It is a privilege and blessing to be with you today. My willingness to be here is not because I love to speak in front of people but because of my desire to serve the Lord and fulfill assignments given to me. Your commitment to further your education and also to attend this devotional is not motivated by me being a good speaker but hopefully because of your commitment and willingness to progress and further perfect yourself. Consider that you are also here because of commitments you made to your parents or family and furthermore because of covenants you made with our Heavenly Father.
How can each of us improve in making and keeping covenants with Heavenly Father? May I suggest three ways that will help develop our commitment to keep our sacred covenants:
1) Make commitments early
2) Make righteous commitments
3) Commit to be obedient
#1 Make Commitments Early
One of my favorite primary songs is I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.
I’m trying to be like Jesus;
I’m following in his ways.
I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”
I’m trying to love my neighbor;
I’m learning to serve my friends.
I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again.
I try to remember the lessons he taught.
Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”
(Children’s Songbook, page 78)
As primary children learn this song they are encouraged and inspired to try to become like our perfected Savior, even at a young age. How willing are we to try to be like Jesus? How can we be more committed to become like our Savior? The frequency and depth in our commitment to be like Jesus will place us on the path to becoming perfected as He is and as prepared as He was to return to live with Our Heavenly Father.
The missionary manual, Preach My Gospel, helps missionaries teach the gospel to investigators or those who are learning the gospel of Jesus Christ, possibly for the first time. Missionaries are guided to help investigators make commitments while teaching them the gospel principles. As investigators of the church learn and make commitments given to them by the full-time missionaries, they prepare themselves to make and keep sacred covenants. Preach My Gospel states: “Commitment is an essential part of repentance. It is the act of obligating oneself to a course of action and then diligently following through on that decision. When people are genuinely committed, they have real intent, meaning that they fully intend to do what they have committed to do. They make an unwavering and earnest decision to change. They become devoted to Christ and dedicate themselves to His gospel. Keeping their commitment is how they ‘truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins…’ Keeping commitments prepares people to make and keep covenants” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service, (2004), 195–202).
When we commit to an action early and begin to act upon that commitment, time is our friend. However, as we postpone our action even though we have made a commitment, time may become less friendly.
A few years ago we were in a financial position to purchase a new vehicle. I had always wanted a particular truck brand and with the help of my youngest son we chose a nice four door truck. Shortly after buying this shiny new truck, I was returning home late one evening from the chapel and heard something hit the right side of the truck. It sounded like a rock. When I got home, I checked the truck and was relieved to see it hadn’t been a rock which could have caused some noticeable damage. It was just a raw egg that hit my truck. I decided it could wait until the morning to be cleaned. Well, the next morning came and I forgot about cleaning it. Several days later I remembered my commitment to clean off the remnants of the raw egg. When I went outside to do the cleaning, I was surprised to see the area where I had intended on simply wiping off the raw egg. The velocity at which the egg was thrown plus elapsed time plus the heat of the noon day sun had taken a toll on the area where the egg hit the truck. What remained was an imprint of a shattered eggshell etched into the paint of our new truck. I purchased car paint from a store and tried to match it to the truck. It was off by a few shades and I couldn’t get the smoothness or shine to match the brand new truck. Although I could have paid extra money to have the work professionally done, we decided to just let it be. So it remained an obvious mismatch for many years. In retrospect, my early attention to this matter would have most likely had favorable results. My postponed inattention to this matter left a long lasting reminder to tend to our commitments early.
Anyone can practice making and keeping commitments. There are many pressures surrounding this unique time of your life. As a student, employee, roommate, spouse or parent, you carry many responsibilities. There are textbooks to read, papers to write and projects to complete aside from working, doing laundry, washing the stack of dishes in the sink and, of course, having some fun along the way. It takes commitment to accomplish all that you have before you.
- Committing to attend class
- Committing to do your homework and turning in assignments on time
- Committing to a regular study schedule
- Committing to obey the laws of the land
- Committing to work hard in your job and being honest in the time you work
- Committing to good health by eating nutritious food and exercising regularly
Every time we make a commitment and live up to that commitment we are exercising the commitment pattern and practicing to be faithful and obedient. This leads us to make and keep covenants with our Heavenly Father.
Elder Sheldon F. Child, former member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, shared a personal experience in regards to the impact of his father’s honesty and integrity. Elder Child was raised on a farm, but it did not provide enough income for their family. Consequently, his father obtained outside employment leaving young Sheldon to care for many of the farm chores.
Elder Child recalls: “I remember on one occasion one of the items on the list was to take a small broken part from our hay rake to the blacksmith shop to have it repaired. I was uncomfortable about going. My father hadn’t left any money, and I wondered what I should do. I put off going as long as I could. When all my other chores were finished, I knew I couldn’t avoid it any longer. Father expected the broken part to be repaired when he came home, and it was my responsibility to see that it was done.
“I can still remember walking the mile or so to the blacksmith shop. I even remember how uncomfortable I was as I watched him weld the part. As he finished, I nervously told him that I had no money, but that my father would pay him later. I’m sure he sensed my anxiety. He patted me on the shoulder and said, “Son, don’t worry, your father’s word is as good as his bond.” I remember running all the way home, relieved that the part had been repaired and grateful that my father was known as a man whose word was as good as his bond.
