Notable quotes:
"We can feel enduring joy when our Savior and His gospel become the framework around which we build our lives."
"It's not our successes, but rather our sacrifice and efforts, that matter to the Lord."
"Joy is not fleeting pleasure, or even temporary happiness. Joy is enduring, and is founded on our efforts being accepted by the Lord."
Summary points:
- Joy comes from having the gospel of Jesus Christ at the center of one's life.
- Success is not what matters to the Lord, but rather sacrifice and committed efforts to follow Him.
- Nothing in the world is more precious or of greater value than the possibility of eternal life given to each person through the atoning sacrifice of the Savior.
Talk summary:
When the Savior and His gospel are the framework around which people build their lives, they can feel enduring joy.
In Australia, the term "fair dinkum" means people are what they say they are — essentially, they do what they mean and they go "all in" when they say they are committed.
In the game of rugby, players find the greatest enjoyment of the game when they play their hardest and give their all by playing their best. The same is true in life and with the gospel.
"Giving our all doesn't mean that we will be continually enveloped in blessings or always have success. But it does mean that we will have joy."
It is the sacrifices and efforts of each individual that matter most to the Lord, not their successes.
The story of King Lamoni's father in the Book of Mormon is an example of someone becoming a true disciple of Christ by changing their attitude and framework to center on the Savior. When the king feared losing his life, he offered as much as half his kingdom to have his life spared. But later, when he understood the gospel, he offered to forsake his whole kingdom, even all he had, to receive the joy of the fulness of the gospel. "He was fair dinkum about the gospel."
"So, the question for each of us is: Are we also fair dinkum about the gospel? Because being half-hearted is not being fair dinkum! And God is not known for showering praise on the lukewarm."
Nothing on earth is more precious than eternal life. The Savior committed absolutely in His sacrifice to bring about eternal life for the children of the Lord. Don't put off a total commitment to the Lord. "Get fair dinkum now and feel the joy!"
In the news:
- In June, Elder Terence M. Vinson of the Presidency of the Seventy, and his wife, Sister Kay Vinson, accompanied Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson on a trip to West Africa.
About the speaker:
- Elder Terence M. Vinson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 6, 2013.
- He was named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on Aug. 1, 2018.
- He received his bachelor's degree from Sydney University In 1974 and a master's degree in applied finance in 1996 from Macquarie University.
- He married Kay Anne Carden in May 1974. They are the parents of six children.
