Saturday morning session: Gospel must be your 'very core'
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"How can you become converted?" asked Elder D. Todd Christofferson during the Saturday morning session.
"How can you make the gospel of Jesus Christ not just an influence in your life but the controlling influence, . . . the very core of what you are?"
Elder Christofferson of the Presidency of the Seventy told of an experience from years earlier when he wondered how an active member of the Church could fall victim to sin.
"It came to me that this brother had never become converted. Despite his Church activity, the gospel had not penetrated his heart."
The gospel, he said, "must be something you want."
Lay aside any feeling of pride, he said. "By this I mean the attitude that rejects the authority of God to rule in our lives."
For the gospel to be "written in your heart," he continued, it must be studied. "When I say 'study,' I mean something more than reading. . . . Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters."
Concerning prayer, Elder Christofferson said, "Your Heavenly Father wants you to pray about your hopes and fears, your friends and family, your school and work, and the needs of those around you."
To be converted, Elder Christofferson continued, "you must practice the gospel law. . . . You must look outward and care about others. You can be compassionate, you can be friendly, you can share, you can help others in a hundred small ways. As you do, the gospel of Jesus Christ will become a part of you."
Drawing an example from ancient times, he said, "The gift or sacrifice He will accept now is a 'broken heart and a contrite spirit.' Getting rid of a sin, or acquiring a good habit is "a gift to the Lord."
Elder Christofferson told of two sister missionaries who feared for their safety one night in Zagreb, Croatia. In time they felt they were invisible to those who might have harmed them.
"As you become converted, you will have comparable protections to keep you from temptation and deliver you from evil," he said.
"Pursue this blessing diligently and patiently, and you will receive it," he promised.
