Power

Boyd K. Packer, That All May Be Edified, 28-29
"Your authority comes through your ordination; your power comes through obedience and worthiness"

Moroni 7:33
 33 And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.

Melchizedek

Psalms 110:4

4 The Lord hath ^asworn, and will not ^brepent, Thou art a ^cpriest for ever after the order of ^dMelchizedek.

Modesty

President Joseph Fielding Smith, Counsel to the Saints and to the World, April 1972 General Conference

“Be modest in your dress. Overcome the world, and do not be led astray by the fashions and practices of those whose interests are centered upon the things of this world.”

President Boyd K Packer, Counsel to Youth, October 2011 General Conference

“Dress modestly; talk reverently; listen to uplifting music. Avoid all immorality and personally degrading practices. Take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant.”

1 Corinthians 8:13

13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Silvia H. Allred, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, "Modesty: A Timeless Principle for All", Ensign July 2009"...clothing also reflects our attitudes and values. ...the way we dress demonstrates our understanding of and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Given originally at a BYU devotional assembly, 13 February 1951, and published as "BYU Students Warned of Immodesty in Dress" in Deseret News, Church Section, 28 February 1951, 5. This speech was repeated in various forms and quoted in subsequent speeches by President Kimball; for instance, as "Immodesty in Dress" at the Portland stake quarterly conference MIA session, 9 September 1956, and as part of his devotional address at BYU 12 September 1978

 “I know I’m not going to be popular when I say this, but I am sure that the immodest dresses that are worn by our young women, and their mothers, contribute in some degree to the immorality of this age” 

"Body Piercings," True to the Faith, p. 27

"Latter-day prophets strongly discourage the piercing of the body except for medical purposes. If girls or women desire to have their ears pierced, they are encouraged to wear only one pair of modest earrings."

President Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth”, January 2001 Ensign

“As for the young women, you do not need to drape rings up and down your ears. One modest pair of earrings is sufficient.”

My Thoughts

{

What does “modest” mean?  What is a modest pair of earrings?  Modesty is more than just clothing.

The Savior led a modest life and gave the glory to God. Is our countenance about ourselves or about witnessing of the goodness of having God in our lives?

The Savior was not just modest in his choice of clothing, but also in conversation and behavior.

}

President N. Eldon Tanner, “Friend to Friend,” Friend, June 1971

“Modesty in dress is a quality of mind and heart, born of respect for oneself, one’s fellowmen, and the Creator of us all. Modesty reflects an attitude of humility, decency, and propriety. Consistent with these principles and guided by the Holy Spirit, let parents, teachers, and youth discuss the particulars of dress, grooming, and personal appearance, and with free agency accept responsibility and choose the right”

Elder Quentin L. Cook, “The Eternal Everyday”, October 2017 General Conference

“For generations, the religious-based virtue of humility and the civic virtues of modesty and understatement have been the predominant standard.

“In today’s world, there is an increased emphasis on pride, self-aggrandizement, and so-called “authenticity,” which sometimes leads to a lack of true humility.”

…

“The widespread deterioration of civil discourse is also a concern. The eternal principle of agency requires that we respect many choices with which we do not agree. Conflict and contention now often breach “the boundaries of common decency.” We need more modesty and humility.”

Carol F. McConkie, “Courage to Choose Modesty”, October 2014 Ensign

“Modesty in dress, appearance, thought, and behavior is evidence that we understand the covenants we have made that bless us, protect us, and empower us in our preparation to return to His presence. When we were baptized, we stepped out of the world and into the kingdom of God. Everything must be different for us.”

Elder Robert D Hales, “The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom”, October 2000 General Conference

“By choosing to be in His kingdom, we separate—not isolate—ourselves from the world. Our dress will be modest, our thoughts pure, our language clean. The movies and television we watch, the music we listen to, the books, magazines, and newspapers we read will be uplifting. We will choose friends who encourage our eternal goals, and we will treat others with kindness. We will shun the vices of immorality, gambling, tobacco, liquor, and illicit drugs. Our Sunday activities will reflect the commandment of God to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We will follow the example of Jesus Christ in the way we treat others. We will live to be worthy to enter the house of the Lord.

