Endure to the End

Here at the MTC the branch presidency chooses a topic that we are supposed to write a talk on for sacrament meeting. It is a mystery who will be chosen so everyone is supposed to prepare one. I wrote mine prayerfully and definitely felt the Spirit help me write it. I really wanted to speak, but I wasn't chosen. I still would like to share it with though so here it is:

"The first thing I thought of when I heard our topic for this week was something I am very fond of. Cross country, or XC for short. In the competitive, manly sport of XC, runners must race 16,368 feet of mud, hills, creeks, sand, rain, and cold. Not to mention making it through a few elbows thrown at you. The runner goes through all this pain and difficulty to cross a line drawn on the ground, making it to the end.

Life is like XC. We must fight through our challenges and do our best.

In the premortal life we were training for this journey. Our Heavenly Father and Christ were our coaches. They prepared us and gave us all we need. However, this journey we must do on our own. Our coaches are not going to race for us, but they will cheer us on; praying we will do our best.

In XC there is equipment we need to do our best. In life, we have those too.
We have:
A racing singlet- This racing singlet in relation to our eternal quest represents the Holy Ghost. He is all around us reminds us of what team we're on.
A watch- This is the process of repentance. It is there to see what we need to work on. We look down at our watch and think 'I need to do better. I am not on pace.'
The course- The straight and narrow path. It is very narrow at times, and we are sometimes alone.
The warm up- This is Faith. It sets the pace and gets us ready for what is to come. We can't do without it.
Race food- The scriptures. They are to keep us going and give us energy to endure.
Opponents- Our opponents are in fact our family, leaders, and friends which inspire us to catch up and work harder toward our goal.
Our spikes (shoes)- Your spikes are the most important. They represent Christ. They make up for what we can't do, even working at our best. He provides the grip into the mud when we would otherwise slip an fall.
Even with all these supplies and pieces of equipment, if we do not work and endure to the end; we can not finish. A runner can't stop in a race and expect to finish. It is not possible.

Now for some scripture.
2 Nephi 31:20
'Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.'
This scripture tells us that we can gain eternal life if we push forward through our struggles and study the scriptures diligently. We must continue on in faith and act on our faith by doing works.

1 Nephi 13:37
'And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.'
Those who help establish Zion and do all they can in their power will have great joy and everlasting peace.

Doctrine and Covenants 14:7
'And, 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.'
The greatest gift we can receive is eternal life. We do this by, like in previous scriptures, endure to the end. I like how it is summarized in to one powerful scripture.

What does Enduring to the End mean?
One can answer simply with the seminary answers like reading the Scriptures, praying, keeping the commandments, going to church... But let's think a little deeper.

From one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon comes some great answers to this question. In Jacob 6 the following can be picked out: Build the Kingdom of God; Repent and cleave unto God, meaning follow His commandments with the most intricate detail; soften your hearts and be humble; 'Harken' to the council of the prophets; and lastly as said in Jacob 6:11 'Enter in at the strait gate until ye obtain eternal life.'

Finally to conclude all the teachings in Jacob 6, he says in verse 12: 'O be wise; what can I say more?' This scripture applies to any doctrine shared by the prophets. The Lord has spoken to us through the prophets and has said what He will say. It is up to us to put our training to the test and 'run our hearts out.'
There is a famous quote by someone, I don't remember who, that says 'I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.' This is true. No matter what struggles we go through, the Lord will be there to help us every step we take, and he will provide the grip in to the mud of life, taking care of what we can't do. We all need to spike up and be ready for the day's race.

I have a testimony that what I have said is true. Christ is here to help us. He has suffered on the cross to help us gain our eternal salvation. He is our brother and savior. God loves us and also wants to help. We don't even know the capacity at which he loves us. We can only know a small percentage of his love. We know of this love because he gave us a body, families, friends, Christ's church in our day, the Bible and Book of Mormon. I testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the Bible. They are the word of God. Both of which, God has held in His hands. The Book of Mormon has helped be gain a testimony many times. The Holy Ghost has testified to me when I have read it. This book was translated through a prophet of God, Joseph Smith. We have the restored gospel in our day and have a loving prophet to lead us. I know that prayer is communication with God and as long as we ask for blessings, He will open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings to us. Being a missionary, I have a testimony of missionary work and it is a major part in the gathering of Israel. We are helping people come unto Christ. We must strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ. We must have faith, repent, be baptized in the name of Christ, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. If we do this, we will gain our place in the Celestial Kingdom. I love my family and I love this church. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

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