This week on social media, President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared his special connection with “The Living Christ” document as one of the 15 Apostles who signed it. Also, the Young Women general presidency invited 11-year-old girls into the program, and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, sang the 2025 youth theme song with young women and shared truths from its lyrics.
Sitting in his office in Salt Lake City, President Holland talked with audiences around the world about “The Living Christ” document in a social media post Thursday, Jan. 23.
Of the 15 Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who signed the document in the year 2000, only four are still alive: Church President Russell M. Nelson; President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring, both counselors in the First Presidency; and President Holland.
“But part of what that reminds me is that the role — some of the roles, some of the messages, some of the truths that the Savior taught were to outlast His mortal life, and they are to outlast ours,” taught President Holland.
“That they wouldn’t disappear with the ancient apostles, they wouldn’t disappear with the modern apostles,” he continued. “And when the four of us are gone, those replacements will be made, and the function, and the truths and the power will go on long after I’m gone.”
Although advancements in artificial intelligence technology come with many benefits, “the divine capacities to create and work belong uniquely to each of us as sons and daughters of God,” taught Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Nov. 3, 2024, worldwide devotional, “Things as They Really Are 2.0.″
Elder Bednar posted a clip from that devotional to his social media channels Wednesday, Jan 22, highlighting the importance of technology in God’s work.
“An important aspect of the fullness [of the gospel] that is available to us today is a miraculous progression of innovations and inventions that have enabled and accelerated God’s work of salvation and exaltation,” he said.
Elder Bednar left viewers with a promise: “I bless and promise you to know that as we look unto the Savior in every thought and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we will be blessed to walk in the meekness of the Lord’s spirit and have peace in Him.”
Laughing, smiling and singing together, three young women and young adults sang the lyrics to the 2025 Youth Theme Song: "Look Unto Christ" with Sister Spannaus in a video on the Young Women Worldwide social media page Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Lucy, Cami and Sister Price — the three who participated — each shared lyrics from the song that inspired them. Then, Sister Spannaus shared what lyric of the song spoke most to her:
“There is peace in the suffering when we stay on the Savior’s side.”
Explaining her pick for favorite lyric, Sister Spannaus said, “So two things that will put us in action, [one] is to always be obedient and keep the commandments ... and the other one is to remember the Savior. So, look unto Christ. We need to have Him in our minds. ... We always win when we partner with Jesus Christ.”
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote in a post on Friday, Jan. 24, about the Savior’s teachings in Matthew 22: 37, 39 — to “love the Lord, thy God” and “love they neighbor.”
“Our love of God and our fellow man is the ultimate test of the condition of our spirit,” he wrote. “If we love God, we will keep His commandments. And if we love our fellow men, we will serve them and essentially be the Savior’s hands.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught readers the importance of patience when it comes to waiting upon heavenly intervention in a social media post Thursday, Jan. 23.
“Realistically, however, we ought not to expect in this life to know all the answers,” he wrote. “Especially in matters of eternal significance, sometimes ‘the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith’ (Mosiah 23:21)," he wrote.
Elder Christofferson left readers with the hope of divine inspiration merited on their patience, faith and obedience. “When answers are incomplete or lacking altogether, patient study and patient waiting for new information and discoveries to unfold will often be rewarded with understanding,” he wrote.
“You are beloved daughters of heavenly parents, with a divine nature, and eternal destiny,” taught the Young Women general presidency in a Young Women Worldwide social media post Thursday, Jan. 23.
Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman; Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor; and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor, shared their enthusiasm for the new 11-year-olds that joined Young Women earlier this month. They also shared suggestions for leaders on how to better embed new sisters into the group:
- Subscribe to the free For the Strength of Youth magazine
- Give each new young woman a "For the Strength of Youth: A Guide to Making Choices"
“We are so excited that you are here with us! Welcome,” said President Freeman.
The Savior taught that repentance should be a joyous experience and a way to come unto Him in the scriptures. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles echoed these teachings in a social media post Wednesday, Jan. 22.
“Wherever we are on our journey through life, as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we constantly treasure the blessing to repent. Repentance is not punishment; repentance is a redemptive gift from a loving Heavenly Father,” he wrote.
Young Men General President Steven J. Lund addressed the popular question among children and youth of the Church: “How can I tell if it’s inspiration or if it’s just me?” in a social media post on Young Men Worldwide Thursday, Jan. 23.
He taught that the answer lies in the updated “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet.
“It is not simply a rewrite of standards and rules,” he wrote. Those guidelines were about what to do and not answers to the question, ‘How can I tell?’ As we understand the eternal truths in the FSY guide and live according to these higher and holier principles, we are in the position to receive revelation and heavenly guidance even when there is not a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for every possible choice you might face."
