Notes from GenCon Oct15: It Works Wonderfully!

It Works Wonderfully! by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Is the Gospel working for me?  Is my experience in the Church working or me? Is it blessing me and my family with the peace and joy as promised in the Gospel?

Pres. Uchtdorf’s testimony to follow up on these questions is very similar to my own personal conviction about the effectiveness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

I know firsthand how the gospel can invigorate and renew one’s spirit—how it can fill our hearts with hope and our minds with light. I know for myself how the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ can transform lives from the ordinary and dreary to the extraordinary and sublime.

So the question is why does it seem to work better for some more than others? “What is the difference between those whose experience in the Church fills their souls with songs of redeeming love2 and those who feel that something is lacking?”

Two suggestions to making the Gospel work for each of us:

First, Simplify

Essence of the Gospel is this:

  • Hearing the word of God with earnest intent leads us to believe in God and to trust His promises.3

  • The more we trust God, the more our hearts are filled with love for Him and for each other.

  • Because of our love for God, we desire to follow Him and bring our actions in alignment with His word.

  • Because we love God, we want to serve Him; we want to bless the lives of others and help the poor and the needy.

  • The more we walk in this path of discipleship, the more we desire to learn the word of God.

Second, Start Where You Are

Day two of studying this talk/topic. On day one, I didn’t really feel it was for me. But on day two, I’m considering my family relationships, and how the Gospel doesn’t seem to be working for my family or in my relationships with my family members.

Remember, our weaknesses can help us to be humble and to depend upon Christ. We don’t need to be “more” of anything to become whom God wants us to become.

Ingredients for change:

  1. A willing heart
  2. A desire to believe
  3. Trust in the Lord

BT- As I am contemplating all of this, it seems that in my own life there are two different levels of conversion, one is of my personal habits and disciplines, the other is in my outward expression of faith towards others, primarily towards my own family, but this later level of conversion also deals with all external relationships. I am not nearly as Christ-like towards others as I desire to be.

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