Transcript
Music playing: “From All That Dwell Below the Skies” From the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah,
this is the Saturday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
with speakers selected from leaders of the Church.
Music for this session is provided by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
This broadcast is furnished as a public service by Bonneville Distribution.
Any reproduction, recording, transcription, or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited.
President Henry B. Eyring,
Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church,
will conduct this session.
Brothers and sisters,
we welcome you most warmly to the Saturday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We gratefully acknowledge members and friends participating in the conference throughout the world, wherever you may be.
President Russell M. Nelson, who presides at the conference,
has asked me to conduct this session.
We are pleased to again meet in the Conference Center,
although small in numbers due to the continued constraints associated with COVID-19.
We acknowledge the General Authorities and the General Officers who will be in attendance throughout the conference and recognize a limited number seated on the stand. We gratefully acknowledge
the service of Elder Dean M. Davies,
our friend and associate who passed away on August 31st, 2021.
Elder Davies was a remarkable man who served nine years in the Presiding Bishopric and was most recently serving as a General Authority Seventy.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Sister Darla Davies
and to their children and grandchildren.
The music for this session will be provided by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy,
with Andrew Unsworth and Jessica Peeples at the organ.
We note the reduced number of choir members in order to provide
a measure of social distancing.
Safe medical practices were also followed at rehearsals.
All participating have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19
and were recently tested to ensure that they are not infected with the virus. The choir opened this meeting with “From All That Dwell below the Skies” and will now favor us with “Come Ye Children of the Lord.” The invocation will then be offered by Elder
Jeremy R. Jaggi of the Seventy,
after which the choir will sing “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee.”
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Heavenly Father, we come as Thy children together from across the world and give Thee thanks for the opportunity to gather.
We thank Thee for Thy wondrous Plan of Happiness for each of us.
We thank Thee for a Savior, Jesus Christ,
who makes it possible for us to overcome our sins, death, and our burdens. We thank Thee, oh God, for a living Prophet to guide us in these latter days.
We ask Thee, Heavenly Father, that we may be Thy hands to relieve
suffering, to lift the downtrodden.
We pray for those who are suffering that they may have
strength, that we may provide strength and comfort.
We ask Thee, Heavenly Father, to bless those who will speak,
that they may be strengthened, that they may be edified, that we all may rejoice together in
the Spirit, that He may teach us all things
and bring all things to our remembrance, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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We will now be pleased to hear from President Russell M. Nelson.
He will be followed by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Following Elder Holland’s remarks,
we will hear from Sister Bonnie H. Corden,
who serves as Young Women General President,
and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
My dear brothers and sisters, welcome to general conference!
What a joy it is to be with you.
You've been on my mind almost constantly during
the past six months. I have prayed about you and for you.
during recent weeks, I have prayed intently that this conference would be a time of revelation and reflection for all who seek those blessings.
We are delighted to be speaking to you from the Conference Center once again. Most of the seats remain empty,
but the presence of some members of the Tabernacle Choir is a wonderful step forward.
We welcome you all to this largely virtual conference,
wherever you are. We are still dealing with the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants.
We thank you for following our counsel and the advice of medical experts and government officials in your own communities.
We convene each general conference as directed
by the Lord.
The format has varied over the years.
When I was much younger, conference lasted three or four days.
Later, conference was reduced to two days.
Every message, then and now,
is the result of earnest prayer and much spiritual preparation.
The General Authorities and General Officers of the Church who speak will focus their messages on our Savior,
Jesus Christ, His mercy,
and His infinite redeeming power.
There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital
and relevant to every human soul.
Imagine how quickly the devastating conflicts throughout the world and those in our individual lives would be resolved if we all chose to follow Jesus Christ and heed His teachings. In that spirit, I invite you to listen for three things during this conference:
pure truth, the pure doctrine of Christ, and pure revelation.
Contrary to the doubts of some,
there really is such a thing as right and wrong.
There really is absolute truth, eternal truth.
One of the plagues of our day is that too few people know where to turn for truth.
I can assure you that what you will hear today or tomorrow constitutes pure truth.
The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful.
It changes the life of everyone who understands it.
And seeks to implement it in his or her life.
The doctrine of Christ helps us find and stay on the covenant path.
Staying on that narrow but well-defined path will ultimately qualify us to receive all that God has. Nothing
could be worth more than all our Father has.
Finally, pure revelation for the questions in your heart
will make this conference rewarding and unforgettable.
If you have not yet sought for the ministering of the Holy Ghost to help you hear what the Lord would have you hear during these two days,
I invite you to do so now.
Please make this conference a time of feasting on messages from the Lord through His servants. Learn how to apply them in your life. This is the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We are His covenant people.
The Lord declared that He would hasten His work in its time, and He is doing so at an ever-increasing pace.
We are privileged to participate in His holy work.
I invoke a blessing upon all who are seeking greater light, knowledge, and truth. I express my love for each of you,
in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Thank you, President Nelson. We love and sustain you.
Thank you for that marvelous introduction
to this conference.
The scriptures speak of a rich young ruler who ran to Jesus,
knelt at his feet, and with genuine sincerity
asked the Master, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
After reviewing a long list of commandments, this fellow had faithfully kept,
Jesus told the man to sell all his belongings,
give the proceedings to the poor,
take up His cross, and follow Him.
The boldness of this directive caused the young ruler, in spite of his expensive sandals, to get cold feet. And he went away
sorrowing because, the scripture says, he had great possessions.
Obviously, this is an important cautionary tale about the uses of wealth and the needs of the poor,
but ultimately it is a story about wholehearted,
unreserved devotion to divine responsibility.
With or without riches,
each of us is to come to Christ with the same uncompromised commitment to His gospel that was expected of this young man. In the vernacular of today's youth,
we are to declare ourselves “all in.”
In his characteristically memorable prose,
C.S. Lewis imagines the Lord saying to us something like this.
“I don’t want your time or your money or your work as much as I just want you. That tree you were pruning—
I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there.
I want the whole thing down.
And that tooth, I don't want to drill it or crown it or fill it.
I want to have it out.
In fact, I want to hand you over—
I want you to hand over to me, your whole natural self.
And I'll give you a new self instead.
In fact, I’ll give you myself, my will shall become your will.”
