Drawing from the Source: The Unfailing Power of Divine Love

There are days when you feel like your spiritual reservoir is bone dry. Maybe you’ve had a tough week in the field, or perhaps you’re wrestling with a difficult question in your personal study, and the sheer effort of being Christlike feels monumental. You look at the callings—the need to share the gospel, the need to forgive, the need to endure—and you wonder, *Where does the power to keep going come from?*

It’s easy, especially when we’re deep in missionary preparation or serving in the field, to think that discipleship is about *producing* love, or *generating* good feelings. We think we need to build up our emotional reserves, stack up enough good deeds, or memorize enough scriptures to feel qualified. But the truth, the profound truth I’ve learned over years of service, is that we cannot build up what we cannot receive.

The Source: Receiving Before Transmitting

The message today, echoed beautifully in that reflection, points us back to the beginning. It reminds us of the covenant love—the eternal, unending love of our Heavenly Father, who, as the scriptures teach us, has never stopped loving us. That love is the foundation of everything. It’s the blueprint for our own lives.

What struck me most was the concept of 'being an ambassador of heaven: being willing first to receive, and then to transmit.' This isn't just a nice sentiment for a blog post; it’s a vital pattern for the returned missionary, for the disciple in their home, and for the Internet missionary.

We often look at people like Corrie Ten Boom—whose capacity for forgiveness after unimaginable suffering was legendary—and we think, "How did she do that? Was she inherently better than me?" But her own testimony was humbling: she didn't *feel* it naturally; she had to *draw* it. She had to connect to the divine source.

Discipleship as a Flow, Not a Supply

This shifts our entire perspective on the work. If we treat love, patience, and kindness like a battery we have to charge ourselves, we will always run out. But if we treat it like a river—a continuous flow originating from the Savior—then our job is simply to be good conduits. We receive the Spirit’s grace, and then we let it flow out through our words, our actions, and our willingness to listen.

This principle is so critical when we are studying scripture, whether in a formal Book Club or through the quiet moments of Social Scripture Study in LivingBook. Instead of asking, "What do I need to *say* to sound knowledgeable?" we should be asking, "Where can I quiet my heart enough to *receive* the Spirit's promptings?"

“And I know that in the end, the love of the Lord will remain with us forever.”

My challenge to you this week, my dear disciple, is to intentionally pause before you engage with the Spirit in any capacity—whether it’s preparing for missionary discussions, studying for a temple recommend interview, or even just talking to a neighbor—and simply ask: *Lord, what am I ready to receive right now?* Be willing to be taught, even if the lesson feels uncomfortable or counter-intuitive. That act of receptivity is where the power to change hearts, and indeed, the world, truly begins.

Remember, we are called to be disciples who are always drawing from the Source. Let's keep gathering strength from the Savior's love so that we can share it freely.