[Music] my dear brothers and sisters dear friends it seems only a short time ago that harriet and i were sitting where you are sitting doing what you are doing we were fortunate enough while still living in germany to come to provo occasionally to attend byu education week and by the way harriet is holding up this tradition for the last 20 years each time we came here we felt uplifted by fellow members of the church we learned precious truth about the gospel and its application we felt an infusion of spiritual light that strengthened our testimonies and
helped us draw closer to our heavenly father we also enjoyed the beauty of byu campus and the opportunity for our young children to participate in wholesome youth activities during those days since that time herod and i have often traveled the world on behalf of the church visiting with hundreds perhaps thousands of groups that include both latter-day saints and friends each time we visit with these wonderful fellow children of god we hope to create an experience perhaps similar to what herod and i felt here many years ago during education week in our travels we learned that
this beautiful world is such a diverse place full of people from all kinds of backgrounds we often wondered how can we create an edifying spiritual learning experience that will be meaningful and uplifting to a wide variety of people how can these messages reach the hearts of people whose culture experiences and needs are so different from our own i have two possible answers to these questions one comes from doctrine covenants where the lord teaches us that when a teacher teaches by the spirit and the learner receives by the spirit they both understand one another and both
are edified and rejoice together this is not a trivial thing just think of it the holy ghost a member of the godhead will speak directly to us as we open our hearts to his influence he can add context depth and insight to the words being spoken or heard the holy ghost will personalize these messages to our specific needs and circumstances he will provide a way to share and receive sacred revelatory messages from our loving heavenly father there's something else herod and i learned from our opportunities to teach and minister across the globe while it is
true that each one of god's children is unique and shaped by a distinctive set of experiences it is also true that we have one most significant attribute in common we all are god's children we all are brothers and sisters and our heavenly father's desire is that our hearts are knit together in unity and love one towards another though our circumstances may be different our hearts are not for this reason there are certain messages that all of god's children need to hear i pray that in these messages for all you also will feel and hear very
personalized messages messages for your individual circumstances and situation in life given through the gift and power of the holy ghost just for you let me now share with you five messages all of god's children need to hear first move toward the light when i was an airline captain i would sometimes fly my boeing 747 from germany to the west coast of the united states on those flights west across oceans and continents the daylight seemed never to end we took off in germany at 1pm and 10 hours later we touched down in california at 2 00
p.m the same day the sun never set on us the opposite happened when flying east sunset came more quickly than it normally would leaving at 1 pm we meant that in just a few hours we were engulfed in the darkest of night yet because of our direction and speed in a few more hours we found ourselves bathed in blazing and often blinding light what i traveled west or east the sun never changed course it held its position steadfast in the heavens providing warmth and light to the earth my access to that warmth and light depended
on my location and speed similarly god is in his heavens he never changes he never retreats he does not alter his course but we do we all need god's light in our lives and yet we all have periods of time when we feel that we are in darkness sometimes long periods of time when those times come we can be assured that god like the son is always there when we incline our hearts to him he embraces us and fills our souls with light warmth knowledge and guidance he is always there that's a message we all
need to hear second you are better than you think you are even the most successful among us need this message from time to time consider for example fred astaire the iconic actor dancer and singer he starred in dozens of broadway and hollywood shows when the american film institute ranked the top 25 male film legends of all time fredest here was number five on the list however when mr estere first auditioned for roles in hollywood he was considered quite ordinary in fact in one of his early auditions they said of him can't act slightly bald can
dance a little those close to fred astaire knew that he was tormented with feelings of inadequacy even so through persistence and hard work he developed his abilities and became known for his elegance grace or generality and precision he was not the only one who struggled with self-doubt to or endured criticism walt disney was fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagination and had no good ideas earlier this year one of vincent van gogh's painting sold for more than 15 million dollars however during his lifetime vincent van gogh sold only a very few paintings and most
of them went to family and close friends we find many similar examples in the old testament the reluctant warrior and hero gideon thought of himself as an ordinary farmer he said my family is poor in manasseh and i'm the least in my father's house but an angel of god called gideon a mighty man of valor and told him that with the lord's help he would liberate his people from the oppressive yoke of a conquering nation gideon wasn't so sure about that wherewith shall i save israel he wondered and yet the lord took that self-doubting humble
farmer and turned him into a national hero someone whose faith still inspires us today more than 3000 years later that seems to be the lord's way throughout history he always used the small and weak things of the world to bring about his glorious purposes jeremiah believed he was too young to be a prophet moses doubted himself because he was slow of speech enoch felt inadequate to preach repentance because in his words all the people hate me the lord often accomplishes the most with those who feel the least accomplished he took a young shepherd and made
