Welcome to closer to Christ through general conference
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent general
conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. Today we're discussing Look to
God and Live. This is by Elder D. Todd Christopherson
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, now in
the first presidency. So that's changed a little.
So he starts out, this was heavy, a tragic bus
accident in South Africa claimed 15 lives, including
six young women, two young women leaders, and
the branch president and his wife as they traveled
to a church gathering. I think when he started
this, everyone's heart just went out to this
community. In the aftermath, survivors and loved
ones experienced deep grief, anger, and unanswered
questions. Despite their pain, they turned to
God for comfort, supporting one another through
sacred music, scripture, and prayer, and found
strength and solace in their faith. Jesus Christ
loves us and is with us, even though our hearts
hurt. Abby, there are so many people right now
whose heart is hurting, even in our own community,
and I just feel a heaviness. and a sadness and
truly Christ is the only answer. That is the
only place we're going to find peace. In this
story, there were two survivors in particular,
a young woman and the leader who were hospitalized
because they were treating burns from the injury
or from the accident. So together they would
study the Book of Mormon and one said, lately
we've been reading in Moroni and Moroni says
exactly what I've been feeling. When he speaks,
it's like he's saying, you have to learn these
words because they're written for you to help
you pass through this. These words were spoken
at joint funeral services. We should all turn
to the Lord at this time and ask him to comfort
our hearts and to soothe the pain that we feel.
And then another speaker urged, turn to the Lord
and find the strength to accept his will. Jesus
Christ is the author and finisher of our faith.
Don't look away, but look to him. So good, Abby.
Three powerful words. to live by. Look to him.
The Book of Mormon teaches, it is easy to give
heed to the word of Christ, which will point
to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as
it was for our fathers to give heed to his compass,
which would point them to a straight course to
the promised land. Alma said, if they would look,
they might live. And if we look, we may live
forever. And Alma taught on another occasion
the example of the brass serpent raised by Moses
when the ancient Israelites were affected by
fiery serpents. The Lord told Moses to make a
figure of a serpent and lift it on a pole with
this promise, everyone that is bitten when he
looketh upon it shall live. Alma explained that
the brass figure was a type or a symbol of Christ
who would be lifted up upon the cross. Many did
look and live, but others were, in Alma's words,
so hardened that they simply would not look and
perished. Alma asked, if ye could be healed by
merely casting about your eyes that ye might
be healed, would you not behold quickly? Or would
you rather harden your hearts in unbelief and
be slothful, that you would not cast about your
eyes that you might perish, then cast about your
eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God,
that he will come to redeem his people, and that
he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins,
and that he shall rise again from the dead, which
shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all
men shall stand before him to be judged at the
last and judgment day according to their works?
It's the nature of our fallen word where the
devil rages and where everyone is imperfect that
there will be disappointment and offenses, suffering
and sorrow, failure and loss, persecution and
injustice. It's only by looking to God that individuals,
family and even nations can flourish. President
Russell M. Nelson taught because the savior through
his infinite atonement redeemed each of us from
weakness, mistakes and sin and because he experienced
every pain, worry and burden you have ever had,
then are you truly repent. and seek his help,
you can rise above this present precarious world."
I love, Abby, that, you know, prosper. A lot
of times we think prosper might be tied with
financial gain or something. Prosper meant enjoying
the guidance and blessings of heaven in their
lives. Prosper meant achieving levels of economic
well -being that enabled them to marry, raise
families, and minister to the needs of others.
So there is that aspect. Prospering also included
the capacity to rise above hardship and trial.
through the grace of Christ, all things work
together for their good, refine them and deepen
their relationship with them. Alma explained
that to look to God is to keep his commandments,
cry unto him continually for his support, counsel
with him in all your doings and let your heart
be full of thanks unto him day and night. God's
commandments and counsel are found in the scriptures
and the words of his servants. And I did love
that he said in this talk that prosper, that's
one of the most cited phrases was, as you will
look to God, then you will prosper in the land.
That's said over and over again. So I did love
that. It's just a really good reminder. Yes.
