February 28th - Jeffery R. Holland Devotional

                 
                                           An Apostle speaks to 2,000 missionaries

      Missionaries are loved of the people.  They want to be around you, be with you.  You missionaries are really loved by the people throughout the world where ever you serve. We love you, I love you, Your parents, relatives, friends, bishop love you. You are the Lord’s force, his army of missionaries.  You are apostolic with a lower case ‘a”.  I’m apostolic with a capital “A”.
You are the lord’s representatives.

      We expect a lot from you.  We really expect a lot from you so pull up your socks to your armpits and work.  Live the gospel.  Don’t come without it having changed your lives. The gospel should be committed and strong in you forever.  Don’t come and try to be who you were before you left on your mission.  Come home changed with the gospel embedded in you through and through forever. Live the gospel every single minute, radiate, exemplify the gospel, be absorbed in the r gospel as you serve.

      I reiterate how much you are loved by the people.  You have standards to uphold.  Don’t come home early. Don’t let the church down.  Come home a changed person forever living and upholding the gospel.  Just as you teach and invite people to come unto Christ, likewise must you  come unto Christ yourself being his messenger.  If you cannot come home changed and spiritually absorbed through the very core of your being, then why go on a mission in the first place. Are you going on a mission for your parents, your brothers and sisters, or for the bishop?  You go for the Lord Jesus Christ.  That’s who you go for.  You are the messenger of the Lord.  Live up to his standards.  Live the gospel with every fibre of your being or how else can you invite people to come unto Christ when you haven’t invited yourself?

      You are his messenger, his representative, his apostolic servant through and through.  Live up to his expectation. I’m concerned about the Book of Mormon not being read daily, studied, pondered and lived in your mind and heart.  You should all know the first fourteen pages of Nephi and be able to show the significance of revelation, prophets and scripture.  The Book of Mormon is they key to your teaching.  You must know, understand and communicate its principles and doctrines to investigators.

       Again we love you, I love you.  I wish I could be your companion on your mission.  I would love that.  You are not perfect but you will progress along the pathway as you so serve your mission.  There will be good days and there will be challenges, but through enduring and continuing forward with faith and commitment you will be blessed by the Lord in the service you render.  Seek the Spirit, live that the Spirit may be with you and lead you.  Be clean so the Spirit can teach through you.