Last updated on September 8th, 2025 at 12:48 pm
General Conference Applied
S5 E37 – Sunday, August 10, 2025 | “The Plan of Mercy” by Elder James R. Rasband; April 2025 General Conference
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Podcast Episode Outline
Introduction
As we begin this podcast episode, if you have not recently listened to or read Elder Rasband’s April 2025 General Conference address, please pause this podcast episode and go review his address.
Bio
- “Elder James R. Rasband was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 2019. He served for three years as a counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency and is currently an Assistant Executive Director in the Temple Department.
“Elder Rasband has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Korea Seoul Mission, ward mission leader, ward executive secretary, high councilor, bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, ward Young Men president, counselor in a bishopric, stake president, Gospel Doctrine teacher, and assistant Scoutmaster.
“Elder Rasband received a bachelor of arts degree in English and Near Eastern studies from Brigham Young University in 1986 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1989. He began his career as an attorney with Perkins Coie in Seattle, Washington. In 1995 he joined the faculty of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. He later served as dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School from 2009 to 2016 and then as academic vice president of Brigham Young University.
“James Richard Rasband was born in Seattle, Washington, on March 20, 1963. He married Mary Diane Williams in 1984. They are the parents of four children.” - This was Elder Rasband’s second general conference address. His most recent address was “Ensuring a Righteous Judgment” from the April 2020 General Conference.
Invitations
- “President Russell M. Nelson invited us to study the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, recorded in section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants.”
- In our own words: Study Doctrine and Covenants section 109.
- Application Idea #1: Study section 109 if you haven’t. See also Truman Madsen’s Lectures on Joseph Smith and The Savior in Kirtland by Karl Ricks Anderson (he lived in Kirtland and was assigned by Elder Neal A. Maxwell to write the book and spent 18 years on it)
- Application Idea #2: Study President Russell M. Nelson’s April 2024 General Conference address, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys“, as well as Doctrine and Covenants section 109.
- Clay (Bonus) Application: Read The Savior in Kirtland by Karl Ricks Anderson.
- Mitch Application: I will study President Russell M. Nelson’s April 2024 General Conference address, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys“, as well as Doctrine and Covenants section 109.
- “‘Newly called missionaries are encouraged to receive the temple endowment as soon as possible and to attend the temple as often as circumstances allow.'”
- Application Idea #1: “As often as circumstances allow” won’t just happen. Set a time to plan out your schedule. Prioritize temple worship, then fill in your other tasks around it.
- Application Idea #2: Study section 26.5.1 in the General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to understand the counsel now to receive the temple endowment. Contrast current guidance with what then Elder Russell M. Nelson shared in a May 4, 2003, devotional entitled “Young Adults and the Temple“.
- “In the [Kirtland temple] dedicatory prayer, given by revelation, the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed that ‘when thy servants shall go out from thy house … to bear testimony of thy name,’ the ‘hearts’ of ‘all people’ would ‘be softened’—both the ‘great ones of the earth’ and ‘all the poor, the needy, and [the] afflicted.’ He prayed that ‘their prejudices may give way before the truth, and thy people may obtain favor in the sight of all; that all the ends of the earth may know that we, thy servants, have heard thy voice, and that thou hast sent us.’ What a blessing it would be to have hearts softened as we interact with neighbors and coworkers.”
- In our own words: As we worship in the temple, others’ hearts can be softened and more open to hearing us teach the gospel.
- Application Idea #1: When next in the temple, pray specifically for the blessing of having others’ hearts softened and receptive then commit to talk with people about the gospel. Without opening our mouths, it won’t matter how open others’ hearts are.
- Application Idea #2: Pray for our neighbors and coworkers by name at least weekly.
- “In the temple, we find mercy in the covenants we make.”
- In our own words: Notice how temple ordinances are examples of God’s mercy.
- Application Idea #1: Realize that all ordinances of the temple are powerful examples of God’s mercy. Baptisms for the dead, sealings for eternity, etc.
- Application Idea #2: The next time you attend the temple, specifically focus on finding mercy (whether in the temple endowment or the initiatory).
- “For those who sometimes struggle to feel answers to prayer, seeking the Lord’s mercy is one of the most powerful ways to feel the witness of the Holy Ghost.”
- In our own words: If you sometimes struggle to feel answers to prayer, seek the Lord’s mercy.
- Application Idea #1: Try starting your prayers by considering the mercies you and others have received and expressing gratitude for them along with a plea for forgiveness of sin. Then, start in with items on your mind and see whether you notice the spirit more.
- Application Idea #2: Study “Mercy” in the Topics and Questions menu on the Church’s website.
- Clay Application: Application idea #1
- “Moroni 10:3–5. We often shorthand these verses to teach that through sincere prayer, we can learn whether the Book of Mormon is true. But this shorthand can neglect the important role of mercy. Listen to how Moroni begins his exhortation: ‘I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, … that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.’
