Day 364

  • Principle: Spiritual gifts can be yours.

  • Book of Mormon Reading: Moroni 10:8 - 10:34

  • Moroni finishes his life’s work with an invitation to come unto God, accept the blessing of the atonement, and to recognize all of your spiritual gifts.  Why do you think Moroni would end with these verses?

  • Gene R. Cook said:

    • “One of the great processes you go through in life is to discover yourself, to find those gifts and capacities God has given you. He has given you great talents, the smallest part of which you have just begun to utilize. Trust the Lord to assist you in unlocking the door to those gifts. Some of us have created imaginary limits in our minds. There is literally a genius locked up inside each of us. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise” (“Trust in the Lord,” in Hope[1988], 90–91).

  • Parley P. Pratt taught:

    • “The gift of the Holy Spirit adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being” (Key to the Science of Theology [1979], 61).

  • Joseph b. Wirthlin said:

    • “When we keep the Lord’s commandments, faith, hope, and charity abide with us. These virtues ‘distil upon [our] soul as the dews from heaven’ [D&C 121:45], and we prepare ourselves to stand with confidence before our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, ‘without blemish and without spot’ [1 Peter 1:19]. …

      “These are the virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy characteristics we seek. We all are familiar with Paul’s teaching that ‘charity never faileth’ [1 Corinthians 13:8]. Certainly we need unfailing spiritual strength in our lives. Moroni recorded the revelation ‘that faith, hope and charity bringeth [us] unto [the Lord]—the fountain of all righteousness’ [Ether 12:28].

      “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the restored Church of the Lord on the earth today, guides us to the Savior and helps us develop, nurture, and strengthen these divine attributes” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 32; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 26).

  • Gordon B. Hinckley taught:

    • “I pray that what you have heard and seen may make a difference in your lives. I pray that each of us will be a little more kind, a little more thoughtful, a little more courteous. I pray that we will keep our tongues in check and not let anger prompt words which we would later regret. I pray that we may have the strength and the will to turn the other cheek, to walk the extra mile in lifting up the feeble knees of those in distress” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 109; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 103).

  • How are you coming to Christ?

  • Why should you seek spiritual gifts?

  • What can you do to help others learn about and experience the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

  • Additional Study:

    • Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Unspeakable Gift”, April 2003

    • Sweet Is the Work, Hymns No. 147

    • I’m Trying to Be like Jesus, Children’s Songbook No. 78