Elder Kim B. Clark of the Seventy said in conference April 6, 2019: ”
Brethren, as bearers of the holy priesthood, we are engaged in the work of salvation. In the last year, the Lord has placed the leadership of this work squarely on the shoulders of the elders in Israel.11 We have an inspiring charge from the Lord—working with our sisters, we are to minister in a holier way, accelerate the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil, establish our homes as sanctuaries of faith and gospel learning, and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.12
As in all things, the Savior has shown us the way: we need to look to and serve Jesus Christ as He looked to and served His Father.13 The Savior said it this way to the Prophet Joseph:
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
“Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”14
In the premortal realm, Jesus promised His Father that He would do His Father’s will and be our Savior and Redeemer. When His Father asked, “Whom shall I send?”15 Jesus answered:
“Here am I, send me.”16
“Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.”17
All through His mortal life, Jesus lived that promise. In humility, meekness, and love, He taught His Father’s doctrine and did His Father’s work with the power and authority His Father had given Him.18
Jesus gave His heart to His Father. He said:
“I love the Father.”19
“I do always those things that please him.”20
“I came … not to do mine own will, but the will of [the Father, who] sent me.”21
In His agony in Gethsemane, He prayed, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”22
When the Lord calls the elders in Israel to “look unto me in every thought” and “behold the wounds” in His resurrected body, it is a call to turn away from sin and the world and to turn to Him and love and obey Him. It is a call to teach His doctrine and do His work in His way. It is, therefore, a call to trust Him completely, surrender our will and yield our hearts to Him, and through His redeeming power become like Him.23
Brethren, if we look unto Jesus Christ, He will bless us to be His elders in Israel —humble, meek, submissive, full of His love.24 And we will bring the joy and blessings of His gospel and His Church to our families and our brothers and sisters on both sides of the veil.
President Russell M. Nelson has called us to look unto Jesus Christ in just this way: “There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.”25
Rivet is a great word. It means to fasten firmly, to attract and hold completely.26 We rivet our focus on Jesus Christ and His gospel by living our covenants.
When we live our covenants, they influence everything we say and do. We live a covenant life27 full of simple, everyday acts of faith that focus us on Jesus Christ: prayer from the heart in His name, feasting on His word, turning to Him to repent of our sins, keeping His commandments, partaking of the sacrament and keeping His Sabbath holy, worshiping in His holy temple as often as we can, and exercising His holy priesthood to serve God’s children.
These acts of covenant devotion open our hearts and minds to the redeeming power of the Savior and the sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost. Line upon line, the Savior changes our very nature, we become more deeply converted unto Him, and our covenants come alive in our hearts.28
The promises we make to our Heavenly Father become rock-solid commitments, our deepest desires. Heavenly Father’s promises to us fill us with gratitude and joy.29(see below) Our covenants cease to be rules we follow and become beloved principles that inspire and guide us and rivet our focus on Jesus Christ.30
These acts of devotion are available to all, young and old. You young men who hold the holy Aaronic Priesthood, everything I have said tonight applies to you. I thank God for you. You make sacred ordinances and covenants available to millions of Latter-day Saints every week. When you prepare, bless, or pass the sacrament; minister; baptize in the temple; invite a friend to an activity; or rescue a member of your quorum, you are doing the work of salvation. You too can look unto Jesus Christ and live your covenants every day. I promise you that if you do, you will be trusted servants of the Lord now and, in a coming day, mighty elders in Israel. . . .
Notes (continued):
26 rivet – fix, make immovable
29. The sacramental prayer on the bread expresses beautifully the nature of our covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father. In the Father’s plan of salvation, we make covenants with our Heavenly Father, but the purposes of the covenants are realized and we qualify for the blessings promised through the Lord Jesus Christ; He is the Mediator. In the sacramental ordinance, we witness to the Father (in effect, making a covenant with Him anew) that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments, that we might always have His Spirit (the Holy Ghost) to be with us.
The gifts in the Father’s promises come through the redeeming and strengthening power of Jesus Christ. For example, as President Russell M. Nelson has taught, Jesus Christ “is the source of all joy” (see “Joy and Spiritual Survival,”Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 82). Thus, riveting our focus on Jesus Christ brings joy into our lives no matter our circumstances. see…Joy and Spiritual Survival, 186th Semiannual General Conference
30. President Ezra Taft Benson captured the impact of this change in attitude and orientation when he said, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power” (in Donald L. Staheli, “Obedience—Life’s Great Challenge,” Ensign, May 1998, 82).
