I collected a TON of great Arise and Shine Forth quotes when I was creating the bookmark cards. These are helpful for talks, youth conferences, standards nights, and camp themes dealing with the theme Arise and Shine Forth in Doctrine and Covenants 115:5.
I got all these by using http://scriptures.byu.edu/
Arise and Shine Forth Quotes
The Lord’s people are a covenant people under solemn obligation to him so to live as he has declared to the Prophet Joseph to become a standard to all the nations, and if there was ever a time in the history of the world when it needed a people that would manifest in its lives all the principles of the gospel, that time is today. – Joseph L Wirthlin, 1946 General Conf.
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“this cause in which we are engaged is not an ordinary cause. It is the cause of Christ. It is the kingdom of God our Eternal Father. It is the building of Zion on the earth.” – Gordon B Hinckley, 1989 General Conf.
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When Sunday morning arrives, … be well rested, properly dressed, and spiritually prepared to partake of the emblems of the sacrament and receive the enlightening, edifying, ennobling power of the Holy Ghost. … be filled with love as you honor the Sabbath all day long and experience its spiritual blessings throughout the week. … “arise and shine forth” by keeping the Sabbath day holy, that “thy light may be a standard for the nations.” L Tom Perry, 2011 General Conference
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Young women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, remember who you are! You are elect. You are daughters of God. You cannot be a generation of young women who are content to fit in. You must have the courage to stand out, to “arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations.” 10 [ Doctrine and Covenants 115:5] The world would have you believe that you are not significant—that you are out of fashion and out of touch. The world calls to you with unrelenting, noisy voices to “live it up,” “try everything,” “experiment and be happy.” Conversely, the Holy Ghost whispers and the Lord invites you to “walk in the paths of virtue,” “lay aside the things of this world,” “and cleave unto [your] covenants.” …
Young women, look into the mirror of eternity. Remember who you are! See yourself as our Heavenly Father sees you. You are elect. You are of noble birth. Don’t compromise your divine inheritance. You were born to be a queen. Live so you are worthy to enter the temple and there receive “all that [the] Father hath.” 18 [ Doctrine and Covenants 84:38] Develop deep beauty. There is no more beautiful sight than a young woman who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because she is virtuous. –Elaine S. Dalton, 2010 General Conf
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I know that many of you are concerned about raising your children during these difficult times and increasing their faith. When my wife and I were starting our family in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had that same concern. At a critical point our stake members were advised by Elder Harold B. Lee, then a member of the Twelve, that we could raise our families in righteousness if we would:
1. Follow the prophet.
2. Create the true spirit of the gospel in our hearts and homes.
3. Be a light to those among whom we live.
4. Focus on the ordinances and principles taught in the temple. (See D&C 115:5; Harold B. Lee, “Your Light to Be a Standard unto the Nations,” Ensign, Aug. 1973, 3–4.)
As we followed this counsel, our faith increased and our fears decreased. I believe we can raise righteous children anywhere in the world if they are taught religious principles in the home. Quentin L Cook, 2007
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President Gordon B. Hinckley has said of you, “You are … the finest [and strongest] generation of young people ever in the history of this Church.” 3 [Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 714] I believe you have been prepared and reserved to be on the earth at this time when the challenges and opportunities are the greatest. I believe that the Lord is counting on you to be a leader for righteousness and to stand as a witness “at all times and in all things, and in all places.” 4 [ Mosiah 18:9] Indeed, it can be said of you that you are the “bright shining hope” of the future. 5 [Gordon B. Hinckley, “Standing Strong and Immovable,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 10, 2004, 20] I believe that you are included in those spoken of by the Apostle Peter when he said, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 6 [ 1 Pet. 2:9]
That light is the Savior’s light. It is the light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. By the way you live the gospel, you reflect His light. Your example will have a powerful effect for good on the earth. “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” 7 [ D&C 115:5] is a call to each of you. It is a call to move to higher ground. It is a call to leadership—to lead out in decency, purity, modesty, and holiness. It is a call to share this light with others. It is time to “arise and shine forth.”
Can one righteous young woman change the world? The answer is a resounding “yes!” You have the Holy Ghost as your guide, and He “will show … you all things … [you] should do.” 8 [ 2 Ne. 32:5] It is the daily consistent things you do that will strengthen you to be a leader and an example—daily prayer, daily scripture study, daily obedience, daily service to others. As you do these things, you will grow closer to the Savior and become more and more like Him. Like Moses and Abinadi and other faithful leaders, 9 [See Ex. 34:30; Mosiah 13:5; Matt. 17:1–2] your face will glow with the fire of your faith. “Have ye received his image in your countenances?” 10 [ Alma 5:14] “Arise and shine forth.” – Elaine S Dalton, 2006 General Conf
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You are treasured children of the promise. If you will keep the Lord’s statutes and commandments and hearken to His voice, He has promised that He will make you high above the nations in name and honor and praise … The Lord has important and exciting things for you to do. This is your time to “arise and shine forth, that [your] light may be a standard for the nations.” “Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” 3 Nephi 12:16 – Julie B Beck
My light is but a little one,
My light of faith and prayer;
But lo! it glows like God’s great sun,
For it was lighted there.
