Talk
By HUGO YOUNG
Good morning brothers and sisters. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Hugo Young and my talk today is about the saviour, the life he led, and how we can follow the example he set for us.
One of the goals we have in life is to be Christlike, but too often we set this goal aside for Earthly possessions and other things that are of no eternal value. I admit that I probably couldn’t count the hours I spent playing video games in the days when I knew about my talk but didn’t do any work on it with only two hands. And when you’re playing with the Oilers, there’s always trouble around the corner. Many activities we could do have a high probability of unfavourable consequences. They would violate the guidelines we have been given by our heavenly father as to how we can return to live with him again. I have learned through my brief experiences in this world that it is very easy to go with the flow, become just another member of the crowd, and do the thing that the “cool” people do. It is very difficult to say no. However, I know that if you say no the very first time some activity arises that would not be very Christlike, it is much easier to say no again and again. If you say yes to someone who wants to cheat off your test paper, you could end up cheating yourself in the future. We can also set a good example so that these people realize the thing they are going to do is wrong.
Picking the right friends is also a stepping stone to making other wise choices. If we choose the right friends, people who are caring and make good decisions, then we are already on our way to being like Jesus.
Whenever I am in a position where I might make a bad move, I try to think about what Jesus would do. I also try to remember that heavenly father is always watching. I want to prove that I can make good decisions, and that I am worthy of someday entering the Kingdom of Heaven again.
Jesus is the best example anybody could ever have. He was always kind and loving to others. His thoughts, actions, and words were not the least bit tainted by sin. Another amazing thing about Jesus was how freely he forgave others for their trespasses against him. Even as he suffered through crucifixion, he forgave the Pharisees, when he said, “forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.”
Jesus was very meek and gentle. He was also extremely compassionate. He showed his love for us and heavenly father in everything he did. He was extremely charitable and he loved little children. I remember learning about Jesus and the little children when I was in primary. The apostles turned away the children as Jesus was very busy, but Jesus told the apostles, “suffer the little children to come unto me”, and he spent time with the children.
He performed many miracles that blessed others’ lives. He cured the diseased. He raised the dead. He taught many people about the Gospel and turned their lives in the right direction. Most importantly, though, he died for each and every one of us and because of this great sacrifice, we can repent and be pardoned of our sins.
Heavenly father doesn’t expect us to be as exactly like Jesus. He knows that we will make mistakes. We don’t need to make wine from water, or heal the sick, or raise the dead. We are not asked to die for the world; however, we can live a life of integrity. Following the example of the saviour will help us to do exactly that. We can follow his example through kind words and actions to go along with clean thoughts. This morning, I was a tad grumpy because we were in a rush to get to church and my dad was going to iron my shirt. By accident, he ironed a shirt of my mother’s that I have worn before. I just hate that shirt. Yet I realized that if I had ironed my own shirt, this wouldn’t have happened. I would have worn a crumpled little thing, but I would have avoided this conflict. I assure you that I am wearing my own shirt now, but I wasn’t trying hard enough to be like Jesus. It is a tough task to be like Jesus, but it is not impossible. If we repent when we sin, spread the gospel, and try our best to be like him, we will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven again. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