Well, all who speak in this general conference will be saying, one way or another, what Christ said to this rich young man.
“Come unto your Savior, come completely and wholeheartedly.
Take up your cross, however heavy it may be, and follow Him.”
They will say this, knowing that in the Kingdom of God,
there can be no halfway measures, no starting and stopping,
no turning back. To those who requested permission to bury a deceased parent, or to at least say goodbye to other family members, Jesus’s reply was demanding and unequivocal. “Leave that to others,” he said.
“No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back,
is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When difficult things are asked of us,
even things contrary to the longings of our heart,
remember that loyalty we pledge to the cause of Christ is to be the supreme devotion of our lives.
Although Isaiah reassures us it is available “without money, and without price,” and it is,
we must be prepared, using Elliot’s line, to have it cost,
“not less than everything.”
Of course, we all have some habits or flaws or personal history that could keep us from complete spiritual immersion in this work. But God is our father.
And is exceptionally good at forgiving
and forgetting sins we have forsaken—
perhaps because we give Him so much practice in doing so.
In any case, there is divine help for every one of us at any hour that we feel to make a change in our behavior. God gave Saul another heart.
Ezekiel called on all of ancient Israel to “cast off her past
and make a new heart and a new spirit.”
Alma called for a “mighty change” that would cause the soul to expand. And Jesus Himself taught that “except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Clearly, the possibility of change and living at a more elevated level has always been one of the gifts of God to those who seek it.
Friends, in our present moment,
we find all manner of divisions and subdivisions,
sets and subsets, digital tribes and political identities, with more than enough hostility to go around. Might we ask ourselves if “a higher and holier life,” to use President Nelson’s phrase, is something we could seek? When doing so,
we would do well to remember that stunning period in the Book of Mormon in which those people asked
and answered that question so affirmatively. I quote:
“And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people in all the land because of the love of God,
which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor any manner of lasciviousness,
and surely there could not be happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
There were no robbers, nor murderers,
neither were their Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites,
but they were in one,
the children of Christ, and heirs of the kingdom of God.
And how blessed were they!” Close quote.
What is the key to this breakthrough in contented, happy living? It is embedded there in the text,
in one sentence: “the love of God did dwell in the hearts of the people.”
Now, when the love of God sets the tone for our own lives, our own relationships to each other, and ultimately for our feeling for all mankind, then all distinctions,
limiting labels and artificial divisions begin to pass away
and peace increases. That is precisely what happened in our Book of Mormon example.
No longer were there Laminates or Jacobites or Josephites or Zoramites. There were no “-ites” at all.
The people had taken on just one transcendent identity.
They were all, it says, to be known as the “children of Christ.”
Of course, we’re speaking here
of the first great commandment given to the human family:
to love God wholeheartedly,
without reservation or compromise, that is, with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.
This love of God is the first great commandment in the universe. But the first great truth in the universe
is that God loves us exactly that way now.
Wholeheartedly, without reservation or compromise, with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength.
And when those majestic forces, from His heart and ours, meet without restraint,
there is a veritable explosion of spiritual moral power.
Then, as Teilhard de Chardin wrote,
“For the second time in the history of the world,
Man will have discovered fire.”
It is then, and really only then,
that we can effectively keep the second great commandment in ways that are not superficial or trivial. If we love God enough
to try to be fully faithful to Him, He will give us the ability, the capacity, the will, and the way to love our neighbor
and ourselves. Perhaps then we will be able to say once again,
“there could not be
a happier people
among all the people who have been created by the hand of God.”
Brothers and sisters, I pray we will succeed
where that rich young man failed.
That we will take up the Cross of Christ, however demanding it may be, regardless of the issue, and regardless of the cost. I bear witness that when we pledge to follow Him,
the path will, one way or another,
pass by way of a crown of thorns and a stark Roman cross.
No matter how wealthy our young ruler was,
he wasn’t wealthy enough to buy his way out of a rendezvous with those symbols. And neither can we.
For the blessing of receiving the greatest of all possessions,
the gift of eternal life,
it is little enough that we are asked to stay the course
in following the High Priest of our profession,
our Day Star, Advocate, and King.
I testify with obscure Malachi of old,
that each of us is to offer our whole souls as an offering
unto Him. Of such determined, steadfast devotion we sing,
“Praise the Mount, I’m fixed upon it.
Mount of Thy redeeming love. Here’s my heart,
oh take and seal it. See it for the courts above.”
In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I recently received a letter from an inquisitive young woman.
She wrote, “I’m stuck.
I'm not sure who I am,
but I feel I am here for something grand.”
Have you ever had that searching feeling, wondering if Heavenly Father knows who you are and if He needs you?
My dear youth, and to all, I testify the answer is “yes.”
The Lord has a plan for you.
He has prepared you for this day right now to be a strength and a force for good in His mighty work. We need you.
It simply will not be as grand without you
and your sacred circumstances. Our beloved Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson,
once reminded me of two simple truths that are foundational to our grand and glorious work.
Sitting on the couch with my husband, our Prophet pulled his chair over,
almost knee-to-knee with us,
and looked at me with his piercing blue eyes.
I wasn’t sure if my heart was racing, or had completely stopped
as he called me to service the Young Women General President.
He asked a question that still echoes in my heart. “Bonnie,
what’s the most important thing the youth need to know?”
I pondered for a moment and said, “they need to know who they are.”
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “And they need to know their purpose.”
You are a cherished, beloved child of Heavenly Father.
He loves you so perfectly that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ,
to Atone for you, and for me.
The Savior’s love for us is unfailing, even when we fail.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Remembering this love can help you push back the confusion of the world that tries to weaken your confidence in your divine identity and blind you of your potential.
At an FSY conference,
I met two young women who had been struggling.
Both young women mentioned turning to her patriarchal blessing to rediscover the Lord's love and guidance for her personally. Find your patriarchal blessing,
blow off the dust, if you must,
but study it often. If you don’t have one, get one soon.
Don't delay finding what the Lord wants to tell you now about who you are.
President Nelson’s second truth spoken to us that day is to know our purpose.
This is a grand and noble charge.
Many years ago, my son Tanner was about five years old when he played his first soccer game.
He was thrilled. When we arrived at the game, we realized his team was using a regulation-sized soccer goal.
