This coming Tuesday I will give a devotional talk that I have worked on for months. I will speak to students about raising their personal bar of righteousness and becoming disciples of the Savior by listening to the whisperings of the Spirit.
The Lord often gives students personal, quiet, individual promptings about how to improve, as He gives such promptings to each of us. Through those “commandments not a few,” [1] the Lord invites us to do things that will deepen and strengthen our discipleship and move us forward on a path toward eternal life.
During my address, I will speak about the process of listening to the Spirit, the path of discipleship, and three specific things students can do to raise their personal bar of righteousness and become disciples of the Savior.
1) Serve in the Church. I will talk about home and visiting teaching as an example. 2) Fulfill classroom responsibilities. This topic is very specific to BYU-Idaho and stems from an understanding of the future of the Learning Model. I will emphasize two points: Never be late to class. No one is ever late in Zion. Being late disrupts the unified learning environment fostered at BYU-Idaho. Principles of the Learning Model are best applied when a group of students becomes a unified learning community, constantly working together to teach each other and help each other learn and grow. Come prepared to class. No one in Zion comes unprepared. Coming unprepared to a learning community means letting other people down and treating them without respect. Being unprepared means living your life selfishly. Students should come to class having done two things: Completed all assignments, prepared to be taught and to learn. Prepared to teach.
Think about the implications of these principles. Think of the difference it would make in education if each student would come prepared to be taught and to teach. When students come prepared, they not only help themselves but they bless everybody else. When they don’t come prepared, they take away from the experience. This is an important part of raising one’s personal bar of righteousness and helping to build Zion.
3) Dress appropriately. The Spirit will teach those who are willing to obey that how they dress for class is important for two reasons: Their dress is the initial signal to themselves and others that they respect the process of learning, and that they know they are in a dedicated, consecrated space. Every time students walk into a classroom on this campus, they are entering a dedicated space. When they dress in a way signaling that they are serious about what is going on, they come prepared and are ready to learn. How people dress affects how they act and how other people act. I believe students contribute to an environment of learning if they dress appropri-ately. I am going to suggest that students dress up a notch or two. I will leave it to them to decide what that means. I will encourage them to come prepared, to be on time, and to dress to engage in a sacred activity—to learn, prepare, and become disciples of the Savior.
To build Zion we need to become pure in heart. In Doctrine and Covenants, section 88, the Lord taught the Prophet Joseph Smith a very important principle about the nature of learning and classrooms. As He gave the Prophet instructions about how to create a house of learning, the Lord said: “And above all things” [2] —that would seem to mean the most important thing He had yet said—“clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantel, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.” [3]
Then, as He described the salute to those who entered the School of the Prophets, He said, “I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen.” [4]
To build Zion, we need to create those bonds of charity. We need to be “fixed, immovable, and unchangeable” [5] in our commitment to our students and to each other—to be bound together “in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever.” [6] The process we need to go through is described in Moroni, chapter 7. This is Mormon’s great sermon on faith, hope, and charity.
In this chapter, Mormon teaches us something very important about the power of the pure love of Christ. Verse 44 states, “none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.” [7]
Verse 45 is also very important. The Lord teaches us about the power of love. As you listen to these words, think about your work in this university, as a teacher, in this college, and as a member of Zion. “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” [8]
Mormon continues, “But charity is the pure love of Christ.” [9] Then, he teaches us what we must do: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” [10]
This love is a gift of the Spirit bestowed by the Father upon all who are true followers of His Son.
Note the last part of verse 48: “that ye may become the sons of God.” [11] Of course, this also applies to the daughters of God, “that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” [12]
This is our assignment and our responsibility. We build Zion in our community through the desires and purity of our hearts, through praying with all the energy of our hearts that the Lord will bless us with His pure love. When you enter into the classroom, you take that love with you and your students feel it. They are inspired by the love you have for them. You create an environment in which your students learn, and the Holy Ghost is there. The Spirit ministers to your students. They feel the power of Heaven speaking to them, teaching them in ways that transform their lives.
I will end with three final points I believe will help us build Zion and create the kind of environment the Lord desires.
1) Start each class with a prayer. It does not need to be long. Teach students that their public prayers should be short. During classroom prayers, you should stand, not kneel. These prayers should invite the Lord, His blessings, and the Spirit to be with you in class. 2) Attend devotional in person. Be where your students can see you. Come and participate in the great spirit that is there. I promise if you come in person, there will be an even greater spirit there. There will be a greater outpouring of the Lord’s blessings upon both you and your students. 3) Dress appropriately for class. Be careful that you do not become casual in your dress. We are going to ask the students to dress up a notch. I encourage you to do the same. Look carefully at what you wear and how you present yourselves to students. Dress in a manner that will inspire your students when they look to you. Allow them to see the light of Christ in your countenance. Dress in a way that shows you love them and are serious about this work.
Now, let me express something I have learned about you. Heavenly Father loves you. I have been blessed with a testimony that God our Father loves the faculty at BYU-Idaho. He loves you. Your work is known in the heavens. The Lord Jesus Christ loves you. This is His university. He watches over us, and He loves us. If you ever get discouraged, if you ever feel no one cares, I pray you will get on your knees and talk to your Heavenly Father. I promise you will receive the peace and warmth that comes to those who are faithful and true to their covenants and who labor in this vineyard.
I leave you my testimony that this is His work. We have all been greatly blessed to be part of this great university. Sue and I thank the Lord every day for this opportunity. What a blessing it has been in our lives to be associated with you, to be able to work together in this great work. I leave you my testimony and my love in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Doctrine & Covenants 59:4
[2] Doctrine & Covenants 88:125
[3] Ibid
[4] Doctrine & Covenants 88:133
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Moroni 7:44
[8] Moroni 7:45
[9] Moroni 7:47
[10] Moroni 7:48
[11] Ibid
[12] Ibid