Area Leadership Message
Bound for Eternal Blessings through Our Covenants with the Lord
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for the perfect love He has for all His children.
Many of us go through some heavy challenges in this life. One of the greatest of these is when we lose our loved ones after so many years of cherished moments together. This can feel like an injustice from God, but in reality, it is a sacred life test from a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to grow in faith so that we can become like him.
Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed His will to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was feeling despair in his heavy troubles as he sat imprisoned in Liberty jail:
“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; . . . fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7–9).
In a recent ministering visit, we went into a home where the husband had passed away; he had served faithfully as a Church leader. His dear wife had been emotionally tested to an extent that she had gradually lost her faith and the desire to attend Church; the children had followed their mother into inactivity. As we gathered with this family the morning of our visit, daughters and grandchildren included, we expressed the love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had for each of them.
We reminded our dear sister of the sacred covenants she and her husband had made some years before in the holy temple of the Lord. Our words of comfort, sustained by the sweet presence of the Holy Ghost and our genuine love for her as her brothers in the gospel, softened her heart and she rejoiced as the sweet memories of her temple sealing filled her mind and heart.
Our temple ordinances and covenants are deeply sacred and are the very expression of our Heavenly Father’s love for us. The glorious blessings promised to us through these sacred covenants will only come to pass as we remain faithful until the end.
I shared with the family that I had lost my dear wife recently, and that I missed her greatly every day. This great loss is a cross I will have to bear until I pass into the next life but I shared with them my determination to continue serving my Saviour with all my heart until the end, knowing that one day, I will meet my dear wife again and we will live together with joy and happiness forever.
As we continued ministering with this wonderful family, we testified of the Saviour’s outstretched arms of mercy, and his invitation to them to come back to church and enjoy the blessings of the gospel. I turned to each member of the family, starting with the mother, and said:
“Do you accept this invitation from our Saviour? Will you attend sacrament meeting on Sundays?”
Each one of them accepted the invitation. As humble servants of the Lord, our hearts were filled with joy as we witnessed these repentant souls taking steps to come unto their Saviour! I felt the heavens rejoice with us as we bonded with each other, both in trial and in faith.
It is not just the making of sacred covenants, but the continued obedience to them that bind us to our loved ones. The powerful effects of the Atonement of our Saviour and the constant nourishment of our faith through prayer, scripture study and service will give us the strength we need to face all of life’s challenges.
Our Saviour Jesus Christ is mindful of all who are suffering. He is constantly extending to us His hand of mercy and love. I invite all who are facing difficult challenges in their life, whatever they may be, to come unto the Saviour and enjoy a feast at the His table as you partake of the sacrament each Sunday and make and keep sacred covenants in His holy temple. As you do this, the following promise is yours:
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33–34).
I testify that the covenants we make at baptism, when we receive the holy priesthood, and those ordinances accomplished in the temple, are tied to the greatest blessings the Lord has prepared for us. Through our faithful obedience to those covenants as we endure to the end, we will receive all of the Lords promised blessings.