As
We Go Forward Together
Editors’ note:
President Russell M. Nelson, set apart as the 17th President
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on
January 14, 2018, delivered these remarks on January 16, 2018, during a
live broadcast from the annex of the Salt Lake Temple. He requested that his
words be published in this issue.
Dear
brothers and sisters, I’m humbled to be with you this morning. Four days ago we
laid to rest a giant of a man, a prophet of God—President Thomas S.
Monson. No words can do justice to the magnitude and magnificence of his life.
I will forever cherish our friendship with gratitude for what he taught
me. Now we must look forward to the future with complete faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ, whose Church this is.
Two days ago all of the
living Apostles met in the upper room of the Salt Lake Temple. There they made
a unanimous decision, first, to reorganize the First Presidency now and,
second, that I serve as President of the Church. Words are inadequate to tell
you what it felt like to have my Brethren—Brethren who hold all the priesthood
keys restored through the Prophet Joseph
Smith in this dispensation—place their hands upon my head to
ordain and set me apart as President of the Church. It was a sacred and
humbling experience.
It then became my
responsibility to discern whom the Lord had prepared to be my counselors. How
could I choose only two of the twelve other Apostles, each of whom I love so
dearly? I’m deeply grateful to the Lord for answering my fervent prayers. I am
very thankful that President Dallin Harris Oaks and President Henry Bennion
Eyring are willing to serve with me as First and Second Counselors,
respectively. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has resumed his place in
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He has already received major assignments
for which he is uniquely qualified.
I pay tribute to him and to
President Eyring for their magnificent service as counselors to President
Monson. They’ve been totally capable, devoted, and inspired. We are very
grateful for them. Each is willing to serve now where he is needed most.
As the Apostle second in
seniority, President Oaks also becomes President of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles. However, given his call to the First Presidency and consistent with
the order of the Church, President M. Russell Ballard, next in seniority, will serve
as the Acting President of that quorum. The First Presidency will work hand in
hand with the Twelve to discern the will of the Lord and move His sacred work
forward.
We are thankful for your
prayers. They have been offered throughout the world for us. On the morning
following President Monson’s passing, one such prayer was offered by a
four-year-old boy named Benson. I quote excerpts from his mother’s letter
written to my wife, Wendy. Benson prayed, “Heavenly Father, thank you that
President Thomas S. Monson could see his wife again. Thank you for our new
prophet. Help him to be brave and not scared that he’s new. Help him to grow up
to be healthy and strong. Help him to have power because he has the priesthood.
And help us always to be nice.”
I thank God for children
like this and for parents who are serious about their commitment to righteous,
intentional parenting—for every parent, teacher, and member who carries heavy
burdens and yet serves so willingly. In other words, for each one of you, I am
most humbly grateful.
The Lord Is at the Helm
As
we go forward together, I invite you to think about the majestic manner by
which the Lord governs His Church. When a President of the Church passes away,
there is no mystery about who is next called to serve in that capacity. There
is no electioneering, no campaigning, but only the quiet workings of a divine
plan of succession put in place by the Lord Himself.
Each
day of an Apostle’s service is a day of learning and preparing for more
responsibility in the future. It takes decades of service for an Apostle to
move from the junior chair to the senior chair in the circle. During that time,
he gains firsthand experience in each facet of the work of the Church. He also
becomes well acquainted with the peoples of the earth, including their
histories, cultures, and languages as assignments take him repeatedly across
the globe. This process of succession in the leadership of the Church is unique.
I know of nothing else like it. That should not surprise us, because this is
the Lord’s Church. He does not work after the manner of men.
I’ve
served in the Quorum of the Twelve under five previous Presidents of the
Church. I have watched each President receive revelation and respond to that
revelation. The Lord always has and always will instruct and inspire His
prophets. The Lord is at the helm. We who have been ordained to bear witness of
His holy name throughout the world will continue to seek to know His will and
follow it.
Stay on the Covenant Path
Now,
to each member of the Church I say, keep on the covenant path. Your commitment
to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those
covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege
available to men, women, and children everywhere.
As a new
Presidency, we want to begin with the end in mind. For this reason, we’re
speaking to you today from a temple. The end for which each of us strives is to
be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as families, faithful to
covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of God—that of
eternal life. The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make there are
key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family,
and your ability to resist the attacks of the adversary. Your worship in the
temple and your service there for your ancestors will bless you with increased
personal revelation and peace and will fortify your commitment to stay on the
covenant path.
Now,
if you have stepped off the path, may I invite you with all the hope in my
heart to please come back. Whatever your concerns, whatever your challenges,
there is a place for you in this, the Lord’s Church. You and generations yet
unborn will be blessed by your actions now to return to the covenant path. Our
Father in Heaven cherishes His children, and He wants each of us to return home
to Him. This is a grand goal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints—to help each of us to come back home.
I
express my deep love for you—love that has grown over decades of meeting you,
worshipping with you, and serving you. Our divine mandate is to go to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people, helping to prepare the world for the
Second Coming of the Lord. This we will do with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
knowing that He is in charge. This is His work and His Church. We are His
servants.
I
declare my devotion to God our Eternal Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. I
know Them, love Them, and pledge to serve Them—and you—with every remaining
breath of my life. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Monthly First Presidency Message to Be
Discontinued
This message will
be the last First Presidency Message published in the Ensign on a
monthly basis. In the future, the First Presidency will share important
messages as needed through the Church’s various channels, including Church
magazines and LDS.org.
“As We Go Forward –
As One”
cji
4/1/01
Commanded to be as
one
in all things and all
ways
keeping our
individual beings
but remembering
purposes
goals – salvation –
eternal life
united to gain
understanding
love service charity
caring
as we go forward – always
finding new strengths
always
thus forward never
retreating
organized pure and
selflessly
in all things and all
ways
commanded to be as
one!
Copyright
© 2018 – cji
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