"I am grateful to be with you at the start of this new semester at BYU-Idaho. President Clark and I love you and have great hopes and expectations for you. Today I hope you will feel the Spirit bearing witness to you that Jesus is the Christ. I love Him. He stands at the head of this Church and He leads this university.
We know that the most important relationship we will ever have in our lives is the relationship that we establish with our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The mission of this university is to help you with that relationship. The Lord wants you to become His disciple leaders. As we move forward on that path, it is instructive for us to read the words Jesus left with His disciples of old and take them to heart as we strive to become His disciples today. In John 15, the Lord said:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."[1]
As He so often did, the Savior used imagery to teach an important gospel principle. In this case, the Lord compared His relationship with His disciples to a vine and its branches. The branches of a plant can only fulfill their purpose if they bring forth fruit. Similarly, as the disciples of the Savior, we fulfill our purpose only when we "bear much fruit." But how do we do that?
The Lord provides an answer in the 97th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Here the Savior offers instruction on the establishment of a school in Zion, which is especially applicable to us here at BYU-Idaho. Notice the attitudes and characteristics the Lord says we must have in order to bear fruit as His disciples:
"Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice-yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord shall command-they are accepted of me. For I, the Lord, will cause them to bring forth as a very fruitful tree, which is planted in a goodly land, by a pure stream, that yieldeth much precious fruit."[2]
Brothers and sisters, like those early Saints, we have been planted here in a goodly land by a pure stream. We, too, must have hearts that are honest and broken. We must have spirits that are contrite, and we must be willing to observe covenants by every sacrifice the Lord shall command.[3]
In this way, we become the Savior's disciples-healthy branches-because we have a strong connection to the vine. Without that connection, the Savior said, "[we] can do nothing."[4]
But how does that connection happen? It happens through the Holy Ghost. That is why part of the baptismal covenant is to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, whose mission it is to enlighten, guide, instruct, comfort, and testify of Christ.
In this university we speak of, listen for, and learn to follow the guidance of the Spirit in all that we do. You will learn to recognize that Spirit working in your lives personally if you will take time at the end of each day to look for the ways he has brought the hand of the Lord into your day. Everything the Spirit does is designed to bring the gifts of the Savior into our lives.
As the Savior reaches out and lifts us, we must, in order to bear fruit, reach outward and lift others just as He did during His ministry.
Ammon in the Book of Mormon is a great example. In his experience of lifting others, Ammon's connection to the Savior was healthy, in fact, so healthy that King Lamoni exclaimed when he saw and was astonished by Ammon's great power:
"Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit...?" [5]
Ammon's missionary service to the Lamanites yielded much fruit! Of his success he said:
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."[6]
I bear to you my testimony that the things I have taught are true. May we all bear much fruit as we labor as disciples of our savior Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] John 15:1, 5, 8
[2] Doctrine and Covenants 97:8-9 (D&C 31: 2, 3, 5 are also great scriptures. They are included in Kim's talk today.)
[3] Ibid
[4] John 15:5
[5] Alma 18:2
[6] Alma 26:12