Jesus is The Holy Living Christ Messiah. I invite you to repent of your sins, be baptized, be confirmed a member of The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and receive The Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, which will help you live a more holy, happy, peaceful life.
As a member of Christ’s true Church, I invite you to learn Christ’s True Gospel and be baptized by immersion, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Richard Linford.
To enjoy our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, to meet with missionaries and join Christ’s true Church, I invite you to call right now 1-801-240-1000 in order to arrange to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach the missionaries via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries. And for more details about the Church see www.lds.org.
I invite you –
to receive The True Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ:
to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
to repent of your sins,
to be baptized by immersion for the remission of your sins,
to be confirmed a member of The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost at the hands of those in the Church who hold legitimate priesthood authority from God.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness.
The central doctrine of the gospel is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:
first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
second, Repentance;
third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;
In its fulness, the gospel includes all the doctrines, principles, laws, ordinances, and covenants necessary for men and women to be exalted in the celestial kingdom.
The Savior has promised that if we [repent of our sins and] endure to the end, faithfully living the gospel, He will hold us guiltless before the Father at the Final Judgment (see 3 Nephi 27:16).
The fulness of the gospel has been preached in all ages when God’s children have been prepared to receive it.
In the latter days, or the dispensation of the fulness of times, the gospel has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Source. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Topics. www.lds.org.
The original Church of Jesus Christ “of Latter-day Saints” built on a foundation of living apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, has been restored by Our Savior through the Prophet Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets and apostles.
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. [The godhead is comprised of three separate persons: God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, are resurrected glorified perfect men with immortal bodies of flesh and bone. The Holy Ghost is a glorified man with a spirit body.]
2
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, [worked out in Gethsemane and on the Cross] all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5
We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. Ordinances are administered by those with legitimate priesthood authority restored by John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John.]
6
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7
We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon [a second witness that Jesus is the Christ, recording His visit to and His dealings with peoples on the American continent] to be the word of God.
9
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
To enjoy our Savior Jesus Christ’s promised peace and eternal life, to meet with missionaries and join Christ’s true Church, I invite you to call right now 1-801-240-1000 in order to arrange to visit with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also reach the missionaries via the website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/easter-2021/talk-with-missionaries. And for more details about the Church see www.lds.org.
Jesus of Nazaareth is Yeshua the Resurrected Living Christ who soon will come in power and great glory to cleanse the earth of sin and rule as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords so repent of your sins, pray to the Father in the holy name of Jesus, learn of Him by studying the scriptures, and keep His commandments to Love God with all your heart, might, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a vision of the worth of others and the ability to rise above prejudice.
The Lord’s teachings are for eternity and for all of God’s children.
In this message I will give some examples from the United States, but the principles I teach are applicable everywhere.
We live in a time of anger and hatred in political relationships and policies.
We felt it this summer when some went beyond peaceful protests and engaged in destructive behavior.
We feel it in some current campaigns for public offices.
Unfortunately, some of this has even spilled over into political statements and unkind references in our Church meetings.
In a democratic government we will always have differences over proposed candidates and policies.
However, as followers of Christ we must forgo the anger and hatred with which political choices are debated or denounced in many settings.
Here is one of our Savior’s teachings, probably well known but rarely practiced:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44).1
For generations, Jews had been taught to hate their enemies, and they were then suffering under the domination and cruelties of Roman occupation.
Yet Jesus taught them, “Love your enemies” and “do good to them that … despitefully use you.”
What revolutionary teachings for personal and political relationships!
But that is still what our Savior commands.
In the Book of Mormon we read,
“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” (3 Nephi 11:29).
Loving our enemies and our adversaries is not easy.
“Most of us have not reached that stage of … love and forgiveness,”
President Gordon B. Hinckley observed, adding, “It requires a self-discipline almost greater than we are capable of.”2
But it must be essential, for it is part of the Savior’s two great commandments to “love the Lord thy God” and to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
And it must be possible, for He also taught, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7).3
How do we keep these divine commandments in a world where we are also subject to the laws of man?
