ELDERS QUORUM LESSON – 27 August 2023
Hello Elders,
For August 27th,
our Elder’s Quorum Lesson topic will be “Remember What Matters Most” by President
M. Russell Ballard, given during the Sunday Afternoon session of the April 2023
General Conference.
Our EQ instructor will
be Mike Hampton
Here is President Ballard’s
talk.
Remember
What Matters Most
What matters most is our relationships
with Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, our families, and our neighbors, and
allowing the Spirit to guide us.
As we remember this
weekend the Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before His atoning
sacrifice, I recall His words of hope and comfort: “I am the resurrection, and
the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
I love Him. I believe Him.
I testify that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
This testimony has
comforted and strengthened me during the past four and a half years since my
wife, Barbara, passed away. I miss her.
Often, I have been
reflecting on our eternal marriage and our life together.
I previously have shared how I
first met Barbara and how that experience taught me to use the skill of
“following up” that I had learned on my mission. I had to follow up quickly
with her after we first met because she was beautiful, popular, and had a
very busy social calendar. I was smitten early because she was approachable and
friendly. I admired her goodness. I felt that she and I belonged together. It
seemed that simple in my mind.
Barbara and I dated, and
our relationship began to grow, but she was uncertain that marriage to me was
right for her.
It wasn’t enough for me to
know; Barbara needed to know for herself. I knew if we spent time fasting and
praying about the matter, Barbara could receive a confirmation from heaven.
We spent a weekend without
dating so we could fast and pray individually to know for ourselves.
Fortunately for me, she received the same confirmation that I did. The rest, as
they say, is history.
When Barbara passed away,
our children put on her headstone several lessons that Barbara wanted them to
remember. One of those lessons is “what matters most is what lasts longest.”
Today I will share from my
heart a few feelings and thoughts on what matters most.
First, a relationship with
our Heavenly Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is most important. This
relationship matters most now and in eternity.
Second, family
relationships are among those things that matter most.
Throughout my ministry, I
have visited many individuals and families impacted by devastating natural
disasters. Many were displaced, hungry, and frightened. They needed medical
assistance, food, and shelter.
They also needed their
families.
I recognize some may not
have the blessings of a close family, so I include extended family, friends,
and even ward families as “family.” These relationships are essential for
emotional and physical health.
These relationships can
also offer love, joy, happiness, and a sense of belonging.
Nurturing these important
relationships is a choice. A choice to be part of a family requires commitment,
love, patience, communication, and forgiveness. There may be times when we
disagree with another person, but we can do so without being disagreeable. In
courtship and marriage, we don’t fall in love or fall out of love as though we
are objects being moved on a chessboard. We choose to love and sustain one
another. We do the same in other family relationships and with friends who are
like family to us.
The family proclamation states
that “the divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be
perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy
temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and
for families to be united eternally.”
Another thing that matters
most is following the promptings of the Spirit in our most important
relationships and in our efforts to love our neighbors as ourselves, including
in our private and public ministries. I learned this lesson early in my life
while serving as a bishop.
Late one cold, snowy
winter evening, I was leaving my bishop’s office when I had a strong impression
to visit an elderly widow in the ward. I glanced at my watch—it was 10:00 p.m.
I reasoned that it was too late to make such a visit. And besides, it was
snowing. I decided to visit this dear sister first thing in the morning rather
than disturbing her at such a late hour. I drove home and went to bed but tossed
and turned throughout the night because the Spirit was stirring me.
Early the next morning, I drove
straight to the widow’s home. Her daughter answered the door and tearfully
said, “Oh, Bishop, thank you for coming. Mother passed away two hours
ago”—I was devastated. I will never forget the feelings of my heart. I wept.
Who more than this dear widow deserved to have her bishop hold her hand,
comfort her, and perhaps give her a final blessing? I missed that opportunity
because I reasoned away this strong prompting from the Spirit.
Brothers and sisters,
young men and young women, and Primary children, I testify that following the
promptings of the Spirit is one of the things that matter most in all our
relationships.
Finally, on this Palm
Sunday weekend, I testify that being converted to the Lord, bearing testimony
of Him, and serving Him are also among the things that matter most.
Faith in Jesus Christ is
the foundation of our testimonies. A testimony is a witness or confirmation of
eternal truth impressed upon individual hearts and souls through the Holy
Ghost. A testimony of Jesus Christ, born of and strengthened by the Spirit,
changes lives—it changes the way we think and how we live. A testimony turns us
toward our Heavenly Father and His divine Son.
Alma taught:
“Behold, I testify unto
you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do
ye suppose that I know of their surety?
“Behold, I say unto you they are
made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed
many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself
that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his
Holy Spirit.”
Having a testimony alone
is not enough. As our conversion to Jesus Christ grows, we naturally want to
testify of Him—His goodness, love, and kindness.
Often in our testimony
meetings on fast Sundays, we hear the phrases “I am thankful” and “I love” more
than we hear the phrases “I know” and “I believe.”
I invite you to bear your
testimony of Jesus Christ more often. Bear testimony of what you know and believe and
what you feel, not just of what you are
thankful for. Testify of your own experiences of coming to know and love the
Savior, of living His teachings, and of His redemptive and enabling power in
your life. As you bear testimony of what you know, believe, and feel, the Holy
Ghost will confirm the truth to those who earnestly listen to your testimony.
They will do so because they have watched you become a peaceful follower of
Jesus Christ. They will see what it means to be His disciple. They will also
feel something they may not have felt before. A pure testimony comes from a
changed heart and can be carried by the power of
the Holy Ghost into the hearts of others who are open to
receive it.
Those who feel something
as a result of your testimony may then ask the Lord in prayer to confirm the
truth of your testimony. Then they can know for themselves.
Brothers and sisters, I
testify and witness to you that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and
Redeemer of the world. He lives. He is the resurrected Son of God, and this is
His Church, led by His prophet and apostles. I pray that someday when I pass to
the next world, I may do so with my testimony burning brightly.
In my ministry, I have
learned what matters most is our relationships with Heavenly Father and His
Beloved Son, our families, and our neighbors, and allowing the Spirit of the
Lord to guide us in those relationships so we can testify of the things that matter
most and last longest. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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