My Invitation: Not read secular books on Sunday

 

Jesus Christ Is the Way

By Elder Brian J. Holmes

Of the Seventy

Our Savior invites us to walk with Him. His way is the covenant path, the one path that leads to our celestial finish line. We choose to walk the covenant path by exercising faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance, receiving the ordinances of His gospel, and enduring to the end....

As we remain tightly bound to Him, He is bound to us. We can expect His power to bless us with strength and joy even when we are experiencing a steep stretch of life. But if we turn away, we have no such promise. Covenant blessings flow from ongoing faithfulness, not merely from past participation.

Don't Follow Him Casually or Occasionally

 

He Knows You by Name

By Elder Clement M. Matswagothata

Of the Seventy

May I invite you to choose to remember Him and follow Him—not casually or occasionally but deliberately and always.

Remaining Connected to the True Vine is Essential

 

Jesus Christ—the True Vine

By Elder Ulisses Soares

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Abiding in Christ is not an occasional or casual act; it is a constant, conscious, and sacred choice. It is allowing His holy teachings to abide in us, elevating our thoughts and governing our words in every setting—including the digital spaces where we so often interact—and purifying and consecrating our actions unto Him. It is letting our daily choices be guided by the covenants we have made with Him and allowing our lives to be directed by His loving and constant influence through the Holy Ghost. It is choosing to listen to His voice and the voice of His servants and following what they teach, above all the enticing voices of the world....

My beloved brothers and sisters, in a world of many voices, remaining connected to the True Vine is not merely desirable; it is essential to our spiritual survival. Those who abide in Jesus Christ come to recognize and trust His voice, especially as it is spoken through those He has called to represent Him.

Don't Be Selective in Who You Love

 

Love All; Love Each

By Elder Gérald Caussé

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Are we selective, or exclusive, in determining who deserves our love, or do we extend Christlike love to all with whom we associate?...

We don’t serve only those we already love; rather, we come to love people as we serve them...

Do we interact superficially with others, or do we genuinely seek to know and care for each person we meet?

Don't Take Jesus out of your Backpack

 

Jesus Christ Is Not Our Burden; He Is Our Relief

By Brother David J. Wunderli

First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

Years ago our son came home from Primary with a small picture of Jesus Christ. His Primary teacher had given it to him, and he cherished that picture. He slept with it, protected it, and carried it with him to school.

One Saturday morning we decided to take a family hike up a nearby canyon. Our six-year-old son carefully placed his picture of Jesus Christ into his backpack. That was it—he packed nothing else. When we stopped for lunch along the trail, he got busy finding small, unique rocks, and soon he had a large pile of them.

He asked me if he could take all these rocks home, and I said, “Sure, but you’ll have to carry them out yourself.”

He agreed and began filling his pack. Then he carefully placed his picture of Jesus Christ back on top and zipped it up. I lifted the heavy pack, put it on his back, and watched as he took one step forward and five steps backward until he fell to the ground. Undaunted, he opened his pack and removed three small rocks. One more try, one more fail.

Now, thinking there might be a lesson to be taught, I lightheartedly suggested that maybe he should remove his picture of Jesus. “That should lighten your load,” I said.

I will never forget the hurt look on his face. It seemed to say, “Dad, you really want me to take Jesus out of my pack and leave Him behind?” And then his look changed to “Dad, you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”...

Dear amazing young men and young women: As you continue your journey from baptism forward, through your teenage years and on to adulthood, committed to becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, know that rocks found along the way will begin to collect in your backpack—some by choice and some by the very nature of your journey in this life. As the weight increases, please remember that taking Jesus Christ out of your life is not the answer. Removing Him will not lighten your load.

The enemy of happiness wants to separate you from Jesus Christ. He will tempt you to remove the Savior from your life, enticing you to think that the road would be easier without Him, that the weight of His commandments is too great, that the path back is too long, that repentance is too hard. Know this: Satan is a liar. Jesus Christ is not the weight; He is the relief....

Each morning as you begin your daily walk, please make sure that Jesus Christ is with you.

Jesus Christ Is Not Our Burden; He Is Our Relief

By Brother David J. Wunderli

First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

May we together continue to walk with Jesus Christ, even in our most difficult moments.

Years ago our son came home from Primary with a small picture of Jesus Christ. His Primary teacher had given it to him, and he cherished that picture. He slept with it, protected it, and carried it with him to school.

One Saturday morning we decided to take a family hike up a nearby canyon. Our six-year-old son carefully placed his picture of Jesus Christ into his backpack. That was it—he packed nothing else. When we stopped for lunch along the trail, he got busy finding small, unique rocks, and soon he had a large pile of them.

He asked me if he could take all these rocks home, and I said, “Sure, but you’ll have to carry them out yourself.”

He agreed and began filling his pack. Then he carefully placed his picture of Jesus Christ back on top and zipped it up. I lifted the heavy pack, put it on his back, and watched as he took one step forward and five steps backward until he fell to the ground. Undaunted, he opened his pack and removed three small rocks. One more try, one more fail.

Now, thinking there might be a lesson to be taught, I lightheartedly suggested that maybe he should remove his picture of Jesus. “That should lighten your load,” I said.

I will never forget the hurt look on his face. It seemed to say, “Dad, you really want me to take Jesus out of my pack and leave Him behind?” And then his look changed to “Dad, you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

Jesus Christ Is Your Relief—He Has Overcome the World

The Lord promised Enoch, “Mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.”

Like Enoch, many of our youth today are choosing to abide with Jesus Christ. They are choosing to keep Him in their lives. They are walking with Him. They are gathering in record numbers to temples throughout the world. They wake before sunrise to participate in seminary. More are serving missions, resulting in more of God’s children being baptized than ever before. Today’s rising generation has been gifted with talents to gather and attributes of empathy and understanding. More are committed to becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.

In a recent visit to West Africa, Diane and I sat in the home of two young brothers who had recently joined the Church and were being raised by a single mother in humble circumstances. When asked what the gospel of Jesus Christ has done for their family, 16-year-old Joshua simply said, “Relief.”

Dear amazing young men and young women: As you continue your journey from baptism forward, through your teenage years and on to adulthood, committed to becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, know that rocks found along the way will begin to collect in your backpack—some by choice and some by the very nature of your journey in this life. As the weight increases, please remember that taking Jesus Christ out of your life is not the answer. Removing Him will not lighten your load.

The enemy of happiness wants to separate you from Jesus Christ. He will tempt you to remove the Savior from your life, enticing you to think that the road would be easier without Him, that the weight of His commandments is too great, that the path back is too long, that repentance is too hard. Know this: Satan is a liar. Jesus Christ is not the weight; He is the relief.

To His disciples, the Lord affirmed, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

He has overcome the world. He has taken “upon him the pains and [sickness] of his people.” He has suffered “afflictions and temptations of every kind; … that he may know … how to succor [us].” His pleading, loving, powerful invitation is to abide with Him. It is to stay with Him.

Abide with Him; Walk with Him

Each morning as you begin your daily walk, please make sure that Jesus Christ is with you. Then, as you face opposing forces aimed at separating you from Him, your confidence and resolve will be anchored to His truth, to His wisdom, to Him who is all-knowing. Your capacity to understand and forgive will be deeper. Your ability to love others, and even love yourself, will be an extension of His love—His infinite love—and you will have hope, real hope, because it will be in and “through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal⁠.”

Keeping Jesus Christ with you requires intentional, daily worship.

You keep Him with you as you reverently, with real intent, kneel and pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.

You keep Him with you as you study the scriptures daily, especially the Book of Mormon, and reflect on the witness of Jesus Christ that it bears. As you do, He will guide you through your mists of darkness.

You keep Jesus Christ with you as you exercise faith in Him, trust Him, and turn to Him in sincere, daily repentance.

You keep Jesus Christ with you as you are willing to live your covenants every day and renew them every week.

My young brothers and sisters, it is that simple.

Family Legacy and Traditions are Not Enough to Sustain our Testimonies

 

Christ—Author and Finisher of Our Faith

By Elder Eduardo F. Ortega

Of the Seventy

Our family heritage is a great blessing, but it is not a substitute for our diligent and intentional search for a personal testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and the truths of His restored gospel.

Our family legacy and traditions are very helpful, but in and of themselves they are not enough for us to build upon the rock of our Savior....

A personal testimony comes in response to our sincere and dedicated quest to want to know for ourselves and then to act upon the impressions and the knowledge received...

Becoming a lifelong disciple of Christ is a process, the sum of multiple small, daily, personal and spiritual events.

Miracles for Paying Tithing

 

Tithing—Putting God First

By Elder Jorge T. Becerra

Of the Seventy

I recall a powerful experience I had many years ago that taught me how to put God first in my life. As a young married father, I was called to serve in a branch presidency. Elder Clinton L. Cutler of the Seventy came to speak to our branch. After the meeting, I had an opportunity to talk with him.

Sensing that I had something on my mind, he asked, “Is there something bothering you?”

“Yes,” I replied, “I am having financial difficulties in my business. I have fallen behind in my payment of tithes and offerings.”

He then asked, “Do you have anything of value?”

I don’t recall what else he said. I pondered his question for many days. The only thing I had of value was a car that I needed in my efforts to grow my business. However, I concluded that I should at least make an effort to sell my car, so I cleaned and polished it and placed an ad to sell it.

I want to be clear that Elder Cutler did not ask me to sell my car. This came to me after pondering and desiring to put God first.

A few days later, a man came to the house to see the car. He seemed interested; he drove it and came back to discuss the details. He gave me his business card, and I realized he represented a car dealership. I was nervous about what would surely happen next—the haggling back and forth over the price.

He asked me, “How much do you want for the car?”

I told him I needed a precise amount. I had calculated what I needed to pay off the loan on the car and pay my tithing.

He then said very calmly, “OK, I will come back in a few days with a check.”

He thanked me and left. I could not believe it. No arguing, no haggling, no negotiating.

A few days later, he came back with a check for the amount I had requested. I was surprised and amazed as he drove off with the car. I deposited the check and paid my tithing.

As I contemplated what had occurred, I realized that I did not have a car to continue with my business. While I was thinking about what to do, a friend called me and said, “Jorge, you like my car, don’t you?” At that point I would have liked any car! He reminded me that his wife was having twins and that he needed to buy a larger vehicle and wondered if I would be willing to take over his car payments. It was a miracle!