Centering one's life in Jesus Christ and His gospel will bring stability and happiness, Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Presidency of the Seventy taught during the Saturday morning session of general conference.
“The world in which we live is putting great pressure on good people everywhere to lower or even abandon their standards of righteous living,” he said. “However, despite the evils and temptations that surround us each day, we can and will find true joy today in living a Christ-centered life.”
Further, he said, “The world in which we live is similar to the potter’s spinning wheel and the speed of that wheel is increasing. Like the clay on the potter’s wheel, we must be centered as well. Our core, the center of our lives, must be Jesus Christ and His gospel.”
Living a Christ-centered life means learning about Jesus Christ and His gospel and then following His example and keeping His commandments with exactness, he said.
“If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, He can successfully mold us into who we need to be in order to return to His and Heavenly Father's presence in the Celestial Kingdom,” he said. “The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
Elder Maynes spoke of having been born into a multi-generational LDS family, but it wasn't until he served a mission as a young man that he realized "the incredibly positive impact the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has on those who never previously experienced its blessings in their lives,” he said.
He spoke of the Lamanite king who proclaimed he would give up his entire kingdom that he might receive the joy that comes from understanding, accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ (Alma 22:15).
Elder Maynes spoke of the joy his wife, Nancy Maynes, has found since finding, accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He spoke of the Nephites who found out how living a Christ-centered life filled them with great happiness even when surrounded with hardships (1 Nephi 17:6).
“Brothers and Sisters, like the clay on the potter’s wheel our lives must be centered with exactness in Christ if we are to find true joy and peace in this life,” he said.