Earth Life – Quote Catch

“…Our decisions here lay the foundation for what awaits us there.” (Gerald E. Melchin, Ensign, May 1994, 81)
“God knows what is best for us. Although we may not understand why we experience some things now, in His timetable we will know and be grateful.” (Richard G. Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1999, 88)
“We live in that day which John the Revelator foresaw when “the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” ( Rev. 12:17.) The dragon is Satan; the woman represents the Church of Jesus Christ. Satan is waging war against the members of the Church who have testimonies and are trying to keep the commandments. And while many of our members are remaining faithful and strong, some are wavering. Some are falling. Some are fulfilling John’s prophecy that in the war with Satan, some Saints would be overcome. (See Rev. 13:7.) Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, (2014), 114–24
2 Nephi 31:19 -20…19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done ? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. 20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
Mosiah 2:23 -24… 23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. 24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
“Accept trials, setbacks, and “surprises” as part of your mortal experience. Remember that you are here to be proved and tested, “to see if [you] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [your] God shall command [you]” ( Abraham 3:25 )—and may I just add, “under all circumstances.” Millions of your brothers and sisters have been or are being thus tested, so why would you be exempt? Some trials come through your own disobedience or negligence. Other trials come because of the negligence of others or simply because this is a fallen world. When these trials come, the adversary’s minions begin broadcasting that you did something wrong, that this is a punishment, a sign that Heavenly Father does not love you. Ignore that! Instead, try to force a smile, gaze heavenward, and say, “I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn’t it?” Then partner with Him to endure well to the end. Spiritual confidence increases when you accept that “often trials and tribulations are allowed to come into [your life] because of what [you] are doing right” (Glenn L. Pace, “Crying with the Saints” [Brigham Young University devotional, Dec. 13, 1987], 2; speeches.byu.edu ).” Jörg Klebingat, October 2014 General Conference
“We were taught in the premortal world that our purpose in coming here is to be tested, tried, and stretched. 3 We knew we would face the evils of the adversary. Sometimes we may feel more aware of the negative things of mortality than we are of the positive. The prophet Lehi taught, “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” Despite all of the negative challenges we have in life, we must take time to actively exercise our faith. Such exercise invites the positive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives.” Richard G. Scott, October 2014 General Conference
“Because of God’s love for us, He prepared a plan that included our coming to the earth, where we would receive bodies and be tested so that we could progress and become more like Him. This plan is called “the plan of salvation” (Alma 24:14), “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8), and “the plan of redemption” (Alma 12:25; see also verses 26–33).” Families and the Church in God’s Plan Handbook 2: Administering the Church
“December 11th, 1994 – Sunday – 5:30pm. Puyo Ecuador….Wow. today in the chapel I’ve never felt like this before. Man, the spirit was not there. People were arguing, teaching false doctrine and being noisy, rowdy, etc. After church, members were asking if the meeting could be cut from 3 to 2 hours. They were arguing over an activity. Man, I realized how hard Satan is working on Puyo. I think that today’s dedication in Pelileo had to do with it. Satan’s angels saw they couldn’t be this chapel in Pelileo so they all came here to Puyo.” – Clinton Brown Missionary Journal
“I have thought of that a good many times. We choose carefully the atmosphere that we breathe, that we may live in health. But sometimes, in our carelessness, we place ourselves in subjection to immoral influences that destroy our resistance of evil, and we are led to do things that we ought not to do and would not do if under the influence of the Lord. If we would only be humble, if we would only be prayerful, if we would only live in such a way that each hour of our lives we could truthfully say, “Father in heaven, I am willing and anxious to do what thou wouldst have me do,” our lives every day would be enriched as we go through this earth experience.” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, 2010, Page 14
“At another M.A.S.H., Russell met a young Latter-Day Saint soldier who had been paralyzed by a gunshot wound. He wondered how to comfort the young man and ended up being the one comforted when the soldier said, “Don’t worry about me, Brother Nelson, for I know why I was sent to earth- to gain experiences and workout my salvation. I can workout my salvation with my mind not my legs. I’ll be alright!” Russell recorded after that “the faith of that young man has motivated me ever since” Nelson, From Heart to Heart,79
“No righteous man is ever taken before his time.” Joseph Fielding Smith, funeral of Richard L. Evans
“We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth for bodies and experience, and that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comfort and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments, and we knew also that after a period of life we would die. We accepted all of these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable and unfavorable. We eagerly accepted the chance to come earthward even though it might be for only a day or a year. Perhaps we were not so concerned whether we would die of disease, of accident, or of senility. We were willing to take life as it came and as willing to organize and control it, and this was without murmur, complaint, or unreasonable demands.” Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle p. 106
“The veil which separates us from the spirit world sometimes seems very thin to us…however, surely those who have passed beyond, can see more clearly through the veil back here to us than it is possible for us to see them from our sphere of action. I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and heavenly beings. We are NOT separate from them ….we are close to our kindred, to our ancestors, to our friends, and associates and co-laborers who have preceded us into the spirit world.They see us better than we can remember them….they know us better than we know them….I claim we live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous of our welfare, they love us now more than ever…For they see the dangers that beset us; they can comprehend, better than ever before, the weaknesses that are liable to mislead us into dark and forbidden paths. They see the temptations and the evils that beset us in life and the proneness of mortal beings to yield to temptation and to do wrong; hence their love for us, the solicitude for us, and their love for us, and their desire for our well being, must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves.” Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine p.429
“The Lord has determined in His heart that He will try us until He knows what He can do with us. He tried His Son Jesus. … Before He [the Savior] came upon earth the Father had watched His course and knew that He could depend upon Him when the salvation of worlds should be at stake; and He was not disappointed. So in regard to ourselves. He will try us, and continue to try us, in order that He may place us in the highest positions in life and put upon us the most sacred responsibilities.” Chapter 7: Faithfulness in Times of Trial: “From the Shadows into the Glorious Sunshine”
“We are here on earth to be tested, to see if we will choose to follow Jesus Christ, to repent regularly, to learn, and to progress.” Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 General Conference
“I have a conviction… that when we pass through the veil of death, all those impediments and challenges and crosses that were beyond our power to control-abuse, neglect, immoral environment, weighty traditions, private temptations and inclinations that yielded to faith, and so forth-will be torn away like a film, and perfect peace will prevail in our hearts.” Voices of Hope, Robert L. Millet
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect [Matthew 5:48.]. I believe the Lord meant just what He said, that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God.” Manual, Teachings, Chapter 18 Living by Every Word That Proceeds from the Mouth of God
December 17, 1995 – Sunday – Quito Ecuador… “I gave a talk on the Sacrament. I spoke on the advice that a Sister gave us in a Testimony Meeting. She told us to live life one week at a time. That between each Sacrament we live our life to the fullest and try and get better. And in each Sacrament Meeting, we ask forgiveness of all we’ve done wrong in the last week and we put goals. That way we live the perfection week by week, and the whole lifetime doesn’t seem so hard.” – Clinton Brown Missionary Journal