“Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing (excerpts),” New Era, May 2019, 44–45.
Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing (excerpts)
Each member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an individual responsibility to learn and live the Lord’s teachings and to receive by proper authority the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. We should not expect the Church as an organization to teach or tell us everything we need to know and do to become devoted disciples and endure valiantly to the end [see Doctrine and Covenants 121:29]. Rather, our personal responsibility is to learn what we should learn, to live as we know we should live, and to become who the Master would have us become. And our homes are the ultimate setting for learning, living, and becoming. …
The overarching purpose of Heavenly Father’s plan is for His children to become more like Him. Accordingly, He provides us with essential opportunities to grow and progress. … We cannot expect simply to attend Church meetings and participate in programs and thereby receive all of the spiritual edification and protection that will enable us “to withstand in the evil day” [Ephesians 6:13].
… And though we all need help pressing forward on the covenant path, the ultimate responsibility for developing spiritual strength and stamina rests upon each one of us.
If all you or I know about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel is what other people teach or tell us, then the foundation of our testimony of Him and His glorious Latter-day work is built upon sand [see 3 Nephi 14:24–27; 18:13; Matthew 7:24–27].
We cannot rely exclusively upon or borrow gospel light and knowledge from other people—even those whom we love and trust. …
The ultimate missionary training center is in our homes. …
Our most instructive Sunday School classes should be our
individual and family study in our places of residence. …
Family history centers now are in our homes. …
Vital temple preparation classes occur in our homes. …
… But many Church members are unsure about what appropriately can and cannot be said regarding the temple experience outside of the temple. …
[The Church has prepared] a rich reservoir of resources … in print, audio, video, and other formats to help us learn about [temple] ordinances. [I invite you to study] the excellent materials available at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. …
I joyfully witness that compensating blessings will come as we strive to fulfill our individual responsibility to learn and love the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We truly can “be prepared to obtain every needful thing” [Doctrine and Covenants 109:15].