Thank you for that beautiful musical number. My father-in-law is fond of saying that what we need in the Church is better music and more of it, and better speaking and less of it. Maybe we should have another musical number.
I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to speak today. I'm grateful for my family who is here with me today. This coming Sunday is Fathers' Day, and I would like to pay a special tribute to my father, who is now in his 91st year, as well as to my mother. My father has had many experiences in his life, including serving as a belly gunner on a B-17 bomber during World War II. Here's Dad with a few of my boys next to the ball turret on the bottom of a B-17.
My father and mother have worn out their lives in service, including raising nine children (with me being the non-spoiled baby of the family). But what they have done in their lives is not as significant as what they have become. Not only have they become the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents of a great posterity, but they have also become true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Becoming
A central message of the gospel is that we, as children of Heavenly Father, can change and become like Him and our Savior Jesus Christ. The process of becoming takes time, and is done step by step, line upon line. We go through experiences and seasons of life that provide us with opportunities to grow and change and take a step towards becoming like our Savior.
One such step just concluded for our oldest son Jonathan who returned just two weeks ago from serving in the Wellington, New Zealand mission. In one of Jonathan's last emails he said:
"I love New Zealand, and I love the people here. God has blessed me with so much love for so many people. ... I find it easier to love than I ever have before. I also love God and His Son more than I ever have before. What a great blessing."[1]
That season of missionary service provided Jonathan with the opportunity to learn more about the Savior, to serve Him and His children, and to become more like Him.
I sense that a similar thing is happening for our second son, Spencer, who will return next week from serving in the Johannesburg, South Africa mission. We read in his emails about the things that he is learning, and the things that he is doing, and occasionally we get a glimpse into his heart, and into who he is becoming. For example, a few months ago he wrote the following:
"On Saturday we went to the funeral of the brother who passed away last week. It was a unique experience. Me, my companion, and one other sister were the only white people in the congregation of about 250-300. There was a LOT of singing. I loved the beautiful African songs. I played the piano for the normal hymns and gave the closing prayer. I prayed in Zulu for a small part of the prayer. I wanted to let the people know that I am African too."[2]
These comments, along with some of the pictures we receive from him, indicate that a love for Africa and for the African people is growing in his heart and changing who he is. (I'm not sure, but I don't think that this is his normal proselyting attire.)
What to Become
Serving as a missionary can be a wonderful season of growth, of change, of becoming. But there are other opportunities for growth and change throughout life as well. For example, most of us here are currently associated with BYU-Idaho either as students or employees. What are we becoming during this season at BYU-Idaho? The goal of the university is to help you to become:
- Disciple Leaders
- Lifelong Learners
- Creative and critical thinkers
- Effective communicators
- Skilled professionals
- Engaged citizens (which includes citizenship in families)[3]
Are you becoming these things? Are there other, perhaps more specific or personal or immediate things that you are striving to become right now? For example, are you striving to develop kind feelings for a roommate or family member, or to become free from an addiction or bad habit, or to become more converted to a particular principle of the gospel? Is there one thing that you could identify that you would most like to become, or make progress towards becoming, over the next few months? I'll give you a second to think about that and to even write it down if you like.
Okay, did everyone think of something? I hope that you can recognize whatever it was that you thought of as being a step towards becoming like the Savior.
Now, I would like to discuss 3 topics related to reaching our righteous goals and becoming more like the Savior:
- Our role in the process of becoming
- The role of the Spirit
- Obtaining the Spirit through the word of God
1 - Our Role in the Process of Becoming
The first topic is our role in the process of becoming. There are clearly things that we must do in order to change who we are and to become better. You're likely familiar with the Know-Do-Become process that you see each time you log into I-Learn. It may be that your computers load so fast that you've never actually seen that phrase before. If that's the case - here's a screenshot of it. This model suggests that changing and becoming better doesn't just happen automatically. There is action required of us. We must exert our own best efforts to create a change in our minds, a change in our actions, and a change in our hearts. The scriptures often remind us that we must give our very best effort. For example, in the Doctrine and Covenants we read:
Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.[4]
We must apply our very best mental, physical, and spiritual capacities as we strive to improve. Now, what about the goal you thought of earlier? What are the actions that you can take to make it happen? Maybe you need to reach out to someone in love and kindness. Maybe you need to install a filter on your computer. Maybe you need to put a reminder on your mirror to read scriptures or to pray. Whatever it is that you are striving to become, you must first figure out what effort is required of you, and then you must do it.
