The day of the marriage feast approaches. Let us assume the counsel given applies to us, to me. Spencer W. Kimball > Quotes > Quotable Quote (?) Yet today we worship the gods of wood and stone and metal. This America is no ordinary country. Today is another day, but history repeats itself. and to hear all the other brethren who have given of their rich lives? 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. Those who were so busy being indignant with David missed the purity in Davids indignation at Goliath, for the giant was defying the armies of the living God. The world has been cliniced, and the complex diseases have been cataloged. 20:8 italics added). 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. They had cheated themselves. Instead of responding to Pauls message, some saw his bodily presence as weak and regarded his speech as contemptible. When President Snow called a girl back from the dead: An incredible account of the spirit world, The Pillar of Light That Saved Joseph Smiths Body After He Fell From Carthage Jail, The Strange, Strange Power of A Three-Day Fast, The Great Calling of the Priesthood: Coming Clean From the Blood and Sins of this Generation. Experience is a dear teacher but fools will learn by no other. But we continue on in our godlessness. That faith in Christ is a choice we can make. He also toured the Middle East and dedicated the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He lives. 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. Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. They learn to cast all their cares upon the Lord. Where it is permitted, though, which is most of the world, we should listen to the counsel of the Brethren and to the Lord." (President Spencer W. Kimball) We call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your family can weather the vicissitudes of life. "Heave ho!" In multiple scriptures the Lord has indicated that he will perform his work through those whom the world regards as weak and despised. 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. Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now. All that is taught in Primary is virtuous, lovely, and of good report, and praiseworthy. And he that sat upon the throne said. And Paul said to the Thessalonians: For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. It cannot remember its previous illnesses nor the cure which was applied. He predicted earthquakes and other terrestrial disturbances and we think of earthquakes and landslides in California, Chile and Greece, Japan and Alaska, and unprecedented floods in the United States. The grandson of early Latter-day Saint apostle Heber C. Kimball, Kimball was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory.He spent most of his early life in Thatcher, Arizona, where his . Let other women pursue heedlessly what they perceive as their selfish interests. No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God. Your cities will be shambles, your churches in ruins. Sometimes people let their hearts get so set upon things and the honors of this world that they cannot learn the lessons they most need to learn. . The trouble with rejecting the prophets because they lack prestige is that Paul, who knew something of rejection, forewarned us when he said, speaking of the work of God, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. (1Cor. The wise had to go, else the bridegroom would have gone unwelcomed. "Rationalizing is the bringing of ideals down to the level of one's conduct. His young faith and dedicated family were great sources of strength when Spencers mother, Olive, passed away, Spencer being only eleven years old. (Matthew 13:30.) I will fight your battles, says the Lord God Omnipotent D&C 105:14 He never fails his promises. . But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. We read the headlines. LDS doctrinal teachings about the atonement, repentance, and the plan of salvation. When the world is full of tribulation and help is needed, but it seems the time must be past and hope is vain, then Christ will come. These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. For many years, this book has been widely read by the membership and even recommended at general conferences. In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. What a bleak prediction! The boats had spread the nets far out, and now we began to pull in the nets. He is a prophet to all the world. Six days shalt thou labour Ex. nor ever shall be. The law of the harvest has not been repealed. These realities will not go away simply because we have different opinions about them. 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. He learned from diligent and faithful parents to work hard on the farm and in school and to love the gospel. While he was president, he dedicated twenty-one temples, including the Washington, D.C. Temple. Notes 1. 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. I suspect that many people have let their insurance lapse. Your dead bodies will be piled upon the materialistic things you sought so hard to accumulate and save. He has a prophet on the earth today who receives his revelations. 8:24-25. How can one share temple privileges? 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. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity Ether 2:9. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness 1 likes Like "We would all be well advised to avoid the motivation to the evil thought. Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself. Because we are not vicious enough to be confined in penitentiaries, we rationalize that we are pretty good people; that we are not doing so badly. Nuclear races get swifter. I bear testimony to the divinity also of this great work which is the greatest thing in the world, as was said by one of the Brethren. Strength is not in concrete and re-enforcing steel. SISTER NELSON AND POSSIBLY DROPPING A HINT ON THE SAVIORS ACTIVITIES?. Changes can come best if we take one item at a time.https. 