Fortunately, we have the Savior’s own example of how to balance His eternal laws with the practicalities of man-made laws.
When adversaries sought to trap Him with a question about whether Jews should pay taxes to Rome, He pointed to the image of Caesar on their coins and declared, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:25).4
So, we are to follow the laws of men (render unto Caesar) to live peacefully under civil authority, and we follow the laws of God toward our eternal destination.
But how do we do this—especially how do we learn to love our adversaries and our enemies?
The Savior’s teaching not to “contend with anger” is a good first step.
The devil is the father of contention, and it is he who tempts men to contend with anger.
He promotes enmity and hateful relationships among individuals and within groups.
President Thomas S. Monson taught that anger is “Satan’s tool,” for “to be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan.
We move toward loving our adversaries when we avoid anger and hostility toward those with whom we disagree.
It also helps if we are even willing to learn from them.
Among other ways to develop the power to love others is the simple method described in a long-ago musical.
When we are trying to understand and relate to people of a different culture, we should try getting to know them.
In countless circumstances, strangers’ suspicion or even hostility give way to friendship or even love when personal contacts produce understanding and mutual respect.6
An even greater help in learning to love our adversaries and our enemies is to seek to understand the power of love.
Here are three of many prophetic teachings about this.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “it is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love—show forth our kindness unto all mankind.”7
President Howard W. Hunter taught: “The world in which we live would benefit greatly if men and women everywhere would exercise the pure love of Christ, which is kind, meek, and lowly.
It is without envy or pride. … It seeks nothing in return. … It has no place for bigotry, hatred, or violence. … It encourages diverse people to live together in Christian love regardless of religious belief, race, nationality, financial standing, education, or culture.”8
And President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to “expand our circle of love to embrace the whole human family.”9
An essential part of loving our enemies is to render unto Caesar by keeping the laws of our various countries.
Though Jesus’s teachings were revolutionary, He did not teach revolution or lawbreaking. He taught a better way.
Modern revelation teaches the same:
“Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.
And our article of faith, written by the Prophet Joseph Smith after the early Saints had suffered severe persecution from Missouri officials, declares, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith 1:12).
This does not mean that we agree with all that is done with the force of law.
It means that we obey the current law and use peaceful means to change it.
It also means that we peacefully accept the results of elections.
We will not participate in the violence threatened by those disappointed with the outcome.10
In a democratic society we always have the opportunity and the duty to persist peacefully until the next election.
The Savior’s teaching to love our enemies is based on the reality that all mortals are beloved children of God.
That eternal principle and some basic principles of law were tested in the recent protests in many American cities.
At one extreme, some seem to have forgotten that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the “right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
That is the authorized way to raise public awareness and to focus on injustices in the content or administration of the laws.
And there have been injustices.
In public actions and in our personal attitudes, we have had racism and related grievances.
In a persuasive personal essay, the Reverend Theresa A. Dear of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has reminded us that “racism thrives on hatred, oppression, collusion, passivity, indifference and silence.”11
As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism.
At the other extreme, a minority of participants and supporters of these protests and the illegal acts that followed them seem to have forgotten that the protests protected by the Constitution are peaceful protests.
Protesters have no right to destroy, deface, or steal property or to undermine the government’s legitimate police powers.
The Constitution and laws contain no invitation to revolution or anarchy.
All of us—police, protesters, supporters, and spectators—should understand the limits of our rights and the importance of our duties to stay within the boundaries of existing law.
Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, “There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.”12
Redress of grievances by mobs is redress by illegal means.
That is anarchy, a condition that has no effective governance and no formal police, which undermines rather than protects individual rights.
One reason the recent protests in the United States were shocking to so many was that the hostilities and illegalities felt among different ethnicities in other nations should not be felt in the United States.
This country should be better in eliminating racism not only against Black Americans, who were most visible in the recent protests, but also against Latinos, Asians, and other groups. This nation’s history of racism is not a happy one, and we must do better.
