Hello, Doer of the word! Let's dive into the invitations from Elder David A. Bednar's October 2025 General Conference address, "They Are Their Own Judges."
Invitations
"The Book of Mormon concludes with inspiring invitations from Moroni to 'come unto Christ,' 'be perfected in Him,' 'deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness,' and 'love God with all [our] might, mind and strength.'”
Application Idea: Honestly reflect on any "ungodliness" you've invited into your life. Identify its source (specific devices/apps, situations, people, etc.). Confess and repent of sin, including with a Bishop and loved ones, as appropriate. Work with God and supportive people (family, friends, professional counselor, and/or a formal support group) to begin forsaking the behavior.
"A primary purpose of the Creation and of our mortal existence is to provide us the opportunity to act and become what the Lord invites us to become."
Application Idea: Prayerfully study your patriarchal blessing. It's available in your church account, allowing you to read it anywhere without bringing a printout! Log into churchofjesuschrist.org and click "Resources," then "Patriarchal Blessing." Bonus: did you know you can also request the patriarchal blessings of your ancestors? If the church has a record of it, you can read it.
"Consider that we are commanded—not merely admonished or counseled but commanded—to use our agency to love one another and choose God. May I suggest that in the scriptures, the modifying word 'moral' is not merely an adjective but perhaps also a divine directive about how our agency should be used."
Application Idea: Work to understand the principle of "moral agency," starting with paragraphs 8-10 of Elder Bednar's talk.
"We have not been blessed with moral agency to do whatever we want whenever we will. Rather, according to the Father’s plan, we have received moral agency to seek after and act in accordance with eternal truth. As 'agents unto [ourselves],' we should engage anxiously in good causes, 'do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.'”
Application Idea: Do something good or loving or righteous that's outside of your routine and not required of you. Bonus points if it helps somebody else and isn't tied to your formal church calling.
"President Oaks has emphasized that the gospel of Jesus Christ invites us both to know something and to become something through the righteous exercise of moral agency....'the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become.'”
Application Idea: Study President Oaks' Oct 2000 talk, "The Challenge to Become."
“'We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.' How grateful we should be that our sins and wicked deeds will not stand as a testimony against us if we are truly 'born again,' exercise faith in the Redeemer, repent with 'sincerity of heart' and 'real intent,' and 'endure to the end.'"
Application Idea: Read the source scriptures of Elder Bednar's invitation:
- 2 Nephi 31:13, 15–16.
“'… Deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.'” - Alma 41:13–14
Application Idea: "When Spencer W. Kimball was called as an apostle, he first visited all of his business contacts to ensure they felt he'd treated them fairly and honorably. He made things right with the few who felt owed something. This act cleared Spencer's conscience to enter a lifetime of sacred service. Consider doing something similar in your work and personal relationships now, whether or not you're in a visible church position. see, Madsen, The Presidents of the Church
Additional Resources
Download a copy of these invitations: Google Sheets | PDF. If you use these resources as a handout in Church, use the PDF (it prints prettier) and please credit our work by inviting the members of your ward to subscribe to the General Conference Applied newsletter and podcast!
General Conference Applied S6 E17. Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube. This short podcast episode is an audio/video version of this newsletter.
General Conference Applied S6 E18. Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Special guest, Jordan Davis, joined Mitch and Clay to discuss Elder Bednar's address. Jordan is a Florida attorney who handles some of the toughest situations anyone can experience in this life—child abuse, abandonment, and neglect cases. She does her best to balance obligations to the law with seeing all people as children of God with potential to change. She’s built up professional working relationships with many judges to the point that their decisions rarely surprise her. Jordan echoed Elder Bednar in testifying that as we come to know and even become like our eternal judge, that interaction will be less like a harrowing day in court and more like seeing an old friend.
External Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
Elder Vern P. Stanfill, “The Imperfect Harvest”
Take Action
Clay's Application: I'll work on invitations 1 & 5 by studying President Oaks' Oct 2000 talk, "The Challenge to Become" and finding ways to "deny [myself] of all ungodliness."
Mitch's Application: I will prayerfully study my patriarchal blessing monthly each Fast Sunday from November 2025–March 2026.
Your Application: Reply to this email and tell us how you'll take action on one of these invitations and whether we can share your response in our newsletter, podcast, and/or on social media.
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