Focusing Our Life on Jesus Christ
Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Elder Ulisses Soares: All the wonderful questions we have reviewed this evening culminate in the most important topic that you brought to us for our devotional: “focusing our life on Jesus Christ.”
Videos, please.
BOLIVIA LA PAZ—QUESTION 3
Elder Soares, I have a question. How can we, in such a troubled world, develop a greater trust in the Savior and better radiate the light of Jesus Christ in this world?
MEXICO CITY #1—QUESTION 4
Elder Soares, how can I draw close to the power of God and, by so doing, improve my life and be able to help others?
PHILIPPINES CEBU—QUESTION 9
Elder Soares, I would like to ask, How do we differentiate perfectionism from Christ’s invitation to be perfect like Him?
Elder Soares: Thank you so very much for your righteous desire to follow the Savior expressed through these questions. You need to know that our Savior Jesus Christ stands at the gates of our days, with His merciful arms outstretched, ready, willing, and able to encircle us with His love. He desires that we become like Him, that we think and act like He would, because He knows that that is the way to have lasting peace and happiness. Because of this, the Savior is always inviting us to draw near to Him and to follow Him wholeheartedly. Consider this invitation as recorded in the scriptures:
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” As we embrace this invitation, the Savior fulfills His remarkable promises, including walking in His light and receiving personal guidance in our life.
Focusing our life on the Savior requires us to align our mind and our desires with His. To accomplish this endeavor, we need to strive to learn more about Him, conduct our lives in harmony with His gospel continuously, and make a daily, diligent effort to focus on everything that is good.
In our efforts to align our life with the Savior, we may be confused about what it means to become perfect in Christ and perfectionism. Dear, would you mind sharing a thought about it?
Sister Rosana Soares: Yes. I would like to repeat what Elder Vern Stanfill from the Seventy taught about this matter. He said that we have to remember that perfectionism is not the same as being perfected in Christ. Perfectionism requires an impossible, self-inflicted standard that compares us to others. This causes guilt and anxiety and can make us want to withdraw and isolate ourselves.
Becoming perfected in Christ is another matter. It is the process—lovingly guided by the Holy Ghost—of becoming more like the Savior. The standards are set by a kind and all-knowing Heavenly Father and clearly defined in the covenants we are invited to embrace. As we accept the Savior’s invitation to come unto Him, we soon realize that our best is good enough and that the grace of a loving Savior will make up the difference in ways we cannot imagine.
Elder Soares: My friends, engaging in this pattern is, without a question, a gradual, lifelong process and requires more than a mere belief. But as we embrace it, we will experience joy, peace, and spiritual growth, and the Savior’s attributes can become part of our character, and His image can become engraven upon our countenances.
I have seen firsthand how focusing our life on the Savior brings strength to overcome difficulties, weaknesses, and the pains of life, which are extremely difficult to bear without His help and healing power. I have a friend who is currently experiencing a serious illness, and the prognosis is not positive. This friend is not troubled by this prospect. Her only desire is to know if she has been brave and valiant in her testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ in her life. It is obvious to me that this friend has focused her life on the Savior and has felt His outstretched arms embracing her, especially during such a troubling time.
President Nelson taught: “It [requires a] conscious [and constant] effort to fill our daily lives with [the Savior’s] words, His teachings, [and] His truths.” Nothing invites the Spirit more than to focus our gaze on Jesus Christ.
My dear friends, I think we are getting to the end of our wonderful experience together. Before I share my concluding remarks, I would like to invite our dear Brother and Sister Webb and then my dear wife to share their brief testimonies. Can you do that? Thank you.
Sister Kristi Webb: Brothers and sisters, I love our Savior, Jesus Christ. Coming to understand His perfect love for me changed my life. He changed me. I testify that He lives. I testify that He loves each one of us. I testify that He gave His life to redeem us. His example of humility, obedience, and love inspires me daily. He is teaching me how to trust and serve my Heavenly Father. He is my light, my strength, and my hope. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Brother Chad H Webb: It is such a privilege for us to be with you tonight and to be with Elder and Sister Soares. I would like to add my testimony of Elder Soares’s calling as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. I also know that President Nelson is the Lord’s prophet on the earth today. I also add my testimony that Heavenly Father loves you. He has a perfect plan of happiness to save and exalt His children. Jesus Christ is the central figure of that perfect plan and is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. He is our perfect example. He is the living Christ. He is a God of deliverance. We can trust Him with all our hearts. I am so grateful to be a member of His Church and for all the blessings we have through His restored gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Sister Soares: My dear friends, I am so thankful for a God that is involved in the little things of our lives. He knows what we need, and He has the answers to our questions. All we need to do is ask! As we show our patience, gratitude, and our faith to Him through sincere prayer, He is always right there, ready to help us. He will never leave us. Even if we don’t feel Him there, He is always there.
And what gives me the most hope is knowing that we have a Savior who leads His Church here on earth through President Nelson and His prophets, seers, and revelators. In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, amen.