Perfection Pending

As we prepare to welcome a new year, many of us will make goals and resolutions about how we can change and become a little bit better in the coming year. I hope as we do this, we will keep in mind our ultimate goal...perfection.

In Matthew 5:48, the Savior commanded us, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Elder William H. Bennett taught that, "In these words Jesus challenges us to strive for excellence in all that we do -- to develop our talents and abilities -- and above all to live in accordance with His teachings." (Our Goal Is Perfection, Oct. 1976 General Conference). However, for many of us, the commandment to be perfect may feel daunting. In a talk entitled Perfection Pending in the October 1995 General Conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson taught:

We need not be dismayed if our earnest efforts toward perfection now seem so arduous and endless. Perfection is pending. It can come in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord. It awaits all who love him and keep his commandments.

On Sunday, we'll discuss Elder Nelson's teachings about how we can achieve perfection in mortality and work towards eternal perfection. We will talk about how we can strive for excellence and perfection in all that we do during the coming year, and how we can encourage and inspire those around us to do the same.