Do we lose faith, do we lose patience, do we lose hope, do we get weary in waiting, because the day is long and the event delayed? It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lords message merely to make people feel comfortable. He served in the Quorum of the Twelve for thirty years and became the president of the Church in 1973. It is the humble Primary leaders who through their teaching and personal example instill in the hearts and minds of these wonderful little children, in their sensitive and formative years, love for the Savior, the Church, and for its leaders. He is undeviating in his purposes and is clever and relentless in his pursuit of them. Ponder upon these great truths, especially in those moments when (in the stillness of such anxiety as you may experience as an individual) you might otherwise wonder and be perplexed. 26:14-43. I am prepared to live or die and need not fear. He gave the parable of the rich young fool who, in the feeling of temporal security, razed his inadequate barns and built greater ones in which to store his fruits and goods. nor ever shall be. It is only the "when" that is unknown. They had heard of his coming for so long, so many times, that the statement seemingly became meaningless to them. And ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. Concerning Jerusalem the Lord said: I will defend this city 2 Kgs. 218 University Press Building I'm grateful He let me choose Him. So often the prophets have been rejected because they first rejected the wrong ways of their own society. The book spent 102 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. This ugly deviation is found among youth and married people. The practice is pleasing unto the carnal mind. Even if the tomato you eat is a $2.00 tomato, it will bring satisfaction anyway and remind us all of the law of the harvest, which is relentless in life. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceivedverily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Ex. Of such the Lord said: And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scriptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. One stroke of his omnipotent hand could make powerless all nations who oppose and save a world even in its death throes. They knew the way but gave only a small measure of loyalty and devotion. In 1969, then-Mormon Apostle Spencer W. Kimball wrote a book addressed to his people titled The Miracle of Forgiveness. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The spring of the year reminds us, too, of the need to garden so that we can produce some of our own food as well as flowers to beautify our yards and our neighborhoods. No traffic will jam your desolate highways. Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. They were not the gentiles or the heathens or the pagans, nor were they necessarily corrupt and reprobate, but they were knowing people who were foolishly unprepared for the vital happenings that were to affect their eternal lives. But a controlling majority of the people of this world have relegated them to the past. 20:7 italics added). No light had we; for that we do repent; He learned from diligent and faithful parents to work hard on the farm and in school and to love the gospel. These are eternal differenceswith women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthoodbut the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord (see 1Cor. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Your poweryour supremacyyour pride in superioritywill be broken. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. Your strength will be spent in vain as you plow and plant and cultivate. The world has been cliniced, and the complex diseases have been cataloged. Learn how your comment data is processed. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. For those who heed the warning and make their preparations, for those found at midnight with the oil of righteousness in their lamps, for those with patience, long-suffering, and full dedication, the promise is that they shall sit down at the banquet with their Lord. What a bleak prediction! While armies are marshaled and march and drill and officers teach men how to kill, we continue to drink and carouse as usual. Why must men rely on fortifications and armaments when the God of heaven yearns to bless them? Where else can you be given the necessary explanations and assurances about the nature of life? 1:7, They shall never be brought down into captivity 2 Ne. The lamps then make patterns of joy on the hillside, and the procession moves on toward the house of banqueting, and those without lamps or oil are left in darkness. if they will but serve the God of this land who is Jesus Christ Ether 2:12 There is only one way. When he was three years old, his father accepted a call to preside over a stake in Thatcher, Arizona. Hunger scaled the walls; thirst broke down the gates; immorality, cannibalism, idolatry, godlessness stalked about till destruction came. Let us harken to those we sustain as prophets and seers, as well as the other brethren as if our eternal life depended upon it, because it does! And Paul said to the Thessalonians: For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. We need men and women who think of things that have never been thought of and who dream of things that have never been dreamed of, and who ask, "Why not?" 2:27). You are accountable for those things which long ago were expected of you just as are those we sustain as prophets and apostles! All of the virgins, wise and foolish, had accepted the invitation to the wedding supper; they had knowledge of the program and had been warned of the important day to come. Who, for instance, a scant twenty years ago would have foreseen the massive use of abortion in society today, like all the diseased doctrines of the devil. There were 832 marriages in a single month, and there were 414 divorces. 