Setting Aside Designated Time for the Lord is in Your Control

5 Invitations to Help You Feel More Joy in Living the Gospel

By Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai

Of the Seventy

If it feels like the world is dictating your schedule, remember—setting aside moments of designated time for the Lord is completely within your control....

4. Identify and Clear the Debris

There was one more factor at play that helped many miracle homes survive: The owners had cleared the weeds and debris surrounding their homes. Without the dry brush, the flames had little fuel to ignite.

We have also been invited to clear the debris from our lives. What is the debris in your life? What might set your foundation aflame when the adversary attacks?

I would say debris is anything that takes you away from the Savior and could potentially hurt your relationship with Him, like sin. But there is also more to it.

Are you making choices every day that aren’t necessarily taking you away from the Savior but might be distracting you?

What is wasting your time? What choices are you making that are good but could be better?

Are there individuals you need to forgive but haven’t? Are there things you need to repent of?

In the allegory of the olive tree found in Jacob 5, we can learn about clearing debris. Keeping the tree alive and producing good fruit requires the Master’s involvement. He can trim your branches and strengthen your roots, and He can also show you how to prune and remove the habits or behaviors in your life that are not serving you. It’s all about finding balance, and you don’t have to figure this all out at once; it’s a process.

When you clear the debris from your life, you will see how living the gospel protects you from many hardships, blesses your ability to overcome life’s challenges, refines your relationships, and develops your confidence in your divine identity and potential....

You can find God’s love through scriptures, through prayer, and through temple worship. But if you are doing those things and still don’t realize how He feels about you, you will find and feel His perfect love most abundantly when you share it with others.

Remember, all Lehi wanted to do after he tasted the fruit of the tree was share the “exceedingly great joy” he felt with those he loved most (1 Nephi 8:12).

What if you turn outward instead of inward? What if, when you feel like your calling and other responsibilities at church are a burden, you instead see them as a way to help others feel Christ’s love?

What if instead of seeing your ministering assignment as just another item to check off your list, you see it as an opportunity to help God answer someone’s prayer?

Not everyone will remember everything you say or do as a disciple of Christ. But they will always remember how you made them feel—especially if you share the love of God and Jesus Christ. And you will remember that love too.

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.

Things of my Soul

 

The Things of My Soul

By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

May I share with you some of the things of my soul? These things apply to all who seek to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Ten would be a good, round number. Today I am giving you seven with the hope that you will complete eight, nine, and ten from your own experiences.

First, love God the Father and Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Second, “Love thy neighbour.”

Third, love yourself.

Fourth, keep the commandments.

Fifth, always be worthy to attend the temple.

Sixth, be joyful and cheerful.

Seventh, follow God’s living prophet.

...................................

My others:

8. When you hear the Holy Ghost - obey!

9. Make the temple your focus and go every opportunity you can.

10. Don't judge - have compassion. Give the benefit of the doubt. Forgive and move on. Grudges are no fun. 

The covenant path is not a simple checklist

 

Are You Still Willing?

By Elder Kevin W. Pearson

The covenant path is not a simple checklist; it is a process of spiritual growth and deepening commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. The central purpose of every commandment, principle, covenant, and ordinance is to build faith and trust in Christ. Our determination to center our lives on Christ, therefore, must be consistent—not conditional, situational, or superficial. We cannot afford to take vacation days or personal time off from our willingness to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”⁷ Discipleship is not cheap, because the companionship of the Holy Ghost is priceless....

Carnal security is seeking for and trusting in worldly things instead of Christ—in other words, looking through a secular lens instead of a spiritual lens. The Holy Ghost gives us the capacity to see “things as they really are, and … as they really will be.”¹¹ Only “by the power of the Holy Ghost [can we] know the truth of all things”¹² and be not deceived. We place Christ at the center of our lives and pledge our willingness to obey His commandments not because we are blind but because we can see....

[The parable of the ten virgins...] This parable is a metaphor for our time. Many leave the Savior and their covenants long before they leave His Church....

The most powerful spiritual influence in the life of a child is the righteous example of loving parents and grandparents who faithfully keep their own sacred covenants. Intentional parents teach their children faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so that they too “may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”¹⁵ Casual and inconsistent covenant keeping leads to spiritual casualty. The spiritual damage is often greatest on our children and grandchildren. Parents and grandparents, are we still willing?

President Russell M. Nelson has warned that “in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”¹⁶ This is a clear and unmistakable warning to trim our lamps and increase our spiritual oil reserves. Are we still willing to follow the living prophets? What is the level of spiritual oil in your lamp? What changes in your personal life would enable you to have the influence of the Holy Ghost more constantly?

