Dear friends, what an honor it is to share this special day with you! After years of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, you have earned the right to be known, throughout your life, as a graduate of Brigham Young University-Idaho.
Let that sink in for a moment. Doesn’t it feel good? I congratulate you, and I admire you.
I am inspired by the BYU-Idaho mission statement, especially this line: “To develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities.” Since you are now graduates of BYU-Idaho, it’s probably worth thinking about how you’ve done at accomplishing that mission. Do you feel like your time here has helped you develop into a disciple of Jesus Christ who can be a leader?
To help you consider that, I’d like to share some thoughts about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Discipleship should be your highest priority in life.
When Jesus began His ministry, He “went about all Galilee, teaching … and preaching the gospel … and healing all manner of sickness.” [1] Before long, word started to spread about this remarkable Teacher and Healer, “and there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.” [2]
Then Jesus did something interesting. “Seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them.” [3]
Isn’t that fascinating? Multitudes had been following Him, but when Jesus went up the mountain, it was His disciples who came with Him. And in that higher, holier place, Jesus taught a higher, holier way.
Today it is known as the Sermon on the Mount, and it set an elevated standard of righteousness and discipleship. In this sermon, the Savior taught the difference between being a believer or follower and being a disciple. He shifted our focus from goodness to godliness.
It is good, for example, to obey the well-known commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” But it is godly to not even get angry with your brother—to reconcile with him and make peace. [4] It is good to not commit adultery. It is godly to avoid even lustful thoughts and remove any offensive thing from your life. [5] It is good to pray and fast and give alms. It is godly to do all those things even when no one is watching, when there’s no one to thank you or reward you except God Himself. [6]
It is good to love those who love you. The multitudes do that. But it takes a disciple to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” That is God’s way. [7] A believer or follower might go with someone who compels them to walk a mile. But a disciple of Jesus Christ goes the second mile. [8]
My dear friends, on this milestone day of your spiritual journey, I invite you to become second-mile disciples of Jesus Christ. There is much goodness in the first mile. But there is godliness in the second mile.
In the first mile, we might obey God’s commandments out of duty. We might be going through the motions, focusing on outward appearance. In the second mile, we obey God out of love, with a pure heart and real intent.
Blessings come in the first mile. Miracles happen in the second mile. In the first mile, we might forgive those who seek our forgiveness. In the second mile, we forgive everyone, no matter what.
In the first mile, we repent to change our behavior. In the second mile, repentance changes our heart, our very nature. We have “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” [9] We obtain “a fresh view about God, about [ourselves], and about the world.” [10] We fully turn to Him.
In the first mile, we strive to keep the great commandment “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” In the second mile, we strive to keep what Jesus called “a new commandment … That ye love one another; as I have loved you.” [11] This kind of love, Jesus said, is the defining characteristic of His disciples.
In the first mile, we go to church. In the second mile, we gather to worship—as Elder Partick Kearon described it, “to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us!” [12]
In the first mile, we attend the temple. In the second mile, we “make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in His holy house—then keep that appointment with exactness and joy.” [13]
In the first mile, we pray for the missionaries and sign up to have them over for dinner. In the second mile, we openly and eagerly “talk of Christ [and] rejoice in Christ,” [14] “at all times and in all things, and in all places.” [15]
Brothers and sisters, I could give many more examples, but I think you see my point.
The difference between the first mile and the second mile is like the difference between someone who dips a toe in the water and someone who dives in. Both can say they went to the pool, but only one can say they went swimming. Today, I’m inviting you to get fully immersed.
The multitude is in the first mile. These are the believers, who ask, “What can Jesus Christ do for me?” True discipleship comes in the second mile, where we ask, “What can I, in the name of Jesus Christ, do for others?”
I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m disparaging the first mile. It is good and beautiful and even necessary. In reality, you have to go through the first mile to get to the second. At different seasons of our lives, with different aspects of discipleship, we all spend time in the first mile. My purpose isn’t to dismiss the value of the first mile. Rather my message is this: Let’s not stay in the first mile when the second mile is within reach.
In the first mile, we walk to the Savior. In the second mile, we walk with Him.
The youth theme for next year comes from Moses 6:34, where the Lord says, “Thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.”
It’s important that we don’t get confused about who is being invited to walk with whom in this scripture. The Savior isn’t saying, “Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll go with you.” He’s saying, “Let me show you where I’m going, and you can walk with me.” We don’t ask God to walk on our path; we accept the invitation to walk on His.
