I was going about my morning, posting a meme or two with phrases I really enjoyed from general conference talks. I had just finished posting a meme from the talk “The Testimony of Jesus” by D Todd Christofferson when I decided to look at see what else stood out to me. That is when it all came rushing to me. This talk is about my path of being “Worthy of Zon.”
It starts by making a statement about the “Testimony of Jesus.”
What is the testimony of Jesus?
It is the witness of the Holy Spirit that He is the divine Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer.
The Testimony of Jesus (churchofjesuschrist.org)
I love that, but that isn’t what got me. It was this…
What does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?
,,, True disciples do not ignore the seemingly small things that sustain and strengthen their testimony of Jesus, such as prayer, study of the scriptures, Sabbath observance, partaking of the sacrament, repentance, ministering, and worship in the house of the Lord.
The Testimony of Jesus (churchofjesuschrist.org)
My quest to be worthy of Zion could be looked at as having a “Valiant Testimony of Jesus Christ.” That testimony is acquired by doing the things he taught and living a life after the pattern he lived.
One of the key aspects of Zion that I fail to mention in this blog is what Zion is: One, the New Jerusalem. A city that will be built in the last days in Jackson County Missouri. It is a people who live a celestial law, much like the city of Enoch where they were of one heart and one mind and there were no poor among them.
MOSES 7:18
18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
The Testimony of Jesus (churchofjesuschrist.org)
How do we become of “one heart” and “one mind” and dwell in righteousness? It is by learning of and following the Savior Jesus Christ. It is his law to love one another. We can not follow the law if we do not know the law. As humans, it is hard to learn and follow the law without constant practice and reminders.
Elder Christofferson goes on to remind us that President Nelson said:
“with frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily ‘by the good word of God’ [Moroni 6:4] can crumble.
“I plead with you to let God prevail in your life. Give Him a fair share of your time. As you do, notice what happens to your positive spiritual momentum.”
The Pursuit of Personal Holiness.
This really got me. I will start by sharing a quote:
One last aspect of being valiant in the testimony of Jesus that I will mention is our individual pursuit of personal holiness. Jesus is our essential Redeemer, and He pleads, “Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.”
The Testimony of Jesus (churchofjesuschrist.org)
I have done those things
- Faith
- Repentance
- Baptism
- Gift of the Holy Ghost
- Patriarchal Blessing
- A Mission
- Temple Endowment
- Temple Marriage
These all may be hoops to jump through (principles and ordinances of the gospel), but they are not the hardest part. If we want to be truly sanctified and become like our Savior Jesus Christ, we need to truly seek him. We need to sacrifice the world in hope of a greater promise.
“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” It is this mighty change of heart—yielding our hearts to God and being spiritually reborn through the grace of the Savior—that we seek.
The Testimony of Jesus (churchofjesuschrist.org)
At the heart of this is “yielding” your heart unto God. Is this not done through fasting and prayer? Is this not done by being humbled? As you step by step humble yourself through fasting and prayer, you become more desirous to serve God, to do the will of God, and to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You find yourself repenting daily, and purifying your heart and mind, thus becoming more like the Savior.
This invitation was not to one, but to all.
My invitation is to act now to secure your place as one who is valiant in the testimony of Jesus.
As he says, do not wait until the last day, repentance may be needed. You do not want to be found in your greatest hour of need unworthy and in need of repentance. When “the harvest ended, and your souls not saved.”
Be zealous in keeping your covenants with God.
Being zealous does not mean casual, tippy toe, walking, when you feel like it, only on Sundays, etc. In fact it implies using all your effort. By definition being “zealous” is: showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective. [
I’m going to finish this by sharing this last quote.
“Remember to retain the name [of Christ] written always in your hearts, … that ye [may] hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.” And finally, “settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which [Jesus] shall teach, and command you.”
The Testimony of Jesus (churchofjesuschrist.org)
How do you start?
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Follow the Holy Ghost
- Seek to be “Pure in Heart”
Your heart will be filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ. Your desire to do evil will flee from you. This is the same thing that President Nelson talked about when he pled for us to seek “Priesthood Power.”
MORONI 10:32
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
Moroni 10 (churchofjesuschrist.org)