Becoming a Disciple of Christ

Becoming a Disciple through reading the Book of Mormon

"Those who consistently read he Lord doesn't care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use-in His own way and for His holy purposes- those who incline their hearts to Him.

God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history.  They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior's example and spend the days of the lives doing good."

"... The Lord uses a scale very different from the world's to weigh the worth of a soul."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Matter to Him" November 2011 General Conference

Chasm between Lord's standard and world is growing wider

"Where once the standards of the Church and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it's growing ever wider. . .

"The Savior of mankind described Himself as being in the world but not of the world.  We also can be in the world but not of the world as we reject false concepts and false teachings and remain true to that which God has commanded."

President Thomas S. Monson, "Priesthood Power" Ensign, May 2011


Wholesome Recreation for those living Consecrated Life

"Just as honest toil gives rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steadying companion of work.  Music, literature, art, dance, drama, athletics-all can provide entertainment to enrich one's life and further consecrate it.  At the same time, it hardly needs to be said that much of what passes for entertainment today is coarse, degrading, violent, mind-numbing, and time wasting. Ironically, it sometimes takes hard work to find wholesome leisure. When entertainment turns from virtue to vice, it becomes a destroyer of the consecrated life. "

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Reflections on a Consecrated Life." Ensign, Nov. 2010, 17

Living a Christ - Centered Life

“True, enduring happiness, with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome the greatest difficulties, will come as you center your life in Jesus Christ. Obedience to His teachings provides a secure ascent in the journey of life. That takes effort. While there is no guarantee of overnight results, there is the assurance that, in the Lord’s time, solutions will come, peace will prevail, and happiness will be yours.”

Richard G. Scott, The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness, Ensign, Nov. 2006, p. 41.

Feeling the Holy Ghost is a sign the Atonement is working in your life

“Not only is your feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost a sign that the Atonement, the cure for sin, is working in your life, but you will also know that a preventative against sin is working.
The effects of the Atonement–the lack of pride, of envy, of malice – are a shield against temptation.”

 Henry B. Eyring, Come Unto Christ, BYU Devotional Address, October 1989

Keeping the Holy Ghost

“The standard is clear. If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing. If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates us from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for us. Because the Spirit cannot abide that which is vulgar, crude, or immodest, then clearly such things are not for us. Because we estrange the Spirit of the Lord when we engage in activities we know we should shun, then such things definitely are not for us.”

David A. Bednar, "That We May Always Have His Spirit to be With Us," Ensign, April 2006
The Challenge to Become

“From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts – what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts – what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

Dallin H. Oaks – "The Challenge to Become", October 2000 General Conference

Obedience

“When God speaks and we obey, we will always be right.”

Thomas S. Monson, “They Marked the Path to Follow”, Ensign, Oct 2007, 4-9

Serving Others

“Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.”

Thomas S. Monson,"How Firm a Foundation," Ensign, November 2006

Following Christ is a continuous commitment, a way of life

"Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places."

Dallin H. Oaks, "Followers of Christ", April 2013 General Conference