Joy and spiritual survival

Jan 26, 2020
JOY AND SPIRITUAL
SURVIVAL
President Russell M. Nelson
October 2016 General Conference

Jan 26, 2020
JOY AND SPIRITUAL
SURVIVAL
ENDURING JOY
President Kevin Worthen
President of BYU
Devotional Jan 7, 2020

Jan 26, 2020
ENDURING JOY
• Quoted President Nelson’s talk during October (2019) General Conference:
• Elder D. Todd Christofferson
• Elder Neil L. Anderson
• Elder Dale G. Renlund
• Pay particular attention when multiple general authorities focus on the same topic, and
especially when they use the exact same words at the same time
• “Clearly, these brethren were reviewing President Nelson’s talk. Clearly, I should do
the same.”

Jan 26, 2020
ENDURING JOY JOY AND SPIRITUAL
SURVIVAL

Jan 26, 2020
JOY AND SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL
“I would like to discuss a principle that is key to
our spiritual survival. It is a principle that will only
become more important as the tragedies and
travesties around us increase.”

Jan 26, 2020
As conflicts between nations escalate, as cowardly
terrorists prey on the innocent, and as corruption in
everything from business to government becomes
increasingly commonplace, what can help us? What
can help each of us with our personal struggles and
with the rigorous challenge of living in these latter
days?

CONSIDER LEHI:

CONSIDER LEHI:
Called to prophesy to Jerusalem at a time when they were killing prophets
Commanded to leave his home and possessions
Lived in the desert for years, while sons threatened to kill him and his other son
Crossed an ocean on a sail boat with sons that made it even more difficult
Saw a vision which revealed His sons would reject the Atonement and not repent

CONSIDER LEHI:
“Clearly, Lehi knew opposition, anxiety, heartache, pain, disappointment, and sorrow.”
Yet he declared boldly and without reservation a
principle as revealed by the Lord: “Men are, that they
might have joy.”

Imagine! Of all the words he could have used to describe the
nature and purpose of our lives here in mortality, he chose the
word joy!
Life is filled with detours and dead ends, trials and challenges
of every kind. Each of us has likely had times when distress,
anguish, and despair almost consumed us. Yet we are here to
have joy?
Yes! The answer is a resounding yes! But how is that possible?
And what must we do to claim the joy that Heavenly Father has
in store for us?

ENDURING JOY
“I believe we often underestimate the importance of the
concept of joy. I’m not sure we fully appreciate how central
joy is to God’s plan for us. And it seems our leaders from
President Nelson on down are trying to draw our attention to
it.
“Joy” has been ‘trending’ in recent talks:
• Mentioned 149 times in October 2019 conference
• More than double the April 2019 conference, and more than triple the October 2018
conference
• Dec 2019 Ensign focused on the concept of joy
• Talk focused on joy in Christmas Devotional
• Another BYU devotional

ENDURING JOY
“This much seems clear from revelation: joy is not merely a temporary
emotion, but rather a more permanent and constant condition.”
Guide to the scriptures: A condition of great happiness coming from
righteous living.
Mosiah 2:41: Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the
commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both
temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received
into heaven, that thereby they may dwell is God in a state of never-ending
happiness

JOY AND MERCYOct 1991 General Conference
Joy is the ultimate sensation of well-being. It comes from being
complete and in harmony with our Creator and His eternal laws.
The opposite of joy is misery. Misery is more than unhappiness,
sorrow or suffering. Misery is the ultimate state of disharmony with
God and His laws.
Joy and misery are eternal emotions whose ultimate extent we are
not likely to experience in mortality. In this life we have some mortal
simulations, which we call happiness or pleasure and unhappiness or
pain.

ENDURING JOY
The scriptures indicate that we can completely experience a
fullness of joy only after resurrection, when our perfected
bodies and spirits are inseparably connected (Doctrine and
Covenants 93:33
Thus joy is a descriptor of our ultimate destiny. Joy is at the
center of God’s plan for us. The book of Job (38:7) records
that when that plan was presented to us, we shouted for joy.
Note that the scripture indicates that we shouted for joy, and
not with joy. It may well be that we were not just generally
rejoicing at the announcement of the plan, but that we were
celebrating the concept of joy itself.

ENDURING JOY
However just because we may not experience a fullness of
joy in this life it does not mean that we are without joy in
the world and have to wait until the next life. Adam and Eve
recognized that their choices in the Garden made it
possible that in this life we may have joy, even the joy of our
redemption. Indeed, one of the purposes of this life is to
develop our capacity to feel joy in this life and even more in
the life to come.

