Refer your friends to join The LDS Daily WOOL (Words Of Our Leaders)
(1/12/05)
"What is the seed of mother love? Is it not sacrifice? Such love is
considered to be the deepest and most tender. Is this because a mother passes
through the valley of the shadow of death to give birth to her child and is
continually sacrificing for that child's welfare?
"Is this why Christ loves the world? Because he toiled to make it? Because
he sacrificed his life for the world and its people? We are told that 'God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son' (John
3:16) to save it from ruin, and the Son was willing to suffer for the
salvation of that for which he had toiled.
"We all love that for which we sacrifice. Giving and serving to the point
of sacrifice creates love. The term religion encompasses concern for our
brethren, as we are told in James
1:27: 'Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction....'
"When people say, 'Religion is all right for some, but I am not religious,
and it means nothing to me,' is it because they have not experienced the uplift
that comes from sacrificing for and serving their fellowmen?" - John H.
Vandenberg, "My
Brother's Keeper," Ensign, June 1971, p. 63
(2/22/05)
"Henry Ward Beecher has said: 'God asks no man whether he will accept life.
That is not his choice. He must take it. The only choice is how.'
Parenthetically, I would say we did make the choice to come to earth. God does
not force his children.
"The choice we are now concerned with is how we are going to live our
lives. We have the agency to make that choice as we react to the conditions in
which we find ourselves during our life span. We must make choices, as we are
surrounded by the elements and resources of the earth as well as by the people
with whom we associate. From the words of the prophets to the words of the
atheists, the question is: How will we emerge? Will we rise or fall? Will we
fulfill our life's purpose, or will it be wasted?" - John H. Vandenberg,
"Turn
Heavenward Our Eyes," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 115
4/21/06
"A religious doctrine, to mean something to anyone, must have the solid
foundation of being true. If it is built on myth, superstition, supposition,
imagination, or on the commandments of men, it will not have substance. We may
be concerned today with the decline of morality and integrity in our modern
society, but when the ideas of faith become principles without works instead of
a living fountain, when religion is only membership in a church for status
purposes, what else can be expected? It is time for all mankind to ask of God,
since he is our Creator, 'What do you require of us?' The answer to that
question has been given. Jesus taught what his Father taught—that 'all men...
must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean
thing can dwell there.' (Moses
6:57.) He taught the plan of salvation and encouraged mankind to 'Come,
follow me.' (Luke 18:22.)
He said, 'My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.' (John
7:16)" - John H. Vandenberg, "To
Cleanse Our Souls," Ensign (CR), November 1975, p.42
2/9/07
"Has the Lord supplied mankind with beauty? Anyone who doubts it need only to
open his eyes to the sunrise and the sunset and his ears to the sound of rain
and wind, to marvel at the colors of the flowers and the rainbow, to perceive
the variety in the scenery of the desert and the forest, the fields of grain,
the mountains, rivers, and oceans. At this time of year we are beginning to
thrill with the new life of springtime, and as we lose ourselves in the teeming
life about us, we become a part of it.
"All the earth, with no sterility in it, gladdens the heart. In our concern as
our brothers keeper, we can help one another understand the gift of beauty which
is ours. Let us take the time to see and to feel and to enjoy all that God has
created for us." - John H. Vandenberg, "My
Brothers Keeper," Ensign (CR), June 1971, p.63
11/20/08
"Many of us will be going home over the
Thanksgiving Holiday. Let us take with us the spirit of giving and engender it
into our family circles. During Thanksgiving...
may we truly give thanks to the Lord for His blessings, and then may we
give our time and talents in service to others. King Benjamin counseled,
"...
When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the
service of your God. (Mosiah. 2:17.)
"In
this way our Thanksgiving will be first thanks, then giving."
- John H. Vandenberg,
November 23, 1965, "BYU Speeches of the Year," 1965, p.8
5/6/09
"In
accepting life, we must relate to the world as it is—to the struggle between
good and evil. There are, of course, some who would have us believe that there
is no such thing as good or evil, but this philosophy runs counter to the
natural laws of opposites that exist, such as heat and cold, light and dark,
gravitation and vacuum, and many others. We need to use our eyes that we may
see, our ears that we may hear, and our minds that we may be able to think and
make our own decisions as we sift out the chaff of all we see and hear, so that
we may know the truth of that which we feel in our hearts, as it is affirmed by
the Holy Spirit." - John H. Vandenberg, "Turn
Heavenward Our Eyes", Ensign (CR), December 1971, p. 114
10/29/09
“Each
of us has been endowed with special attributes, special desires, and special
talents. Sometimes we may wonder what we are good for. It is in these periods of
wonderment that we need to ponder, examine, re-appraise ourselves to determine
where we are going. Such introspection and redefining of our goals will increase
our usefulness in life and will become a significant aid in helping us retain
proper perspective of our relationship with God. Maybe it would be well to
consider an old Chinese proverb, ‘Every task is easy to a resolute man,’–not
easy in the sense of achieving without effort, but easy because of interest,
desire, industry and determination. So frequently we permit the daily routine to
go unquestioned; hence time is wasted, opportunity neglected, and we are often
distracted by the frivolous.” - John H. Vandenberg,
January 7, 1964, “BYU Speeches of the Year,” 1964, p. 2
3/14/10
“John
Locke, the English philosopher, expresses it this way, ‘Repentance is a hearty
sorrow for our past misdeeds, and a sincere resolution and endeavor, to the
utmost of our power, to conform all our actions to the law of God. It does not
consist in one single act of sorrow, but in doing works meet for repentance in a
sincere obedience to the law of Christ for the remainder of our lives.’
“The ability to
receive the blessings of repentance lies within our individual power. It is a
never-ending endeavor. There is no restriction to those who may achieve: All may
partake of this gift from God.” - John H. Vandenberg,
“Conference Report,” October 1962, Afternoon Meeting, p. 64-65