President Margaret D Nadauld, “The Joy of Womanhood”, October 2000 General Conference

“Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

Priesthood Ordination

Num. 27: 18, 22-23
18 ¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee ^aJoshua the son of ^bNun, a man in whom is the ^cspirit, and ^dlay thine hand upon him;
• • •
22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:
23 And he ^alaid his ^bhands upon him, and gave him a ^ccharge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

Deut. 34: 9

9 ¶ And Joshua the son of ^aNun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had ^blaid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel ^chearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Sacred vs Secret

Doctrine and Covenants 10:9
9 Therefore, you have delivered them up, yea, that which was sacred, unto wickedness.

Elder Paul B Pieper, To Hold Sacred, General Conference April 2012
Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values.


Hebrews 9:5
 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Matthew 17:9
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the ^avision to no ^bman, until the Son of man be risen again from the ^cdead.


3 Nephi 26;9-11

9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the ^agreater things be made manifest unto them.

10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the ^agreater things be ^bwithheld from them, unto their condemnation.

11 Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord ^aforbade it, saying: I will ^btry the faith of my people.

Alma 12:9-11
9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to ^aknow the ^bmysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart ^conly according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.

10 And therefore, he that will ^aharden his heart, the same receiveth the ^blesser portion of the word; and he that will ^cnot harden his heart, to him is ^dgiven the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser ^aportion of the word until they ^bknow nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the ^cchains of ^dhell.


Men only receive what they have prepared themselves to receive. The rest they do not understand and are not given more of what God has for them.


Perhaps ones mind immediately flashes to the things of the temple when one reads this. I would propose that it is more expansive. There are times in the scriptures where the author states that they have been constrained from writing more. I would also propose that there are some int heir personal lives that have things that have been revealed to them that they feel constrained by the spirit to share, but under certain circumstances and not share them with the public at large.


Matthew 7: 6
6 ¶ ^aGive not that which is ^bholy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your ^cpearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

The Lord's Prayer

Elder Russel M. Nelson - Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers
The Lord prefaced His prayer by first asking His followers to avoid 'vain repetitions'¹⁶ and to pray 'after this manner.'¹⁷ Thus, the Lord’s Prayer serves as a pattern to follow and not as a piece to memorize and recite repetitively."

Matthew 6:7
7 But when ye pray, use not vain ^arepetitions, as the ^bheathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Self-Reliance

The Teachings Spencer W. Kimball, 370
"Teach them truth and give them the gospel and ambition is born, pride is nurtured, independence replaces slothfulness and men learn how to build their own homes and to furnish them and paint them, and then to build for others."

2 Thessalonians 3:10
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not ^awork, neither should he eat.

Dallin H. Oaks, The Lord's Way, 117
the doctrine of self-reliance, of course, imposes no obligation of work on the aged, incapacitated, sick, or others who are unable to work to support themselves.

Work and self-reliance have an obvious application to our relationship to civil governments. For example, work and self-reliance were inherent in the most important United States government distribution of the 19th century. Under the Homestead Act of 1862, the United States government offered a deed to 160 acres of public land to "the head of a family, or [other person] who has arrived at the age of 21 years," who improve the land by residing upon it and cultivating it for a term of five years. Settlers who obtain title to public lands by this means, including many Mormon pioneers, worked for what they received. The government gave them an opportunity, not a handout. They made the nation stronger by subduing its frontiers, settling its public lands, paying its taxes, and producing food for its people.

A more recent example is the G.I. Bill, by which a grateful government gave educational benefits to members of its armed forces who had interrupted their other activities to serve their country.

Debt

Elder Robert D Hales, Meeting the Challenges of Today’s World, October 2015 General Conference

"If you never choose to go into debt, you will avoid the possibility of bankruptcy!”

...

“Many of your generation are facing crushing debt. When I was a young adult, my stake president was an investment banker on Wall Street. He taught me, ‘You are rich if you can live happily within your means.’”

...

“Don’t buy what you can’t afford.”

...
“Many young adults in the world are going into debt to get an education, only to find the cost of school is greater than they can repay. Seek out scholarships and grants. Obtain part-time employment, if possible, to help pay your own way. This will require some sacrifice, but it will help you succeed.”

President Thomas S Monson, Peace, Be Still, General Conference October 2002

"We must learn to separate need from greed."

