Focus on Jesus Christ

Don’t focus so much in your problems that you can’t see the solutions.

1. Physical death
2. Tribulations of this world
3. Spiritual death (arising from sin)
4. Limited/imperfect natures

Everyone who makes covenants in baptismal fonts or temples and keeps them will have increased access to heaven.

Transform our homes into a sanctuary of faith. 2nd promise: your children will be excited to learn about {the plan of salvation}.

Don’t focus so intensely on your problems that you can’t see the solution.

I know I have done that at times in the past. Hopefully I can avoid doing it in the future.

I testify that the Lord Jesus Christ is the solution to even our most difficult problems. Specifically, He has overcome four problems that every one of us faces and that not one of us can solve on our own:

1. The first problem is physical death.
2. The second problem includes the tribulations, difficult experiences, sadness, pain, and unfairness of this world.
3. The third problem is spiritual death arising from sin.
4. The fourth problem is our limited, imperfect natures.

Unfortunately, too often we concentrate so much on our own problems that we lose focus on the solution, our Savior, Jesus Christ. How do we avoid that mistake? I believe the answer lies in the covenants we are invited to make with Him and our Father in Heaven.

Covenants help us focus on Christ and the plan of salvation rather than focusing on ourselves and our own weaknesses and challenges.

Covenant keeping leads us to seek after whatever invites the influence of the Spirit and reject whatever drives it away.

Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. …

The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better.

Russell M. Nelson

When President Nelson introduced Come, Follow Me in 2018, he said, “It is time for a home-centered Church.” He said we should “transform [our] home into a sanctuary of faith” and “a center of gospel learning.” And he made four wonderful promises to us if we do.

1. “Your Sabbath days will truly be a delight.” It will become a day when we draw closer to our Savior.
2. “Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings.”
3. “The influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease.” Why? Because the more we focus on Jesus Christ, the more sin loses its appeal.
4. “Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.” Why? Because the change that Jesus Christ brings is “a mighty change.” He changes our very natures; we become “new creatures.”

Who wouldn’t want these promises fulfilled in their lives and in their families? What do we need to do to obtain them? The answer is to transform our homes into a sanctuary of faith and a center of gospel learning. …

Could I suggest that you begin by making the words of Christ, found in the scriptures, a daily part of your life? There is no prescribed formula for perfect scripture study. It could be 5 or 10 minutes each day—or more if you can. It could be a chapter or a few verses a day. Some families prefer to study in the morning before they leave for school or work. Others prefer to read at night before bed. Some young couples have told me that they study individually on the way to work and then share insights with each other via text so their comments and discussions are recorded.

I want those promises! Thankfully we have been making efforts to make daily study a reality for the family. We just need to keep going. Whatever we can do with consistency is what we should aim for.

The Lord Jesus Christ lives today. He can be an active, daily presence in our lives. He is the solution to our problems, but we must lift our eyes and raise our sights to see Him. He has said, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” As we focus on Him and our Father in Heaven, make and keep covenants with Them, and make Them the most important influence in our home and family, we will become the kind of people President Nelson envisioned: “A people who are able, ready, and worthy to receive the Lord when He comes again, a people who have already chosen Jesus Christ over this fallen world, a people who rejoice in their agency to live the higher, holier laws of Jesus Christ.”