Time for a General Conference update. First off, I went into the conference wondering what they would say about Trump and our toxic political environment.
And one of the first talks was about how great times were happening and how strongly the Church was growing. My first reaction was: but what about the world burning around us? The first session pretty much ended with nothing about politics.
So, immediately I got the message: a reminder that the Kingdom of God is independent of ongoing world history. Even though the world might be burning, there are still good things happening. And we all still have access to God and can still find personal peace.
At least four or five talks talked about the Ten Virgins and being prepared. Plus, President Nelson ended the conference urging us that we need to be ready for the Second Coming ... now. So, that was the next message. That perhaps everything that's happening now is supposed to happen. Eventually the world has to burn to satisfy prophecy. Just like God could have stopped the illegal trial and execution of his Son, he chose not to so that there could be an actual Plan of Salvation.
So, no. We didn't get any Mosiah 29:27 warning us about any curse upon us for choosing iniquity. But we did get what felt like an instruction book for surviving the next era. Because even during cursed times, we still have access to God and can still do good things. We can help others and be kind, etc. So, what did we learn?
- We need to provide help to those in need -- from a talk that specifically mentioned immigrants.
- We need to be civil in our discussions and speak with virtue.
- Those who put Party over God and everything else are creating an idol to worship.
- We must watch out for deceivers, and we can tell them from their fruits.
- We need to free ourselves from anger.
Overall, the prompting that I'm receiving are that I can't stop what's about to happen. I've done enough, and now it's time to switch gears, and get myself ready to live in this new environment.
