In the historical and inspirational book which bears his name, the ancient prophet Mormon wrote, "I know that I shall be lifted up at the last day" (Mormon 2:19).
Wouldn't it be great to know with a surety that our thoughts and our actions have been pleasing unto God to the point that we can have the "more sure word of prophecy ... knowing [we are] sealed up unto eternal life"? (D&C 131:5-6)
Joseph Fielding Smith admonished us to live this principle in this way:
"Let us live so that we will be assured of our place, and so we will know, through the lives we life, that we shall enter into [God's] presence and dwell with Him, receiving the fulness of the blessings that have been promised." (Teachings of the Presidents, p. 69.)
I'm humbled and overwhelmed at the mercy and grace of my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I'm thankful that I can live another day. I can repent. I can change. I can choose better.
I'm challenging myself and each of us to do as Gordon B. Hinckley, the late president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, encouraged us to do when he said, "try a little harder to be a little better."
In a General Conference address in April 1995, President Hinckley said, "Each of us can do a little better than we have been doing. We can be a little more kind. We can be a little more merciful. We can be a little more forgiving. We can put behind us our weaknesses of the past, and go forth with new energy and increased resolution to improve the world about us, in our homes, in our places of employment, in our social activities."
May the spirit of pure love resonate in our homes and in our hearts, and may we feel of Christ's love for us as we love one another.
