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The LDS Daily WOOL© Archive - Joseph Anderson


(9/26/01)
"This is a glorious world in which we live. It was created by God through his only Begotten Son, with its heavenly bodies and their functions. The earth with its abundance of flowers, its adornment of beautiful trees and shrubs; the majestic mountains; the mighty oceans; the sun and its great functions; the stars and planets in the heavens—yes, they are all the handiwork of God. All these things bid us have joy. Man, however, is the greatest of all God’s creations. The Lord God told Moses: 'This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' (Moses 1:39.) Man is God’s son, his daughter. All these other things are just provisions for the accomplishment of his great purpose." — Joseph Anderson, "The Road to Happiness," Ensign, May 1975, p. 31

(1/30/02)
"God was willing that his Beloved Son should take upon himself the responsibility of that mission, namely, to atone for the sin of Adam and Eve which brought about the fall, and, also, that mankind might receive forgiveness for their individual sins, provided they would keep the commandments upon which salvation and exaltation were based." — Joseph Anderson, "A Testimony of Christ," "Ensign," Nov. 1974, 102

(5/06/03)
"We lived by sight in the spirit state before we came here; we are walking by faith in this mortal existence. The Spirit of God bears witness to the spirit of man that we are God's children; that He loves us; that there is a purpose to earth life, a great and mighty purpose, a glorious purpose; that by keeping the commandments that He has given us, we may gain knowledge and understanding; that we may gain experience by overcoming the opposition with which we must contend; that we shall resurrect from the grave in the due time of the Lord and eventually return into His presence if we live worthily. This is the long-distance horizon we should keep in view." — Joseph Anderson, "Man's Eternal Horizon," "Faith," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], p. 113

(1/16/05)
"The Lord has told us, '...my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.' (Matt. 11:30.) This does not mean that one can receive exaltation in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father at bargain prices. There are those who offer such bargains, but one gets merely what he pays for. If we are to attain eternal life in our Father's kingdom, it is not sufficient that we have mere passive belief in our Lord and Savior and his great redeeming sacrifice. Surely one cannot expect to receive the greatest blessings that the Father has in store for his faithful children by paying bargain prices." - Joseph Anderson, "Eternal Joy Is Eternal Growth," Ensign, June 1971, p. 76

(2/25/05)
"Yes, the world needs contact with the heavens in this day and age. The world needs a prophet. Little does the world generally realize that the Lord is revealing his mind and will through his living prophets today. As Latter-day Saints and members of the Lord's church, we are truly a light set upon a hill, and it is our privilege and responsibility to assist in the great work of the Savior in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

"It is of the utmost importance that we as Latter-day Saints have the light of truth, which comes from the Lord himself, burning within our souls, and that that light shall so shine that others may be led to find the way to salvation, exaltation, and eternal life. Jesus has said: 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.' (John 8:12.)" - Joseph Anderson, "The Living Christ," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 128

12/29/05
"It would seem of the utmost importance that thinking people everywhere should conscientiously reflect upon their spiritual assets. Man is a dual being, spiritual and physical. Whether it be an individual or a nation, he or it cannot achieve permanent success or happiness without spirituality. Paul said: 'For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.' (Rom. 8:6.)" - Joseph Anderson, "Strength of the Spirit," Ensign (CR), May 1974, p.9

6/9/06
"The Lord has restored the gospel, which is the true plan of life, salvation, and exaltation. He has given us no law, advice, counsel, or commandment that is not for our blessing and happiness.

"As an illustration, every one of the Ten Commandments, if lived, will bring joy and satisfaction. This does not mean we will not have problems. The Lord has said that all things work together for the good of him who loves the Lord. Some people take the view that the Ten Commandments are outmoded. It is true that they are not adopted into the lives of some people, but the commandments that were given by Jehovah on Mount Sinai are light, are truth, eternal truth, and failure to observe them brings the opposite of joy and happiness. The same may be said of all truth given us by the Lord. Wickedness never was happiness and never will be. (See Alma 41:10.) It has been said: 'It is a statistical fact that the wicked work harder to reach hell than the righteous do to enter heaven.'

"The Psalmist has said: 'Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!' (Ps. 107:8.)" - Joseph Anderson, "The Road to Happiness," Ensign (CR), May 1975, p.29


9/2/07
"Mankind's greatest need today is a sincere conviction that Jesus Christ was and is in very deed the Savior and Redeemer of the world; that he is the Son of the Father, the firstborn in the spirit and the Only Begotten in the flesh; that it was necessary and a part of God's plan before the world was created, that he should come to earth and take upon himself mortality, mend the law broken by Adam and Eve, and provide for us the plan whereby we might resurrect from the grave and return into the presence of our Heavenly Father from whence we came." - Joseph Anderson, "A Testimony of Christ," Ensign (CR), November 1974, p.101


2/12/09
"The strength of this church does not depend alone upon the prophets and apostles of earlier dispensations nor upon the testimony of the General Authorities of the present. The strength of this church is in the testimony and faith of its members, and every member may have that testimony if he will seek it through study and sincere prayer and if he will keep the commandments the Lord has given us. That testimony will become a knowledge of the truth of this work. Through righteous living and unselfish service, it will grow stronger day by day and will develop into a knowledge that nothing but carelessness or sin can weaken or destroy." - Joseph Anderson, "The Matter of Personal Testimony," Ensign (CR), May 1976, p.87


7/13/09
“I question that one can approach nearer to the throne of grace and feel more vividly the influence of the Holy Spirit than in the meetings of the First Presidency and the Twelve in the temple of the Lord. This is particularly true when these brethren are engaged in calling upon our Father, expressing gratitude for his blessings and humbly and sincerely appealing for his help and guidance. The power of the priesthood is manifest; God's highest authority upon earth is there present. As the servants of the Lord, they humble themselves before him, testifying in prayer of his goodness to them, pleading for his inspiration to assist them in their labors, and beseeching his blessings upon the Church, the world, and his children generally.” - Joseph Anderson, “Prophets I Have Known,” p. 220


6/23/10
"The Lord has given us in this dispensation a life-giving, life-shaping purpose when he gave us the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is given for the benefit of man. We too must have the necessities of life. We are living in the time of a great civilization. It is only natural and proper that we should desire the things that make life wholesome and pleasurable; but with all our struggle for the necessities and luxuries of life, we must not overlook the great purpose of life, which is eternal salvation and exaltation of the souls of men." - Joseph Anderson, "Eternal Joy Is Eternal Growth," Ensign (CR), June 1971, p. 75


3/13/12
Life is largely worthless unless it is held together, given shape and form by some great purpose, and there is no greater purpose than that of helping our fellowmen as well as ourselves to attain the glorious salvation which our Lord has promised to his obedient children. - Joseph Anderson, "Eternal Joy Is Eternal Growth," Ensign, (CR) June 1971


 
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