Inspirational Thoughts

By President Gordon B. Hinckley

Testimony

“How blessed we are to be partakers of this glorious thing which we call the gospel of Jesus Christ, this plan of eternal salvation, this program that carries with it activity and growth and enlargement of understanding of the eternal things of the Father of us all. We are so richly blessed. How thankful we ought to be. I know that as I can bear testimony of these things, you too can bear testimony of them, because you have as much right as do I to have in your heart a testimony of the divinity of this work. And as surely as I have that testimony, you too can have that testimony if you do not already have it. If you will read the word of the Lord, if you will ponder the word of the Lord, if you will pray over the word of the Lord, if you will serve in the work of the Lord, there will grow in your heart a sure and certain conviction of the truth of this, His work.”¹

Loyalty to the Church

“Be loyal to the Church. Stand tall for it. Defend it. Speak no evil against it. It is the work of God. He who ridicules it or defames it offends Him whose church it is. It carries the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“It is as a wonderful mother to each of you, in whose arms you find shelter, warmth, comfort, and security.

Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
Now is the time to show.
We ask it fearlessly:
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

(“Who’s on the Lord’s Side?” Hymns, number 260)

“You cannot be indifferent to this great cause. You have accepted it. You have entered into sacred covenants. Regardless of what you do in the future with the knowledge you gain from your secular studies, you cannot escape your obligation under the covenant you implicitly made when you were baptized and the covenant which you have renewed each time you have partaken of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.”²

Power of the Melchizedek Priesthood

“It is not a small thing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, which came under the hands of Peter, James, and John to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. This is the priesthood by which the Church is governed. This is the priesthood by which you administer in the name of the Lord to those who are sick. This is the priesthood by which you bless. This is the priesthood by which you speak in the name of the Lord. Do not take it lightly. Never take it lightly. Always guard it. Live worthy of it in every respect.”³

Family Relationships

“Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty.”⁴

Confidence in Youth

“You are wonderful. I think you are the best generation we have ever had in this Church. We have never had one as good as you are. I have great confidence in you. I think you can perform in any way that you wish to perform. I believe that with all my heart. And you can accomplish anything you wish to accomplish. It is a great and difficult world out there that lies ahead of you. It is filled with all kinds of traps, all kinds of traps to try to pull you down. But if you just keep your eye on the gospel, it will not pull you down, and you will come through, smiling, in a wonderful way.”⁵

Virtue

“There is no substitute for virtue. Keep your thoughts virtuous. Rise above the filth that’s all around you in this world and stand tall in strength and virtue. You can do this, and you will be happier for it for as long as you live. God bless you in cherishing, developing, and holding on to this great gift, the quality of personal virtue.”⁶

Moral Uprightness

“I encourage you, my dear friends, to speak up for moral standards in a world where filth, sleaze, pornography, and their whole evil brood are sweeping over us as a flood. In the first place, none of us can afford to be a partaker of this rubbish. Not one of us, neither I nor any one of you, can become involved with such things as sleazy videotapes, suggestive television programs, debasing movies, sensual magazines, so-called 900 numbers, or the kind of filth that evidently can be picked up now on the Internet. Avoid them like the plague, for they are a serious and deadly disease.

“Lend your strength to the crusade against illegal drugs. Their use, particularly among youth, has doubled in the last four years. Where are we going? Lives are blighted, careers are destroyed, even the next generation is injured, in many cases beyond repair, when young people take up drugs and develop an addiction.

“You can reach out to prevent a foolhardy decision on the part of a boy or girl. Your interest, your caring attitude, and your voice may make the difference between life and death in a very literal sense.

“Stand up for integrity in your business, in your profession, in your home, in the society of which you are a part.

“Again, it is not enough that you retreat to your private cloister and pursue only your special private interests. Your strong voice is needed. The weight of your stance may be enough to tip the scales in the direction of truth.”⁷

Joseph Smith

“I did not know much about Joseph Smith when I was 12, but I had a feeling in my heart. Since then I have come to know Joseph Smith. I have read his experiences. I have read his testimony. I have read the Book of Mormon. I have seen the organization of this marvelous Church. I have seen the power of the priesthood. And I think I know Joseph Smith. ‘Great is his glory and endless his priesthood. Ever and ever the keys he will hold’ (“Praise to the Man,” Hymns, number 27). He is God’s prophet in the Restoration of the gospel in this the dispensation of the fulness of times. If we can only get that into our hearts, then we will know that this is truly the work of God.”⁸

Mission Service

“I hope every young man has in his heart the desire to go and teach the gospel to the people of the world wherever he may be called to go, that he will be making preparation for that time now, saving money and learning the principles of the gospel that he will need to know before he can communicate them to others. If anyone has any doubt concerning the divinity of this work, he need only look at the miracle of what is happening.”⁹

What Missionaries for the Church Offer

“You … offer them a better way of life with their families. To every married man [you offer] the realization that the greatest treasure he has is the woman to whom he is married and to every [married] woman the realization [as to what] she has to offer concerning her beloved husband and that their children are to be loved and nurtured and blessed and brought up in the way of the Lord. The whole complexion of this nation would change if there were greater respect and love in the homes of the people, and you have that to offer. You have the great blessing of the house of the Lord to offer to every man and woman who lives worthy of this marvelous thing to enter the house of God, to be married in the temple under a contract which time cannot destroy and death cannot break. Life is eternal, and that is the great blessing which you have to offer.”¹⁰

Give Converts Responsibility

“Every convert who comes into this Church should have an immediate responsibility. It may be ever so small, but it will spell the difference in his life. … I cannot understand why converts aren’t given more responsibility immediately when they come into the Church. The tendency is to say, ‘They don’t know enough.’ Well, take a chance on them. Think of what a chance the Lord has taken on you. Give them something to do, be it ever so small, something that’s specific and by which they will grow. A testimony is like your arm: as you use it, it grows strong. Put it in a sling, it atrophies and grows weak and useless. You will not develop people in this Church unless you give them responsibility.”¹¹

Church Finances

“The Church is in good shape financially. I want to give you that assurance. … I could weep, almost; I feel that way sometimes as I see the faith of our people in the payment of their tithes and offerings. … The funds of this Church are sacred and must be safeguarded because they represent the widow’s sacrifice as well as the rich man’s gift. We are trying to be careful and wise and judicious and prudent, and, I hope, inspired. But it is only possible because of the faith of the people in the payment of their tithes and offerings.”¹²

Sabbath Observance

“There is no need for people to shop and desecrate the Sabbath day by buying things on Sunday. That is not the time to buy groceries. … You will not lose anything if you do your shopping the other days and do not do it on Sunday. Let this day be a day of meditation, of reading the scriptures, of talking with your families, and of dwelling on the things of God. If you do so you will be blessed.”¹³

Ideas for Home Teachers

“And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost,” the Lord has said concerning that which his servants speak, “shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” (D&C 68:4).
Prayerfully select from among these excerpts those that would strengthen and bless the individuals and families you home teach.

Photograph courtesy of Juan José Magallanes Lopéz and B. Samuel Sánchez Garcia

Photography by Brian K. Kelly

Photograph by Jerry Garns