Not some little pop-up goal,
but a very large net that seemed way too big for five-year-olds.
The game took on mythic proportions as I saw Tanner take the goalie position. I was so surprised.
Did he really understand his purpose in guarding the net?
The whistle blew and we became so caught up in the game we forgot all about Tanner.
Suddenly, one of the opposing team members got the ball
and dribbled swiftly towards him.
I looked in Tanner's direction to make certain he was ready to stand his ground and defend the goal.
I saw something I was not expecting.
At some point in the game,
Tanner had become distracted
and began weaving his left arm through the various holes in the net. Then he did the same with his right arm.
Next, his left foot, and finally his right foot.
Tanner was fully entangled in the net.
He had forgotten his purpose
and what he had been entrusted to do.
While Tanner’s soccer career didn’t last long,
his lesson to me that day will never fade.
We occasionally get distracted from why we are here
and divert our energies somewhere else.
One of Satan’s most powerful weapons is to distract us with good and better causes,
which, in times of need, may blind and bind us away from the best cause, the very work that called us into this world.
Our eternal purpose is to come unto Christ,
and to actively join Him in His Great Work.
It’s as simple as President Nelson taught:
“Any time we do anything that helps anyone make and keep their covenant with God, we are helping to gather Israel.”
When we do His work, together with Him,
We come to know and love Him more.
We continually seek to draw closer to the Savior through faith,
cherished repentance, and keeping the commandments.
As we find ourselves to Him through covenants and ordinances,
our lives are filled with confidence,
protection, and deep and lasting joy.
As we come to Him, we see others through His eyes.
Coming to Christ. Come now, but don't come alone.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just nice.
It is essential for all.
There is no other way or means whereby we can be saved; only in
and through Christ. The world needs Jesus Christ.
We need Jesus Christ.
Remember, the best way for you to improve the world is to prepare the world for Christ by inviting all to follow Him.
There is this story in the Book of Mormon that speaks powerfully of the resurrected Savior spending time with the Nephites.
Can you imagine what that would have been like?
As Christ announced that He must return to the Father,
he cast his eyes round about again.
Seeing tears in the people’s eyes,
He knew their hearts were longing for Him to linger.
He asked, “Have you any sick among you? Bring them hither.
Have you any lame or blind, deaf
or that are afflicted in any manner?
Bring them hither and I will heal them.”
Having great compassion, He set no limits,
and He called for all, that are afflicted in any manner.
I love that nothing is too big or too small
for Jesus Christ to heal.
He knows our suffering as well, and He calls, Bring forth the anxious and depressed,
the weary, the prideful and misunderstood, the lonely,
or those who are afflicted in any manner.
“And all did go forth, and He did heal them every one,
both they who had been healed and they were whole bowed down at His feet, and did worship Him.”
Every time I read this, I ask myself,
“who will I bring to Christ?” Who will you bring?
Can we look around again, as Jesus did,
to make sure no one is missed,
and everyone is invited to come to know Him?
Let me share an example of how simple it can be.
My 15-year-old friend Payton had a goal to read five verses of scripture at breakfast each day.
But she didn’t do it alone. Looking again, Payton invited her parents and siblings, even her five-year-old brother.
This seemingly small act is what Christ was teaching when He invited, “Bring them hither.”
This invitation from the Lord is still extended today.
Young women and young men, start now, in your own home.
Will you pray, and ask Heavenly Father how you can support your parents as they continue to come unto Christ?
They need you just as much as you need them.
Then look again at your siblings, your friends and neighbors.
Who will you bring to Christ?
Our Savior declared, “Behold, I am the light.”
I have set an example for you.
We will feel the love and peace of the Savior as we join Him in saving God’s family. For He has promised, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have light of life.”
What a glorious time to be engaged in the cause of Christ.
Yes, you are here for something grand.
I join with President Nelson, who said, “the Lord needs you to change the world. As you accept and follow His will for you,
you will find yourself accomplishing the impossible.”
I boldly testify that the Lord knows you and He loves you.
Together, we will advance His purpose until the great day when Christ Himself returns to the Earth
and shall call each of us to “come hither.”
We will joyfully gather together for we are those who come unto Christ, and we do not come alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
One of the most striking principals taught by the Savior during His earthly ministry was treating others with compassion. Let us reflect on this principle and its practical application by considering the account of Jesus’s visit to the home of Simon the Pharisee.
The gospel of Luke relates that a certain woman, considered a sinner, entered Simon’s home while Jesus was there. In humble contrition, the woman approached Jesus, washed his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair,
and then kissed and anointed them with a special ointment.
The proud host, who considered himself morally superior to the woman, thought to himself with reproach and arrogance,
“This man, if He were a prophet,
would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him, for she is a sinner.”
The Pharisee’s “holier-than-thou” attitude led him to judge unjustly both Jesus and the woman.
But in His omniscience,
the Savior knew Simon’s mind, and in great wisdom,
challenged Simon’s condescending attitude,
as well as admonished him for his lack of courtesy in receiving a special guest like the Savior into his home.
In fact, Jesus’s direct rebuke of the Pharisee served as a witness that Jesus indeed possessed the gift of prophecy,
and that this woman, with a humble and contrite heart, was repentant and forgiven for her sins.
As do many other events during Jesus’s Earthly Ministry,
this account demonstrates once more that the Savior acted compassionately toward all who would come unto Him without distinction,
and most especially toward those who most needed His help.
The contrition and reverent love shown to Jesus by the woman were evidence of her sincere repentance
and desire to receive a remission of her sins.
However, Simon's superiority complex,
coupled with his hardened heart,
prevented him from showing empathy for that repentant soul.
And he referred, even to the Savior of the world, with indifference and contempt.
His attitude revealed that his way of life was nothing more than a strict and hollow observance of rules
and outward manifestations of his convictions through self-aggrandizement and false holiness.
The compassionate and personalized Ministering of Jesus in this account demonstrates a perfect model of how we should interact with our neighbor.
The scriptures have countless examples of how the Savior, moved by His deep and abiding compassion,
interacted with people of His day
and helped those who were suffering
and those who had fainted and were scattered abroad
as sheep having no shepherd.
He extended His merciful hand to those who needed relief from their burdens, both physically and spiritually.
