Gavin's Talk

Today Gavin spoke in Sacrament Meeting. His topic was Being Converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did a great job.

One story I really like from the Book of Mormon is King Benjamin and his sermon. King Benjamin was the prophet. He gathered all his people together. He spoke to them from a tall tower. He taught them about service, obedience, happiness, prayer, humility, kindness and about Christ and His miracles and Atonement. The people believed King Benjamin and were touched by the Spirit. In Mosiah 5:2 it reads, “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

The people of King Benjamin were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their hearts were changed. They were becoming more Christ-like through their thoughts and actions. They just didn’t believe, they did. Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teaches us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”

Being converted is becoming what Christ want us to be and what He knows we can be. It’s making good decisions because we want to and not just because we should. It is a profound change of our nature.

How can we be converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught that desire, submissiveness to God, study, prayer, service, repentance, and obedience are all part of becoming or being converted. He said, “The gospel won’t be just an influence in your life – it will be what you are.”

I’ve been taught my whole life to pray and to read my scriptures. When I choose to do read my scriptures on my own I found out that it meant more to me than having my parent tell me to do it. I also felt the spirit more when it was my decision to study my scriptures. I did better in school, I was slower to anger and was happier. I would not have gained a testimony if I my parent forced me to do it. I choose to read my scriptures because I wanted to not because I had to. That is the first step of being converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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