“Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Youth—Excerpts,” For the Strength of Youth, Nov. 2022.
Saturday Morning Session
Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Youth
Excerpts
If you are between the ages 11 and 18, I have a message especially for you from your Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Savior’s Message to You
My dear young friends, if the Savior were here right now, what would He say to you?
I believe He would start by expressing His deep love for you. …
And yet, because we’re all weak and imperfect, some concerns might creep into your mind. You might remember mistakes you’ve made, times you gave in to temptation, things you wish you hadn’t done—or wish you had done better. …
I believe the Savior Jesus Christ would want you to see, feel, and know that He is your strength. That with His help, there are no limits to what you can accomplish. …
The Savior would declare, in no uncertain terms, that you are a daughter or son of the Almighty God. Your Heavenly Father is the most glorious being in the universe, full of love, joy, purity, holiness, light, grace, and truth. And one day He wants you to inherit all He has. …
To make this possible, He sent Jesus Christ to be your Savior. …
That is your destiny. That is your future. That is your choice!
Truth and Choices
At the heart of God’s plan for your happiness is your power to choose. …
When you have important choices to make, Jesus Christ and His restored gospel are the best choice. When you have questions, Jesus Christ and His restored gospel are the best answer. When you feel weak, Jesus Christ is your strength. …
For the Strength of Youth
To help you find the Way and to help you make Christ’s doctrine the guiding influence in your life, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has prepared a new resource, a revised version of For the Strength of Youth. …
To be very clear, the best guide you can possibly have for making choices is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the strength of youth.
So the purpose of For the Strength of Youth is to point you to Him. …
It’s also important to know what For the Strength of Youth does not do. It doesn’t make decisions for you. It doesn’t give you a “yes” or “no” about every choice you might ever face. For the Strength of Youth focuses on the foundation for your choices. It focuses on values, principles, and doctrine instead of every specific behavior. …
Is it wrong to have rules? Of course not. We all need them every day. But it is wrong to focus only on rules instead of focusing on the Savior. …
A Higher Standard
Jesus Christ has very high standards for His followers. And the invitation to earnestly seek His will and live by His truths is the highest standard possible!
Important temporal and spiritual choices should not only be based on personal preference or what is convenient or popular. The Lord is not saying, “Do whatever you want.”
He is saying, “Let God prevail.”
He is saying, “Come, follow me.”
He is saying, “Live in a holier, higher, more mature way.”
He is saying, “Keep my commandments.”
Jesus Christ is our perfect example, and we strive with all the energy of our soul to follow Him.
My dear friends, let me repeat, if the Savior were standing here today, He would express His endless love for you, His complete confidence in you. He would tell you that you can do this. You can build a joyful, happy life because Jesus Christ is your strength. You can find confidence, peace, safety, happiness, and belonging now and eternally, because you will find all of it in Jesus Christ, in His gospel, and in His Church.