Conference Talk of the Week

Overview

Elder Edward Dube teaches from Moroni's invitation to "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him" (Moroni 10:32). He starts with something from 1987, when he was a young missionary. President Dallin H. Oaks had a sign reading "Trespassers will be prosecuted" taken off a mission office gate so that it would not suggest anyone was shut out. Elder Dube then reads Moroni's verse as three steps: come, deny yourselves, and be perfected in Him. He tells about a ministering visit with Randall Child, who was trying to quit smoking. Elder Dube invited Randall and his wife, Laurin, to set a date to be sealed in the temple, and they were sealed two months later. Laurin had prayed through the night, and the answer she received was that Randall did not need to be perfect, only to do the very best he could. Elder Dube teaches that the adversary tries to hang that same "trespassers" sign on our hearts, using addiction, doubt, pride, grief, or guilt to convince us we are unworthy to approach the Savior. The talk's main point is that we do not perfect ourselves first and then come to Christ. We come to Christ, and He perfects us through His grace.

Three Key Takeaways

• 1Moroni 10:32 asks for three things. To "come" is an action: you choose to move from where you are now to a better place. To "deny yourselves" means to surrender and let go of what holds you back. To "be perfected in him" means you come as you are with a willing heart, and He gives you a new heart.
• 2Perfection is the Savior's work, and it is not a requirement for coming to Him. President Russell M. Nelson taught that "perfection is pending" and comes in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord. The Lord's answer to Laurin, "He needs to do the very best he can," applies the same truth to one man's struggle.
• 3The adversary wants us to believe our weaknesses bar us from Christ, the way the sign on the mission gate turned people away. President Oaks had that sign removed because the Savior invites everyone. In the same way, addiction, doubt, pride, pain, grief, guilt, or materialism do not shut anyone out from coming to Him.

Reflection Questions

• What would the "trespassers" sign on the gate of your heart say right now, and what has it kept you from bringing to the Savior?
• Of the three parts of Moroni's invitation (come, deny yourselves, be perfected in Him), which one asks the most of you right now, and why?
• In what part of your life have you been waiting to be "good enough" before turning to the Lord, and what would doing "the very best you can" look like there this week?