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, [worked out in Gethsemane and on the Cross] all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
  • 4
  • We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • 5
  • We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. Ordinances are administered by those with legitimate priesthood authority restored by John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John.]
  • 6
  • We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
  • 7
  • We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
  • 8
  • We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon [a second witness that Jesus is the Christ, recording His visit to and His dealings with peoples on the American continent] to be the word of God.
  • 9
  • We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
  • 10
  • We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
  • 11
  • We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
  • 12
  • We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
  • 13
  • We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
  • To enjoy our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, to meet with  missionaries and join Christ’s true Church, I invite you to call right now 1-801-240-1000 in order to arrange to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach the missionaries via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries. And for more details about the Church see www.lds.org.

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Jehovah Jesus Christ, the holy Messiah, King of kings, Lord of lords, Our Advocate with the Father, Our Exemplar, Our Judge, the kind and merciful one, is the healer of our souls who soon will come, so you may want to repent of your sins today and get ready.

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Would you like to have Faith in the Resurrected Living Jesus Christ, the Holy Messiah, and accept His invitation to Repent, Be Baptized by immersion for the remission of your sins by one holding priesthood authority, Join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Receive the Holy Ghost????

If you would like our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ I invite you to call right now 1-888-537-7700 or 1-800-453-3860 extension 2-4914 or 801-240-4914 in order to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach them via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries

God our Eternal Father in Heaven

  1. It is life eternal to know God Our Eternal Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jehovah Jesus Christ, Yeshua, The Holy Messiah.
  2. There are three separate Gods in heaven with whom we have affinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Of God the Father we testify:
  3. “There is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them.” (D. & C. 20:17.)
  4. He is not a progressive being in the sense that liberal religionists profess to believe.
  5. He was not created by man.
  6. He was not a God of vengeance and war in Old Testament times and a God of love and mercy in a later New Testament era.
  7. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
  8. God is known only by revelation.
  9. He stands revealed or remains forever unknown.
  10. He cannot be discovered in the laboratory.
  11. He cannot be discovered by viewing all immensity through giant telescopes.
  12. He cannot be discovered by cataloging all the laws of nature that do or have existed.
  13. A knowledge of his powers and the laws of nature which he has ordained does not reveal his personality and attributes to men. This kind of knowledge comes only by revelation from the Holy Ghost as a consequence of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
  14. Man’s purpose in life is to learn the nature and kind of being that God is, and then, by conformity to his laws and ordinances, to progress to that high state of exaltation wherein man becomes perfect as the Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:48; Teachings, pp. 342-362.)
  15. He is God Almighty.
  16. He is THE ALMIGHTY God.
  17. He is not an amorphous personage of Spirit. He is not properly defined by apostate creeds.
  18. Apostate creeds teach that God is a spirit essence that fills the immensity of space and is everywhere and nowhere in particular present.
  19. In a vain attempt to support this doctrine that God is a spirit essence, formulated by councils in the early days of the great apostasy, it is common for apologists to point to the statement in the King James Bible which says, “God is a Spirit.” (John 4:22-24.) The fact is that this passage is mistranslated; instead, the correct statement, quoted in context reads: “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. For unto such hath God promised his Spirit. And they who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth.” (Inspired Version, John 4:25-26.)
  20. It is true that God may be said to be a Spirit, but this statement must be understood to mean that he is a Spirit in the same sense that a resurrected man is a spirit.
  21. When the apostles, beholding the resurrected Lord, “were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24:36-43), there was not the slightest intimation that the “spirit” was a vaporous nothingness that filled immensity. Spirits are personages. God the Father is a resurrected perfect Man, a glorified, exalted Person with a tangible body of flesh and bones (D. & C. 130:22), in which tangible body His eternal spirit is housed. It is in this sense that God is a Spirit.

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What and Who is God?

If you would like our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ I invite you to call right now 1-888-537-7700 or 1-800-453-3860 extension 2-4914 or 801-240-4914 in order to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach them via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries

