by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
This is the last of the Saturday morning session talks. I always love hearing President Uchtdorf - His flying analogies and his accent.
He begins his talk with none other than a story from his days as a pilot. His point - It is hard for us to believe what we cannot see.
Is it possible to find (and know the) truth?
". . .God himself- the Lord of Hosts who knows all truth- has given His children the promise that they can know truth for themselves."
This talk mostly refers to gaining a truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, but I feel it can also apply to find the truth about anything.
There are a million different ideas out there. It's sometimes hard to know which ones are true, and which ones are not. It can get really confusing. I'm not just talking religion here. I'm talking everything from diet to fashion ideas, anything and everything. We can know for ourselves if it's true, if it's right for us. How cool is that?
How do we find out?
"God. . .will speak to those who approach Him with a sincere heart and real intent. He will speak to them in dreams, visions, thoughts, and feelings."
"God cares about you. He will listen, and He will answer your personal questions. The answers to your prayers will come in His own way and in His own time, and therefore, you need to learn to listen to His voice."
THE EXPERIMENT
Moroni 10:3-5 tells us exactly what we need to do to find out if something is true.
1. "First, you must search the word of God. That means reading the scriptures and studying the words of the ancient as well as modern prophets. . .- not with an intent to doubt or criticize but with a sincere desire to discover truth. Ponder upon the things you will feel, and prepare your minds to receive the truth."
2. "Second, you must consider, ponder, fearlessly strive to believe, and be grateful for how merciful the Lord has been."
3. "Third, you must ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth. . . unto you. Ask with a sincere heart and with real intent, having faith in Christ."
4. ". . .When you are trying to verify the truth. . .you must first live them. Put [them] to the test in your own life."
Lets say I wanted to lose some weight and get healthy. Only problem is there are a million ways out there to do so. Which one is the right way? To find out, I would begin by reading everything in the scriptures I could find on healthy eating, diet, and exercise. Then I would search lds.org and read anything past or present prophets have said on the subject. After all that research, I would think about what the scriptures and prophets want me to do and which course of action I think is best.
Now it's time to ask. Heavenly Father, is this the right way for me to get healthy and fit? While I am waiting for an answer, cause remember "the answers to your prayers will come in His own way and in His own time. . .", I will try it out. I will eat and exercise the way that I think is right. Sooner or later my answer will come, and I will know if I should continue on, or try something else.
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The rest of President Uchtdorf's talk was also amazing. He reminds us:
"The more we incline our hearts and minds towards God, the more heavenly light distills upon our souls. And each time we willingly and earnestly seek that light, we indicate to God our readiness to receive more light."
DO ALL YOU CAN TO KEEP YOUR TESTIMONY BURNING BRIGHTLY
"If we remove ourselves from the light of the gospel, our own light begins to dim- not in a day or a week but gradually over time- until we look back and can't quite understand why we had ever believed the gospel was true.
"Gaining a testimony is not a task of a minute, an hour, or a day. It is not once and done. The process of gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime."
"Your testimony. . .may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you this: if you do your part, it will come. And it will be glorious."
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a place for people with all kinds of testimonies. . .I know of no sign on the doors of our meetinghouses that says, "Your testimony must be this tall to enter."
"The Church is not just for perfect people, but it is for all to "come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him."
What was your favorite part of this talk?