Uchtdorf - It Works Wonderfully! - October 2015

President Uchtdorf shares with us that some people are very happy with their experiences with the church.  He notes that some are not very happy as well.  He takes us through how to make more of our church experience and to get the most of our our discipleship.

• When it comes to spiritual truth, how can we know that we are on the right path? One way is by asking the right questions—the kind that help us ponder our progress and evaluate how things are working for us. Questions like:
  • “Does my life have meaning?”
    
  • “Do I believe in God?”
    
  • “Do I believe that God knows and loves me?”
    
  • “Do I believe that God hears and answers my prayers?”
    
  • “Am I truly happy?”
    
  • “Are my efforts leading me to the highest spiritual goals and values in life?”
    
• I wonder if we as Church members might also benefit from asking ourselves from time to time: “Is my experience in the Church working for me? Is it bringing me closer to Christ? Is it blessing me and my family with peace and joy as promised in the gospel?”

If we are not feeling that the church experience is working for us, he says that asking us these questions will help us figure out where our place is in God's plan.

• Such contemplation may help us to refocus or realign our daily efforts with the divine plan of salvation.
  

To those that don't feel that the are getting what is needed, he provides these word of counsel.

• There are some who have a less-than-fulfilling experience—who feel that their membership in the Church sometimes isn’t quite what they had hoped for. This saddens me because I know firsthand how the gospel can invigorate and renew one’s spirit—how it can fill our hearts with hope and our minds with light. I know for myself how the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ can transform lives from the ordinary and dreary to the extraordinary and sublime.

He then gives us two things we can do to get the most out of our church experience.

• First: are we making our discipleship too complicated?
  • As members of the Church, we need to make a conscientious effort to devote our energy and time to the things that truly matter, while uplifting our fellowmen and building the kingdom of God.

He gives us the essence of the gospel.  We should focus on the simplicity of the message instead of the complicated layers of programs and activities that help us but are not the gospel itself.

• Living the gospel doesn’t need to be complicated. It is really straightforward. It could be described like this:
  
  • Hearing the word of God with earnest intent leads us to believe in God and to trust His promises.
    
  • The more we trust God, the more our hearts are filled with love for Him and for each other.
    
  • Because of our love for God, we desire to follow Him and bring our actions in alignment with His word.
    
  • Because we love God, we want to serve Him; we want to bless the lives of others and help the poor and the needy.
    
  • The more we walk in this path of discipleship, the more we desire to learn the word of God.
    
• If you ever think that the gospel isn’t working so well for you, I invite you to step back, look at your life from a higher plane, and simplify your approach to discipleship. Focus on the basic doctrines, principles, and applications of the gospel. I promise that God will guide and bless you on your path to a fulfilling life, and the gospel will definitely work better for you.

My second suggestion is: start where you are.

• I learned in my life that we don’t need to be “more” of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become. God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord.
  

We need to have an eternal perspective when it comes to our relationship with Christ.

• If we look at ourselves only through our mortal eyes, we may not see ourselves as good enough. But our Heavenly Father sees us as who we truly are and who we can become. He sees us as His sons and daughters, as beings of eternal light with everlasting potential and with a divine destiny.
  

We would be wise to remember that we are on a journey through eternity and that eternity includes our time on earth.

• Exaltation is our goal; discipleship is our journey.
  
• God will help you become something greater than you ever thought possible. And you will discover that the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed working in your life. It works.
  

Simplify your life and start where you are gives us hope for our journey with Christ.  I love this message.  I have had several people over the past couple years tell me that they church experiences are no longer spiritual for them.  They talk about the great programs and organization of the church and how they love what the church offers.  I share with them that the church organization is not the gospel.  The gospel is about the saving grace of our Savior.  When we lose focus of the Savior, we will no longer have spiritual experiences that enhance our faith.  President Uchtdorf reminds us that we need those spiritual experiences to keep the gospel fresh.  Those experiences help us stay focused on what this journey of discipleship is all about.  We are not here on earth to have a good ward activity on Saturday night that bring the neighborhood together.  We are here to use those experiences to encourage continued discipleship in the church.  The activity is not the gospel.  We should never lose focus of the Savior in our activities because if we do, we will stop having that renewed spiritual experience that increases our faith in the Savior and His plan.