him mighty in slaying an imposing giant and leading a fletchling nation into greatness he took a young priest serving a wicked king and made him the leader of a band of refugee believers later god called the same man to lead the entire church of the nephite nation in our dispensation god took a young unschooled farm boy and mentored him until he became the great latter-day prophet who began a marvelous work and a wonder that is now rolling forth unto every nation of the world perhaps at times we see ourselves as a little less than we
are unworthy untalented nothing special lacking the heart mind resources charisma or stature to be of much use to god you say you're not perfect you're not good enough well welcome to the club you may be just the person god is looking for listen to what the apostle paul wrote to the saints in corinth two thousand years ago and see if they do not speak to you today they certainly speak to me he said brothers and sisters think of what you were when you were called not many of you were wise by human standards not many
were influential not many were of noble birth but god chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise god chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things so that no one may boast before him lord chooses the humble and meek hardly because they are humble and meek in this way there's never a question regarding the reason for their success these wonderful ordinary people accomplish great things not because of who they are but because of who god is for what is impossible with man is possible with god he will take your
talents and abilities and multiply them even though they may seem as scarce as a few loaves and fishes if you trust him and are faithful he will magnify your words and actions and use them to bless and minister to multitudes god does not need people who are flawless he seeks those who will offer their heart and a willing mind and he will make them perfect in christ that's a message we all need to hear now third learn to love god and your neighbor when a pharisee asked jesus which was the greatest of the commandments the
savior established once and for all what our priority as individuals and as a church should be love god love your neighbor that is the center of the gospel it should be the center of our every effort and as a church and disciples of jesus christ when we wonder where we should put our focus as parents siblings church leaders ministering brothers and sisters and as any members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints is is already decided love god love your neighbor i suppose that when we descended from the realms of heavenly glory to
this earth we did so with a sense of anticipation and perhaps a little apprehension after all we wouldn't we would not remember our pre-mortal life we would be on our own how would we find our way back to our beloved heavenly father that was our overarching desire to see god find him love him and follow him we knew then that there would be many unexpected challenges perhaps we even anticipated that the odds might be stacked against us but we trusted our father and we were eager to prove our loyalty to him even so it's easy
to get caught up in other things even good things can distract us from our primary purpose and i'm not referring only to worldly distractions let's face it the canvas of the gospel is so broad and rich that we could spend a lifetime studying it and scarcely scratch the surface we all have topics or principles that interest us more than others naturally those are the things we gravitate toward speak about and emphasize in our church service are those principles important certainly but we would do well to consider whether they are the most important the ancient pharisees
compiled hundreds of rules and commandments from sacred writings they made a great effort to catalog them comply with them and enforce others to live by them with precision they believe that exact obedience to the smallest of these procedures would lead people to god where did they go wrong they lost side of the center they lost sight of what was of most worth for their eternal purpose they saw the multitude of rules as ends in themselves instead of the means to an end are we susceptible to the same mistake today if we were to brainstorm i'm
sure we would compile a list of latter-day expectations that would rival those amassed anciently it's not to say that these rules and gospel topics are not important or valuable no they have a purpose they are part of the whole they can lead us to the center but they are not the center there are they are branches of the tree but they are not the tree and if they ever become separated from the tree they will have no life they will not bring forth food that will remain they will wither and die when we meet the
savior at the judgment bar we will account for how we lift the two great commandments did we truly seek god did we love him with all our heart might mind and strength did we love our families friends and neighbors how did we manifest that love we could make this actually a two-point diagnostic exam to evaluate ourselves as disciples of jesus christ and servants in his kingdom how can we better parents love god love our neighbor how can we be happier love god love our neighbor how can we better magnify our callings in the church love
god love our neighbor yes we cherish all the principles of the gospel we live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of god and yet we must always remember that all the law and the prophets point to the two great commandments this is the bullseye of the gospel of jesus christ it is the foundation of who we are as his followers that's a message we all need to hear fourth conflict is inevitable contention is a choice have you noticed that in many movies there comes a moment when someone says at least things can't
get any worse as soon as you hear those words you know that things are about to fall apart do you ever feel like a character in one of those movies just when it seems as though we have faced all the trials and heartaches we can handle bigger ones come along these conflicts come in a variety of shapes and sizes an unwanted medical directness diagnosis a wandering child or friend loss of a job the passing of a loved one a global pandemic sometimes we think how pleasant life would be if only we didn't have so much
opposition our lord jesus christ our model of perfection did not live in a life free of conflict he was opposed throughout his ministry and in his final hours he was betrayed by a friend accused by false witnesses slandered beaten bloodied and crucified what was his response to some he did not speak a word others he spoke the simple truth not in anger but with calm majesty as others contended with him he stood in his place trusting in his father calm in his testimony firm in the truth conflict is inevitable it is a condition of mortality
