Faithful to the End

While David used only one stone to kill Goliath, he was prepared with five.

1. Love for God
2. Faith in Jesus Christ (fully trust His wisdom, His timing, His love)
3. Knowledge of my true identity
4. Daily repentance
5. Access to God’s power (gives us power to grow in the specific ways that we need)

It is the strength of the connection between the house and the bedrock that allows it to survive the storm.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I wish David had one more stone—that would be the stone of personal testimony.

We can find other possible stones as well. We aren’t limited to 5 or 6 or 7.

I testify that there is joy in praying every day, reading the book of Mormon every day, in partaking of the sacrament every week, of going to seminary—even in the early morning…

While David used only one stone to kill Goliath, he was prepared with five.…

What if each of David’s stones represented a strength we need to be triumphant in our lives? What could those five stones be? I thought of these possibilities:

1. The stone of my love for God.
2. The stone of my faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
3. The stone of the knowledge of my true identity.
4. The stone of my daily repentance.
5. The stone of my access to God’s power.

I love how each stone can give us spiritual staying power. If one fails us at a given moment the others can help carry us through.

Repentance isn’t punishment for sin; it is the way the Savior frees us from sin. To repent means to change―to turn away from sin and toward God. It means to improve and receive forgiveness. This kind of change is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing process.

For the Strength of Youth

A house doesn’t survive in a storm because the house is strong. It also doesn’t survive just because the rock is strong. The house survives the storm because it is firmly attached to that strong rock. It’s the strength of the connection to the rock that matters

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I actually wish David had had one more stone; that would be the stone of my testimony. …

Just as I chose stone number six, I invite you to meet with your class, quorum, or family and think about what other strengths you need to acquire to remain faithful to God and, therefore, overcome the world.

I like the idea of undertaking this exercise.

I testify that there is joy in praying every day, in reading the Book of Mormon every day, in partaking of the sacrament every Sunday, and in going to seminary—even in the early morning! There is joy in doing good.

There is joy in being faithful to the God of the universe, the Savior of the world, the King of kings. There is joy in being a disciple of Jesus Christ.