The United States was founded by immigrants of different nationalities and different ethnicities.
Its unifying purpose was not to establish a particular religion or to perpetuate any of the diverse cultures or tribal loyalties of the old countries.
Our founding generation sought to be unified by a new constitution and laws.
That is not to say that our unifying documents or the then-current understanding of their meanings were perfect.
The history of the first two centuries of the United States showed the need for many refinements, such as voting rights for women and, particularly, the abolition of slavery, including laws to ensure that those who had been enslaved would have all the conditions of freedom.
Two Yale University scholars recently reminded us:
“For all its flaws, the United States is uniquely equipped to unite a diverse and divided society. …
“… Its citizens don’t have to choose between a national identity and multiculturalism.
Americans can have both.
But the key is constitutional patriotism.
We have to remain united by and through the Constitution, regardless of our ideological disagreements.”13
Many years ago, a British foreign secretary gave this great counsel in a debate in the House of Commons: “We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies.
Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and these interests it is our duty to follow.”14
That is a good secular reason for following “eternal and perpetual” interests in political matters.
In addition, the doctrine of the Lord’s Church teaches us another eternal interest to guide us: the teachings of our Savior, who inspired the Constitution of the United States and the basic laws of many of our countries.
Loyalty to established law instead of temporary “allies” is the best way to love our adversaries and our enemies as we seek unity in diversity.
Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a divine vision of the worth of all others and the will and ability to rise above prejudice and racism.
As I have lived for many years in different places in this nation, the Lord has taught me that it is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love our adversaries and our enemies.
While not easy, it is possible with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
He gave this command to love, and He promises His help as we seek to obey it. I testify that we are loved and will be helped by our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Do you appreciate the fact that you could die any time and meet God? So isn’t it wise for you to accept Christ’s gospel and repent of your sins and pray and go to Church and read the scriptures and get ready? (Just a couple of thoughts for your consideration. Richard W. Linford, editor.)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 27:
8 And how be it amybchurch save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.
9 Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you;
10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.
11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are ahewn down and cast into the bfire, from whence there is no return.
12 For their works do afollow them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore remember the things that I have told you.
13 Behold I have given unto you my agospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the bwill of my Father, because my Father sent me.
14 And my Father sent me that I might be alifted up upon the bcross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the ccross, that I might ddraw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be ejudged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
15 And for this cause have I been alifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their bworks.
16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso arepenteth and is baptized in my bname shall be filled; and if he cendureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.
17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the ajustice of the Father.
18 And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words.
19 And ano unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his brest save it be those who have cwashed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
20 Now this is the commandment: aRepent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be bbaptized in my name, that ye may be csanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand dspotless before me at the last day.
21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my agospel; and ye know the things that ye must bdo in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;
22 Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
If you want to talk to the missionaries, to get in touch and make an appointment and reach missionaries for a phone call or online face to face call 1-801-240-1000 or check out toll free numbers depending on where you are in the world at this internet link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/help/support/toll-free-numbers-gsc?lang=eng/.
Our unshakable faith in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ guides our steps and gives us joy.
In the final days of His mortal life, Jesus Christ told His Apostles of the persecutions and hardships they would suffer.1
He concluded with this great assurance: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
That is the Savior’s message to all of our Heavenly Father’s children.
That is the ultimate good news for each of us in our mortal lives.
“Be of good cheer” was also a needed assurance in the world into which the resurrected Christ sent His Apostles.
“We are troubled on every side,” the Apostle Paul later told the Corinthians, “yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
Two thousand years later we are also “troubled on every side,” and we also need that same message not to despair but to be of good cheer.
The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters.
He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears.
The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was taught that “the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1).
To His struggling children, the Lord gave these great assurances:
“Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.
“Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:5–6).
The Lord stands near us, and He has said:
“What I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36).
Sisters, I testify that these promises, given in the midst of persecutions and personal tragedies, apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today.
They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.
Tribulation and challenges are the common experiences of mortality.
