Coming Closer To Christ

The purpose of me writing this blog is to put my thoughts and impressions down in a place so I can help others come closer to Christ. My deepest desire for every person who reads this, is that they will have a desire of their own to take a step closer, no matter how big or small, to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Virtue

Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord’s holy temples and to receiving the Spirit’s guidance. Virtue “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.”  It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions.  
 


Virtue is a word we don’t hear often in today’s society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost.

President Monson has counseled: “You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so” (“Examples of Righteousness,” Apr. 2008 general conference).
 

One of my favorite talks I have heard is A Return to Virtue by Elaine S. Dalton. Here is a link to read it: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/a-return-to-virtue?lang=eng 


My symbol of virtue is a white Lilly. (Shown above.) Every time I see one I am reminded of how I need to be virtuous in my life. I have a picture of one marking my favorite scriptures about virtue. Doctrine and Covenants 121:45, It says, "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven."

I love that if we allow Virtue to garnish our thoughts unceasingly, then we will have confidence in the presence of God. How amazing is that promise? 

I encourage each one of you who is reading this, to choose now to be virtuous. To choose something that you will see that will remind you of your promise to be virtuous. I know God will bless you and help you accomplish your goal, if you truly desire this. So desire it now. Choose now.

BE VIRTUOUS!

Below are a few of my favorite meme's about Virtue.






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