The compassionate attitude of Jesus is rooted in charity,
namely in His pure and pure love and perfect love,
which is the essence of His Atoning Sacrifice.
Compassion is a fundamental characteristic of those who
strive for sanctification,
and this divine quality intertwines with other Christian traits, such as mourning with those who mourn,
and having empathy, mercy, and kindness.
The expression of compassion for others is, in fact,
the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the marked evidence of our spiritual
and emotional closeness to the Savior.
Furthermore, it shows the level of influence He has
on our way of life and demonstrates the magnitude of our spirits.
It is meaningful to observe that Jesus’s compassionate acts were not occasional or mandated manifestations based on a list of tasks to be completed,
but everyday expressions of the reality of His pure love for God and His children and His abiding desire to help them.
Jesus was able to identify people's needs, even at a distance. Thus, it's not surprising, for example,
that immediately after healing a certain centurion’s servant,
Jesus traveled from Capernaum to the city called Nain.
It was there that Jesus performed
one of the most tender miracles of His earthly ministry, when He commanded a dead young man, the only son of a widowed mother,
to rise and live. Jesus sensed, not only the intense suffering of that poor mother,
but the difficult circumstances of her life.
And He was moved by genuine compassion for her.
Just like the sinful woman and the widow of Nain,
many people within our circle of influence are seeking comfort,
attention, inclusion, and any help that we can offer them.
We all can be instruments in the Lord's hands
and act compassionately toward those in need, just as Jesus did.
I know a little girl who was born
with very serious cleft lips and cleft palate.
She had to have the first of a series of many surgeries
on the second day of her life.
Moved by a genuine compassion for those who experience this same challenge, this girl and her parents seek to give support,
understanding, and emotional assistance to others who face this difficult reality. They wrote to me recently and shared,
“Through our daughter’s challenge,
we had the opportunity to meet wonderful people who needed comfort, support, and encouragement.
Sometime ago, our daughter, who is 11 years old now, talked with the parents of a baby with the same challenge.
During this conversation,
our daughter momentarily took off the mask she was wearing due to the pandemic,
so the parents could see that there is hope,
even though their baby still has a long way to go in the next few years to fix the problem.
We feel very grateful for the opportunity to extend our empathy to those who suffer
as the Savior does for us.
We feel we ease our pain every time we relieve someone else’s pain.” My dear friends,
as we intentionally strive to incorporate a compassionate attitude into our way of life, as exemplified by the Savior,
we will become more sensitive to people's needs.
With that increased sensitivity,
feelings of genuine interest and love will permeate our every action.
The Lord will recognize our efforts
and we’ll surely be blessed with opportunities to be instruments in His hands, in softening hearts and in bringing relief to those whose hands hang down.
Jesus’s admonition to Simon the Pharisee also made it clear that we should never make harsh and cruel judgment of our neighbor
because we are all in need of understanding and mercy for our imperfections from our loving Heavenly Father.
Wasn’t this exactly what the Savior taught
on another occasion when He said,
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,
but considereth not the beam that is in thine own eye?” We need to consider that it is not easy to understand all the circumstances that contribute to someone's attitude or reaction. Appearances can be deceptive
and oftentimes do not represent an accurate measurement of someone’s behavior.
Unlike you and me, Christ is capable of clearly seeing all facets of a given situation.
Even knowing our weaknesses as He does,
the Savior does not rationally condemn us,
but continues to work with us compassionately over time,
helping us to remove the beam from our eye.
Jesus always looks on the heart and not on the appearance.
He himself declared, “Judge not according to the appearance.”
Now, consider the Savior’s wise counsel to the Twelve Nephite disciples regarding this question.
“And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people,
according to the judgment which I shall give unto you,
which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”
“Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I,
or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.”
In this context, the Lord,
fixes judgment upon those who take it upon themselves to judge the supposed shortcomings of others unrighteously. In order to qualify ourselves to make righteous judgments, we must strive to become like the Savior
and look at the imperfections of individuals compassionately,
even through His eyes.
Considering we still have a long way to go to reach perfection,
perhaps it would be better if we sit at Jesus’s feet and plead
for mercy for our own imperfections,
as did the repentant woman in the Pharisee’s house,
and not spend so much time and energy fixating on the perceived imperfections of others.
My dear friends, I testify that
as we strive to incorporate to Savior’s compassionate example into our lives, our capacity to compliment the virtues of our neighbors will increase,
and our natural instinct to judge their imperfections will decrease.
Our communion with God will grow, and certainly our lives will become sweeter,
our feelings more tender,
and we will find a never-ending source of happiness.
We will be known as peacemakers,
whose words are as gentle as the dew of a spring morning.
I pray that will become more long-suffering
and understanding of others,
and that the Lord’s mercy will, in perfect meekness, soothe our impatience with their imperfections.
This is the Savior’s invitation to us. I testify that He lives.
He is the perfect model of merciful and patient discipleship.
I bear my testimony of this truth in the holy name of the Savior Jesus Christ, amen.
The congregation will now join the choir
in singing “Let Us All Press On.”
After the singing, we will hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He will be followed by Elders
Clark G. Gilbert and Patricio M. Giuffra, of the Seventy.
Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” This is the Saturday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On” Music playing: “Let Us All Press On”
Our Heavenly Father loves us profoundly and perfectly.
In His love, He created a plan,
a plan of redemption and happiness, to open to us all
the opportunities and joys we’re willing to receive, up to and including all that He has and is.
To achieve this, He was even willing to offer His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.” His is a Father’s pure love.
Universal to all, yet personal to each.
Jesus Christ shares with the Father
this same perfect love. When the Father first elaborated His great Plan of Happiness,
He called for one to act as a Savior to redeem us—
an essential part of that plan.
Jesus volunteered, “Here am I, send me.”
The Savior, doeth not anything, save it be for the benefit of the world, for He loveth the world.
Even that He layeth down His own life,
that He may draw all men onto Him.
Wherefore He commandeth none that they shall not partake of His salvation.”
This divine love should give us abundant comfort and confidence as we pray to the Father in the name of Christ.
Not one of us is a stranger to them.
We need not hesitate to call upon God, even when we feel unworthy.
We can rely on the mercy and merits of Jesus Christ to be heard.
