Relief Society · Elders Quorum · 25 minutes
Elder David A. Bednar · Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles · Saturday Morning Session
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Enduring to the end is not grim determination but a joyful, lifelong process of being possessed by charity, the pure love of Christ, until we are transformed to become more like Him.
Skip the detailed walk through all three substitution scriptures (Matthew, Nephi, Alma); read just one aloud and let it land rather than all three.
Before Sunday
Sunday: What does it really mean to endure to the end?
This Sunday we're discussing Elder Bednar's April 2025 talk 'All Who Have Endured Valiantly.' He invites us to rethink a phrase we've heard our whole lives. He teaches that enduring to the end isn't about gritting our teeth through mortality, it's about being gradually transformed by the pure love of Christ until that love possesses us completely. You can read or listen at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. As you do, ponder: In what ways does your current view of 'enduring to the end' feel more like surviving than becoming?
Pick one opening
Think of a time you had to endure something hard, a long project, a difficult season, a physical challenge. What did 'enduring' feel like in that moment? Now, with that feeling fresh, I want to ask: when you hear the phrase 'endure to the end' in a gospel setting, does it feel different, or about the same?
Think of a time you had to endure something hard, a long project, a difficult season, a physical challenge. What did 'enduring' feel like in that moment? Now, with that feeling fresh, I want to ask: when you hear the phrase 'endure to the end' in a gospel setting, does it feel different, or about the same?
Elder Bednar opened his talk by telling us he has run competitively since he was a boy and has had a lifelong love-hate relationship with running. He loves the benefits. He hates the sore muscles and exhaustion. He said that at the end of long runs he's had to push himself: hang on, endure to the end. Then he asked us to consider whether the gospel phrase means something much higher than that kind of gritting through.
Teach this first
Elder Bednar teaches that 'endure to the end' is not about white-knuckling through mortality. It is the ongoing, joyful process of being spiritually transformed, of receiving charity, the pure love of Christ, as a spiritual gift until it doesn't just belong to us, but possesses us. The goal isn't survival; it's becoming new creatures in Christ.
Enduring to the end is 'the joyous quest of a lifetime, a pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ in a gradual process of trusting in and receiving help from our Savior to become more like Him.', Elder Bednar
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If time remains
Elder Bednar is careful to say spiritual gifts, including charity, are given by God according to His will, not earned purely through personal discipline. That means our role is to plead for this gift and stay open to it, not just try harder on our own.
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Counsel together
Last 3–5 minutes
This week, notice one moment when your natural instinct is to turn inward, toward self-interest or discouragement, and make a deliberate choice to turn outward toward someone else's need. Come ready to share what you noticed next Sunday if you feel comfortable.
Elder Bednar testified that as our love for the Savior grows, we can receive 'spiritual perspective, the Lord's empowering grace, and exceedingly great and indescribable joy.'
Your witness: Share what it means personally to you that enduring to the end is a promise of what we can become, not just a finish line to survive to.