I saw a few posts online where people were talking about the recent article by President Nelson in the church Liahona Magazine. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I read the Liahona (previously Ensign) magazine. I should read it. My good friend Martin Baron is the Managing Editor. I don’t know many people better than him.
Anyhow, intrigued, I decided to read the article and it was fascinating to me. While others were focused on how many times the prophet used a word or phrase, I was entranced by a few points in the article. Here are the points I shared:
ARTICLE LINK: Grateful to Gather
“This Church is anchored in the perfect life of its chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, and in His infinite Atonement and literal Resurrection. … He invites all of us to come unto Him and His Church, to receive the Holy Ghost, the ordinances of salvation, and to gain enduring joy.”
The assurance that the church is anchored in Jesus Christ, is so important.
“All things” includes His sheep. The Savior is calling us to leave behind the wickedness of the world and gather to Him. He wants His sheep to be a light that shines brightly, setting a standard for the rest of the world by reflecting how true disciples live, including how they experience true joy as they focus their lives on the Savior.
All things will be restored.
“Church attendance gives us the strength and enhancement of faith that come from associating with other believers and worshipping together with those who are also striving to stay on the covenant path and be better disciples of Christ.”
There are many reasons why we go to church. Primarily we are able to learn and lift each other. One reason an organized church is important is to maintain the structure and integrity of the doctrine. Without it, anyone ould interpret anything anyway.
“I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks” (
We are each called to labor. We are God’s fishers and hunters.
He invites you to the work.
I remember many years ago asking myself, “How do I know I am called to labor?” “How do I know he has chosen me?” Well, a simple response would be that we are all called, chosen, or invited to serve. Another answer might be the D&C 4 answer that “if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work.”
But as I thought about it more, I realized my life, and choices led me to desire to serve. The spirit worked within my soul, filling my soul with a desire to serve God. If we each dig deep enough, we will realize the Spirit of God instills a desire to serve.