10:11, I will fortify this land against all other nations 2 Ne. Defense stockpiles increase. President Kimball was an instrument in the Lords hands to bring about these and other progresses, and through his devoted and loving leadership the lives of countless Saints, then and now, have been blessed. He describes himself as a lad whom the people despised and who was slow of speech; yet he did his duty in love and compassion with stunning success. Apparently, the bridegroom had tarried for reasons that were sufficient and good. In our day the routing is from Palmyra to Paris, not the reverse. The prophets have always been free from the evil of their times, free to be divine auditors who will still call fraud, fraud; embezzlement, embezzlement; and adultery, adultery. Yet work goes on, merchandise is sold, athletic entertainments, fishing, hunting go forward without regard to commandments. Paul had difficulty because there were no leaders of thought among the Jews: Jesus was seen as a stumbling block, and among the Greeks, Christianity was seen as foolishness. (Helaman 13:38.) (See Alma 4:19.) Their examples helped him gain a testimony of their callings as ministers of Jesus Christ. If we would but believe the prophets! (Acts 1:7.) (See 1Sam. Both a righteous man and a righteous woman are a blessing to all those their lives touch. He has even said it would be so. With no warning, no last-minute preparation is possible. What is the illness? 1:7, And there shall be none to molest them 2 Ne. . Many have found it too difficult and they slumber without due preparation. Feeling a special love and concern for those in the lands of the Book of Mormon, President Kimball conducted several area conferences in South America. If we are of the masses who are casual, passive, irreligious, irreverent, unholy, immoral, ungodly, then we must repent or suffer D&C 19:4. With no further adieu, from the General Conference Archives here is Spencer W. Kimballs full Oct. 1961 address (minus the first paragraph that was simply a greeting): Our world is in turmoil. Spencer W. Kimball From an address delivered at a Regional Representatives Seminar on Thursday, 4 April 1974. Sinai by the hand of Moses Lev. I have heard many amazing sermons, calls to repentance, prophetic warning, and string testimonies. I marvel at the empathy of these men in all ages, because even prophets have no immunity from thorns in the flesh. It is difficult to be prepared for an event so long delayed. Absolute Truth Spencer W. Kimball President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints September 6, 1977 Audio 0:00/40:53 Speed 41:49 Full Video God's existence is a reality. Today is another day, but history repeats itself. This talk is AMAZING. At midnight, the vital cry was made, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." "There will be no general warning to the membership that things will be shortly falling apart. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be. Death seems in the future, for at the moment calamity is absent and hunger is not knocking at the door. Finally, my dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. Its symptoms are carelessness, casualness, covetousness, slothfulness, selfishness, dishonesty, disobedience, immorality, uncleanness, unfaithfulness, ungodliness. There will be faintness of heart and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase you into flight and you will fall when none pursueth. Spencer Woolley Kimball (March 28, 1895 - November 5, 1985) was an American business, civic, and religious leader who was the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Its symptoms are manifested in every corner of the globe. This is not true, for the decision is ourswe may accept or reject, comply or ignore[However,] we cannot avoid the penalties of disobedience to law (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. Of course, a one-sided disarmament could be madness if worldliness and materialism continued, but a serious turn of the masses could forestall all military conquests, all tragedies of conflict. No wonder we who bear the plan of salvation feel a special urgency in sharing the gospel, because we love our own neighbor. not have been buried 3 Ne. We have the general warning that comes from these world conditions, but we have no precise timetable. 29-34 (Click here for a link to read the PDF version in the Conference Archives). And because it is from the conference archives (IE, not on the Churchs website or apps, but still official church doctrine/publication) I figured I would share it with you today. May God bless you so that all the previous blessings promised to you will become a reality in this life and in the world to come. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. . Protection is not in walls nor mountains nor cliffs, yet foolish men still lean on the arm of flesh., The walls of Babylon were too high to be scaled, too thick to be broken, too strong to be crumbled, but not too deep to be undermined when the human element failed Dan. Source: LDS Living | ldsliving.com Tags Prophets Share About the Author There is no greater and more glorious set of promises given to women than those which come through the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. He later became the church's president . And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 6-7.) Even the foolish ones trimmed their lamps, but their oil was used up and they had none to refill the lamps. Jesus spoke of famines and pestilences and we remember Biafra and Bangladesh. After all, who has any greater need to treasure up the truths of the gospel (on which they may call in their moments of need) than do women and mothers who do so much nurturing and teaching? Thou shalt have no other gods before me Ex. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 11:11). And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there by any more pain: for the former things are passed away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just. "It's not possible that the problems of this world be resolved by the pesimists and sceptics whose horizons are guided by the obvious realities. Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. Spencer W. Kimball > Quotes > Quotable Quote (?) These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. But, on the scale of eternity, the missing of these blessings shall be but a small moment (see D&C 121:7). Your heaven shall be as iron and your earth as brass. . For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. The foolish asked the others to share their oil, but spiritual preparedness cannot be shared in an instant. There is no other cure. As both the wheat and the tares grew up in the same field together, the question was asked of the landowner, "Shall we go and gather up the tares?" Edward L. and Andrew Kimball's 1977 biography, Spencer W. Kimball, is a candid and intimate portrait of the life of the twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so grateful that prophets do not crave popularity. For instance, we read that war, pestilence, plagues, famine, etc., will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth, but if distress through the judgments of God comes upon this people, it will be because the majority have turned away from the Lord., The worlds living prophet has warned and pleaded that the people return to God, who has said again: I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise D&C 82:10. Illegitimate births are said to reach as high as one in ten, yet promiscuity far exceeds illegitimacy. But it can be only through a great repentance and transformation. It cannot remember its previous illnesses nor the cure which was applied. There is a cure for the earths illness, an infallible one. 20:14 italics added). The day of the marriage feast approaches. Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths under compulsion. Let others selfishly pursue false values, but God has given to you the tremendous tasks of nurturing families, friends, and neighbors, just as men are to provide. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Divorce, ever on the increase, jumping from one divorce for thirty-six weddings in Civil War days now has reached somewhere near one to four. I was not a General Authority at that time. How can one share attitudes or chastity, or the experience of a mission? As we follow the teachings of Christ, we will feel the Spirit testify the truth of the things we do. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. . The diagnosis is sure, and the remedy certain. Yet there was no evidence of rain and flood. We are led by revelation. Partly due to his work in Brazil and other South American countries, he was led to question the Churchs policy of restricting priesthood and temple blessings from those of African descent, a practice which had begun during the time of Brigham Young. It is not only worth waiting for; it is worth living for! They had the saving, exalting gospel, but it had not been made the center of their lives. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. In the daytime, wise and unwise seemed alike; midnight is the time of test and judgmentand of offered gladness. We have confidence in you. The radios whine. LDS doctrinal teachings about the atonement, repentance, and the plan of salvation. It was never baptized by fire, for that is still to come. Yet These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in Mt. (Matthew 13:47-48.) How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? Even in the true Church numerous of its people fail to attend their meetings, to tithe their incomes, to have their regular prayers, to keep all the commandments. Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. If, in the short term, we are sometimes dealt with insensitively and thoughtlessly by others, by imperfect men and women, it may still cause us pain, but such pain and disappointment are not the whole of life. God is all powerful. Perhaps they judged Paul by the timbre of his voice or by his style of speech, not the truths uttered by him. That night the Lord saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib and his 185,000 troops who did not live the night through to attack 2 Kgs. The man said to himself: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. It is so easy for leisure to turn into laziness. But even then wickedness did not lessen, men did not learn lessons. From that humble beginning has grown a worldwide organization that has touched the lives of millions of people. Spencer W. Kimball As the grandson of Heber C. Kimball and the son of a mission and stake president, Spencer W. Kimball grew up learning of and meeting prophets and apostles. Time had passed, and he had not come. Spencer W. Kimball reports that David O. McKay had said "that in his view homosexuality was worse than heterosexual immorality; that it is a filthy and unnatural habit." (20) 1959- Advise and Consent published. It was consecrated as a land of promise to the people of the Americas, to whom God gave these great promises: It will be a land of liberty to its people 2 Ne. Unity. Prophets who were not glib, but slow of speech, were esteemed as naught. What can I do? asks the fearful one. (See Ether 13.) That is sure. They needed all their oil for themselves; they could not save the foolish. Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness. His young faith and dedicated family were great sources of strength when Spencers mother, Olive, passed away, Spencer being only eleven years old. Late, late, so late! The wise had to go, else the bridegroom would have gone unwelcomed. The Redeemer stated further: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. What is wrong is wrong, and trends do not make something right which is at variance with the laws of God. I am confident there is not one within the sound of my voice who has not had his or her life influenced for good by the teachings of the devoted officers and teachers of this Primary organization. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. We knew that we were taming the Arizona desert. The disdain for work among some today may merely signal the return of harshness and wildnessperhaps not to our landscape but to some people. Perhaps it was a myth. They suffered the fulfillment of every dire prophecy. While enemies filter into our nation to subvert us and intimidate us and soften us, we continue with our destructive thinking: It cant happen here.. