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Because
one’s spirit is so important, its development is of eternal
consequence. It is strengthened as we communicate in humble prayer with
our loving Heavenly Father.
The
attributes by which we shall be judged one day are all spiritual. These
include love, virtue, integrity, compassion, and service to others.
Your spirit, coupled with and housed in your body, is able to develop
and manifest these attributes in ways that are vital to your eternal
progression. Spiritual progress is attained through the steps of faith,
repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the
end, including the endowment and sealing ordinances of the holy temple.
"Thanks Be to God" Russell M. Nelson General Conference April 2012
"Gifts to help us navigate our life" Jose A. Teixeira General Conference April 2009
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"Thanks Be to God" Russell M. Nelson General Conference April 2012
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"Help Them Aim High" Henry B. Eyring General Conference October 2012
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It was not intended that we make merchandise out of the gifts of God and
shout to the world the result of these most wonderful gifts. They are
given to us for our salvation, to strengthen our testimony and the
testimonies of others as we bear humble witness of them in our meetings,
quietly, by the Spirit but not before the world.
"Gifts of the Spirit" James A. Cullimore General Conference October 1974
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In
our life’s journey to return to and become more like our Father, we are
not left alone. God has given us the necessary gifts to help us in our
mortal experience.
“Spiritual gifts are blessings or abilities given by God to His children.”
These gifts help us navigate our lives toward eternal goals.
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Spiritual
progress is attained through the steps of faith, repentance, baptism,
the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, including the
endowment and sealing ordinances of the holy temple.
Just
as the body requires daily food for survival, the spirit needs
nourishment as well. The spirit is nurtured by eternal truth.
"Thanks Be to God" Russell M. Nelson General Conference April 2012
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. . . Another
day with my father shaped my life forever. He took me from New Jersey
to the home of an ordained patriarch in Salt Lake City. I had never seen
the man before. My father left me at the doorstep. The patriarch led me
to a chair, placed his hands on my head, and pronounced a blessing as a
gift from God that included a declaration of the great desire of my
heart.
He said that I was one of those of whom it had been said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
I was so surprised that a perfect stranger could know my heart that I
opened my eyes to see the room where such a miracle was happening. That
blessing of my possibilities has shaped my life, my marriage, and my
priesthood service.
From
that experience and what has followed it, I can testify, “For all have
not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every
man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.”
By
the Lord revealing to me a gift, I have been able to recognize and
prepare for opportunities to exercise it to the blessing of those I love
and serve.
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God knows our gifts. My challenge to you and to me is to pray to know
the gifts we have been given, to know how to develop them, and to
recognize the opportunities to serve others that God provides us. But
most of all, I pray that you will be inspired to help others discover
their special gifts from God to serve.
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We cultivate spiritual gifts by keeping the commandments and trying to live a blameless life.
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Our humility and our faith that invite spiritual gifts are increased by our reading, studying, and pondering the scriptures.
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To follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His
character. As spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we do have the
potential to incorporate Christlike attributes into our life and
character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His teachings. To
follow Him is to apply correct principles and then witness for ourselves
the blessings that follow. This process is very complex and very simple
at the same time. Ancient and modern prophets described it with three
words:
“Keep the commandments”
—nothing more, nothing less.
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Christlike attributes are gifts from God. They cannot be developed
without His help. The one help we all need is given to us freely through
the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ and in His
Atonement means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite
power, intelligence, and love. Christlike attributes come into our lives
as we exercise our agency righteously. Faith in Jesus Christ leads to
action. When we have faith in Christ, we trust the Lord enough to follow
His commandments—even when we do not completely understand the reasons
for them. In seeking to become more like the Savior, we need to
reevaluate our lives regularly and rely, through the path of true
repentance, upon the merits of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His
Atonement.
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