Every April and October, we members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints enjoy the immense benefits of general conference. We get to enjoy the guidance, direction, and instruction from the main prophet/president of the church, as well as other prophets, apostles, and inspired leaders. This represents the latest, most relevant inspiration for the members of the church. The will of the Lord is mainly shared through his prophets. We learn from Amos 3:7 that “…Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” We also learn from Doctrine & Covenants 1:38 that “…whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” Therefore, it greatly behooves all members to watch, read, or listen to each conference talk, and then heed and apply the ideas given. Accordingly, this article will review some select quotes taken from the latest general conference that can have particular application of relevance for single members. Enjoy!
April, 2021 General Conference Quotes:
*Remember Your Eternal Worth and Potential:
It is astonishing what we can learn when we look a little closer at our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation and exaltation, the plan of happiness, for His children. When we feel insignificant, cast off, and forgotten, we learn that we may be assured that God has not forgotten us—in fact, that He offers to all His children something unimaginable: to become “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”
What does this mean? That we will live forever, receive a fulness of joy, and have the potential to “inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers.” It is so humbling to know that this magnificent and supernal future is possible—not because of who we are but because of who God is. Knowing this, how could we ever murmur or remain embittered? How could we ever keep our eyes on the ground when the King of kings invites us to take flight into an unimaginable future of divine happiness?
--Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “God Among Us”
*Choose Your Relationships Wisely in the Troubled Times; Avoid Contentious Ones; Be a Peacemaker:
Realizing what difficult hours lay ahead for Christ as He moved toward the cross and for His disciples as they would take His gospel to the world in the meridian of time, go with me now to a related message for members of the Savior’s Church in the latter days. It lies in the staggering number of verses in the Book of Mormon devoted to conflict of one kind or another, from Laman and Lemuel’s eternally annoying behavior up to final battles involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers. One of the obvious reasons for this emphasis is that inasmuch as the Book of Mormon was written for a latter-day audience, these authors (who experienced so much of war themselves) prophetically warn us that violence and conflict will be a signature characteristic of relationships in the last days.
--Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Not as the World Giveth”
*Deal with Unfairness in Life, Including Conditions as a Single Member, with the Faith in Christ:
When faced with unfairness, we can push ourselves away from God or we can be drawn toward Him for help and support. For example, the prolonged warfare between the Nephites and the Lamanites affected people differently. Mormon observed that “many had become hardened” while others “were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God.”
Do not let unfairness harden you or corrode your faith in God. Instead, ask God for help. Increase your appreciation for and reliance on the Savior. Rather than becoming bitter, let Him help you become better. Allow Him to help you persevere, to let your afflictions be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.” Join Him in His mission “to heal the brokenhearted,” strive to mitigate unfairness, and become a stonecatcher.
--Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Infuriating Unfairness”
*Every Single Member is Important, Should Serve, and Can Enjoy All Promised Blessing Including Exaltation (this quote is long, but worth reading):
Brothers and sisters, more than half of adults in the Church today are widowed, divorced, or not yet married. Some wonder about their opportunities and place in God’s plan and in the Church. We should understand that eternal life is not simply a question of current marital status but of discipleship and being “valiant in the testimony of Jesus.” The hope of all who are single is the same as for all members of the Lord’s restored Church—access to the grace of Christ through “obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”
May I suggest that there are some important principles we need to understand.
First, scriptures and latter-day prophets confirm that everyone who is faithful in keeping gospel covenants will have the opportunity for exaltation. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “In the Lord’s own way and time, no blessing will be withheld from His faithful Saints. The Lord will judge and reward each individual according to heartfelt desire as well as deed.”
Second, the precise time and manner in which the blessings of exaltation are bestowed have not all been revealed, but they are nonetheless assured. President Dallin H. Oaks explained that some of the circumstances “of mortality will be set right in the Millennium, which is the time for fulfilling all that is incomplete in the great plan of happiness for all of our Father’s worthy children.”
That doesn’t mean that every blessing is deferred until the Millennium; some have already been received, and others will continue to be received until that day.