2 - The Role of the Spirit
The second topic is the role of the Spirit in the process of becoming. Just as it is clear that we must put forth our own efforts, it should be equally clear that we cannot become who we should become without the help of the Lord. This enabling power that comes from the Lord is referred to in the scriptures as grace. The Bible Dictionary says the following:
It is ... through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.[5]
The scriptures are full of references to this critical combination of personal effort and divine grace that is required for true change. In 2 Nephi 25:23 we read that, "... it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."[6] In Ether 12:27 we read that, "... my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."[7] And a special one for those of us who teach is found in D&C 88:78, which says, "Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you..."[8]
In each of these examples, and many more like them, we are taught the importance of our personal effort combined with the grace of God in the process of becoming.
I believe that a powerful manifestation of the grace of the Lord can be found in the ministry of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost not only guides, and witnesses, and comforts, but also enlightens and strengthens and empowers. The power of the Holy Ghost truly can magnify our individual efforts.
So what part of the Know-Do-Become process does the Holy Ghost help us with? Well, maybe it's time for a quiz.
The Holy Ghost can help me in my efforts to:
a. Know
b. Do
c. Become
d. All of the above
I would say that the correct answer is "d. All of the above." Regardless of what you are striving to become, whether it is one of the official university outcomes or one of your own improvement goals, the Holy Ghost will magnify your individual efforts to know and to do and to become.
Know
First, the Holy Ghost can help us to learn and to know things, both in our minds and in our hearts. In Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 we read:
Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.[9] So the Holy Ghost can help us to gain both an intellectual knowledge and a spiritual witness of truth. We can know truth through the power of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost enhances our individual efforts as we strive to learn and gain knowledge. The prophet Joseph Smith wrote the following relative to the experience that he and Oliver Cowdery had after they were both baptized:
We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation. Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of.[10] This illumination of truth through the power of the Holy Ghost does not just apply to obtaining "spiritual" knowledge. It applies to all truth. President Henry B. Eyring said:
I know from my own experience, for example, that the Holy Ghost knows the mathematical equations used to solve problems in thermodynamics. I was a struggling physics student studying in a book that I still own. Halfway down a page, in the middle of some mathematics, I had a clear confirmation that what I was reading was true. It was exactly the feeling that had come to me before as I had pondered the Lord's scriptures and that I have had many times since. So I knew that the Holy Ghost understood whatever was true in what I might be asked on an examination in thermodynamics.[11] The Holy Ghost helps us to learn and to know all truth.
Do
Second, the Holy Ghost can help us to "do," or to act in accordance with true principles. Throughout the Book of Mormon we read about how the Nephite armies were strengthened when they were righteous and had the Spirit with them, and how they lost that strength when the Spirit was not with them. In Mormon 2:26 we read:
And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.[12] The Spirit gives us strength to act; a lack of the Spirit leaves us "to ourselves."
Become
Third, the Holy Ghost can change our hearts and help us to "become." After King Benjamin had taught his people he desired to know if they believed his words.
And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.[13]
The Holy Ghost had wrought a change in their hearts, in their very dispositions. President Henry B. Eyring has said:
It is not surprising that when we feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, we also can feel that our natures are being changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We feel an increased desire to keep His commandments, to do good, and to deal justly.[14]
The Holy Ghost is essential in our efforts to change our natures and our dispositions and to become like the Savior.
Now, it's time to think back to the goal that you thought of or wrote down earlier. Are there ways in which the Holy Ghost could help you in achieving your goal? Are there things that you need to learn, or do, or feel that would be made easier or more effective with the assistance of the Holy Ghost? If your goal is going to truly change who you are, it is likely that you will need the Holy Ghost to help you achieve it fully.
So far we have talked about (1) our role in the process of becoming, and (2) the role of the Spirit in that process. Let's go now to the third topic, which is about obtaining the Spirit through the word of God.
3 - Obtaining the Spirit through the Word of God
If the Spirit is so essential for us to become who we need to become, then how can we get it more fully in our lives? Whatever else we may do, we must learn and follow the word of God.