And to really emphasize that that doesn't necessarily
mean financial prosperity. We've tarnished and
tainted that word to mean that it means money.
So people will be like, I'm doing everything
right, but I'm just not like rolling in the dough.
And you say, But what's your relationship look
like with Jesus Christ? How's your family relationship
look like? Right. Those are way bigger payouts
than any dollar figure in your bank account could
ever compete with. Yes. And so I really appreciated
the way that he said it because it's maybe one
of the things that comes up like the most like
in a friend group discussion. It's like, well,
I'm doing all these things and the payoff's not
right there. I'm like, you're not seeing the
payoff that's going to be way greater than anything
you could have imagined. Yeah. What's 10 bucks
when the benefit of what he's actually giving
you is worth a million? Good way to put it. Teachings
in the family proclamation to the world, number
one, for the strength of the youth, which provides
essential guidance for living Christ -centered
lives. Let's see, like the youth theme, the 2025,
when this talk was shared, was look unto Christ.
Now it's walk with me. I love that. So they all
rip. And so both things both fill in this category.
They all encourage individuals to rely on the
savior in every decision without doubt or fear
for the, for the strength of youth. It's the
way that God can teach commandments and standards
and reminding youth and adults to honor their
bodies as secret gifts from God and emphasizes
respecting one's own body and others, making
modest and thoughtful choices about appearance
and keeping sexual feelings and behavior sacred
within marriage between a man and a woman. But
overall, the theme here is that it's a way to
help individuals look to the Lord for direction
and make choices to reflect reverence, self -respect,
and discipleship. Kind of a little piece from
our little church lesson today. God doesn't want
us to choose the right, He wants us to want to
choose the right. And I think the revamping of
the youth book, The Strength of Youth, really
makes the point that there are standards. these
standards will bless you. They will help you
to know me more, help you to become like me,
and I'll be with you every step of that walk
if you want to walk with me. So good. I agree.
And I love that he went over it. He was very
clear and concise in that. Remember that in the
Book of Mormon promise, the opposite of prosperity
was not poverty. So again, we're tying this ...
Rehitting that point. Yes, yes. It was being
cut off from the presence of the Lord. So again.
The opposite is being cut off from the presence
of the Lord. His presence refers to the influence
of his spirit in one's life. All are imbued with
the light of Christ as they come into the world.
In addition, some act to be baptized and receive
the gift and added light of the Holy Ghost. He
brings inspiration and guidance and enhances
and refines ones. Native gifts and abilities.
Isn't that so amazing? I love that. So, our God
-given gifts, He enhances and refines those.
Love that. And helps to avoid evil influences,
poor decisions, and dead ends. That sounds like
a gift that all of us need in our lives. So grateful.
He goes into this next part, and rather than
sharing the example He gave, I'm just going to
pose it as a question. Have you known someone
who once enjoyed the gift of the Holy Ghost,
but through failure to keep the commandments
of God, have lost that blessing? Maybe this person
you're thinking of is you. One of my favorite
podcasts right now is the Comeback Podcast, and
on it is where people share their unique experiences,
where they've turned away from the things that
they once knew to be true, and then they've had
their journey back. And I would say never, is
it? easy. Their path back is never easy, and
they certainly encounter challenges, but what
a blessing to be able to hear from their mouths
what it looks like, not contradiction, like the
difference in their life when they've had the
church, they've lost it, and they've come back
to it. They come back ready to testify and stand
up for everything. And so I never want to...
I don't want to turn away from the gospel of
Jesus Christ, but I'm blessed by seeing through
their experience, especially as they're willing
to share. It just kind of helps me confirm like,
yeah, I'm staying in because of the joy that
I feel from it, and I'm too scared to test those
waters and be out. I'm just going to go with
testing the Lord on staying in, but I appreciate
their willingness to share that. Light that they've
regained. Yeah. So check that podcast out. There
seems to be no end to the different sources that
people look to for meaning, happiness, and help.
I love that part when he said that. Most are
looking beyond the mark, but we need not be children
tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine or fashion. In looking to God,
we can find peace and difficulty, and our faith
can continue to grow even in times of doubt and
spiritual challenge. We can receive strength
in the faith's the face of opposition and isolation,
we can reconcile the ideal with the present reality.
