No Fear! Christ's Return is Joyful!

Elder Renlund

Written By April T Giauque

Are you afraid to meet the Savior when he comes again? We don't need to be afraid! Follow these four steps with Elder Renlund from the April 2025 General Conference, and you will be prepared!

• Preparation is essential to meet the Savior.

• Follow His teachings to overcome fear and anxiety.

• Be guided by the Holy Ghost to avoid deception.

• Magnify your talents and serve others.

President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” 

When President Nelson speaks about the Second Coming, it is always with joyful optimism. However, a girl in Primary recently told me that she becomes anxious whenever the Second Coming is mentioned. She said, “I’m scared because bad things are going to happen before Jesus comes again.”

The best advice for her, for you, and for me is to follow the Savior’s teachings. His instructions are neither mysterious nor complex. When we follow them, we do not need to fear or be anxious.

Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus Christ was asked when He would come again. In answering, He taught three parables, recorded in Matthew 25, about how to prepare to meet Him—whether at His Second Coming or whenever we leave this world. These teachings are crucial because personal preparation to meet Him is central to life’s purpose.

The Savior first told the parable of the ten virgins. In this parable, ten virgins went to a wedding feast. Five wisely brought oil to fill their lamps, and five foolishly did not. When the bridegroom’s imminent arrival was announced, the foolish virgins left to buy oil. When they returned, it was too late; the door to the feast was shut.

The essential lesson of this parable of the ten virgins is that we are wise when we accept the gospel, seek to have the Holy Ghost with us, and avoid deception. 

The five wise virgins could not help those without oil; no one can accept the gospel, take the Holy Ghost as a guide, and avoid deception on our behalf. We have to do this for ourselves.

“For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall … abide the day.”

In other words, they did not need to fear or be anxious because they would survive and prosper. They would prevail.

If we are wise, we receive the truth by accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ through priesthood ordinances and covenants.

We strive to remain worthy of having the Holy Ghost with us at all times. This capability must be acquired individually and personally, one drop at a time. Consistent, personal, private acts of devotion invite the Holy Ghost to guide us.

The third element that Jesus highlighted is avoiding deception. The Savior warned:

“Take heed that no man deceive you.

“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the Savior knew pretenders would try to deceive the very elect and that many disciples would be duped.

The BOM teaches we can differentiate deceivers from disciples. 

Disciples are always encouraged to believe in God, serve Him, and do good. We will not be deceived when we seek and take counsel from trusted individuals who are themselves faithful disciples of the Savior.

We can also avoid deception by worshipping regularly in the temple.

• A man gave differing amounts of money, referred to as talents, to three servants. 

• To one servant he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to a third he gave one. 

• Over time, the first two servants doubled their original allocation. But the third servant simply buried his single talent. 

To both servants who had doubled their talents, the man said, “Well done, … good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

The man then chided the servant who had buried his talent for being “wicked and slothful,” and it was taken away.

God expects us to magnify the abilities we have been given. With his loving assistance, He expects us to become the best version of ourselves. That we may start with differing abilities is irrelevant to Him. And it should be to us.

When He returns in His glory, “before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”

Those on His right became heirs in His kingdom, and those on His left received no inheritance. The distinguishing characteristic was whether they fed Him when He was hungry, gave Him a drink when He was thirsty, housed Him when He was a stranger, clothed Him when He was naked, and visited Him when He was sick or imprisoned.

The message of the parable is clear: when we serve others, we serve God; when we don’t, we disappoint. He expects us to use our gifts, talents, and abilities to bless the lives of Heavenly Father’s children.

Paavo was a farmer. Several years in a row, most of his crops were destroyed. Each time the meager harvest came in, the farmer’s wife lamented, “Paavo, Paavo, you unfortunate old man, God has forsaken us.” 

Paavo, in turn, stoically said, “Mix bark with the rye flour to make bread so the children won’t go hungry. I’ll work harder to drain the marshy fields. God is testing us, but He will provide.”

After years of hardship, Paavo finally harvested a rich crop. His wife exulted, “Paavo, Paavo, these are happy times! No more bark in the bread. 

Paavo agreed that it was a happy time. But told her to add the bark to the bread, for their neighbor's field had frosted over, and they needed to share. 

Paavo sacrificed his and his family’s bounty to help his devastated and destitute neighbor.

We are to use the gifts we have been given—time, talents, and blessings—to serve Heavenly Father’s children, especially the most vulnerable and needy.

Know the Savior through the feelings of the holy Ghost. Rely on those who love you and who love the Savior. Seek God’s guidance to develop your unique abilities and help others, even when it isn’t easy. You will be ready to meet the Savior, and you can join President Nelson in being joyfully optimistic. In doing so, you help the world prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and you will be blessed with sufficient hope to enter the rest and joy of the Lord, now and in the future.

Check out this Beacon of Light Short to get the highlights! CLICK HERE