Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and […]
In Christ, we can understand better the perfect attributes of the Father and His plan. Through Christ, we are given the enabling power to overcome the tendencies of natural men and women so that we might become more like the Father. – John A. McCune, “Joy Through Covenant Discipleship,” Liahona (CR) May 2025
Easter in Jesus Christ lets us feel God’s approbation. This world tells us we are too tall, too short, too wide, too narrow—not smart, pretty, or spiritual enough. Through spiritual transformation in Jesus Christ, we can escape debilitating perfectionism. – Gerrit W. Gong, “Eternity’s Great Gifts: Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Resurrection, Restoration,” Liahona (CR) May 2025
Jesus’s commandment to be “perfect, even as [our] Father which is in heaven is perfect” is a clear reflection of His high expectations and our eternal possibilities. Now, none of this will happen overnight. In the words of President Jeffrey R. Holland, it will happen “eventually.” But the promise is that if we “come unto Christ,” […]
I bear you my witness of the divinity of the Savior of the world and of His redemptive love and power to heal, strengthen, and lift us when we are earnestly striving to come unto Him. Conversely, there is no way we can move with the crowd and also toward Jesus. The Savior has defeated […]
Truly converted disciples, though still imperfect, will pursue “the life of the soul” on any day, in any decade, amid any decadence and destruction. This process constitutes being about our “Father’s business” (Luke 2:49; see also Moses 1:39). – Neal A. Maxwell, “Care for the Life of the Soul,” Ensign (CR) May 2003
It is often a temptation in our world and even within the culture of the Church to obsess about perfection. Social media, unrealistic expectations, and often our own self-criticism create feelings of inadequacy—that we are not good enough and never will be. Some even misunderstand the invitation of the Savior to “be ye therefore perfect.”1 […]
The Savior taught that we “should be perfect.”17 This can seem so daunting. I can clearly see my personal inadequacies and am painfully aware of the distance between me and perfection. We may have a tendency to think we have to perfect ourselves, but that is not possible. Following every suggestion in every self-help book in […]
We cannot reach at once that high moral standard of perfection that was promulgated by Him. And while we are conscious of the fact that we cannot at present attain to that perfection, and cannot grasp the whole as we should, yet the mark is there, the standard is before our eyes. We are looking […]
I believe it was from this very pulpit that my grandfather presented a sermon in which he said, “The test, the test, the TEST is coming.” Well, the test is here. The test has always been here. We came into the world as a test. All the way down the line there are adjustments to […]