He highlighted the importance of temple worship as a means of increasing “our capacity for both virtue and charity,” which necessarily means increased “confidence before the Lord,” and hearkened back to his talk at last October’s general conference by saying “increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Though he acknowledged that we do not know when exactly Christ will return, he said that “the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that ‘great and dreadful day.'” (Malachi 4:5; Zephaniah 1:14-18)

The second coming of Jesus Christ

President Nelson didn’t mention the second coming until near the end of his address, but given his talk in October, in which he stated, “now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ,” it felt like everything he counseled regarding charity, virtue and greater confidence before the Lord was meant to prepare us for that.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

And not just for that moment, but for what will lead up to it as well.

I think too often, in our excitement for that day (read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), we may not realize that in order to be prepared for that moment, we have to be able to have handled all that will lead up to it – and that necessarily includes difficult trials.

That isn’t a statement meant to incite fear, but rather to acknowledge Satan’s desperation. He knows his time is running out, and in his quest to lead as many as he can away from God, we can expect that as the second coming draws closer, he will only amplify his efforts.

To imagine that he won’t, that right now he’s trying as hard as he can and there are no more tricks up his sleeve, seems … well … unwise, to say the least.

But if we have “confidence in the presence of God,” then we don’t need to fear whatever trials we are required to endure, we will be able to thwart Satan’s attempts and we will be prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Looking at President Nelson’s address from the standpoint that it’s meant to prepare us for the challenges ahead and ultimately the second coming of Jesus Christ, makes his counsel all the more impactful. Charity and virtue aren’t merely lofty goals; they are necessary traits.

Introduction to President Nelson’s talk

As President Nelson introduced his talk, he struck a personal note.

“Recently I met a new great-granddaughter,” he said. “When I contemplate the challenges she will experience in her life, I feel a great desire to help her build faith in Jesus Christ. Living His gospel is essential for her future happiness.

“She, like each of us, will face challenges. We all will experience illness, disappointment, temptation and loss. These challenges can knock our self-confidence. However, disciples of Jesus Christ have access to a different kind of confidence.”

‘Confidence in the presence of God’

He continued:

“When we make and keep covenants with God, we can have confidence that is born of the Spirit. The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith that our confidence can ‘wax strong in the presence of God.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45) Imagine the comfort of having confidence in the presence of God!

“When I speak of having confidence before God, I am referring to having confidence in approaching God right now! I am referring to praying with confidence that Heavenly Father hears us, that He understands our needs better than we do. I am referring to having confidence that He loves us more than we can comprehend, that He sends angels to be with us and with those we love. I am referring to having confidence that He yearns to help each of us reach our highest potential.”

Obtaining ‘confidence in the presence of God’

To explain how we obtain such confidence, President Nelson quoted the Lord.

“The Lord answers this question with these words: ‘Let thy bowels … be full of charity towards all men, … and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45)

“There’s the key! In the Lord’s own words, charity and virtue open the way to having confidence before God! Brothers and sisters, we can do this! Our confidence can truly wax strong in the presence of God, right now!”

It’s comforting to hear President Nelson emphasize that confidence before God is something we can have right now. We don’t need to wait for it. We don’t need someone else to do something before we can obtain it. We all have the ability to have it as abundantly as we desire, and it depends on how much charity and virtue we are willing to have.

None of us can say that such confidence is unobtainable, because it’s truly based on our own desire and effort.

Understanding charity

Speaking first of charity, President Nelson explained:

“Two years ago, I called upon us, as covenant followers of Jesus Christ, to be peacemakers. I repeat what I said then: ‘Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one. Contention never leads to inspired solutions.’

“True charity towards all men is the hallmark of peacemakers! It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private. I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better.

“The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming. Hateful words are deadly weapons. Contention prevents the Holy Ghost from being our constant companion.”

“In the footnote of the written version of the talk online after that previous sentence, President Nelson was even more direct. “Choosing to contend with others is choosing to live without the guidance of the Holy Ghost,” he said.

Imagine how much contention would end if people truly realized the implications of that contention.

President Nelson continued:

“As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers. As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.

“Let us plead with our Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater charity — especially for those who are difficult to love — for charity is a gift from our Heavenly Father for true followers of Jesus Christ. The Savior is the Prince of Peace. We are to be His instruments for peace.”

Here, President Nelson dispels any notion that charity is somehow optional. Of course, the scriptures back him up.

Moroni 7:46-47 says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail–

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”

How much more charity toward each other would we have if we all realized in moments where we were feeling less than charitable what exactly is at stake in terms of our ability to progress and have a godly character?

Understanding virtue

Continuing on to speak of virtue, President Nelson said:

“The Lord tells us to garnish our thoughts unceasingly with virtue. Imagine the boost you will receive to any positive thought when you enhance it with virtue. Virtue makes everything better and happier! On the other hand, imagine what will happen when you add virtue to an impure thought, a cruel thought or a depressing thought. Virtue will drive away those thoughts. Virtue will free you from anxious, troublesome thoughts.

“Brothers and sisters, as the world grows more wicked, we need to grow increasingly pure. Our thoughts, words and actions need to be unfailingly virtuous and filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ towards all men. The great opportunity before us is to become the people God needs us to be.”

A promise and an invitation

Near the end of his talk, President Nelson issued a promise and an invitation, saying:

“As we diligently seek to have charity and virtue fill our lives, our confidence in approaching God will increase. I invite you to take intentional steps to grow in your confidence before the Lord. Then, as we go to our Heavenly Father with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy, and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes.”

That spiritual power will prepare us for whatever trials are ahead of us, as well as for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

As he closed his talk, President Nelson spoke again of the Lord’s return.

“I testify that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Israel, leads this, His Church,” he said. “He is preparing to come again. May we likewise prepare to receive Him. For this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

A personal anecdote

A couple weeks ago, one of my sons came to me and expressed frustration over his keyboarding skills. One of his classmates was able to type at a speed that caused my son to feel envious, and he thought he would never reach it. He said no matter how fast he tried to go, he was still well below his classmate’s standard.

I told him that practice was critical. I told him he was smart and that I believed that if he just continued to practice, he would be surprised by how quickly he improved. I told him that he would improve to the point that he would not be able to fathom how he was once at his current level.

A few days later, he showed me his keyboarding score. It wasn’t quite at the level of his classmate, but it was considerably better than where it was just a few short days earlier. How proud he was of the fact that he really was seeing improvement and it wasn’t as impossible as he previously thought.

Conclusion

As we initially seek to increase our charity and virtue so that we can have greater confidence before God and be prepared for the second coming, we may look at where we would like to ultimately end up and think it’s too difficult. We may worry that we will never measure up. But it is possible.

Just like my son took intentional steps by practicing his keyboarding, we can take intentional steps to grow in our confidence before the Lord. President Nelson’s promise of more joy, more faith and unimaginable spiritual power will come true.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.