I was asked to talk about how my commitment to follow Jesus Christ affected me in high school, and will affect me in the future. One of the biggest ways this has influenced me is who I've chosen to hang out and associate myself with. During high school and the years to follow there are a lot of important choices that are made, but I believe that choosing who your friends are is one of the most important, because they will influence all of your other choices. Several scriptures state the importance of good friends: like Proverbs 27:17- "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Also 1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Be not deceived: evil communications (or if you look in the footnote, associations) corrupt good manners." Choosing friends is incredibly important, especially when you're a teenager and start to spend less time with your parents and more time with your peers. I am grateful for my friends and the good people around me that have made me better and kept me on the straight and narrow path. Also, this school year I had the great opportunity of serving on the Seminary Council. Meeting together nearly every Friday morning with positive, uplifting people with strong testimonies had an amazing impact on me for good, and helped give me strength to do what the Lord needed me to do.
However, no matter how good of friends we have, none of us are completely immune to the temptations that come from peer pressure. One of the first stories from the scriptures that pops into my head when I think of peer pressure is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. King Nebuchadnezzar had created a golden image, and commanded that all should worship it or be thrown in a furnace and killed. These 3 men refused. They would not betray their standards, they knew of the one true God and would not bow to any false idol. When brought before the king, surely facing death, they boldly stated: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, 0 king. But if not, be it known unto thee, 0 king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (What a great example of faith and strength. It would have been so easy to just fall to the ground and pretend to worship the idol, but they knew what was right and would not betray their God.)
In President Monson's talk "Dare to Stand Alone", he said: "As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not . Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone?" Quoting again from President Monson, this time from a talk he gave during the April 2005 conference, he said simply: "You will meet temptation; withstand it." He goes on to say: "The Prophet Joseph Smith faced temptation . Can you imagine the ridicule, the scorn, the mocking that must have been heaped upon him as he declared that he had seen a vision? I suppose it became almost unbearable for the boy. He no doubt knew that it would be easier to retract his statements concerning the vision and just get on with a normal life. He did not, however, give in. These are his words: "I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true. ... I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it." Joseph Smith taught courage by example. He faced temptation and withstood it."(Close quote). I am grateful for Joseph Smith's strength and willingness to stand alone. His example has helped me in my life to stand for what I know to be true.
Let us have the strength to be like Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego, and the modern-day example of Joseph Smith. Let us not be like the people in Lehi's dream, who partook of the fruit of the Tree of Life, but became ashamed, wandered off and were lost because of the people in the great and spacious building mocking them. Instead, let us partake of the fruit boldly, unashamed, and never be afraid to stand up for what is right, regardless of how many stand with us. And be like Paul, who in Romans 1:16 declared: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." I'd like to share one last quote from President Monson, he says: "May we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe, and if we must stand alone in the process, may we do so courageously, strengthened by the knowledge that in reality we are never alone when we stand with our Father in Heaven." (Close quote).
In closing, my commitment to follow Jesus Christ has made my life immeasurably better and has brought great blessings. It has helped me through school, and I know it will continue to help me in the future as I go serve a mission and one day find a career and start a family. I know that if I always stand for truth that the Lord will stand with me and bless me.
Testimony
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