“Our Relationship with God,” For the Strength of Youth, May 2022.
Sunday Morning Session
Our Relationship with God
Excerpts
We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we (1) select a desired blessing, (2) insert the required sum of good works, and (3) the order is promptly delivered. …
Our repentance and obedience, our sacrifices, and our good works do matter. We want to be among those described by Ether as “always abounding in good works” [Ether 12:4]. But it is not so much because of some tally kept in celestial account books. These things matter because they engage us in God’s work and are the means by which we collaborate with Him in our own transformation from natural man to saint. What our Heavenly Father offers us is Himself and His Son, a close and enduring relationship with Them through the grace and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
… Our Father is willing to guide each of us along His covenant path with steps designed to our individual need and tailored to His plan for our ultimate happiness with Him. …
Even so, this path cannot be easy for any of us. There is too much refining needed for it to be easy. …
So, in the midst of this refiner’s fire, rather than get angry with God, get close to God. Call upon the Father in the name of the Son. Walk with Them in the Spirit, day by day. Allow Them over time to manifest Their fidelity to you. Come truly to know Them and truly to know yourself. Let God prevail.