Making and keeping Commitments
I am grateful
for the opportunity to speak today and share my testimony with each of you of
some of the incredible principles that our Savior Jesus Christ has taught us. I
would like to begin by asking each of you a few questions. What does it mean to
be committed? Truly committed? What does it mean to be converted? Now, each of
us needs to ask ourselves: Am I truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ
and am I committed to living it every single day?
In Preach my gospel chapter 11 it says, “Commitment is an essential part of repentance. It is the
act of obligating oneself to a course of
action and then diligently following
through on that decision. When people are genuinely committed, they have real intent, meaning that they fully intend to do what they have
committed to do. They make an unwavering
and earnest decision to change.
They become devoted to Christ and dedicate themselves to His gospel.”
So, in essence, commitment is being willing to change to be
more dedicated to living the gospel of Jesus Christ everyday! On my mission I
am going to help people make commitments to come to church, read the Book of
Mormon, Pray, and be baptized. However, many of you have already done these
things, so today I want to focus on how we can be more fully committed to
living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Preach my gospel it discusses three ways in which making
and keeping commitments will have an impact on our lives.
1. We become truly converted as we live the principles
that we learn… and we can feel the Spirit confirming to us that what we are
doing is pleasing to our Heavenly Father.
A wonderful example of this principle is Elder L Tom Perry. When
he was a young executive, part of his job was to attend dinners of different
business groups including a social hour beforehand. Elder Perry says that he
always felt uncomfortable in these types of settings because he didn’t have a
drink in his hand. He tried holding a glass of 7-up, but it had the appearance
of an alcoholic beverage so he still felt uncomfortable because he was not
living up to his standards that he had already committed to following. Finally
he went over to the bartender and asked his for a drink that was DISTINCTIVELY
different from an alcoholic beverage and was given a glass of milk. I’m sure he
DEFINITELY stood out then! Elder Perry said, “It soon became a practice at the
social hours in that community to always have a carton of milk on the bar. I
was amazed, as time passed, by how many of my associates were joining me for a
glass of milk during the hour that we spent together. I found, just as Daniel
did, that being different in the world brought some interesting reactions, but
obedience to the Lord’s law is always associated with His blessings”.
-As we keep our commitments we have made we too will be
blessed just as Elder Perry was. In Mosiah 2:41 it says, 41 And
moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed
and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For
behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;
We will be blessed both temporally and spiritually… in all
things if we keep our commitments to our Heavenly Father and Savior.
-In the Bok of Mormon we find many examples of those who are
committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Alma the younger is one of those great
examples. After he repents and decides to turn his life around, Alma commits
himself to the Lord and His ways. Then, once he is committed he spends the rest
of his life committing others to living the gospel. In Alma chapter 5, as a changed man, Alma teaches the people of Zarahemla the word
of God and commits them to living it. He
asks about 41 questions throughout the chapter asking the people if they are
living Christ centered lives. These are questions that we can also ask
ourselves to find if we are committed to living and loving the Gospel and
sharing it with others as Alma did.
A couple weeks ago we were having family scripture share and
my grandma Zwick was sharing her testimony in Alma Chapter 5 verse 26 …She said
that Alma was the greatest missionary ever as he helped the people to have a
change of heart! My little sister Liza
jumped up and said, “Hey, wait, grandma, I thought I was going to be the
greatest missionary ever!” Liza, I hope while I am gone in Spain that you WILL
be the best missionary as you commit to follow Alma’s example in living, loving
and sharing the gospel. Sister Jean A. Stephens, the first counselor in the primary
general presidency, said, “Every mighty change of heart matters to the Lord.
And yours will make all the difference to you”. We can all choose to have a
change of heart as Alma did and the people he taught did too. We can start by
following the simple principles that we learn everyday and know through the
Holy Ghost that what we are doing is pleasing our Heavenly Father and Savior.
And then once we know for ourselves, we can help others come to know as well.
2. The second point is Keeping commitments prepares us
to make and keep sacred covenants
-To remind us all what a covenant is, Elder Holland said, “a
covenant is a binding spiritual contract, a solemn promise to God our Father
that we will live and think and act in a certain way – the way of His son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. In return, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost promise us the
full splendor of eternal life”.
-2
Nephi 31:19-20. 19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this
strait and narrow path, I would ask
if all is done? Behold, I say
unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ
with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is
mighty to save.
20 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.
-What an incredible promise! If we endure to the end in
keeping our covenants and commitments we shall have eternal life! BUT that
means that it is not just a one time event… We need to keep pressing forward
every day!
-This past February I was able to go to Florida for a
mission tour with my Grandparents. While I was there I had the opportunity to
be with the Sister missionaries for a few days. I spent 2 full days being a
missionary in the Florida Tampa mission teaching people, knocking on doors,
having personal and companionship study, language study, but most importantly
strengthening my testimony of how important it is to be committed continuously
to living the gospel of Jesus Christ. While I was with the sisters, there was a
family who invited us over for dinner who weren’t members and were incredibly
nice and welcoming to us. The dad had been active a long time ago but fell away
from the church. As we talked with them about the Book of Mormon and how they
could read it as a family he told us that he was “all set” because he had
already read it once. He had prayed many times before and had gone to church
many times before. He said he had learned all he needed to learn and felt like
there was nothing else for him. We went on to bear our testimonies to him about
how wonderful it is that we can continue to learn new things especially at
different points in our lives. We had a family prayer with them and then left.
As I got in the car I thought about the experience I had just been through. I
realized how important it is to keep our commitments and be converted every
single day. It is not just a one time read through the Book of Mormon or until
you think you know everything, but it is every single day.
