God has a fabulous plan for us. Book of Mormon prophets call it by various titles, including the plan of happiness, the plan of redemption, and the plan of salvation. As Patrick Kearon observed, these titles remind us that God intends to save us.
Mercy
1. God is merciful. 2. He extends "arms of mercy" toward us. 3. The Savior's bowels are filled with mercy because of what He suffered. 4. He earned the right to offer us mercy. We claim that mercy by repenting. 5. Mercy is central to God's plan for us.
I Am a Man
It is impossible to be objective about ourselves, but we ought to try. Throughout the scriptures, prophets remind themselves and others that they are human. Alma, Nephi, Ammon, and Peter all used some version of the phrase "I am a man" to emphasize this.
Faithful over a Few Things
God cares more about the way we fulfill our responsibilities than the scope of those responsibilities. In the Parable of the Talents, both servants who did well earned the leader's praise, even though one had five talents and the other only had two.
Servant Leadership
Jesus taught that leaders in God's kingdom do not place themselves above others. They focus on serving and ministering to those they lead. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin and Ammon demonstrated this kind of leadership.
All Creatures
Based on: Psalm 148 Core message: The more fully we embrace our identity as sons and daughters of God, the more of a connection we feel with His other creations. Related Book of Mormon passages: Mosiah 28:3, Alma 18:28-36, Alma 22:10-13
Gleaning
The law which God gave to the Israelites included a provision for caring for the poor among them: When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave... Continue Reading →
Givers
Adam Grant, a professor of organizational psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, has studied the affect of interpersonal styles on professional success. He divides people into three categories, according to how they approach interactions with others at work: Givers are willing to help others without expecting anything in return.Matchers help others selectively. They try to... Continue Reading →
The Image of God
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.Genesis 1:27 How much are we like God? We see daily evidence of how far we—and the people around us—fall short of perfection. So how can we think we have anything in common with a perfect Being? The... Continue Reading →
Spirit
Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.Luke 24:39 Thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, a prophet known as the brother of Jared saw and spoke with Him. After pointing out that He looked like a human being, Jesus explained: Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man... Continue Reading →