Remember the Covenants

One of the themes that President Nelson has consistently talked about recently is the need for us to stay on the covenant path in order to receive all the blessings the Lord has for us.  He said in the most recent general conference, “What is required for a family to be exalted forever? We qualify for that privilege by making covenants with God, keeping those covenants, and receiving essential ordinances….  The Savior invites all to follow Him into the waters of baptism and, in time, to make additional covenants with God in the temple and receive and be faithful to those further essential ordinances….  Jesus Christ invites us to take the covenant path back home to our Heavenly Parents and be with those we love.”  He also said to the men of the Priesthood, “[The Lord] needs men of the covenant who keep their covenants with integrity.”  He summarized in his final address, “He wants His children to choose to return to Him, prepared, qualified, endowed, sealed, and faithful to covenants made in holy temples.”  President Nelson is eager for us to make and keep our covenants with God, so we can inherit all the blessings that the Father has in store for us.

               As we strive to keep our covenants with God, we can be assured the He keeps His covenants with us.  One of the major themes of the Book of Mormon is that the Lord does indeed keep His covenants with His people.  Nephi wrote, “Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made” (1 Nephi 17:3).  He quoted Zenos who promised in the last days that the Holy One of Israel “will remember the covenants which he made to their fathers” (1 Nephi 19:15).  Lehi affirmed this as well, speaking of how scattered Israel would be “remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days” (2 Nephi 3:5).  The Lord told Nephi that in the last day he would “proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men…. I will show… that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever” (2 Nephi 29:1, 14).  When the Savior visited the Nephites He reaffirmed this as well: “Then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them…. I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel” (3 Nephi 16:11-12).  In case they missed that, He said again to them: “I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people” (3 Nephi 20:29).  Mormon emphasized to us as well, “The Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 29:3).  Near the end of his account he emphasized again: “Then will the Lord remember the covenant which he made unto Abraham and unto all the house of Israel” (Mormon 5:20).  Moroni similarly stressed in as serious terms as he could put it, “As the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made with [the house of Israel]” (Mormon 8:23).  If there is any message that is clear in the Book of Mormon, it is that the Lord will remember His covenant to His people; He will gather Israel and through the seed of Abraham all the kindreds of the earth will be blessed.  We need not fear that He will not keep His covenants—again and again the scriptures make clear that He will.  And the implicit invitation here is for us to be just as devoted to keeping our covenants with the Lord—He will remember us and the promises made, and we must likewise remember Him and keep walking faithfully in the covenant path.