From his book ‘Be Not Troubled,’ Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote:
Keep Your Promises; Trust the Lord’s Promises
Ever mindful of our frailties in mortal life, the Lord has promised, “Be of good cheer and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6). I have felt His presence when needing reassurance, comfort or greater spiritual insight and or strength. And I have been deeply humbled and grateful for His divine companionship.
The Lord said, “Every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:1). That is perhaps His ultimate promise.
How important is it for you to keep your word? to be trusted? to do what you say you will do? to strive to honor your sacred covenants? to have integrity? How can that bring you peace? By living true to our promises to the Lord and to others, we walk the covenant path back to our Father in Heaven and feel His love in our lives.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our great Exemplar when it comes to making and keeping promises and covenants. He came to earth promising to do the will of the Father. He taught gospel principles in word and deed. He atoned for our sins that we might live again. He honored every one of his promises.
Can the same be said of each of us? What are the dangers if we cheat a little, slip a little, or do not quite follow through with our commitments? What if we walk away from our covenants.” Will others come unto Christ in light of our example? Is your word your bond? Keeping promises is not a habit; it is a characteristic of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Consider, for example, Nephi’s classic promise to “go and do.” He wrote, “And it came to pass that I Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they will accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7). Although it was uttered long ago, we in the Church stand on that promise today.
To “go and do” means rising above the ways of the world, receiving and acting on personal revelation, living righteously with hope and faith in the future, standing in holy places, making and keeping covenants to follow Jesus Christ, and thereby increasing our love for Him, the Savior of the world.
A covenant is a two-way promise between us and the Lord. As members of the Church, we covenant at baptism to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, to live as He lived. Our ministering one to another in the Church reflects our commitment to honor Him.
When we partake of the sacrament, we renew that covenant to take upon us His name and make additional promises to improve. Our daily thoughts and actions, both large and small, reflect our commitment to Him. His sacred promise in return is, “If ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you” (3 Nephi 18:7).
My question today is, do we stand by our promises and covenants, or are they sometimes half-hearted commitments, casually made and hence, easily broken? When we say to someone, “I will pray for you,” do we? When we commit, “I will be there to help,” are we? When we obligate ourselves to pay a debt, do we? When we raise our hands to sustain a fellow member in a calling, which means support, assistance and encouragement, do we? ~ Elder Ronald A. Rasband, (Be Not Troubled (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2020), 27-29 (continued)
