President M. Russell Ballard on finding hope in Christ

President M. Russell Ballard (born October 8, 1928) was called as a Seventy in 1976, and has served as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1985. He became acting president of the Twelve in January 2018.

"Because we are the spirit children of God, everyone has a divine origin, nature, and potential. Each of us 'is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.' (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) This is our identity! This is who we really are!

"Our spiritual identity is enhanced as we understand our many mortal identities, including ethnic, cultural, or national heritage.

"This sense of spiritual and cultural identity, love, and belonging can inspire hope and love for Jesus Christ.

"I speak of hope in Christ not as wishful thinking. Instead, I speak of hope as an expectation that will be realized. Such hope is essential to overcoming adversity, fostering spiritual resilience and strength, and coming to know that we are loved by our Eternal Father and that we are His children, who belong to His family.

"When we have hope in Christ, we come to know that as we need to make and keep sacred covenants, our fondest desires and dreams can be fulfilled through Him."

- M. Russell Ballard, "Hope in Christ," General Conference April 2021

  

President Ballard acknowledged in this message that we live in complicated, challenging times that can bring loneliness to many of us; and that "the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this sense of isolation and loneliness for many." In order to be able to cope and carry on, we need divine help.

Hope is one of the most powerful, and perhaps least understood, aspects of the Gospel. "Hope in Christ" is a divine expectation of Christ's ability and willingness to bless our lives. President Ballard teachings that this hope is essential in our world. It will help us overcome the adversity of life by building within us awareness of God's love for us, and faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Hope in eternity and faith in Jesus Christ will bring to us "our fondest desires and dreams" because those dreams will be focused on eternal truth.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)

President Henry B. Eyring on finding holiness in the temple

President Henry B. Eyring (born May 31, 1933) served in the Presiding Bishopric from 1985-1992, as a Seventy from 1992-1995, then was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He has served in the First Presidency since 2007.

"On the outside of our temples, we place the words 'Holiness to the Lord.' I know for myself that those words are true. The temple is a holy place where revelation comes to us easily if our hearts are open to it and we are worthy of it....

"I know that temples of the Lord are holy places. My purpose today in speaking of temples is to increase your desire and mine to be worthy and ready for the increased opportunities for temple experiences that are coming for us.

"For me, the greatest motivation to be worthy of temple experiences is what the Lord has said of His holy houses:

"'Inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it;

"'Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.

"'But if it be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come into unholy temples.' (D&C 97:15–17.)

"President Russell M. Nelson made clear for us that we can 'see' the Savior in the temple in the sense that He becomes no longer unknown to us. President Nelson said this: 'We understand Him. We comprehend His work and His glory. And we begin to feel the infinite impact of His matchless life.' (Teachings of Russell M. Nelson (2018), 369.)"

- Henry B. Eyring, "I Love to See the Temple," General Conference April 2021 Saturday morning

When President Eyring shared this beautiful message of invitation to Church members in April 2021, the temples of the Church had been mostly closed to attendance for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But that perhaps makes the message even more powerful. We need to long for the blessings of the temple, and devote ourselves to preparing for them.

Worthiness and preparation are great keys to being prepared to receive the wonderful blessings of eternity. President Eyring's life has been a testimony to those characteristics.

I loved President Eyring's personal motivation: he knows the temple is a place of power, where the Lord has promised blessings, including His own presence. We can "see" him, figuratively at first, as we attend there worthily. Could there be a greater promise to each of us?

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)

President Dallin H. Oaks on the gifts of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

President Dallin H. Oaks (born August 12, 1932) served as president of BYU from 1971-1980.  He was then appointed as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and resigned when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984. He became President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and also 1st Counselor in the First Presidency in January 2018.

"The Book of Mormon teaches that as part of His Atonement, Jesus Christ 'suffer[ed] pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people' (Alma 7:11).

"Why did our Savior suffer these mortal challenges 'of every kind'? Alma explained, 'And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor [which means to give relief or aid to] his people according to their infirmities' (Alma 7:12).

"Our Savior feels and knows our temptations, our struggles, our heartaches, and our sufferings, for He willingly experienced them all as part of His Atonement. Other scriptures affirm this. The New Testament declares, 'In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted' (Hebrews 2:18). Isaiah teaches, 'Fear thou not; for I am with thee: … I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee' (Isaiah 41:10). All who suffer any kind of mortal infirmities should remember that our Savior experienced that kind of pain also, and that through His Atonement, He offers each of us the strength to bear it."

- Dallin H. Oaks, "What Has Our Savior Done for Us?", General Conference April 2021, Priesthood Session

In his message to the Priesthood Session of the April 2021 conference, Elder Oaks told of being asked by a woman, "What has Jesus Christ done for me?" His response included four elements:

• The Resurrection and the promise and hope it offers
• Forgiveness from sins offered to all
• The plan of salvation
• The ability to strengthen and support us through his personal experience

That fourth point is perhaps the most critical and least understood. The passage from Alma 7 quoted by President Oaks should be engraven on our hearts. He can help and support us through all of our challenges!

Learning to draw on that power is one of the most important things we can do to bless our lives. The counsel from President Oaks on learning to appreciate and receive those blessings is a great start. We can bear, endure, and ultimately conquer any trial of mortality when we have His help!

  

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)

President Russell M. Nelson on clearing debris from our lives

President Russell M. Nelson (born Sept 9, 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 became president of that quorum on July 15, 2015. Following the death of President Monson, he was set apart as president of the Church on January 14, 2018.

"The huge project to renovate the Salt Lake Temple continues. From my office I have a front-row seat to watch the work taking place on the temple plaza.

"As I have watched workers dig out old tree roots, plumbing, wiring, and a leaky fountain, I have thought about the need for each of us to remove, with the Savior’s help, the old debris in our lives.

"The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of repentance. (See D&C 13:1.) Because of the Savior’s Atonement, His gospel provides an invitation to keep changing, growing, and becoming more pure. It is a gospel of hope, of healing, and of progress. Thus, the gospel is a message of joy! Our spirits rejoice with every small step forward we take.

"Part of the gathering of Israel, and a very important part, is the charge for us as a people to be worthy and willing to help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.

"As we listen to the messages that have been carefully prepared by our leaders under the direction of the Holy Ghost, I invite you to pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can become more worthy."

- Russell M. Nelson, "Welcome Message," General Conference April 2021, Saturday morning

As President Nelson welcomed listeners to the April 2021 General Conference, he began with an invitation that is one of the basic, fundamental aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to remove distractions and burdens—to repent—in order to focus on the things of greatest importance. 

I think the word "debris" is particularly powerful. It conveys things that might have been important and valuable at some point,  but now no longer are. They only get in the way of the things we really are trying to accomplish. President Nelson is challenging each of us to examine our lives, to find the things that don't belong, and to eliminate them. It's a simple request, but not a trivial activity! Sometimes it requires excavaction to find the debris! Will we make the effort?

 

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)

Elder Neil L. Andersen on the fruit of the gospel

Elder Neil L. Andersen (born August 9, 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 1993, and was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2009.

"As we have all learned, even after savoring the precious fruit of the restored gospel, staying true and faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ is still not easily done. As has been said many times in this conference, we continue to face distractions and deceptions, confusion and commotion, enticements and temptations that attempt to pull our hearts away from the Savior and the joys and beauties we have experienced in following Him....

"In our world today, the adversary’s construction crews are working overtime, hastily inflating the large and spacious building. The expansion has spread across the river, hoping to envelop our homes, while the pointers and the scoffers wail day and night on their internet megaphones.

"President Nelson explained, 'The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord.' (Ensign May 2019, 68.) Let us remember Lehi’s words: 'We heeded them not' (1 Ne 8:33).

"Although we need not fear, we are to be on guard. At times, little things can upend our spiritual balance. Please don’t allow your questions, the insults of others, faithless friends, or unfortunate mistakes and disappointments to turn you away from the sweet, pure, and soul-satisfying blessings that come from the precious fruit of the tree. Keep your eyes and your hearts centered on the Savior Jesus Christ and the eternal joy that comes only through Him."

