With each passing year, I see more and more flaws in myself that require my attention to fix. It seems that every conference talk points out something that I should be doing as a follower of Jesus Christ. As we prepare to embark on a new year, this is the customary time to renew our dedication to improve ourselves, so my thoughts for the next few days will contain resolutions that the prophets and apostles have suggested as we prepare our own resolutions for the year to come.
Today, I would like to quote from a General Conference talk given by Elder M. Russell Ballard in October 2002. He was speaking to the young men, preparing them to go on missions. One of the great quotes from that talk stated "This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings." He then counseled the young men about what they need to do in order to demonstrate that they are true followers of Christ. Elder Ballard's advice here, however, could be taken to heart by all of us:
"As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I call upon you to begin right now - tonight - to be fully and completely worthy. Resolve and commit to yourselves and to God that from this moment forward you will strive diligently to keep your hearts, hands, and minds pure and unsullied from any kind of moral transgression. Resolve to avoid pornography as you would avoid the most insidious disease, for that is precisely what it is. Resolve to completely abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs. Resolve to be honest. Resolve to be good citizens and to abide by the laws of the land in which you live. Resolve that from this night forward you will never defile your body or use language that is vulgar and unbecoming to a bearer of the priesthood.
"And that is not all we expect of you, my young brethren. We expect you to have an understanding and a solid testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We expect you to work hard. We expect you to be covenant makers and covenant keepers."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment