Joseph B. Wirthlin
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Joseph Bitner Wirthlinwas an American businessman, religious leader and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained to the Twelve on October 4, 1986, and ordained an apostle on October 9, 1986, by Thomas S. Monson. He became an apostle following the death of church president Spencer W. Kimball. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Wirthlin was accepted by the church membership as a prophet,...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth11 June 1917
CountryUnited States of America
We are all busy. It's easy to find excuses for not reaching out to others, but I imagine they will sound as hollow to our Heavenly Father as the elementary school boy who gave his teacher a note asking that he be excused from school March 30th through the 34th.
There are many reasons our prayers may lack power. Sometimes they become routine. Our prayers become hollow when we say similar words in similar ways over and over so often that the words become more of a recitation than a communication.
Why must we love the Lord? Because as we do so, we become refined, pure, and holy.
Many years ago, large packs of wolves roamed the countryside in Ukraine, making travel in that part of the world very dangerous. These wolf packs were fearless. They were not intimidated by people nor by any of the weapons available at that time. The only thing that seemed to frighten them was fire.
As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.
Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.
Men and women who decide to flirt with adultery just once can become enmeshed in misery and unhappiness for themselves and their precious families.
When we are baptized and confirmed, when brethren are ordained to the priesthood, when we go to the temple and receive our endowment, when we enter into the new and everlasting covenant of eternal marriage - in all these sacred ordinances, we make solemn commitments to keep God's commandments.
Many in the world are searching, often intensely, for a source of refreshment that will quench their yearning for meaning and direction in their lives. They crave a cool, satisfying drink of insight and knowledge that will soothe their parched souls.
The people who misuse the Sabbath lose the blessings of spiritual food and growth promised to those who keep this commandment.
We know that we are often judged by the company we keep. We know how influential classmates, friends, and other peer groups can be. If any of our companions are prone to be unrighteous in their living, we are better off seeking new associations immediately.
Building our homes as fortresses of righteousness for protection from the world takes constant labor and diligence.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper and advocate.
While we yearn for peace, we live in a world burdened with hunger, pain, anguish, loneliness, sickness, and sorrow.