Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley

Following are selected excerpts from public expressions and addresses given by President Gordon B. Hinckley during recent months, printed here for the benefit of Church members.

Scripture Study

“What a wonderful thing it is to become acquainted with the word of God—to study, to read the Bible and this associated volume, this added witness of the divinity of the Lord which bears the title Book of Mormon. Just as the Bible is the testament of the Old World, the Book of Mormon is the testament of the New World. It is another witness, a second voice saying God our Eternal Father lives and Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God” (Utah Salt Lake City Mission meeting, 18 Dec. 1995).

To Young Men

“You young men who hold the priesthood, ‘be not faithless, but believing’ [John 20:27] in the tremendous thing that you have. This is no small or unimportant thing. This is not a gift that can simply be received and then put on a shelf. It is something to be lived for, to be nurtured, to be taken care of, to be expanded for good in its influence and power. You cannot do a mean or demeaning thing without discounting the strength and value and power of that priesthood. Keep yourselves, both young men and young women, on the highest plane of morality. You will be grateful if you do” (Ricks College regional conference, Rexburg, Idaho, 29 Oct. 1995).

Book of Mormon

“No one, I am satisfied, can prayerfully read the Book of Mormon without coming to a knowledge that it is what it purports to be, and that it is another witness of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking out of the dust to those of this generation concerning the Redeemer of the world” (Ricks College regional conference, Rexburg, Idaho, 29 Oct. 1995).

Tithing

“I can testify concerning the law of tithing and its blessings because I’ve experienced them. And every man and woman in this Church who is an honest tithe payer, is honest with the Lord, can testify of the divinity of that principle” (fireside in Birmingham, England, 29 Aug. 1995).

Sabbath Day Observance

“You do not have to patronize a store on Sunday. Let the Latter-day Saints be in their homes, teaching their families, reading the scriptures, doing things that are wholesome and beautiful and communing with the Lord on the Sabbath day. He’s been very pointed in this day and time as set forth in the 59th section of the Doctrine and Covenants concerning our observance of the Sabbath day. I thank the Lord for Sunday. What a great and marvelous blessing that is” (fireside in Birmingham, England, 29 Aug. 1995).

Word of Wisdom

“The Lord gives a promise that there shall be revealed unto us ‘treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures’ [D&C 89:19]. I do not think that applies to science and some of those things particularly. I think He is speaking of the treasures of the knowledge of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ—hidden treasures which have come to light, which in terms of eternal life are most precious of all knowledge. Thank the Lord for the Word of Wisdom” (fireside in Birmingham, England, 29 Aug. 1995).

We Will Not Be Led Astray

“It is the Lord who is directing this Church. You don’t need to worry very much about Gordon Hinckley. The Lord is directing this work, and He won’t let me or anyone else lead it astray. I am convinced of that. My only desire, and I hope your only desire, is to do that which the Lord would have us do” (fireside in Crawley, England, 26 Aug. 1995).

Our All-Encompassing Mandate

“Nobody, no group of people who ever walked the earth, has received a more all-encompassing mandate than have we. We are responsible for the whole human race, past, present, and yet to come. It is for this reason that we have missionaries—to bless the human race of this generation. It is for this reason that we have temples—to bless the human race of past generations. And we shall continue to be engaged in this work through all the generations yet to come” (fireside in Crawley, England, 26 Aug. 1995).

Nothing to Fear

“We have nothing to fear as those who have accepted this work. Nothing to fear. And we have so great a challenge and so great an opportunity to speak out with power and conviction from the depths of our souls in praise of this work and the Lord who stands at its helm” (fireside in Crawley, England, 26 Aug. 1995).

Destiny of the Church

“I marvel at what is happening in this Church. I’m not surprised, because I know its mission. I know its destiny. I know what the Lord has said concerning it, that it should roll forth and fill the whole earth” (fireside in Crawley, England, 26 Aug. 1995).

Church Divinely Led

“The Lord is guiding this Church. I give you my testimony of that. I know it” (England London South Mission meeting, 26 Aug. 1995).

Keep the Commandments

“I know that the peace of the Latter-day Saints, the progress of the Latter-day Saints, the prosperity of the Latter-day Saints, the happiness of the Latter-day Saints lie in following the commandments of God” (Tacoma, Washington, regional conference, 20 Aug. 1995).

Live the Gospel

“I have been interviewed by various reporters. The one thing they say is, ‘Now what is going to be your theme during your presidency?’ I simply say, ‘The same theme which I have heard repeated in this Church by the Presidents of the Church and the Apostles for as far back as I can remember: Live the gospel, and everyone who does so will receive in his heart a conviction of the truth of that which he lives’” (Tacoma, Washington, regional conference, 20 Aug. 1995).

Marriage Covenants

“I hope you recognize that the greatest asset you have in time or eternity is the woman with whom you joined hands over the altar in the house of the Lord, and to whom you pledged your love and loyalty and affection for time and for all eternity in those sacred precincts. Those covenants are tremendously important—so very, very important” (Tacoma, Washington, regional conference, priesthood leadership meeting, 19 Aug. 1995).

Sharing the Gospel

“I wish I could awaken in the heart of every man, woman, boy, and girl here this morning the great consuming desire to share the gospel with others. If you do that you live better, you try to make your lives more exemplary because you know that those you teach would not believe unless you back up what you say by the goodness of your lives. Nobody can foretell the consequences of that which you do when you teach the gospel to another” (Anchorage, Alaska, regional conference, 18 June 1995).

Our Callings

“Every one of you who is here tonight has as serious a responsibility in terms of your callings as I do in terms of my calling, for the growth and development and strengthening of this work across the world. And none of us can do a small or mean or shoddy thing without affecting this work, because we are part of it. None of us can do an unselfish … thing without strengthening the work” (Salt Lake East Millcreek Stake 50th anniversary celebration, 10 June 1995).

Our Homes

“There is too much of selfishness. There is too much of worldliness in our homes. We need to get back to the basics of respect one for another and concern one for another, love and appreciation for another, working together, worshiping together, and living together as families who love the Lord and look to Him for light and strength and comfort. Rear our families in the nurture and admonition of the Lord as He instructs us to do. That’s my message” (Church News, 7 June 1995).

Education

“You young people, the little decisions that you make can so affect your lives. Shall I go to school or not? Shall I continue on with my education? That is a big decision for some of you. Our doctrine suggests, although there may be some circumstances that would affect that decision, chances are that the more education you receive the greater will be your opportunity to serve, and you should never forget that the Lord has placed upon the people of this Church an injunction to learn by study and by faith. That is why this Church operates the largest private university in the [United States], if not in the entire world. That is why this Church encourages its young people to get the schooling that will qualify them to take their places in the society in which they will become a part. Make the right decisions. Take a long look” (Pocatello, Idaho, regional conference, Idaho State University, 4 June 1995).

Get the Whole Picture

“Get the whole picture of this glorious gospel of salvation. The whole picture which encompasses all of mankind—those living now, those who have lived in the past, and those who will yet come upon the earth. That’s the breadth and depth and height of our responsibility as men who hold the priesthood in this Church, and we must go forward on a bold front doing all the work that is expected of us and doing it faithfully as well” (Vacaville/Santa Rosa, California, regional conference, priesthood leadership meeting, 20 May 1995).