Enduring To The End Involves Walking The Straight And Narrow Path Up And Down The Peaks And Through The Valleys

Gospel Basics Series: The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ said that He is the only path to God. Finding that path is what led Joseph Smith to a grove of trees to pray to know what church to join. He knew that an organized church was the vehicle that led him to God, but he didn’t know which one that brought him there. Joseph Smith knew he could not be saved from personal private study. He had to find the Lord’s church. He did not go to the grove with the intention of restoring the Lord’s church; He assumed the Lord’s true church was already on the earth. Joseph Smith also did not expect to talk face to face with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

We enter the path after baptism and reception of the Holy Ghost. Once on it, we must stay on it until the end, which is known as enduring to the end. The path is strait and narrow, but it is not flat. You will have to walk up down some big mountain peaks following Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus Christ’s standard is the highest, everyone can achieve it because this is His work. He will give you the strength to be His disciple and walk His path.

Walking this path means being strictly obedient to Him by guarding yourself against temptation and promptly repenting when you sin. Resisting temptation is always easier than repenting.

The path is strait and narrow because the Holy Ghost is very sensitive toward evil. Hiking through the mountains in beautiful fields and valleys will be tempting to take the other various trails. When the hills are steep, and it exhausts your energy, and you have been walking all day you naturally will slow down a little and maybe stop for a rest. God understands this and doesn’t expect you to run up a steep hill the way you could run on a flat surface.

God asks all you have to give, and He knows that some days your best will different than other days. He knows the hills, mountain peaks and steep cliffs ahead of you and the extra time and effort it takes.

Why does God give you the steep cliffs to climb? It is true that the cliff is much harder and more frightening, but the personal growth is also much greater. You can't become like God on mostly flat surfaces. Without the hills, mountains and steep cliffs, you could not become powerful disciples. You can be assured that you can do it because the Lord asked you to. He will never ask you to do something that you can’t do.

The Lord’s mission is not only to bring you back home, but make you Godlike.

Life is about change, and no matter whom you are the Lord will ask you to make changes in your life. He will not accept the excuse, “that is just the way I am.” Getting rid of some personal character traits and replacing them with some good ones may be a mountain to climb. God can also move mountains if you have faith. The Lord has promised in scripture that you can turn a weakness into a strength, even though your weakness may seem overwhelming.

You might have an addiction that is destroying your life and causing great hardship to you family. This is your vertical cliff to climb. The steeper your cliff, the deeper you must sink your spikes and anchor your ropes to faith in Jesus Christ.

The tools for climbing the biggest mountain peaks in your path are faith in Jesus Christ; repentance; making, renewing and keeping covenants; and being cleansed by the spirit by living worthy of the Holy Ghost. This must be a lifestyle.

The end of the path is eternal life. To know God will bring the greatest joy and happiness in your life and is the greatest gift you can give to your family and the world.

The prophets have said that finishing this path will take a long time. Finishing it is what matters not how long it takes you. Some will finish faster because they are more diligent in using the tools and helps the Lord provided.

Chapel Address and contact information: 1928 E. South Campus Drive, Salt Lake City; (University of Utah, next to the institute) 801-562-8089. You can also call 801-259-6709 for the mission home in Midvale if you want to talk to someone.