A Plea and a Promise

Day nine

I have been very blessed to be a part of the many programs focused on the youth in my church.  My service to the youth has given me the opportunity to serve those ages 18 months to 18 years and beyond. The culmination of all my experiences brought me to my opportunity to teach the high school-aged youth the scriptures every morning.  Needless to say, I have been a part of their lives for many years and have grown to love them as my own.

The problem with this is that you become such a part of their lives that their hurts and concerns become yours.  Their eternal salvation becomes personal, you can't bear the thought of loosing any of them to the world.  You no longer look at them as just teenagers, you start to see them as the Lord does; they are His children filled with endless potential. So my thoughts and prayers were focused on the youth today.

I prayed that they might be surrounded by those that love them and see them as the Lord does.  I prayed that they might remember who they are and that they are loved.  I prayed that they would feel the Lord's love for them and find the strength to fight temptations.  I prayed that they might have great examples of righteous people in the lives daily.

This was the lead-in to my scripture study.  As I read Sections 84-87 I could see how these sections had a lot of offer the youth. 

Here is my plea to the youth, please remember:

84:44 - "...you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God."
v. 45 - "...the word of the Lord is truth...truth is light...light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ."
v. 47 - "...every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God"
v 61 - "...I [the Lord] will forgive you of your sins with this commandment -- that you remain steadfast in your minds in solemnity and the spirit of prayer, in bearing testimony to all..."
v 88 - "...I [the Lord] will go before ... I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in  your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."
86:11 - "Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness..."
87:8 - "...stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come..."

Great effort is made by the world to destroy any confidence that you may have in the scriptures and in God.  I am here to tell you that He loves you and that the scriptures are filled with expressions of His love.  Please search the scriptures daily for a reminder of His love!

Here is my promise:  I promise you that if you read the scriptures daily your relationship with God will be strengthened, and your relationships with those around you will improve.  Your perspective will forever change and you will find comfort when you need it.  I know of no other item here on earth that can have such a positive effect on you.

I can make those statements because I know they are true.  The Spirit has helped me to recognize these blessings in my own life and my personal experiences have allowed me to be a witness to these blessings in others. 

To the youth I say I love you! You are always in my prayers and I am so grateful for all that you have taught me.  You are the leaders of the future not only in the world, but also in the Church.  You are the ones that will be teaching my grandchildren someday, please live your life so that they will have examples of righteousness in their lives too!