God our Eternal Father in Heaven

  1. It is life eternal to know God Our Eternal Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jehovah Jesus Christ, Yeshua, The Holy Messiah.
  2. There are three separate Gods in heaven with whom we have affinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Of God the Father we testify:
  3. “There is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them.” (D. & C. 20:17.)
  4. He is not a progressive being in the sense that liberal religionists profess to believe.
  5. He was not created by man.
  6. He was not a God of vengeance and war in Old Testament times and a God of love and mercy in a later New Testament era.
  7. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
  8. God is known only by revelation.
  9. He stands revealed or remains forever unknown.
  10. He cannot be discovered in the laboratory.
  11. He cannot be discovered by viewing all immensity through giant telescopes.
  12. He cannot be discovered by cataloging all the laws of nature that do or have existed.
  13. A knowledge of his powers and the laws of nature which he has ordained does not reveal his personality and attributes to men. This kind of knowledge comes only by revelation from the Holy Ghost as a consequence of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
  14. Man’s purpose in life is to learn the nature and kind of being that God is, and then, by conformity to his laws and ordinances, to progress to that high state of exaltation wherein man becomes perfect as the Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:48; Teachings, pp. 342-362.)
  15. He is God Almighty.
  16. He is THE ALMIGHTY God.
  17. He is not an amorphous personage of Spirit. He is not properly defined by apostate creeds.
  18. Apostate creeds teach that God is a spirit essence that fills the immensity of space and is everywhere and nowhere in particular present.
  19. In a vain attempt to support this doctrine that God is a spirit essence, formulated by councils in the early days of the great apostasy, it is common for apologists to point to the statement in the King James Bible which says, “God is a Spirit.” (John 4:22-24.) The fact is that this passage is mistranslated; instead, the correct statement, quoted in context reads: “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. For unto such hath God promised his Spirit. And they who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth.” (Inspired Version, John 4:25-26.)
  20. It is true that God may be said to be a Spirit, but this statement must be understood to mean that he is a Spirit in the same sense that a resurrected man is a spirit.
  21. When the apostles, beholding the resurrected Lord, “were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24:36-43), there was not the slightest intimation that the “spirit” was a vaporous nothingness that filled immensity. Spirits are personages. God the Father is a glorified and perfected Man, a Personage of flesh and bones (D. & C. 130:22), in which tangible body an eternal spirit is housed. It is in this sense that God is a Spirit.
  • HIS NATURE IS DIVINE AND ETERNAL.
  • God the Eternal Father, our Father in Heaven, is an exalted, perfected, and glorified Personage having a tangible body of flesh and bones. (D. & C. 130:22.)
  • All men, Christ included, were born as Heavenly Father’s spirit children in pre-existence. (D. & C. 93:21-23; Moses l; 2; 3; 4; Abra. 3:22-28.)
  • He is married for eternity to our Heavenly Mother.
  • He is the Great Creator. Through His Son He created, which is to say organized, our universe. He organized the earth and universe from existing matter. All things are round about and known by God the Father including past, present, and future.
  • He embodies all virtues perfectly – honesty, trustworthiness, faith, hope, charity, love, kindness, long-suffering, courage, chastity, purity, knowledge, wisdom, happiness and joy.
  • BECAUSE HE LOVED US FIRST, HE ASKS THAT WE LOVE HIM AND LOVE HIS SON AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
  • He asks that we show our love for Him by helping Him accomplish his singular objective which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of us his children.
  • He asks that we show our love for Him by repenting of our sins and by keeping His commandments for such will bring us his children the greatest happiness. Righteousness is happiness. Wickedness never was happiness.
  • He asks that we show our love for Him by visiting with Him in prayer multiple times daily.
  • WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.
  • He desires to exalt his children by giving them experience in mortality, death, the resurrection, and exaltation
  • He gave his only begotten beloved son that we might not perish.
  • He forgives our sins and remembers them no more conditional on our acceptance of Christ Jesus as our Savior and repentance of our sins.
  • He is GOD the First in the godhead.
  • He is bound by law.
  • He is Holy, Holy, Holy.
  • He is immortal which is to say He cannot and will not die.
  • Once again, He has a resurrected, glorified, perfect body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.
  • He is an exalted being.
  • He is Perfect in Spirit, Mind, and Body.
  • He is Omnicharitable (all loving).
  • He is Omnipotent (all powerful).
  • He is Omnipresent (all present, in and through all things).
  • He is Omniscient (all knowing).
  • His is the great plan of our Happiness.
  • He implemented His great plan of joy and happiness, salvation and exaltation.
  • He holds the keys of presidency of our universe.
  • He holds the keys of creation delegated to His Son.
  • He holds the keys of the priesthood from eternity to all eternity delegated to His Son.
  • He holds the keys of the resurrection delegated to His Son.
  • His Son mirrors Him in person and attributes.
  • If you know the Son, you know the Father.
  • Like His Son, He is a God of mighty miracles.
  • We come to the Father only through His Beloved Son.
  • He is our Father in Heaven.
  • He is our Holy Father.
  • He is the Father of our spirits.
  • Like His Son, He is the God of truth and cannot lie.
  • Like His Son, He is the Great Creator of our universe.
  • All of his billions if not trillions of creations were organized by His Son and are known, named and numbered to both of them.
  • We worship the Father in the Son.
  • We also worship the Son.
  • Heavenly Father is the only true God whom we worship in the name of His Son.
  • He is the source of good.
  • He is the supreme being in our universe.
  • He is the Supreme God we worship in the name of his son Jesus Christ.
  • He lives in eternal celestial burnings.
  • He lives in the center of our universe near a great governing star Kolob.
  • He receives and answers our prayers proferred in the name of the Son.
  • He too has a father and a mother as rightly taught by The Prophet Joseph Smith.