As we abide in God's love, we depend less and less on the approval of others to guide us.
Because God’s love is all-embracing,
some speak of it as unconditional,
and in their minds, they may project that thought to mean that God's blessings are unconditional and that salvation is unconditional. They're not.
Some are wont to say “the Savior loves me just as I am.”
And that is certainly true.
But He cannot take any of us into His kingdom just as we are. For no unclean thing can dwell there or dwell in His presence.
Our sins must first be resolved.
Professor Hugh Nibley once noted that the kingdom of God cannot endure if it indulges even the smallest sin. Quote,
“the slightest taint of corruption means that the other world would be neither incorruptible nor eternal. The tiniest flaw in a building, institution, code, or character will inevitably prove fatal in the long run of eternity.” End quote.
The commandments of God are strict because His kingdom and its citizens can stand only if they consistently reject evil and choose good without exception.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland observed, “Jesus clearly understood what many in our modern culture seem to forget:
that there is a crucial difference between the commandment to forgive sin, which he had an infinite capacity to do,
and the warning against condoning it,
which He never did, even once.”
Despite our present imperfections, however,
we can still hope to attain a name and standing, a place in His church and in the Celestial world.
After making it clear that He cannot excuse or wink at sin,
the Lord assures us, nevertheless,
he that represents and does the commandments of God shall be forgiven.
“And as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.”
Repentance and divine grace resolve the dilemma.
Remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom in the city of Ammonihah.
“For he said unto him that the Lord surely would come to redeem His people,
but that He should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
And He hath power given unto Him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance.
Therefore, He has sent His angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance,
which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer under the salvation of their souls.”
With the condition of repentance,
the Lord can extend mercy without robbing justice.
And God ceaseth not to be God.
The way of the world, as you know, is “anti-Christ,” or “anything- but-Christ.”
Our day is a replay of Book of Mormon history,
in which charismatic figures pursue unrighteous dominion over others, celebrate sexual license, and promote accumulating wealth
as the object of our existence.
Their philosophies justify in committing a little sin, or even a lot of sin,
but none can offer redemption. That comes only through the blood of the Lamb.
The best the “anything-but- Christ” or “anything- but-repentance” crowd can offer is the unfounded claim that sin does not exist. Or that if it exists,
it ultimately has no consequences.
I can't see that argument getting much traction at the final judgment. We don't have to attempt the impossible in trying to rationalize our sins away.
And on the other hand, we don’t have to attempt the impossible
in erasing the effects of sin by our own merit alone.
Ours is not a religion of rationalization,
nor a religion of perfectionism, but a religion of redemption.
Redemption through Jesus Christ.
If we’re among the penitent with His Atonement,
our sins are nailed to His cross and with His stripes,
we are healed. I've long been impressed by, and I’ve also felt, the yearning love of the Prophets of God in their warnings against sin.
They're not motivated by a desire to condemn; their true desire mirrors the love of God.
In fact, it is the love of God.
They love those to whom they're sent,
whoever and whatever they may be like.
Just as the Lord, His servants do not want anyone to suffer the pains of sin and poor choices.
Alma was sent to declare the message of repentance and redemption to a hate-filled people who were willing to persecute, torture, even kill Christian believers, including Alma himself.
Yet he loved them and yearned for their salvation.
After declaring the atonement of Christ to the people of Ammonihah,
Alma pleaded, “And now my brother and I wish from the most part of my heart,
yea, with great anxiety, even under pain,
that you would hearken unto my words and cast off your sins,
that ye may be lifted up at the last day
and enter into God’s rest.”
In President Russell M. Nelson's words,
“it is precisely because we do care deeply about all of God’s children that we proclaim His truth.”
The love of the Father and the Son is freely given,
but also includes hope and expectations.
Again, quoting President Nelson,
“God’s laws are motivated entirely by His infinite love for us,
and His desire for us to become all we can become.”
Because They love you, They do not want to leave you just as you are.
Because They love you, They want you to have joy and success. Because They love you,
They want you to repent, because that is the path to happiness. But it is your choice.
They honor your agency. You must choose to love Them, to serve Them, to keep Their commandments.
Then, They can more abundantly bless you as well as love you.
Their principal expectation of us is that we also love.
“He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love.”
As John wrote, “If God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another.”
Former Primary General President Joy D. Jones recalled that as a young couple, she and her husband were called to visit and minister to a family who hadn't been to church for many years. It was immediately clear in their first visit they were not wanted.
After the frustration of additional failed attempts,
and after much sincere prayer and pondering,
Brother and Sister Jones received an answer to the ‘why’ of their service in this verse from the Doctrine and Covenants: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength.
And in the name of Jesus Christ, thou shalt serve Him.”
Sister Jones said, “we realized that we were sincerely striving to serve this family and to serve our bishop.
But we had to ask ourselves if we were really serving out of love for the Lord. We began looking forward to our visits with this dear family because of our love for the Lord.
We were doing it for Him.
He made the struggle no longer a struggle.
After many months of our standing on the doorstep,
the family began letting us in.
Eventually, we had regular prayer and tender gospel discussions together.
A long-lasting friendship developed.
We were worshipping and loving Him by loving His children.
In acknowledging that God loves us perfectly, we might each ask,
how well do I love God? Can He rely on my love as I rely on His?
Would it not be a worthy aspiration to live so that God can love us, not just in spite of our failings,
but also because of what we are becoming?
Oh that He could say of you and me as He said of Hyrum Smith, for example. “I the Lord love him because of the integrity of his heart.”
Let us remember John’s kind admonition:
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not grievous.”
And indeed, His commandments are not grievous.
Just the opposite. They mark the path of healing, happiness,
peace, and joy. Our Father and Redeemer have blessed us with commandments.
And in obeying Their commandments, we feel Their perfect love more fully and more profoundly.
Here is the solution for our incessantly quarrelsome times:
love of God. As Elder Holland observed just a moment ago,
In the golden age of Book of Mormon history,
following the Saviors ministry,
it’s reported that there was no contention in the land
“because of the love of God,
which did dwell in the hearts of the people.”
As we strive towards Zion,
remember the promise in Revelation:
“Blessed are they that do His commandments,
but they may have right to the tree of life
and may enter in through the gate into the holy city.”
