Continuing from the post of June 25. . . Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in April 2020 general conference:
“. . . .When we consider the goodness of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, our trust in Them increases. Our prayers change because we know God is our Father and we are His children. We seek not to change His will but to align our will with His and secure for ourselves blessings that He wants to grant, conditioned on our asking for them.24 We yearn to be more meek, more pure, more steadfast, more Christlike.25 These changes qualify us for additional heavenly blessings.
By acknowledging that every good thing comes from Jesus Christ, we will communicate our faith more effectively to others.26 We will have courage when confronted with seemingly impossible tasks and circumstances.27 We will strengthen our resolve to keep the covenants we have made to follow the Savior.28 We will be filled with the love of God, want to help those in need without being judgmental, love our children and raise them in righteousness, retain a remission of our sins, and always rejoice.29 These are the remarkable fruits of remembering God’s goodness and mercy.
In contrast, the Savior warned, “In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.”30 I do not think that God is insulted when we forget Him. Rather, I think He is deeply disappointed. He knows that we have deprived ourselves of the opportunity to draw closer to Him by remembering Him and His goodness. We then miss out on Him drawing nearer to us and the specific blessings He has promised.31
I invite you to remember each day the greatness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and what They have done for you. Let your consideration of Their goodness more firmly bind your wandering heart to Them. Ponder Their compassion, and you will be blessed with added spiritual sensitivity and become more Christlike. Contemplating Their empathy will help you “hold out faithful to the end,” until you “are received into heaven” to “dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.”33
Our Heavenly Father, referring to His Beloved Son, said, “Hear Him!”34 As you act on those words and listen to Him, remember, joyfully and reverently, that the Savior loves to restore what you cannot restore; He loves to heal wounds you cannot heal; He loves to fix what has been irreparably broken;35 He compensates for any unfairness inflicted on you;36 and He loves to permanently mend even shattered hearts.37
As I have reflected on gifts from our Heavenly Father and from Jesus Christ, I have come to know of Their infinite love and Their incomprehensible compassion for all Heavenly Father’s children.38 This knowledge has changed me, and it will change you too. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
