Thank you President Clark for your introduction. The last time Raquel and I were on this campus was over 20 years ago as we were dropping off our eldest son as a freshman. Much has changed and it’s obvious you are in a phase of rapid expansion. Many thousands more will be blessed to learn and build foundations for their life’s work here in this beautiful corner of the world. It’s most fitting that latter-day prophets have chosen to build a temple in your midst as a beacon on the hill to look upon often for inspiration and a constant reminder of true doctrine learned, and sacred covenants made in the house of the Lord.
You are indeed a chosen generation; blessed to be tutored by the best, watched over by apostles and prophets, and prepared to go forth in this wide world to serve in His kingdom. No wonder someone in the know, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said on several occasions that this place and institution is the best kept secret in the Church. I am afraid the secret is now out. May this Institution bless and prepare many more for generations to come.
As I have prayed and pondered of what the Lord would have me say to you this afternoon, I have gone back in my mind’s eye 40 years ago when our circumstances and surroundings were similar to yours now. Those were the most crucial formative years of our lives, just as they are for each one of you here today. Decisions made during this period of your life must be made based on true doctrine, correct principles, and sound practices as taught by the Lord and all His prophets past and present.
Before we get into some of these basic truths as taught in the scriptures and by living prophets of our day, let me go back again in time some thirty years ago when we were living in Mexico City with our young family.
I was an executive with a large international bank, and involved in the construction of our new corporate headquarters. It would be 23 stories tall and would cover a small block on the beautiful Paseo de la Reforma Avenue.
Mexico City is one of the great cities of the world, but part of it sits atop a former lakebed. In such areas the ground is unstable, so we actually spent more money below the ground than we did on the part of the building that would be visible. The pilings and footings as part of the foundation were like giant pillars and went all the way down to solid bedrock.
In 1985, three years after the building was completed, a powerful earthquake hit Mexico City. Thousands were killed, and many buildings were completely destroyed, including office buildings, hospitals, hotels and government buildings. The quake registered 8.1 on the Richter scale, and the default line ran right down Reforma Avenue. Despite the enormous destruction around us, the building was preserved. Many of the destroyed buildings had been built about the same time as ours. The difference was pillars that anchored our foundation and building to bedrock.
You may never build a corporate headquarters. But you are a builder. We all are. You are laying the foundation for your life, and your eternity. Even the most modern building has a limited lifetime. Eventually it will crumble. But you and I are building both for time (this life) and for eternity.
What are the giant pillars, or eternal truths that we must know and live by to anchor our souls for time and eternity?
First, the most basic and eternal truth is the reality of our Heavenly Father
...that He lives, that you are His precious son or daughter. He knows you by name, He loves you and wants you to return to Him with your eternal family. You lived with Him before; you cannot remember what it was like with Him as He has placed a veil over your memory. He is God, the great ruler of the universe; He is over all and everything, yet He is your Father and mine. You can go to Him in prayer with a firm assurance that He hears you, and will answer you in “His own time, in His way, and according to His own will.”[1] Our Father’s whole purpose is to bring us back as joint heirs with His beloved son Jesus Christ. To the Nephites Jesus said,
“ Therefore ye must pray to the Father in my name; And whatsoever shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.”[2]
What a privilege we have to pray to our Father at any time night or day. A loving parent welcomes communication with a child, so it is with our Father in Heaven. We have so much to thank Him for, to report on, to go over with, to plead for, and to recognize His hand in our lives and those of our loved ones. As we reverently and in a spirit of worship approach him in prayer ; the Holy Ghost will give us, many times, the words to say. Communion with the Father will transform you, mold you, cleanse you, and change your heart. Through the power of prayer, you will know His will and make the right decisions concerning your eternal welfare and bless the lives of others as well.
The second great pillar to anchor our souls on is the reality of Jesus Christ
...that He is the author of our salvation. He has purchased us through his atoning sacrifice; He is the way, the truth and the life. He is our advocate with the Father.
“Listen to Him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him- Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him who gavest that thyself might be glorified;
Wherefore, Father spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.”[3]
He is your lifeline back to the Father. His Gospel, his ordinances and the pattern he has given us for our lives, will get us back. Helaman quoting King Benjamin to his son’s Lehi and Nephi said:
“…. Remember that there is no other way, nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ…”
Helaman then quotes Amulek, in verse 11 “And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins...” [4]
Then in his own words, Helaman uses the analogy of building their foundation for eternal life on the rock of the redeemer:
“ And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock on which you are built, which is a sure foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”[5]
The third great pillar of eternal truth is the reality that the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead can be our companion, our tutor and teacher of the truth of all things.
