1. Video: Thanksgiving Daily 1:49
Video: Thank the Lord Thy God 1:46
PRESIDENT THOMAS S MONSON,
2. “To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.”
My beloved friend President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 250).”
Video: Thank the Lord Thy God 1:46
“Like the leprosy of yesteryear are the plagues of today.
They linger; they debilitate; they destroy. They are to be found everywhere.
Their pervasiveness knows no boundaries. We know them as selfishness, greed,
indulgence, cruelty, and crime, to identify but a few. Surfeited with their
poison, we tend to criticize, to complain, to blame, and, slowly but surely, to
abandon the positives and adopt the negatives of life.”
“A popular refrain from the 1940s captured the thought:
Accentuate the positive; Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative; Don’t mess with Mr. In-between.
“Ac-cen-tu-ate
the Positive,” lyrics by Johnny Mercer (ASCAP, 1945).
“This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, . . .”
“We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.”
“A favorite hymn [“Count Your Many Blessings”] always lifts our spirits, kindles our faith, and inspires our thoughts . . . Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856–1922), “Count Your
Blessings,” Hymns,no. 241.”
PRESIDENT THOMAS S MONSON,
First Counselor in the First Presidency,
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints,
“An
Attitude of Gratitude,” April 1992
162nd
Annual General Conference
2. “To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.”
My beloved friend President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 250).”
“The
English author Aldous Huxley wrote, “Most human beings have an almost infinite
capacity for taking things for granted (Aldous Huxley, Themes and Variations
(1954), 66).”
“We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude.”
“We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude.”
“A
grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father
for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our
lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and
cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend
to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it.
Someone has said that ‘feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping
a present and not giving it (William Arthur Ward, in Allen Klein, comp., Change
Your Life! (2010), 15).’”
“When
we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us
to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard
enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given.”
PRESIDENT THOMAS S MONSON,
PRESIDENT THOMAS S MONSON,
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints,
180th Semi-Annual
General Conference
Sunday morning, October 2010
3.“We so easily forget that we came into life with nothing. Whatever we get soon seems our natural right, not a gift. And we forget the giver. Then our gaze shifts from what we have been given to what we don’t have yet.”
“Elder Richard L. Evans once said, ‘Gratefully we acknowledge the infinite mind of our Maker, and gratefully ought to offer our tithes and offerings, and earnestly consistent service, in thanks for all that God has given, and keep his commandments in remembrance of the love and providence and purpose of the Creator, the God and Father of us all, the organizer and operator of heaven and earth, without whom all these things would not be so. Thank God for all this: for life and what sustains it, for loved ones that make it meaningful, for faith and purpose and continuance, always and forever. Thank God for all of this—and much, much more.’(“Thanks: for the Organization and Operation of the Earth,” Improvement Era, Feb. 1968, p. 74; KSL “The Spoken Word” broadcast, Nov. 19, 1967.)”
“King Benjamin taught . . . that none of us is above another because we are all dust, to which God has given life and then sustained it. He described a fact which is true for every human being: unforgiven sin will bring us unending torment. And he described the gift we all have been offered: those whose faith in Jesus Christ leads them to repentance and forgiveness will live in never-ending happiness. [This] teaching had a miraculous effect. Gratitude for what they had led to faith unto repentance. That led to forgiveness. That produced new gratitude.” (Emphasis mine. Mosiah 2-5)
“How can you and I remember, always, the goodness of God, that we can retain a remission of our sins? The Apostle John recorded what the Savior taught us of a gift of remembrance which comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost . . . (John 14:26).”
“One of the ways God teaches us is with his blessings; and so, if we choose to exercise faith, the Holy Ghost will bring God’s kindnesses to our remembrance. You could test that in prayer today. You could follow the command, ‘Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.’ (D&C 59:7).” [Emphasis mine.]
“President Benson suggested . . . : ‘The Prophet Joseph said . . . one of the greatest sins of which the Latter-day Saints would be guilty is the sin of ingratitude. [We may] have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much.” (God, Family, Country, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974, p. 199.)”
