Philanthropies
1450 N. University Ave
Provo, UT 84604
801-356-5300
Email Us
December 2024
President Russell M. Nelson recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Sister Kusch and I had the privilege of attending the celebration, which was held in the Conference Center Theater. It was a very special experience to celebrate the amazing life of President Nelson. His accomplishments could span many lifetimes, but it is his ministry as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ that is most remarkable. Here are some things that President Nelson taught in his remarks at the celebration:
“The length of your life is not as important as the kind of life that you live. For each of us, even for a 100-year-old man, life passes quickly. My prayer is that you will let God prevail in your life. Make covenants with Him. Stay on the covenant path. Prepare to return to live with Him again.”
President Nelson bore witness of Jesus Christ, His gospel, and His church. Of all the things President Nelson is and does, being a witness of the Savior, bearing apostolic witness of the Savior and doing everything he can to lead us back to Christ is undoubtedly his most precious priority.
If we simply consider President Nelson’s most recent prophetic counsel given at his birthday celebration, there are four questions we might each ask ourselves:
In his October 2023 general conference message, “Think Celestial,” President Nelson said:
“Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. . . .
“When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. . . .
“When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial!”
As President Nelson pleads with us to remain on the covenant path or to return to the covenant path, his counsel to repent daily is a key ingredient in doing so.
Here are more questions from President Nelson; think about them as you strive to answer the question about letting God prevail.
“The question for each of us . . . is the same. Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life? Will you allow His words, His commandments, and His covenants to influence what you do each day? Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other?”1
I know that many of you know what it means to let God prevail in your life. I have heard many Ensign College students say, “I am here because of the promptings of the Holy Ghost.” Think about your decision to serve a mission, your decision to be baptized, your decision to marry in the temple, or any decision you have made to put God first, even when you knew it would be difficult. All of those things are examples of letting God prevail.
Is there a message that President Nelson has delivered more frequently than his repeated pleas to stay on the covenant path or to find our way back if we have strayed?
President Nelson has taught:
“There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust—from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, who ‘will show unto you all things what ye should do.’ Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.”2
How we answer the previous three questions will provide the answer to this fourth and final question.
If we are living a covenant-making and covenant-keeping life, we are preparing to live with God again.
If we let God prevail in our lives, we are preparing to live with Him again.
If we are repenting daily and diligently striving to remain on or return to the covenant path, we are preparing to live with God again.
If we are taking the words of living prophets—especially the teachings of the president of the Church—as our guides, we are preparing to live with God again.
As President Nelson concluded his remarks at his birthday celebration, he bore a powerful witness of Jesus Christ. I bear my personal testimony of the prophetic calling and ministry of President Russell M. Nelson. I know he is a prophet of God. I know he is the Lord’s appointed and ordained mouthpiece. With all the energy of my soul, I witness that following the Lord’s prophet with exactness will protect us and will strengthen us on our journey to return to God’s presence. How blessed we are to know that there is a prophet in the land. How much more blessed we are when we listen to him and follow what he teaches. As we follow the counsel of the Savior’s chief apostle, may we honestly examine our lives. May we let God prevail in our lives. May we valiantly stay on the covenant path. May we look forward with confidence that has waxed strong that we are prepared to return to live with God again.
This message was adapted from “A Centennial Celebration,” a devotional address given by President Kusch on September 17, 2024.
From the outside, McManus’s childhood in Manchester, England, seemed normal. He had many happy childhood memories playing and being kids with his four older sisters and one younger sister. But behind closed doors, he grew up in a broken home, where he was physically and emotionally abused.
Lydia asked God to transform her life. A scholarship was her answer.
Raskita is a first-generation college student creating a better plan for his future thanks to Ensign College.