"The Power of Gospel Covenants"

Sister Melinda Ashton: In the premortal life, our Heavenly Father presented a plan by which we could come to earth; receive physical bodies; learn; form families; and, if we obeyed the commandments, eventually be perfected and return to live with God in the celestial kingdom.

Sister Ashton: By paying the price for our sins, Jesus made it possible for us to overcome spiritual death. This requires that we be cleansed of our sins and perfected. For this to happen, we must exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent of all our sins, be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end by continuing to repent and making and keeping all the ordinances of salvation and exaltation and their associated covenants, including those made in holy temples. By consistently doing these things, we eventually become perfected through Jesus Christ, can live with Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and have all the blessings They enjoy.

Sister Ashton: Some like to think of a covenant as a contract. However, a gospel covenant is much more than just a contract. Contracts are usually based on self-interest; covenants, on the other hand, are based on love. President Russell M. Nelson, who is the prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught:

Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that covenantal love is called hesed  (חֶסֶד).

God makes covenants with us out of love. We should, likewise, be motivated to make covenants with God because of our love for Him.

President Ashton: While contracts are usually made between two or more parties who are able fulfill the provisions of the contract, gospel covenants are between God, who has infinite power, and us, who are not capable on our own of doing what the covenant requires of us. We cannot repent of all our sins, keep all of God’s commandments, endure to the end, or become perfected with just our own capabilities.

Sister Ashton: This concept might be best understood through examples. Here are a few ways that God has blessed us and our family members through keeping covenants with Him:

• President Ashton: Because we have chosen to exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent and covenant with Him through baptism, vii
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  We have also renewed our baptismal covenants through partaking of the sacrament each week.
  God has strengthened us in our efforts and forgiven us of the sins we have truly repented of. We no longer feel guilt for those sins or a desire to do them again. 
• Sister Ashton: We have enjoyed a very happy marriage because we have kept our covenants. We focus on being faithful and putting each other’s needs before our own. God has helped us to do this in good and hard times. If we had not kept our covenants, our relationship would be very different and would not be based on the trust we have in each other from years of keeping covenants. 
• President Ashton: We both have siblings who have left the gospel path. Yet we feel hope in the Savior’s covenantal love that He will do all in His power to bring our siblings back to the gospel path, whether in this life or the next. President Nelson taught about the power of God’s covenantal love: 

Because God has hesed  for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him…

I have already seen the power of God’s covenantal love in the life of one of my aunts who left the Church for a while but has since returned.

• Sister Ashton: Early in her marriage, my mother wondered if the gospel was true. However, God helped her to remember that she had made covenants that she would keep the commandments, including praying and studying the word of God daily. Keeping those promises got her through her trial of faith. She became one of the most Christlike people I have ever known, and her testimony became unshakeable. 
• President Ashton: Lastly, I had a brother who drowned when he was two-years old. He was in a coma for another couple of years before passing away. That was a very difficult situation for my family, but we felt supported and sustained by God. When my brother did die, we knew where he went and who he was with. That gave us great comfort. Because my parents have kept their covenants, they know that they will be with my brother again.  

President Ashton: We testify that we are led by a living prophet. We also testify of the reality of our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ and Their love for us. We invite you to make and keep gospel covenants so that you can access God’s power and blessings in your life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.