Trust in His Doctrine

In the most recent general conference, Elder Evan A. Schmutz spoke of the doctrine of Christ and summarized it with this quote from Preach My Gospel about the purpose of missionary work: “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” These are the foundational principles of the gospel that apply to all who seek to follow the Savior. Elder Schmutz suggested that we need to trust in this doctrine of Christ: “Last October, President Nelson asked, “What does it mean to overcome the world?” Among other things, he said, ‘It means trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men.’ The word trust is defined as an ‘assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.’ That someone is Jesus Christ, and that something is His doctrine.” Elder Schmutz then explained three things that we will do if we truly trust in the doctrine of Christ: 

1.       “If we trust the doctrine of Christ, we will trust Christ enough to live by His every word. We will make a lifelong study of Jesus Christ, His ministry, His teachings, and His infinite Atonement, including His glorious Resurrection.” To trust is to study and believe in His word.

2.       “If we trust the doctrine of Christ, we will approach our Heavenly Father every day in humble, secret prayer, where we can express gratitude for the gift of His Son and for all of our blessings.” To trust is to have faith in the power of prayer.

3.       “If we trust the doctrine of Christ, we will set aside the shiny things of the world so that we can focus on the Redeemer of the world. We will limit or eliminate time spent on social media; digital games; wasteful, excessive, or inappropriate entertainment; the allure of this world’s treasures and vanities; and any other activities that give place to the false traditions and misguided philosophies of men. It is only in Christ we find truth and lasting fulfillment.” To trust is to let go of the things of the world that keep us from Him. 

And so, to trust in the doctrine of Christ is to seek each day to set aside the things of the world so that instead we can take the time to study His word and pray earnestly to our Father in Heaven. As we seek to find fulfillment in the Savior and His gospel instead of in the praise of the world or the things it offers, we will be putting our trust in His doctrine.  

                One of my favorite passages from Isaiah is this injunction: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:3-4). We find peace as we trust in Christ and His doctrine more than in the world and its philosophies and “shiny things.” One of the principles that is encompassed in the doctrine of Christ is enduring to the end, and surely that is a major part of what it means to trust in Him. We have to continue trying to live according to His doctrine even when things are difficult or it feels like we don’t have the results we want in our lives. In her song Trust in You Lauren Daigle put it this way to the Lord: 

When You don't move the mountains

I'm needing You to move

When You don't part the waters

I wish I could walk through

When You don't give the answers

As I cry out to You

I will trust, I will trust

I will trust in You 

This idea—that we can trust in Him even when He doesn’t move the mountains or part the waters in our lives that we wish He would—is perhaps best encapsulated in the faithful words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. When faced with the fiery furnace for their faith in Jehovah, these young men said to the king: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:16-18). Their “but if not” statement emphasized that whether their God delivered them from this difficult situation or not, they would still serve Him and believe in Him. They would trust in Jehovah under all circumstances, knowing that in the end it would all work out for the best. Or as one father put it after losing his daughter to cancer: “Our family’s faith is in Jesus Christ and is not dependent on outcomes.” As we trust in the doctrine of Christ, seeking to live by it no matter what happens to us, Elder Schmutz’s promise is this: “He will never fail you.”