Ruby, I want to recognize what a great step you’ve made today. Even though you’re little today, this decision will have rippling effects throughout the years.
Today I’ve been asked to speak about the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This is a great honor.
Our lives are like a long journey to a faraway land. Today you’ve begun your journey, Ruby. Today you have entered through the gates of Baptism. You are officially on your journey. These are your first steps in following Christ. He is simply and utterly thrilled that you have made this decision, as are all of us here who support you.
Jesus knew that the journey would be hard. It is dangerous. We can fail. He knew this because when we took upon Him our sins and weaknesses, he learned what it would be like to be you, me, or anyone else. He understands us better than we know ourselves. And so he knew we would need help.
He knew we’d be tempted to take different paths – some exciting, some dangerous.
He knew we would meet people who would tempt us make bad decisions.
He knew we would be alone and sad and that we would long for a friend or our home.
He knew we may even question whether we should have ever gone on this journey at all.
Knowing this, Christ has given us the Gift of the Holy Ghost. He is our companion. This is a supreme Gift to help us on our way. A light to guide us when all other lights go out.
We are taught that “the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit, a separate and distinct member of the Godhead. He is a witness or testifier of the power of God, the divinity of Christ, and the truth of the restored gospel.”
Regarding this Gift Jesus said:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My Name – He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.”
We are taught that “The Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously and receive the blessings of the gospel.
He “witnesses of the Father and the Son” (2 Nephi 31:18) and reveals and teaches “the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5). We can receive a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to our spirit carries far more important and certain than any communication we can receive through our natural senses.
As we strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost can guide us in our decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger.
A lot of times we talk about how the Holy Ghost feels – some describe it as a warm feeling. Others describe it as a burning in your heart. As a newly baptized member of the Church who will now have the Holy Ghost throughout your life, I want to share some of what I’ve learned about how to recognize it in your life. I’m significantly older than you, and I yet I am still learning myself.
One way to recognize the Holy Ghost is to watch for the fruits of the Spirit in our lives - things that bloom when the Spirit is with us. The apostle Paul said: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” In other words, having the Holy Ghost in your life will produce good fruit. The Holy Ghost will make you a better person than you would otherwise be. It will help you develop Christ-like qualities.
I want to add to this list based on my own experience.
The Holy Ghost can help us feel happy, calm, and comforted.
It can help us be confident and strong.
It can help us feel lighter.
The Holy Ghost can help you be smarter and make your mind clearer.
You feel a love for others and for the Lord.
You are more forgiving.
You want to serve others.
You will be comforted through difficult times.
Unfortunately, another way we learn to recognize the Spirit is by understanding how we feel when he is not with us. When we sin, we push him away. This can happen when we surround ourselves with bad people or things. Each of us in this room has had this experience of not being worthy of having the Holy Ghost as our companion. And in these moments we feel different. We feel unhappy. Heavy. Dark. Empty. Defensive. The Holy Ghost leaves in this instance not because he doesn’t love us, but because he cannot stand with us, because he can’t stand sin. However, each of us can also repent and in this way, draw closer to him.
Imagine Christ is the chalkboard and we are the magnet. Christ doesn’t move. He’s always there. As we do what we should, we are naturally drawn to him. The power of the Holy Ghost becomes more apparent the closer we move towards him. It’s easier to feel. When we sin we pull ourselves from him, we the power weakens. Notice too that Christ hasn’t moved at all. It is our decision whether we use this power or not.
We are reminded of our responsibility each week when we partake of the sacrament. In the prayer we promise to take the name of Christ on us. We promise to always remember Him. And we promise to keep his commandments which he has given us. In return, He promises that we’ll always have His Spirit to be with us. It is a wonderful deal for us.
At the end of the day, the question is: why do we need the Holy Ghost. Why is this Gift important? As I said at the beginning we are all on a journey. Each of us has a path we must follow. Each journey will be different. Sometimes life is easy, sometimes it’s hard. But each and every path is leading us to the same place.
As our companion the Holy Ghost will helps us on our journey. Along the way He will work on us. He’ll make us pure. That’s why receiving the Holy Ghost is sometimes referred to as a Baptism of Fire. Fire makes things clean and pure.
In the same way, the Holy Ghost will mold and shape us to become more like our Savior. Each day as we press forward with Him he will help us get ready for that day when we arrive at a new set of gates. These gates will be very different from the ones we originally entered. Through the gates I imagine there is a beautiful white city. It’s royal and beautiful. It’s massive. Clean. Holy. It’s beyond description. God is the King there. He intends each of us to find our way to Him. These are the gates of the Kingdom of God, and here we will be instructed how to become more like him. Here we will rest with Him forever.
Ruby, in a minute you will have hands placed on your head and you’ll be conferred a member of the Church and will be given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It is your gift to enjoy forever. It is better than any gift we can receive. Over time you will develop an increased understanding of the Holy Ghost in your life and will be so eternally grateful for your Father in Heaven, for his Goodness and Mercy.
BEAR MY TESTIMONY
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