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Prisoner for Jesus Christ
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What enabled Joseph Smith to endure his many hardships?
Two commitments that may have helped Joseph Smith endure his challenges were his devotion to God and his devotion to the people he served. "I have given my life into [God's] hands," he once wrote. "I am prepared to go at his call. I desire to be with Christ. I count not my life dear to me, only to do his will." Later, just before the Martyrdom, he added, "I am ready to be offered a sacrifice for this people" (Letter to Emma Smith, June 6, 1832, in Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, comp. Dean C. Jessee [2002], 264–65; History of the Church, 6:500).
What should be our attitude toward adversity?
Bearing with adversity requires patience and faith in Jesus Christ. "Be still and know that I am God," the Lord told Joseph Smith (D&C 101:16). We can better endure when we are quietly confident in the Lord's plan. Lehi reassured his son, "God . . . shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain" (2 Nephi 2:2). Centuries later, the Savior encouraged the Nephites, "Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life" (3 Nephi 15:9).
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