“How can you and I remember, always, the goodness of God, that we can retain a remission of our sins? The Apostle John recorded what the Savior taught us of a gift of remembrance which comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost . . . (John 14:26).”
“One of the ways God teaches us is with his blessings; and so, if we choose to exercise faith, the Holy Ghost will bring God’s kindnesses to our remembrance. You could test that in prayer today. You could follow the command, ‘Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.’ (D&C 59:7).” [Emphasis mine.]
“President Benson suggested . . . : ‘The Prophet Joseph said . . . one of the greatest sins of which the Latter-day Saints would be guilty is the sin of ingratitude. [We may] have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much.” (God, Family, Country, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974, p. 199.)”
“You could have an experience with the gift of the Holy Ghost today. . . . Begin a private prayer with thanks. . . . Start to count your blessings, and then pause for a moment. If you exercise faith, and with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you will find that memories of other blessings will flood into your mind. If you begin to express gratitude for each of them, your prayer may take a little longer than usual. Remembrance will come. And so will gratitude. . . . Try the same thing as you write an entry in your book of remembrance. The Holy Ghost has helped with that since the beginning of time. You remember in the record of Moses it says: “And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration.” (Moses 6:5.)
“President Marion G. Romney talked about the gift we will be helped to remember. He said:
We should be thankful and express appreciation for all favors received—and surely we receive many. The chief objects of our gratitude, however, should be, and are, God, our Heavenly Father, and his son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. …
To the Lord Jesus we owe an undying debt of gratitude, for he bought us with a great price. It is impossible for us, weak mortals as we are, to fully comprehend and appreciate the sufferings he endured on the cross that he might gain for us the victory over death. (Ensign, June 1974, p. 3.)”
“Remembrance is the seed of gratitude which is the seed of generosity. Gratitude for the remission of sins is the seed of charity, the pure love of Christ. And so God has made possible for you and me this blessing, a change in our very natures:’And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love . . .’ (Moro. 8:26.)” [Emphasis mine.]
ELDER HENRY B EYRING,
First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric,
159th Annual General Conference,
4. “The virtues of gratitude have been widely extolled and the
sinfulness of ingratitude has been just as widely condemned. It has been said that ‘an ungrateful man is
like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they
come from.’ (Timothy Dexter, The New Dictionary of Thoughts, Garden
City, N.Y.: Standard Book Co., 1961, p. 308.)”
“King
Benjamin (as recorded in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon) admonished his
people:
‘O how you ought to thank your
heavenly King! I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the
thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who
has created you, . . . yet ye would be unprofitable servants.’ (Mosiah
2:19–21.)”
“‘I believe,’ said President Joseph F. Smith . . . ‘that one
of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth are guilty today is
the sin of ingratitude, the want of acknowledgment, on their part, of God and
his right to govern and control. . . . In all great modern discoveries in
science, in the arts, in mechanics, and in all the material advancement of our
age, the world says, “We have done it.” The individual says, “I have done it,”
and he gives no honor and credit to God. Now, I read in the revelations through Joseph Smith, the prophet, that
because of this, God is not pleased with the inhabitants of the earth but is
angry with them because they will not acknowledge his hand in all things.’ (Gospel
Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, pp. 270–71.)”
“Great men have always recognized the greatness of God and
their dependence upon him, and they have with regularity rendered to him
gratitude and thanksgiving. Consider these words written by Abraham
Lincoln as part of a resolution in 1863:
We have been the recipients of the choicest
bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity;
we have grown in number, wealth, and power as no other Nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved
us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly
imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were
produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with
unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming
and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us.
It behooves us, then, to humble
ourselves before the offended power, to confess our … sins, and to pray for
clemency and forgiveness. (John Wesley Hill, Abraham Lincoln, Man of God, 4th ed., New York: G.
P. Putnam’s Sons, p. 391.)”
“We have been commanded by the
Lord to be thankful. In March of 1831, before the Church had been organized a
year, the Lord said to the Saints in Kirtland:
Ye are
commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; . . . doing all
things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by
evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are
of men, and others of devils. …
And ye
must give thanks unto God in
the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.” (D&C 46:7, 32; italics added [sic].)
