Elder Kelly R. Johnson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2020. At the time of his call, he had been serving as an Area Seventy and a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area. At Church headquarters he has served in the North America Northeast Area Presidency and as a member of the Church Audit Committee. He currently serves in the Asia Area Presidency.

Elder Johnson served as a full-time missionary in the Thailand Bangkok Mission and later returned to the same mission with his wife, Terri, as mission leaders from 2015 to 2018.

Elder Johnson received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Weber State University in 1987. In 1989 he received a master of business administration degree from Brigham Young University. He began his career in 1989 as a forensic accountant for KPMG. At the time of his call as a General Authority, he was a forensic accountant and partner for Norman, Townsend & Johnson, LLC.

As I study the scriptures, I come across words that really catch my attention, primarily because they have special meaning as a result of experiences I have had during my life. I spent my career working as a forensic accountant. With that background, the word reconcile has caught my attention as I read the scriptures. My job was to reconcile reported amounts with financial records by applying accounting, auditing, and investigative skills. In other words, my goal was to align financial reports with the underlying financial documents to ensure accuracy and validity. I made diligent efforts to resolve discrepancies, and it was common that significant time was dedicated to resolving even very small discrepancies.

The Apostle Paul pled with the Corinthians to be “reconciled to God.” 

What does being ‘reconciled to God ‘mean to you?

To be reconciled to God means to be brought back into harmony with God or to restore a relationship with God that has been strained or broken because of our sins or actions. Simply put, being reconciled to God means aligning our will and actions with God’s will, or as taught by President Russell M. Nelson, letting God prevail in our lives.

How does reconciliation differ from just being forgiven?

As taught in the scriptures, we are free to act for ourselves, “to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.” But if we are not diligent, this freedom to act for ourselves may lead to a loss of alignment with the will of God.

How can this happen?

The prophet Jacob taught that when we find ourselves in disharmony or misalignment with God, the only way we can achieve reconciliation is to “be reconciled unto [God] through the atonement of Christ.” We must realize that reconciliation is dependent on mercy, implying that Jesus Christ’s gracious act of atonement makes reconciliation possible.

What scriptures come to mind when you think of reconciliation?

As you ponder your own life, think about a time when you felt distant from Heavenly Father because you had moved away from Him. For instance, perhaps you became less diligent in your prayers to Him or in keeping His commandments. Just as we choose to distance ourselves from God, we must choose to initiate the effort to reconcile. The Lord emphasized our responsibility when He said, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

What daily habits will help us draw near to God?

How does the Savior help us restore and reconcile this important relationship? For me, I make great progress in my journey to be reconciled to God when I follow the counsel taught by President Nelson and repent every day. The reason being that reconciliation signifies the restoration of a broken relationship, particularly between God and humanity, by removing the barrier of sin.

The prophets have declared that “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). We should repent now, every day. When we get up in the morning, we should examine ourselves to see whether the Spirit of God is with us. At night before we go to sleep, we should review our acts and words of the day and ask the Lord to help us recognize the things for which we need to repent. By repenting every day and having the Lord forgive our sins, we will experience the daily process of becoming perfect. As with Alma, our happiness and joy can be sweet and exquisite.

One of the great reconciliations we read about in the scriptures is that of Enos. Something in his life was out of alignment with God. He exemplified relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ to reconcile with God. He explained his desire to repent, his humility, his focus, and his determination. 

Why is humility essential for reconciliation?

His reconciliation with God was confirmed when a voice came to him, saying, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.” Enos recognized the impact that repentance and reconciliation had on him when he said, “And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.”

“The Redeemer can settle your individual account with justice and grant forgiveness through the merciful path of repentance [see Alma 42:15]. Full repentance is absolutely essential for the Atonement to work its complete miracle in your life. By understanding the Atonement, you will see that God is not a jealous being who delights in persecuting those who misstep. He is an absolutely perfect, compassionate, understanding, patient, and forgiving Father” (Richard G Scott, General Conference Report, Apr. 1995).

Reconciliation brings not only relief from feelings of guilt but also peace within ourselves and with others. It heals relationships, softens hearts, and strengthens our discipleship, bringing increased confidence before God. What brings me great hope and confidence is another fruit of reconciliation described by Enos when he said, “And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord.”

What blessings does Elder Johnson identify as coming from reconciliation?

When I was a boy, my maternal grandfather had a large cherry orchard. I had the opportunity to work in the orchard, mostly in the summer during the harvest of the cherries. As a very young boy, I found that the extent of my involvement was being handed a bucket and then sent up a tree to pick the cherries.

The harvesting of cherries changed significantly when my grandfather purchased a machine called a cherry shaker. This machine grabs the trunk of the tree and shakes it, causing the cherries to fall out of the tree onto nets that are used to collect the cherries. I noticed that when the shaker would begin to shake the tree, almost all the cherries fell out of the tree within seconds. I also noticed that it didn’t matter if the tree was shaken for 10 seconds or a full minute, some cherries would not fall. They were truly unshakable.

Shaking cherries out of a tree is possible because of the release of ethylene. This hormone causes the layer of cells between the stem of the cherry and the tree to weaken. Therefore, the stem of a ripe cherry more easily detaches from the tree because of the weakened connection.

In the scriptures, we learn that the stem of Jesse is a metaphor for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who was prophesied to come from the lineage of Jesse, the father of King David. Just as ethylene weakens the connection of a ripe cherry stem, disobedience, doubts, and fears can weaken our connection to the stem of Jesse, or Jesus Christ, allowing us to be easily shaken and separated from Him. As faithful as we may be, we must guard against a weakening of our connection to Jesus Christ.

What do you take from this story?

In the Doctrine and Covenants, even the faithful are given a warning: “But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God.” The Lord continues, “Yea, … even let those who are sanctified take heed also.” To avoid falling, the Lord counsels, “Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation.”

What do the faithful need to do to ensure that they don’t fall?

One might equate the state of being easily shaken to what scriptures describe as being ripe for destruction, with impending consequences for actions. The phrase can also be used more broadly to indicate a state of decay, corruption, or decline that makes something susceptible to collapse or ruin.

What does this ripeness represent? Does it mean that we can reach a point where we are unable to change? No, I think it means that we can reach a point in time where we are unwilling to change. The antidote to becoming ripe for destruction is to do those things that will strengthen our connection to Jesus Christ. As mentioned, repentance led Enos to the point of unshaken faith. There is strength in repentance—regular, prompt, and frequent repentance. As President Nelson taught us, “Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance.”

In addition to preaching repentance, the prophet Jacob taught that being aware of God’s hand in our lives, seeking and receiving revelation, and listening to God when He speaks all help us to not be shaken. Jacob also taught, “Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken.” Listening to and acting on the words and invitations of the prophets and apostles can fill us with hope, confidence, and strength, resulting in our faith becoming unshaken.

I have learned that a desire to be reconciled to God must be accompanied by a desire to repent. Repenting and experiencing the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ lead to unshaken faith. Unshaken faith leads to a desire to always be reconciled to God. This is a circular, or iterative, pattern.

Brothers and sisters, I invite you to be reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I testify that making and keeping covenants makes our connection to the Savior strong, thereby avoiding becoming ripe for destruction. I testify that this reconciliation to God, through Jesus Christ’s Atonement, leads to unshakable faith.

How does reconciliation with God affect our covenant relationship with Him?

I know Heavenly Father loves you and me, and He sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior, Redeemer, and the great Reconciler. I testify of Jesus Christ and do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Is there an area in your life in which you feel invited to draw closer to God?

NB: The text of Elder Johnson’s talk is in italics.

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