  • Lucifer opposed Him and His Son.
  • In pre-existent counsels, He was opposed by his son Lucifer.
  • By Jehovah and Michael Heavenly Father banished Lucifer with “a one third part” of His rebellious children.
  • As consequence, Lucifer with his fallen angels became Satan the god of evil on earth.
  • His Son Jesus Christ is in His express image.
  • In addition to the fact that all men are brothers in the sense that all have descended from Adam, they are also brothers in that they have the same personal Father who begat them in the spirit.
  • Pre-existence.
  • In heaven, He convened the grand council and other councils to discuss the plan of salvation and exaltation.
  • Sacrament.
  • In the name of Jesus Christ, He blesses the sacrament in remembrance of His son’s atoning sacrifice, including His broken body and shed blood.
  • Fatherhood of God
  • It is only by understanding the real and literal sense in which God is our Father that we are able to understand what is meant by the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.
  • Our Lord had reference to this when he said, “Go to my brethren, arid say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:17.)
  • The designation Father is to be taken literally; it signifies that the Supreme Being is the literal Parent or Father of the spirits of all men. (Heb. 12:9.)
  • This is the reason men are commanded to approach Deity in prayer by saying, “Our Father which art in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9.)
  • We are His and our Heavenly Mother’s spirit children.
  • Beatitudes and Ten Commandments
  • Through His Son, He is the source of beatitudes.
  • Through His Son, Jehovah, He is the source of ten commandments
  • Godhead.
  • There are three Gods-the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-who, though separate in personality, are united as one in purpose, in plan, and in all the attributes of perfection. Thus anything, in these fields, which is revealed with reference to any of them is equally true of each of the others; and hence no attempt need be made in these fields to distinguish between them.
  • By definition, . God (generally meaning the Father) is the one supreme and absolute Being; the ultimate source of the universe; the all powerlul, all-knowing, all-good Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things.
  • Of him, when considering the object upon which faith rests, the Prophet observes “that God is the only supreme governor and independent Being in whom all fulness and perfection dwell; who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient; without beginning of days or end of life; and that in him every good gilt and every good principle dwell; and that he is the Father of lights; in him the principle of faith dwells independently, and he is the object in whom the faith of all other rational and accountable beings centers for life and salvation.” (Lectures on Faith, p. 9.)
  • The godhead is comprised of three glorified, exalted, and perfected personages. They are the supreme presidency of the universe. (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. I, pp. 1-55.)
  • They are: God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Ghost. (First Article of Faith.) “Everlasting covenant was made between three personages,” the Prophet said, “before the organization of this earth, and relates to their dispensation of things to men on the earth; these personages, according to Abraham’s record, are called God the first, the Creator; God the second, the Redeemer; and God the third, the witness or Testator.” (Teachings, p. 190.)
  • Though each God in the Godhead is a personage, separate and distinct from each of the others, yet they are “one God” (Testimony of Three Witnesses in Book of Mormon), meaning that they are united as one in the attributes of perfection. For instance, each has the fulness of truth, knowledge, charity, power, justice, judgment, mercy, and faith. Accordingly these three separate persons think, act, speak, and are alike in all things; and yet they are three separate and distinct entities. Each occupies space and is and can be in but one place at one time, but each has power and influence that is everywhere present. The oneness of the Gods is the same unity that should exist among. the saints: (John 17; 3 Ne. 28:10-11.)
  • Perhaps no better statement defining the Godhead and showing the relationship of its members to each other has been written in this dispensation than that given by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Lectures on Faith. “There are two personages who constitute the great, matchless, governing, and · supreme, power over all things, by whom all things were created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or invisible, whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout the immensity of space. They are the Father and the Son, the Father being a personage of spirit meaning that he has a spiritual body which by revealed definition is a resurrected body of flesh and bones (I Cor. 15:44-45; D. & C. 88 :27)], glory, and power, possessing aII perfection and fullness.
  • The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, is a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or rather man was formed after his likeness and in his image; he is also the express ·image and likeness of the personage of the Father, possessing all the fullness of the Father, or the same fullness with the Father; being begotten of him, and ordained from before the foundation of the world to be a propitiation for the sins of all those who should believe on his name, and is called the Son because of the flesh, and descended in suffering below that which man can suffer; or, in other words, suffered greater sufferings, and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man can be. “But, notwithstanding all this, he kept the law of God, and remained without sin, showing thereby that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin; and also, that by him a righteous judgment might come upon all flesh, and that all who walk not in the law of God may justly be condemned by the law, and have no excuse for their sins. “And he being the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and having overcome, received a fullness of the glory of the Father, possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit, that bears record of the Father and the Son, and these three are one; or, in other words, these three constitute the great, matchless, governing and supreme, power over all things; by whom all things were created and made that were created and made, and these three constitute the Godhead, and are one; the Father and the Son possessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power, and fullness-filling all in all; the Son being filled with the fullness of the mind, glory, and power; or, in other words, the spirit, glory, and power, of the Father, possessing all knowledge and glory, and the same kingdom, sitting at the right hand of power, in the express image and likeness of the Father, mediator for man, being filled with the fullness of the mind of the Father; or, in other words, the Spirit of the Father, which Spirit is shed forth upon all who believe on his name and keep his commandments. “And all those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace, and become heirs of the heavenly kingdom, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; possessing the same mind, being transformed into the same image or likeness, even the express image of him who fills all in all; being filled with the fullness of his glory, and become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.” (Lectures on Faith, pp. 50-51.)
