Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, told students to focus on keeping an eternal perspective by “staying connected” to Jesus Christ.
In his Oct. 12 devotional address, Bishop Waddell explained how “staying connected” is difficult when there are so many competing voices and sources calling for attention. However, amid the competing voices, he emphasized the importance of the one source that will guide us back to heaven: Jesus Christ.
“Jesus Christ alone, is the source to whom we must stay connected, in order to arrive safely home, back to the presence of God and thus fulfill the objective of mortality,” Bishop Waddell said.
Bishop Waddell explained that students don’t need to spend time finding the source because the “challenge is staying connected to the source!”
He shared three vital resources to help in this effort to stay connected to the Savior: regularly studying the Book of Mormon, partaking of the sacrament and following the counsel of the prophets.
Studying the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and reminds all who read it of the steps to return back to Heavenly Father, Bishop Waddell said. It is another way for people to learn of Jesus Christ and hear God’s voice, he said.
Bishop Waddell emphasized the importance of daily scripture study to gain a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon and its truthfulness.
“Our daily study of the Book of Mormon will keep us connected to Jesus Christ as we are reminded on page after page that ‘Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that all who will come unto Him and obey the laws and ordinances of His gospel may be saved,'” Bishop Waddell said.
The ordinance of the sacrament
Bishop Waddell said it doesn’t matter the amount of time one spends at Church. Instead, the “essential element of our worship” is the sacred ordinance of worthily partaking the sacrament.
“Participating in this sacred ordinance allows us to renew our covenants, to be cleansed and sanctified by the Spirit, and helps us to always remember Him, making it possible to always stay connected to Him,” he said.
Following the counsel of prophets
Another way to stay connected to Jesus Christ is following the counsel of prophets.
“I would suggest to you that our use of agency, a gift from God, is not to determine whether the prophet is right, but rather to choose whether or not to follow the counsel of the Lord as directed by the prophet,” Bishop Waddell said.
To stay connected to Heavenly Father, people must understand the role of prophets and how their purpose is God’s purpose, he said.
Bishop Waddell closed the devotional by encouraging the audience to continually choose to “stay connected,” inviting them to prayerfully consider how they can better stay connected to the one true source — Jesus Christ.
“The one true source, who has all power to lead you home as you spend time in the scriptures, worthily partake of the sacrament each week and give heed to the counsel from the Lord’s anointed,” Bishop Waddell said.
