Elder D. Todd Christofferson on the blessings of the Lord's Church

Elder D. Todd Christofferson (1945- ) was called to the Seventy in 1993, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2008.

"How does His Church accomplish the Lord's purposes? It is important to recognize that God's ultimate purpose is our progress. His desire is that we continue 'from grace to grace, until [we receive] a fulness' (D&C 93:13) of all He can give. That requires more than simply being nice or feeling spiritual. It requires faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism of water and of the Spirit, and enduring in faith to the end (see 2 Nephi 31:17–20). One cannot fully achieve this in isolation, so a major reason the Lord has a church is to create a community of Saints that will sustain one another in the 'strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life' (2 Nephi 31:18) ....

"In the Church we not only learn divine doctrine; we also experience its application. As the body of Christ, the members of the Church minister to one another in the reality of day-to-day life. All of us are imperfect; we may offend and be offended. We often test one another with our personal idiosyncrasies. In the body of Christ, we have to go beyond concepts and exalted words and have a real 'hands-on' experience as we learn to 'live together in love' (D&C 42:45).

"This religion is not concerned only with self; rather, we are all called to serve. We are the eyes, hands, head, feet, and other members of the body of Christ, and even 'those members... which seem to be more feeble, are necessary' (1 Corinthians 12:22). We need these callings, and we need to serve."

- D. Todd Christofferson, "Why the Church," General Conference, October 2015, Sunday afternoon session
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Elder Christofferson's message responds to many in our time who question the necessity of a formal, organized church. They claim they can follow Christ's teachings (or other moral or ethical values) and live good and worthwhile lives without the structure of a formal organization. While that is true to some extent, it neglects an important aspect of religion: the application of the teachings, some of which are facilitated and enabled in the formalized setting of the church organization.

It's not just about "self" — it's about "serve." And that kind of service, Elder Christofferson teaches, is facilitated by the Church in ways that don't exist outside of it. What a blessing to be able to take advantage of that privilege!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
October 19, 2015

President Russell M. Nelson on communication with heaven

President Russell M. Nelson (1924- ) was an internationally-renowned heart surgeon when he was called to serve as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984. He was set apart as president of the Quorum of Twelve on July 15, 2015.

"Today's technology also allows us to use wireless telephones to exchange information rapidly.... Even more amazing than modern technology is our opportunity to access information directly from heaven, without hardware, software, or monthly service fees. It is one of the most marvelous gifts the Lord has offered to mortals. It is His generous invitation to 'ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you' (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9; emphasis added).

"This timeless offer to provide personal revelation is extended to all of His children. It almost sounds too good to be true. But it is true!"

- Russell M. Nelson, "Ask, Seek, Knock," Ensign, Nov. 2009, pp. 81-84
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Our modern world has amazing enhanced technology to facilitate communication and information retrieval. But President Nelson points out that processes have always existed that are far superior, to communicate and exchange information "direction from heaven." But it requires that we initiate the contact by asking, seeking, knocking.

Many of us spend considerable time each day with our electronic devices, much of it in various forms of communication with friends and family. Perhaps we should consider if we spend enough time in communication with our Father in Heaven!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
July 16, 2015

President Thomas S. Monson on exploration, discovery, and creation

President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) was sustained to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1963. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency with Presidents Benson, Hunter, and Hinckley and then became Church president in 2008. He led the Church for almost a decade until his passing in January 2018.

"The spirit of exploration, whether it be of the surface of the earth, the vastness of space, or the principles of living greatly, includes developing the capacity to face trouble with courage; disappointment with cheerfulness; and triumph with humility.

"God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation."

- Thomas S. Monson, "In Quest of the Abundant Life," Ensign, March 1988, pp. 2-4
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This is a fascinating insight from President Monson into the nature of our mortal experience. We are here to "explore" — to learn to confront problems and opportunities, to make our way through situations of trouble, disappointment, and the triumph, all of which present their own challenges.

I really loved this passage about the reasons for the "incompleteness" of our world, and the opportunities it presents for us to "know the joys and glories of creation."

How well are we doing, collectively and individually, in "finishing" the world? How are we doing in our individual, personal worlds? We each have wonderful raw materials, and the invitation to make something of them.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
September 11, 2015

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf on Satan's discouragements

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (born November 6, 1940) served as a Seventy from 1994-2004, when he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve.  He served as second counselor in the First Presidency from 2008 to 2018.

"The Lord said to Abraham, 'My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee' (Abr. 2:8). My young friends, today I say to you that if you trust the Lord and obey Him, His hand shall be over you, He will help you achieve the great potential He sees in you, and He will help you to see the end from the beginning....

"We don't always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we will never be able to succeed, that the price isn't worth the effort, and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the beginning....

"We know that God keeps His promises. We need to fulfill our part to receive His blessings."

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "See the End from the Beginning," General Conference April 2006
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This address was given when Elder Uchtdorf was serving in the First Presidency. He seems always to have encouragement and hope to offer in his messages! The passage quoted from Abraham is intriguing; there are two very interesting phrases in it. I used to think "knowing the end from the beginning" referred to the ability to distinguish between the two; sometimes our concern over the beginning, or the current troubles, makes us forget there is a promised result down the road that might be obscured.

But I think it's maybe even simpler. The ability to see the end from the beginning could mean the capability to perceive where a path will lead when you embark on it. You are standing at the beginning, and with God's promised help, can perceive and comprehend the destination. That seems like a powerful gift; it would make the journey so much easier, when the vision of the end is clear and vivid! President Uchtdorf promises that God will help us to have that ability.