He is our guide and inspiration from the Father, our comforter, our witness of the reality of the Father and the Son and their Plan of Happiness for each of us.
“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.
Now, behold this is the spirit of revelation; behold this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.”[6]
“…Therefore you will feel it is right.”[7]
“And now verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good- yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my spirit.”[8]
The Holy Ghost will never inspire us to do something contrary to the will of the Father concerning us, or to break one of His commandments. The adversary however, will seek to mislead us and will try to use the same channels of communication; our emotions and feelings, as well as wrong thoughts that come into our mind. These verses help us distinguish between inspiration from the Holy Ghost and promptings from the adversary.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; And then ye shall know, or by this ye shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining to the things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that ye shall receive.”[9]
Section 46 of Doctrine and Covenants, and the sections previously quoted, were given to the early saints to help them understand how the Holy Ghost works with us.
“But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the spirit testifies unto you even so I would that you should do in all holiness of the heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits or doctrines of the devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.” [10]
As we learn to listen to the spirit, He will teach us how to pray, how to approach the Father, as well as what words to use. The Holy Ghost will inspire us to express our love and gratitude to the Father, and to recognize his hand in our life. In verse thirty-three we have the key to having the Holy Ghost with us,
“And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually…”[11]
Our great struggle as members of the Church is to have the Holy Ghost’s companionship, and that is not easy, in this wicked world we live in. I am afraid most of us live well below our privileges in this regard.
Mormon’s writings to his son Moroni recorded in Moroni 8:25 & 26, helps us understand the conversion process for new members and how the spirit becomes a part of their lives. These verses will also help each of us here to understand the process required, as we live the principles of the Gospel, to have the spirit with us on a more continuous basis.
“And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins.”
As members we don’t get baptized again each time we feel repentant and show our faith in Christ, in His atonement, by striving again to keep all His commandments. But, we do practically the same each Sunday as we partake of the sacrament and promise and covenant again to keep His commandments. Thoughts of the Savior and His atonement during the sacrament will give us a repentant heart; and the actual taking of the sacrament worthily, like baptism for the new member, “bringeth remission of sins”
(maybe for long time members we should the word “retaineth” a remission of sins.)
This is why, we must come to church each Sunday and renew our baptismal covenant and our other covenants, for that matter, by partaking of the sacrament.
“ And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come , when all saints shall dwell with God.”
We become meek and lowly of heart when we are made clean again. We are teachable and the spirit will come into our lives and teach eternal truths, it will fill us with hope (confidence in the future and His plan for us). Most important, the spirit will fill us with love, love for our Heavenly Father, love for His son, love for all of His children. This love for others, this gift from above “ endureth by diligence unto prayer.”
The two remaining foundational pillars for your life and eternity, concern your relationship with others of our Heavenly Father’s children.
Central to their plan of happiness is the doctrine of eternal families, our pillar number four:
In their Proclamation to the World on the Family, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
(We) “ Solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the creators plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”
They further state that, “ the first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as a husband and a wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”
These basic principles regarding marriage and children were widely accepted by most of the world until just a few years ago. Now much of society especially in the advanced economies don’t marry, postpone marriage, or if married, severely curtail the number of their children. Birth rates have fallen dramatically in Western Europe, Russia, and practically all of Asia. Most of these nations have both a looming cultural and economic crisis, as their work force ages. Worker replacement in the case of Europe especially, are immigrants from predominately Muslim societies.
As members of His church and kingdom in the latter-days, our concern is not so much an ever increasing wicked world we must live in, but that we begin to accept for ourselves these standards of society and ignore the counsel given by living prophets concerning families. Regarding postponing marriage the brethren have stated the following:
“ Temple marriage, the sealing of husband and wife for time and eternity by the authority of the priesthood is a sacred privilege and obligation that every able member of the Church should have as a goal. The Church strongly counsels members, especially men, not to put off or avoid marriage.”[12]
Young men, especially you single return missionaries, now is the season to find and marry your eternal companion. Here and now! You should take the initiative. Get to know, the young women you are attracted to. Don’t wait until you finish school to marry. Take that leap of faith now. Probably 95% of my friends in college found their eternal companion while in school. She is here, find her! The reason you are here is more than just preparing for your profession; now is the season; marriage should not be delayed for education.
