Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke with students about the Lord's plan for His children at Tuesday's devotional.
Elder Perry offered the great plan of the Lord as an example of planning. "If we follow His example of careful planning, it might motivate us to give more energy to spending sufficient time to plan what we want to accomplish with our mortal experience here," he said.
The devotional will be rebroadcast Sunday, Nov. 4, at 6 a.m. on KBYU and at 8 a.m. on BYU-Television.
Elder Perry reviewed the various dispensations of time and the lessons taught by each one. "As we review the dispensations of time, a special lesson seems to be included in each one that we can apply in our plan as we prepare for ultimate destiny," he said.
The first dispensation began with Adam and Eve. This dispensation teaches us that all men and women are "the literal spiritual offspring of our Heavenly Father." Because of this, we have the potential to become like Him if "we receive the necessary ordinances, keep the covenants, and obey God's commandments."
The second dispensation, that of Enoch, and the third dispensation, the dispensation of Noah, teach us about the gift of agency and the results of choosing good over evil.
"In these two dispensations, we learn to seek after that which is good and wholesome," Elder Perry said. "In our life's plan, certainly our objective should be to find all of the good we possible can on this earth."
The dispensations of Abraham and Moses teach us the importance of understanding who we are, living righteously, and being prepared to make covenants and be leaders on earth. By following their examples, Elder Perry said, we can learn to be "more effective tools in building our Father in Heaven's kingdom here on earth."
The greatest dispensation, the meridian of time, is the time when Jesus Christ was on the earth.
"The dispensation of the meridian of time has the promise of immortality and eternal life as a gift from our Lord and Savior," Elder Perry said. "The Lord will never leave His kingdom without a lawgiver, a leader to direct the affairs of His church on earth."
This leads to the final dispensation, the dispensation of the fullness of times. Because we have the fullness of the gospel on earth, we have a greater responsibility to live righteously.
"We find ourselves being children of promise," Elder Perry said. "I hope that you do not plan to be just common, but plan to excel. There is no place in this world for mediocrity; we must strive for perfection. You can only obtain perfection in so many areas as you seek and work toward the goals you have established."
Writer: Aaron Searle
