1 January - 7 January 2018
2 January 2018
Beloved prophet, Thomas S, Monson passes away.
What a blessing it has been to be alive during the time that President Monson was our prophet. We all felt the love of our Heavenly Father and our Saviour whenever he spoke with us in General Conferences. Of all the different subjects he could choose for his last conference addresses he chose the subjects of "Choices" (April 2016), "A Sacred Trust" (April 2016 Priesthood session), and his last conference "The Power of the Book of Mormon". Below is the main part of his talk from his last conference (April 2017).
I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day
"This morning I speak about the power of the Book of Mormon and the critical need we have as members of this Church to study, ponder, and apply its teachings in our lives. The importance of having a firm and sure testimony of the Book of Mormon cannot be overstated.
We live in a time of great trouble and wickedness. What will protect us from the sin and evil so prevalent in the world today? I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety. If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you. If it is true—and I solemnly testify that it is—then Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Because the Book of Mormon is true, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church on the earth, and the holy priesthood of God has been restored for the benefit and blessing of His children.
If you do not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far. However, once obtained, a testimony needs to be kept vital and alive through continued obedience to the commandments of God and through daily prayer and scripture study.
My dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives. I so testify with all my heart in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
Who does not want to be in a strong position "to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven's help in our lives." President Monson explained what we can do to have these as part of our life. We have to choose to study and ponder the Book of Mormon daily (see April 2016 talk on "Choices"). Let's remember our "Dailies", daily, for the rest of our lives. A mission is a wonderful time to develop the habit of daily meaningful scripture study. We will miss President Monson, and what a legacy he has left behind for us to learn from.