“As a boy I didn’t fully understand what that meant, but I knew it was good and something to be desired. It was years later that I recognized that a person whose word is as good as his bond is a person of honesty and integrity, a person to be trusted. In today’s world, there are some who think nothing of breaking their word, their promises, their covenants with man and with God. What a blessing it is to deal with those whom we can trust” (“As Good As Our Bond”, The Friend, November 1997).
Elder Child learned early in life to make and keep commitments regardless of the difficulty. He also learned early in life of his father’s reputation for being a man of integrity. We, too, can become men and women of such honesty and integrity.
Our willingness to be people of our word, people who make and keep commitments, people who work an honest hour for honest pay will help us make and keep sacred covenants.
Will you commit to make and keep sacred covenants with God early?
#2 Make Righteous Commitments
Our desires and intent shape the type of commitments that we make. For example, when our desires are selfish, we tend to make commitments that are not righteous. In the world we live in today, personal desires range from total selfishness to complete selflessness. The stronger our desire to become more like our perfected Savior, the stronger our commitment will be to follow Him. Commitment is needful in choosing and acting upon righteous desires associated with a covenant making and covenant keeping people. Our righteous desires may consist of:
- Committing to stay active in church
- Committing to serve faithfully in a calling
- Committing to be a full‐tithe payer
- Committing to keep the sabbath day holy
From the testimony of Alma the Younger we learn the sorrow of prolonging sin but the joy of sincere repentance. Alma had spent much of his early life in open rebellion of the Church along with the sons of Mosiah. During his repentance process he was pained by his former lifestyle, habits and choices. His conversion exemplifies the need of repenting early and regularly.
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:20‐21).
Alma had delayed repentance. The consequences of his sins mounted. By the time he was compelled to repent, he had accrued much guilt and sorrow. Alma was a committed person. He was just committed to his friends and doing things that were in opposition to what his father had taught him. Those unrighteous desires and commitments brought him much pain. When he was brought to an attitude of repentance and was truly converted he changed his desires and commitments to being righteous ones. As we continue through the Book of Mormon we recognize through the remainder of Alma’s life that he remained committed to those righteous desires as he followed through with covenants he made with his Heavenly Father.
Another example from the Book of Mormon is of the conversion of King Lamoni. Here was an individual who thought he had everything. After all he was the king and his father was also a king of all the Lamanites. He had servants upon servants. Yet, he did not know God. He was probably committed to serving his people and in living the traditions of his Lamanite people. Were those commitments righteous? Maybe some were but he learned that many weren’t. He may have served his people well. When he finally learned from Ammon and realized that there is a God, he was willing to give up everything he had. As he believed and became converted he committed himself to righteous desires.
Ruth, a Moabite of Old Testament times, made commitments which led to covenant making. She made a commitment to learn of a new God; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She came to know God, believe in God and love God. She also made a commitment to marry a Hebrew who had previously entered into the same covenant to love God. Unfortunately, Ruth’s husband passed away unexpectedly and she was left a widow. In this unusual circumstance, there was no male family member remaining to care for Ruth, her sister-in-law Orpah or mother-in-law Naomi who were all widowed. Ruth was instructed by Naomi, her mother-in-law, to return to her Moabite people and return to her Moabite god. Traditionally and legally, that was the right thing to do. But Ruth had made commitments which had led to making sacred covenants. She honored those covenants and had every intention of keeping those holy covenants. Ruth’s response to Naomi’s bidding to return home accentuates her willingness to make and keep sacred covenants:
“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;
“Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me” (Ruth 1:16-17).
Ruth’s example of making and keeping sacred covenants continues to inspire us today.
President Ezra Taft Benson gave us an important reminder as we seek to become like our Savior Jesus Christ: “We must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road to Damascus, Enos praying far into the night, King Lamoni. Such astonishing examples of the power to change even those steeped in sin give confidence that the Atonement can reach even those deepest in despair.
“But we must be cautious as we discuss these remarkable examples. Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule. For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment. They are like the Lamanites, who the Lord said ‘were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.’ (3 Nephi 9:20; italics added.)” (“A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct. 1989, 5).
Will you commit to choosing righteous desires in your resolve to make and keep sacred covenants with God?
#3 Commit to Be Obedient
In a ward leadership meeting, a presiding authority posed the question “Why are you here?” Ward leaders were asked to contemplate the question then respond. The direct and simple nature of this question invited us to ponder the depth and frequency of our commitment to the Lord. A learning moment for me came from the response of a particular sister who said: “I am here because I made a covenant with the Lord in the temple and I intend on keeping it.”
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has extended an invitation for all to make and keep sacred covenants: “I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy” (D&C 98:14).
The earth was created as our proving ground and our existence here is our proving time. God has lovingly provided us with commandments based on eternal truth to lead and guide us through our proving period. Obedience to the commandments will strengthen us. Temptations and trials are also part of our proving experience. We are not exempt from these. There will be trying times at all stages of our life. Overcoming temptations and weaknesses will strengthen us. Both of these learning experiences, obedience to God’s commandments and enduring our trials, will serve to spiritually instruct and refine our soul.
