Teachings of Pres. Monson

Christ

"This loving God who introduced his crucified and resurrected Son was not a God lacking in body, parts or passions — the God of a man-made philosophy. Rather, God our Father has ears with which to hear our prayers. He has eyes with which to see our actions. He has a mouth with which to speak to us. He has a heart with which to feel compassion and love. He is real. He is living. We are his children, made in his image. We look like him, and he looks like us.

"This is the God who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life. To all who have loved and lost a dear one, he provides the courage to say, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' (Job 1:21.)" (Ensign, April 1990)

Choice

"A ribbon of black asphalt wends its way through the mountains of northern Utah into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, then meanders southward on its appointed course. 'Interstate 15' is its official name. This super freeway carries the output of factories, the products of commerce and masses of humanity toward appointed destinations.

"I remember a time ... I noticed three hitchhikers, each one of whom carried a homemade sign that announced his desired destination" — Los Angeles, Boise, and the third said Anywhere.

"Here was one who was content to travel in any direction, according to the whim of the driver who stopped to give him a free ride. What an enormous price to pay for such a ride! No plan. No objective. No goal. The road to anywhere is the road to nowhere, and the road to nowhere leads to dreams sacrificed, opportunities squandered and a life unfulfilled.

"Unlike the youthful hitchhiker, you and I have the God-given gift to choose the direction we go. Indeed, the Apostle Paul likened life to a race with a clearly defined goal. To the Saints at Corinth he urged: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." (1 Corinthians 9:24.) In our zeal, let us not overlook the sage counsel from Ecclesiastes: "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong." (Eccl. 9:11.) Actually, the prize belongs to him who endures to the end." (Ensign, March 1991)

Example