  • That exaltation which the saints of all ages have so devoutly sought is godhood itself. Godhood is to have the character, possess the attributes, and enjoy the perfections which the Father has. It is to do what he does, have the powers resident in him, and live as he lives, having eternal increase. (D. & C. 132:17-20, 37.) It is to know him in the full and complete sense, and no one can fully know God except another exalted personage who is like him in all respects. Those attaining this supreme height are sons of God (D. & C. 76:50-60); they receive the fullness of the Father and find membership in the Church of the Firstborn (D. 294 GODHOOD & C. 93:17-22); they are joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:14-18), inheriting with him all that the Father hath. (D. & C. 84:33-41.) They are gods. (Ps. 82:1, 6; John 10:34-36; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, pp. 35-79; Gospel Kingdom, pp. 27-30.) Joseph Smith said: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! … I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see …. It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a· man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, ·the same as Jesus Christ himself did; and I will show it from the Bible . . .. “Here, then, is eternal life-to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power … . [Such persons are] heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before.” (Teachings, pp. 345-347.) Again: “Every man who reigns in celestial glory is a god to his dominions.” (Teachings, p. 374,)
  • . Christ is the God of, our Fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (D. & C. 136:21-22; Ex. 3:1-16.) It was he who appeared to and covenanted with Abraham (Abra. 2:6-11), who was the one by whom salvation should come (I Ne. 6:4), and who was destined in due course to come into the world and be crucified for the sins of the world. (I Ne. 19:7-17.) 2. Since Abraham, who had the fulness of the gospel, worshiped both the Father and the Son, Peter and others have taken occasion, quite properly, to refer to the Father also as the God of our Fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Acts 3:13; 5:30; 22:14.)
  • “Every man who reigns in celestial glory is a god to his dominions,” the Prophet said. (Teachings, p. 374.) Hence, the Father, who shall continue to all eternity as the God of exalted beings, is a God of Gods. Further, as the Prophet also taught, there is “a God above the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . … If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that he had a Father also. Where was there ever a son without a father? … Hence if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that he had a Father also?” (Teachings, pp. 370, 373.) In this way both the Father and the Son, as also all exalted beings, are now or in due course will become Gods of Gods. (Teachings, pp. 342- 376.)
  • Christ [the Son] is the God of Israel (I Ne. 19:7-17; 3 Ne. Il:7-17), the God of Jacob (Ps. 146:5; Isa. 2:3; D. & C. 136:21), the Lord God, the Mighty One of Israel (D. & C. 36:1), the Lord God of the Hebrews. (Ex. 3:18.) These names signify both that he came of Israel himself and also his personal, attentive care toward that chosen race. They point to his “great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his Iovingkindnesses.” (Isa. 63:7-9; D. & C. 133:52-53.) Christ is the God of Jeshurun (Deut. 33:26), meaning that he is the God of Israel. Jeshurun or Jesurun, translated as upright one, is used by Moses and Isaiah as a symbolical name for Israel. (Deut. 32: 15; 33:4-5; Isa. 44:2.) Many who do not profess belief in God as he is revealed in the scriptures, or even as he is described in the false creeds of sectarianism, yet recognizing that law prevails in the universe and among all forms of life, speak of the manifestations of this law as the God of Nature. In reality, Christ [the Son] is the God of Nature (l Ne. 19:12), for it is in and through his almighty power that all things are created, upheld, governed, and controlled. Our Father in Heaven (Matt. 6:9) is the God of Spirits (Num. 16:22; 27:16) or the Father of Spirits (Heb. 12:9), meaning that he is the literal Parent of the Spirit Christ and of all other spirits. Inasmuch, however, as Christ attained Godhood while yet in preexistence, he too stood as a God to the other spirits, but this relationship was not the same one of personal parenthood that prevailed between the Father and his offspring. Christ is the God of the Whole Earth (Isa. 54 :5; 3 Ne. 11 :14), an appellation he carries to bear record of his universal interest in all men and their salvation. He is not alone the God of the Jews, or of Israel, or of the Latter-day Saints, but of the whole earth and all life on its face. This world of carnality and lust, of every lascivious and · evil thing, belongs to Satan. He created it; he is its father and its god. All those who belong to it-all those who are carnal, sensual, and devilish- are _his children, the children of disobedience. The earth itself is the Lord’s, and he is its ruler; but the world (the corrupt society on earth) is under the rule of him who is the god of this world. “If our gospel be hid,” Paul wrote, “it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 4:3-4.) Christ is a God of Truth (Ex. 34:6; Deut. 32:4; Ps. 31 :5), meaning he is the embodiment and personification of truth. In the same sense he is the God of grace, mercy, love, righteousness, charity, integrity, and all of the attributes of godliness.
  • Sources. Holy Scriptures. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine.
  • Godhood. See CELESTIAL MARRIAGE, CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN, DAUGHTERS OF Gon, ETERNAL LIFE, ETERNAL LIVES, EXALTATION, fULNESS OP THE FATHER, JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST, PLURALTI’Y OF Gons, SALVATION, SoNs OF Goo God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. See CHRIST, Gon, Gon OF ISRAEL, GREAT I AM, JEHOVAH.

