Prepare ye the way of the Lord

 

 

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Are my paths straight? Is my heart pure? Have my grudges been cleared with forgiveness? Have my desires and ambitions been filled with holiness? Have I labored diligently to ready a path worthy of He who will travel it?

Emily Freeman

 

 

“Do not doubt your abilities. Do not delay your worthy impressions. With God’s help, you cannot fail. He will give you the courage to participate in meaningful change and purposeful living. We need to repent, straightway, and trust in His reality and capacity to assist us in knowing the abundant life. He will help us learn to be sensitive to our own needs and to those of others. Those who fear, procrastinate. Those who change for the better show progress straightway and become wiser and stronger.”

Marvin J. Ashton

 

 

“A man must rise by his own efforts and walk by faith. One of our greatest resources for success and happiness is doing the right thing now. All of us as God’s children must be taught that meaningful growth must come from within and not from without. By so doing, we will walk in His paths, lift the arms of the weary and oppressed, give encouragement to our associates, develop individual initiative in governing ourselves, carry our crosses with dignity and purpose, and help all to become fishers of men straightway.”

Marvin J. Ashton

 

 

“When our hearts are filled with the love of God, something good and pure happens to us. We ‘keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.’ The more we allow the love of God to govern our minds and emotions the more we allow our love for our Heavenly Father to swell within our hearts the easier it is to love others with the pure love of Christ.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

 

“All of us have, to some degree, an unforgiving nature, for to be unforgiving is a tendency of the ‘natural man.’ But if we yield ‘to the enticings of the Holy Spirit,’ as King Benjamin admonished, we will put off ‘the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.’ Such a person learns that forgiveness can open the door to a happier and more spiritually mature life.”

Roderick J. Linton

 

 

“No matter where we begin, if we pursue knowledge diligently and honestly our quest will inevitably lead us from the things of earth to the things of heaven.”

Hugh Nibley

 

 

 

“Most of us are acquainted with miracles that have occurred in our personal lives and the lives of those we love, such as miracles involving births and deaths and miraculous healings. All of these are fulfillments of the Lord’s modern promise to ‘show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name’

 

Dallin H. Oaks

 

 

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

In golden youth when seems the earth
A Summer-land of singing mirth,
When souls are glad and hearts are light,
And not a shadow lurks in sight,
We do not know it, but there lies
Somewhere veiled under evening skies
A garden which we all must see
The garden of Gethsemane.

With joyous steps we go our ways,
Love lends a halo to our days;
Light sorrows sail like clouds afar,
We laugh, and say how strong we are.
We hurry on; and hurrying, go
Close to the border-land of woe,
That waits for you, and waits for me
Forever waits Gethsemane.

Down shadowy lanes, across strange streams,
Bridged over by our broken dreams;
Behind the misty caps of years,
Beyond the great salt fount of tears,
The garden lies. Strive as you may,
You cannot miss it in your way.
All paths that have been, or shall be,
Pass somewhere through Gethsemane.

All those who journey, soon or late,
Must pass within the garden’s gate;

Must kneel alone in darkness there,
And battle with some fierce despair
God pity those who can not say,
“Not mine but thine,” who only pray,
“Let this cup pass,” and cannot see
The purpose in Gethsemane.