Jesus Christ is our savior, he suffered and died for each of us. We should strive to dedicate our lives to him and his cause.
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires much more than just words, it requires works. Elder Uchtdorf makes an excellent comparison about discipleship and the amount of time that professional athletes, engineers, and others need to dedicate in order to perfect their craft. And how much more important is the gospel than these other things. And of course it wouldn’t be an Elder Uchtdorf talk without an airline story. He talks of using the flight simulator as an effective learning tool for new pilots. His point here is that living the gospel requires lots of practice and learning from mistakes.
Elder Uchtdorf invites all people to feel welcome in the church and its various programs and to feel welcome.
The next section is what really resonated with me. The Saviors embrace extends to all, there is no threshold of perfection that must attain in order to qualify for Gods grace. None of us are perfect and need to focus on lifting and serving others to glorify God. His compassion and patience is equal for all his children, even those who reject him. He invites all to COME AND BELONG.
God allows us to walk our own path and learn from our mistakes instead of dictating to us what we have to do. He gives us light and knowledge through the Holy Ghost and expects us use our time on earth wisely. The scriptures and prophets are here for our learning as well. Truly, agency is a vital component of our earthly existence and we need master ourselves to prepare for eternal life.
Come and belong. Whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. Love and serve God and his children. Show faith by participating and living the gospel. The Lord promises his blessing when we do so.
This was a good, straightforward lesson filled with reminders that I personally needed to hear.
-Steve Okey
Riverdale 7th Ward 