This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 88, which includes the Lord’s promise that He will “draw near” to those who seek Him (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about this section of the Doctrine and Covenants.
‘Descended below all things’
“God’s plan of moral and mortal agency allows us to learn by our own experience. Some of our greatest life lessons come from things we would never choose. In love, Jesus Christ descended below and ascended above all things (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:6; 122:8). He rejoices in our divine capacities for creativity and delight, kindness without hope for reward, faith unto repentance and forgiveness. And He weeps in sorrow at the enormity of our human suffering, cruelty, unfairness — often brought by human choice — as do the heavens and the God of heaven with them.”
— Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2025 general conference, “Eternity’s Great Gifts: Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Resurrection, Restoration”
“If you saw someone drowning, wouldn’t you reach your hand out and rescue them? Can you imagine your Savior rejecting your outstretched hand? I imagine Him diving into the water, descending below all things (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:6) to lift us up so we can take a fresh breath. No one can sink lower than the light of Christ shines.”
— Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2025 general conference, “Your Repentance Doesn’t Burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy”
“The Savior can redeem that which was lost, including broken and fractured relationships. He has made a way for all that is fallen to be redeemed — to breathe life into that which feels dead and hopeless (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:6, 13).
“If you are struggling with a situation you think you should have overcome by now, don’t give up. Be patient with yourself, keep your covenants, repent often, seek the help of your leaders if needed and go to the house of the Lord as regularly as you can. Listen for and heed the promptings He sends you. He will not abandon His covenant relationship with you.”
— Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2024 general conference, “The Joy of Our Redemption”
‘The light which is in all things’
“In our lives that are often filled with questions, worries, pressures and opportunities, our Savior’s love for us individually and as His covenant children and also His teachings and laws are available daily resources that we can depend on to be a ‘light which shineth, … enlighten[ing our] eyes [and] quicken[ing our] understandings’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:11). As we seek for the blessings of the Spirit in our lives, we will be able to, as Jacob taught, see ‘things as they really are, and … as they really will be’ (Jacob 4:13).”
— Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, October 2022 general conference, “Seeing More of Jesus Christ in Our Lives”
“Before you ever received the gift of the Holy Ghost, you had the Light of Christ planted in your soul, that ‘light which is in all things, … giveth life to all things’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:13; see also verses 6-12), and is the influence for good in the hearts of all people who have ever lived or ever will live. That light was given to protect you and teach you.”
— President Jeffrey R. Holland, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2022 general conference, “Fear Not: Believe Only!”
‘The measure of its creation’
“We engage in God’s work not because God needs us but because we need God and His mighty blessings. … As we participate, we progress toward ‘the measure of [our] creation’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:19). …
“Callings do not determine or validate a person’s worth or worthiness. Rather, as we labor with God in whatever way He asks, we grow into the measure of our own creation.”
— Elder Steven D. Shumway, General Authority Seventy, April 2025 general conference, “Participate To Prepare for Christ’s Return”
‘To enjoy that which they are willing to receive’
“After death, we will receive what we have qualified for and ‘enjoy [only] that which [we] are willing to receive’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:32). Realizing our eternal destiny is dependent on our choices. It requires making and keeping sacred covenants. This covenant path is the way we come unto Christ and is based on absolute truth and eternal, unchanging law. We cannot create our own path and expect God’s promised outcomes. To expect His blessings while not following the eternal laws upon which they are predicated is misguided, like thinking we can touch a hot stove and ‘decide’ not to be burned. …
“Heavenly Father’s prescribed path leads to the best eternal outcomes. We are free to choose, but we cannot choose the consequences of not following the revealed path. The Lord has said, ‘That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself … cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:35). We cannot deviate from Heavenly Father’s course and then blame Him for inferior outcomes.”
— Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2022 general conference, “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny”
‘For what doth it profit a man if ... he receive not the gift?’
“I would like to talk about one all-encompassing gift of eternal truth that underpins our ability to receive all else our Father desires to endow us with — a vital gift of knowledge that, when fully accepted and received deep in the soul, contextualizes the joys and hardships of life and our unanswered questions: It is that we really are God’s children. …
“If this priceless gift of understanding — and all the goodness, peace and hope that flow from it — is left unaccepted, unopened and unreceived, what a terrible loss for us. What a sadness for the Giver. ‘For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:33).
“I invite you to receive, either for the first time or to a greater extent than ever before, the magnificent realization that you truly are God’s beloved child. You must undo the bow, tear off the wrapping paper, open the box and actively receive with grateful humility a true, pure understanding of this foundational truth. The Holy Spirit can bear witness to your heart that you are indeed a child of the Most High.”
— Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2025 general conference, “Receive His Gift”
‘All kingdoms have a law given’
“We know from modern revelation that ‘all kingdoms have a law given’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:36). Significantly:
“‘He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
“‘And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
“‘And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:22-24).