Gospel Culture in Our Family

 

Divine Parenting Lessons

By Elder Valeri V. Cordón

Of the Seventy

As we choose to make the gospel culture the predominant culture in our family, then by the powerful influence of the Holy Ghost,⁹ our current parenting styles, traditions, and practices will be sifted, aligned, refined, and enhanced....

Parents, what do we need to model for our children? Discipleship.

Come and Belong

By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is structured to provide opportunities to practice the fundamentals of discipleship. Through our participation in the Church, we learn to recognize and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We develop the disposition of reaching out in compassion and kindness to others.

This is an effort of a lifetime, and it requires practice....

Actively participating in the Church of Jesus Christ and its great variety of opportunities will help us to be better prepared for life’s changing circumstances, whatever and however serious they may be. As members of the Church, we are encouraged to immerse ourselves in the words of God through His prophets, ancient and modern. Through sincere and humble prayer to our Heavenly Father, we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. We accept calls to serve, teach, plan, minister, and administer. These opportunities allow us to grow in spirit, mind, and character....

As we incline our hearts to our Heavenly Father and draw near to Him, we will feel Him draw near to us....

What, then, is your and my part?

It is to learn of Jesus Christ. To study His words. To hear Him and to follow Him by actively participating in this great work. I invite you to come and belong!

You don’t have to be perfect. You only have to have a desire to develop your faith and draw nearer to Him each day.

Our part is to love and serve God and to love and serve God’s children.

As you do so, God will encircle you with His love, joy, and certain guidance through this life, even under the most serious circumstances, and even beyond.

Your Adventure

Your Great Adventure
BY ELDER DIETER F. UCHTDORF Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Through your efforts to help the poor and the needy, to reach out to those in distress, your own character is purified and forged, your spirit is enlarged, and you walk a little taller. But this love cannot come with expectations of repayment. It cannot be the kind of service that expects recognition, adulation, or favor. True disciples of Jesus Christ love God and His children without expectation of something in return. We love those who disappoint us, who don’t like us. Even those who ridicule, abuse, and seek to hurt us. When you fill your hearts with the pure love of Christ, you leave no room for rancor, judgment, and shaming. You keep God’s commandments because you love Him. In the process, you slowly become more Christlike in your thoughts and deeds. And what adventure could be greater than this?...

The difference between casual social contacts and compassionate, courageous discipleship is—invitation!

Glorify Him with Your To-Do List

For Him

By Joy D. Jones

Primary General President

Sometimes we may initially serve from a sense of duty or obligation, but even that service can lead us to draw on something higher within us, leading us to serve in “a more excellent way”7—as in President Nelson’s invitation to “a newer, holier approach to caring for and ministering to others.”...

The first of the Ten Commandments reiterates this divine wisdom: “I am the Lord thy God. … Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”11 The placement of this commandment helps us understand that if we place Him as our main priority, everything else will ultimately fall into place—even our service to others. When He takes the preeminent position in our lives by our deliberate choice, then He is able to bless our actions to our good and to the good of others....

Can you think back on a time when you lovingly reached out with sincere effort to help someone in need and felt that your efforts went unnoticed or perhaps were unappreciated or even unwanted? In that moment, did you question the value of your service? If so, may the words of King Benjamin replace your doubt and even your hurt: “Ye are only in the service of your God.”6

#wrappingpaper

Rather than building resentment, we can build, through service, a more perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our love for and devotion to Him preempts the need for recognition or appreciation and allows His love to flow to and through us....

The Lord counseled, “Look unto me in every thought.”12 And each week we covenant to do just that—to “always remember him.”13 Can such a godly focus apply in everything we do? Can performing even a menial task become an opportunity to demonstrate our love and devotion to Him? I believe it can and will.

We can make each item on our to-do list become a way to glorify Him. We can see each task as a privilege and opportunity to serve Him, even when we are in the midst of deadlines, duties, or dirty diapers....

When serving our God becomes our main priority in life, we lose ourselves, and in due course, we find ourselves....

May I share with you some words of wisdom that were found on the wall of an orphanage in Calcutta, India: “If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God … anyway.”

The Abundant Life

Believe, Love, Do

By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

When silent sorrows creep into the corners of our lives. When sadness saturates our days and casts deep shadows over our nights. When tragedy and injustice enter the world around us, including in the lives of those we love. When we journey through our own personal and lonely path of misfortune, and pain darkens our stillness and breaches our tranquility—we might be tempted to agree with Solomon that life is vain and devoid of meaning.

The good news is, there is hope. There is a solution to the emptiness, vanity, and Weltschmerz of life. There is a solution to even the deepest hopelessness and discouragement you might feel.

This hope is found in the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the Savior’s redemptive power to heal us of our soul-sickness.