  • If you would like our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ I invite you to call right now 1-888-537-7700 or 1-800-453-3860 extension 2-4914 or 801-240-4914 in order to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach them via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries

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Be kind to those who do or say unkind things. Jesus of Nazareth is Yeshua the Resurrected Living Christ.

Jesus of Nazaareth is Yeshua the Resurrected Living Christ who soon will come in power and great glory to cleanse the earth of sin and rule as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords so repent of your sins, pray to the Father in the holy name of Jesus, learn of Him by studying the scriptures, and keep His commandments to Love God with all your heart, might, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

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Have you seen this short amazing video? Thirsty from Covid? Drink the Living Christ’s “Living Water.” Jesus and the Woman at the well video link.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:10-14.https://youtu.be/sma4o3mCPwA

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Jesus Christ teaches Love Your Enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

  1. CLICK ON THIS LINK TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO THIS TALK IN VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSd_ra5e7o
  2. Love Your Enemies
  3. By President Dallin H. Oaks
  4. First Counselor in the First Presidency
  5.  
  6. Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a vision of the worth of others and the ability to rise above prejudice.
  7. The Lord’s teachings are for eternity and for all of God’s children.
  8. In this message I will give some examples from the United States, but the principles I teach are applicable everywhere.
  9. We live in a time of anger and hatred in political relationships and policies.
  10. We felt it this summer when some went beyond peaceful protests and engaged in destructive behavior.
  11. We feel it in some current campaigns for public offices.
  12. Unfortunately, some of this has even spilled over into political statements and unkind references in our Church meetings.
  13. In a democratic government we will always have differences over proposed candidates and policies.
  14. However, as followers of Christ we must forgo the anger and hatred with which political choices are debated or denounced in many settings.
  15. The Sermon on the Mount
  16. Here is one of our Savior’s teachings, probably well known but rarely practiced:
  17. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
  18. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44).1
  19. For generations, Jews had been taught to hate their enemies, and they were then suffering under the domination and cruelties of Roman occupation.
  20. Yet Jesus taught them, “Love your enemies” and “do good to them that … despitefully use you.”
  21. Bring forth the record
  22. What revolutionary teachings for personal and political relationships!
  23. But that is still what our Savior commands.
  24. In the Book of Mormon we read,
  25. “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” (3 Nephi 11:29).
  26. Loving our enemies and our adversaries is not easy.
  27. “Most of us have not reached that stage of … love and forgiveness,”
  28. President Gordon B. Hinckley observed, adding, “It requires a self-discipline almost greater than we are capable of.”2 
  29. But it must be essential, for it is part of the Savior’s two great commandments to “love the Lord thy God” and to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
  30. And it must be possible, for He also taught, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7).3
  31. How do we keep these divine commandments in a world where we are also subject to the laws of man?
  32. Fortunately, we have the Savior’s own example of how to balance His eternal laws with the practicalities of man-made laws.
  33. When adversaries sought to trap Him with a question about whether Jews should pay taxes to Rome, He pointed to the image of Caesar on their coins and declared, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:25).4
  34. Jesus Christ. Tribute to Caesar
  35. So, we are to follow the laws of men (render unto Caesar) to live peacefully under civil authority, and we follow the laws of God toward our eternal destination.
  36. But how do we do this—especially how do we learn to love our adversaries and our enemies?
  37. The Savior’s teaching not to “contend with anger” is a good first step.
  38. The devil is the father of contention, and it is he who tempts men to contend with anger.
  39. He promotes enmity and hateful relationships among individuals and within groups.
  40. President Thomas S. Monson taught that anger is “Satan’s tool,” for “to be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan.
  41. No one can make us angry. It is our choice.”5 
  42. Anger is the way to division and enmity.
  43. We move toward loving our adversaries when we avoid anger and hostility toward those with whom we disagree.
  44. It also helps if we are even willing to learn from them.
  45. Among other ways to develop the power to love others is the simple method described in a long-ago musical.
  46. When we are trying to understand and relate to people of a different culture, we should try getting to know them.
  47. In countless circumstances, strangers’ suspicion or even hostility give way to friendship or even love when personal contacts produce understanding and mutual respect.6
  48. An even greater help in learning to love our adversaries and our enemies is to seek to understand the power of love.
  49. Here are three of many prophetic teachings about this.
  50. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “it is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love—show forth our kindness unto all mankind.”7
  51. President Howard W. Hunter taught: “The world in which we live would benefit greatly if men and women everywhere would exercise the pure love of Christ, which is kind, meek, and lowly.
  52. It is without envy or pride. … It seeks nothing in return. … It has no place for bigotry, hatred, or violence. … It encourages diverse people to live together in Christian love regardless of religious belief, race, nationality, financial standing, education, or culture.”8