“Moroni urges us not only to read these things—the records he was about to seal up—but also to ponder in our hearts what the Book of Mormon reveals about ‘how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men.’ It is pondering upon the Lord’s mercy that prepares us to ‘ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true.’ …
“If you are struggling [to know if the Book of Mormon is true], may I invite you to follow Moroni’s counsel to ponder on the many ways the Book of Mormon teaches ‘how merciful the Lord hath been [to] the children of men’? Based on my experience, I hope that when you do, the peace of the Holy Ghost can enter your heart and you can know, believe, and feel that the Book of Mormon and the plan of mercy it teaches are true.”- In our own words: When seeking a testimony of the Book of Mormon, first ponder in our hearts what it reveals about ‘how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men’.
- Application Idea #1: When teaching this passage or extending an invitation to someone investigating the church, include the fuller passage or at least summarize that pondering mercy is part of Moroni’s challenge.
- Application Idea #2: Create a “what the Book of Mormon reveals about ‘how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men'” notebook in your Gospel Library app and focus on this during your next read-through of the Book of Mormon.
- “As we ponder on the Book of Mormon, we might ask: Is it really true, as Alma taught, that God’s plan of mercy assures that every person who ever lived on this earth will be resurrected and that they will ‘be restored to their … perfect frame’? Is Amulek right—can the Savior’s mercy satisfy all the bitterly real demands of justice that we would otherwise be obligated to pay and instead ‘[encircle us] in the arms of safety’?
“Is it true, as Alma testified, that Christ suffered not only for our sins but for our ‘pains and afflictions’ so that He could ‘know … how to succor his people according to their infirmities’? Is the Lord really so merciful, as King Benjamin taught, that as a free gift, He atoned ‘for the sins of those … who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned’?
“Is it true, as Lehi said, that ‘Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy’? And is it really true, as Abinadi testified, quoting Isaiah, that Jesus Christ was ‘wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed’?
“In sum, is the Father’s plan as taught in the Book of Mormon really this merciful?”- In our own words: The Book of Mormon is full of stories of God’s mercy. Ponder these stories.
- Application Idea #1: as you read the BoM, keep an eye out for instances of God’s mercy and tag them. Could also study the verses listed under “Mercy, Merciful” from the Index to the Triple Combination.
- Application Idea #2: If we are studying and marking up the Book of Mormon, but not pondering on the Book of Mormon, set aside time periodically to “ponder on the Book of Mormon” and then share what we learn with others.
Discussion Questions
- What is the Lord, through Elder Rasband, inviting us to do? And how do we intend to take action?
- Elder Rasband reminds us that, in the April 2024 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson invited us to study section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Did you study that section of scripture? Did “your study of section 109 [yield] insights that blessed you”?
- What blessings have come into your life as you have strived “to have [your heart] softened as [you] interact with neighbors and coworkers”?
- Elder Rasband stated: “It might be said that the plan of salvation is a plan of happiness precisely because it is a ‘plan of mercy.'” How does God’s mercy bring you happiness?
- Have you ever “[pondered] on the many ways the Book of Mormon teaches ‘how merciful the Lord hath been [to] the children of men'”? If so, what did you learn?
External Resources Referenced In This Episode
- Clay bio materials
- President Hinckley’s father – forgetting yourself and go to work
- April 2025 GC+
- J. Clifford Wallace
- President Nelson April 2024 General Conference address
- Doctrine and Covenants 109
- Truman Madsen Lectures on Joseph Smith
- The Savior in Kirtland by Karl Ricks Anderson.
- Church News Podcast episode 240
- Elder Giménez GCA address
- Handbook 26.5.1
- Elder Nelson May 2003 devotional
- Clayton M. Christensen The Power of Everyday Missionaries
- Baptisms for the dead
- Temple sealings
- The Chosen
- Dayenu
- Mercy in Topics and Questions
- Moroni 10:3-5
- Gospel library app
- Elder Cook address and GCA episode
- President Nelson invitation to co-workers to read the Book of Mormon
- President Nelson increase understanding of the Savior’s Atonement
- Joseph Smith quote: contemplation
- President Nelson topical guide challenge
- Elder James R. Rasband April 2020 address
- Jeffrey R. Holland “Our Day Star Rising”
- Google: comparison of forgiveness and mercy
What will you do?
How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?
Conclusion
The focus of our next podcast episode will be the April 2025 General Conference address that was delivered by Elder Sergio R. Vargas and was entitled “Our Heavenly Guidance System.”
As we conclude this episode, we would invite you to refer to the podcast episode details for this podcast episode where we have provided important information for connecting with us and further supporting the General Conference Applied Podcast. The best ways to help us are to like and subscribe to the podcast, to share the podcast with others, to like and share our content on social media, to share your own experiences with us on social media, and especially to contact us on our website.
Please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses. We promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first.
Thank you for joining us in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.
Tags
Book of Mormon | Mercy | Plan of Salvation | Temples
Additional Content
Next Podcast Episode (“Our Heavenly Guidance System” by Elder Sergio R. Vargas)