Now some words for those of you who are already married:
When we were a young married couple struggling to get through BYU. I think it was Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve, who came and talked to us students in a devotional like this, about not postponing our children until we finished school, or limiting the number that would come to us. I went back to our little apartment understanding clearly what the Lord wanted of us at that stage of our lives. Let me use the words of other prophets to help you understand the Lord’s will regarding these very sacred, personal and intimate decisions the two of you will make in this regard. President Hinckley speaking to university students over 10 years ago said the following:
“ You people who are starting out life together, you people who are working so hard to try to keep up with everything, you people who have too much to do and too little money, you people who are struggling to get an education…be faithful in the church, begin your families and go forward with your lives.” [13]
Previously, President Ezra Taft Benson, a Idaho born prophet and President of the Church at the time, stated in a Church wide broadcast to parents the following:
“Do not use the reasoning of the world such as, ‘We’ll wait until we can better afford having children, until we are more secure, until John has completed his education, until he has a better paying job, until we have a larger home, until we have obtained a few of the material conveniences,’ and on and on. This is the reasoning of the world, and it is not pleasing in the sight of God. Mothers, who enjoy good health, have your children and have them early. And husbands always be considerate of your wives in the bearing of children. DO NOT CURTAIL THE NUMBER of your children for personal or selfish reasons. Material possessions, social convenience, and so-called professional advantages are nothing compared to a righteous posterity. In the eternal perspective children—not possessions, not position, not prestige—are our greatest jewels.”[14]
How many children? I don't know but over the next 15 to 20 years you will probably be faced with this decision, again and again. No one will tell you how many. When the time is right for another child, and in counsel with your spouse, go to your Father in Heaven in reverence and ask to know His will; if there is another to be sent to your eternal family. At least one of you will receive His answer. The last of our three children came to us that way, one at a time over a period of eight years. After our last was born we received the confirmation that all were here, our family was complete. Many noble and great spirits have been held back to come now to Latter-Day Saint homes, to be prepared and nurtured by “women in the know” as the Lord prepares His kingdom for His second coming.
Now lets turn to Matthew 22: 36-40, to help you visualize what I consider the last of the foundational pillars for your life. When asked,
“ Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets.”
In this summary statement he teaches this all-encompassing foundational truth...
Our fifth pillar, to inherit eternal life you must have love in your souls; love for God your Eternal Father, love for your eternal family, and love for your fellowmen.
On another occasion when Jesus told the lawyer that in order to inherit eternal life he must love his neighbor as himself, the lawyer asked:
“ And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with His parable of the Good Samaritan and then asked: “ Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him.”[15]
With this parable, Jesus taught that each of us should exhibit an active love and benevolence towards every one of His Father’s children.
The operative word for love is service. King Benjamin taught this principle in simple terms:
“And behold I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”[16]
King Benjamin in chapter 4: 12 goes on to say:
"For the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, . . . I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, . . . such as feeding the hungry, . . . visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally."
Do you administer spiritual or temporal relief to those who need it? Do you reach out and strengthen the faith of those around you? To love others means consecrating your life in caring for and serving others who need your help and sharing your gifts and blessings.
Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality. God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships—in how you treat others. Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives? The person who does only those things that concern himself alone, will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the gospel and exalted life are all about. In your journey through life, you are to reach out and bless the lives of your fellow travelers, to give of yourself to those who need you.
James, a church leader in the primitive church at Jerusalem, teaches in his epistle principles that should guide our relationships with other members of the church. He considers the commandment to "love thy neighbour as thyself" to be the "royal law." To James, a testimony alone is not enough. The gospel has to become a living reality in our lives.
“And I will shew thee my faith by my works." "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only."
James's definition of the converted is:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." He ends his brief epistle with these words: "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul . . . and shall hide a multitude of sins.”[17]
By reclaiming an errant brother, you save both him and yourself. Your sins are hidden or remitted because you ministered for the salvation of another.