I may not hide my little light;
The Lord has told me so.
’Tis given me to keep in sight,
That all may see it glow.
(Shine On, Children’s Songbook, 144)
We can shine on by tending a baby brother, eating lunch with a sister in the school cafeteria, doing household tasks, resisting the urge to quarrel, rejoicing in each other’s successes, sharing a treat, giving care when someone is sick, placing on a pillow at night a thank-you note to a parent, forgiving an offense, bearing our testimonies. Susan W Tanner
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Jesus Christ is the light that we hold up as a standard to all nations. We offer the additional light of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. C. Scott Grow
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This summer I had an unforgettable experience in the Holy Land. As I sat on the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee, I saw in the distance a city built on a hill. The visual image of a city that cannot be hid was stunning, and as I pondered the symbolism I had an overwhelming impression that we as women of God are like that city, that if we will leave behind the things of the world and come unto Christ so that the Spirit radiates through our lives and from our eyes, our uniqueness will be a light unto the world. As sisters of Relief Society, we belong to the most significant community of women on this side of the veil. We are a spectacular city on a hill. And the less we look and act like the women of the world, the more they will look to us as a wellspring of hope, peace, virtue, and joy.
Twenty years ago at this very meeting President Kimball made a statement we have quoted ever since: “Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days … will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that [they] are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world” (Ensign, Nov. 1979, 103–4; emphasis added). We can no longer be content to just quote President Kimball. We are the sisters who must and will make his prophecy a reality. But we can do it. I know we can.
President Gordon B. Hinckley said recently that “the eternal salvation of the world … rests upon the shoulders of this Church. … No other people in the history of the world have received … [a] more compelling mandate … , and we’d better be getting at it” (“ ‘Church Is Really Doing Well,’ ” Church News, 3 July 1999, 3).
Women of God, that includes us. Tonight I invite each of us to identify at least one thing we can do to come out of the world and come closer to Christ. And then next month, another. And then another. Sisters, this is a call to arms, it’s a call to action, a call to arise. A call to arm ourselves with power and with righteousness. A call to rely on the arm of the Lord rather than the arm of flesh. A call to “arise and shine forth, that [our] light may be a standard for the nations” ( D&C 115:5). A call to live as women of God so that we and our families may return safely home.
We have such cause to rejoice, for the gospel of Jesus Christ is the voice of gladness! It is because the Savior overcame the world that we may overcome. It is because He rose on the third day that we may arise as women of God. May we lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better. May we commit this very hour to come out of the world and to never look back. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. – Sherri L Dew
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In the building of eternal families, we need more models, we need more guiding lights, and certainly we need fewer excuse-makers and fewer advocates of darkness.
It is one thing to talk about the gospel, but it is quite another to live it. It is one thing to preach about Christ, but it is another to follow in his footsteps.
When the gospel is incorporated in the life of each one of us, it molds our decisions and determines our actions. We become models and examples who can teach others the path to follow leading to life eternal only when we live the principles of the gospel.
In the great mission to which we have been called, to be saviors of men, may we follow the admonition of the Lord:
“Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations.” ( D&C 115:5.)
We cannot fail in that trust because our Savior, Jesus Christ, has shown us by example: “Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.” ( 3 Ne. 18:16.)
We know the goal; we have the example; now let us put forth the effort and make the decision to follow in that path. – Angel Abrea, 1984
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Brothers and sisters, is this spreading of the light to every nation not a miracle?
Is this charge to reach out to every household in order to bring light, love, and happiness to our fellowmen not a sacred obligation? Especially when we know that the Savior said, “Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations.” Jacob de Jager
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When you pray—when you talk to your Heavenly Father—do you really talk out your problems with Him? Do you let Him know your feelings, your doubts, your insecurities, your joys, your deepest desires—or is prayer merely an habitual expression with the same words and phrases? Do you ponder what you really mean to say? Do you take time to listen to the promptings of the Spirit? Answers to prayer come most often by a still voice and are discerned by our deepest, innermost feelings. I tell you that you can know the will of God concerning yourselves if you will take the time to pray and to listen.
