Come, Follow Me

A few years ago President Nelson gave a talk in general conference titled “Come, Follow Me”, the same name as the study program that we follow in the Church. In the talk he referenced the only scripture which actually uses that phrase. It comes from the story of the rich man who came to the Savior asking what he lacked to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded this way: “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). And so, implicit in this invitation to come and follow Him is a notion of sacrifice. The Lord was asking this man to give up some of the things he treasured most in order to fully come after the Savior, and He certainly asks the same of us today. In order to do what He asks and follow Him we must be willing to give up things of the world that are of lesser importance. For example, in order to fully engage in the Come, Follow Me program we must be willing to sacrifice our time in order to study the scriptures. And as we make covenants with the Lord through baptism and the temple we likewise promise to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:10). We cannot truly follow Him while trying to stay put in Babylon at the same time.    

                President Nelson’s message in this talk focused on what we need to do to follow Him and obtain the blessings of eternal life with our families. He taught, “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. All these are required if we want to be exalted with our families and with God forever.” He suggested that loving our families was not sufficient to be eternally connected with them in the world to come, and he said he weeps for those who “have chosen not to make covenants with God. They have not received the ordinances that will exalt them with their families and bind them together forever.” He told of a man who came to him after his wife died who “longed to be with his departed wife.” He recounted, “He asked me to help him. I encouraged him to meet with our missionaries in order to understand the doctrine of Christ and learn of gospel covenants, ordinances, and blessings. That he did. But he felt the course they advised would require him to make too many changes in his life. He said, ‘Those commandments and covenants are just too difficult for me. Also, I can’t possibly pay tithing, and I don’t have time to serve in the Church.’ Then he asked me, ‘Once I die, please do the necessary temple work for my wife and me so that we can be together again.’” But to truly follow the Savior we cannot put off sacrifice indefinitely or He cannot change and exalt and make us into the kind of beings who can dwell with Him and our families forever. As the Prophet Joseph taught, “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary [to lead] unto life and salvation” (Lectures on Faith, p. 58). If like that rich man we want to obtain salvation and if like this friend of President Nelson we want to be with our families eternally, we must be willing to make sacrifices now to come and follow Him. President Nelson’s invitation was this: “ My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ invites us to take the covenant path back home to our Heavenly Parents and be with those we love. He invites us to ‘come, follow me.’” And to come, we must leave behind that which prevents us from fully devoting ourselves to Him.