All-in

Conference was incredible, and I’ve just got 3 words to say.
Focused.
Committed.
Intentional.Elder [Jeffrey R.] Holland talked a lot about making sure we are focused on Christ.

“[It] will mean little or nothing unless we find Jesus at the center of it all. To grasp the vision we are seeking, the healing that He promises, the significance we somehow know is here, we must cut through the commotion and fix our attention on Him…He should be uppermost in our minds and hearts.”

Last Pday we went with our member, Zhong Mama, to all you can eat hot pot. She had stayed up late the nights before watching General Conference live and was telling us how she has a new conviction and desire to put Christ and Heavenly Father first in her life. I pray that from the changes we feel we need to make and inspiring thoughts we have felt at Conference we choose to act immediately and we don’t abandon our good intentions.

I started reading a book about Insights into our Prophet President [Russell M.] Nelson’s life. I admire him and his ability to put the Lord first above everything else.

Is Christ the focus of my life? I can easily answer that right now He is. But as I continue throughout life, He has got to stay that way if anything is going to have meaning and if anything is going to work out.

Be focused on Christ. Put Him first.

Be committed to your covenants. Are you all-in or not?

Elder [Gerrit W.] Gong talking about covenant belonging said, “To belong with God and to walk with each other on His covenant path is to be blessed by covenant belonging.”

When we do our best to honor our covenants we have the promise that, “However often we stumble or fall, if we keep moving toward Him, He will help us, a step at a time.”

So we are working with a less active member. She hasn’t come to church for about 30 years. At one point she wanted to come back, but thought mistakenly that God didn’t want her back. She had entered into covenant when she got baptized. God knows her name. Of course God wants her back. In helping her feel the love of God we helped her realize that there is a place for her, and even though she has stumbled, one step at a time, she will make it back to the fold of God. She has now made a new commitment with herself and with God about coming back to church.

If we are committed to keeping our covenants and progressing along the covenant path we will have the constant aid and companionship from the Lord. He will not let us fail.

Lastly I want to talk about Elder [Dieter F.] Uchtdorf’s remarks in relation to being intentional.

“…discipleship is not about doing things perfectly; it’s about doing things intentionally. It is your choices that show what you truly are, far more than your abilities. Even when you fail, you can choose not to give up, but rather discover your courage, press forward, and rise up. That is the great test of the journey. God knows that you are not perfect, that you will fail at times. God loves you no less when you struggle than when you triumph. Like a loving parent, He merely wants you to keep intentionally trying.”

Perfectionism is something I have struggled with my whole life and definitely so on my mission. However God sees the sacrifices. This week we had a 6 week follow up meeting for all the trainers/trainees. To say training one missionary and followup training another missionary has been humbling is a complete understatement. However, it is about how I am intentionally choosing to live each day trying to become more like Christ that really matters.

Be intentional in loving and serving others as well as living the Gospel.