October 2026 General Conference › Talks › Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Saturday afternoon session · October 2026 General Conference

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Love Like Jesus

Quorum of the Twelve

Read the full talk on churchofjesuschrist.orgWatch on YouTube

In brief

Elder Rasband speaks to everyone grieving for loved ones who have turned away from the Lord, acknowledging that lecturing and pressure often widen the rift. He asks them to turn their despair over to Jesus Christ, who loves the wanderer even more and has already paid for their choices, and to lead with love, as Alma's father did in praying for his son. His three suggestions: let go of guilt and never give up, never let a problem matter more than a person, and remember that Christ is the answer.

1,290words
~11minutes
21.7references to Christ per 1,000 words
2questions asked
2direct invitations

Themes in this talk

Ministering 12Grace 8Truth with love 4Striving 3Adversity 2Identity 2Daily practices 2

Number of coded passages from this talk in each theme.

Direct invitations

Sentences where the speaker directly invited, urged, asked or pleaded with us to act, in the exact words.

Forgo contention; speak as a peacemaker President Dallin H. Oaks, quoted by Elder Rasband

“Let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior.”

T18.13
Give Christ your despair for loved ones

“I ask you to turn over to Jesus Christ your despair for those wayward souls.”

T18.08

Teach this talk

Three ready-to-teach 30-minute lessons built on this talk.

Adults · 30 minutesWhen Someone You Love Has Stepped AwayWe cannot change the hearts of loved ones who have turned from the Lord, but Jesus Christ can, so we hand Him our despair and keep loving them the way He does.Youth · 30 minutesYou Can't Change a Heart. He Can.When someone we care about steps away from the Savior, our part is to love them and pray for them, and Jesus Christ's part is to change hearts and bring them home.Children · 30 minutesArms Open WideJesus loves everyone, and I can love others like Jesus does.

Test yourself on this talk

Three short quizzes on what Elder Rasband taught: easy for families and first-time listeners, medium for understanding, hard for careful study.

Questions and explanations are written for this site and are not official Church materials. Each answer points to the paragraph of the official talk it comes from. All quizzes →

Key passages

Grace · christ carries burdens

“In the vernacular, Jesus Christ says to all who grieve, ‘I’ve got this!’”

T18.10
Striving · never give up

“We fail only when we give up and stop trying”

T18.23
Ministering · loving the wayward

“Love is being there with arms outstretched and a cheerful countenance.”

T18.12

Scripture referenced

  • Ephesians 4:14
  • 2 Corinthians 1:8
  • 1 Nephi 1:4
  • 1 Nephi 8
  • 1 Nephi 2
  • 1 Nephi 17–18
  • 2 Nephi 4–6
  • 2 Nephi 5
  • 1 Nephi 8:21
  • 1 Nephi 8:11
  • 1 Nephi 8:23, 26
  • Moroni 7:41
  • John 14:27
  • 2 Chronicles 20:15
  • Moroni 10:19
  • Luke 18:22
  • Matthew 22:37
  • Deuteronomy 6:5
  • D&C 59:5
  • Matthew 22:39
  • John 15:12, 17
  • Proverbs 3:5–6
  • Alma 36:13
  • Mosiah 27:11, 14
  • Mosiah 11–18
  • Mosiah 27:9
  • Alma 36:14
  • Alma 36:12
  • Alma 36:17
  • Alma 36:18
  • Alma 36:20
  • Matthew 11:29
  • John 15:13
  • Luke 15:13
  • Luke 15:20
  • Luke 15:24
  • Matthew 11:28
  • Mosiah 27:14
  • John 14:18
  • Helaman 5:12

From the talk's official footnotes and in-text citations.