I bear witness of the reality of our Heavenly Father and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and of Their constant,
undying love, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
As a young boy, I had great aspirations.
One day after school, I asked, “Mom,
what should I be when I grow up? A professional basketball player, or a rock star?”
Unfortunately, Clark the toothless wonder showed no signs of future athletic or musical glory.
And despite multiple efforts,
I was repeatedly denied admission to my school's advanced academic program. My teacher suggested I should just stick to the standard classroom.
Over time, I developed compensating study habits,
but it wasn't until my mission to Japan that I felt my intellectual and spiritual possibilities begin to emerge.
I continued to work hard, but for the first time in my life,
I systematically involve the Lord in my development.
And it made all the difference.
Brothers and sisters, in this Church,
we believe in the divine potential of all of God's children and in our ability to become something more in Christ.
In the Lord's timing, it is not where we start,
but where we are headed, that matters most.
To demonstrate this principle, I will draw on some basic math.
Now, don’t panic at hearing the word math in general conference. Our BYU Idaho math faculty assure me that even the beginner will grasp this central concept.
It starts with the formula for a line.
The intercept for our purposes is the beginning of our line.
The Intercept can have either a high or a low starting point.
The slope of the line can then be positively or negatively inclined.
We all have different intercepts in life.
We start in different places with different life endowments.
Some are born with high intercepts full of opportunity.
Others face beginning circumstances that are challenging and seem unfair.
We then progress along a slope of personal progress.
Our future will be determined far less by our starting point,
and much more by our slope.
Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start. He saw it in the beggar, the sinner, the infirm.
He saw it in the fishermen,
the tax collector, and even the zealot.
No matter where we start,
Christ considers what we do with what we are given.
While the world focuses on our intercept,
God focuses on our slope.
In the Lord's calculus, He will do everything He can to help us turn
our slopes toward heaven.
This principle should give comfort to those who struggle,
and pause to those who seem to have every advantage.
Let me start by addressing individuals with difficult starting circumstances, including poverty,
access to education, and challenging family situations.
Others face physical challenges;
mental health constraints or strong genetic predispositions.
For any struggling with difficult starting points,
please recognize that the Savior knows our struggles.
He took upon Him our infirmities, that His bowels might be filled with mercy. That He might know how to sucker us
according to our infirmities.
Let me share two areas of encouragement for those with difficult starting circumstances.
First, focus on where you are headed, not where you began.
It would be wrong to ignore your circumstances.
They are real and need to be addressed.
But over-focusing on a difficult starting point can cause it to define you and even constrain your ability to choose.
Years ago, I served with a group of inner-city youth in Boston, Massachusetts, who were largely new to the gospel and to the expectations of this Church.
It was tempting to confuse my empathy and concern for their situation with the desire to lower God’s standards.
I eventually realized that the most powerful way to show my love was to
never lower my expectations.
With everything I knew to do, we focused together on their potential. And each of them began to elevate their slopes.
Their growth in the gospel was gradual but steady.
Today they have served missions, graduated from college,
married in the temple, and are leading remarkable personal and professional lives.
Second, involve the Lord in the process of lifting your slope.
While serving as the President of BYU Pathway Worldwide,
I remember sitting in a large devotional in Lima, Peru,
where elder Carlos A. Godoy was the speaker.
He looked out over the congregation
and he seemed overwhelmed,
observing so many faithful first generation university students.
Perhaps reflecting on his own path through such difficult circumstances, Elder Godoy stated emotionally,
“the Lord will help you more than you can help yourself.
So involve the Lord in this process.”
The Prophet Nephi taught that “it is by grace we are saved, after all we can do.”
We must do our best, which includes repentance,
but it is only through His grace that we can realize our divine potential. Finally, let me share two areas of counsel for those with elevated starting points.
First, can we show some humility for the circumstances we may not have created ourselves?
As former BYU President Rex E. Lee quoted to his students,
“We have all drunk from wells we did not dig, and warmed ourselves by fires we did not build.” He then called on his students to give back
and replenish the educational wells that earlier pioneers had built. Failure to receive the fields planted by others can be the equivalent of returning a talent without increase.
Second, focusing on a high starting point can often trap us
into feeling that we are thriving when in fact, our inner slope may be quite stagnant.
Harvard Professor Clayton M. Christensen taught that the most successful people are the humblest,
because they are confident enough to be corrected
and learn from anyone. Elder D. Todd Christofferson counseled us to “willingly find ways to accept, and even seek correction, even when things appear to be going well.” We must seek out opportunities to improve through prayerful petition. Regardless of whether we start in abundant
or difficult circumstances.
Realizing our ultimate potential will only happen when we make God our partner. I recently had a conversation with a nationally prominent educator who was inquiring about the success of BYU pathway.
He was bright and his inquiry was sincere,
but he clearly wanted a secular response.
I shared with him our retention programs and mentoring efforts, but I concluded by saying “these are all good practices.
But the real reason our students are progressing is because we teach them their divine potential.”
Imagine if your whole life you were told you could never succeed.
Then consider the impact of being taught that you are an actual son or daughter of God, with divine possibility.
He paused, then replied simply, “That’s powerful.”
Brothers and sisters, one of the miracles of this, the Lord's Church, is that each of us can become something more in Christ. I know of no other organization that lifts its members and gives them more opportunities to serve, give back, repent, and become better people.
When we start in abundant or difficult circumstances,
let us keep our sights and our slopes pointed heavenward.
As we do, Christ will lift us to a higher place. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Beginning in 1946, thousands of pioneers—men, women, and children—headed Westward, to Zion.
Their great faith steered their boundless courage.
For some, that trip was never finished as they died along the way. Others, facing adversity,
pressed forward in faith. Because of them, generations later,
my family enjoyed the blessing of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Much like another young man who I will mention later,
I was fourteen when I started to question religion and my faith.
I attended the Church of another denomination close to my house, but I felt the desire to visit many different churches.
One afternoon, I noticed two young men in their suits and white shirts enter into my neighbor’s home.
Those young men looked special.
The next day, I asked my next door neighbor, Leonor Lopez,
and asked her about those two men.
