Lovest Thou Me?

In a talk several years ago to graduates at BYU, President Nelson quoted these sobering words from Paul: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, . . . despisers of those that are good, . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” He then commented, “After his remarkable prophecy of our time, Paul added this word of warning: ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ Ponder that! It means that during these perilous times, life will not be comfortable for true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 3:1-4,12). Indeed in our day it is becoming increasingly clear to follow Jesus Christ is to go against the trends of the world, and persecution will continue to increase for those who are witnesses of Him. President Nelson continued, “In short, as disciples, each of us will be put to the test. At any hour of any day we have the privilege of choosing between right and wrong…. The day is gone when you can be a quiet and comfortable Christian.” He asked these poignant questions that we all must consider: “Jesus invited anyone who wants to be His disciple to take up His cross and follow Him. Are you ready to join the ranks? Or will you be ashamed of the gospel? Will you be ashamed of your Lord and His plan? Will you yield to voices of those who would have you join them on the popular side of contemporary history?” Indeed the world often tells us that we don’t want to be on the “wrong side” of history and so we must abandon the teachings of Jesus Christ that it doesn’t like. But President Nelson reminded these graduates and us that it is to God that we answer: “We cannot yield. History is not our judge. A secular society is not our judge. God is our judge! For each of us, Judgment Day will be held in God’s own way and time.”

               When the Resurrected Christ spoke to Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He asked the apostle this penetrating question: “Lovest thou me more than these?” (John 21:15) Jesus was inviting him to put God first in his life above all other things, and as disciples today we must likewise decide if we are willing to do the same. We cannot love the material things of the world, like Peter’s fish, more than we love God. We cannot love pleasure more than God as Paul warned many would do. We cannot love the “praise of the world” more than God as Nephi’s vision suggested the great and abominable church would do in our day. In short, we cannot “love Satan more than God” like Cain and expect to be true disciples of the Lord (Moses 5:18). In the days ahead it will surely only get harder to remain a faithful followers of the Savior and we will each be “put to the test” as President Nelson promised. Heber C. Kimball prophesied, “The time is coming when … it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then … look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall.” He emphasized that for us as Latter-day Saints, there is “a TEST coming.” Perhaps that test he spoke of is already here, at least in part, as we must decide whether we will love the Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel, even though increasingly unpopular, more than anything else. Nephi’s invitation was surely meant for us who seek to follow the Savior today in this challenging time: “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20-21).