One final word on interpersonal relationships; regardless of your chosen profession, most of those you work and come in contact with, will probably be non-members. Be a person of absolute integrity, in your relationships with others. Just as serving other members in the kingdom, have a spirit of love and service for all those around you. President Hinckley (our prophet and builder of “buildings” that will last into eternity like the building on the south side of campus here) has said:
“How rare a gem, how precious a jewel is the man or woman in whom there is neither guile, nor deception, nor falsehood, nor greed, nor preoccupation with getting ahead.”[18]
In your life’s work you will be guided by the spirit and blessed in your responsibilities and others around you, will be blessed and prosper because of your righteousness.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” [19]
This was the theme at mutual when I was a young man. We would stand up and repeat it every Tuesday after the opening song and prayer. I have learned since then, that to know them is much more than understanding their true nature, more than facts about Jesus’ life two thousand years ago, and even more than knowing their doctrine.
Earlier this year we visited the Holy Land and walked where he walked and saw the places he lived Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the river Jordan, and Jerusalem. Places where many saw Him and witnessed His miracles. Most that saw Him then, never really knew Him. To know them, the Father and the Son, is a continuing and ever changing process in us. Eventually becoming more like they are.
Jesus wants us to become more like Him, to teach us, to tutor us, and mold us as we receive direction from Him and the Father through the Holy Ghost. We must be obedient to the promptings if we are to change. Much of what we will receive will be in regard to what we should do to bless and serve others. In reality the all-encompassing way to “ know Him” is to love and serve others as he loved and served.
Now, a word to the wise. Human nature is such that we tend to put off for tomorrow, what we should do today. Amulek in Alma 34:33 says:
“…. I beseech of you that you do not procrastinate….for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.”[20]
Even the Lord, I feel, had a sense of urgency for each day and set the example,
“I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” [21]
Now is the time not tomorrow. Your college years are not a rehearsal for the years ahead, but the most crucial, and pivotal years of your life. You’re building you’re foundation for your life—now, this is part of eternity. Now is the time to make your decisions, to act, to build and strengthen your foundation and pillars. Now, get serious about finding your eternal companion. Get married. If you are already married, start your family. Graduate, get out into the world. Time is short; don’t let your life just slip by.
Brigham Young while referring to section 88 of the Doctrine & Covenants, said to the youth of his day,
“ Will you spend the time of your probation for nothing? Will you let existence here pass without purpose? You, each of you, was organized and brought into existence here with the purpose of lasting forever, to fill the measure of your creation. Follow the correct path, fulfill the requirements of the celestial law, and keep the commandments of God.”
I understand that the new theme used in YW/YM is the last recorded words of King Benjamin to his people.
“Therefore I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord Omnipotent may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all…”[22]
My young brothers and sisters you each know what you must do that you may be brought to heaven. You know that you are a beloved son or daughter of a Heavenly Father and that he will grant you the righteous desires of your heart. You know what covenants you have made or will make are sacred. These covenants must be kept sacred for your eternal salvation and that of your future posterity. If you are to have Jesus Christ be your advocate with the Father, you must understand that he will bless others of his children through you, and that His work and His glory is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of each one of us here.
I give you my witness that God our Father in Heaven is there, that His beloved son Jesus Christ is our Savior, that this is His Church and Kingdom. I give you my witness that true apostles and prophets walk this earth today; many of whom have stood at this pulpit in the past. I love and sustain President Gordon B. Hinckley as the successor to Joseph Smith in our day. I pray that you and I together with our eternal families will dwell with Our Father again in a future day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] D&C 88:68
[2] 3 Nephi 18:19,20
[3] D&C 45:3-5
[4] Helaman 5:9
[5] Helaman 5:12
[6] D&C 8:2,3
[7] D&C 9:8
[8] D&C 11:12
[9] D&C 11:13,14
[10] D&C 46:7, 12,13
[11] D&C 46:33
[12] Church Handbook of Instructions
[13] Church News, Nov 9, 1996
[14] Address given at a Fireside for Parents by President Ezra Taft Benson, 22 February 1987
[15] Luke 10:29, 36,37
[16] Mosiah 2:17
[17] James verses from chapters 1,2,&5
[18] Be Thou an Example by Gordon B. Hinckley. P.46
[19] John 17:3
[20] Alma 34:33
[21] Alma 34:33
[22] Mosiah 5:15