Third, waiting upon the Lord implies continued obedience and spiritual progress toward Him. Waiting upon the Lord does not imply biding one’s time. You should never feel like you are in a waiting room.
Waiting upon the Lord implies action. I have learned over the years that our hope in Christ increases when we serve others. Serving as Jesus served, we naturally increase our hope in Him.
The personal growth one can achieve now while waiting upon the Lord and His promises is an invaluable, sacred element of His plan for each one of us. The contributions one can make now to help build up the Church on earth and to gather Israel are much needed. Marital status has nothing to do with one’s capacity to serve. The Lord honors those who serve and wait upon Him in patience and faith.
Fourth, God offers eternal life to all of His children. All those who accept the Savior’s gracious gift of repentance and live His commandments will receive eternal life, even though they do not attain to all its characteristics and perfections in mortality. Those who repent will experience the Lord’s readiness to forgive, as He has assured: “Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.”
In the final analysis, a person’s capacity, desires, and opportunities in matters of agency and choice, including qualification for eternal blessings, are matters only the Lord can judge.
Fifth, our confidence in these assurances is rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ, by whose grace all things pertaining to mortality are set right. All promised blessings are made possible through Him, who, by His Atonement, “descended below all things” and has “overcome the world.” He “hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men … ; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men.” In the end, “the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance” as “joint-heirs with Christ.”
Our desire is that these principles will help all have increased hope in Christ and feel a sense of belonging.
Never forget that you are a child of God, our Eternal Father, now and forever. He loves you, and the Church wants and needs you. Yes, we need you! We need your voices, talents, skills, goodness, and righteousness.
For many years, we have talked about “young single adults,” “single adults,” and “adults.” Those designations can be administratively helpful at times but can inadvertently change how we perceive others.
Is there a way to avoid this human tendency that can separate us from one another?
President Nelson asked that we refer to ourselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That seems to cover all of us, doesn’t it?
The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to unite us. We are ultimately more alike than we are different. As members of God’s family, we are truly brothers and sisters. Paul stated, “And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.”
To you stake presidents, bishops, and quorum and sister leaders, I ask you to consider every member of your stake, ward, quorum, or organization as a member who can contribute and serve in callings and participate in many ways.
Every member in our quorums, organizations, wards, and stakes has God-given gifts and talents that can help build up His kingdom now.
Let us call upon our members who are single to serve, lift, and teach. Disregard old notions and ideas that have sometimes unintentionally contributed to their feelings of loneliness and that they do not belong or cannot serve.
--President M. Russell Ballard, “Hope in Christ”
Final Thoughts:
There are many more ideas, thoughts, and instructions to be taken from the latest general conference beyond these few quotes. Therefore, please read, listen to, or watch all of the latest conference talks. Then, apply what you can and do your best. You will be blessed by doing so and your life will be greatly improved. You will also be helping your preparation for a future spouse as you get closer to the Lord and his ways. And remember, “…neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.”—1 Corinthians 11:11.
Dr. G
P.S. If you can questions, comments, or a future article request for me, feel free to contact me at drgilchrist@yahoo.com.
| 2021-04-11 | Randy Gilchrist | Spirituality |
About the author
Hello, my name is Dr. Randy Gilchrist (aka "Dr. G"). I am a licensed clinical psychologist, a licensed marriage & family therapist, and a certified hypnotherapist in private practice in Roseville, CA (www.dr-rg.com), practicing since 1997. Also, I am happily married in the temple (Manti) since 1996 and have 4 sons. I am a volunteer writer and contributor to LDS Dimension. I use my training, education, and experience to share insights with LDS Dimension on all things of interest to the LDS dating community. Please read my articles and columns on this site to assist you in your online dating journey. Also, to be considered for an answer in a future Q and A column, please email me your dating/relationship oriented questions to drgilchrist@yahoo.com. Finally, I also offer a powerful, effective worldwide custom hypnosis recording service just for LDS Dimension members for weight loss, pornography, and many other issues of concern to those in the LDS dating community (please learn more now at www.dr-rg.com/lds; email me questions to drgilchrist@yahoo.com).