Last updated on October 30th, 2023 at 03:10 pm
General Conference Applied
S2 E1 – Sunday, October 8, 2023 | “Think Celestial!” by President Russell M. Nelson; October 2023 General Conference
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Corresponding Talk Outline: “Think Celestial!”
Podcast Episode Outline
Report on Prior Week’s Action Item
My action item for last week was to make a 6-month plan to incorporate a focused effort on becoming more like Jesus Christ. I had said that I would accomplish this by utilizing the Christlike Attribute Activity from Preach My Gospel in the Gospel study in which I am already engaged. (Also, as I mentioned in season 1 episode 10, I am still working on the Christlike Attribute Activity spreadsheet, and I will let you know how to get a copy for free, by signing up for my email list, as soon as it’s ready). Here is an example:
I identified “Charity and Love” as one of the Christlike attributes on which I need to focus. So, in the Christlike Attribute Activity, the first question is: “I feel a sincere desire for the eternal welfare and happiness of others. (Mosiah 28:3)” My response to this question was a ‘3’, which means ‘often.’ I hope to improve on this score over time, so that one day I can respond ‘5’ (i.e., ‘always’).
In my Gospel study this week, I read Doctrine and Covenants section 60. Parts of verses 2 and 13 stood out to me, where the Lord says – Verse 2: “With some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man.” Verse 13: “I give unto them a commandment, thus: Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.”
When I prepare for my podcast each week (i.e., a talent which I am cultivating and time which I am choosing not to idle away), I pray that something I say might be of benefit to at least one person. Our Heavenly Father knows who will listen to each podcast episode, and I ask Him to inspire me to say something that will bless the life of one of His children. I feel that, in this way, “I feel a sincere desire for the eternal welfare and happiness of others.” This also inspires me to pray more often to be an instrument in our Father’s hands to bless the lives of those around me.
Introduction
In each episode of General Conference Applied, we are attempting to answer two questions:
- What is the speaker inviting me to do?
- How might I consider taking action?
What is the speaker inviting me to do?
Doctrines and Principles
The two overarching doctrines I have identified in this talk are the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And the main principle that is discussed is Exaltation. To begin, I’d like to share one quote from chapter 47 (“Exaltation”) of the Gospel Principles manual:
- “Imagine what joy each of us will have when we return to our Heavenly Father if we can say: ‘Father, I lived according to Thy will. I have been faithful and have kept Thy commandments. I am happy to be home again.’ Then we will hear Him say, ‘Well done … ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord’ (Matthew 25:23).”
Promises
- Action: “As you focus on thinking celestial,
Promise: “expect to encounter opposition.” (If Satan is countering my efforts, this tells me I’m on the right track!) - Action: “I am convinced… that thinking celestial
Promise: “enhanced my career.” - Action: “As you think celestial,
Promise: “your heart will gradually change. You will want to pray more often and more sincerely.” - Action: “As you think celestial,
Promise: “you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency.” - Action: “Thinking celestial
Promise: “will also help you obey the law of chastity.” - Action: “As you think celestial,
Promise: “you will view trials and opposition in a new light.” - Action: “As you think celestial,
Promise: “your faith will increase.”
Invitations
- “Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded. We learn from the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob that ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’ … When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view.”
Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)
- “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! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies prematurely, think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial! As you recover from an accident or injury, as I am doing now, think celestial!”
- “Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list… Our prayers can be—and should be—living discussions with our Heavenly Father.”
- “If you struggle with an addiction, seek the spiritual and professional help you need. Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s fabulous plan.”
- “When you make decisions regarding morality, please think celestial. And if you have been unchaste, I plead with you to repent. Come unto Christ and receive His promise of complete forgiveness as you fully repent of your sins.”
- “When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony… 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.’ (2 Nephi 32:5) Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.”
How might I consider taking action?
Invitations
1: “Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded. We learn from the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob that ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’ … When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view.”
- Each of the directives below can assist us in taking action on this invitation.