Bishop H. David Burton, The Sanctifying Work of Welfare, April 2011 General Conference
“One of the distinguishing characteristics of this inspired gospel-centered endeavor is its emphasis on personal responsibility and self-reliance. President Marion G. Romney explained: ‘Many programs have been set up by well-meaning individuals to aid those who are in need. However, many of these programs are designed with the shortsighted objective of ‘helping people,’ as opposed to ‘helping people help themselves.’ ‘ 5
Self-reliance is a product of provident living and exercising economic self-discipline. From the beginning the Church has taught that families—to the extent they can—need to assume responsibility for their own temporal welfare. Each generation is required to learn anew the foundational principles of self-reliance: avoid debt, implement principles of thrift, prepare for times of distress, listen to and follow the words of the living oracles, develop the discipline to distinguish between needs and wants and then live accordingly.”



"Seek and attain the spiritual high ground in life", Elder Robert D. Hales, CES Broadcast to Married and Single Young Adults, March 1, 2009
"Another element of provident living is the ability to live joyfully within our means, avoiding excessive debt and not coveting the temporal things of this world. There seems to be a sense of entitlement in today’s culture—a feeling that we should acquire right now everything that our parents have acquired over many years. Debt can enslave us. When we become burdened with excessive debt, we have given away our precious, priceless agency and placed ourselves in self-imposed servitude, spending all of our time, energy, and means to the repayment of our debts. A mounting feeling of hopelessness from this situation builds stress which depresses us mentally, affecting our self worth, our relationship with our companion, and ultimately our feelings toward the Lord."



"Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant", Chapter 13
“If the people known as Latter-day Saints had listened to the advice given from this stand by my predecessor, under the inspiration of the Lord, calling and urging upon the Latter-day Saints not to run in debt, this great depression would have hurt the Latter-day Saints very, very little. … To my mind, the main reason for the depression in the United States as a whole, is the bondage of debt and the spirit of speculation among the people.”



2 Ne. 9:51
“Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy”



President Thomas S. Monson, "That Noble Gift—Love at Home,” Church News, May 12, 2001, 7
"Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food and clothing and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food-free."

Contention

3 Nephi 11:28-30

28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

President Thomas S Monson, As We Close This Conference, General Conference April 2012
“If there are disagreements or contentions among you, I urge you to settle them now.“

4 Nephi 1:15
 15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.


Dean C. Jessee, comp-ed., The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984), 90.
Joseph Smith instructed some brethren that were debating a certain doctrine. He talked of them having "too much zeal for mastery" and that they should not focus on dominating each other, but "they should handle sacred things very sacredly, and with due deference to the opinions of others, and with an eye single to the glory of God."

President Henry B. Eyring, "Our Hearts Knit as One", October 2008 General Conference
"A second principle to guide our progress to become one is to be humble. Pride is the great enemy of unity. You have seen and felt its terrible effects. Just days ago I watched as two people—good people—began with a mild disagreement. It started as a discussion of what was true but became a contest about who was right. Voices become gradually louder. Faces became a little more flushed. Instead of talking about the issue, people began talking about themselves, giving evidence why their view, given their great ability and background, was more likely to be right."

Titus 3:9
9 But avoid ^afoolish questions, and genealogies, and ^bcontentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

How often do we in our classes spin on things that don't matter or insert our own ideas as doctrine.

Mosiah 2:32
32 But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise ^acontentions among you, and ye ^blist to ^cobey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.

Mosiah 18:21
21 And he commanded them that there should be no ^acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with ^bone eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts ^cknit together in unity and in love one towards another.

3 Nephi 18:34
34 And I give you these commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. And blessed are ye if ye have ^ano disputations among you.

Do we think when reading this scripture that it would be nice and we would be blessed if we did not have disputations among us, but it is too bad that people dispute with us? Or rather do we think of ways that we can dispute less in our lives?

2 Timothy 24-25

24 And the servant of the Lord must not ^astrive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to ^bteach, patient,

25 In ^ameekness ^binstructing those that oppose themselves; if God ^cperadventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

There will be those that want to Bible bash or ask inflammatory questions, but we are to respond with peace, kindness, patience, and meekness.

James 1:19-20

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to ^aspeak, ^bslow to ^cwrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Our society has a culture of quick tongues, but James 1:19-20 tells us we should be different.

Doctrine and Covenants 31:9
9 Be ^apatient in ^bafflictions, ^crevile not against those that revile. Govern your ^dhouse in meekness, and be ^esteadfast.

Doctrine and Covenants 38:41
41 And let your ^apreaching be the ^bwarning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in ^cmeekness.