6 SUGGESTIONS FOR FEELING MORE JOY
IN THIS LIFE, NOW

1. REMEMBER THAT OUR ABILITY TO HAVE
JOY IN THIS LIFE AND IN THE ETERNITIES
IS NOT DEPENDENT ON EXTERNAL
CIRCUMSTANCES.

The joy we feel has little to do with the
circumstances of our lives and everything to
do with the focus of our lives. When the focus
of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation... and
Jesus Christ and His Gospel, we can feel joy
regardless of what is happening - or not
happening- in our lives.

Just as the Savior offers peace that “passeth all
understanding,” He also offers an intensity, depth, and
breadth of joy that defy human logic or mortal
comprehension. For example, it doesn’t seem possible
to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable
illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse
betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior
offers. His joy is constant, assuring us that our
“afflictions shall be but a small moment” and be
consecrated to our gain.

2. REMEMBER THAT ENDURING JOY,
CONSTANT JOY, DOES NOT MEAN
UNINTERRUPTED BLISS AND A LIFE FREE
OF CHALLENGES

ENDURING JOY
Elder Lawrence Corbridge: “Suffering and joy are not incompatible,
but essential companions. You can suffer and never feel joy, but you
cannot feel joy without suffering.”
Even God, who is the very essence of joy, feels sorrow... over the
wrong choices of His children and their unnecessary suffering, but
at the same time he comforts them in their sorrow, instructing them
to ‘lift up your hearts and be glad,’ because those that embrace His
plan will come forward with songs of everlasting joy.

ENDURING JOY
When you experience the inevitable challenges that lie ahead
in this coming year, believe in God and believe that he is
concerned for you individually and that He wants you to have
joy. He will weep with you, even as He bids you to lift up your
heart and be glad.
Others around you are uplifted as you live your life with joy.

3. RECOGNIZE AND REMEMBER THAT
ENDURING JOY ULTIMATELY COMES ONLY
THROUGH KEEPING GOD’S
COMMANDMENTS

Joseph Smith: Happiness is the object and design of our
existence; and will be the end thereof, IF we pursue the
path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness,
faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the
commandments of God.

ENDURING JOY
One of those commandments is to love our neighbors,
and to demonstrate that love by serving them.
Focusing on the well-being of others rather than ourselves
increases our joy, regardless of our external
circumstances.
It is concern for the well-being for others that gives God
joy (Moses 1:35). It is in following His example that we can
experience that same fullness of joy.

4. BECAUSE WE WILL NOT IN OUR MORTAL
STATE KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS
PERFECTLY, REPENTANCE IS AN INTEGRAL
PART OF EXPERIENCING ENDURING JOY

WHAT DID THE FRUIT OF THE TREE IN
LEHI’S DREAM REPRESENT?
1 Nephi 8:11-12 : And I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most
sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed
all the whiteness that I had ever seen. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with
exceedingly great joy.
Alma 36:17-21: I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the
coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world....I cried within my heart: O
Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my
pains no more... And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold...Yea...there can be nothing so
exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

Alma 38:24: Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I
might bring souls unto repentance, that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy
of which I did taste
1 Nephi 8: 12: Wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of
it also; for I knew that it was desirous above all other fruit.

5. REMEMBER THAT JOY IS A
PRINCIPLE OF POWER

Joy is powerful, and focusing on joy brings God’s power into our lives. As
in all things, Jesus Christ is our ultimate exemplar, “who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross.” Think of that! In order for Him to
endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our
Savior focused on joy!
And what was the joy that was set before Him? Surely it included the joy
of cleansing, healing, and strengthening us; the joy of paying for the sins
of all who would repent; the joy of making it possible for you and me to
return home—clean and worthy—to live with our Heavenly Parents and
families.

If we focus on the joy that will come to us, or to those we
love, what can we endure that presently seems
overwhelming, painful, scary, unfair, or simply impossible?
What will you and I be able to endure as we focus on the joy
that is “set before” us? What repenting will then be
possible? What weakness will become a strength? What
chastening will become a blessing? What disappointments,
even tragedies, will turn to our good? And what challenging
service to the Lord will we be able to give?

6. REMEMBER THAT ALL OF
THIS IS POSSIBLE ONLY
BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST

How, then, can we claim that joy? We can start by
“looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith” “in every thought.” We can give thanks for
Him in our prayers and by keeping covenants we’ve
made with Him and our Heavenly Father. As our
Savior becomes more and more real to us and as
we plead for His joy to be given to us, our joy will
increase.

The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of
our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation
and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy
regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in
our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the
source of all joy. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!

ENDURING JOY
“My request for this coming year is that we focus more on
joy, that we seek to understand it better and enjoy it more,
that we come to view it not just as a mental or emotional
concept or feeling of comfort, but as a principle of power;
power to survive spiritually and otherwise; that we come to
experience what President Nelson has called, ‘enduring joy.’”

Joy and spiritual survival

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