President Marion G. Romney on pondering the scriptures

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) was born in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He was ordained an apostle in 1951 and served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1972 to 1985. After the death of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Romney was released and returned to serve in the Quorum of Twelve until his death in 1988.

"As I have read the scriptures, I have been challenged by the word ponder, so frequently used in the Book of Mormon. The dictionary says that ponder means 'to weigh mentally, think deeply about, deliberate, meditate.' Moroni thus used the term as he closed his record:

"'Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things … that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men … and ponder it in your hearts.' (Moro. 10:3. Italics added.)

"Jesus said to the Nephites:

"'I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words. …

"'Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand. …' (3 Ne. 17:2–3. Italics added.)

"Pondering is, in my feeling, a form of prayer. It has, at least, been an approach to the Spirit of the Lord on many occasions."

- Marion G. Romney, "Magnifying One’s Calling in the Priesthood," General Conference April 1973
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President Romney served as a member of the First Presidency through much of my youth. I remember being impressed at his use of the scriptures in his messages; he was clearly a devoted student of the Lord's written word. In this excerpt, we learn part of the reason why. He understood the meaning of pondering.

Most of us need to spend more time weighing mentally, thinking deeply about, and meditating on the things we read in the scriptures and the words of modern prophets. It will truly bring us closer to the Spirit of the Lord, as President Romney testifies.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

President Marion G. Romney on celestial service and self-reliance

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) was born in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He was ordained an apostle in 1951 and served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1972 to 1985. After the death of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Romney was released and returned to serve in the Quorum of Twelve until his death in 1988.

"We lose our life by serving and lifting others. By so doing we experience the only true and lasting happiness. Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.

"Knowing that service is what gives our Father in Heaven fulfillment, and knowing that we want to be where He is and as He is, why must we be commanded to serve one another? Oh, for the glorious day when these things all come naturally because of the purity of our hearts. In that day there will be no need for a commandment because we will have experienced for ourselves that we are truly happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service. Let us use the freedom which comes from self-reliance in giving and serving."

- Marion G. Romney, "The Celestial Nature of Self-reliance," General Conference, October 1982
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In past general conferences, a "welfare session" was sometimes held in addition to the regular conference sessions, during which instruction and encouragement were given related to principles of the welfare system. These remarks from President Romney were the keynote from one such session. He was one of the great teachers of these principles, and gave many addresses during his ministry on topics related to welfare.

But this one stands out in my mind. I think it's a masterful discourse, examining some of the underlying principles and doctrines of the welfare program, as they relate to our personal spiritual development. After teaching about self-reliance and its eternal significance, President Romney expanded the principle to the concept of service to others. When we become self-reliant, we are capable of blessing those around us.

This is a remarkable phrase: "Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made." It's not just a program, guideline, or recommendation. The Savior's admonition to love one another, and the baptismal covenant obligation of bearing one another's burdens, give keys to President Romney's insight. Some day, he suggests, we will discover that the only source of true happiness comes from pure, Christlike, unselfish service.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)

President Marion G. Romney on feeling and demonstrating gratitude to the Savior

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) was born in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He was ordained an apostle in 1951 and served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1972 to 1985. After the death of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Romney was released and returned to serve in the Quorum of Twelve until his death in 1988.

"To the Lord Jesus we owe an undying debt of gratitude, for he bought us with a great price. It is impossible for us, weak mortals as we are, to fully comprehend and appreciate the sufferings he endured on the cross that he might gain for us the victory over death. Much less can we understand the suffering he endured in Gethsemane that we might obtain forgiveness of our sins, which, in his own words, 'caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink' (D&C 19:18). Much less, I say, can we understand this suffering that he endured to satisfy the demands of justice and bring about the means by which we, through faith in him, and repentance, can receive forgiveness of our sins.

"None of us could have endured that suffering. No mortal man, nor any number of mortal men together, could have endured it.

