Thoughts About Conference - Repentance

Thoughts About Conference

4/21/2019

We’ve seen many changes in the church over the past few years and it seems to have intensified over the past year. It’s important for us to not get caught up in the “what” of these changes and miss the “why.” Focusing on the details without discovering the purpose will leave us spiritually exhausted having looked beyond the mark having missed the real intent.

There was once a Swiss guard who worked at the border of Austria. He worked there for many years and took a great deal of pride in his work. One morning an Austrian man arrived at the border, riding a bicycle. On the front of his bike was a basket filled with sand. Another guard might simply have waived him through, but the Swiss guard did not. Instead, he brought out a special comb he kept for just such a purpose and began to sift through the sand in the basket. You see, he suspected the Austrian might be a smuggler. Finding nothing but sand, however, he waved the man through. The same thing happened the next day, and the day after that. Though he never found anything, he kept on looking, day after day, for thirty years. Finally, one day the Swiss guard spoke to the Austrian man. “I must ask you a question,” he said, “that has been on my mind for many years. This is my last day of work. Today I shall retire. And all these years, I suspect you have been a smuggler. Now I ask you, for I must know—are you indeed a smuggler?”

The Austrian man hesitated, and the Swiss guard reassured him, “Do not worry. I give you my word of honor that I will not prosecute you. But I must know.”

“Very well,” said the Austrian. “Then I will tell you. I am indeed a smuggler.”

“Ah-ha!” said the guard. “I knew it! But each day I look through your basket and find nothing but sand. Tell me, please, what have you been smuggling?”

The Austrian man replied, “I smuggle bicycles.”

If we don’t get the vision of the changes and focus on the “why” instead of the “what,” we will become confused and distracted by the details of the changes themselves and fall short of the personal changes that are intended.

The purpose for the changes is rather simple. President Nelson gave us this purpose: "Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life." (April 2018)

In this last conference President Nelson continued his invitation to us “do better, to be better.” He said,

   “When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ!

   Brethren, we need to do better and be better because we are in a battle. The battle with sin is real. The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord. He is arming his minions with potent weapons to keep us from partaking of the joy and love of the Lord.

   Repentance is the key to avoiding misery inflicted by traps of the adversary. The Lord does not expect perfection from us at this point in our eternal progression. But He does expect us to become increasingly pure. Daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power. Personal purity can make us powerful tools in the hands of God. Our repentance—our purity—will empower us to help in the gathering of Israel.

   We know what will give us greater access to the powers of heaven. We also know what will hinder our progress—what we need to stop doing to increase our access to the powers of heaven. Brethren, prayerfully seek to understand what stands in the way of your repentance. Identify what stops you from repenting. And then, change! Repent! All of us can do better and be better than ever before.

In what way do you think the people in Noah’s day needed to prepare, or the people in Lehi’s day, in Enoch’s day, or the Nephites at the coming of Christ? What happened to Ninivah?

In each of these cases and many more, the people were called to repentance. Some responded with repentance, but most just went on with their lives hardly noticing the prophet’s warning. Today the prophet of the Lord has called us to repentance. We must seek to understand why, and how we will obey.

Elder Christofferson spoke of the importance of preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. He was attending a conference in Bueno Aires, Argentina when he had a powerful impression:

   “In that moment, the Holy Spirit affirmed two things to me. First, the work of ministering to temporal needs is vital and must continue. The second was unexpected, yet powerful and clear. It was this: beyond selfless service, it is supremely important to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

 What do we need to do to prepare?

Elder Christofferson continues,

   “While I was at the conference in Buenos Aires that I mentioned earlier, the Spirit made clear to me that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is uniquely empowered and commissioned to accomplish the necessary preparations for the Lord’s Second Coming; indeed, it was restored for that purpose. Can you find anywhere else a people who embrace the present era as the prophesied “dispensation of the fulness of times,” in which God has purposed to “gather together in one all things in Christ”? If you don’t find here a community intent on accomplishing what needs to be accomplished for both the living and the dead to prepare for that day, if you don’t find here an organization willing to commit vast amounts of time and funds to the gathering and preparation of a covenant people ready to receive the Lord, you won’t find it anywhere.

   What can we do to prepare now for that day? We can prepare ourselves as a people; we can gather the Lord’s covenant people; and we can help redeem the promise of salvation “made to the fathers,” our ancestors. All of this must occur in some substantial measure before the Lord comes again.”

   “First, and crucial for the Lord’s return, is the presence on the earth of a people prepared to receive Him at His coming…The Prophet Joseph Smith stated, “We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object.” We build up Zion in our homes, wards, branches, and stakes through unity, godliness, and charity.”

   Second, “President Nelson has repeatedly emphasized that the “gathering [of Israel] is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, … you can be a big part of it.”

   Third, “Also vital to the preparation for the Second Coming is the great redemptive effort on behalf of our ancestors. The Lord promised to send Elijah the prophet before the Second Coming, “the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” to “reveal … the Priesthood” and “plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers.” Elijah did come as promised. The date was April 3, 1836; the place was the Kirtland Temple. In that place and in that moment, he did indeed confer the promised priesthood, the keys for the redemption of the dead and the union of husbands, wives, and families across all generations of time and throughout all eternity. Without this, the purpose of creation would be frustrated, and in that sense, the earth would be cursed or “utterly wasted.””

There are many things that call for attention. Perhaps more today than ever before. Technology has made our world small and compact. We can do more, say more and go more than ever in the history of man. Our challenge today is not to “do something,” but rather it is “what to do, instead of something.” Our lives are micro ordered today with little if any time for pondering, meditation, reading, or quality time with spouse and children or meaningful ministering. Unfortunately, it is not healthy spiritually, emotionally or even physically to be so. In a sense we are micromanaged by a culture whose architect has designed the clever demise of God’s children through systematic distraction.

Again, in the words of President Nelson,

   “We know what will give us greater access to the powers of heaven. We also know what will hinder our progress—what we need to stop doing to increase our access to the powers of heaven. Brethren, prayerfully seek to understand what stands in the way of your repentance. Identify what stops you from repenting. And then, change! Repent! All of us can do better and be better than ever before.

I encourage all of us to prayerfully consider our own lives and evaluate the value of our activities against the fast approaching day of the second coming of our Lord.