Inspirational Thoughts

By President Gordon B. Hinckley

A Marvelous and Wonderful Work

“What a marvelous and wonderful work [this] is … when you think of all the effort that goes into it and how much is expected of you. … This is the Church and kingdom of God. This is the work for which the Savior gave His life. We are serving with Him in the great work of the Father to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of mankind [see Moses 1:39]. How important it is and how glorious it is to see what is happening, to see it spread across the earth” (meeting, Worcester, Massachusetts, 23 Mar. 2002).

The Only True Church

“The Lord said that this is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth with which He is well pleased [see D&C 1:30]. I didn’t say that. Those are His words. The Prophet Joseph was told that the other sects were wrong [see JS—H 1:19]. Those are not my words. Those are the Lord’s words. But they are hard words for those of other faiths. We don’t need to exploit them. We just need to be kind and good and gracious people to others, showing by our example the great truth of that which we believe and leading them in the direction which we would like to see them go” (regional conference, North Ogden, Utah, 3 May 1998).

Miracle of Mormonism

“What a wonderful thing we have in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to reform people’s lives, to make them better, to lift their reach and look to the stars and make something good of their lives. Miracles happen when people accept the gospel. We see people who are dragging along in their slothful ways. The gospel touches their lives, and they come alive. Something really wonderful happens. I call it the miracle of Mormonism, this marvelous transformation that takes place in the lives of people” (meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, 16 Oct. 1998).

Church Is Moving Forward

“The Church is moving forward. Never has there been a day in the history of this Church when the Church has moved forward with greater vitality than today. How fortunate we are to be a part of this great movement which is going over the earth to change the lives of people, to make them wish to live better, to do better, to give them a knowledge of the plan of salvation, to bring to them recognition of the meaning of the great Atonement of the Savior, to bless their lives wherever they may be found” (regional conference, Houston, Texas, 19 Sept. 1998).

Bring Credit and Honor to the Church

“Let everything that you do bring credit and honor to the Church, of which you are a member, and the Lord will bless you and magnify you. Let there be no animosity among you but only love, regardless of race, regardless of circumstances. Let us love one another as the Lord would have us do” (meeting, Nadi, Fiji, 21 May 2001).

These Are the Days of Restoration

“‘Repent ye therefore,’ said Peter, ‘and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began’ (Acts 3:19–21). These are the days of restitution. These are the days of restoration spoken of in the Holy Bible plainly and forcefully by Peter the Apostle and by Paul. I repeat, you and I are a part of prophecy fulfilled, a part of the divine plan of the God of heaven, that there should be a falling away and that there must be a restoration” (meeting, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 8 Aug. 1998).

A Great and Marvelous Family

“You are part of a great and marvelous family—more than 11 million strong and scattered throughout some 160 nations—who carry in your hearts a great and strong conviction of the reality of God our Eternal Father, of the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the actuality of the Holy Ghost and its power to influence you and affect you, of the fact that God has moved again in this dispensation to restore His work and bring to pass His eternal purposes in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times—this glorious and wonderful period in the history of the earth when He has gathered together all of the wonderful things of all previous dispensations in this, the great and final and last dispensation—the fulness of times” (meeting, New York, New York, 24 Mar. 2002).

Influence of a Generation

“I am amazed at the quality of leaders who are being developed. These are men and women of strength and capacity. They are quick learners. They are devoted and faithful. They have become better husbands and fathers and wives and mothers under the family-strengthening programs of the Church. They are an asset to the society of which they are a part, as will be the generations who come after them. That is the beauty of this work. When you touch the life of a man of this generation, that influence is felt through generations yet to come” (remarks to National Press Club, Washington, D.C., 8 Mar. 2000).

Called to Serve

“We are sort of garden-variety people whom the Lord picks up, one here and one there and another over there, and makes a bishop or a stake president or a mission president or a temple president or whatever. The marvelous and wonderful thing is that he rises to that responsibility under the inspiration and power of the Lord” (meeting, Richmond, Virginia, 14 Nov. 1998).

Let Us Be Latter-day Saints

“Let us live the gospel, my brothers and sisters. Let us as husbands treat our wives with respect and honor and dignity. Let us as wives treat our husbands with love and concern and helpfulness. Let us as parents, as fathers and mothers, treat our children, who are sons and daughters of God, with respect and love and helpfulness. And let us as children be obedient to our parents, following their counsel and seeking to walk after the ways which they point out to us.

“Let us be faithful in the payment of our tithes and offerings. The Lord has promised that those who pay their tithes shall not be burned [see D&C 64:23]. …

“Let us be more neighborly. Let us be kind. Let us be gracious to those in our midst who are not of our faith. Let us be helpful and generous and good. Let us be Latter-day Saints in the full and complete meaning of that word” (regional conference, Payson, Utah, 16 Sept. 2001).

What Does the Lord Expect?

“What does the Lord expect of Latter-day Saints? What does He expect us to do? He expects us to be good people, to be good fathers who love their wives, who love their children, who honor the priesthood, who stand a little taller and walk a little straighter in their lives—good and faithful and wonderful men. …

“To you women, you mothers, be good wives. Support your husbands. Treat them with kindness. … Help them in all that they do. Be good mothers to your children. … Rear them in love.

“You children, look to your parents as your very best friends. Listen to what they say. Do what they ask, because that is what the Lord has asked of His people, that children be raised in light and truth and love” (meeting, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 17 June 2000).

Great Cause of the Lord

“This great cause of the Lord is growing in strength and power and capacity across the earth. You and I are a part of it. You have as great a responsibility within the sphere of your assignment as I have within the sphere of my assignment. None of us can afford to slacken. All of us need to stand up and declare the truth. Walk in faith and faithfulness. Do good. Help others and bring glory to the great cause of the Lord Jesus Christ in these latter days” (fireside, Sydney, Australia, 14 May 1997).

Ideas for Home Teachers

After prayerful preparation, share this message using a method that encourages the participation of those you teach. A few examples follow:

Read the paragraph “The Only True Church.” Discuss with family members some ways we can bear our testimonies of the truth without demeaning anyone else’s beliefs. You might want to consider reviewing “The Parable of Two Lamps,” by Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see Liahona, Feb. 2003, 40; Ensign, Feb. 2003, 12).
Read the paragraph titled “Bring Credit and Honor to the Church.” Ask family members to consider whether the way they live brings credit and honor to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ask them to list some ways we can all honor the Church.
Ask someone to read the last paragraph. Ask family members to discuss ways we all can fulfill our responsibility to move the work of the gospel forward.

The First Vision, by Gary L. Kapp, may not be copied

Photograph by Steve Bunderson, posed by models, may not be copied