- Neil L. Andersen, "Fruit," General Conference October 2019, Sunday afternoon

Click here to read or listen to the full talk

Lehi's dream provides some of the richest imagery we have to help understand our mortal experience, including the challenges and the blessings that are a part of it. Elder Andersen warned about the

• distractions and deceptions
• confusion and commotion
• enticements and temptations

in our day that try to "pull our hearts away from the Savior and the joys and beauties we have experienced in following Him." It is so critical for us to keep the Gospel light burning bright. When our love for the Savior is strong, and our understanding of His love for us is clear, then those outside influences will have far less impact.

I appreciated this faithful and encouraging message. We need not fear! But we do need to be on guard. We must never forget or lose sight of those "sweet, pure, and soul-satisfying blessings" that we receive as we partake of the shining fruit of the tree.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson on finding joy even in trials

Elder D. Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) was called to the Seventy in 1993, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2008.

"Even when we are found faithfully keeping the commandments, there are trials and tragedies that could interrupt our joy. But as we strive to overcome these challenges with the Savior’s help, it preserves both the joy we feel now and the joy we anticipate. Christ reassured His disciples, 'In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world' (John 16:33). It is in turning to Him, obeying Him, binding ourselves to Him that trial and sorrow are turned to joy....

"In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were 'in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery' (2 Ne 2:23). Now, as accountable beings, we find joy in overcoming misery in whatever form, whether it be sin, trial, weakness, or any other obstacle to happiness. This is the joy of sensing progress in the path of discipleship; the joy of 'having received a remission of … sins, and having peace of conscience' (Mosi 4:3); the joy of feeling one’s soul expand and grow through the grace of Christ."

- D. Todd Christofferson, "The Joy of the Saints," General Conference October 2019, Saturday morning

Click here to read or listen to the full talk

Many things in this life can, and do, interrupt our joy—including, Elder Christofferson observes, "trials and tragedies" that can befall even the most righteous and undeserving. Challenges are oversome "with the Savior's help" as we turn to Him.

Elder Christofferson mentions two kinds of joy—"the joy we feel now and the joy we anticipate." Both are important. At times we get caught up only in the "now" part of the picutre, and we want that immediate peace and happiness at any cost. Other times, we console ourselves in the hope for the eventual joy, the one that will come in the distant eternities. But both are important, and both are attainable. 

Elder Christofferson invites us to turn to Him, obey Him, and to bind ourselves to Him. And he reminds us that we will "find joy in overcoming misery in whatever form, whether it be sin, trial, weakness, or any other obstacle." Pure and lasting joy comes only in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)

Elder David A. Bednar on restored Gospel light

Elder David A. Bednar (born June 15, 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.

"Spiritually dangerous ideas and actions frequently can appear to be attractive, desirable, or pleasurable. Thus, in our contemporary world, each of us needs to be aware of beguiling bad that pretends to be good. As Isaiah warned, 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!' (Isa 5:20.)

"In a paradoxical period when violating the sanctity of human life is heralded as a right and chaos is described as liberty, how blessed we are to live in this latter-day dispensation when restored gospel light can shine brightly in our lives and help us to discern the adversary’s dark deceptions and distractions.

"'For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day' (D&C 45:57, emphasis added)."

- David A. Bednar, "Watchful unto Prayer Continually," General Conference October 2019, Saturday afternoon

Click here to read or listen to the full talk

Elder Bednar remembered Elder Boyd K. Packer's classic talk Spiritual Crocodiles. He expanded it with his own experiences in watching cheetahs hunting in Africa. Their techniques and behaviors can provide lessons about the forces that seek to destroy us in these latter days. Elder Bednar warns us to be cautious and wary, in order to survive the attacks that surely will come.

Our modern era of chaos and confict is only escalating; the situation today is much worse than it was a year ago when Elder Bednar shared this message. We can only assume it will continue to worsen. So it becomes that much more important to cling to "restored gospel light" and allow it to "shine brightly in our lives."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)