The Fellowship of the Unashamed

Many of you may know that i'm a Quoter. I don't make the quotes, I just quote the quotes (for a more or less complete list of my quotes click on the "Quotes" tab at the top of the page). We each have heard or read something that has had a powerful effect on us. Something that jumps off the page or shouts in our ear. Something that pierces our hearts. Joseph Smith had such an experience when reading James 1:5. He tells us:

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible."

One of the things that the Holy Ghost does is it makes scripture or other things we need to hear stand out to us. Well. I guess the point is that I had such a moment a little while back with this one by Elder Henry B. Eyring of the 12 Apostles:

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tinted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am lifted up in prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed, will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table with the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the case of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me and when He returns for His own He will have no problem recognizing me."

Now that was something to knock my socks off! Like Joseph Smith this seemed to be something that I was looking for! Something I wanted to live by, but didn't know where to find it. I know that the Lord knows our needs and that He speaks through living prophets to help us and guide us along our path back to Him.

What's a quote that YOU live by? How has it impacted YOUR life?

(Please note that anything you place here may later be quoted :) )