Do Always Those Things That Please Him

Tonight Elder Christofferson invited us to make the Savior’s statement in John 8:29 our motto: “I do always those things that please him.”  That’s certainly a lifetime challenge to live in such a way that what we do is always pleasing to the Father.  The scriptures teach that when it comes to final salvation, there will be no surprises: after speaking of “a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life” D&C 131 teaches that “it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.”  In other words, no one will be saved without knowing that they are going to be saved.  There will not be any great surprises at the Final Judgment.  We see clearly in the scriptures prophets who when they left this world knew for certain that they would be saved in the kingdom of God.  Moroni told us that he would meet us “at the bar of God” where Christ would witness to the truthfulness of his words, clearly indicating that he held no uncertainty about his own standing before God.  Likewise Nephi testified to us as part of his last record that at the judgment bar we would know that Nephi was commanded by the Lord to write the things that he did.  Abinadi’s last words as he was suffering death by fire were, “O God, receive my soul” (Mosiah 17:19).  He had no doubt that he would be headed immediately for God’s presence.  These prophets—and many others—knew without a doubt that the life they had lived was in accordance with Heavenly Father’s wishes.  They had done “those things that please him.”  I think the challenge for us not to just be able to say this at the end of our life, but that at the end of each day we can pray and know that what we did that day pleased the Father.