Member of the First Quorum of the Seventy speaks about "remembering" and "renewing" at BYU-Idaho devotional

 

Elder Steven E. Snow, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught Brigham Young University-Idaho students about the importance of "remembering" and "renewing" in a devotional address given Tuesday, September 12.

"Remembering is an essential part of our progression," Elder Snow said. "I do not need to remind university students about the importance of remembering. The success for your grades, whether you graduate, and your future careers depend on how successful you are in remembering what you learn here."

Quoting Mosiah 4:30, Elder Snow said, "'And now, O man, remember, and perish not.'"  He explained how remembering begins at an early age and progresses throughout life. He spoke of monuments being erected to help people remember the sacrifices and stories of our forebears.

"We place monuments to help us remember-the miracle of the seagulls, the suffering of the handcart pioneers and the arrival in the Salt Lake Valley-are all examples of events and miracles remembered by monuments," he said. "In Latter-day Saint communities throughout the West, monuments have been erected to help us remember the sacrifices of those who have gone before. This community, even this campus, have such monuments in place. But it is not just monuments we erect."

Elder Snow then taught that in addition to erecting these monuments, we do certain things as members of the Church to help us remember, including keeping journals, recording spiritual experiences, attending the temple, praying, studying the scriptures and partaking of the sacrament.

"Much of what we do as members of the Church helps form and strengthen our testimonies of the gospel," he said. "It reinforces our faith to remember spiritual experiences that have touched our lives. It also helps us to learn of the spiritual strengths and sacrifices of others. Scriptural accounts, stories of ancestors and faithful pioneers, as well as the testimonies of our own peers reinforce and strengthen our own testimonies of the restored gospel."

Elder Snow encouraged students to look back on previous spiritual experiences often to sustain the strength of their spiritual convictions.

After relating the story of his son losing his short-term memory for an extended time as a result of a mountain biking accident, Elder Snow said, "When it comes to our own gospel progression, we cannot rely alone on our long-term memory. That is why in all our remembering, we must remember to renew. Our testimonies must continually be fed with new spiritual experiences. These experiences come when we remember to do the things that we have been commanded to do."

Elder Snow concluded by saying, "It is my hope that we will remember the faith of our forefathers by studying their history, erecting monuments in their honor and always striving to be worthy of their great legacy...That we will not only remember, but we will renew...and let the Holy Ghost bear spiritual witness to us so we may strengthen and renew our testimony of the gospel."

Next week's devotional speaker will be Elder W. Rolfe Kerr, member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and commissioner of the Church Educational System. Devotionals are held every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium with additional seating in the Taylor Chapel, Hinckley Chapel and Kirkham Auditorium.  Devotionals are broadcast on KBYI-FM 100.5 at 2 p.m. and rebroadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.