Zivic - He That Shall Endure unto the End, the Same Shall Be Saved - April 2018

Elder Zivic speaks about the need for each of us to "Endure to the End" in our lives. He begins by telling us what that phrase means.

• To endure means “to remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity.”

He says that many of us have moving experiences in our lives that build our faith in the Savior and His plan but those experiences fade and we each run the risk of not staying on the path until the end.

• Even those who have had powerful spiritual experiences and have given faithful service could one day go astray or fall into inactivity if they do not endure to the end.

He speaks about some reasons people stop attending church and what his response is to these individuals.

• I have heard many justifications from those who have stopped participating actively in the Church and have lost the correct vision of the purpose of our journey on this earth. I exhort them to reflect and to return, because I believe that no one will be able to make excuses before our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The covenants we made at baptism are important and are not reduced because of time.  We need to renew our covenants at sacrament meeting by partaking of the sacrament often.

• When we were baptized, we made covenants—not with any man but with the Savior, agreeing to “take upon [ourselves] the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.”
• Attendance at sacrament meetings is one of the key ways we can evaluate our determination to serve Him, our spiritual fortitude, and the growth of our faith in Jesus Christ.
• Partaking of the sacrament is the most important thing we do on the Sabbath day. The Lord explained this ordinance to His Apostles just before He died. He did the same on the American continent. He tells us that if we participate in this ordinance, it will be a testimony to the Father that we always remember Him, and He promises that, accordingly, we will have His Spirit to be with us.

He shares a story about renting a kayak and how a small crack had filled the boat with water.  This small crack prevented him from being about to successfully navigate the water.  He compares this experience to sin in our lives and how life is hard to navigate when we are carrying around unnecessary sins.

• If we persist in our sins, we forget the covenants we have made with the Lord, even though we keep capsizing because of the imbalance that those sins create in our lives.
• The cracks in our lives need to be dealt with. Some sins will require more efforts than others to repent of.
• We should therefore ask ourselves: Where are we regarding our attitude toward the Savior and His work? Are we in Peter’s situation when he denied Jesus Christ? Or have we advanced to the point where we have the attitude and determination he had after the great commission he received from the Savior?

Obedience is a key to opening the blessings of heaven.

• Obedience will give us the strength to overcome sin. We must also understand that the trial of our faith requires us to obey, often without knowing the results.

Elder Zivic gives us his formula for enduring to the end.  We would be wise to consider these things often to assure we are on the right path.

• I suggest a formula that will help us endure to the end:
  • Daily, pray and read the scriptures.
  • Weekly, partake of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
  • Pay our tithing and our monthly fast offering.
  • Every two years—every year for the youth—renew our temple recommends.
  • Throughout our whole lives, serve in the work of the Lord.

He concludes with what he believes our Heavenly Father says to us about enduring to the end.

• Whatever our personal situations may be, I testify that our Heavenly Father is constantly saying, “I love you. I sustain you. I am with you. Do not give up. Repent and endure in the path that I have shown you. And I assure you that we will see each other again in our celestial home.”

Once we have completed the necessary covenants that are required for exaltation, our most important responsibility is to not lose our way along the path.  Keeping our focus on the Savior, His teachings, and finding ways to serve others will be beneficial to keeping us on the right path.  But we need to remember that the path may be dark and dreary sometimes.  In those times of darkness, we need to reach out to the Savior and to others that are not in the darkness for help along the path.  I am encouraged by those that spend much of their life in spiritual lightness and somehow keep from the darkness that easily comes to some.  In times of good, I want to be helpful in bringing that light to others.  And I am so grateful in my nights of darkness, that I have people that can help me find the light when the morning comes.