Stay In The Light

Stay in the light. Yes, that's what I said. Last Saturday night I went to the Provo Temple and as I was sitting in a sealing room I noticed the beautiful wall paper that was there. The design was of floral design - vegetal plants interwoven within each other, but then I noticed that where the light from the lamps on the way were not showing you could not see the floral design. The rays of light showed the beautiful attribute of the wall while where the light did not shine directly on the wall paper you could only see the whiteness of the wall with no design. This thought came to me as a parallel of what it means to be in the light: The light is the gospel of Jesus Christ, keeping the commandments, and following the prophet.

In life we have our times of happiness and joy. No matter how hard we try to do everything right, things still go wrong. It is then evident why it is important to be in the "light" or the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ; namely through his servants, the prophets. Jesus Christ has always used messengers or special witnesses to share His teachings so that we may have a guide or a map to lead us back to our Heavenly Father. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, John, etc. are some examples of God's prophets. Today we have a living prophet. Currently this is Thomas S. Monson and he follows the examples of the prophets before him. 

Preach My Gospel describes the role of a prophet well:

"Truth is a knowledge of things as they really are, were, and will be. It does not change with conditions or time. Truth is the same in every age and culture. God is the source of all truth. We can have faith in Him because we know He will teach us only truth. God wants all His children to know the truth. Therefore, He reveals the truths necessary for salvation through prophets and apostles. He reveals truth to us personally through the scriptures and personal revelation.

A prophet is called and chosen by God and is a righteous man with great faith. The Lord reveals truth to him through the Holy Ghost. He commands His prophet to teach truth to all people. Those who believe God’s words as revealed through His prophet are blessed. Christ’s Church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, who direct the Church by revelation. The Lord called Joseph Smith as the first prophet and head of this last dispensation. His successors who lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today are also prophets and apostles. The President of the Church today is a living prophet. We are to have faith in God’s chosen prophet, gain conviction of his divine calling, and follow his teachings.

We have frequent opportunities to sustain Church leaders publicly. Sustain means to support. We are to prepare ourselves so that when the prophets and apostles speak, the Holy Ghost can confirm the truths they teach, and we can then determine to follow the counsel they give us.

Those who listen to and follow the counsel of living prophets and apostles will not go astray. The teachings of living prophets provide an anchor of eternal truth in a world of shifting values and help us avoid misery and sorrow. The confusion and strife of the world will not overwhelm us, and we can enjoy the assurance of being in harmony with God’s will."

It is my testimony that no matter how hard life may be - if we feel lonely, sad, lost or distraught - that if we heed the teachings of a true prophet of God we will be able to conquer the adversary even when he sends his best against us. It is important to know that when we follow the prophet we have the promise of the Lord's strength on our side and we can live after the manner of happiness. May we all live in the light of our Savior.