The Invitations of President Nelson

In this recent general conference both Elder Stevenson and Elder Anderson spoke about President Nelson, encouraging us to sustain and follow his teachings.  Elder Stevenson said, “We now have the great blessing to sustain our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson….  Brothers and sisters, what we have witnessed and participated in today, a solemn assembly, leads to my witness that President Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s living mouthpiece for all humankind.”  Elder Anderson invited us to sustain our new prophet in these words, “In a future day, looking back on our mortality, we will rejoice that we walked the earth at the time of a living prophet. At that day, I pray that we will be able to say: We listened to him.  We believed him.  We studied his words with patience and faith. We prayed for him.  We stood by him.  We were humble enough to follow him.  We loved him.”  The best way for us to sustain the prophet of course is to heed the counsel that he gives; the best way to show love for him is to keep the Lord’s commandments that he invites us to follow. 

In that effort to sustain and follow the prophet, here are the invitations that I found from President Nelson from this conference that act as invitations for each of us.

·        Attend the temple more: “My dear brothers and sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will. In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple.”

·        Bear testimony of the work of the Lord: “I bless you to raise your voice in testimony, as I do now, that we are engaged in the work of Almighty God!”

·        Inspire others: “To all brethren holding the priesthood, I invite you to inspire members to keep their covenants, fast and pray, study the scriptures, worship in the temple, and serve with faith as men and women of God.”

·        Lift others: “Brethren, there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give, hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints—all because we hold the priesthood of God.”

·        Seek answers in prayer: “Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.”

·        Pray, record our feelings, and follow promptings: “Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’”

·        Increase our ability to receive revelation: “I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that ‘if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.’”

·        Earnestly seek the Lord: “Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.”

·        Do the work to receive revelation: “I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this Easter Sunday be a defining moment in your life. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.”

·        Incorporate the messages of conference: “I exhort you to study the messages of this conference frequently—even repeatedly—during the next six months. Conscientiously look for ways to incorporate these messages in your family home evenings, your gospel teaching, your conversations with family and friends, and even your discussions with those not of our faith.”

These are not one time, check it off a box kind of activities but rather the pursuit of a lifetime.  If I had to pick a scripture to summarize all of these invitations to us, it would be this verse from the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (D&C 88:63).  President Nelson’s invitation to each of us is to seek the Lord with all our hearts, to hear His voice and follow His promptings to serve and minister to God’s children.