“In other words, the kingdom of glory we receive in the Final Judgment is determined by the laws we choose to abide by in our Heavenly Father’s loving plan. Under that plan there are multiple kingdoms so that all of His children can be assigned to a kingdom where they can ‘abide.’”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2022 general conference, “Divine Love in the Father’s Plan”
‘Light cleaveth unto light’
“‘Light cleaveth unto light’ — ‘truth embraceth truth’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:40). The reality and power of one ray of testimony reinforces and combines with another and then another and another. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a ray and there a ray — one small, treasured spiritual moment at a time — there grows up within us a core of light-filled, spiritual experiences. Perhaps no one ray is strong enough or bright enough to constitute a full testimony, but together they can become a light that the darkness of doubt cannot overcome.”
— Elder Alexander Dushku, General Authority Seventy, April 2024 general conference, “Pillars and Rays”
‘Draw near unto me’
“Here is His invitation to us: ‘Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).
“There are times we feel close to the Savior, Jesus Christ. And yet, sometimes during our mortal trials, we feel some distance from Him and wish for an assurance that He knows what is in our hearts and loves us as individuals.
“The Savior’s invitation includes the way to feel that assurance. Draw near Him by always remembering Him. Seek Him diligently through scripture study. Ask through heartfelt prayer to Heavenly Father to feel closer to His Beloved Son.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, April 2025 general conference, “Draw Near Unto Me”
“Feel that pull, the godly sorrow that turns you toward your Savior, and watch His grace enter into your life and the lives of those you love. I promise that the minute we bring a broken heart courageously toward Him, He is immediately there (see Alma 34:31; Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).”
— Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2025 general conference, “Your Repentance Doesn’t Burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy”
“Seasons of our lives can take us to places both unexpected and undesirable. If sin has led you there, pull back the curtain of darkness and begin now to humbly approach your Heavenly Father with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and repent. He will hear your earnest prayer. With courage today, ‘draw near unto [Him] and [He] will draw near unto you’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63). You are never beyond the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
— Elder Timothy J. Dyches, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2021 general conference, “Light Cleaveth Unto Light”
‘That you may be instructed more perfectly’
“Most important is what we do when we gather on the Lord’s day. Of course, we dress as best we can according to our means — not extravagantly but modestly in a way to signal our respect and reverence for Deity. Our conduct is similarly reverent and respectful. We worship by joining in prayer; we worship by singing hymns (not just listening to but singing the hymns); we worship by instructing and learning from one another. … We come together not to entertain or be entertained — as by a band, for instance — but to remember Him and be ‘instructed more perfectly’ in His gospel (Doctrine and Covenants 88:78).”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2025 general conference, “Worship”
‘And all things shall be in commotion’
“Prophets have foreseen our day, when there would be wars and rumors of wars and when the whole earth would be in commotion (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:91). As followers of Jesus Christ, we plead with leaders of nations to find peaceful resolutions to their differences. We call upon people everywhere to pray for those in need, to do what they can to help the distressed and to seek the Lord’s help in ending any major conflicts.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, April 2022 general conference, “Preaching the Gospel of Peace”
“In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Savior said, ‘And all things shall be in commotion; … for fear shall come upon all people’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:91).
“Certainly, we live in a time during which things are in commotion. Many people fear the future, and many hearts have turned away from their faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
“News reports are filled with accounts of violence. Moral denigration is published online. Cemeteries, churches, mosques, synagogues and religious shrines have been vandalized. … Economic upheavals have caused challenges for so many, especially for the most vulnerable of our Heavenly Father’s children.
“We have seen people passionately exercising their right to peaceful protest, and we have seen angry mobs riot. At the same time, we continue to see conflicts all around the world.
“I think often of those of you who are suffering, worried, afraid or feeling alone. I assure each one of you that the Lord knows you, that He is aware of your concern and anguish, and that He loves you — intimately, personally, deeply and forever.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2020 general conference, “Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always”
‘Every knee shall bow’
“We know that in the last days, ‘every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess’ that Jesus is the Christ (Mosiah 27:31; see also Doctrine and Covenants 88:104). I pray this witness will become a normal and natural experience for us now — that we will take every opportunity to joyfully testify: Jesus Christ lives.”
— Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, then the Young Women general president, April 2023 general conference, “Never Give Up an Opportunity To Testify of Christ”
‘Seek learning, even by study and also by faith’
“We see the Lord hastening educational opportunities for our members and even those not of our faith around the world. One of the things that distinguishes us as a Church is our emphasis on education. The Lord commanded in the early days of the Restoration to ‘seek learning, even by study and also by faith’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). That is happening today and is worthy of a resounding ‘hurrah.’”
— Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2025 general conference, “Right Before Our Eyes”
“The Lord taught us how to increase our faith by seeking ‘learning, even by study and also by faith’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). We strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ as we strive to keep His commandments and ‘always remember him’ (Moroni 4:3). Further, our faith increases every time we exercise our faith in Him. That is what learning by faith means.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 general conference, “Embrace the Future With Faith”
