When We Know Who Wins: What Is Our Part in a Shaking World?

What Is Our Part in a Shaking World?

One of the quiet miracles of the Christian story is that God has already told us the ending. Christ wins. Light wins. Love wins. Justice wins. The Lamb triumphs. The kingdoms of this world “become the kingdoms of our Lord” (Revelation 11:15).

Knowing the ending doesn’t make the middle easy — but it does change how we walk through it. It means we don’t have to live in panic. It means we don’t have to carry the whole world on our backs. It means our efforts can be rooted in hope instead of fear.

So if Christ wins, what is our responsibility now? What does God actually ask of us in a world that feels like it’s burning?

We Prepare the World by Becoming More Like Christ

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

“The Lord needs you to be His people and to be prepared for the Second Coming of the Savior.”
(The Gathering of Israel, Worldwide Youth Devotional, 2018)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/article/worldwide-devotional-for-youth/2018/06/the-gathering-of-israel

He didn’t say the Lord needs us to fix governments, win culture wars, or solve every global crisis. He said the Lord needs a people — a covenant people, a Christ-shaped people.

President Ezra Taft Benson put it simply:

“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in… Christ changes men, who then change their environment.”
(Born of God, October 1985)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1985/10/born-of-god

This is the pattern of preparation: Christ changes us → we influence the world.

We Improve the World Through Steady, Covenant-Rooted Influence

Jesus described His disciples with two images:

  • Salt — quiet, preserving, healing
  • Light — steady, illuminating, impossible to hide

(Matthew 5:13–16)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/matt/5.13-16

Salt doesn’t shout. Light doesn’t panic. Both simply are what they are — and the world is changed because of it.

President Nelson echoed this when he said:

“The joy we feel has everything to do with the focus of our lives.”
(Joy and Spiritual Survival, October 2016)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival

A disciple’s focus is Christ. And a Christ-focused life naturally blesses the world.


We Resist the Two Traps of the Last Days

2 Nephi 28 describes two spiritual dangers:

  • Complacency — “All is well in Zion” (v. 21)
  • Panic and anger — “Stir them up to anger” (v. 20)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/28

Both are distractions. Both pull disciples away from their true work. Both keep us from hearing the Savior’s voice.

President Nelson warned:

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”
(Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, April 2018)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives

Survival — and influence — come from spiritual clarity, not emotional frenzy.

We Build Zion Wherever We Stand

The scriptures describe the last-days work not as “saving the world,” but as gathering Israel and building Zion — communities of covenant belonging, peace, and holiness.

President Nelson has called this:

“The greatest work on earth today.”
(Let God Prevail, October 2020)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson

Zion is built:

  • in homes
  • in friendships
  • in congregations
  • in quiet acts of mercy
  • in forgiveness
  • in courage
  • in truth spoken with love
  • in disciples who radiate peace

This is how we prepare the world for Christ — not by conquering it, but by consecrating it.

We Trust That God Is Doing His Part

President Dallin H. Oaks offered this simple reassurance:

“The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.”
(Trust in the Lord, October 2019)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/13oaks

We are not the main characters in the story of the Second Coming. Christ is.

Our job is not to fix the world. Our job is to follow Him — and let His light work through us.

So What Is Our Part?

Here is the distilled answer:

We prepare the world for Christ by becoming the kind of people who reflect Christ.

We:

  • stay spiritually awake
  • stay emotionally steady
  • stay rooted in scripture
  • stay connected to the Holy Ghost
  • stay compassionate
  • stay courageous
  • stay hopeful
  • stay humble
  • stay close to Christ

And then we act — not from fear, but from faith. Not from panic, but from peace. Not to save the world, but to bless it.

Because we already know who saves the world. And He is coming.

As we begin to understand our role in a world that feels unsteady, another question naturally follows: “What exactly are we building as disciples? What does all this choosing, trusting, and gathering lead to?”

Scripture and prophets give a beautiful answer — one that is both ancient and urgently needed today. 

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