“The Life-Changing Power of Remembering Him,” For the Strength of Youth, Jun. 2023.
Come, Follow Me
Matthew 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25
The Life-Changing Power of Remembering Him
Through the sacrament and the Holy Ghost, we remember Jesus Christ and find strength, peace, and joy.
When Jesus Christ gathered His Apostles together in an upper room in Jerusalem for the Passover, His last meal with them in mortality, He knew “his hour was come” (John 13:1). He would soon offer His infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice.
The Apostles had walked and talked with Jesus. They had heard His teachings and seen His miracles. Now He had to leave? How would they get along without Him?
The Last Supper, by Simon Dewey
Jesus shared with them how they could remember Him when He was no longer with them. He introduced the sacrament and promised to send the Holy Ghost.
As the Lord’s latter-day disciples, we are commanded to remember Him always. As I share how the sacrament and the Holy Ghost help us remember and follow Jesus Christ, I invite you to consider ways you can better remember and follow Him every day.
Blessings of the Sacrament
During the Last Supper, Jesus blessed bread and gave it to His Apostles, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He then “took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood … which is shed for many” (Matthew 26:26–28).
He said, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are commanded to partake of the sacrament each week (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:9, 12). This holy priesthood ordinance is a repeated invitation to repent sincerely, be renewed spiritually, and remember Jesus Christ.
The acts of eating and drinking the bread and water do not remit sins. But as we prayerfully and sincerely prepare and worthily participate in the ordinance, we examine our actions and the desires of our hearts and embrace the Lord’s invitation to repent (see Moses 6:57). When we offer the sacrifice He requires—a broken heart and a contrite spirit (see 3 Nephi 9:20)—we are promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us. And by the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can obtain and always retain a remission of our sins (see Moroni 6:4).
After partaking of the sacrament during a leadership meeting, President Russell M. Nelson said: “I made a covenant as I partook of the sacrament that I would be willing to take upon me the name of Jesus Christ and that I am willing to obey His commandments. Often, I hear the expression that we partake of the sacrament to renew covenants made at baptism. While that’s true, it’s much more than that. I’ve made a new covenant. You have made new covenants. … Now in return for which [the Lord] makes the statement that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. What a blessing!”1
During the sacrament, we remember Jesus Christ and how “He suffered, he bled and died”2 for us. Thoughtfully preparing for and sincerely partaking of the sacrament brings spiritual renewal, heavenly power, and the Lord’s promised blessings.
Invite the Holy Ghost
Jesus promised His Apostles that the Father would send them the Comforter, or the Holy Ghost, to bless them after He went away (see John 14:26).
The role of the Holy Ghost is to guide (see John 16:13), direct (see 2 Nephi 32:5), comfort (see John 14:26), protect (see Mosiah 2:36), and sanctify (see 3 Nephi 27:20) us. He can work with and through us only if we sincerely desire His constant companionship and appropriately prepare and invite Him into our lives.
To invite the Holy Ghost, study, ponder, and feast upon the words of Christ in the scriptures (see 2 Nephi 31:20). Pray continually. Faithfully act on promptings. Seek virtuous thoughts, actions, and language. Worship at home, in the temple, and at church.
As you incorporate these righteous practices into your life, the Lord’s promise is that you “may always have his Spirit to be with [you]” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77; emphasis added).
Alma Arise, by Walter Rane
A Powerful Change
When an angel of the Lord appeared to Alma the Younger and called him to repent, Alma fell to the ground and could not speak or move for several days.
During this time, he was tormented by the memory of his sins, but then he remembered that his father had prophesied “concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.” He later recorded, “As my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me. … And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more” (Alma 36:17–19).
It was not the angel’s appearance that changed Alma. Remembering Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice led him to repent and pray for forgiveness and mercy, to feel exquisite joy, and to become a devoted disciple.
When you remember Jesus Christ and earnestly seek and follow Him, He becomes much more than the central character in scripture stories. His divinity and living reality affect your daily decisions, bless you, and enliven you to become more like Him. This powerful change begins when you remember Jesus Christ!
My Hope for You
I testify that the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you as you remember Him, take His name upon you, and keep His commandments (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79). He said, “And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you” (3 Nephi 18:7).
I hope that the next time you partake of the bread and water during the sacrament, you will say in your heart: “I’ll never forget Him or His sacrifice for me. I will love and follow Him.” I pray that you will carry this resolve with you throughout your life.
May you move forward with the strength, peace, and joy that come from remembering and following Jesus Christ always.