Love of the Savior and love of our fellow men and women is the primary attribute and motive for ministering and the spiritual purposes we were charged to undertake by our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, in the adjustments announced in 2018.
In what ways can you see that the recent adjustments were motivated by love?
Missionary Effort to Gather Scattered Israel
What can we learn from the story of Elder Shute and the Haleck family?
When it comes to gathering Israel, we need to align our hearts with this kind of love and move away from feelings of mere responsibility or guilt to feelings of love and participation in the divine partnership of sharing the Savior’s message, ministry, and mission with the world.
“Sometimes we may initially serve from a sense of duty or obligation, but even that service can lead us to draw on something higher … to serve in ‘a more excellent way’ [1 Corinthians 12:31]” (Joy D. Jones, “For Him,” Ensign orLiahona, Nov. 2018, 50).
As emissaries of the Savior, most missionaries feel this kind of love, and when they do, their efforts are blessed. When members gain a vision of this kind of love, which is essential in assisting the Lord in His purpose, the Lord’s work will be accomplished.
How might the difference between serving from feelings of mere responsibility of guilt and serving in a more excellent way manifest itself?
Perfecting ourselves, qualifying ourselves for the blessings of covenants, and preparing to meet God are individual responsibilities. We need to be self-reliant and anxiously engaged in making our homes a refuge from the storms that surround us and “a sanctuary of faith.” Parents have a responsibility to lovingly teach their children. Homes filled with love are a joy, a delight, and a literal heaven on earth.
‘The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining. ‘ (President Russell M Nelson, General Conference, October 2018)
As members we can show our love for the Savior and our brothers and sisters throughout the world by making simple invitations. The new Sunday meeting schedule represents an exceptional opportunity for members to successfully and lovingly invite friends and associates to come and see and feel a Church experience. A spiritual sacrament meeting, hopefully as sacred as what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland described yesterday, will be followed by a 50-minute meeting focused on the New Testament and the Savior or relevant conference addresses also focused on the Savior and His doctrine.
Has the new Sunday schedule helped you to feel more able to invite friends and associates to Church?
Temple and Family History Effort to Gather Israel
Love is also at the center of our temple and family history effort to gather Israel on the other side of the veil. When we learn of the trials and hardships our ancestors faced, our love and appreciation for them is magnified. Our temple and family history effort has been strengthened to a significant degree by the new adjustments in both the Sunday meeting schedule and the youth advancement in classes and quorums. These changes provide for earlier and more powerful attention to learning about our ancestors and gathering Israel on the other side of the veil. Both temple and family history work are greatly enhanced.
Have you felt your love for your ancestors increase as a result of your family history and temple efforts? In what ways?
I promise that lovingly performing ordinances for ancestors will strengthen and protect our youth and families in a world that is becoming increasingly evil.
How does this work?
Prepare Eternal Families and Individuals to Live with God
Have you seen your home becoming a sanctuary of faith as you have followed President Nelson’s counsel?
I promise that as we focus on our love for the Savior and His Atonement, make Him the centerpiece of our efforts to gather Israel on both sides of the veil, minister to others, and individually prepare to meet God, the influence of the adversary will be diminished and the joy, delight, and peace of the gospel will magnify our homes with Christlike love.
What specific things can we do to diminsh the influence of the adversary in our homes?
‘Just as in former times, we “meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of [our] souls. And … to partake of bread and [water], in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.”Moroni 6:5–6 see also Alma 6:5–6 4 Nephi 1:12 As President Russell M. Nelson explained in general conference last October, “The long-standing objective of the Church is to assist all members to increase their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, to assist them in making and keeping their covenants with God, and to strengthen and seal their families.”[Russell M. Nelson, “Opening Remarks,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 7.] Accordingly, he emphasizes the significance of temple covenants, hallowing the Sabbath, and a daily feasting upon the gospel, centered at home and supported by an integrated study curriculum at church. We want to know about the Lord, and we want to know the Lord.’ (Elder D Todd Christofferson, General Conference, 2019)
(Passages in italics are excerpts from Elder Cook’s talks)
Latter-day Bloke 