The Prophet Speaks

                Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regard Thomas S. Monson as a prophet of God. We believe that he speaks the words that Jesus Christ would want us to hear. I believe that blessings come when we follow the counsel of the prophet.

                President Monson spoke about charity in the October 2010 session for women in a talk titled “Charity Never Faileth.” The entire talk is well worth studying. Most members of the Church will remember the story he told about a young married couple named Lisa and John who moved into a new neighborhood.

                “One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash. `That laundry’s not clean!’ Lisa exclaimed. `Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!’”

                John did not say anything, and Lisa would make the same comments each time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry. A few weeks passed. Then one day “Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, `Look, John – she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.’

                “John replied, `Well dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up early this morning and washed our windows!’”

                President Monson then said, “Tonight I’d like to share with you a few thoughts concerning how we view each other. Are we looking through a window which needs cleaning? Are we making judgments when we don’t have all the facts? What do we see when we look at others? What judgments do we make about them?”

                I do not know about you, but I have come face-to-face with the fact that I am judgmental of others. I find myself looking through “dirty windows” when I recognize such thoughts as, “That’s a crazy outfit!” or “I wonder what she did to her hair” or “Why is she doing that?” I am not pleased to know that I am judgmental, but I can at least take credit for recognizing my weakness. Each time I recognize myself judging others, I call myself out on it. I am grateful that they are only thoughts and not words or actions. I hope to one day eliminate this weakness as I continue to work on it.

                President Monson continues, “None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions.

                “There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: `Judge not.’"

                I was gratified last Sunday when I did not judge a mother of a young child who was crying in sacrament meeting. I remembered how I felt as a young mother with crying children, and I felt only sympathy for her.

                President Monson quotes “Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who worked among the poor in India most of her life.” “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” He then reminds us that the “Savior has admonished, `This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.’ I ask: can we love one another, as the Savior has commanded, if we judge each other? And I answer – with Mother Teresa: no, we cannot.”

                President Monson continues, “I have always loved your Relief Society motto: `Charity never faileth.’ What is charity? The prophet Mormon teaches us that `charity is the pure love of Christ’….

                “I consider charity – or `the pure love of Christ’ – to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity, I do not at this moment have in mind the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. That, of course is necessary and proper. Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient.

                “I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others….

                “In a hundred small ways, all of you wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.”

                The prophet has spoken. He tells us the words that Christ would have us hear. I am grateful that President Monson reminds us to have more charity for our fellow beings and stop judging them. Imagine what can happen in our homes and communities if we follow the counsel of the living prophet!

Part 2: General Conference

                If you had the opportunity to listen to a prophet of God, would you do it?  I would – and I did.  I went to General Conference anxiously awaiting what President Thomas S. Monson would say.  I was disappointed when he did not give his customary remarks to open conference on Saturday morning - as were most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I was even more anxious to know if he would speak in conference.

                I was disappointed when a few members of the Church decided to vote “no” when I asked to sustain the Prophet.  I was a little shocked at the vote because I have only seen it happen a few times in my entire life.  I saw a “no” vote here in Anchorage, Alaska, many years ago when the boundaries of the wards were being changed.  I was as surprised by who made the vote as I was at the vote itself.  I do not know what she told the Bishop and/or Stake President, but I assume it had to do where the line was drawn.  Her thoughts were apparently accepted and taken into consideration, but the boundaries stayed the same and she remained active in the ward.

                The Prophet did not speak at all during the morning and afternoon sessions of conference on Saturday; he did speak in the Priesthood Session and again during the Sunday morning session but did not give his customary remarks closing the conference.  Here are a few of the words of the Prophet of God.

                Attend the temple:  President Thomas S. Monson spoke of the blessings of attending the temple:  “As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials.  In the temple we can find peace…. 

                “May our Heavenly Father bless us that we may have the spirit of temple worship that we may be obedient to His commandments, and that we may follow carefully the steps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

                Express gratitude for the many gifts given to us by Jesus Christ:  “May we offer prayers of gratitude for His great and marvelous gifts to us [as we celebrate Easter].”

               

                Ponder our duties and responsibilities:  “Let us consider our callings.  Let us reflect on our responsibilities; let us determine our duty; and let us follow Jesus Christ, Our Lord.”

                President Monson quoted Doctrine and Covenant 121:45:  “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.”

                To be righteous followers of Jesus Christ, we must learn of Him:  “We are engaged in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us learn of Him.  Let us follow in His footsteps.  Let us live by His precepts.”

                I am grateful for my knowledge that a Prophet of God walks the earth today.  I am grateful to know that he has the power and authority to speak for God.  I am grateful to know that he does reveal God words to those who will listen.   I am grateful for President Thomas S. Monson – Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and I sustain him with all my heart, and I will follow his counsel!

The Prophet Spoke

                Millions of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as many other interested people heard the Prophet speak on Sunday, April 7, 2013.  President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the importance of obedience to the commandments of God and said that knowledge of truth and the answers to great questions come through obedience.

                “There is no need for you or for me, in this enlightened age when the fullness of the gospel has been restored, to sail uncharted seas or to travel unmarked roads in search of truth.  A loving Heavenly Father has plotted our course and provided an unfailing guide – even obedience.”

                President Monson reminded us that we all learn obedience throughout our lives.  “Beginning when we are very young, those responsible for our care set forth guidelines and rules to ensure our safety.  Life would be simpler for all of us if we would obey such rules completely.  Many of us, however, learn through experience the wisdom of being obedient.”

                To illustrate this idea, President Monson shared a personal experience that took place when he was eight years old.  He had been repeatedly taught that fire was dangerous and to leave matches alone, but he disobediently used matches to burn a circle of weeds to clear an area for a campfire later in the day.  The weeds were dry, and the fire quickly burned more than the expected area.  In fact, the fire became so large that it threatened the trees and homes in the area.  After several hours of hard work by many people, the fire was brought under control before it could reach the trees and homes. 

                The Prophet said that he learned several lessons that day, including the importance of obedience.  He said that there are rules and laws to help ensure physical safety.  “Likewise, the Lord has provided guidelines and commandments to help ensure our spiritual safety so that we might successfully navigate this often treacherous mortal existence and return eventually to our Heavenly Father.”

                According to President Monson, all prophets, ancient and modern, have known that obedience is essential to our salvation.  “Obedience is a hallmark of prophets; it has provided strength and knowledge to them throughout the ages.  It is essential for us to realize that we, as well, are entitled to this source of strength and knowledge.  It is readily available to each of us today as we obey God’s commandments.

                President Monson shared the experiences of two acquaintances - two of the “countless individuals” who have been particularly faithful and obedient.  “I have been inspired by them.”  After sharing the experiences, he added, “My brothers and sisters, the great test of this life is obedience.”

                There is no greater example of obedience than that of the Savior.  “The Savior demonstrated genuine love of God by living the perfect life, and by honoring the sacred mission that was His.  Never was He haughty.  Never was He puffed up with pride.  Never was He disloyal.  Ever was He humble.  Ever was He sincere.  Ever was He obedient.

                “Though He was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by that master of deceit, even the devil, though He was physically weakened from fasting forty days and forty nights and was an hungered, yet when the evil one proffered Jesus the most alluring and tempting proposals, He gave to us a divine example of obedience by refusing to deviate from what He knew was right.”

                President Monson told us that rich rewards come to the obedient.  “The knowledge which we seek, the answers for which we yearn, the strength which we desire today to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world can be ours when we willingly obey the Lord’s commandments.”