President M. Russell Ballard (born October 8, 1928) was called as a Seventy in 1976, and has served as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1985. He became acting president of the Twelve in January 2018."I'm simply suggesting that we take the next logical step in our complete conversion to the gospel of Christ by assimilating its doctrines deep within our hearts and our souls so we will act and live consistently—and with integrity—what we profess to believe.
"This integrity simplifies our lives and amplifies our sensitivities to the Spirit and to the needs of others. It brings joy into our lives and peace to our souls—the kind of joy and peace that comes to us as we repent of our sins and follow the Savior by keeping His commandments.
"How do we make this change? How do we ingrain this love of Christ into our hearts? There is one simple daily practice that can make a difference for every member of the Church, including you boys and girls, you young men and you young women, you single adults, and you fathers and mothers.
"That simple practice is: In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible."
- M. Russell Ballard, "Be Anxiously Engaged," General Conference, October 2012
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The first paragraph of this excerpt sets the tone for President Ballard's message. Our goal as disciples of Christ is "complete conversion," which we achieve by having the doctrines of the gospel of Christ assimilated "deep within our hearts and our souls" in order that we act consistently according to what we believe. President Ballard encourages us to "ingrain" a deep love of Christ into our souls and lives in order to discover the fullness of joy and peace promised by the gospel.
As we strive to live the Christlike life, President Ballard offers a suggestion for a "simple daily practice" that can make all the difference in our lives:
When we are actively seeking for inspiration on living the Christlike life, wanting to serve and bless those around us as He did, we will be blessed with guidance. We will find our "spiritual sensitivities" enhanced and increased so that we are better able to make a difference in the lives of others. What a marvelous reminder!
(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)
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