I remember as a young boy walking to school and passing a home with a big cherry tree. The fruits were round and red. The family had taken great care of that cherry tree. In turn, the tree bore much fruit and the family would share the bounties of their harvest with others including my family.
Sometimes I would pass that cherry tree and could imagine how delicious the cherries were. I admit there were a few times I took some cherries from the tree without permission. The cherries were juicy and sweet. After eating the cherry, I would keep the pit in my mouth for much longer savoring the remnants of the sweet nectar. At that exact moment of pleasure it seemed worth it. But just moments later
I would feel a knot in my stomach knowing that I was stealing since I hadn’t ask for permission. Yet, I rationalized my action by convincing myself it couldn’t hurt to take just one or a few cherries. After all, they had a whole tree full of cherries and eventually they would give it to us. Because I remembered the sweet taste more than the guilt of stealing, I did it more than once.
Elder Donald L. Staheli shared “Regardless of our age and stage in life, daily obedience to gospel principles is the only sure way to eternal happiness. President Ezra Taft Benson put it most poignantly when he said, ‘When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.’” (General Conference Report April 1998).
The boy who lived in the house with the cherry tree became my best friend. One time I helped his family harvest cherries. What a great lesson I learned that day about the consequences of disobedience. I was informed that they sprayed their trees with insecticide to ward off or kill fruit-eating insects. These cherries needed to be washed thoroughly before eating so as to rinse off any remaining poison.
It’s a good thing I never got sick from stealing and eating their cherries. I had a newfound love and respect for this generous and gracious family who cared about helping people more than growing cherries. I vowed on that day never to take a cherry from their tree without permission and to be more obedient to God’s commandments.
I’ve always liked the slogan of a particular rental car company which states: “We try harder.” When I receive good customer service from this business the message of the slogan resonates. However, when I don’t receive good customer service from this company, I wonder if they are really trying to live by their slogan. Are they really trying harder?
We must try harder in making and keeping sacred covenants. Covenants are promises with blessings set by our loving Heavenly Father based on our willingness to be obedient. In Doctrine and Covenants Section 82 verse 10 the Lord says, “I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise.”
Trying harder compares our performance of an action to the previous performance of that same action. Trying harder means our current effort is an improvement over our past effort and our future effort will be an improvement over our current effort. When we determine to try harder, we have a genuine intent and sincere desire to do or be better. That intention leads us to choose an action which will hopefully demonstrate our commitment to do or be better.
When we try harder, our Heavenly Father realizes that we are doing our best. As we strive to become like Jesus, who is perfect, He knows that we are not perfect.
However, He wants us to keep trying even though we may fail at times. We must stay committed and must keep trying harder.
President Henry B. Eyring taught: “Whoever we are, however difficult our circumstances we can know that what our Father commands we do to qualify for the blessings of eternal life will not be beyond us…We may have to pray with faith to know what we are to do and we must pray with a determination to obey, but we can know what to do and be sure that the way has been prepared for us by the Lord” (CES Fireside for young adults Nov.5 1995).
Nephi, a prophet of the Book of Mormon, is a great example of obedience. After years of spiritual maturation, Nephi had developed a sure knowledge of the blessings of obedience to God’s commandments. He had been fearless in obtaining the brass plates from King Laban, reverent when visited by an angel, attentive when shown visions and trustful when commanded to build a ship although he had never built one before.
As a new senior apostle to a nation of believers and unbelievers, Nephi recognized his weaknesses and sought for spiritual strength as he contemplated the task before him. He exclaimed:
“And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?
“Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
“Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
“Rejoice, O my heart and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation” (2 Nephi 4:27-30).
Acknowledging his dependence on the Lord, Nephi pled with the Lord and even committed himself to no longer give way to temptations or “droop in sin,” He committed to trust in the Lord forever.
Like Nephi, will you commit to being obedient to God’s commandments?
As with all past and present prophets, Moroni invites all to come unto Christ and be perfected in him:
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
“And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:32-33).
As we covenanted with Heavenly Father through being baptized we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and covenant to keep all of his commandments and serve Him. He promises us that we will be redeemed and that we will have an abundance of His spirit. As we prove ourselves worthy to enter the temple, we make further covenants to the Lord. The greatest of these covenants is made between a husband and wife proven worthy and sealed in the temple for time and all eternity in making covenants with Heavenly Father that they will be faithful to each other and obedient to Heavenly Father. I will not speak of these sacred covenants in the temple. I will only share from D&C 131:1-2 where it states:
“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees. And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage].”
I am so thankful to know that we are a covenant making people and that we make these covenants with our loving Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father is bound in the blessings that we are entitled to as we faithfully live the covenants we make with Him. There is no greater guarantee because it is a covenant and He is perfect. He knows you, and He loves you.
I pray that we will commit to making and keeping covenants early, commit to righteous desires, and commit to be more obedient to God’s commands. With persistence and commitment we are trying to become perfect in Christ. Committing and striving continually to make and keep sacred covenants enables us to endure to the end and qualify us to be with our loving savior Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.