  53. And President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to “expand our circle of love to embrace the whole human family.”9
  54. An essential part of loving our enemies is to render unto Caesar by keeping the laws of our various countries.
  55. Though Jesus’s teachings were revolutionary, He did not teach revolution or lawbreaking. He taught a better way.
  56. Modern revelation teaches the same:
  57. “Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.
  58. “Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:21–22).
  59. And our article of faith, written by the Prophet Joseph Smith after the early Saints had suffered severe persecution from Missouri officials, declares, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith 1:12).
  60. This does not mean that we agree with all that is done with the force of law.
  61. It means that we obey the current law and use peaceful means to change it.
  62. It also means that we peacefully accept the results of elections.
  63. We will not participate in the violence threatened by those disappointed with the outcome.10
  64.  In a democratic society we always have the opportunity and the duty to persist peacefully until the next election.
  65. The Savior’s teaching to love our enemies is based on the reality that all mortals are beloved children of God.
  66. That eternal principle and some basic principles of law were tested in the recent protests in many American cities.
  67. Protests
  68. At one extreme, some seem to have forgotten that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the “right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
  69. That is the authorized way to raise public awareness and to focus on injustices in the content or administration of the laws.
  70. And there have been injustices.
  71. In public actions and in our personal attitudes, we have had racism and related grievances.
  72. In a persuasive personal essay, the Reverend Theresa A. Dear of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has reminded us that “racism thrives on hatred, oppression, collusion, passivity, indifference and silence.”11 
  73. As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism.
  74. Police and Rebels
  75. At the other extreme, a minority of participants and supporters of these protests and the illegal acts that followed them seem to have forgotten that the protests protected by the Constitution are peaceful protests.
  76. Protesters have no right to destroy, deface, or steal property or to undermine the government’s legitimate police powers.
  77. The Constitution and laws contain no invitation to revolution or anarchy.
  78. All of us—police, protesters, supporters, and spectators—should understand the limits of our rights and the importance of our duties to stay within the boundaries of existing law.
  79. Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, “There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.”12 
  80. Redress of grievances by mobs is redress by illegal means.
  81. That is anarchy, a condition that has no effective governance and no formal police, which undermines rather than protects individual rights.
  82. One reason the recent protests in the United States were shocking to so many was that the hostilities and illegalities felt among different ethnicities in other nations should not be felt in the United States.
  83. This country should be better in eliminating racism not only against Black Americans, who were most visible in the recent protests, but also against Latinos, Asians, and other groups. This nation’s history of racism is not a happy one, and we must do better.
  84. Ellis Island
  85. Ellis Island
  86. The United States was founded by immigrants of different nationalities and different ethnicities.
  87. Its unifying purpose was not to establish a particular religion or to perpetuate any of the diverse cultures or tribal loyalties of the old countries.
  88. Our founding generation sought to be unified by a new constitution and laws.
  89. That is not to say that our unifying documents or the then-current understanding of their meanings were perfect.
  90. The history of the first two centuries of the United States showed the need for many refinements, such as voting rights for women and, particularly, the abolition of slavery, including laws to ensure that those who had been enslaved would have all the conditions of freedom.
  91. Two Yale University scholars recently reminded us:
  92. “For all its flaws, the United States is uniquely equipped to unite a diverse and divided society. …
  93. “… Its citizens don’t have to choose between a national identity and multiculturalism.
  94. Americans can have both.
  95. But the key is constitutional patriotism.
  96. We have to remain united by and through the Constitution, regardless of our ideological disagreements.”13
  97. Many years ago, a British foreign secretary gave this great counsel in a debate in the House of Commons: “We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. 
  98. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and these interests it is our duty to follow.”14
  99. That is a good secular reason for following “eternal and perpetual” interests in political matters.
  100. In addition, the doctrine of the Lord’s Church teaches us another eternal interest to guide us: the teachings of our Savior, who inspired the Constitution of the United States and the basic laws of many of our countries.
  101. Loyalty to established law instead of temporary “allies” is the best way to love our adversaries and our enemies as we seek unity in diversity.
  102. Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a divine vision of the worth of all others and the will and ability to rise above prejudice and racism.
  103. As I have lived for many years in different places in this nation, the Lord has taught me that it is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love our adversaries and our enemies.
  104. While not easy, it is possible with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
  105. He gave this command to love, and He promises His help as we seek to obey it. I testify that we are loved and will be helped by our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
  106. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Do you want comfort despite Covid? Do you know that the Second Coming of Yeshua, Jesus Christ, the Holy Messiah, is near?Your comfort is found in Jesus Christ, your Savior.