- On Thursday evening (October 5th), a long day was coming to a close, and our two youngest children had nasty coughs. I had the thought: ‘I hate it when our kids are sick!’ Then, immediately after that thought, another thought popped into my mind: ‘Think Celestial!’ I texted Morgan the two thoughts I had just had (she was in our daughter’s room trying to get her back to sleep), and she responded:
- “Hey, I like that! We are blessed to have bodies that can get sick. And we’ll be stronger and better once we overcome the sickness. And one day we’ll have a resurrected body that won’t get sick anymore!” Well said Babe!
- President Nelson defined what it means to “think celestial”. He stated that it “means being spiritually minded.” Then he referenced the prophet Jacob from The Book of Mormon. The reference was specifically 2 Nephi 9:39, but I’d like to read 2 Nephi 9:38-41. (“Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal” = SMILE; note in verse 40 the directive to “remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel” – we will discuss shortly how President Nelson has done just that during his recovery)
- “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.
“O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
“O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.
“O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.”
- “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.
Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)
1: “Put Jesus Christ first, because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement.”
- Can we earn our way into heaven? Isn’t it true that, without the grace of God, none of us would be able to return to His presence? This was the topic of a recent discussion I had with a few of my family members. I wasn’t sure I had a great answer. While listening to a podcast (Unshaken Saints) this week that I hadn’t listened to for probably a year or more, I heard about a concept that Brother Brad Wilcox shared in a July 2011 BYU devotional address entitled “His Grace Is Sufficient“. I’d like to share a quote from that address:
- “I have born-again Christian friends who say to me, ‘You [Latter-day Saints] are trying to earn your way to heaven.’
“I say, ‘No, we are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven. We are preparing for it (see D&C 78:7). We are practicing for it.’
“They ask me, ‘Have you been saved by grace?’
“I answer, ‘Yes. Absolutely, totally, completely, thankfully—yes!’
“Then I ask them a question that perhaps they have not fully considered: ‘Have you been changed by grace?’ They are so excited about being saved that maybe they are not thinking enough about what comes next. They are so happy the debt is paid that they may not have considered why the debt existed in the first place. Latter-day Saints know not only what Jesus has saved us from but also what He has saved us for. As my friend Brett Sanders puts it, ‘A life impacted by grace eventually begins to look like Christ’s life.’ As my friend Omar Canals puts it, ‘While many Christians view Christ’s suffering as only a huge favor He did for us, Latter-day Saints also recognize it as a huge investment He made in us.’ As Moroni puts it, grace isn’t just about being saved. It is also about becoming like the Savior (see Moroni 7:48).
“The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed (see Romans 8). Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God (see Alma 40:26), but, brothers and sisters, no unchanged thing will even want to.”
2: “When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies prematurely, think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial! As you recover from an accident or injury, as I am doing now, think celestial!”
- President Nelson shared this interesting statement:
- “My injury has caused me to reflect again and again on ‘the greatness of the Holy One of Israel.’ During my healing, the Lord has manifested His divine power in peaceful and unmistakable ways.”
- Think back on the last time you were injured or sick. Did you reflect repeatedly on Jesus Christ? I know I didn’t.
- In his book ‘The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment‘, author Eckhart Tolle wrote:
- “Accept – then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”
- In his October 2020 General Conference address entitled “Let God Prevail“, President Nelson shared this powerful story:
- “Not long ago, the wife of one of our grandsons was struggling spiritually. I will call her ‘Jill.’ Despite fasting, prayer, and priesthood blessings, Jill’s father was dying. She was gripped with fear that she would lose both her dad and her testimony.
“Late one evening, my wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, told me of Jill’s situation. The next morning Wendy felt impressed to share with Jill that my response to her spiritual wrestle was one word! The word was myopic.
“Jill later admitted to Wendy that initially she was devastated by my response. She said, ‘I was hoping for Grandfather to promise me a miracle for my dad. I kept wondering why the word myopic was the one he felt compelled to say.’
“After Jill’s father passed on, the word myopic kept coming to her mind. She opened her heart to understand even more deeply that myopic meant ‘nearsighted.’ And her thinking began to shift. Jill then said, ‘Myopic caused me to stop, think, and heal. That word now fills me with peace. It reminds me to expand my perspective and seek the eternal. It reminds me that there is a divine plan and that my dad still lives and loves and looks out for me. Myopic has led me to God.’
