When we live our covenants they influence everything we do.
“Covenants cease to be rules we follow and become {principles} that inspire us.”
As in all things, the Savior has shown us the way: we need to look to and serve Jesus Christ as He looked to and served His Father. The Savior said it this way to the Prophet Joseph:
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
“Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”
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All through His mortal life, Jesus lived that promise. In humility, meekness, and love, He taught His Father’s doctrine and did His Father’s work with the power and authority His Father had given Him.
How do we humbly and consistently follow Christ?
Brethren, if we look unto Jesus Christ, He will bless us to be His elders in Israel—humble, meek, submissive, full of His love. And we will bring the joy and blessings of His gospel and His Church to our families and our brothers and sisters on both sides of the veil.
President Russell M. Nelson has called us to look unto Jesus Christ in just this way: “There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.”
Rivet is a great word. It means to fasten firmly, to attract and hold completely. We rivet our focus on Jesus Christ and His gospel by living our covenants.
When we live our covenants, they influence everything we say and do. We live a covenant life full of simple, everyday acts of faith that focus us on Jesus Christ: prayer from the heart in His name, feasting on His word, turning to Him to repent of our sins, keeping His commandments, partaking of the sacrament and keeping His Sabbath holy, worshipping in His holy temple as often as we can, and exercising His holy priesthood to serve God’s children.
These acts of covenant devotion open our hearts and minds to the redeeming power of the Savior and the sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost. Line upon line, the Savior changes our very nature, we become more deeply converted unto Him, and our covenants come alive in our hearts.
The promises we make to our Heavenly Father become rock-solid commitments, our deepest desires. Heavenly Father’s promises to us fill us with gratitude and joy. Our covenants cease to be rules we follow and become beloved principles that inspire and guide us and rivet our focus on Jesus Christ.
This is the change of nature that we call conversion.
None of us are perfect. Sometimes we get stuck. We get distracted or discouraged. We stumble. But if we look to Jesus Christ with a repentant heart, He will lift us up, cleanse us from sin, forgive us, and heal our hearts. He is patient and kind; His redeeming love never ends and never fails. He will help us live our covenants and magnify our calling as elders in Israel.
When divine light and power flow into our lives, three miraculous things happen:
- We can see! Through revelation we begin to see as Jesus saw the woman: beyond the surface into the heart. As we see as Jesus sees, He blesses us to love those we serve with His love. With His help, those we serve will see the Savior and feel His love.
- We have priesthood power! We have the authority and the power to act in the name of Jesus Christ “to bless, guide, protect, strengthen, and heal others” and bring miracles to those we love and keep our marriages and families safe.
- Jesus Christ goes with us! Where we go, He goes. When we teach, He teaches. When we comfort, He comforts. When we bless, He blesses.
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