There is a special connection between the word of God and the Holy Ghost. Part of that connection comes from the fact that the Holy Ghost is the primary means by which the Lord communicates his word to us, either directly through personal revelation, or through prophets. Even though prophets may at times talk with heavenly beings or with the Lord directly, they also receive the word of God through the Holy Ghost. For example, the prophet Mormon told his son Moroni how he received an answer to a particular question. Mormon said, "For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost."[15] Then, after explaining what he had learned, Mormon concludes by saying, "And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me."[16] So, the Holy Ghost manifests the word of God to us.
Spiritual Power from Studying the Word of God
Another part of the connection between the word of God and the Holy Ghost comes from the fact that the Holy Ghost witnesses of the truthfulness of the word of God when we receive it, and gives us power and strength to follow it. President Benson taught of the spiritual power that comes to us through the word of God, and particularly from the Book of Mormon, when he said:
It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path.[17]
So we can receive power to follow the strait and narrow path as we study the word of God. That strait and narrow path was described by Lehi in his vision of the tree of life. You'll recall that a rod of iron, which represents the word of God, ran along the path and lead to the tree. Now, I'm not exactly sure why it was an iron rod, and not a golden rod or a mahogany rod, or some other material, but iron has some properties that I think are symbolic of the word of God. First, iron is very strong (even stronger than gold or silver). Likewise, the word of God is sure and steadfast. Second, iron is electrically conductive. That means that electrical current, or electrical power, can flow through iron. Similarly, spiritual power flows through the word of God. As President Benson said, "There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book."[18]
The connection between the word of God and the Holy Ghost is so strong that the two are sometimes discussed almost synonymously in the scriptures. In Ephesians 6:17 we are counseled to, "... take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."[19] In 2 Nephi 32:3 we are told that, "... the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."[20] Then just two verses later we read that, "... the Holy Ghost ... will show unto you all things what ye should do."[21]
President Boyd K. Packer explained that, "At your baptism and confirmation, you took hold of the iron rod."[22] It is significant that being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, is indicative of our taking hold of the iron rod and stepping onto the path that leads to the tree of life. President Packer also said that, "If you hold to the rod, you can feel your way forward with the gift of the Holy Ghost, conferred upon you at the time you were confirmed a member of the church."[23] The word of God and the Holy Ghost go together.
In order to receive the blessings of the Spirit that come through the word of God, we need to regularly and consistently study the scriptures. President Benson has said:
However diligent we may be in other areas, certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it as we make our way through the mists of darkness to the tree of life.[24] So, in addition to other things that we might do to invite the Spirit into our lives, we must tap into the spiritual power that flows through the word of God. If you do not currently have a habit of regular scripture study, you need to begin. Whatever else you are doing with your time, your efforts to become will be less effective without the spiritual power that is available through the word of God. Exercise faith by making scripture study a priority in your life.
Spiritual Power from Giving Heed to the Word of God
Now, it's not just in studying the word of God that we can increase the Spirit in our lives, but it's also in giving heed to the word of God. Right after explaining to his brothers that the iron rod was a representation of the word of God, Nephi said:
Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.[25]
Modern-day prophets have taught that, in addition to studying the word of God, giving heed to, or acting in accordance with the word of God, brings the Spirit into our lives. In the introduction to the For The Strength of Youth booklet, the First Presidency state:
We promise that as you keep the covenants you have made and these standards, you will be blessed with the companionship of the Holy Ghost...[26]
As you review the individual principles in the booklet, you will find that many of them speak directly about the blessings of the Spirit that come as you follow the principles that are taught. For example:
- Dress and Appearance: "When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit..."[27]
- Education: "... spiritual learning will help you find answers to the challenges of life and will invite the companionship of the Holy Ghost."[28]
- Honesty and Integrity: "Being honest will enhance your future opportunities and your ability to be guided by the Holy Ghost."[29]
- Language: "Good language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others invites the Spirit to be with you."[30]
And so forth. As you live in accordance with a particular principle of the gospel, you will receive the Spirit more strongly into your life, which can strengthen you to live other principles of the gospel. Conversely, breaking one of the commandments can leave you spiritually weakened and deprive you of the Spirit that could have helped you improve in other areas.