Leonor explained to me that they were missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She joyfully told me that her family was baptized in the Church a year earlier. Seeing my interest,
Leonor invited me to meet the missionaries and learn about the Church. Two days later,
I joined the Lopez family to meet the missionaries.
They introduced themselves as John Messily from
Ogden, Utah, and Christopher Osorio from [INAUDIBLE],
California. I will never forget them. Since I was only fourteen,
Elder Messily insisted we go next door to my home so my mother could know what they were teaching me.
There, he kindly explained that they came to share
a message about Jesus Christ and ask
for her permission to teach me. Mother agreed, and even joined us
while they taught me. The missionaries first asked Leonor to offer a prayer. This touched me very deeply
because her prayer was not a repetition of memorized words,
but an expression of her heart.
I felt she was really talking to her Heavenly Father.
The missionaries then taught us about Jesus Christ.
They showed a picture of Him that impressed me because it was
the picture of the resurrected, living Christ.
They continue teaching us of how Jesus established His Church in ancient times with Him at the head, joined by Twelve Apostles.
They taught us about apostasy,
how truth and Christ’s authority had been taken from the Earth after His Apostles died.
They told us of a young 14-year- old boy named Joseph Smith,
who, during the early 1800s visited different churches searching for truth. As time went on,
Joseph Smith became even more confused. After reading in the Bible that we can ask of God for wisdom, Joseph, acting in faith,
retired to a grove of trees and prayed which church
he should join. One of the missionaries read Joseph Smith’s account of what happened as he prayed.
“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
When the light rested upon me,
I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defied all description, standing above me in the air.
One of them spake unto me, calling me by my name, and said,
pointing to the other, “This is my Beloved Son.
Hear Him.“” During that lesson,
the Spirit confirmed to me several truths. First,
God listens to all His children’s sincere prayers, and
heaven is open to all, not just a few. Second,
God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings united in their purpose
to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
Third, we are created in God's image.
Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
have bodies of flesh and bone, like us,
but they are glorified and perfected,
and the Holy Ghost is a person of spirit. Fourth, through Joseph Smith,
Jesus Christ restored the gospel and true Church to the Earth.
The priesthood authority conferred on Christ’s Apostles 2,000 years ago is the same priesthood authority conferred upon Joseph Smith
and Oliver Cowdery by Peter, James, and John.
Finally, we learned about another testament of Jesus Christ,
The Book of Mormon. Written by ancient Prophets,
it tells of the people who lived in the Americas before,
during, and after the birth of Jesus. From it we learn of how they knew, loved, and worshipped Christ,
who appeared to them as their resurrected
Savior. The Spirit moved me profoundly
as I learned of the Savior’s declaration to them:
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the Prophets testified
shall come into the world.”
The missionaries gave us our own copy of the Book of Mormon.
We read and accepted the invitation found at the end of the Book of Mormon, which reads,
“And when ye shall receive these things,
I would exhort you that ye would ask God,
the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true.
And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent,
having faith in Christ,
He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by the power of the Holy Ghost,
ye may know the truth of all things.”
It has been almost forty-five years since my mother and I first learned the joy
and power of having faith in Christ.
It was because of their faith in Christ that the Lopez family shared their new faith with me.
It was because of their faith in Christ
that these two missionaries
left their homes in the United States to find my mother and me.
It was the faith of all those dear friends that planted
a mustard seed of
faith in us that has grown into a mighty tree of eternal blessings.
During these blessed years, we have known, as President Nelson, Russel M. Nelson declared, “everything good in life,
every potential blessing of eternal significance, begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance
begins with faith that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse,
heal, and strengthen us.”
I’d invite us all to continually increase our faith in Christ,
who has changed the life of my beloved mother and me,
and continues to change the lives of all those who seek Him.
I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration,
the President Nelson is our Prophet today, that Jesus is our living Christ and our Redeemer,
and that Heavenly Father lives and answers all His children’s prayers. I testify of this truth in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We expressed gratitude to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square for the beautiful music they have provided this morning.
The choir will now favor us with, “I Will Follow God’s Plan.”
Our concluding speaker
for this session will be President Dallin H.
Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Following President Oaks,
the choir will close this meeting by singing “My Redeemer Lives.”
The benediction will then be offered by Sister Amy A. Wright,
who serves as Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency.
Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” Music Playing: “I Will Follow God’s Plan”
Many years ago, Elder Mark E. Peterson,
a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
began a talk with this hypothetical example.
Quote, “Kenneth and his wife, Lucille, are good people, honest and upright.
They don’t go to church, though,
and they feel they can be good enough without it.
They teach their children honesty and virtue,
and they tell themselves that is about all the Church would do for them. And anyway,
they insist that they need their weekends for family recreation, and Church-going would really get in their way.”
End of quote.
Today, my message concerns such good and religious minded-people who have stopped attending or participating in their churches.
When I say churches, I include synagogues, mosques, or other religious organizations.
We are concerned that attendance in all of these is down significantly nationwide.
If we cease valuing our churches for any reason,
we threaten our personal spiritual life, and significant numbers separating themselves from God reduces His blessings to our nations.
Attendance and activity in a Church help us become better people and better influences
on the lives of others.
In church, we are taught how to apply religious principles.
We learn from one another.
A persuasive example is more powerful than a sermon.
We are strengthened by associating with others of like minds. In church attendance and participation,
our hearts are, as the Bible says, “knit together in love.”
The scriptures God has given Christians, in the Bible and in modern revelation, clearly teach the need for a church.
Both show that Jesus Christ organized the Church
and contemplated that the Church would carry on His work after Him.
He called Twelve Apostles, and gave them authority and keys to direct it.
The Bible teaches that Christ is the head of the Church,
and that its officers were given “for the perfecting of the Saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Surely the Bible is clear on the origin of the Church and the need for it now.
Some say that attending church meetings is not helping them.
Some say, “I didn’t learn anything today,”
or “no one was friendly to me,” or “I was offended.”
Personal disappointment should never keep us from the doctrine of Christ, who taught us to serve, not to be served.
With this in mind, another member described
the focus of his church attendance. Quote:
“Years ago, I changed my attitude about going to church.
No longer do I go to church for my sake,
but to think of others.
I make a point of saying hello to people who sit alone, to welcome visitors, to volunteer for an assignment.