We achieve that abundant life not by focusing on our own needs or on our own achievements but by becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ—by following in His ways and engaging in His work. We find the abundant life by forgetting ourselves and engaging in the great cause of Christ....

#vacations and #sod

We seek to strengthen the Church as a place where we forgive one another. Where we resist the temptation to find fault, gossip, and bring others down. Where, instead of pointing out flaws, we lift up and help each other to become the best we can be.

Being a Faithful Disciple

Being a Faithful Disciple

“All Church leaders are called to help other people become ‘true followers of … Jesus Christ’ (Moroni 7:48). …

“Leaders can best teach others how to be ‘true followers’ by their personal example. This pattern—being a faithful disciple in order to help others become faithful disciples—is the purpose behind every calling in the Church.”

Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), 3.1.

Becoming a Disciple of Jesus Christ

Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ

By Elder Robert D. Hales

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry.

From temperance to patience and from patience to godliness, our natures change. We gain the brotherly kindness that is a hallmark of all true disciples. Like the Good Samaritan, we cross the road to minister to whoever is in need, even if they are not within the circle of our friends.19 We bless them that curse us. We do good to those who despitefully use us.20 Is any attribute more godly or Christlike?

There will be no disparity between the kindness we show our enemies and the kindness we bestow on our friends. We will be as honest when no one is looking as when others are watching. We will be as devoted to God in the public square as we are in our private closet.

Do What You Promised to Do

 “At the heart of becoming disciples is doing what we promise to do every time we partake of the sacrament—which is to ‘always remember’ the Lord. This means remembering Him when we choose what media we’re willing to expose our spirits to. It means remembering Him in how we spend our time and when choosing between a steady diet of pop culture or the Word of God. It means remembering Him in the middle of conflict or when temptation looms. It means remembering Him when critics attack His Church and mock truth. It means remembering that we have taken His name upon us.”

Sheri L. Dew, “Sweet above All That Is Sweet” (Brigham Young University Women’s Conference address, May 1, 2014), 7,ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/transcripts.php.

Love as He Does

As we become His true disciples, we gain the power to love as He does.

Russell M. Nelson, "What the Book of Mormon Teaches About the Love of God," Ensign, Oct 2011, 14.

Learn From the Wise Men

There is much we can learn from the Wise Men. Like them, we should study the scriptures and know the signs to watch for as we all prepare the earth for the Savior’s Second Coming. Then, as we search and ponder the scriptures, we will more fully desire to seek the Lord every day of our lives and, as a gift to Him, give up our selfishness, pride, and rebelliousness. When personal revelation comes to alter the plans we have made, we can obey, having faith and trust that God knows what is best for us. And ultimately, through lives of true discipleship, we must fall down and worship the Savior in humility and love.

Elder Patrick Kearon

• PG 33 ENSIGNDECEMBER 2011
• COME, LET US ADORE HIM

Remarks About Race

"I remind you that no [one] who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ."

Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Need for Greater Kindness," Ensign, May 2006, 60.

Never Check Your Religion at the Door

 A few years ago a young friend of mine—a returned missionary—was on one of the college basketball teams in Utah. He was a great young man and a very good ballplayer, but he wasn’t playing as much as he had hoped he would. His particular talents and skills weren’t exactly what his team needed at that stage of its development or his. That happens in athletics. So, with the full support and best wishes of his coaches and teammates, my young friend transferred to another school, where he hoped he might contribute a little more.

Things clicked at the new school, and my friend soon became a starter. And wouldn’t you know it—the team’s schedule had this young man returning to play against his former team in Salt Lake City.

The vitriolic abuse that poured out of the stands that night on this young man—a newlywed who paid his tithing, served in the elders quorum, gave charitable service to the youth in his community, and waited excitedly for a new baby coming to him and his wife—should not have been experienced by any human being anywhere, anytime, whatever his sport or university or whatever his personal decisions had been about either of them.

The coach of this visiting team, something of a legend in the profession, turned to him after a spectacular game and said: “What is going on here? You are the hometown boy who has made good. These are your people. These are your friends.” But worst of all, he then said in total bewilderment, “Aren’t most of these people members of your church?”...

...The day after the game, when there was some public reckoning and a call to repentance over the incident, one young man said, in effect: “Listen. We are talking about basketball here, not Sunday School. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. We pay good money to see these games. We can act the way we want. We check our religion at the door.”

“We check our religion at the door”? Lesson number one for the establishment of Zion in the 21st century: You never check your religion at the door.

That kind of discipleship cannot be—it is not discipleship at all. As the prophet Alma taught, we are “to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in” (Mosiah 18:9)—not just some of the time, in a few places, or when our team has a big lead.

Whatever the situation or provocation or problem, no true disciple of Christ can check his or her religion at the door.

Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Call to Be Christlike," Ensign, June 2014, 30-32.