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 59-61). On October 7, 1943, both Benson and Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) became members of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, filling two vacancies created by the deaths of apostles that summer. In an ancient situation somewhat comparable to our own, there was a great destruction, and when the quiet came, those who were spared were wailing: . Other biographies written by the sons of Church Presidents preceded . In 1917, he married Camilla Eyring, who had moved to the Gila Valley to teach. Flirtations, rationalized to be innocent ones, are the root of numerous of the divorces and other ills. He has on numerous occasions outlined the cure for all international as well as local ills. Thus misery achieves a ghastly monument. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led." Spencer W. Kimball tags: inspirational , lds , leadership 180 likes Like (See D&C 1:30.) They had four children who recall that their home was one of support, encouragement, and appreciation between family members. And then he gave the parable of the fish and the net: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. How can one see the slackening of traditional moral standards and not notice the decline in decency? "Noah heeded God's command to build an arkthat they might be saved from the flood waters. He, too, devoted his life to the service of God and his fellow man and influenced thousands of others to do the same. The political physicians through the ages have rejected suggested remedies as unprofessional since they came from lowly prophets. While leaders quarrel, and editors write, and authorities analyze and prognosticate, we break the Sabbath as though no command had ever been given. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4.) They are bombs and ships and armaments. There has been denial because the prophet came from an obscure place. Those who seem to flout the institution of marriage, and who regard chastity before marriage with fidelity after as old-fashioned, seem determined to establish a new fashion on their own and impose it upon others. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. ROGER K YOUNG EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR? For as the . 20:9 italics added). He gave us another parable to try to make clear the importance of being always prepared. On December 30, 1973, Spencer W. Kimball was called and ordained as prophet, seer and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord 2 Ne. . All kinds of fish were caught, big and little, fat and snakelike. Regardless of who is getting the adversarys special attention at any given time, he seeks to make all people miserable like unto himself (2Ne. When I heard each one of them say, I have put everything I own or ever have owned upon the altar; its there for the Lord or his servants to identify and to call upon, that pleased me because we know there is still faith in the Church, in Zion, among the youth, and among the young people who are growing up in this church. 20:3 italics added). Instead of responding to Pauls message, some saw his bodily presence as weak and regarded his speech as contemptible. One of his grandfathers was Heber C. Kimball, a counselor to Mormon pioneer . The people have ignored him, disbelieved him, failed to follow him. God will fight our battles if we honor him and serve him with all our hearts, might, mind, and strength. This saintly soul realizes there is one thing left undone to make him a totally honest man. Famine will stalk rudely through your doors and the ogre cannibalism will rob you of your children and your remaining virtues. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. The Samoan and Hawaiian Saints were gathered together in a grand celebration. It was baptized by water, and its sins were washed away. The masses of the people are much like those who escaped destruction in the ancient days of this continent. Many of the Lord's parables and sayings urged men to be prepared for his Second Coming and for the end of this period of the world's existence. Certainly, there are today false Christs and deceivers in the land such as were spoken of by the Lord from the heights of the Mount of Olives. 20:15 italics added). With such innumerable blessings as are available to godly people of this land, how can any sane one continue in his careless patterns of life? Can they change? We read that he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. The Maginot Line in France, these forts thought to be so strong and impassable, were violated as though they were not there. Even so, why else is the record of rejection so complete? In this connection, I stress again the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. they cried, and all together we pulled and strained. They are found among men in high places, in hut and mansion. Experience is a dear teacher but fools will learn by no other. But we continue on in our godlessness. The Kimball family moved and Spencer grew up there. 5:1-31 When the protectors sleep and the leaders are incapacitated with banqueting and drunkenness and immorality, an invading enemy can turn a river from its course and enter through a river bed Isa. An Angel from on High, the Long, Long Silence Broke, The Contributions of the Prophet Joseph Smith, After Much Tribulation Come the Blessings, We Will Go with Our Young and with Our Old, The Relief Society Role in Priesthood Councils, Priesthood Administration of Welfare Services, Establishing the Church: Welfare Services Missionaries Are an Important Resource, The Role of a Bishop in the Church Welfare Program. In his October 1954 general conference address, Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then a member of the Council of the Twelve, spoke of the kind of faith needed to heed the Lord's commandments: "It was not blind faith when the patriarch Noah built an ark some 42 centuries ago or when the prophet Nephi built a boat about 25 centuries ago.
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