In short, I go to church each week with the intent of being active,
not passive, and making a positive difference in people’s lives.” End of quote.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that, quote,
“We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained
or even simply to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord.
It is an individual responsibility.
If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you. You must do your own waiting upon Lord.”
End of quote. Church attendance can open our hearts
and sanctify our souls.
In a church, we don't just serve alone or at our own choice or convenience. We usually serve in a team.
In service, we find heaven-sent opportunities to rise above the individualism of our age.
Church-directed service helps us overcome
the personal selfishness that can retard our spiritual growth.
There are other important advantages to mention, even briefly. In church, we associate with wonderful people striving to serve God.
This reminds us that we are not alone in our religious activities.
We all need associations with others,
and church associations are some of the best we can experience,
for us, and our companions and children.
Without those associations, especially between children and faithful parents,
research shows increasing difficulty
for parents to raise children in their faith.
So far, I've spoken about churches generally.
Now I address the special reasons for membership attendance and participation in the Savior’s restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We, of course, affirm that the scriptures,
ancient and modern, clearly teach the origin and need for a church directed by and with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We also testify that the restored Church of Jesus Christ has been established to teach the fulness of His doctrine,
and to officiate, with His priesthood authority, to perform
the ordinances necessary to enter the kingdom of God.
Members who forgo church attendance and rely only on individual spirituality
separate themselves from these gospel essentials:
the power and blessings of the priesthood,
the fulness of restored doctrine, and the motivations and opportunities to apply that doctrine.
They forfeit their opportunity to qualified to perpetuate their family for eternity.
Another great advantage of the Restored Church is that it helps us grow spiritually.
Growth means change. In spiritual terms, this means repenting and seeking to draw nearer to the Lord.
In the Restored Church, we have doctrine, procedures, and inspired helpers that assist us to repent.
Their purpose, even in membership councils,
is not punishment like the outcome of a criminal court.
Church membership councils lovingly seek to help us qualify
for the mercy of forgiveness made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Individual spirituality can seldom provide the motivation and structure for unselfish service provided by the Restored Church. Great examples of this are the young men and women and seniors who put aside their schooling or retirement activities to accept missionary callings.
They work as missionaries to strangers in unfamiliar places they have not chosen.
The same is true of faithful members who participate in the unselfish service we call temple work.
None of such service would be possible without the Church that sponsors it, organizes it, and directs it.
Our members’ religious faith and Church service have taught them how to work in cooperative efforts to benefit the larger community.
That kind of experience and development does not happen in the individualism
so prevalent in the practices of our current society.
In the geographic organization of our local wards,
we associate and work with persons we might not otherwise have chosen. Persons who teach us and test us.
In addition to helping us learn spiritual qualities like love,
compassion, forgiveness, and patience,
this gives us the opportunities to learn how to work with persons
of very different backgrounds and preferences.
This advantage has helped members—
many of our members, and many organizations are blessed by their participation. Latter-day Saints are renowned for their ability to lead and unite in cooperative efforts.
That tradition originated with our courageous pioneers, who colonized the Intermountain West and established our valued tradition of unselfish cooperation for the common good.
Most humanitarian and charitable efforts need to be accomplished by pooling and managing individual resources on a large scale. The Restored Church does this with its enormous humanitarian efforts worldwide.
These include educational and medical supplies,
feeding the hungry, caring for refugees,
helping to reverse the effects of addictions, and a host of others.
Our Church members are renowned
for their Helping Hands projects in natural disasters.
Church membership allows us to be part of such large scale efforts.
Members also pay fast offerings to help the poor in their own midst.
In addition to feeling peace and joy through the companionship of the Spirit,
our Church-attending members enjoy the fruits of gospel living,
such as the blessings of living the word of wisdom, and the material and spiritual prosperity promised for living the law of tithing.
We also have the blessing of counsel from inspired leaders.
Crowning all of this are the authoritative priesthood ordinances necessary for eternity, including the sacrament we receive each Sabbath day.
The culminating ordinance in the Restored Church is the everlasting covenant of marriage,
which makes possible the perpetuation of glorious
family relationships.
President Nelson taught this principle in a memorable way:
he said, “we cannot wish our way into the presence of God.”
We are to obey the laws upon which that blessing is predicated.
One of those laws is to worship in Church each Sabbath day.
Our worship and application of eternal principles draw us closer to God and magnify our capacity to love. Parley P. Pratt,
one of the original Apostles of this dispensation, described how he felt when the Prophet Joseph Smith explained these principles.
Quote, “I felt that God was my Heavenly Father indeed.
That Jesus was my brother and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion,
a kind, ministering angel given to me as a comfort and a crown of glory, forever and ever.
In short, I could now love with the Spirit
and with understanding also.” End of quote.
In closing, I remind all that we do not believe that good can
only be accomplished through a Church.
Independent of the Church, we see millions of people supporting and carrying out innumerable good works. Individually,
Latter-day Saints participate in many of them.
We see these works as a manifestation of the eternal truth that, quote, “the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world.”
End of quote.
Despite the good works that can be accomplished without a church,
the fulness of doctrine and its saving and exalting ordinances are available only in the Restored Church. In addition,
Church attendance gives us strength
and enhancement of faith that comes from associating with other believers and worshipping together with those who are also striving to stay on the covenant path
and be better disciples of Christ.
I pray that we will all be steadfast in these church experiences as we seek eternal life,
the greatest of all the gifts of God. In the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives” Music playing: “My Redeemer Lives”
Our dear Heavenly Father, as we bow our heads together today,
we do so with much love and gratitude in our hearts for Thee and the matchless gift of Thy Son, Jesus Christ.
We are grateful for His infinite and eternal Atonement and the personal application it has in each one of our lives.
Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the sacred privilege of serving in various capacities throughout Thy vineyard, and pray that as we teach and testify of the pure doctrine of Christ,
that all within our realm of influence will walk away thinking less about us and more of Jesus Christ.
This we pray, in the sacred and holy name of our truest and most constant friend, Jesus Christ, amen.
This has been a broadcast of the Saturday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Speakers were selected from leaders of the Church.
Music was provided by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
This broadcast has been furnished as a public service by Bonneville Distribution.
Any reproduction, recording, transcription, or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited.