To Change or Not To Change

The Sermon had ended

The Preacher descended

So delighted were they,

But preferred the old way.

--???

Every six months the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints conducts a world-wide conference in which the top leaders of the church speak to the world. The meetings, consisting of five two-hour sessions, are broadcast via satellite, cable, internet and printed word to all the world and translated into several languages. The leaders who speak consist of the President of the Church, his two counselors, the Twelve Apostles, and other General Authorities of the Church.

For me, I anxiously look forward to listening to or watching all ten-hours of the conference every six months. What would make sitting in meetings for ten hours on a weekend so exciting?!

The answer is simple. When else in the history of the world do you have the opportunity to listen to all the living prophets and the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ in one weekend?

Just as Jesus Christ, himself, called Peter, James, John and the other disciples to follow Him and be special witnesses of His work on the earth (including the Atonement and the Resurrection); so also, in these latter-days, since the restoration of His church on earth, the resurrected Savior calls men to be special witnesses of Him to the world. The First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are these modern special witnesses of the Savior. Listening to these men is like listening to Peter, James, John, Paul and the other apostles who led Christ's church after His resurrection and His ascension into heaven. The tone and power of these modern day apostles' words matches the tone and power of Peter, John and Paul as found in the New Testament.

You can't listen to these righteous men without feeling the truth of their words and their testimony of the Savior. You can also feel their sincerity and love for the Lord and for all people.

I am surprised that more people don't take advantage of this unique blessing every six months.

Although I've developed my own conviction of the significance of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the more difficult part of Conference (and studying the scriptures) is following the council provided.

Listening and feeling good about what is said (and read in the scriptures) is easy. But the real test is afterwards when you face the everyday world and can no longer hide behind the temporary protection of ignorance. In the instant you are forced to make decisions, great or small, is the test of whether you will fulfill the personal commitment you made as the Holy Spirit confirmed the truth of the words of the Lord's representatives. In the blink of an eye, in an instant...and sometimes within seconds of gaining the new depth of knowledge, your commitment may be tested, the decision made, and the uncontrollable consequences unleashed.

Hopefully the right decision is made, releasing the blessings associated with obedience. But, unfortunately, all too often I fail the test, forfeit the blessings, and sit ashamed that I disappointed the Lord and sabotaged my own potential. I end up with a 'mess' that I must 'clean-up' in order to repair any damage made to myself or others. And gratefully the opportunity to sincerely try again is made available by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The ultimate challenge from the historically unique opportunity of listening to the Lord's representatives at General Conference every six months is: To Change or Not to Change. But I know the Lord gives no commandments that we can't keep and gives us the opportunity to turn things around when we don't do what we know we should do. Heavenly Father loves us so much, he gave his only begotten son to give us every opportunity in the world to choose eternal life.

You may listen/watch archives from this weekend's General Conference to learn these truths for yourself. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.