Yes, beloved youth, you will have your trials and temptations through which you must pass, but there are great moments of eternity which lie ahead. You have our love and our confidence. We pray that you will be prepared for the reins of leadership. We say to you, “Arise and shine forth” ( D&C 115:5), and be a light unto the world, a standard to others. You can live in the world and not partake of the sins of the world. You can live life joyously, beautifully, unmarred by the ugliness of sin. This is our confidence in you.
Be glad. O Youth, your day is at the dawning,
For you the hours stretch long before the night;
What matter clouds be dark on the horizon?
Beyond them glow the rays of endless light.
Today the shadows may obscure your pathway,
Strange roads may beckon you on every side;
The bitterness of storm may bring a struggle,
To make you brave whatever may betide.
If deep within your heart you keep the vision—
The dream that nothing can erase or mar,
The promise of a fairer day tomorrow,
Will be for you a compass and a star.
Look to this day, arise in all your splendor,
And bear the standards of a world-to-be,
When hate and war, distress and desolation,
Give place to justice, love and liberty.
(Maude Osmond Cook, “Young Men Shall See Visions,” You Left Us with a Smile, Salt Lake City: Melvin A. Cook Foundation, 1972, p. 59.)
I pray that you—the young and rising generation—will keep your bodies and minds clean, free from the contaminations of the world, that you will be fit and pure vessels to bear off the kingdom of God triumphant in preparation for the second coming of our Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. – Ezra Taft Benson 1977
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The eyes of the world are more and more upon the Church. We are becoming better known, and because of our high standards, more is expected of us. We should live as people expect us as Church members to live. This does not mean giving up our initiative and living only to be seen of men, but to live as we know we should live and as our Heavenly Father wants us to live. Here is his admonition: “Verily, I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” – Delbert L Stapley
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If our children are to be sufficiently strengthened to stand against this satanic onslaught, they must be taught and trained in the home, as the Lord has directed.
Let every priesthood bearer, in the majesty and power of his calling, set in order his own house; let him regularly observe home evening and otherwise bring up his “children in light and truth” ( D&C 93:40); let him accept a home teaching assignment and so faithfully visit, exhort, encourage, and inspire his families that they follow his example. Then will the children of Zion be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, and then will the Church begin to “arise and shine forth, that [her] light may be a standard for the nations” ( D&C 115:5).
That every priesthood bearer will rise to the challenge given us by the Lord when he said, in the words already quoted by Brother Packer: “. . . gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand . . . that where I am ye shall be also” ( D&C 27:15,18), I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. – Marion G Romney, 1969
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It is so important today that all of our people, whoever they are and whatever they are, live the gospel, that they keep the commandments of God. And if they are isolated, it is important that they arrange to hold services in their own homes, that they invite in their neighbors to their Sunday Schools, that they might help to spread the gospel. In my humble judgment, the world is hungry for true religion, and we have it.
I am sure, my brethren and sisters, that in the days ahead, many will accept of the truth, particularly in the countries that I have just had the opportunity to visit.
I remember, as you do also, occasions where we have met with just a handful of people in an isolated area, and how the Lord was there with his Spirit. I remember meeting the Saints, way up in Selbongen, East Prussia, right after the war and in isolated places in Holland. I remember meeting the Saints in Czechoslovakia, just small groups. How well I remember that meeting referred to by President Matis last night far up in Larsmo, Finland. It was a small, isolated group, but the Spirit of God was present and touched the hearts of the people. So it will be everywhere our people meet if we just remain true and faithful. God grant we may do so.
May we be able to make our influence felt for good in the world because we must help to serve as the leaven which is going to leaven the world with righteousness. In large measure, that is our mission.
So, my brethren, may we prepare, as elders in Israel, to help enlarge and to strengthen the boundaries of Zion, enlarge her stakes, and build up the kingdom. God expects us to arise and shine because we are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and I believe the hope of the world because we are the stewards of the revealed truth of God.