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. . In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. There is a cure for the earths illness, an infallible one. I recall my first trip to Hawaii. 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. Not always are they in the form of a golden calf, but equally real as objects of protection and worship. Spencer W. Kimball - "Preparedness - the Ten Virgins" . 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?" This talk is AMAZING. 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: . He loves. This is my personal read it later solution. Your poweryour supremacyyour pride in superioritywill be broken. Free love and indiscretions and deviations of every nature are common in our day. When he was eight years old, his sister Mary died shortly after her birth. He gave us another parable to try to make clear the importance of being always prepared. The places change but the turmoil continues. Unfortunately for me, I am in the hospital here in Salt Lake City and will not be present with you in person, but I will be with you in spirit. I am so grateful that prophets do not crave popularity. President Spencer W. Kimball spoke frequently at Brigham Young University, encouraging students and faculty to strengthen their testimonies, increase their moral fiber, and rededicate themselves to the principles of education and service. 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. He could not do the one last thing that Jesus asked: Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor. (Luke 18:22.) No wonder the response to the prophets has not always been one of indifference. As we approach the general conference with its priesthood session, we will be no less loving or direct with the brethren, for our counsel will be similar. 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. When he was three years old, his father accepted a call to preside over a stake in Thatcher, Arizona. They merely procrastinated, not knowing when the bridegroom would come. (See Ether 13.) I am prepared to live or die and need not fear. On the morning program was a hukilau. Our God rules in the heavens. He gave us the parable of the farmer who sowed good seed in his ground but whose enemy planted tares in the field. The foolish virgins were not averse to buying oil. They see evil in their enemies, but none in themselves. ROGER K YOUNG EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR? 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. The cares of the world, the honors of the world, and looking beyond the mark are all determined by a persuasive few who presume to speak for all. The late Elder JohnA. Widtsoe wrote: The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. He is a white-haired saint whose life has been dealt harshly with by law and justice but who was inspired by a "bishop" to be better. His was not a long-distance leadership. 20:15 italics added). Death seems in the future, for at the moment calamity is absent and hunger is not knocking at the door. My beloved sisters: I have been looking forward for months to the pleasure of meeting with you dear sisters once again in a worldwide conference of the women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Far from freeing those involved, sin is an admission of surrender to the herd. Your enemies will be astonished at the barrenness, sterility, desolation of the land they had been told was so choice, so beautiful, so fruitful. 20:7 italics added). Numerous mothers prefer the added luxuries of two incomes to the satisfactions of seeing children grow up in the fear of God Deut. Scriptures are read little, and the holy day becomes a holiday. BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 25 Issue 4 Article 14 10-1-1985 Spencer W. Kimball at College Edward L. Kimball Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq We knew that we were taming the Arizona desert. The apostles of the ancient days were also impatient to know when these events would transpire. They stand at his mercy which will be extended only if they repent. If you liked this archived conference talk, you might also like these: 6 Easy Ways Every Latter-day Saint can be an Effective Missionary on Facebook, 7 Ways Latter-day Saints get Following the Prophet Completely Wrong. 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. They ignored the prophets. 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. As a boy I saw how all, young and old, worked and worked hard. It was not simply a call to repentance, but it felt like Spencer W. Kimball was raising a prophetic voice effectively saying YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED so as to wash his garments clean from the blood and sins of our generation. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other tasks which influence lives for good. But this talk, by Spencer W. Kimball, was different. We are led by revelation. They knew they should have oil. 45:1. The gospel answers are the only true answers to the questions which women and men, over the centuries, have raised about themselves, about life, and about the universe. It is a capitulation to the carnal in man and a rejection of joy and beauty in this life and in the world to come. 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. We are greatly heartened by your presence not only tonight but in this portion of this dispensation wherein your talents and spiritual strength are so desperately needed. 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. They had four children who recall that their home was one of support, encouragement, and appreciation between family members. 26:46 The Israelites failed to heed the warning. Later, Kimball became Mormonism's twelfth president. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just. Yet work goes on, merchandise is sold, athletic entertainments, fishing, hunting go forward without regard to commandments. Perhaps it was a myth. ), David was a local boy and was ignored until he could no longer be ignored. The physicians have had summit consultations, and temporary salve has been rubbed on afflicted parts, but it has only postponed the fatal day and never cured it. 5:20 Men have rationalized themselves into thinking that they are not so bad. Are they fully ripe? Decadence is very demanding and dogmatic, and it is no friend of liberty. Then, finally, it reaches a point when, as one prophet declared, There was no remedy. In such moments the prophets of God speak out even more forcibly, doing as Alma did when he began bearing down in pure testimony against the evils of his time. Just because something is in our midst does not mean that we have been in the midst of it. The Lord said to them: O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they [the slain ones], will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? 3 Ne. One major plot of the book involves a character named Brigham . He passed away in 1985 in Salt Lake City. Even so, why else is the record of rejection so complete? Mountains of arms and ammunitions will not guarantee safety, for enemies can also build fortifications and missiles and bomb shelters. 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. 25:9 And modern prophets are warning frequently, constantly. Conventions, unnecessary travel, family picnics, the Sabbath is violated generally. He oversaw reorganization of the structure of the Church to accommodate extensive growth and globalization. Spencer W. Kimball : biography March 28, 1895 - November 5, 1985 As World War II neared its conclusion, Kimball and other LDS church leaders constantly responded to the needs of the friends and families of LDS war casualties. Its symptoms are carelessness, casualness, covetousness, slothfulness, selfishness, dishonesty, disobedience, immorality, uncleanness, unfaithfulness, ungodliness. Do we twentieth century people have reason to think that we can be immune from the same tragic consequences when we ignore the same divine laws? And ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. The great powers warn and threaten. I have heard President JosephF. Smith and all who have followed him up to now. The initiated who knew fish and were able to judge picked the worthless ones and cast them back into the sea. They knew the way but gave only a small measure of loyalty and devotion. Instead of disciplining ourselves, we yield to urges and carnal desires. Thou shalt not commit adultery Ex. It has had shorter periods of good health, but longer ones of ailing. The responsibility was each for himself. The diagnosis is sure, and the remedy certain. We do reap what we sow. Source: LDS Living | ldsliving.com Tags Prophets Share About the Author We bow down to the god of mammon, the god of luxuries, the god of dissipation. (See Jacob 1:19). (Luke 12:19-20.) Prophets who were not glib, but slow of speech, were esteemed as naught. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. It is the parable of the Ten Virgins, a powerful warning to all men. 17:2832. The ways of the world will not prevail, for the ways of God will triumph. (Acts 1:7.) Their examples helped him gain a testimony of their callings as ministers of Jesus Christ. He promised to the children of Israel: The land shall yield her increase and trees their fruit. He later became the church's president . 19:35-37 Three hundred soldiers and God and Gideon routed the powerful army of the Midianites Judg. (Helaman 13:38.) His actions were considered irrational. President Boyd K. Packer indicated that Elder Kimball felt that his father came to him in this dream to let Spencer know that he approved of his life. In 1914, he graduated from the Gila Academy with highest honors. Hundreds of thousands of us today are in this position. In 1957, he had to have some of his vocal cords removed due to throat cancer. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternitythese, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. Meanwhile, one does not need to be married or a mother in order to keep the first and second great commandmentsthose of loving God and our fellowmenon which Jesus said hang all the law and all the prophets. This saintly soul realizes there is one thing left undone to make him a totally honest man. Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. not have been buried 3 Ne. 20:3 italics added). You need, more and more, to feel the perfect love which our Father in Heaven has for you and to sense the value he places upon you as an individual. We had full equality as his spirit children. How special it is for Latter-day Saint women to be given the lofty assignments they have been given by our Father in Heaven, especially those of you who have been privileged to be born in this part of this last dispensation. Because of World War I, he served in the Central States Mission instead. You will be better mothers and wives, both in this life and in eternity, if you sharpen the skills you have been given and use the talents with which God has blessed you. Rushing for their lamps to light their way through the blackness, half of them found them empty. 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. Eventually, sweating and straining and puffing, we pulled the catch up on the sand. It is a choice land, choice above all other lands 1 Ne. In Tennyson's poem "Guinevere," the queen, repenting her infidelity, recognizes that the harm she has caused cannot be undone: It is not only worth waiting for; it is worth living for! Provo, Utah 84602, The Second Century of Brigham Young University. Spencer W. Kimball began work as a bank clerk, then moved on to the life insurance and real estate industries. We were in Hamilton, New Zealand, for a large conference with the Saints. It is the parable of the Ten Virgins, a powerful warning to all men. My beloved brethren and sisters, this is a momentous time. Still others of you now know the uncertainty of being young as you ponder your place in the eternal scheme of things. When we know these truths, my sisters and associates in this divine cause, it should help us greatly as we all experience much less than perfect love and perfect justice in the world. So long had it been since they began expecting him that they were rationalizing that he would never appear. They are houses, lands, bank accounts, leisure. Unity. The Lord has given us this parable as a special warning. 