I really liked that part when he said that because
truly, I don't know many people right now who
are living the ideal. You know what I mean? Present
reality, you always have to reconcile both of
those because... And we've also been taught we
just have to be trying to shoot for what is the
ideal. If we're thinking celestial and we're
trying to live celestial, even if we're coming
in under the mark, which we are undoubtedly all
coming under the mark. Yeah, everything is kind
of under the mark. This part of the talk makes
me think, that's okay. We can be okay with hitting
under the mark as long as our eyes were on the
target that Jesus Christ is. And the same thing
too, like, you know, maybe right now I have not
achieved and I'm not living in everything that
I aspire to. However, in everything I have right
now, I am giving gratitude and thanks to God
for everything that I've achieved, everything
that he's helped me with and every step that
he's helped me overcome. So I think it's the
realizing that yeah, it's not perfect. However,
I'm grateful for all of it and just the fact
that Christ has walked with me even when times
are challenging. So it says, In looking to God,
we can find peace and difficulty in our faith
and continue to grow even in times of doubt and
spiritual challenge. We can reconcile the ideal
with the present reality, right? Truly there
is no other way than what God himself has ordained.
Look unto me and be saved all the ends of the
earth for I am God and there is none else. Looking
to God means that he is not just one of our priorities.
It means rather that he is our one highest priority.
Yeah, Amy mentioned that we have some challenging
things happening in our little valley right now.
Our stake president and his wife just lost their
son to a battle of cancer for the last year,
and then we had an incident of domestic violence,
which led to a murder -suicide. And that's dark.
It's very heavy. But in both of these instances,
the people that are closest, most affected by
it, are demonstrating what it looks to turn to
God in these times. You know, would you rather
have your your son living and at the table, you
know and joined in that way? Absolutely, but
you can tell that their knowledge Of the plan
and the plan being perfect has given them like
undeniable strength And I'm like, yeah, you can
cry. You don't have to be like everybody's strength.
But what a testament it is to what it does look
like to look to God and live. I mean, otherwise,
I think you'd just be like crumpled in a heap
and you just wouldn't want to even like progress
another day because the sadness would be so overwhelming.
And there may be moments or days of that. However,
there's... And they deserve to feel whatever
emotion that they want to. But, you know, in
going over and talking with these friends, I
went to a candlelight visual for the one incident
and then took a meal in yesterday to the others.
And I'm just like buoyed up by, because I'm not
going through the hard thing that they are, but
just witnessing it from the outside. And, you
know, this talks on my mind, obviously, and I'm
preparing it. I'm like, what a testament to the
fact that nothing's going to change the outcome
of, you know, what these challenges of mortality
have brought, but you can see what a difference
this eternal perspective is, the sight on God,
the sight on bigger and better things to come,
is exactly how I would want to react if I was
in their same situation. You know, maybe I have
been in the same situation, different time of
my life, but ... Similar let's just say similar
I I've had to turn things over to God that I
couldn't handle on my own And I'm certainly happy
that I did have him in my corner and with me
in that path and in that journey in that walk
Do I expect that there'll be times in my life
that I've heart in my heart and have thought
well There's other ways around this I'll look
for every other possible solution trying to do
it on my own Or just turning to the wrong source
of peace for a time undoubtedly that's gonna
happen but I do recognize that that will only
lead me to, if I eventually find, and I'll think,
I wish I would have done it sooner, just turn
to Him. But I'll close with this suggestion.
It suggests that the Israelites had to look to
the raised serpent. We must look to Christ in
faith to receive spiritual life. Look and live
teaches that deliverance comes by turning your
eyes to God, especially when we're wounded or
struggling. The path to healing is often simpler
than we expect. But it requires humility. Christ
is always accessible. We don't have to do everything.
We just have to look to Him. And then I'll close
with His testimony. He said, I bear testimony
of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who is in
perfect unity of word, thought, purpose, and
action. Amen. Thanks for being with us this week.