"Covenants and Personal Revelation for Our Lives"

Dear friends, I am speaking to you from Santiago, Chile, my beloved hometown in South America. This is where my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began. The building you see behind me is the meetinghouse where I was baptized in 1988 and made a sacred covenant with my Heavenly Father. In this very baptismal font, my eldest brother, Ivan, immersed me in water, and I solemnly pledged to live the gospel and follow Jesus Christ. I promised to keep His commandments. This baptismal covenant continues to serve as a guiding light, reminding me of the commitments I made in that meaningful moment.

Covenants
I promised that day to Heavenly Father that I would do everything within my capacity and control to do my part as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have made many other promises since then. Those promises have helped me maintain a “true north” in my life.

During my early years as a Church member, I committed to pursuing the best education available to me. This promise kept me focused and determined to prioritize what truly mattered to achieve this goal. Since my family's resources were limited, most of my choices had to be filtered to what we could afford. Those limitations did not diminish my desire but helped me to focus.

This building you see now is the Santiago Chile Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ. It is often referred to as “the house of the Lord.” In these buildings found throughout the world, Church members make additional covenants with Heavenly Father.

We declare our intention to live, behave, and honor these sacred promises and to act accordingly. In return, Heavenly Father promises incredible blessings to us. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ attend the temple regularly to learn about God’s plan for His children and to recommit to their covenants. They also perform ordinances, such as baptism, for family members who die without the opportunity to make these covenants we have made.

These words emphasize the significance of entering into a covenant. It strengthens and unites our relationship with the other party; this is particularly meaningful when the other party is our Heavenly Father. He desires for us to draw nearer to Him and to live in accordance with His gospel. He will not abandon us; instead, He will assist us as we endeavor to fulfill our part of the covenant.

One of the ways He will assist us is through personal revelation.

We might be tempted to think that our education, careers, or professional lives are just temporary elements in our lives, but when we put them in context, we can understand that those temporal things also have a spiritual element attached to them.

I love to think that revelation can be used to benefit us as we apply it in the temporal side of our lives, like our jobs or careers. I remember many times during my professional career when a clear answer or the path I should follow was not clear. Sometimes, I had more than one option that seemed good for me. I faced difficult decisions when I had no clue how to move forward or succeed. I needed the help that could come only from a divine source: my Father in Heaven. However, we need to understand how it works.

In this situation, Nephi could not bring food to his family; this is similar to our day when someone loses their job or income and cannot provide for their family. Nephi’s ability to provide for his family was in jeopardy.

Nephi did not stop there; he sought guidance and revelation from God through his father and the prophet, Lehi, to know where to search for food. Because Nephi did his part, our Heavenly Father blessed him with the blessings he needed at that time. He knew that he needed to do his part. His new tools were not as good as his previous bow, but Nephi knew that, through the Lord's help, his efforts would be enough.

At some point in our lives, we may face temporal challenges that threaten our ability to provide for ourselves or our families. It is in these moments that our personal efforts and divine revelation can work together to lead us through.

My friends, I invite you to develop a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, through covenants. You will feel Their love in your life. You will be able to recognize Them blessing you in both pleasant and difficult times. I also invite you to come unto Him and seek His help through revelation. Personal revelation can help you not only in spiritual matters but also in your education and career. Study so you can understand the way He offers His help to you. As you rely on and trust Him, you will be able to receive more light in your life.

We love you and admire you. You are making extraordinary efforts, and those efforts will be rewarded. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.