I started my review of the October 2018 general conference with the very last talk, given by President Russell M. Nelson entitled "Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints. I was surprised to realize that even though this talk is only 11 paragraphs long, it is full of prophetic promises. I'll do my best to list the ones I noticed:
I urge you to study these messages, commencing this week. They express the mind and will of the Lord for His people, today.
So, if we study the messages from conference, we will know the mind and will of the Lord for us.
I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior's teachings, and the influence of the adversary in _your_life and in your home will decrease. Change in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.
I find the usage of the term "remodel your home" in a spiritual context to be thought-provoking. A home remodel can be invasive and time-consuming ("well, that took longer than I thought it would..."). We need to bring multiple sources of influence to bear on this challenge. What structural changes can we make to encourage our homes becoming centers of gospel learning? What social forces within our families can we bring to bear to encourage good habits? How can we engender personal motivation in our kids to help us make the necessary changes and transformations?
I promise you that our rigorous attention to use the correct name of the Savior's Church and its members will lead to increased faith and access to greater spiritual power for members of His church.
This is about honoring the Savior and recognizing the source of power in the church. President Nelson has addressed the danger of omitting the name of Jesus Christ in connection with the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our lives", paragraphs 10-12). Just the simple act of remembering Jesus Christ when referring to the church cna bring increased faith and spiritual power. Similar to the Moses and the brass serpent, all we need to is look.
After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sascred covenants with God, each one of us needs teh ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them.
Going to the temple brings ongoing spiritual strength and tutoring.
Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater. I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family. If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in His holy house—then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.
In his closing message 6 months ago (see paragraph 10), Pres. Nelson blessed us "to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple", but now the language is more urgent ("I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time...make an appointment regularly with the Lord...").
I invite you to worship in the temple and pray to feel deeply the Savior’s infinite love for you, that each of you may gain your own testimony that He directs this sacred and ageless work.
'Nuff said.
I leave my love and blessing upon you, that you may feast upon the word of the Lord and apply His teachings in your personal lives...
I bless you with increased faith in Him and in His holy work, with faith and patience to endure your personal challenges in life. I bless you to become exemplary Latter-day Saints.
Ah, to be an 'exemplary' Latter-day Saint... Sounds good to me!
-Michael Whatcott