Benson - Nothing Is Going to Startle Us More

Ezra Taft Benson

Jesus Christ – Gifts and Expectation
BYU Speeches – December 1974 

President Ezra Taft Benson 
Christmas Devotional – December 1985

(*not part of the Christmas Devotional address) 

A few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and His and our Father in Heaven well.  We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earthly life that could make it possible for us have a fullness of joy as they had.  We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.  And now we’re here – our memories are veiled—and we’re showing God and ourselves what we can do.  Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us.  And then, President Young said, we’re going to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh.* 

God loves us, He’s watching us, he wants us to succeed, and we’ll know someday that He has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us.  If we only knew that there are heavenly hosts pulling for us – friends in heaven, whom we can’t remember now, who yearn for our victory.  This is our day to show what we can do – what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly bring to God.  If we give our all, we will  get His all from the greatest of all.

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Contention - Pride

President Ezra Taft Benson

General Conference - April 1989

Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights, unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces, spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this category of pride.

Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord away. It also drives many of our family  members away. Contention ranges from a hostile spoken word to worldwide conflicts. The scriptures tell us that “only by pride cometh contention.”

The scriptures testify that the proud are easily offended and hold grudges. They withhold forgiveness to keep another in their debt and to justify their injured feelings.

The proud do not recieve counsel or correction easily. Defensiveness is used by them to justify and rationalize their frailties and failures.

View the complete talk HERE

Pride

C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity 

As long as you are proud, you cannot know God.  A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment or even common sense.

President Ezra Taft Benson

"Cleansing the Inner Vessel"

General Conference

April 1986

Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right.  It looks sideways to man and argues who is right.... Pride is characterized by ‘What do I want out of life?’  It is self-will as opposed to God’s will....  Humility responds to God’s will– to the fear of  His judgments and the needs of those around us.. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.

Stripling Warriors Lesson Quotes

President Ezra Taft Benson

April 1986 General Conference

Priesthood Session

View Full Talk HERE

“You have been born at this time for a sacred and glorious purpose. It is not by chance that you have been reserved to come to earth in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. Your birth at this particular time was foreordained in the eternities.

“You are to be the royal army of the Lord in the last days. . . .

“In the spiritual battles you are waging, I see you as today’s sons of Helaman.

Remember well the Book of Mormon account of Helaman’s two thousand stripling
warriors”.

President Harold B. Lee

October 1970 General Conference

“The power of Satan will increase; we see it in evidence on every hand. . . .

“Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, ‘as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; . . . as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.’ (D&C 21:4–5.) There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.’ (D&C 21:6.)”.

President Spencer W. Kimball

Women's Fireside Address

November 1978 Ensign

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball

View Full Talk HERE

“To be a righteous woman during the winding-up scenes on this earth, before the Second Coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times. She has been placed here to help to enrich, to protect, and to guard the home—which is society’s basic and most noble institution. Other institutions in society may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help to save the home, which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals know in the midst of storm and strife”.

Ezra Taft Benson - God Can Make More Out of Your Lives

Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life (see Matthew 10:39).

("Jesus Christ-Gifts and Expectations,"  BYU Speeches, 10 December 1974, Christmas Devotional, Salt Lake City, Utah, 7 December 1986 - The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 361)

See the full 1974 talk HERE

Benson- Nothing is going to startle us more

A few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and his and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earthly life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy as they had.  We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.  And now we're here - our memories are veiled - and we're showing God and ourselves what we can do.  Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.  And then, President Young said, we're going to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh.

God loves us, he's watching us, he wants us to succeed, and we'll know someday that he has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us.  If we only knew that there are heavenly hosts pulling for us - friends in heaven, whom we can't remember now, who yearn for our victory.  This is our day to show what we can do - what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly bring to God.  If we give our all, we will get his all from the greatest of all.
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