Inspirational Thoughts

By President Gordon B. Hinckley

Believe in God

“Believe in God. Believe in God the Eternal Father. He is the great Governor of the universe, but He is our Father and our God to whom we may go in prayer. We are His sons and daughters. Have you ever really thought that you were a child of God and that you have something of divinity within you?

“Believe in God and be not faithless. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Believe in Him. Read His word and follow His teachings.

“Believe in Jesus Christ. … He is the Son of God, who came to earth, who left the royal courts on high and came and dwelt among men and gave His life for each of us, for you and for me. It is through Him that we approach the Father. Be not faithless, but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and the Redeemer of the world” (meeting, Moscow, Russia, Sept. 10, 2002).

An Unquenchable Faith

“May you carry in your hearts an unquenchable faith, a certain knowledge of the great and salient things of the gospel of Jesus Christ of which you are a part—this the Church and kingdom of God—that the God of heaven and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, parted the curtains in this [day] and opened Themselves to the view of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

“Do you have a certain faith in that? That John the Baptist came? That Peter, James, and John; Moses, Elias, and Elijah came and restored the priesthood and its keys in ushering in this great dispensation? And that when all is said and done, this is where the truth lies?

“Do you have in your heart that certain faith? If you do, the load will be light, I promise you. If you do not, … there is a way to get it. And the Savior pointed out that way when He said, ‘If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself’ (John 7:17)” (regional conference, American Fork, Utah, Aug. 24, 2002).

Cultivate Family Relationships

“Let us not live a life … that would bring regret. … It is not going to matter very much how much money you made, what kind of a house you lived in, what kind of a car you drove, the size of your bank account—any of those things. What is going to matter is that dear woman who has walked with you side by side as your companion through all of the years of life and those children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their faithfulness and their looking to you … with respect and love and deference and kindness. …

“The only things you will take with you, when all is said and done, are your family relationships. … God bless us to be good fathers, … good parents, and good husbands to our good wives” (meeting, Pleasant Grove, Utah, Jan. 18, 2003).

Be Good Women, Be Good Mothers

“You women, be good women, be good mothers. Be kind and gracious and generous. Strengthen your children with your faith and your testimony. Lift them up. Help them to walk through the troubled ways of the world as they grow in this very difficult age. Support, sustain, uphold, and bless your husbands with your love and your encouragement; and the Lord will bless you. Even if they are not members of the Church, bless them with kindness and reach out to them every good way that you can. The chances are that they will become members of the Church before they reach the time they die. It may be a long time and you may have a lot to put up with, but if that happens, you will think it is all worth it” (meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 25, 2002).

Honor Your Wives

“You men who hold the priesthood of God, honor your wives. Respect them. They are the mothers of your children. When all is said and done, when you have lived your lives and go on to eternity, you will not take five cents of wealth that you have accumulated, not five cents. There is only one thing that you can take with you, and that is your eternal soul and the love and companionship of your husband or your wife. Live worthy of it” (meeting, Kingston, Jamaica, May 15, 2002).

Greater Love in Our Homes

“I would like to see greater love in our homes. … You parents who are fathers and mothers of children, treasure your children. Look to them with love. Lead them … with love. … They will follow after you if you do that. And I make you a promise that if you do so, the time will come when you will feel so grateful that you have done so, that you will get on your knees and thank the Lord for the precious children who have come to you and grown up under your direction” (meeting, Port of Spain, Trinidad, May 20, 2002).

A Royal Priesthood

“This is the day which Peter foresaw when there should be a royal priesthood upon the earth available to all men who would accept the gospel.

“My dear brethren, do you realize what you have when you have the priesthood of God? You can serve in the governance of this Church. You can hold office. You can administer its affairs. More important even perhaps than that, it carries with it the power and authority to lay hands upon the heads of your family and bless them. Do you know of any group in the world where a father has the right and privilege and the opportunity to lay his hands upon the head of his wife and his children and bless them in the name of the Lord? What a priceless privilege that is. And I want to say, … live worthy of this great blessing” (meeting, Kiev, Ukraine, Sept. 9, 2002).

Be Loyal to the Church

“Be loyal to the Church. I have a testimony of the truth of this Church. So do you. … Nearly everyone here can stand upon his feet and say, ‘I know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ and that this is Their work.’ … Never do anything which would speak of disloyalty in any sense. Uphold [the Church], sustain her, pray for her, work for her, move her forward. … The future of the work … lies with you. We need loyal and faithful Latter-day Saints. …

“Be loyal to the faith. Be loyal to God. Be loyal to Jesus Christ. Be loyal to the Church of Jesus Christ, and in so doing, you will be loyal to yourselves” (meeting, Kingston, Jamaica, May 15, 2002).