Five months later he gave unto
the Church . . .this commandment. Now
notice how the Lord puts the commandment to be thankful along with other strong
commandments. He said:
Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and
strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.
Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal; neither commit
adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it.
Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all
things.” (D&C 59:5–7; italics added.[sic])
It is perfectly evident from
this scripture that to thank the Lord in all things is not merely a courtesy,
it is a commandment as binding upon us as any other commandment[sic]. In a later revelation
the Lord said:
‘And he
who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall
be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an
hundred fold, yea, more.’ (D&C 78:19; italics added.)
‘Verily
I say unto you my friends’—that always moves me, to think of the Lord calling
you and me his friends— ‘Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your
hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks.’ (D&C 98:1; italics added. [sic])
‘If thou
art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a
prayer of praise and thanksgiving.’ (D&C 136:28; italics added. [sic])
This last commandment that I
have just read came . . . at Winter Quarters when the Saints . . . were
suffering the greatest of hardships, but the Lord was commanding them to be
full of praise and thanksgiving.”
These commandments that I have
read put us under a solemn obligation to develop gratitude and the spirit of
thanksgiving. We should be thankful and express appreciation for all of our
blessings."
“To the Lord Jesus, who bought us with a great price, we owe
an undying debt of gratitude. It is impossible for us, weak mortals as we are,
to fully comprehend and appreciate the suffering he endured on the cross so
that he might gain for us victory over death. And even less can we understand
the suffering he endured in Gethsemane so that we might obtain forgiveness of
our sins. ‘Which suffering,’ he said, ‘caused myself, even God, the greatest of
all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both
body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink.’ (D&C 19:18.)”
“[Christ] endured [suffering] for our sake. None of us could
have endured that suffering. No mortal man nor any number of men together could
have endured it. All people who understand what Jesus did for us ought to love
him and demonstrate that love by rendering to him, in a realistic manner, thanks
and gratitude.”
“The Lord wants us to be
grateful and thankful unto him. And if we do these things which he has advised
us to do, we will be the happiest people who dwell upon the earth, for this is
the way to the presence and society of our Father in heaven.”
President MARION
G. ROMNEY
President of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles,
152nd Semi-annual General Conference,
Sunday morning, October 1982
5. “The Lord said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15.) Our obedience to the laws, ordinances, and commandments is the greatest expression of love and gratitude that we can bestow upon him.”
“Gratitude is . . . the foundation upon which repentance is
built.”
“Prayer is an essential part of conveying appreciation to
our Heavenly Father. He awaits our expressions of gratefulness each morning and
night in sincere, simple prayer from our hearts for our many blessings, gifts,
and talents.”
“Through expression of prayerful gratitude and thanksgiving, we show our dependence upon a higher source of wisdom and knowledge—God the Father and his Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are taught to ‘live in thanksgiving daily.’ (Alma 34:38.)”
"Gratitude is a state of appreciation, an act of
thanksgiving, which causes us to be humble because we recognize an act of
kindness, service, or caring from someone else which lifts us and strengthens
us."
"Ingratitude is the attitude of being unaware or not
recognizing when someone has assisted us or helped us or, even worse, when we
know we have been helped and have not given thanks privately or publicly."
"In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude
have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings warmth to the
giver and the receiver alike."
“ Gratitude expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for
what we have brings a calming peace—a peace which allows us to not canker our
souls for what we don’t have. . . . a peace that helps us overcome the pain of
adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation
for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or
desire in the future. A recognition of and appreciation for our gifts and
talents which have been given also allows us to acknowledge the need for help
and assistance from the gifts and talents possessed by others.”
“Gratitude is
a divine principle: 'Thou shalt
thank the Lord thy God in all things.' (D&C
59:7.) This scripture means that we express thankfulness for what
happens, not only for the good things in life but also for the opposition and
challenges of life that add to our experience and faith. We put our lives in
His hands, realizing that all that transpires will be for our experience.”
“When in prayer we say, “Thy will be done,” we are really
expressing faith and gratitude and acknowledging that we will accept whatever
happens in our lives.”