Opposition is an essential part of the divine plan for helping us grow,2 and in the midst of that process, we have God’s assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us.
With His help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail.
Like the mortal life of which they are a part, all tribulations are temporary. In the controversies that preceded a disastrous war, United States president Abraham Lincoln wisely reminded his audience of the ancient wisdom that “this, too, shall pass away.”3
As you know, the mortal adversities of which I speak—which make it difficult to be of good cheer—sometimes come to us in common with many others, like the millions now struggling through some of the many devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, in the United States millions are suffering through a season of enmity and contention that always seems to accompany presidential elections but this time is the most severe many of the oldest of us can ever remember.
On a personal basis, each of us struggles individually with some of the many adversities of mortality, such as poverty, racism, ill health, job losses or disappointments, wayward children, bad marriages or no marriages, and the effects of sin—our own or others’.
Yet, in the midst of all of this, we have that heavenly counsel to be of good cheer and to find joy in the principles and promises of the gospel and the fruits of our labors.4
That counsel has always been so, for prophets and for all of us.
We know this from the experiences of our predecessors and what the Lord said to them.
Remember the circumstances of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Looked at through the lens of adversities, his life was one of poverty, persecution, frustration, family sorrows, and ultimate martyrdom.
As he suffered imprisonment, his wife and children and the other Saints suffered incredible hardships as they were driven out of Missouri.
When Joseph pleaded for relief, the Lord answered:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).
This was the personal, eternal counsel that helped the Prophet Joseph to maintain his native cheery temperament and the love and loyalty of his people.
These same qualities strengthened the leaders and pioneers who followed and can strengthen you as well.
Think of those early members!
Again and again, they were driven from place to place.
Finally they faced the challenges of establishing their homes and the Church in a wilderness.5
Two years after the initial band of pioneers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the pioneers’ grip on survival in that hostile area was still precarious.
Most members were still on the trail across the plains or struggling to get resources to do so.
Yet leaders and members were still of hope and good cheer.
Even though the Saints were not settled in their new homes, at October 1849 general conference a new wave of missionaries was sent out to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, and the South Pacific.6
At what could have been thought their lowest level, the pioneers rose to new heights.
And just three years later, another 98 were also called to begin to gather scattered Israel.
One of the Church leaders explained that these missions “are generally, not to be very long ones; probably from 3 to 7 years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.”7
Sisters, the First Presidency is concerned about your challenges.
We love you and pray for you.
At the same time, we often give thanks that our physical challenges—apart from earthquakes, fires, floods, and hurricanes—are usually less than our predecessors faced.
In the midst of hardships, the divine assurance is always “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.
The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
How does this happen?
How did it happen for the pioneers?
How will it happen to women of God today?
By our following prophetic guidance, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us],” the Lord said by revelation in April 1830.
“Yea,” He said, “… the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6).
“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).
Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land.
Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life,
but as the Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).
There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy.
It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions.
This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father.
By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.
“You may be facing overwhelming challenges,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught.
“Sometimes they are so concentrated, so unrelenting, that you may feel they are beyond your capacity to control.
Don’t face the world alone.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding’ [Proverbs 3:5].
… It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming.”8
It is all part of the plan of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
If you want to talk to the missionaries, to get in touch and make an appointment and reach missionaries for a phone call or online face to face call 1-801-240-1000 or check out toll free numbers depending on where you are in the world at this internet link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/help/support/toll-free-numbers-gsc?lang=eng/.
Our unshakable faith in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ guides our steps and gives us joy.
In the final days of His mortal life, Jesus Christ told His Apostles of the persecutions and hardships they would suffer.1
He concluded with this great assurance: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
That is the Savior’s message to all of our Heavenly Father’s children.
That is the ultimate good news for each of us in our mortal lives.
“Be of good cheer” was also a needed assurance in the world into which the resurrected Christ sent His Apostles.
“We are troubled on every side,” the Apostle Paul later told the Corinthians, “yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
Two thousand years later we are also “troubled on every side,” and we also need that same message not to despair but to be of good cheer.