it is part of our test contention however is a choice it is one way that some people choose to respond to conflict when we content with others we cause discord dissension resentment and even rage harmful emotions almost always accompany contention anger hurt jealousy hostility revenge and malice to name just a few our world overflows with contention we have 24 7 access to it on the news on social media even at times in our relationships with those we love we cannot adjust the volume on others bitterness wrath or rage we can however choose our response we
can choose a better way the lord's way of course this is easy to say and difficult to do to refrain from contending with those who content requires great discipline but that's what it means to be a disciple jesus taught he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me but is of the devil who is the father of contention and this is my doctrine he says that such things should be done away when god speaks even when he calls us to repentance his voice is not likely to be a voice of thunder neither the
voice of a great tumultuous noise but a still voice of perfect mildness like a whisper that pierces even to the very soul as followers of jesus christ we follow this example we do not shame or attack others we seek to love and serve our neighbors we seek to joyfully keep god's commandments and live by gospel principles and we invite others to do the same we cannot force anyone to change but we can love them we can be an example of what the restored gospel of jesus christ is all about and we can invite all to
come and belong when others throw insults at us do we return fire there's a better way the lord's way to some we say nothing to others we state with quiet dignity who we are what we believe and why we believe we stand confident in our faith in god trusting that he will uphold us in our trials let us emulate the gentle christ and we do that through learning to love god and reaching out to bless others yes there will still be conflict but our all-powerful father in heaven has promised that he will fight our battles
for us that's a message we all need to hear fifth and finally our heavenly father is a god of new beginnings as long as we are mortals live on this wonderful and beautiful planet we will make mistakes our human actions and failures may even hurt others and wound and damage the earth our habitat god's perfect creation this is not a surprise to god to redeem each of us from our sins and imperfections our heavenly father has sent his only begotten son to be born to a mortal woman live a perfect life and make a grand
eternal sacrifice that cleanses us from sin and opens the door to holiness peace and glory throughout eternity as we repent change our ways and have faith in him god will forgive our sins and remember them no more brothers and sisters to receive this divine gift of forgiveness we need to forgive too because of jesus christ our mistakes our sins even our everyday sorrows pain disappointments frustrations and shortcomings can be healed thanks to our savior such things need not prevent us from fulfilling our divine destiny if you're like me when you're kneel before god at the
end of your day and review the choices you made that day certain moments may come to mind and you might think of yourself well i did all right here but also if you are like me you may recall other moments when perhaps you weren't at your best if not for the atonement of jesus christ such moments would drag us down discouraging us from moving forward instead the savior invites us come unto me are ye that labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest he offers forgiveness and strength to improve because of jesus
christ we can leave our burdens behind resolving each day to better follow him the perfect one our heavenly father is the god of new beginnings every day every hour can be a fresh start an opportunity to renew ourselves in the holy spirit and become better at walking as true and faithful disciples of the savior his gospel is the good news that we can begin again we can become new creatures in christ i'm not suggesting that we diminish or trivialize our sins and mistakes we do not brush them under the carpet or try to hide them
on the contrary to receive god's forgiveness we must confess our sins only when we fully and honestly acknowledge our weaknesses and failures can we learn from them and overcome them we must humbly assess where we are before we can change course and progress to where we want to be in other words we must repent as you partake of the sacrament you remember the covenant you made at baptism to take the savior's name upon yourself and walk in the path of discipleship you approach the mercy seat of god and in humility layer sins before him as
an offering of sacrifice and plead for his mercy you commit to loving and serving him and to loving and serving others you ask for his blessing as you dedicate your thoughts and actions to his service my dear brothers and sisters you will feel the hand of god stretching out over you the god of the universe will infuse you with the strength and motivation to do better there will be mistakes and stumbles in the future but just as each sunrise signals the beginning of a new day each time we repent we make a fresh start on
our path of discipleship we can begin again we can begin again over and over day after day we can begin again my brothers and sisters my testimony to you is that god yearns for you to come to him his mercy is sufficient to heal your wounds inspire you to move forward cleanse you of sin strengthen you for trials to come and bless you with hope wisdom and his peace if you desire it with all your heart god will guide you through this mortal life and he will wait with open arms to embrace you in the
resurrection no matter our shortcomings no matter our flaws god can heal inspire and cleanse us for he is the god of new beginnings this too is a message we all need to hear my beloved brothers and sisters my dear friends i pray that these messages for all you have also heard and failed messages for you i trust that you have been in listening with your heart to the voice of the holy spirit please act on the promptings you have received today and the inspiration you will receive in future days i extend to you my love
and blessings as an apostle of the lord jesus christ i love you i pray for you like you i'm the poor pilgrim who strives imperfectly to walk the path of discipleship and who hopes to fulfill the great desire of our heavenly father to return to him and live in a state of never-ending happiness that you may find hope strength and joy in your journey that you may find god and love him with all your heart and strive to bless the lives of others this is my prayer and blessing in the name of our master and
the sacred name of jesus christ amen you
