Participate in worthiness interviews
Partake of sacrament- Attend temple
After recounting President Gordon B. Hinckley's recent invitation "to walk the path of faith" with him, and "to stand for that which is right and true and good," Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin asked, "are we rising to his challenge?"
Speaking Saturday morning, Elder Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve emphasized that "nothing this world has to offer can surpass the joy of living the gospel," and then counseled that "we cannot allow `any vain or foolish thing' to divert us from the path of faith and lead us away from being true to our covenants."
"Do we, indeed, actually live the gospel or do we just manifest the appearance of righteousness so that those around us assume we are faithful when, in reality, our hearts and unseen actions are not true to the Lord's teachings? Are we righteous in fact, or do we feign obedience?
"The Lord has made it clear that He will not be fooled by appearances, and He has warned us not to be false to Him or to others."
Elder Wirthlin pointed out that "one of the great blessings of the restored gospel is the privilege of entering into sacred covenants.
"We covenant that we will show our love for our Father in Heaven through humble service and diligent obedience and prove ourselves to be `good and faithful servants.'
"If we are true to our covenants, our Father in Heaven will grant us the blessing of `eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.' "
Elder Wirthlin then spoke of "an eternal calling from which no Church officer has authority to release you. . . . This most important stewardship is the glorious responsibility your Father in Heaven has given you to watch over and care for your own soul.
"At some future day, you and I will each hear the voice of the Lord calling us forward to render an account of our mortal stewardship. . . . He will welcome with loving arms and with indescribable joy those who have chosen to be `true to the truth.'
"So we ask you," Elder Wirthlin said, "are you true?"
He offered five suggestions for strengthening the resolve to follow a path of truth: to participate in worthiness interviews, which "represent the rehearsal stage for final judgment;" to partake of the sacrament; to attend the temple; to complete home teaching and visiting teaching assignments; and, to follow the example of the Savior whose sacred stewardship was `to do the will of Him who sent me.'
"Worthiness interviews, sacrament meetings, temple attendance and other Church meetings are all part of the plan that the Lord provides to educate our souls, to help us develop the healthy habit of constantly checking our bearings to stay on the path of faith.
"In quiet moments of personal reflecting and pondering, I have benefited from humbly asking myself the simple question: `Am I true?'
"The question becomes more powerfully useful if we are completely honest with our answers and motivates us to make repentant course corrections that keep us on the path of faith," he concluded.
