Faith: More Than Theoretical

"Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places….

Jesus’s teachings were not meant to be theoretical. Always they were to be acted upon. Jesus taught, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man” (Matthew 7:24; see alsoLuke 11:28)"

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Followers of Christ”, April 2013 General Conference

Education: Spiritual Joins Secular Instruction

"My personal experience converts me to the wisdom of the educational philosophy that joins spiritual with secular instruction….We are concerned with teaching the fundaments of spiritual and secular knowledge and with bringing those teachings into harmony in the lives of men and women in order to prepare them for a balanced and full life of service to God and fellowman."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Strive For Excellence” October 1971 General Conference

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Education: Strive for Excellence

In this address, Elder Oaks offers four thoughts on education:

"1. Rigorous standards and high achievement in any field of learning are not at odds with faith and devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Strive for excellence, use the talents that the Lord has given you, meet and master the learning of men.

2. In approaching any field of learning, remember the Lord’s direction to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118.) Your faith will sustain you and give added meaning and increased accomplishment to your secular studies if you will live to deserve the blessings of the Lord.

3. Cherish and nourish your spiritual life. Seek spiritual growth at the same time that you are seeking to enlarge your learning in other areas. Nourish your spirit just as regularly as you nourish your body or mind. Don’t neglect study of the gospel and activity in the Church during the period of your schooling. It is needed then as much as or more than at any time during your life. If you are not in a Church school—BYU, Ricks, Church College of Hawaii—make the institute or seminary or home study part of your program.

4. Most of all, live so that you can be guided and taught by the Spirit in all your activities, including all your efforts to learn and gain an education: honor your parents; be true to the teachings of the Church; be clean and faithful in all things; and be loyal to the leaders of the Church."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Strive for Excellence", October 1971 General Conference

Learn more about Dallin H. Oaks.
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Family: Preserving Marriage

"Under the law of the Lord, a marriage, like a human life, is a precious, living thing. If our bodies are sick, we seek to heal them. We do not give up. While there is any prospect of life, we seek healing again and again. The same should be true of our marriages, and if we seek Him, the Lord will help us and heal us.

Latter-day Saint spouses should do all within their power to preserve their marriages….They should be best friends, kind and considerate, sensitive to each other’s needs, always seeking to make each other happy. They should be partners in family finances, working together to regulate their desires for temporal things….

Don’t treasure up past wrongs, reprocessing them again and again. In a marriage relationship, festering is destructive; forgiving is divine (see D&C 64:9–10). Plead for the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord to forgive wrongs…to overcome faults, and to strengthen relationships….

A good marriage does not require a perfect man or a perfect woman. It only requires a man and a woman committed to strive together toward perfection."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Divorce", April 2007 General Conference

Learn more about Dallin H. Oaks.

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Courage: Following the Pioneers

““And they were all … exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

“Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him’ (Alma 53:20–21).

“Do you have the faith and continuing commitment to demonstrate the principles of the gospel in your own lives, consistently? … Do you, like the pioneers, have the courage and the consistency to be true to the faith and to endure to the end?

…The faith, commitment, and courage of [the pioneers] is an example to all of us. These…qualities and the others I have mentioned—integrity, inclusion, cooperation, unity, unselfishness, sacrifice, and obedience—are as vital today as when they guided the actions of our pioneer forebears, early and modern.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Following The Pioneers”, October 1997 General Conference

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/10/following-the-pioneers?lang=eng