I've been impressed with the 2017 April General Conference talks. All are so important to study and ponder especially when we face challenges or trials. I was grateful to read Elder Yoon Hwan Choi's talk titled, "Don't look around, Look Up! It was fantastic.
In this blog post, I've created two FREE quote cards that you can simply click on the link, download and print.
Question: What is our purpose?
Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ.
Elder Yoon Hwan Choi then shared his conversion story:
I was baptized with my parents when I was 16 years old. My younger brother, Kyung-Hwan, who was 14 years old, joined the Church through my uncle, Young Jik Lee, and invited us to his church. Each of the 10 members in our family belonged to a different church, so we were happy to find the truth and wanted to share that happiness we found in the gospel of Jesus Christ after we were baptized. My father was the most excited among us to learn and share the truth. He used to wake up early in the morning to study the scriptures for over two hours every day. After work he went with the missionaries to visit our family, friends, and neighbors nearly every day. Seven months after we were baptized, 23 of my family and relatives became members of the Church. That was followed by the miracle of seeing 130 people baptized in the following year through my father’s member missionary work. Family history was also important to him, and he completed eight generations of our ancestors. From that time on, the fruits of our family conversion, started by my 14-year-old brother, have increased in countless ways not only among the living but also among the dead. Building upon the work of my father and others, our family tree now spans to 32 generations, and we are now completing temple work for many branches. Today I am amazed and feel great joy linking our ancestors and our descendants.
I loved President Gordon B. Hinckley's words:
“In that sacred and hallowed house there passed through my mind a sense of the tremendous obligation that was mine to pass on all that I had received as an inheritance from my forebears to the generations who have now come after me.”
How important are we in spreading the gospel not only to our families but to those around us? It is vital. It is super important!
Question: How can we ensure we will be a strong link in our eternal family?
Quote #1 (pdf)
Look up to Jesus Christ
Apply the teachings of Christ
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."
Story:
While still serving in the Seattle mission, I received a phone call from my oldest son, Sunbeam, who is a pianist. He said he would have the privilege of performing at Carnegie Hall in New York because he won an international competition. We were so happy and very thrilled for him. However, that evening, while praying with gratitude, my wife recognized that we could not join him for his performance and said to Heavenly Father something like this: “Heavenly Father, I am grateful for the blessing Thou hast given to Sunbeam. By the way, I am sorry that I cannot go there. I could have gone if Thou had given this blessing either before or after this mission. I am not complaining, but I have a little feeling of sorry.”
As soon as she finished this prayer, she heard a clear voice: “Because you cannot go, your son has been given this privilege. Would you rather trade?”
My wife was surprised. She knew children would be blessed through their parents’ faithful work in the Lord’s kingdom, but it was the first time she understood her role with such clarity. She replied to Him right away: “No, no, it is OK for me not to go. Let him have that honor.”
Wow! Would you do the same thing as his wife and stay on your mission? It is a sacrifice but I'm sure she was blessed for following the spirit. What a great example of obedience and dedication.
It is sometimes hard to recognize the love that our Heavenly Father has for us when we look around with our temporal eyes but when we look up, we can see the blessings that he provided to us and our families.
The Lord has revealed, "When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." Choi continued by saying, "To all those who embark in any service of God, know that you are a solid connection for powerful blessings to those before you and to generations after you."
Question:
What are you grateful in your own life? What are the blessings that you've received by being obedient?
I loved what Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "If you choose to become inactive or to leave the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where will you go? What will you do? The decision to ‘walk no more’ with Church members and the Lord’s chosen leaders will have a long-term impact that cannot always be seen right now.”
And President Thomas S. Monson encouraged us, “May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”
Question: Is it too late? NO
It is never too late to look up to Jesus Christ. His arms are always open to you. There are generations before us and after us depending on us to follow Christ so that we can be an eternal family of God.
This gave me comfort...
It’s not always easy to look up when your parents are opposed to the gospel, when you are a member of a small Church unit, when your spouse is not a member, when you are still single although you did your best to marry, when a child has strayed, when you find yourself a single parent, when you are physically or emotionally challenged, when you are a victim in a disaster, and so on. Hold on to your faith in those hard times. Look up to Christ for strength, balance, and healing. Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, “all things shall work together for [your] good.”
Quote #2 (pdf)
Testimony:
I bear witness of Jesus Christ, that He is our Savior and Redeemer. When we follow our living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, we look up to Jesus Christ. As we pray and study the scriptures every day and partake sincerely of the sacrament every week, we gain the strength to always look up to Him. I am happy to be a member of this Church and to be a part of an eternal family. I love to share this great gospel with others. Inviting others to come unto Christ is our purpose, and we can fulfill this purpose by looking up to Jesus Christ.
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