And in addition, the divine promise is "my hand shall be over thee." That implies protection, shelter, blessing, guidance — many positive and comforting images.

President Uchtdorf points out how difficult it often is for us to see the end, in the midst of the uncertainty of our daily challenges or of Satan's discouragements and distractions. But we know God will see it always; we need to trust His promises, and do all we can to be worthy of them.  "We need to fulfill our part to receive His blessings."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
August 17, 2015

Elder David A. Bednar on receiving guidance from the Holy Ghost

Elder David A. Bednar (b. 1952) was serving as the president of BYU–Idaho when he was called and sustained as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2004.

"As we each press forward along the pathway of life, we receive direction from the Holy Ghost just as Lehi was directed through the Liahona. 'For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do' (2 Ne. 32:5).

"The Holy Ghost operates in our lives precisely as the Liahona did for Lehi and his family, according to our faith and diligence and heed....

"The Spirit of the Lord can be our guide and will bless us with direction, instruction, and spiritual protection during our mortal journey. We invite the Holy Ghost into our lives through meaningful personal and family prayer, feasting upon the words of Christ, diligent and exacting obedience, faithfulness and honoring of covenants, and through virtue, humility, and service. And we steadfastly should avoid things that are immodest, coarse, crude, sinful, or evil that cause us to withdraw ourselves from the Holy Ghost."

- David A. Bednar, "That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us," Ensign, May 2006, pp. 28-31
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Elder Bednar discusses what is, to me, one of the most hopeful promises of the Book of Mormon. Lehi received life-saving guidance from the marvelous gift of the Liahona; the parallel for us is the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will "show unto you all things what ye should do."

I appreciated Elder Bednar's list of suggestions about how to "invite the Holy Ghost into our lives":

• meaningful personal and family prayer
• feasting upon the words of Christ
• diligent and exacting obedience
• faithfulness and honoring of covenants
• virtue, humility, and service

That's a great list of things to focus on in our lives, along with the caution to avoid the "things that are immodest, coarse, crude, sinful, or evil that cause us to withdraw ourselves from the Holy Ghost."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
April 5, 2016

President Gordon B. Hinckley on overcoming gloom in life

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1961, served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1981-1995, then as Church President until his death in 2008 at age 97.

"Let us go forward in this glorious work. How exciting and wonderful it is. I do not know how anybody can feel gloomy for very long who is a member of this Church. Do you feel gloomy? Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive. Think of what great things are occurring as the Lord brings to pass His eternal purposes. This is a day of prophecy fulfilled, my brothers and sisters, this great day in the history of this Church. This is the day of which has been spoken of by those who have gone before us. Let us live worthy of our birthright. Keep the faith. Nurture your testimonies. Walk in righteousness and the Lord will bless you and prosper you and you will be a happy and wonderful people."

- Gordon B. Hinckley, Sandy Utah Cottonwood Creek Stake Conference, Dec. 3, 1995; see Ensign August 1996 p. 61

President Hinckley was an "incurable optimist." He had great confidence in life because he had great faith in God and trusted that God would take care of the problems of life. This excerpt is typical of the counsel that he gave on many occasions; there's no reason to be "gloomy" if you understand the miraculous blessings of the gospel and the Lord's ongoing work on earth. And if you do feel "gloomy" then here are the things to do about it:

With the proper perspective, there is no reason we shouldn't be "a happy and wonderful people."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
June 6, 2016

President Spencer W. Kimball on the blessings of lengthening our stride

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) was ordained an apostle in 1943 and served as President of the Church from 1973 to 1985.

"So much depends upon our willingness to make up our minds, collectively and individually, that present levels of performance are not acceptable, either to ourselves or to the Lord. In saying that, I am not calling for flashy, temporary differences in our performance levels, but a quiet resolve... to do a better job, to lengthen our stride." (Regional Representative's Seminar, 3 Oct. 1974.)

"When I think of the concept of 'lengthening our stride,' I, of course, apply it to myself as well as urging it upon the Church. The 'lengthening of our stride' suggests urgency instead of hesitancy, 'now,' instead of tomorrow; it suggests not only an acceleration, but efficiency. It suggests, too, that the whole body of the Church move forward in unison with a quickened pace and pulse, doing our duty with all our heart, instead of halfheartedly. It means, therefore, mobilizing and stretching all our muscles and drawing on all our resources. It suggests also that we stride with pride and with a sense of anticipation as we meet the challenges facing the kingdom. Out of all this will come a momentum that will be sobering and exhilarating at the same time." (MIA June Conference, 29 June 1975.)

- Spencer W. Kimball, "The Words of a Prophet," Ensign, December 1985, p. 26
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President Kimball was not a physically large man. But there are few who could match his "stride" in moving forward the Lord's kingdom. He started to talk about lengthening our stride soon after he became the president of the Church in 1973. These two excerpts are a great sampling of his vision and enthusiasm.

This is a challenge that displays remarkable vision and foresight. The opening words "So much depends" convey an understanding of the implications that would have to be divinely inspired. And now that almost half a century has passed since these words were first shared, we should all be asking ourselves, "Did I improve my personal level of performance, and see the blessings that followed?" President Kimball promised "a momentum that will be sobering and exhilarating at the same time."

An even better question: Could I "lengthen my stride" now, today? Do we still sense that "quiet resolve" to be more faithful, more diligent, more obedient—"doing our duty with all our heart, instead of halfheartedly"? It's never too late to begin to do better!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
February 15, 2016