God testified of his son, Jesus Christ, at his baptism. See Matthew 3: 13-17.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:
and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased.

In addition to the Lord's baptism, in recorded history God, the
Father, has spoken three other times, each time testifying of his son.

On the Mount of Transfiguration recorded in Matt. 17: 5. (Read also
Mark 9: 7 and Luke 9: 35).
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and
behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

To the Nephite people as recorded in the 3 Nephi 11: 7 in the Book of Mormon.
Behold my Beloved Son, bin whom I am well pleased, in whom I have
glorified my name—hear ye him.

And finally to Joseph Smith as recorded in Joseph Smith's own words:
It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy
which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two
Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing
above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and
said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

3 Nephi 3 20-21
20 Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let
us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall
upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands.
21 But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should
go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands;
therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we
will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them,
but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the
Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands.

When the Nephites were righteous they chose righteous and inspired
leaders. Gidgiddoni was such a man. He led the Nephites against the
Gadianton robbers. The Nephites were successful because they fought
the Gadianton's in their home territory, rather than attacking the
Gadiantons in their lands. Rather than taking preemptive action, they
prepared and fought defensively and were successful.

In Alma 7 it appears that Alma speaks for the first time publicly
about the gospel. "I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by
my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto
you by the words of my mouth."

His message is a model of what we should teach and provides directions
to guide our lives. It is the essence of the gospel. He taught about
the coming of Christ and his mission "to loose the ands of death" and
"take upon him the sins of his people." (verses 7-13). He called upon
the people to repent and be born again for the Spirit of the Lord can
not dwell in unholy temples (verse 21).

Finally, he tells what we must do after we have repented. " And now I
would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to
be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in
all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all
times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual
and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things
ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then
ye will always abound in good works." (verses 23-24)

In today's world people are mocked who are humble, submissive and
gentle. These qualities are considered signs of weakness. Yet, these
are the characteristics that we must have if we are to be the Lord's
children and have his spirit with us. Also, it is interesting that
the qualities of faith, hope and charity are those that will lead to
good works. In a troubled world where so many suffer, these qualities
will provide relief from the hunger and turmoil that exists.

After Alma had organized the Church in Zarahemla and ordained priests
and elders to preside and watch over the Church, he established a
missionary program among the church members. Members showed concern
for non-members by fasting and praying on their behalf. Alma 6:6
says: "Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they
should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty
prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not
God."

Laman and Lemuel in 1 Nephi 17 verse 21 complain to Nephi: "Behold,
these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we
might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance;
yea, and we might have been happy."

Happiness is an attitude. My grandmother used to tell her children,
"Get the happy attitude." It was a philosophy my father carried with
him throughout his life.

Too often we dwell on the past, regretting what might have been. The
alternative is to live in the present and make the best of what we
have at the moment.

When I find myself dwelling in the negative past, I sing a song to
myself that draws me out of the past and into the present.

I make a daily plan in the morning before I start my day. When I lose
track of my purpose, I go back to my plan and I refocus on the things
I should be doing.

Doing things and being actively engaged can bring joy and happiness.
Murmuring and dwelling on the negative brings unhappiness.

John Fisher thought you would be interested in this story: NPR: Next Mormon Leader Inherits Church in Spotlight
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18518912&sc=emaf

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