Our Rough Drafts

D&C 58:2-5

Many have wondered why we must face difficult challenges. We know that one reason is to provide a trial of our faith to see if we will do all the Lord has commanded. Fortunately this earth life is the perfect setting to face—and pass—these tests...If we handle these afflictions properly, they will be consecrated for our gain…many times the darkest, most dangerous tests immediately precede remarkable events and tremendous growth… Time after time we see marvelous blessings on the heels of great trials. 

-  Paul V. Johnson, More Than Conquerors through Him That Loved Us 

D&C 58:26-28

We have been given agency, we have been given the blessings of the priesthood, and we have been given the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost for a reason. That reason is our growth and happiness in this world and eternal life in the world to come...how we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination…our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations.

-  Robert D. Hales, To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency  

D&C 58:42-43

Through the Atonement of Christ the Lord, we can put off our selfish natural self and become a child of God, meek, humble, full of faith and appropriate trust. When we repent, when we confess and forsake our sins, the Lord says He remembers them no more. It is not that He forgets; rather, in a remarkable way, it seems He chooses not to remember them, nor need we...Thankfully, we can trust God’s perfect justice and perfect mercy to judge perfectly our intents and actions. 

-  Gerrit W. Gong, Trust Again  

D&C 59:4-5

D&C 59:21-23

The love of the Father and the Son is freely given but also includes hopes and expectations…Let us remember John’s kind admonition: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” Indeed, His commandments are not grievous—just the opposite. They mark the path of healing, happiness, peace, and joy. Our Father and our Redeemer have blessed us with commandments, and in obeying Their commandments, we feel Their perfect love more fully and more profoundly.

-  D. Todd Christofferson, The Love of God 

D&C 59:7, 15, 18-20 

Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction...the Lord said, “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.” All things means just that: good things, difficult things—not just some things. He has commanded us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy.  

-  Bonnie D. Parkin, Gratitude: A Path to Happiness 

D&C 59:9-12  

One of the most common and important forms of worship is to gather in a consecrated space to perform acts of devotion… Most important is what we do when we gather on the Lord’s day…Devoting our Sabbaths to the Lord and His purposes is itself an act of worship. Some years ago, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson observed: “How do we hallow the Sabbath day?”…Worship on the Lord’s day is marked by a particular focus on the great atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ...For the penitent, partaking of the sacrament is the highlight of Sabbath worship.

-  D. Todd Christofferson, Worship 

 D&C 51:7-9, 15, 19 

 D&C 52:9-11  

 D&C 52:14-19  

 D&C 54:3-6, 9-10 

 D&C 56:14-20  

 D&C 57:6-14