The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters.
He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears.
The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was taught that “the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1).
To His struggling children, the Lord gave these great assurances:
“Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.
“Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:5–6).
The Lord stands near us, and He has said:
“What I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36).
Sisters, I testify that these promises, given in the midst of persecutions and personal tragedies, apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today.
They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.
Tribulation and challenges are the common experiences of mortality.
Opposition is an essential part of the divine plan for helping us grow,2 and in the midst of that process, we have God’s assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us.
With His help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail.
Like the mortal life of which they are a part, all tribulations are temporary. In the controversies that preceded a disastrous war, United States president Abraham Lincoln wisely reminded his audience of the ancient wisdom that “this, too, shall pass away.”3
As you know, the mortal adversities of which I speak—which make it difficult to be of good cheer—sometimes come to us in common with many others, like the millions now struggling through some of the many devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, in the United States millions are suffering through a season of enmity and contention that always seems to accompany presidential elections but this time is the most severe many of the oldest of us can ever remember.
On a personal basis, each of us struggles individually with some of the many adversities of mortality, such as poverty, racism, ill health, job losses or disappointments, wayward children, bad marriages or no marriages, and the effects of sin—our own or others’.
Yet, in the midst of all of this, we have that heavenly counsel to be of good cheer and to find joy in the principles and promises of the gospel and the fruits of our labors.4
That counsel has always been so, for prophets and for all of us.
We know this from the experiences of our predecessors and what the Lord said to them.
Remember the circumstances of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Looked at through the lens of adversities, his life was one of poverty, persecution, frustration, family sorrows, and ultimate martyrdom.
As he suffered imprisonment, his wife and children and the other Saints suffered incredible hardships as they were driven out of Missouri.
When Joseph pleaded for relief, the Lord answered:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).
This was the personal, eternal counsel that helped the Prophet Joseph to maintain his native cheery temperament and the love and loyalty of his people.
These same qualities strengthened the leaders and pioneers who followed and can strengthen you as well.
Think of those early members!
Again and again, they were driven from place to place.
Finally they faced the challenges of establishing their homes and the Church in a wilderness.5
Two years after the initial band of pioneers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the pioneers’ grip on survival in that hostile area was still precarious.
Most members were still on the trail across the plains or struggling to get resources to do so.
Yet leaders and members were still of hope and good cheer.
Even though the Saints were not settled in their new homes, at October 1849 general conference a new wave of missionaries was sent out to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, and the South Pacific.6
At what could have been thought their lowest level, the pioneers rose to new heights.
And just three years later, another 98 were also called to begin to gather scattered Israel.
One of the Church leaders explained that these missions “are generally, not to be very long ones; probably from 3 to 7 years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.”7
Sisters, the First Presidency is concerned about your challenges.
We love you and pray for you.
At the same time, we often give thanks that our physical challenges—apart from earthquakes, fires, floods, and hurricanes—are usually less than our predecessors faced.
In the midst of hardships, the divine assurance is always “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.
The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
How does this happen?
How did it happen for the pioneers?
How will it happen to women of God today?
By our following prophetic guidance, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us],” the Lord said by revelation in April 1830.
“Yea,” He said, “… the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6).
“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).
Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land.
Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life,
but as the Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).
There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy.
It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions.
This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father.
By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.
“You may be facing overwhelming challenges,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught.
“Sometimes they are so concentrated, so unrelenting, that you may feel they are beyond your capacity to control.
Don’t face the world alone.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding’ [Proverbs 3:5].
… It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming.”8
It is all part of the plan of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
If you want to talk to the missionaries, to get in touch and make an appointment and reach missionaries for a phone call or online face to face call 1-801-240-1000 or check out toll free numbers depending on where you are in the world at this internet link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/help/support/toll-free-numbers-gsc?lang=eng/.
Our unshakable faith in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ guides our steps and gives us joy.