Do you appreciate the fact that you could die any time and meet God? So isn’t it wise for you to accept Christ’s gospel and repent of your sins and pray and go to Church and read the scriptures and get ready? (Just a couple of thoughts for your consideration. Richard W. Linford, editor.)

The gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 27:

8 And how be it amy bchurch save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

9 Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you;

10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.

11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are ahewn down and cast into the bfire, from whence there is no return.

12 For their works do afollow them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore remember the things that I have told you.

13 Behold I have given unto you my agospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the bwill of my Father, because my Father sent me.

14 And my Father sent me that I might be alifted up upon the bcross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the ccross, that I might ddraw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be ejudged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—

15 And for this cause have I been alifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their bworks.

16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso arepenteth and is baptized in my bname shall be filled; and if he cendureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.

17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the ajustice of the Father.

18 And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words.

19 And ano unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his brest save it be those who have cwashed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.

20 Now this is the commandment: aRepent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be bbaptized in my name, that ye may be csanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand dspotless before me at the last day.

21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my agospel; and ye know the things that ye must bdo in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;

22 Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Preparation for the Second Coming is found in living according to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/ex/20?lang=eng ) and Beatitudes (Matthew 5: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/matt/5?lang=eng) found in the Old Testament and New Testament respectively.

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Do you want to be blessed today?

MATTHEW CHAPTER 5

Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount—Its teachings replace and transcend some aspects of the law of Moses—All are commanded to be perfect like their Father in Heaven.

1 aAnd seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 aBlessed are the bpoor in spirit: for theirs is the ckingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that amourn: for they shall be bcomforted.

5 Blessed are the ameek: for they shall inherit the bearth.

6 Blessed are they which do ahunger and thirst after brighteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the amerciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the apure in bheart: for they shall csee God.

9 Blessed are the apeacemakers: for they shall be called the bchildren of God.

10 Blessed are they which are apersecuted for brighteousness’ sake: for ctheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall arevile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of bevil against you falsely, cfor my sake.

12 aRejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your breward in heaven: for so cpersecuted they the prophets which were before you.

13 ¶ Ye are the asalt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the alight of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a acandle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your alight so shine before men, that they may see your good bworks, and cglorify your Father which is in heaven.

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Jesus is the Christ, the Holy Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Only Begotten Son of God Our Heavenly Father. Jesus is the Prince of Comfort and Peace. SO BE OF GOOD CHEER. Love your family, friends, neighbors, and enemies. Do good to all including those who despitefully use you and persecute you.

Remarks: Be of Good Cheer

By President Dallin H. Oaks

First Counselor in the First Presidency

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquarters Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Click here for the Temple Square Tabernacle Choir “Let Us All Press On” music https://www.google.com/search?q=let+us+all+press+on+by+the+tabernacle+choir&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS863US863&oq=Let+us+all&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j35i39j46i457j0l5.4028j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

If you want to talk to the missionaries, to get in touch and make an appointment and reach missionaries for a phone call or online face to face call 1-801-240-1000 or check out toll free numbers depending on where you are in the world at this internet link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/help/support/toll-free-numbers-gsc?lang=eng/.

