Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I recently taught about the need for our Sacrament Services,
and in particular our talks, to be more Christ centered. This same principle
applies to our everyday lives. In an increasingly difficult world, we need to
draw on the power of Jesus Christ.
President Russell M. Nelson taught this very concept in
April 2017 when he taught that Christ gave His life for us, “so that we could
have access to godly power—power sufficient to deal with the burdens,
obstacles, and temptations of our day.” He then taught us HOW we could access that power.
The first thing President Nelson invited us to do was to
learn more about Jesus Christ. Through scripture, prayer, attending church, and
serving like Christ, we can become more deeply acquainted with the doctrine of
Jesus Christ, His attornment, and how we can access His power in our lives.
“We also increase the Savior’s power in our lives when we
make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision,” President
Nelson taught. A natural outcome of learning more of Christ is an increased
desire to follow Him. We can more fully follow Jesus Christ when we make and
keep sacred covenants.
Our goal should be that we can be a living example of 2
Nephi 25:26, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ,
we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our
children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”
This is the Church of Jesus Christ! He is at the head of this great work. I
know Him and I know this is His work.
I invite all of you to identify a way you can become closer
to Christ. This may start with knowing more about Him, it may be working toward
the next covenant on the covenant path, or it may be more fully living up to
the covenants you have made. Whatever it might be, when you become closer to
Christ, you will have access to His power and you will feel His influence more
abundantly in your life.