In the final days of His mortal life, Jesus Christ told His Apostles of the persecutions and hardships they would suffer.1
He concluded with this great assurance: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
That is the Savior’s message to all of our Heavenly Father’s children.
That is the ultimate good news for each of us in our mortal lives.
“Be of good cheer” was also a needed assurance in the world into which the resurrected Christ sent His Apostles.
“We are troubled on every side,” the Apostle Paul later told the Corinthians, “yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
Two thousand years later we are also “troubled on every side,” and we also need that same message not to despair but to be of good cheer.
The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters.
He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears.
The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was taught that “the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1).
To His struggling children, the Lord gave these great assurances:
“Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.
“Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:5–6).
The Lord stands near us, and He has said:
“What I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36).
Sisters, I testify that these promises, given in the midst of persecutions and personal tragedies, apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today.
They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.
Tribulation and challenges are the common experiences of mortality.
Opposition is an essential part of the divine plan for helping us grow,2 and in the midst of that process, we have God’s assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us.
With His help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail.
Like the mortal life of which they are a part, all tribulations are temporary. In the controversies that preceded a disastrous war, United States president Abraham Lincoln wisely reminded his audience of the ancient wisdom that “this, too, shall pass away.”3
As you know, the mortal adversities of which I speak—which make it difficult to be of good cheer—sometimes come to us in common with many others, like the millions now struggling through some of the many devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, in the United States millions are suffering through a season of enmity and contention that always seems to accompany presidential elections but this time is the most severe many of the oldest of us can ever remember.
On a personal basis, each of us struggles individually with some of the many adversities of mortality, such as poverty, racism, ill health, job losses or disappointments, wayward children, bad marriages or no marriages, and the effects of sin—our own or others’.
Yet, in the midst of all of this, we have that heavenly counsel to be of good cheer and to find joy in the principles and promises of the gospel and the fruits of our labors.4
That counsel has always been so, for prophets and for all of us.
We know this from the experiences of our predecessors and what the Lord said to them.
Remember the circumstances of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Looked at through the lens of adversities, his life was one of poverty, persecution, frustration, family sorrows, and ultimate martyrdom.
As he suffered imprisonment, his wife and children and the other Saints suffered incredible hardships as they were driven out of Missouri.
When Joseph pleaded for relief, the Lord answered:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).
This was the personal, eternal counsel that helped the Prophet Joseph to maintain his native cheery temperament and the love and loyalty of his people.
These same qualities strengthened the leaders and pioneers who followed and can strengthen you as well.
Think of those early members!
Again and again, they were driven from place to place.
Finally they faced the challenges of establishing their homes and the Church in a wilderness.5
Two years after the initial band of pioneers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the pioneers’ grip on survival in that hostile area was still precarious.
Most members were still on the trail across the plains or struggling to get resources to do so.
Yet leaders and members were still of hope and good cheer.
Even though the Saints were not settled in their new homes, at October 1849 general conference a new wave of missionaries was sent out to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, and the South Pacific.6
At what could have been thought their lowest level, the pioneers rose to new heights.
And just three years later, another 98 were also called to begin to gather scattered Israel.
One of the Church leaders explained that these missions “are generally, not to be very long ones; probably from 3 to 7 years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.”7
Sisters, the First Presidency is concerned about your challenges.
We love you and pray for you.
At the same time, we often give thanks that our physical challenges—apart from earthquakes, fires, floods, and hurricanes—are usually less than our predecessors faced.
In the midst of hardships, the divine assurance is always “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.
The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
How does this happen?
How did it happen for the pioneers?
How will it happen to women of God today?
By our following prophetic guidance, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us],” the Lord said by revelation in April 1830.
“Yea,” He said, “… the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6).
“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).
Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land.
Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life,
but as the Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).
There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy.
It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions.
This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father.
By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.
“You may be facing overwhelming challenges,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught.
“Sometimes they are so concentrated, so unrelenting, that you may feel they are beyond your capacity to control.
Don’t face the world alone.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding’ [Proverbs 3:5].
… It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming.”8
It is all part of the plan of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