The Lord has made it very clear in the revelations. “Verily I say unto you all,” he said, back in 1838, “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be standard for the nations” ( D&C 115:5). – Ezra Taft Benson
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If we hearken to counsel, we shall be the best people in the world; we shall be as a bright light set upon a hill, that cannot be hid, or like a candle upon a candlestick – Brigham Young
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There came to our hands recently a resolution passed by a group of our servicemen who were in the European theater of war. They styled this document which they had prepared and had agreed upon, “A New Appreciation,” and this is the way it read in part:
Out of a world of chaos and confusion, out of the hopeless depths of a universal catastrophe spring new convictions, a new appreciation for the finer virtues of life. We left a world where certain fundamental truths were accepted lightly, where our thoughts and actions were characterized by a tendency to be too proud and a little arrogant. We have been guilty of appraising the desirability of a girl by the standards established by a judge in a Hollywood beauty contest. Perhaps some of us have been more guilty than others but we have all been guilty. Last Sunday in a meeting we openly confessed that regrettable error; we asked forgiveness of all we may have neglected by that total misconception. We think we can speak for the greater percentage of L.D.S. servicemen all over the world when we say that through this new inlet God has given us the true light of real beauty. A girl is beautiful when her virtue cannot be questioned, when her stability and faith in the Church is steadfast. A girl is beautiful when she is sincere and humble, when she looks upon a child with affection, or upon a sufferer with compassion. She is beautiful because she has a smile and a cheerful word for her associates. Beauty does not lie in the face alone but rather it is measured by character and the sweetness of her disposition, as we expect it to be. But you can be sure of one thing, those of us who are yet single and have the desire for the companionship of a beautiful girl will be going to the Mutual Improvement Association to find her. We have traveled to many different parts of the world and such travel has only tended to convince us more thoroughly than ever that our greatest hope for complete happiness lies in Zion. There we can rest assured the girls are beautiful. (See Improvement Era, August 1945, p. 435.)
As I read that lofty sentiment, coming from out of the world where quite the opposite is found on every side, I thanked my Heavenly Father that these sons of Zion were holding up a standard and an ensign of moral purity to the world. If the faithful daughters of Zion were called upon, they would echo back that sentiment to these sons, and would say that if the young men of the Church are to measure up to the standards of the girls they must come home and bring to the marriage altar minds and bodies that are as clean and pure as the servicemen expect of their companions here. To true Latter-day Saint girls, far more to be desired than wealth and handsome profile is a young man who is virtuous, who is honest, who has integrity and is true to the teachings of the gospel.
As I think of our young people thus expressing themselves, I am mindful that they are heeding the words of our Father who gave us a divine injunction in these words:
Verily I say unto you all: [meaning every member of the Church] Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations ( D&C 115:5). Harold B Lee, 1945
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COUNSEL OF SUSANNAH WESLEY
A short while ago I read wise counsel from a lovely mother, Susannah Wesley, mother of John Wesley, famed in religious circles. This was what this lovely mother said to her son, which was a criterion by which he could judge right and wrong, in pleasure, and for that matter in all the affairs of life. These were her words:
Would you judge the lawfulness or unlawfulness of pleasure? Then use this rule: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sight of God, takes from you your thirst for spiritual things, or increases the authority of your body over your mind, then that thing to you is evil. By this test you may detect evil no matter how subtly or how plausibly temptation may be presented to you.
Oh, I wish that every youth would use that rule and measure everything presented to him in order that he might choose the right. God grant that we may strengthen Zion within ourselves, that we might live nobly and prepare to present ourselves in honor at the end of our lives here, before him whose name we bear as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I humbly pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. – Harold B Lee 1951, Conference, Friday
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And so today the Lord’s people are gathering “out from among the nations” as they gather into the congregations and stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that are scattered throughout the nations. Nephi foresaw that these “dominions” would be small but that the Lord’s power would descend “upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, … who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they [would be] armed with righteousness” (see 1 Nephi 14:12–14). The Lord calls upon us to be beacons of righteousness to guide those who seek the safety and blessings of Zion:
“Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations;
“And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” ( D&C 115:5–6). – D Todd Christofferson, 2008
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To Latter-day Saints the world over, we say: Let not your hearts be troubled. Keep the commandments of God. Follow the counsel of his living prophet, taking care not to exceed the counsel with your own private views. Teach your children to walk uprightly before the Lord. Pray in your homes morning and evening. Pray for civil magistrates and leaders even when you do not agree with them. Pray for the leaders of the Church. Pray, as you have been counseled, that the doors of nations of the world will be opened to the preaching of the gospel. Obey the laws of your country; rebel not against civil authority. Do your duty as citizens. “Do not yield to the bad, but always oppose it with good.” (Virgil.)
To all who have allegiance to the kingdom of God, we say: “Seek ye … first the kingdom of God.” ( Matt. 6:33.) “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.” ( D&C 115:5–6.)
Yes, “Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.
“Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come.” ( D&C 65:5–6.) – Ezra Taft Benson, 1978
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when men say unto us, “you are not like us,” we reply, “we know it; we do not want to be.” We want to be like the Lord, we want to secure His favor and approbation and to live under His smile, and to acknowledge, as ancient Israel did on a certain occasion, “The Lord is our God, our judge, and our king, and He shall reign over us.” – John Taylor
