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B. John Galbraith, President of the Brigham
Young University-Idaho Fourth Stake, addressed students during
the BYU-Idaho devotional on November 15, 2005.
“Do you know what I mean by defining moments? We all have them,
don’t we? I think they’re opportunities when the Holy Ghost
confirms to us certain things that in their own way, while they
may not be impressive to other people, change the course of our
lives,” President Galbraith began.
He continued teaching about fire and the Holy Ghost by reading 2
Nephi 31:13. “…yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down
into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye
receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and
of the Holy Ghost,” he read.
“You see brothers and sisters, most everyone here has been
baptized into the church and that baptism is absolutely
essential to put us on the proper path, but it is not the end.
We must also have a baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost,”
President Galbraith said.
President Galbraith further explained, “Multiple experiences
with the Holy Ghost will help us to become more Christ-like,
more refined.”
Next, he reminded students how the Brethren gave the challenge
to raise the bar.
“What then is upping the bar? I have become convinced for myself
that we must up the fire,” President Galbraith said. “We must
have those multiple experiences with the Holy Ghost that bare
record to us of truth and whenever you feel it, automatically
you’re going to have a desire to say, ‘I’ve got to be a better
boy, I’ve got to be a better girl,’ and we want to change our
nature.”
He concluded with another defining moment in his life. As a
mission president in Russia, he awoke one morning and wrote down
24 problems that seemed insurmountable.
“I just felt so overwhelmed and depressed, I fell to my knees
and in my tears I said, ‘Heavenly Father this is not fair. I
can’t do it. You called the wrong man. I have tried to do my
best, but I can’t keep on top of it all.’ It was as though I
heard an audible voice in my mind say, ‘Listen son, I’m with
you. I have not abandoned you. You’re okay. I just asked you to
do your very best. This is my church not yours. It will be okay.
Now, you quit feeling sorry for yourself.’”
“That was a powerful defining moment in my life. You have them
too. Recognize them. Realize the source and pay tribute to the
Giver,” he concluded.
Next week’s devotional speaker will be Brother Kevin Miyasaki,
Registrar in the BYU-Idaho Registrars Office. Devotionals are
held Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium with additional
seating in the Hinckley Chapel, Taylor Chapel, and Kirkham
Auditorium. Devotionals are broadcast on KBYI-FM 100.5 at 2 p.m.
and rebroadcast Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. |