-Just like in Alma 37 verses 6 and 7. I know this is true! By
small and simple things are great things brought to pass. It is by consistently
doing the little things everyday that help us remain converted and committed to
fully living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping others around us want to
live it as well.
-A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to Europe with
my family. One of the places we went to was Amsterdam, which is where my dad
served his mission. While we were there, we met a family that my dad had taught
on his mission… Noel and Jolanda Tijssens and their 10 kids! They were active a
long time ago, but while my dad was on his mission, he was able to teach and
reactivate them. It was incredible to see the influence that one person can
have on so many others as they are committed to living the gospel. While we
were with their family, Yolanda told my mom that because of my dad they now
know that the Gospel is the most important thing in their lives and that living
it everyday helps them to be together forever as an eternal family and receive
the blessings from their sacred covenants. It was so neat to spend a whole
morning in the Haag temple with my family and Yolanda’s family. The Spirit was
so strong as my dad read the baptismal prayer in Dutch and to have Yolanda’s
family with us made it so special to see that because my dad was committed to
living the gospel, he was able to then help another family come unto Christ and
keep their covenants. I am grateful for my parents and the incredible examples
that they are to me of truly being converted and committed to living the gospel
of Jesus Christ every single day and for helping me to understand the
importance of doing the same.
Elder Bednar said, “Making and keeping sacred covenants
yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ”. I know that as we commit ourselves
to the gospel, that we will be prepared to make and keep such sacred covenants.
3. Repentance and change (another word for commitment)
will help each of us to conquer challenges, rid ourselves of shame and guilt
and experience peace and joy of God’s forgiveness.
-Alma 7:14 14 Now I
say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith
if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore
come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins,
that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the
world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
-How do we live up to our commitments… it is only through
the cleansing and enabling power of the Atonement
-Sister Linda K. Burton, the Relief society General
president, said, “Why was the Savior
willing to keep His covenant with the Father and fulfill His divine mission to
atone for the sins of the world? It was His love for His Father and His love
for us. Why was the Father willing to allow His Only Begotten and perfect Son to
suffer pain beyond description to bear the sins, heartaches, sicknesses, and
infirmities of the world and all that is unfair in this life? We find the
answer in these words: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son.”
-They did this for each of us out of LOVE. As we truly love
our Heavenly Father and Savior with our whole hearts, we will be more committed
to living the gospel everyday. We will be committed to being better friends,
better siblings, better missionaries, and ultimately become better servants for
our Savior and Heavenly Father.
-It has been through my own personal study of the Atonement
that I have come to have an even greater desire to serve a mission. I am not
perfect, none of us are. I set goals for myself and try to accomplish them.
Everyday I make a new to-do list of temporal things I want to get done, but
also spiritual goals and service oriented goals and goals to follow the
promptings I receive from the Holy Ghost. But sometimes I fall short of these
commitments and I am not always living up to the things that my Father in
Heaven has asked me to do. But that is when I am so grateful for the Atonement
that I can repent and change and become better than I was before so that I
might succeed in days to come with the help of my Savior and best friend.
In 2
Nephi 2:8 it says…. 8 Wherefore,
how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the
earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence
of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the
Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and
taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass
the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
I have learned this
for myself, I want to go to Spain and teach the people that when they slip or
fall short that it is not the end. They do not have to feel sad…or lonely… or
heart broken…. or lost. I want them to know, just like I do, that they have a
loving Savior who atoned for their sins and who knows exactly how they feel.
And He allows them and each one of us to use this precious gift to repent… to change… to become our best selves who
Heavenly Father needs us to be. He WILL
help us. Not only once, but every single day as we turn to Him and trust in
Him. We can begin today to repent and ask for His help in our lives to be all
that we can be and do the things He needs us to do.
I love in Mosiah 18 when the people describe their feelings
about the Baptismal Covenant. In verse 11 it says, “Now when the people had
heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy and exclaimed: This is the
desire of our hearts”. These people Cheerfully desired to be committed to the
gospel. This should be the desire of our hearts too! It is the desire of my
heart to commit to the gospel of Jesus Christ so that I can bring other people
to the same desire.
Elder Holland said, “I am not certain just
what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at
some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked
Peter: ‘Did you love me?’”24
This is something that I hope we can
all ask ourselves everyday… “Did I love the Savior enough to be committed to
following Him today?”
I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father
who knows me and sent a Savior, Jesus Christ who loved me and each of us enough
to atone for the sins of the World. I know that He lives and He is the ultimate
example of obedience and being committed to doing the will of the Father. I
know that as we will look to Him and choose today to be more committed to
following His example that the Spirit will be with us and we will want to live
the Gospel in our everyday lives.
The gospel is the most important thing
to me in my life and I am so excited to go share it with the people in Spain. I
know that it is true! I love it with my whole heart!
I know that the Book of Mormon is true
and was translated by Joseph Smith and that he was a true prophet of God on the
earth, that he was able to restore the true church upon the earth because He
was committed. I know that we have a living prophet today, President Thomas S.
Monson who loves us and receives direct revelation from our Heavenly Father to
guide and direct this Church.
I know that our Heavenly Father and
Savior love each one of us so much and have a plan specifically for us and if
we choose to be committed to living the gospel that they will be there to help
us and guide us every step of the way.
I say these things, in the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen.
Following her farewell talk in sacrament meeting, Allie was set apart as a full time sister missionary by her wonderful Grandpa, President Henry B. Eyring. Participating in the setting apart also included Grandpa Zwick, Dad, President Clark, President Zimmerman, and Bishop Callister.
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