Presiding Bishop of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
179th Annual General Conference,
Sunday morning April 1992,
or
Ensign, May 1992, 64.
6.“Sometimes in my growing years I thought we were poor, ... I
later learned that was not true. We just didn’t have any money. We were always
rich in the things most significant in our lives. My parents always praised and
encouraged my efforts. They took time ... to look at whatever ... I wanted to
show them.”
PRESIDENT BOYD K.
PACKER,
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Tate, Lucile C. Boyd K. Packer: A Watchman on the Tower
The Earth Shall Teach Thee: The Life Work of an Amateur Artist
7. “I cannot speak of the Restoration in tempered tones. This fact of history is absolutely stunning! It is incredible! It is breathtaking! How amazing is it that messengers from heaven came to give authority and power to this work? Our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ made multiple appearances to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Under Their direction, other heavenly messengers came, each with a specific purpose.”
7. “I cannot speak of the Restoration in tempered tones. This fact of history is absolutely stunning! It is incredible! It is breathtaking! How amazing is it that messengers from heaven came to give authority and power to this work? Our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ made multiple appearances to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Under Their direction, other heavenly messengers came, each with a specific purpose.”
“I thank God and His Son, Jesus Christ, for the Restoration
and its power to propel a magnificent wave of truth and righteousness across
the earth. May we catch this wave and fulfill the Lord’s command to take the
gospel ‘to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people’(Revelation 14:6;
see also 1 Nephi
19:17; Doctrine
and Covenants 133:37).”
“Catch
the Wave,”
183rd Annual General Conference,
183rd Annual General Conference,
Saturday afternoon, 7 April 2013
8. “Believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: ‘I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up (D&C 84:88).’ In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and ‘the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.’ (D&C 90:24).”
8. “Believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: ‘I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up (D&C 84:88).’ In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and ‘the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.’ (D&C 90:24).”
“The
Ministry of Angels,”
178th Semi-annual General Conference
178th Semi-annual General Conference
Sunday morning,
October 2008
9.“As we strive to make our prayers more meaningful, we should
remember that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath
kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his
commandments” (D&C
59:21).”
“Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord
in all our doings (see Alma 37:37) . . . as we express heartfelt gratitude . . .
pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart. ”
“ Just as expressing gratitude more often in our prayers enlarges the conduit for
revelation, so praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases
our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord.”
ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“Pray
Always,”
178th Semi-annual General Conference
178th Semi-annual General Conference
Saturday
afternoon, October 2008
10. "Those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace and understanding. . . . True gratitude is an expression of Hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will."
ELDER DEITER F UCHTDORF,
Second Counselor in the First Presidency,
"Grateful in Any Circumstance,"
184th Annual General Conference,
Sunday morning, 6 April 2014,
New Era p.5, May 2014
11. “Record for [your] children to read, someday in the future, how [you] had seen the hand of God blessing [your] family. . . . Before [writing] . . . ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today? . . . Gratitude [will] grow [and you’ll become] ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers [and feel] more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. . . The Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened. ”
ELDER DEITER F UCHTDORF,
Second Counselor in the First Presidency,
"Grateful in Any Circumstance,"
184th Annual General Conference,
Sunday morning, 6 April 2014,
New Era p.5, May 2014
11. “Record for [your] children to read, someday in the future, how [you] had seen the hand of God blessing [your] family. . . . Before [writing] . . . ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today? . . . Gratitude [will] grow [and you’ll become] ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers [and feel] more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. . . The Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened. ”
“The challenge to remember has always been the hardest for
those who are blessed abundantly (Deuteronomy 4:9).
Those who are faithful to God are protected and prospered. That comes as the
result of serving God and keeping His commandments. But with those blessings
comes the temptation to forget their source. It is easy to begin to feel the
blessings were granted not by a loving God on whom we depend but by our own powers
(Helaman
12:1–2, 5).”
ELDER HENRY B EYRING,
First Counselor in the First Presidency,
First Counselor in the First Presidency,
“O
Remember, Remember,”
177th Semi-Annual General Conference,
177th Semi-Annual General Conference,
Sunday Morning October 1, 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment