A life of joy is possible by coming unto Christ, taught President Russell M. Nelson in October 2024 general conference on Sunday, Oct. 6.
His message was one of hope in the future — especially looking forward to when Jesus Christ will come again.
“The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again!” he said.
President Nelson joyfully testified: “The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.”
President Nelson said the decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision he ever made. That decision has helped him “weather the storms of life.” And he promised this same divine help to all who follow Jesus Christ — especially through regular worship in the temple.
“Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple,” President Nelson said. “You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.”
President Nelson was one of several Church leaders whose messages shared themes of optimism and joy during the October 2024 general conference.
Each messenger testified of the Savior as the greatest source and reason for optimism and joy.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of events to look forward to in the next decade that will “result in extraordinary opportunities to serve, to unite with members and friends, and to introduce The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to more people than ever before.”
These events include the 100th birthday of President Nelson, the building and dedication of temples around the world, the bicentennial of the organization of the Church in 2030 and the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2034.
Elder Stevenson explained the meaning of the words “glad tidings.”
He shared that President Nelson taught him that this phrase comes from the original Greek word “euangelion,” which literally means “good news” or “gospel.”
“Happiness and joy in this life and the next are always linked with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Elder Stevenson said.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that “the gift of hope is a priceless endowment from God.”
“Hope is a living gift, a gift that grows as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ,” Elder Andersen said.
He shared a story of his grand-nephew, Trey Andersen, to show how hope grows from faith. During a heart transplant surgery for Trey, there were devastating complications, and he never regained consciousness.
Even though the pain of losing Trey was great, his parents were both comforted after his death with feelings of absolute joy.
Elder Andersen shared a note in Trey’s journal, taken from President Nelson’s general conference talk, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” given in October 2016: “It doesn’t seem possible to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior offers. His joy is constant, assuring us that our ‘afflictions shall be but a small moment’ and be consecrated to our gain.”
Elder Andersen concluded his talk with a promise: “The peace you seek may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, His peace will come.”
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles titled his talk Saturday afternoon: “Welcome to the Church of Joy.”
He taught, “Because of the loving plan of our Heavenly Father for each of His children and because of the redeeming life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can — and should — be the most joyful people on earth.”
He described how joy can be felt, expressed and shared during sacrament meetings.
Elder Kearon suggested turning on its head the practice of “thinking only about all the ways we messed up during the week before.”
Instead, he urged: “In the stillness, we can ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with His wonderful love that week. We can reflect on what it means to discover the joy of daily repentance. We can give thanks for the times the Savior entered into our struggles and our triumphs and the occasions where we felt His grace, forgiveness and power giving us strength to overcome our hardships and bear our burdens with patience and even good cheer.”
