Conference Talk of the Week

Overview

Elder Ciro Schmeil teaches that God gave two divine helps for returning to His presence: the Savior Jesus Christ and our covenants. Because covenants bind us to Christ, keeping them is how we take His yoke and find our burdens lighter (Matthew 11:28–30). He focuses on the weekly sacrament as a renewal of the baptismal covenant and a preparation for temple covenants. Then he turns to the prophet Haggai: the Israelites worked hard but gained little because they neglected the Lord's house. When they changed course and began rebuilding the temple, the Lord promised, "From this day will I bless you" (Haggai 2:19). Elder Schmeil invites us to examine our own priorities the same way.

Three Key Takeaways

• 1Weak things become strong through humility and faith in Christ (Ether 12:27). Elder Schmeil defines humility as a broken heart, meaning being receptive to God's will, and faith as trusting Christ even when we don't have all the answers.
• 2Covenants yoke us to Jesus Christ because He is central to every covenant we make, so keeping them is how His promise of rest and a lighter burden reaches us (Matthew 11:28–30).
• 3The sacrament prayers ask us to be willing to take His name, remember Him, and keep His commandments; they do not ask us to be perfect. Partaking each week renews our baptismal covenant, brings the promise of His Spirit, and prepares us for temple covenants.

Reflection Questions

• Haggai describes earning wages only to put them "into a bag with holes." Where in your life are you working hard but seeing little lasting result, and how might your covenants relate to that?
• Elder Renlund warned that a time will come when you hesitate to go to church and take the sacrament. What tends to cause that hesitation for you, and what helps you go anyway?
• Which weakness would you like to bring to the Savior right now, and what would being receptive to His will about it look like this week?