“I am very proud of our precious granddaughter-in-law. During this heart-wrenching time in her life, dear Jill is learning to embrace God’s will for her dad, with an eternal perspective for her own life. By choosing to let God prevail, she is finding peace.”
- “Not long ago, the wife of one of our grandsons was struggling spiritually. I will call her ‘Jill.’ Despite fasting, prayer, and priesthood blessings, Jill’s father was dying. She was gripped with fear that she would lose both her dad and her testimony.
3: “Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list… Our prayers can be—and should be—living discussions with our Heavenly Father.”
- In his book ‘Increase in Learning: Spiritual Patterns for Obtaining Your Own Answers’, Elder David A. Bednar wrote:
- “Meaningful morning and evening prayers are linked to and are a continuation of each other.
“Consider this example. There may be things in our character, in our behavior, or concerning our spiritual growth about which we need to counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. After expressing appropriate thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding, direction, and help to do the things we cannot do in our own strength alone…
“During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart for continued assistance and guidance…
“At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer.
“Morning and evening prayers – and all of the prayers in between – are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years.” - For me, one theme of the October 2023 General Conference was RELATIONSHIPS. We will discuss this in future episodes in season 2 of General Conference Applied, but if I’m not cultivating a relationship with our Heavenly Father through prayer (by both speaking with Him often and listening for His counsel), then why would I want to abide with Him in His kingdom?
4: “If you struggle with an addiction, seek the spiritual and professional help you need. Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s fabulous plan.”
- President Nelson shared this fantastic statement:
- “Any addiction—be it gaming, gambling, debt, drugs, alcohol, anger, pornography, sex, or even food—offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace.”
- How many of us, at the end of a long, stressful day, turn to junk food and social media or other forms of entertainment, rather than to our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ? I know President Nelson’s statement hits home for me.
- I can’t picture a celestial being who is consumed by an obsession. Here’s a question for reflection: who, or what, is your god?
5: “When you make decisions regarding morality, please think celestial. And if you have been unchaste, I plead with you to repent. Come unto Christ and receive His promise of complete forgiveness as you fully repent of your sins.”
- A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to serve as a member of the High Council in my Stake. In preparation to participate in my first membership council, our Stake President shared a fascinating insight. He said something like: this council is a good thing. It will allow this individual to progress and to ultimately be forgiven. For every one membership council that happens, there are likely another ten that should happen that won’t, because the members are not choosing to embark on the repentance process. I have had some amazing spiritual experiences during my life. Membership councils rank high on that list. I felt God’s love for His child. If you need to repent, don’t delay.
6: “When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony… 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.’ (2 Nephi 32:5) Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.”
- In his talk “Choices for Eternity” during the May 2022 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, President Nelson stated:
- “I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with the false philosophies of unbelieving men and women and then wonder why your testimony is waning.”
- I have often wondered what might motivate someone to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Nelson’s penetrating statement might cause these individuals to reconsider:
- “If we unwisely choose to live telestial laws now, we are choosing to be resurrected with a telestial body. We are choosing not to live with our families forever. So, my dear brothers and sisters, how and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.”
- There is nowhere else on earth that you can go to be sealed with your family for all eternity. Listening to the voices of the world, and choosing to walk away from your covenants, is catastrophic for you and for your family.
This Week’s Action Item
“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”
Karl Pearson, an early 20th-century British mathematician
“Those who measure their progress improve. Those who measure and report their progress improve exponentially.”
Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.
“Do something, do anything! But to start, just do ONE thing.”
Mitch Peterson
President Nelson powerfully stated:
- “Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever. So think celestial.
“In my first message as President of the Church, I encouraged you to begin with the end in mind. This means making the celestial kingdom your eternal goal and then carefully considering where each of your decisions while here on earth will place you in the next world.
“The Lord has clearly taught that only men and women who are sealed as husband and wife in the temple, and who keep their covenants, will be together throughout the eternities.”
The celestial kingdom is my eternal goal. Thus, my action item for this week will be to journal for 15 minutes about the decisions I am currently making, and where I might make improvements to more intentionally “think celestial”.