Commitment

Brother Nathan Logan

Executive Secretary

June 28th 10:30 Sacrament Meeting

Grandpa’s story ---  When my dad was a teenager there was a Sunday that they were waiting to go to church and as they walked out to the car to leave, these people pulled up and asked “is this the Logan house? Clyde Logan?” I guess they were some cousins from out of town that my grandpa hadn’t seen in a long time, and they came to visit. So they caught up for a while and my dad and uncle were excited because they thought they were going to get to stay home from church. But then my grandpa crushed their hopes and dreams, he told the cousins that they were heading to church, but asked them to go into his home and relax and they would be back in an hour and an half. My dad told me that my uncle and him were so bummed! Well, they went to church and the cousins were gone when they got back. My dad says he always remembered that example. How simple and almost justifiable would it have been for my grandpa to stay home from church to see these cousins he hadn’t seen in fifteen years. Instead he showed his commitment to his covenants by sacrificing even his own family time to keep his word and promise to God. ----

Elder Rasband said I invite you to consider the promises and covenants you make with the Lord, and with others, with great integrity, knowing that your word is your bond. By living true to our promises to the Lord and to others, we walk the covenant path back to our Father in Heaven and we feel His love in our lives. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our great Exemplar when it comes to making and keeping promises and covenants. He came to earth promising to do the will of the Father. He taught gospel principles in word and in deed. He atoned for our sins that we might live again. He has honored every one of His promises. Can the same be said of each of us? What are the dangers if we cheat a little, slip a little, or do not quite follow through with our commitments? What if we walk away from our covenants? Will others come unto Christ in light of our example? Is your word your bond?

When we are baptized we covenant to become His people, “to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; … to mourn with those that mourn; … comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”4 Our ministering one to another in the Church reflects our commitment to honor those very promises.

When we partake of the sacrament, we renew that covenant to take upon us His name and make additional promises to improve. Our daily thoughts and actions, both large and small, reflect our commitment to Him. His sacred promise in return is “If ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”5

Growing up I was my dads home teaching companion, and I can honestly say I don't think I ever missed a month without visiting every one of our families (and not all of them were easy to catch home or visit with) there was a less active family that he and I taught and because we followed through on our commitment to be home teachers we built a relationship with them, and the father came to my talk as I left for my mission. later I learned that he and his family were back to church and serving in the ward. 

This is not a single case with my dad.

My sister shared an experience she had while going on splits with the sister missionaries. They went to a house about a half mile down the road from where we used to live. And when the woman who lived there opened the door she immediately asked my sister if she was a Logan, and then began to tearfully tell my sister about how my dad was the only one who her husband would talk religion with and how it would bring the spirit to their home.  She also told me about a sister in his ward that he would go to visit every month, knock on the door and leave a handwritten note of the home teaching message in his own words….one day as he delivered this note he knocked on the door and she opened the door. My dad was shocked and was ready to be told off, but instead she told him that she knows she was a grumpy person and never answered the door but that she appreciated the time he would take to write her a letter and attempt to visit each month. My dad was impressed by my grandpa's commitment to always follow through on his promises. Likewise I have been impressed and inspired by my dads commitment to being a home teacher and now ministering brother, and my hope is that I may pass some example to my children of the importance of being a man of my word, keeping my covenants, and fulfilling my callings. I'll leave this thought with you from Elder Rasband, he said, Keeping promises is not a habit; it is a characteristic of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.