“Be loyal to this Church, my brothers and sisters. … I want to give you my testimony that the General Authorities of this Church will never lead you in paths that will take you down. They will lead you in a trail that leads upward if you will follow in faith and faithfulness” (regional conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 5, 2002).

Be Faithful and True

“To every member of the Church, wherever you may be, I wish to say, be good people. Be good citizens of your communities. Be faithful and true. Be true to the wonderful Church of which you are a part. Every one of you is important. Every one of you is a member in a great fellowship of Latter-day Saints. Every one of you is a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. Put your confidence in the Lord” (Japan stake conference satellite broadcast, Nov. 6, 2004).

Couple Missionaries

“We now have altogether some 5,300 [now 5,800] retired men and women serving in a meaningful missionary capacity for this Church throughout the world. The number is growing. They go where they are called. They serve where they are needed. Friendships are established; skills are shared; opportunities are opened for those who will never forget the men and women who have come among them in a spirit of entire unselfishness to teach and do good. They receive no money. They go at their own expense. The measure of their devotion is unlimited. The fruits of their efforts are beyond calculation. …

“The great genius of this Church is work. Everybody works. You do not grow unless you work. Faith, testimony of the truth, is just like the muscle of my arm. If you use it, it grows strong. If you put it in a sling, it grows weak and flabby. We put people to work. We expect great things of them, and the marvelous and wonderful thing is they come through. They produce” (World Affairs Council, Los Angeles, California, June 12, 2002).

Go to the House of the Lord

“Attend the temple. You will be blessed for so doing. Every man or woman who goes into the house of the Lord leaves there a better man or woman than he or she was when he or she entered the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord will have a refining effect upon you. It will cultivate unselfishness within your lives. It will build righteousness. It will impress upon you the importance of doing what you ought to do. Go to the house of the Lord” (stake conference, Provo, Utah, Sept. 22, 2002).

A Dedicated House of God

“With us, there is no building as sacred as a dedicated house of God. Only in Latter-day Saint temples are preserved in an indissoluble union for all eternity the precious associations of mortality. Among many things of a doctrinal nature that distinguish this Church from all others is the work that occurs in the house of the Lord under divine priesthood authority.

“Every temple throughout the world stands as a visible monument to the faith of this people in the certainty of immortality and the continuation of sacred bonds in that immortal realm” (temple groundbreaking, Sacramento, California, Aug. 22, 2004).

Great Strength of the Church

“What is the great strength of [this] Church? … It is the emphasis which we place on families. We live in a world where the family is falling apart. We put great emphasis on the family. Keep your families close together, and love and honor your children. Raise them in truth and faith to love the Lord” (meeting, Reykjavík, Iceland, Sept. 11, 2002).

An Absolute Miracle

“I have seen what I regard as a miracle as I have seen this great work move forward. … You may think it a very commonplace thing. I regard it as an absolute miracle, my brothers and sisters, this little stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands and which is destined to roll forth and fill the whole earth. We have seen only the beginning. … I am satisfied that this work will go on and touch the lives of millions upon millions of people across the world. And the God of heaven, whose Church this is, will open the way to make all of that possible if you and I and the members of this Church, wherever they may be, will do our part in assisting with that process” (regional conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 5, 2002).

Ideas for Home Teachers

After prayerfully studying this message, share it using a method that encourages the participation of those you teach. Following are some examples.

Explain that you are going to read some statements from a respected world leader. Testify to family members that President Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet to the world. Select and read various sections of the message, and invite the family to heed President Hinckley’s counsel.
If possible, bring a world map or globe, and have a family member point to a place on it. (Or have a family member name a country anywhere in the world.) Read from the message what President Hinckley said to the Saints in the closest area. Repeat as time permits. Explain that President Hinckley’s messages are for Church members everywhere.
Write the headings found throughout the message on slips of paper. Ask family members to take turns picking a slip and reading aloud the heading. Share President Hinckley’s comments about the chosen topic, and discuss how the family can apply them. Invite family members to share experiences they have had with these principles.

Photograph by Matthew Reier; photography posed by models

Photograph by Craig Dimond

Photograph by David Stoker

Photograph by John Luke