Given in Oxford Ward Aug 21, 2022
Some of you may have recently seen the social media post from President Nelson about your testimony. It is a short little video clip where he says:
“I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with the false philosophies of unbelieving men and women and then wonder why your testimony is waning.”
“Engage in daily, earnest, humble prayer. Nourish yourself in the words of ancient and modern prophets. Ask the Lord to teach you how to hear Him better. Spend more time in the temple and in family history work.”
“As you make your testimony your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.”
This is a very powerful charge from our prophet. I learned a couple of things as I pondered what he was saying. I realized how important it is to want to have a testimony of Jesus Christ. We have all come to a point where we believe in some degree in Jesus Christ, in the restoration of the Gospel, in the priesthood and Gospel Ordinances. It is important to want to know these things. Consider the implications of this knowledge. If it is all true, then the promise is that we will receive the Father’s Kingdom, therefore all that the Father hath shall be given unto you.
If we really want something, it takes effort. Have you ever wanted to be good at something? Maybe you wanted to be good at playing a musical instrument, or singing, or playing a particular sport, or a particular video game. Maybe you wanted to be a good leader such as a student body officer, a manager or supervisor at your work. Maybe you wanted to be really good at drawing or writing or teaching. Maybe it is carpentry skills, or metal work that you want to be really good at. You know that whatever it is requires a great deal of work and practice. So why would being good at having a testimony of Jesus Christ not require the same efforts?
To be good at any of these things we have mentioned there are things we need to do. First, we usually look to someone who is already good for some coaching. This someone could be a personal coach or teacher or someone who shares their knowledge through books or YouTube videos or other online classes. So, who would you say is good at having a testimony of Jesus Christ? Maybe it is your parents. Maybe it is a friend. Maybe it is other ward and stake leaders. I think we can all agree that the Prophets and Apostles are good at having a testimony of Jesus Christ.
That takes us back to the video clip from President Nelson. He is good at having a testimony of Jesus Christ, so let’s listen to what he says is necessary to have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. First, he says we must take charge of our testimony. We must work for it, own it, care for it. We have already talked a bit about that. We have to really want it.
Then we must nurture it and feed it truth. We can’t nurture our testimony if we are feeding it the false philosophies of men and women who are trying to change the doctrine of Christ. Some will flat out deny the existence of God, some will try to put false words into God’s mouth. Some will try to reconcile the doctrine of Christ with the current generally accepted philosophies of the world. None of these are nurturing a deeper testimony of Jesus Christ.
President Nelson tells us five things we can do to ensure that we are feeding our testimony truth.
1. Engage in daily, earnest, humble prayer.
2. Nourish yourself in the worlds of ancient and modern prophets.
3. Ask God to teach you how to hear him better.
4. Spend more time in the temple.
5. Spend more time in family history work.
I don’t think President Nelson, or the Lord, expects you to run home and set lofty goals in each of these five areas and then get overwhelmed and not accomplish anything. We already know that it takes time and practice to become good at anything. Look at these five areas. Decide what a little bit of a stretch would be for you. Maybe you are already pretty good at most of those things, but your daily prayers could use a little work. Maybe they need to become more earnest and more humble. Maybe you need to work at spending more time in the temple or doing family history work.
It is the temple that I would like to take a little more time to talk about. It took me years to begin to have a better understanding of how time in the temple can affect our daily lives. I feel there may be some of you who are also wondering how it is that going to the temple makes a difference.
Like most of the things we have been talking about, one single experience may not be very meaningful or seem to make a difference. I notice this in two areas, as an example. As I read the scriptures daily, I may not read anything that has a profound impact. Some days I do but many days I just enjoy the words. It isn’t until later that I look back and I can see the compound effect of daily scripture reading. I can see what the Lord means when he says that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. The cumulative effect of studying for a long period of time has made a huge difference to me. I also see this in paying tithing. I almost do it mindlessly. I go online, click a few buttons, and my tithing is paid. It is not an especially notable experience. But as I look back over a lifetime of tithe paying, I can see many blessings I have received in my life from paying tithing. It is in the reflection that I appreciate the blessings and my testimony is strengthened.
Spending time in the temple is much the same. It is from the cumulative impact of regular temple worship where you will grow. Almost a year ago in General Conference President Nelson had some important things to say about the temple. It would be good to review some of those. He said, “(The Lord) is the One who wants you to understand with great clarity exactly what you are making covenants to do. He is the One who wants you to experience fully His sacred ordinances. He wants you to comprehend your privileges, promises, and responsibilities. He wants you to have spiritual insights and awakenings you’ve never had before.”
He is promising here that we will have great experiences in the temple. I don’t mean to imply that we can’t have great insights during any one temple visit. Clearly, we can come away from the temple with personal revelation in answer to questions and great insights. I have had some amazing experiences at the temple. We can enjoy both singular experiences as well as the benefit of cumulative experiences.
President Nelson goes on to say “If you don’t yet love to attend the temple, go more often—not less. Let the Lord, through His Spirit, teach and inspire you there. I promise you that over time, the temple will become a place of safety, solace, and revelation.”
Here we are reminded that sometimes it is over time that we recognize the blessings.
And finally, he says, “And to each of you who has made temple covenants, I plead with you to seek—prayerfully and consistently—to understand temple covenants and ordinances. Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven. Your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation.”
When speaking of spending time in the temple, my feeling is that any time we spend in the temple is spiritually rewarding. For the six months between the time when I was released as the Bishop of the Heritage Ward and my current calling to the Stake Presidency, I served in the temple as an ordinance worker. I had some amazing experiences in the temple with different patrons and I also felt a tangible effect in my spirituality as I spent 4 hours, once a week, in the temple. I would really encourage anyone who can set aside a 4-hour block, once a week, in the morning, mid-day, afternoon, or evening, to go to your Bishop and ask that he submit a recommendation for you to serve in the temple. All you need is time and reasonable health. There is a fair amount of standing and moving around but if you can do that, don’t worry about anything else. You can use cards to prompt you in what to say for as long as you need to. There are super loving coordinators and other workers that will train and teach you. You can do the work if you have the time and health. Please consider it.
Shortly after President Nelson’s social media post, he posted again and said, “Recently, I invited you to “take charge of your own testimony.” Please share with me what steps you are taking to accomplish this. I can’t wait to be inspired by you!”
My invitation to you is the same. What steps are you going to take, starting today, to take charge of your own testimony. As you make a conscious effort to feed your testimony with truth you will see miracles happen in your life!
1 https://www.instagram.com/p/CguXLDypFHK/
2 D&C 84:38
3 Alma 37:6
4 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/47nelson?lang=eng
5 https://www.instagram.com/p/ChFOAaDOuP0/
6 Same as 1, last sentence.