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. Todays prophet stands in the same position between God and the people as did Isaiah, Samuel, and even Moses who gave to the world the ten commandments. Terror is substituted for reason. Now may I make a few further comments to let you know some of my concerns for us as a people who live in such challenging times. Fear would vanish, and enemies would be subdued. 20:14 italics added). 20:9 italics added). In this connection, I stress again the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. They are boats, cars, and luxuries. He served in the Quorum of the Twelve for thirty years and became the president of the Church in 1973. The masses of the people are much like those who escaped destruction in the ancient days of this continent. No light had we; for that we do repent; 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. 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. (D&C 45:56-58.). They help us to see the end from the beginning. They are too kind to be so cruel. People are destroyed by their own acts. 2:18). We wonder why those of coarse and profane conversation, even if they refuse obedience to Gods will, are so stunted mentally that they let their capacity to communicate grow more and more narrow. Another prophet said, We call evil good, and good evil Isa. Even the foolish ones trimmed their lamps, but their oil was used up and they had none to refill the lamps. Seek excellence in all your righteous endeavors, and in all aspects of your lives. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity. That is half as many divorces as marriages. We love you sisters. The precipitous walls on the high hills of Jerusalem deflected for a time the arrows and spears of enemies, the catapults and firebrands. The trouble with rejection because of personal familiarity with the prophets is that the prophets are always somebodys son or somebodys neighbor. A Sabbath show or a game or a race replaces solemn worship. This talk is AMAZING. Has there ever been an era when so many nations, large and small, have been involved in wars? Were there ever times when there were more rumors of wars and threats and intrigues? God will fight our battles if we honor him and serve him with all our hearts, might, mind, and strength. 218 University Press Building 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. 26:4-6,8, The land will be barren, (perhaps radioactive or dry from drought.). They are chosen from among the people, not transported from another planet, dramatic as that would be! (See Jonah 3:3.) It is just a hundred years ago that Bishop Hess, with the approval of the First Presidency, called Aurelia Spencer Rogers to organize the first Primary in Farmington, Utah. . Because sin is such sadness, the righteous do not stress an attitude of I told you sobecause the righteous, in their love, truly wish they had been more effective in communication and in testifying so that there could be less misery and more happiness in the world. (Published as Spencer W. Kimball, "'When the World Will Be Converted,'" Ensign, October 1974, 3-14.) Be assured, too, that all faithful sisters, who, through no fault of their own, do not have the privilege during their second estate of being sealed to a worthy man, will have that blessing in eternity. The edible ones were saved and the catch was brought to the fire for the feast. Jesus was also met with the question, Is not this the carpenters son? (Matt. and our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children . He, too, devoted his life to the service of God and his fellow man and influenced thousands of others to do the same. .He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 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. (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 6-7.) This past month I have received hundreds and hundreds of birthday cards. 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. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. It is very ill. Long ago it was born with brilliant prospects. A relatively few people attend their church services, pay their tithing, serve their fellow men. (Matthew 13:49.) The trouble with using obscurity as a test of validity is that God has so often chosen to bring forth his work out of obscurity. . As we follow the teachings of Christ, we will feel the Spirit testify the truth of the things we do. Bombs are detonated. 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. Become scholars of the scripturesnot to put others down, but to lift them up! It was not simply a call to repentance, but it felt like Spencer W. Kimball was raising a prophetic voice effectively saying "YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" so as to wash his garments clean from the blood and sins of our generation. ? . Ve, inc. 1 some special things here that are left undone by other institutions. It was baptized by water, and its sins were washed away. (Matthew 24:21-22.) 1:7, The prophet exclaims again with fervor: And now we . As one jars loose and begins to roll down hill, still another breaks loose, whether it is an increase in homosexuality, corruption, drugs, or abortion. Please follow the counsel you have been given in the past and maintain your personal journals.
Dwight Yorke Naomi Smith Child,
Methodist Funeral Readings,
Articles S