Holland - Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You - April 2016

Elder Holland is the concluding speaker at the April 2016 General Conference.  He speaks about the spiritual feast that has just been received of the past days.  He shares that the feelings that are had by everyone comes with a desire to sustain these feelings over time but we all have to return to our normal lives in the coming days and that spiritual high will soon fade.

• None of us want tomorrow, or the day after that, to destroy the wonderful feelings we have had this weekend. We want to hold fast to the spiritual impressions we have had and the inspired teachings we have heard. But it is inevitable that after heavenly moments in our lives, we, of necessity, return to earth, so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face us.
  

He speaks of the things of life taking place the wonderful feelings that exist while watching conference.  He offers a couple pieces of advise to us.

• Realizing that we all have to come down from peak experiences to deal with the regular vicissitudes of life, may I offer this encouragement as general conference concludes.
  • First of all, if in the days ahead you not only see limitations in those around you but also find elements in your own life that don’t yet measure up to the messages you have heard this weekend, please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. The gospel, the Church, and these wonderful semiannual gatherings are intended to give hope and inspiration. They are not intended to discourage you. Only the adversary, the enemy of us all, would try to convince us that the ideals outlined in general conference are depressing and unrealistic, that people don’t really improve, that no one really progresses. And why does Lucifer give that speech? Because he knows he can’t improve, he can’t progress, that worlds without end he will never have a bright tomorrow. He is a miserable man bound by eternal limitations, and he wants you to be miserable too. Well, don’t fall for that. With the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength of heaven to help us, we can improve, and the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don’t always succeed.  We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn’t have much of a distribution list.
  • Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, “O Jesus, … have mercy on me.” He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek.

Elder Holland reminds us of the love that God has for each one of his children.

• The first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength.

He offers these words of encouragement to all of us how sometimes get down, have feelings if inadequacy, or make stupid mistakes along the path of life.

• Now, with that majestic devotion ringing from heaven as the great constant in our lives, manifested most purely and perfectly in the life, death, and Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can escape the consequences of both sin and stupidity—our own or that of others—in whatever form they may come to us in the course of daily living. If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow—and every other day—is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth “that all things work together for good to them that love God.” So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever.
  

He blesses each of us with strength to handle the heavy load when we struggle and reminds us that God blesses us in our time of need.

• Brothers and sisters, may a loving Father in Heaven bless us tomorrow to remember how we felt today. May He bless us to strive with patience and persistence toward the ideals we have heard proclaimed this conference weekend, knowing that His divine love and unfailing help will be with us even when we struggle—no, will be with us especially when we struggle.

He concludes by reminding us that this is the Lord's work here on the earth.  It is His gospel, His message, and He shows His love for us through the messages shared in General Conference.

• If gospel standards seem high and the personal improvement needed in the days ahead seems out of reach, remember Joshua’s encouragement to his people when they faced a daunting future. “Sanctify yourselves,” he said, “for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” I declare that same promise. It is the promise of this conference. It is the promise of this Church. It is the promise of Him who performs those wonders, who is Himself “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, ... The Prince of Peace.” Of Him I bear witness. Of Him I am a witness. And to Him this conference stands as a testament of His ongoing work in this great latter day.
  

As we prepare to start General Conference today with the General Women Session this evening, I am encouraged by the counsel to keep trying, keep trusting, keep believing, keep growing.  The Lord's plan is for us to personally grow stronger and stronger in the eternal truths that God has created.  General Conference is a testament that the Lord's church has modern day revelation, modern day prophets and apostles, and is lead and guided by the Savior himself.  As we prepare for General Conference in the coming week, it is my prayer that we will seek for find questions that we need answers to, take them to the Lord, and ask for an answer to be given to us during General Conference.  I can testify that the Spirit will help us find answers to our questions.  I have had this experience many times.  I know it is happens.  And I know it can happen for each of us if we sincerely seek the guidance of the Lord in our lives.