The LDS Daily WOOL© Home Page
(12/17/04)
"Ah! the light breaks. There is a record kept-and surely there is one.
One group is receiving its reward now; the other is laying it up in
heaven; and out of the books which are written and shall be written
shall the dead be judged. (See Rev.
20:12.) Then the Lord gives his word, which he cannot break, for
surely 'I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say.' (D&C
82:10; italics added.) And here is the Lord's promise: 'And they
shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that
serveth him.' (Mal.
3:17.) Surely, it is very difficult not to be partial to your
own son who is working for you, if he does a good job. I presume there
is nothing wrong in feeling that way about your own son. The Lord
seems to think not." - Hartman Rector Jr., "That
Ye
May Have Roots and Branches," Ensign, May 1983, p. 26-27
(12/19/04)
"To most of us, autumn is a time of thanksgiving, when we acknowledge
the Source of our blessings, and we kneel before him and give thanks.
Our sincerity may not be gauged wholly by the words we use, the tone
of our voice or the regularity of our kneeling.
"If someone does us a great favor, one which we cannot fully repay, we
sometimes express the wish that some day we may have an opportunity to
show our gratitude in some tangible way. What would our benefactor
think of us-what should we think of ourselves-if such an opportunity
should appear and we neglected or refused to embrace it? Suppose he
should ask us to do some little favor for him, something, say
one-tenth as valuable as his service to us, would we refuse the favor
or complain that it was too much or too difficult? If we did, we
should expect all who knew the facts to list us among the ingrates,
and in case of future need, embarrassment and shame would make a new
appeal to the benefactor, if not impossible, at least humiliating and
probably fruitless.
"But the gratitude which is worthy of us will not be prompted by 'a
lively sense of favors to come'-it should be akin to the charity of
which the apostle wrote which 'seeketh not itself.' Real gratitude is
compounded of many virtues and is productive of others. It is to be
found among those who were named by the Master as 'blessed,' the poor
in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the oppressed.
Blessed is he who has a thankful heart and a contrite spirit. To him
the windows of heaven are opened until he is unable to contain his
blessings. But it will take more than words to open those windows.
"In spite of our losses, our trials, our hardships, our bereavements,
each one of us has reason to be thankful for the blessings of the past
year." - Hugh B. Brown, "The Eternal Quest" [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1956], p. 208-209
(12/20/04)
"The apostle John on the Isle of Patmos 'saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God.' (Rev.
20:12.)...
"The spirit world is not far away. Sometimes the veil between this
life and the life beyond becomes very thin. Our loved ones who have
passed on are not far from us. One great spiritual leader asked, 'But
where is the spirit world?' and then answered his own question, 'It is
here.'
"'Do spirits go beyond the boundaries of this organized earth? No,
they do not. They are brought forth upon this earth, for the express
purpose of inhabiting it to all eternity.'
"'... when the spirits leave their bodies they are in the presence of
our Father and God; they are prepared then to see, hear and understand
spiritual things. . . . If the Lord would permit it, and it was His
will that it should be done, you could see the spirits that have
departed from this world, as plainly as you now see bodies with your
natural eyes....' (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, vol. 3,
pp. 367-69.)" - Ezra Taft Benson, "God, Family, Country: Our Three
Great Loyalties" [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974], p. 22
(12/21/04)
"'And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, * * * every man according to his works.' (Revelation
20:12-13.) Thus it is stated clearly that we are to be judged by
our works, by our accomplishments, by what we do and not wholly or
primarily by what we say. Concerning this important matter Jesus the
Son of God himself has said: 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven.' (Matthew
7:21.)" - J. Reuben Clark, Jr., "Conference Report," April 1934,
p. 108
1/18/17
May I share with you a personal experience to illustrate how
humbling this can be? I was employed by a major corporation for
almost twenty-five years. During those years I developed a personal
friendship with a fine business associate from Texas. Our careers
paralleled each other very closely. A few years ago, he presented me
with a most unusual gift, which I shall always cherish. It was a
large, molded bronze, personalized coat of arms. He said, “I have
been observing you for many years and have created an original coat
of arms using symbols which I believe represent the four most
important values to which you have committed your life, namely, your
church, your family, your profession, and your quest for personal
development.”
Naturally, I was surprised, deeply impressed, and flattered. As the
significance of this gift settled upon my mind, the thought of
someone quietly taking mental notes of my actions, attitudes, and
values fired my imagination. I realized the weighty responsibility
each of us has to demonstrate accurately the principles and
priorities to which we are committed. It was like a mini-foretaste
of Judgment Day!
I thought of the scripture in Revelation in which John saw the books
opened, “and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.” (Rev.
20:12.) It was a most sobering experience. – J.
Richard Clarke, “Hold
Up Your Light,” Ensign (CR) May 1985