WALK WITH ME, JESUS
Dear brethren, my goal today is to reassure and strengthen you, in your daily services. In some ways, it is similar to the goal I think the Savior had when He met a rich young man who asked, "What good must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16).
You may have gone to the church, as this young man went to the Savior, wondering if your prayer is acceptable. And at the same time, you may feel that there is more to life than meets the eye! Let's pray that we may submit to acceptance in the Lord's love for what we have already done, while also giving a positive attitude to what we can do, with His help, but also as His Holiness.
The rich young man was asked to sell all he had to follow the Savior, your progress may not require that, but it may require a certain amount of sacrifice. In any case, I hope my message will not cause you to “leave [the grief],” as the young man did. (See Matthew 19: 20–22.) Instead, I believe “you will go out of the way rejoicing” (D&C 84: 105) because you need to do better.
However, it is natural to feel some limitations when we think about what the Lord has called us to do. In fact, if you told me you felt you could fully fulfill your Christianity responsibilities, I would be afraid you didn't understand. On the other hand, if you tell me you feel discouraged because responsibility is greater than your ability, then I would like to help you understand how the Lord magnifies and strengthens his people to do things they cannot do on their own.
This is as true in my calling as it is in you in your calling. None of us can do the work of preaching the word of God, and do it properly, relying solely on our own wisdom and talents. That is because this is not our job — it is the Lord's work. So the only way to get succeed is to trust in Him, even if you are a new deacon called and trusted for the work of bringing a certain amount of spiritual power into the sacrament worship; or a home teacher sent by the Lord to love and help a family you do not know and who seem to need your love or support; or a father who knows you should lead your home in righteousness, but you are not sure how to do it, and time seems to be running out, because those children are growing up fast and the world seems to be cruel and hostile.
So if you feel overwhelmed, take it as a good sign. It means that you can feel a certain amount of faith that God has placed in you. It means that you have a little understanding of what exactly the God's people are.
I give you my strong testimony that Jesus is the Christ, our risen Lord. I bear you my testimony that his services which he has entrusted to us is the power to speak and act in His name. We are children of a beloved heavenly Father who answers our prayers and sends the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in every work we are blessed to have. Let's pray together so that by the help of the Holy Spirit we can handle all services that God has called us to do in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
