God’s work is to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”(Moses1:39) To accomplish this He prepared the plan of salvation. It invites all to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It requires us to be tested through trials in our lives. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to return to live (in families) with Him and His son, Jesus Christ. We have been given bodies in this mortal state to be proven and tested.

The test is to:“…prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abr3:25) and “… if ye shall be obedient to the commandments and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day.”(1Ne22:31).

The dictionary definition of ‘endure’: “to experience and bear (something painful or unpleasant) calmly for a long time” through being ‘acted upon’ by suffering, persecution, temptations or grief is the one we most readily associate the word with. But another definition: “to continue to exist for a long time”, similar to the Greek scriptural definition, “to remain, stay or continue under” (in Hebrew:”firm resolve to be faithful”) is the meaning most often intended in the scriptures:

“be reconciled unto Christ and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation”(2Ne33:9)

“….that you will continue in keeping God’s commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end” (Alma38:2)

We also learn we are not only to face trials faithfully, but need to: “… endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high…” (DC121:8)

Thus ‘to endure’ and ‘enduring to the end’ involve principles of agency and of action - we act and not just be acted upon. It requires steadfast effort and continuing diligence in keeping God’s commandments; learning, applying His doctrines, principles and teachings; and doing things that lead us to Christ and “… be perfected in him”(Mor 10:32), through making, keeping covenants and obtaining all the essential saving ordinances of the gospel.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said:
“When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel – you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them.”(TPJS)

We learn and apply gospel doctrines and principles ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little’. Understanding and remembering this, we will not be easily discouraged or distracted from the path when we make mistakes or suffer setbacks. It is putting one foot forward at a time and not looking back. This is the essence of “enduring to the end”.
The following principles can help us endure successfully:

1) Know God’s Plan
As man cannot be saved in ignorance, it is essential that we learn, understand and always remember the plan of salvation. It provides the vital vision for us for “where there is no vision the people perish.” Because it explains the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ to be saved, we see things in proper perspective and can put things in correct priority.

2) Emulate Christ’s Example
“Our greatest example comes from … our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Jesus knew who He was – the Son of God. He knew His purpose – to carry out the will of the Father through the Atonement. His vision was eternal – “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”.(Robert D Hales)

3) Follow the Living Prophets
To endure well we must “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God”; for “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth …. unto his servants the prophets”(Amos 3:7); and that “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and … my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by my voice or by the voice of my servants it is the same.”(DC1:39).

4) Search, Ponder and Pray
The Savior has commanded: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: .. they are they which testify of me”(John5:39), and “…feast upon the words of Christ …” (2Ne31:20) - the standard works and the words of living prophets because “.. the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”(2Ne32:3). Searching and pondering them will help us “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ” and to have a “perfect brightness of hope…love of God and of all men.” (2Ne 32:3) to strengthen our ability to continue.

Prayer is the critical communication link between God and man that we can initiate anywhere, anytime. God has set no quota on frequency, nor restriction on subjects or extent of any prayer. We should ‘pray oft”.

Enduring to the end is a journey, not the destination and like the process of perfection, achieved progressively. It is not a one time, one-off event. Hence our loving Father has provided the gift of repentance through the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ. Follow President Hinckley’s loving counsel to:
“Do the best that you can….the very best” because “...We are capable of doing so much better…we must get on our knees and plead with the Lord for help …strength …direction ….then stand on our feet and move forward”,
and we will be successful in continuing faithful (i.e. enduring) to the end.