Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
The Sermon on the Mount shows us how to have joy in our lives and become more complete. Christ encourages us in our daily discipleship to pray, forgive and place God first. He asks us to avoid worldliness, hypocrisy, and unrighteous judgment. Jesus asks us to seek God and to do to others what we would have done to them. Remaining on the covenant path leads to joy.
President Harold B. Lee: “If it’s one of dishonesty, if it’s one of unchastity, if it’s one of falsifying, not telling the truth, today is the day for you to work on that until you’ve been able to conquer that weakness. Then you start on the next one that’s most difficult for you to keep.” (Church News, May 5, 1973, p. 3)
Preview: Becoming a whole or complete person Matthew 5
Preview: Becoming a whole or complete person Matthew 6-7
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "“The ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children.” (“The Great Plan of Happiness”).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "While yet on earth men may lay up treasures in heaven. These treasures, earned here and now in mortality, are in effect deposited to our eternal bank account in heaven where eventually they will be reinherited again in immortality. Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth, will find these same attributes restored to them again in immortality. (Alma 41:13-15.) 'Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.' (D. & C. 130:18.) The greatest treasure it is possible to inherit in heaven consists in gaining the continuation of the family unit in the highest heaven of the celestial world." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:239)
THE OLD-TIMER SAYS: There is much to be learned from a dandelion.
President Ezra Taft Benson: “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.
“We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives. …” (Ensign, May 1988, 4.)
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “This business of beams and motes seems to be closely related to our inability to see ourselves clearly. I’m not sure why we are able to diagnose and recommend remedies for other people’s ills so well, while we often have difficulty seeing our own” (“Lord, Is It I?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 56).
President Dallin H. Oaks taught about the principles that help us make righteous judgments rather than final judgments:
“There are two kinds of judging: final judgments, which we are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles. …
“… Why did the Savior command that we not judge final judgments? I believe this commandment was given because we presume to make final judgments whenever we proclaim that any particular person is going to hell (or to heaven) for a particular act or as of a particular time. …
“We all make judgments in choosing our friends, in choosing how we will spend our time and our money, and, of course, in choosing an eternal companion. Some of these intermediate judgments are surely among those the Savior referenced when He taught that ‘the weightier matters of the law’ include judgment (Matt. 23:23)…
“In the intermediate judgments we must make, we should take care to judge righteously. We should seek the guidance of the Spirit in our decisions. We should limit our judgments to our own stewardships. Whenever possible we should refrain from judging people until we have an adequate knowledge of the facts. So far as possible, we should judge circumstances rather than people. In all our judgments we should apply righteous standards. And, in all of this we must remember the command to forgive” (“‘Judge Not’ and Judging,” Ensign, Aug. 1999, 13).
“I went one day to the Prophet with a sister. She had a charge to make against one of the brethren for scandal. When her complaint had been heard the Prophet asked her if she was quite sure that what the brother had said of her was utterly untrue.
“She was quite sure that it was.
“He then told her to think no more about it, for it could not harm her. If untrue it could not live, but the truth will survive. Still she felt that she should have some redress.
“Then he offered her his method of dealing with such cases for himself. When an enemy had told a scandalous story about him, which had often been done, before he rendered judgment he paused and let his mind run back to the time and place and setting of the story to see if he had not by some unguarded word or act laid the block on which the story was built. If he found that he had done so, he said that in his heart he then forgave his enemy, and felt thankful that he had received warning of a weakness that he had not known he possessed.
“Then he said to the sister that he would have her to do the same: search her memory thoroughly and see if she had not herself unconsciously laid the foundation for the scandal that annoyed her.
“The sister thought deeply for a few moments and then confessed that she believed that she had.
“Then the Prophet told her that in her heart she could forgive that brother who had risked his own good name and her friendship to give her this clearer view of herself.