"'There was no other good enough
   To pay the price of sin.
   He only could unlock the gate
   Of heaven and let us in.'
   (LDS Hymns, No. 201, 'There Is a Green Hill Far Away.')

"Surely every soul who understands what the Savior did for us loves him and desires to demonstrate, in a realistic manner, thanks and gratitude."

- Marion G. Romney, "Thou Shalt Thank the Lord Thy God in All Things," Ensign, June 1974, p. 3
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As we "count our blessings" in seasons of gratitude, or as part of pondering on a Sabbath Day, there is one thing that should be at the top of the list. President Romney reminds us that we owe so much, more than we can possibly comprehend, to Jesus Christ. The gratitude should include both the sacrifice on the cross that provided "victory over death" to all who live on the earth; and then the opportunity to obtain forgiveness through the atoning power of Gethsemane.

I love that final thought: "Surely every soul who understands what the Savior did for us loves him and desires to demonstrate, in a realistic manner, thanks and gratitude." It's significant that President Romney didn't say express our gratitude to the Savior - but demonstrate it!

Marion G. Romney on becoming converted

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) was born in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He was ordained an apostle in 1951 and served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1972 to 1985. After the death of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Romney was released and returned to serve in the Quorum of Twelve until his death in 1988.

"Webster says the verb convert means 'to turn from one belief or course to another,' that conversion is 'a spiritual and moral change attending a change of belief with conviction.' As used in the scriptures, converted generally implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus and his teachings, but also a motivating faith in him and in his gospel, a faith which works a transformation, an actual change in one's understanding of life's meaning and in one's allegiance to God—in interest, in thought, and in conduct. While conversion may be accomplished in stages, one is not really converted in the full sense of the term unless and until he is at heart a new person. Born again is the scriptural term.

"In one who is wholly converted, desire for things inimical to the gospel of Jesus Christ has actually died, and substituted therefor is a love of God, with a fixed and controlling determination to keep his commandments. Paul told the Romans that such a one would walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3-4.)"

- Marion G. Romney, "According to the Covenants," Ensign, Nov 1975, pp. 71-73
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President Romney was a great student of the scriptures, and often supported his messages with abundant analysis and examples. In this case, he helps explain the concept of conversion based on his study and understanding. He helps us see that conversion involves more than a superficial acknowledgement or acceptance; it means a deep-rooted change. It means a rebirth, a changed heart.

I thought the final paragraph helped my understanding as well.  True conversion means that we completely lose any desire for things in conflict with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, those desires are replaced with a greater love of God and a desire to obey His commandments. It's a "newness of life."

Marion G. Romney on keeping hope strong amid challenges

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) was born in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He was ordained an apostle in 1951 and served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1972 to 1985. After the death of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Romney was released and returned to serve in the Quorum of Twelve until his death in 1988.

"The theme I have chosen for these remarks I have taken from a jingle we used to sing in the army back in 1918 when things looked gloomy. It began:

"'There's a silver lining / Through the dark clouds shining.' (Lena Guilbert Ford.)

"This I have done because although there is presently a widespread foreboding of difficult times ahead, I am persuaded that there is 'a silver lining' to our predicament and that 'behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.' ('The Present Crisis,' James Russell Lowell.) ...

"As the Lord has repeatedly warned that breaking His commandments would bring on calamity, so has He promised that observance of His commandments would avert calamity and bring blessings....

"That we shall in full faith, relying upon these assurances, so keep the commandments that we shall be sustained by the knowledge that 'behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own' would be my fervent hope."

- Marion G. Romney, "A Silver Lining," Ensign, May 1977, p. 53
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Prophets tend to be optimists, and always encourage hope and confidence in their followers. In spite of "widespread foreboding of difficult times ahead" that President Romney sensed almost 40 years ago, he knew that God was in charge, and that things would work out. And while we may sense the same "foreboding" today, we can benefit from his encouragement and by remembering that obedience and faith will bring the blessings of God to our lives.