Area Leadership Message
I Am Invited to Live a Life in Jesus Christ with Continued Conversion
The call to “Come Follow Me” is a wonderful invitation from our Savior Jesus Christ to us all.
With these simple words, he invited those who feel “heavy laden “to join with Him. He wants us to “stand beside Him, to bind ourselves to Him, and to let Him share our burdens. His promise is ‘Ye shall find rest to your souls.’”1
During His mortal ministry, His message was clear. The words of the prophets, both in the scriptures and in these the last days, have given us the same message, follow the Savior. We are not only asked to come to Him, but to follow His example and continue on the covenant path that leads to continuous conversion.
The Come, Follow Me manual also says: “Regardless of the reasons for our struggles, Jesus pleads with us to come unto Him so He can help us bear our burdens and find relief.”2
The story of Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul) shows what is true conversion. He persecuted the disciples and the Church. One day he was on the road to Damascus planning to persecute the Christians in that city. During his journey, a light from heaven shone on him and he fell to the earth. Jesus spoke to Saul, and he was changed. When the encounter was over, those that were with him guided him by the hand into Damascus because he was struck blind for 3 days. From that point forward, he preached that Christ was the Son of God. (See Acts 9:1–22.)
With his renewed life, Paul became a powerful teacher of truth. His conversion was dramatic. He turned from being a persecutor to a protector of the Christians. One well-known example of just how committed he had become surfaced in the presence of royalty. He bore his testimony to King Agrippa and the king told him “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28).
If Paul can change, so can we but at what price? Are we willing to accept the Savior’s offer? How much work will it be to know about Jesus and His restored gospel? I testify it’s worth whatever price we need to put forth to know Him!
We are all invited to live by the teachings of Jesus Christ by being true to the covenants that we made when we accepted His gospel and were baptized. In addition, we strive to live the life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ by staying loyal to Him and our Heavenly Father as we obey the commandments. We want to be a good reflection of what we believe in.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve taught that “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.”3
We also need to encourage others to come and see, to come and help, and to come and belong. We can do this by praying each day to find those who are truly seeking, even sharing our testimony with them.
A perfect example of this is the prophet Abinadi. He was bold in his words as he spoke about the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, even at the peril of his life. His passionate declaration was a result of his desire to continue his conversion journey centered on Jesus Christ. What he said in front of king Noah touched Alma, who had been one of the corrupt priests of the king. Alma accepted the invitation to come and follow the Savior. He later helped teach the words of Abinadi and witnessed the miraculous conversion of many believers at the Waters of Mormon. (See Mosiah 12–18.)
Abiding by the invitation to follow the Savior and to live a life with Him being at the center of our lives will bring us happiness and joy. Doing this will help us find peace of mind and will bind us together with Him now and forever.
We are led by prophets, and they know the way. We must follow their counsel and stay true to our covenants to experience a deeper conversion in the Holy One of Israel.