“The sister thanked her advisor and went away in peace." (They Knew the Prophet, Jesse W. Crosby, p. 144)
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “In this regard-this call for compassion and loyalty to the commandments-there is sometimes a chance for a misunderstanding, especially among young people who may think we are not supposed to judge anything, that we are never to make a value assessment of any kind. We have to help each other with that because the Savior makes it clear that in some situations we have to judge, we are under obligation to judge-as when He said, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine.” That sounds like a judgment to me. The alternative is to surrender to the moral relativism of a deconstructionist, postmodern world which, pushed far enough, posits that ultimately nothing is eternally true or especially sacred and, therefore, no one position on any given issue matters more than any other. And that simply is not true. In this process of evaluation, we are not called on to condemn others, but we are called upon to make decisions every day that reflect judgment-we hope good judgment. … Remember, in the scripture quoted earlier, that the Savior said these are to be “righteous judgments,” not self righteous judgments, which is a very different thing.” ('Israel, Israel God is Calling, CES Devotional, May 2012)
Elder Marvin J. Ashton described a meeting in which a group of Church members considered the question "How can you tell if someone is converted to Jesus Christ?" "For forty-five minutes those in attendance made numerous suggestions in response to this question, and the leader carefully wrote down each answer on a large chalkboard. All of the comments were thoughtful and appropriate. But after a time, this great teacher erased everything he had written. Then acknowledging that all of the comments had been worthwhile and appreciated, he taught a vital principle: 'The best and most clear indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming unto Christ is the way we treat other people.' "The way we treat the members of our families, our friends, those with whom we work each day is as important as are some of the more noticeable gospel principles we sometimes emphasize." (Ensign, May 1992, p. 20)
Elder M. Russell Ballard: “When we think of false prophets and false teachers, we tend to think of those who espouse an obviously false doctrine or presume to have authority to teach the true gospel of Christ according to their own interpretation. We often assume that such individuals are associated with small radical groups on the fringes of society. However, I reiterate: there are false prophets and false teachers who have or at least claim to have membership in the Church. There are those who, without authority, claim Church endorsement to their products and practices. Beware of such. …
“… Beware of those who speak and publish in opposition to God’s true prophets and who actively proselyte others with reckless disregard for the eternal we
Teaching Thoughts:
President Harold B. Lee: “If it’s one of dishonesty, if it’s one of unchastity, if it’s one of falsifying, not telling the truth, today is the day for you to work on that until you’ve been able to conquer that weakness. Then you start on the next one that’s most difficult for you to keep.” (Church News, May 5, 1973, p. 3)
Preview: Becoming a whole or complete person Matthew 5
- 5:1- Come “unto Him”
- 5:2 - listen to Him.
- 5:3- be humble.
- 5:4- have compassion and comfort others.
- 5:5- be teachable.
- 5:6- have righteous desires and be filled with Holy Ghost.
- 5:7- extend mercy.
- 5:8- pure in heart.
- 5:9- avoid contention, be a peacemaker.
- 5:10-11- stand up for the truth at all times.
- 5:14-16- be an example.
- 5:22- control anger
- 5:28- control lust
- 5:33-37- develop honesty, integrity, keeping your word
- 5:38-45- love everyone including enemies
Preview: Becoming a whole or complete person Matthew 6-7
- 1.6:1-4 - don’t be a hypocrite
- 2.6:5-13 - praying
- 3.6:14-15 - be forgiving
- 4.6:16-18 - fasting
- 5.6:19-21 - avoid worldliness
- 6.6:24-33 - serve God put Him first
- 7.7:1-5 - Don’t judge
- 8.7:7-8 - seeking for answers from the Lord
- 9.7:12 – Do to others as you would have others do to you
- 10.7:13-14 - stay on the path of righteousness
- 11.7:24-27- be converted
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "“The ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children.” (“The Great Plan of Happiness”).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "While yet on earth men may lay up treasures in heaven. These treasures, earned here and now in mortality, are in effect deposited to our eternal bank account in heaven where eventually they will be reinherited again in immortality. Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth, will find these same attributes restored to them again in immortality. (Alma 41:13-15.) 'Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.' (D. & C. 130:18.) The greatest treasure it is possible to inherit in heaven consists in gaining the continuation of the family unit in the highest heaven of the celestial world." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:239)
THE OLD-TIMER SAYS: There is much to be learned from a dandelion.
- Remember that small can be beautiful.
- Be proud of who you are and what you can do—even though some may despise you.
- When you are stomped on, knocked down and criticized, answer without anger, but with your usual bright face.
- Deep roots can help assure a worthwhile life.
- Sometimes it only takes a spot of beauty to add a little joy to one’s day.
- Love the little children as they love me, often bringing a bouquet of my yellow flowers to their moms on Mother’s Day.
- There is goodness in everything—look for it and applaud it.
- Do not stop being beautiful because some may think you do not belong where you are.
- Even under the harshest of conditions, remember who you are and do your best.
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each of us has our own special beauty.
- Don’t be envious of those who appear to have more than you do. Be proud of what you have.
- Do the best you can with what you’ve got. (Source: https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/opinion/columnists/2019/05/06/gleaning-life-lessons-dandelion/1118666001/)
President Ezra Taft Benson: “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.
“We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives. …” (Ensign, May 1988, 4.)
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “This business of beams and motes seems to be closely related to our inability to see ourselves clearly. I’m not sure why we are able to diagnose and recommend remedies for other people’s ills so well, while we often have difficulty seeing our own” (“Lord, Is It I?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 56).