Elder Russell M. Nelson compared this situation to a parachute or sail that is tethered by several chords, each representing a particular spiritual quality or attribute. He said,
... imagine what would happen if one of the supporting cords breaks—the cord of honesty, for example. If that cord breaks, additional strain is immediately imposed on neighboring cords of chastity, virtue, and benevolence, in accordance with the law of sequential stress.[31]
Breaking one aspect of the law of God can lead to a loss of the Spirit, which strains our capacity to live other aspects of the law of God. So, if you are striving to develop patience and kind feelings towards a roommate, but are viewing pornography, your spiritual strength to accomplish your goal will be diminished. On the other hand, if you view only wholesome and uplifting materials you will have an increase of the Spirit, which will help you to achieve your other righteous goals. Giving heed to, or living in accordance with, the word of God brings spiritual power.
So here's the final question relative to the goal that you thought of earlier: is there something that you can do relative to studying the word of God or giving heed to the word of God that would help you to have the Spirit more strongly in your life? Do you need to recommit to a pattern of regular scripture study? Is there some principle of the word of God with which you are out of compliance that, if corrected, would increase the Spirit in your life? Right now is the best time to commit to make any necessary changes.
So far we have discussed:
- Our role in the process of becoming
- The role of the Spirit
- Obtaining the Spirit through the word of God
Whatever it is that we are striving to become, we need to put forth our own best efforts to know, to do, and to become. Then we need to seek for the strengthening power of the Holy Ghost, especially by studying and giving heed to the word of God. As we do, we will begin to change, and to become who we are intended to become.
Promised Blessings
So what's the end of all of this effort, of all of this becoming? We can find out by going back to Lehi's dream. Remember that, in the dream, there were some who progressed along the path and actually arrived at the tree and partook of the fruit, but who were then ashamed because of those who were mocking, and so, "fell away into forbidden paths and were lost."[32] Could it be that this group of people had simply gone through the motions of the gospel, but had not experienced a mighty change of heart, and had not truly become like the Savior? Let's compare this group's reaction with that of the next group that Lehi describes:
... and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down, and partook of the fruit of the tree.[33]
This group, I believe, did experience a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Ghost, as they pressed forward holding fast to the iron rod. When Nephi had his own vision of the tree of life, he learned what the true meaning of the tree was, and why the people may have fallen down when they arrived there.
And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.[34]
If we press forward in our efforts to improve and to become like the Savior, continually holding fast to the iron rod and the Spirit that it brings, we will change and will be filled with the love of Savior. Then, as Mormon taught, "... when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is..."[35] That is who we can become. That is the joyous message of the gospel. I know that it is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Personal email, May 24, 2015
[2] Personal email, Feb. 9, 2015
[3] http://www2.byui.edu/outcomes-and-assessment/university-level-oanda
[4] D&C 4:2
[5] Bible Dictionary, Grace
[6] 2 Nephi 25:23
[7] Ether 12:27
[8] D&C 88:78
[9] D&C 8:2
[10] Joseph Smith - History 1:73-74
[11] Henry B. Eyring, "Gifts of the Spirit for Hard Times," Ensign, June 2007
[12] Mormon 2:26
[13] Mosiah 5:2
[14] Henry B. Eyring, "Gifts of the Spirit for Hard Times," Ensign, June 2007
[15] Moroni 8:7
[16] Moroni 8:9
[17] Ezra Taft Benson, "The Book of Mormon - Keystone of our Religion," Ensign, November 1986
[18] Ibid
[19] Ephesians 6:17
[20] 2 Nephi 32:3
[21] 2 Nephi 32:5
[22] Boyd K. Packer, "Finding Ourselves in Lehi's Dream," Ensign, August 2010
[23] Ibid
[24] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, 2014, 114-24
[25] 1 Nephi 15:25
[26] "Message to the Youth from the First Presidency," For the Strength of Youth, 2011, ii
[27] "Dress and Appearance," For the Strength of Youth, 2011
[28] "Education," For the Strength of Youth, 2011
[29] "Honesty and Integrity," For the Strength of Youth, 2011
[30] "Language," For the Strength of Youth, 2011
[31] Russell M. Nelson, "Integrity of Heart," Ensign, August 1995
[32] 1 Nephi 8:28
[33] 1 Nephi 8:30
[34] 1 Nephi 11:21-24
[35] Moroni 7:48