  1. Our unshakable faith in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ guides our steps and gives us joy.
  2. In the final days of His mortal life, Jesus Christ told His Apostles of the persecutions and hardships they would suffer.1 
  3. He concluded with this great assurance: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
  4. That is the Savior’s message to all of our Heavenly Father’s children.
  5. That is the ultimate good news for each of us in our mortal lives.
  6. “Be of good cheer” was also a needed assurance in the world into which the resurrected Christ sent His Apostles.
  7. “We are troubled on every side,” the Apostle Paul later told the Corinthians, “yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
  8. Two thousand years later we are also “troubled on every side,” and we also need that same message not to despair but to be of good cheer.
  9. The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters.
  10. He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears.
  11. The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.
  12. The Prophet Joseph Smith was taught that “the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1).
  13. To His struggling children, the Lord gave these great assurances:
  14. “Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.
  15. “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:5–6).
  16. The Lord stands near us, and He has said:
  17. “What I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36).
  18. “For after much tribulation come the blessings” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:4).
  19. Sisters, I testify that these promises, given in the midst of persecutions and personal tragedies, apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today.
  20. They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.
  21. Tribulation and challenges are the common experiences of mortality.
  22. Opposition is an essential part of the divine plan for helping us grow,2 and in the midst of that process, we have God’s assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us.
  23. With His help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail.
  24. Like the mortal life of which they are a part, all tribulations are temporary. In the controversies that preceded a disastrous war, United States president Abraham Lincoln wisely reminded his audience of the ancient wisdom that “this, too, shall pass away.”3
  25. As you know, the mortal adversities of which I speak—which make it difficult to be of good cheer—sometimes come to us in common with many others, like the millions now struggling through some of the many devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  26. Similarly, in the United States millions are suffering through a season of enmity and contention that always seems to accompany presidential elections but this time is the most severe many of the oldest of us can ever remember.
  27. On a personal basis, each of us struggles individually with some of the many adversities of mortality, such as poverty, racism, ill health, job losses or disappointments, wayward children, bad marriages or no marriages, and the effects of sin—our own or others’.
  28. Yet, in the midst of all of this, we have that heavenly counsel to be of good cheer and to find joy in the principles and promises of the gospel and the fruits of our labors.4 
  29. That counsel has always been so, for prophets and for all of us.
  30. We know this from the experiences of our predecessors and what the Lord said to them.
  31. Remember the circumstances of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
  32. Looked at through the lens of adversities, his life was one of poverty, persecution, frustration, family sorrows, and ultimate martyrdom.
  33. As he suffered imprisonment, his wife and children and the other Saints suffered incredible hardships as they were driven out of Missouri.
  34. When Joseph pleaded for relief, the Lord answered:
  35. “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
  36. “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).
  37. This was the personal, eternal counsel that helped the Prophet Joseph to maintain his native cheery temperament and the love and loyalty of his people.
  38. These same qualities strengthened the leaders and pioneers who followed and can strengthen you as well.
  39. Think of those early members!
  40. Again and again, they were driven from place to place.
  41. Finally they faced the challenges of establishing their homes and the Church in a wilderness.5 
  42. Two years after the initial band of pioneers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the pioneers’ grip on survival in that hostile area was still precarious.
  43. Most members were still on the trail across the plains or struggling to get resources to do so.
  44. Yet leaders and members were still of hope and good cheer.
  45. Even though the Saints were not settled in their new homes, at October 1849 general conference a new wave of missionaries was sent out to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, and the South Pacific.6 
  46. At what could have been thought their lowest level, the pioneers rose to new heights.
  47. And just three years later, another 98 were also called to begin to gather scattered Israel.
  48. One of the Church leaders explained that these missions “are generally, not to be very long ones; probably from 3 to 7 years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.”7
  49. Sisters, the First Presidency is concerned about your challenges.
  50. We love you and pray for you.
  51. At the same time, we often give thanks that our physical challenges—apart from earthquakes, fires, floods, and hurricanes—are usually less than our predecessors faced.
  52. In the midst of hardships, the divine assurance is always “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.
  53. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
  54. How does this happen?
  55. How did it happen for the pioneers?
  56. How will it happen to women of God today?
  57. By our following prophetic guidance, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us],” the Lord said by revelation in April 1830.
  58. “Yea,” He said, “… the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6).
  59. “Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).
  60. With the Lord’s promises, we “lift up [our] heart[s] and rejoice” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:13), and “with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:15), we go forward on the covenant path.
  61. Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land.
  62. Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life,
  63. but as the Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).
  64. There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
  65. Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy.
  66. It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions.
  67. This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father.
  68. By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.
  69. “You may be facing overwhelming challenges,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught.
  70. “Sometimes they are so concentrated, so unrelenting, that you may feel they are beyond your capacity to control.
  71. Don’t face the world alone.
  72. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding’ [Proverbs 3:5].
  73. … It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming.”8
  74. It is all part of the plan of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
  75. of which I testify,
  76. as I pray that we will all persist
  77. to our heavenly destination,
  78. in the name of Jesus Christ,
  79. amen.

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