David A. Bednar · Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
1I have participated in competitive athletics since I was a young boy, and running has been an essential element of my physical conditioning. Over the years, I developed a lifelong love-hate relationship with running. I love the physical benefits and mental exhilaration provided by regular workouts. But I hate the sore muscles, aching lungs, and exhaustion. As I have come to the end of many of my long-distance runs, I have exhorted myself to push on, hang on, and endure to the end.
2In relation to physical exercise, the word endure suggests maintaining intense physical and mental effort over an extended period of time. Many of us also may associate the word endure with the unpleasant drudgery of routine work and responsibilities. But in a spiritual context, enduring is far more than merely persevering tenaciously to complete demanding duties or challenges.
3The scriptures highlight instructive uses of the word endure. For example, the Lord declared to the Nephites, “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.”
4And the Savior revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith that “if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
5I pray for the assistance of the Holy Ghost as we consider a higher and holier understanding of what it means to endure to the end as lifelong disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
6The Savior’s restored gospel invites us to be spiritually transformed—not merely to improve our behavior. As we align our character, desires, actions, and what we truly love more closely with God’s will, the Savior can bring about a comprehensive and complete change in us.
7As we strive to put off the natural man and become Saints through the Savior’s Atonement, we are to “come unto [Him],” be “born again,” bind ourselves to the Father and the Son through sacred covenants and ordinances, pledge our willingness to take upon us the Savior’s name, “receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost,” experience a “mighty change [of] heart,” and serve the Lord with all our “heart, might, mind and strength.” We are to become new creatures in Christ.
8This mighty spiritual change is possible only “through the merits, … mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.” As mortal beings, we are in absolute and never-ending need of Heavenly Father’s and the Savior’s help to realize our eternal destiny.
9Spiritual gifts are blessings and capacities given by God to His children through the power of the Holy Ghost. All individuals who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by proper priesthood authority and the laying on of hands are eligible to receive spiritual gifts intended “to bless and benefit those who love the Lord and seek to keep His commandments.” Spiritual gifts are prerequisites for and essential to our coming unto the Savior, being blessed with His attributes, and ultimately becoming more like Him.
10The very name “spiritual gifts” teaches a vital lesson. All such gifts are given by God according to His will and timing; they are not results we earn solely through focused effort and personal discipline.
11Mormon testified that “charity is the pure love of Christ” and “the greatest of all” spiritual gifts. Significantly, the word endure is used in the scriptures to define and describe charity.
12For example, “charity … endureth forever,” “suffereth long, … seeketh not her own, … beareth all things, … endureth all things.” And, as you sisters know well, “charity never faileth.”
13Mormon also taught that “whoso is found possessed of [the spiritual gift of charity] at the last day, it shall be well with him.” Note the double meaning of the word of in this verse. We can possess charity, but ultimately charity should possess us.
14As we are blessed to receive this supernal gift, a transformation occurs in our spiritual nature and character. Being “possessed” of the spiritual gift of charity refers in part to the spiritual development and progress that are the overarching purposes of the Savior’s gospel.
15For disciples of the Savior, charity encompasses both what we do and what we can become as this spiritual gift ultimately possesses us. At a fundamental level, charity certainly includes acts of compassion, kindness, and generosity directed toward others. But at a higher and even holier level, charity is the very essence of the “end” toward which we are enduring—becoming new creatures in Christ.
16Please consider how these two overarching dimensions of charity are described in the thirteenth article of faith. The first half of the statement emphasizes charitable and gracious acts: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men.”
17The second half of the statement emphasizes the ongoing nature of our spiritual transformation: “We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”
18This concluding article of faith is an admonition for us to do good, to be good, and to endure to the end in coming unto and following the Savior and receiving the heavenly gift to love as He loves.
19The Savior’s divine nature and sublime character were the wellsprings of perfect compassion during His mortal ministry. The Redeemer of the world turned outward in love and service when He faced spiritual adversity or physical pain—in contrast to the natural man in each of us that turns inward in self-interest, self-centeredness, and selfishness. As we live as He invites us to live and with His help, our nature and character over time increasingly become more like His.
20As we follow, love, and serve the Savior, we gradually focus less on our own desires and interests and more on understanding and addressing the needs of others. We do not merely perform benevolent deeds; rather, our state of being is changed and becomes increasingly Christlike. Charity, then, ultimately possesses us.
21“Wherefore, … pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, … that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
22The prospect of being blessed in mortality with even a small portion of the character and attributes of Jesus may seem utterly impossible to us. But the Redeemer “marked the path and led the way.” The power of His doctrine, covenants and ordinances, and example can bless us in every aspect of our lives.
23The pattern of spiritual development evident in the Savior’s mortal life also applies to each of us. Jesus Christ was “in the beginning with the Father.” So were we.
24He “came and dwelt in the flesh,” and “he received not of the fulness at first, but [received and] continued … grace to grace, until he received a fulness.” As children of God, we also can receive of His fulness “in due time,” following the same “grace for grace” pattern as did the Savior.
25I am now going to read three scriptures that contain the phrase “endure to the end.” I will insert the phrase “is possessed of the pure love of Christ” in each verse so we can learn a vital and eternal lesson.
26The Savior taught His ancient Apostles: “He that endureth to the end [or is possessed of the pure love of Christ] shall be saved.”
27Nephi testified: “I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end [or is possessed of the pure love of Christ], the same shall be saved.”
28Alma declared: “He that findeth mercy and endureth to the end [or is possessed of the pure love of Christ] the same shall be saved.”
29Enduring to the end is linked inextricably to the spiritual gift of charity. Enduring to the end is not merely a relentless determination to grit our teeth, hold on to the limits of our physical strength and mental capacity, and push through the challenges and adversities of mortal life; it is so much more than that.
30Enduring to the end is the joyous quest of a lifetime—a pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ in a gradual process of trusting in and receiving help from our Savior to become more like Him. As our love for Him grows ever stronger and deeper, we can be blessed to receive spiritual perspective, the Lord’s empowering grace, and exceedingly great and indescribable joy.
31The scriptural phrase “come unto me” is the Savior’s introductory invitation to learn and act in His doctrine and begin a process of spiritual rebirth.
32The scriptural phrase “endure to the end” is a repeated reminder of the mighty spiritual change in our hearts that should be ongoing throughout our lives; it also is His promise of what we may become if we truly are possessed of the pure love of Christ.
33The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
34I joyfully witness that each of us, with the Lord’s grace and mercy, can believe all things, hope all things, and endure valiantly all things. I so testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.