The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
In this city known for beautiful and unique architecture and diverse food and culture, President Dallin H. Oaks called on covenant members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be united and kind.
“What a different world it would be if brotherly and sisterly love and unselfish assistance would transcend all boundaries of nation, creed and color,” said President Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, on Saturday, Feb. 11. “Such love would not erase all differences of opinion and action, but it would encourage each of us to focus our opposition on actions rather than actors.”
Addressing members of 14 stakes in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin as part of a weekend ministry assignment, President Oaks asked Latter-day Saints to press forward, having “a love of God and of all men” (2 Nephi 31:20).
“This teaching — to follow our Savior’s command to love one another as He loves us — is one of our greatest challenges,” said President Oaks. “It requires us to live together with mutual respect for one another’s differences in today’s world. However, this living with differences is what the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us we must do.”
That is the reality that caused Jesus to teach that the kingdom of God is like leaven (see Matthew 13:33), said President Oaks. “A leaven — yeast — is hidden away in the larger mass until the whole is leavened, which means raised by its influence.”
The Savior also taught that His followers will have tribulation in the world (John 16:33), that their numbers will be small (1 Nephi 14:12), and that they will be hated because they are not of the world (John 17:14). “But that is our role,” said President Oaks. “We must be examples of civility. As followers of Christ, we should seek to live peaceably and lovingly with other children of God who do not share our values and do not have the covenant obligations we have assumed.”
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