Doctrine and Covenants 60:14
14 And after thou hast come up unto the land of Zion, and hast proclaimed my word, thou shalt speedily return, proclaiming my word among the congregations of the wicked, not in ^ahaste, neither in ^bwrath nor with ^cstrife.

Repentance

Elder David A Bednar, Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins, April 2016 General Conference
“The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit and bears witness of all truth. In the scriptures, the Holy Ghost is referred to as the Comforter,10 a teacher,11 and a revelator.12 Additionally, the Holy Ghost is a sanctifier13 who cleanses and burns dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire.”




James J Hamula, The Sacrament and the Atonement, October 2014 General Conference
“We further declare that we will ‘keep his commandments.’ That is a solemn commitment to repent. If our thoughts, words, or actions have been less than what they should have been in days past, we recommit ourselves to more closely align our lives with His in days to come.”



D Todd Christofferson, Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, October 2014 General Conference
“Christ died not to save indiscriminately but to offer repentance. We rely ‘wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save’19 in the process of repentance, but acting to repent is a self-willed change. So by making repentance a condition for receiving the gift of grace, God enables us to retain responsibility for ourselves. Repentance respects and sustains our moral agency...”



Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
“The sacrament becomes a spiritually strengthening experience when we listen to the sacrament prayers and recommit to our covenants. To do this, we must be willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.2Speaking of this promise, President Henry B. Eyring taught: ‘That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives. We will want what He wants rather than what we want or what the world teaches us to want.’3”
...
“Each week, she conducted a self-evaluation during the sacrament. She recalled mistakes she had made, and she committed to be better the next week. She was grateful to be able to make things right and be made clean. Looking back on the experience, she said, ‘I was acting on the repentance part of the Atonement.’”



Elder Quentin L Cook, Can Ye Feel So Now?, General Conference October 2012
“...through repentance you can qualify for all the blessings of heaven.”

Helaman 5:40-41
40 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: Whatshall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?

41 And Aminadab said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.

Hebrews 12:1
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,



Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf, The Merciful Obtain Mercy, April 2012 General Conference When the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving ourselves.



My Thoughts:
It appears that when the scripture speak of turning to the Lord it means to repent.

Mormon 3:2
 2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared. 




President Boyd K Packer, “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast
“Guilt is spiritual pain. Do not suffer from chronic pain. Get rid of it. Be done with it. Repent, and, if necessary, repent again and again and again and again until you—not the enemy—are in charge of you.”

1 John 1:8-10

  8 If we say that we have ^ano ^bsin, we ^cdeceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

  9 If we ^aconfess our sins, he is faithful and ^bjust to ^cforgive us our sins, and to ^dcleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  10 If we say that we have ^anot sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Luke 15:17
 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Psalms 119:59
59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.


We must come to repentance or we will perish. Repentance is something we must do in addition to saying that we accept Christ.


Obedience and repentance are the hands we receive the atonement with.






Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness (Ch 4)
"Some men come to recognize their sins from introspection while others must be brought to their knees by outside forces."

Elder J Devn Cornish, Of the Seventy, The Privilege of Prayer, General Conference October 2011

“An essential and sometimes forgotten part of personal prayer is repentance. For repentance to work, it must be specific, profound, and lasting.”

Mosiah 4:16-18

16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

We must take care of each other or we must repent.




Alma 34:32-34

32 For behold, this ^alife is the time for men to ^bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of ^cthis life is the day for men to perform their ^dlabors.

33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many ^awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not ^bprocrastinate the day of your ^crepentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the ^dnight of ^edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful ^acrisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth ^bpossess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.


Procrastinating repentance until the end says something about where our heart is at. Our character is one of the things we can take with us.

Matthew 6:12, 14-15

12 And forgive us our ^adebts, as we ^bforgive our debtors.

14 For if ye ^aforgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye ^aforgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

To be forgiven of our sins we must do something. One of those things is to forgive others.




Mosiah 26:31-32

31 And ye shall also ^aforgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his ^bneighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.

32 Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will ^anot repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.


Alma 32:16
16 Therefore, blessed are they who ^ahumble themselves without being ^bcompelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without ^cstubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.

Matthew 3:8-10

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

• Fruits are works.  Those who do not produce good works are cast off.
• Just because one is a child of Abraham, or of Israel, or that one has confessed that Christ is ones savior one will be cast off if one does not produce fruits meet for repentance.
• Fruits meet for repentance - you display what is important to you in your actions.  They are indicators that your character has changed.