It has always touched my heart to sense so deeply how much the Father loved His eldest son.

In the Lord's service the path is not always easy... But in serving Him, we discover that His hand is truly over us.

Now is the time to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, which means accepting His invitation to 'come, follow me' (Luke 18:22). This is the decision we made in our premortal lives. Now we must make it again here in mortality, every day, in every situation by taking the Savior's name upon us, remembering His atoning sacrifice, and keeping His commandments. This we covenanted to do when we were baptized, and we have the opportunity to renew those covenants each week as we partake of the sacrament.

As our understanding of obedience deepens, we recognize the essential role of agency.

Agency used righteously allows light to dispel the darkness and enables us to live with joy and happiness.

As disciples of Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to work together with like-minded believers, to raise our voices for what is right.

The blessings we enjoy now are because we made the choice to follow the Savior before this life. To everyone hearing or reading these words, whoever you are and whatever your past may be, remember this: it is not too late to make that same choice again to follow him.