President Dallin H. Oaks taught about the principles that help us make righteous judgments rather than final judgments:
“There are two kinds of judging: final judgments, which we are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles. …
“… Why did the Savior command that we not judge final judgments? I believe this commandment was given because we presume to make final judgments whenever we proclaim that any particular person is going to hell (or to heaven) for a particular act or as of a particular time. …
“We all make judgments in choosing our friends, in choosing how we will spend our time and our money, and, of course, in choosing an eternal companion. Some of these intermediate judgments are surely among those the Savior referenced when He taught that ‘the weightier matters of the law’ include judgment (Matt. 23:23)…
“In the intermediate judgments we must make, we should take care to judge righteously. We should seek the guidance of the Spirit in our decisions. We should limit our judgments to our own stewardships. Whenever possible we should refrain from judging people until we have an adequate knowledge of the facts. So far as possible, we should judge circumstances rather than people. In all our judgments we should apply righteous standards. And, in all of this we must remember the command to forgive” (“‘Judge Not’ and Judging,” Ensign, Aug. 1999, 13).
“I went one day to the Prophet with a sister. She had a charge to make against one of the brethren for scandal. When her complaint had been heard the Prophet asked her if she was quite sure that what the brother had said of her was utterly untrue.
“She was quite sure that it was.
“He then told her to think no more about it, for it could not harm her. If untrue it could not live, but the truth will survive. Still she felt that she should have some redress.
“Then he offered her his method of dealing with such cases for himself. When an enemy had told a scandalous story about him, which had often been done, before he rendered judgment he paused and let his mind run back to the time and place and setting of the story to see if he had not by some unguarded word or act laid the block on which the story was built. If he found that he had done so, he said that in his heart he then forgave his enemy, and felt thankful that he had received warning of a weakness that he had not known he possessed.
“Then he said to the sister that he would have her to do the same: search her memory thoroughly and see if she had not herself unconsciously laid the foundation for the scandal that annoyed her.
“The sister thought deeply for a few moments and then confessed that she believed that she had.
“Then the Prophet told her that in her heart she could forgive that brother who had risked his own good name and her friendship to give her this clearer view of herself.
“The sister thanked her advisor and went away in peace." (They Knew the Prophet, Jesse W. Crosby, p. 144)
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “In this regard-this call for compassion and loyalty to the commandments-there is sometimes a chance for a misunderstanding, especially among young people who may think we are not supposed to judge anything, that we are never to make a value assessment of any kind. We have to help each other with that because the Savior makes it clear that in some situations we have to judge, we are under obligation to judge-as when He said, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine.” That sounds like a judgment to me. The alternative is to surrender to the moral relativism of a deconstructionist, postmodern world which, pushed far enough, posits that ultimately nothing is eternally true or especially sacred and, therefore, no one position on any given issue matters more than any other. And that simply is not true. In this process of evaluation, we are not called on to condemn others, but we are called upon to make decisions every day that reflect judgment-we hope good judgment. … Remember, in the scripture quoted earlier, that the Savior said these are to be “righteous judgments,” not self righteous judgments, which is a very different thing.” ('Israel, Israel God is Calling, CES Devotional, May 2012)
Elder Marvin J. Ashton described a meeting in which a group of Church members considered the question "How can you tell if someone is converted to Jesus Christ?" "For forty-five minutes those in attendance made numerous suggestions in response to this question, and the leader carefully wrote down each answer on a large chalkboard. All of the comments were thoughtful and appropriate. But after a time, this great teacher erased everything he had written. Then acknowledging that all of the comments had been worthwhile and appreciated, he taught a vital principle: 'The best and most clear indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming unto Christ is the way we treat other people.' "The way we treat the members of our families, our friends, those with whom we work each day is as important as are some of the more noticeable gospel principles we sometimes emphasize." (Ensign, May 1992, p. 20)
Elder M. Russell Ballard: “When we think of false prophets and false teachers, we tend to think of those who espouse an obviously false doctrine or presume to have authority to teach the true gospel of Christ according to their own interpretation. We often assume that such individuals are associated with small radical groups on the fringes of society. However, I reiterate: there are false prophets and false teachers who have or at least claim to have membership in the Church. There are those who, without authority, claim Church endorsement to their products and practices. Beware of such. …
“… Beware of those who speak and publish in opposition to God’s true prophets and who actively proselyte others with reckless disregard for the eternal we
Teaching Thoughts:
- Teaching with pictures.
- Teach like the Savior with His power and authority.
- Asking God sincere questions is a great thing to do.
- “Do unto others what you would have them do to you.”
- “Do unto others what God would have you do.”