There’s a big difference! As second-mile disciples, we focus less on whether or not the Lord is with us and more on whether or not we are with Him.
Now, I recognize that by inviting you to become second-mile disciples, I’m running the risk of making you feel, as the scriptures say, “weary in well doing.” [16] Here you are, at your university commencement. You just finished working yourself to the bone to get here. And now, before the ink is even dry on your diplomas, here I am telling you to go another mile?
I can see how being a second-mile disciple sounds like doing twice as much work. And given the heavy pressures you may already feel at this stage in your life, it may not seem doable.
But that’s the amazing thing about second-mile discipleship—it actually doesn’t necessarily mean doing more. It means doing the right things with more intention or purpose. [17] Elder Neal A. Maxwell put it this way: “Increased consecration is not so much a demand for more hours of Church work as it is for more awareness of whose work this really is!” [18] That’s when the miracle happens: in the second mile, the same work, the same journey, becomes a joy rather than a burden, a delight rather than drudgery. As a result, second-mile disciples—even when it seems like they’re doing more—actually feel less “weary in [their] well doing.”
I’ll conclude with an example. My dad, who passed away two and a half years ago, is one of my favorite examples of a second-mile disciple. His love for Jesus Christ and the restored gospel was an irrepressible part of who he was. It was impossible to know my dad and without also knowing how much he loved the Savior. To Dad, sharing the gospel was as natural as breathing. He had what he liked to call “sweet boldness,” and it came with such genuine love that no one was ever offended by it.
For example, once while filling up at a gas station, Dad said to someone at the next pump over, “Nice car. I like those wheels.” And the next thing you know, he’s asking, “Do you know who Jesus Christ is? Did you know that you will find Jesus in the Book of Mormon? Here is a copy of the Book of Mormon; you will love it!”
Once, while being treated in the hospital, he got to talking with the CNA and eventually asked him, “Are you a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?” When the CNA said he wasn’t, Dad responded, “Well, you would make a really good member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Later that night, the CNA came back to Dad’s room and said, “Why did you tell me that I would make a good Latter-day Saint? I actually am a member of the Church, but I haven’t gone in a long time. What did you see in me?”
You see, Dad was good at seeing past the outward appearance and helping people see their divine potential, even when they didn’t see it in themselves. And he wasn’t afraid to tell them about it.
On another occasion, Dad had been in a car accident. I got a call from him from the auto repair shop. I was worried, at first, about what news he might have. How much was the repair going to cost? Was the car totaled? Had Dad been injured? But to my surprise, Dad sounded elated, not discouraged. And it had nothing to do with the condition of his car or himself. The owner of the auto repair shop, Dad explained joyfully, had three sons, and Dad had just finished explaining to him how he could give priesthood blessings to his sons with power that’s available in the Savior’s restored Church. No one escaped my dad.
But it’s not like Dad said to himself each morning, “I’m going to talk to seven people about the gospel today, place three copies of the Book of Mormon, and invite two people to be baptized.” These experiences came in the natural flow of his everyday life. He didn’t have to go knocking on doors to find them. They happened because Dad had made his discipleship the most prominent aspect of his life.
My favorite example came when he and my mom were serving together as full-time missionaries. One day at the grocery store, a cashier stopped him and said, “Excuse me. Can I ask you something? I’ve seen you here every week for a while now. I’ve noticed how kind you are to people. I’ve seen you quietly helping people who needed help. I’ve seen your cheerfulness and how you’re always smiling and lifting people up. And then I noticed your nametag that says ‘Jesus Christ’ on it.” Then she hesitated and said, “Forgive me, but I have to ask: Are you Him?”
Dad smiled and, with sweet boldness, said, “No, but I sure love Him. And I try every day to follow Him and be like Him.”
Dear friends—graduates of Brigham Young University-Idaho—whatever your next step is in life, whether it’s more school, beginning your profession, starting a family, or all of the above, I encourage you to make your discipleship your absolute highest priority. [19] I invite you, in the Savior’s holy name, to become second-mile disciples of Jesus Christ. In the words of the Book of Mormon, “Come unto Christ … and offer your whole [soul]” to Him. [20] I testify that this is the secret to a life of joy and discipleship!
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Matthew 4:23.
[2] Matthew 4:25.
[3] Matthew 5:1.
[4] Matthew 5:21–24.
[5] Matthew 5:27–30.
[6] Matthew 6:1–7, 16–18.
[7] Matthew 5:43–48.
[8] Matthew 5:41.
[9] Mosiah 5:2.
[10] Bible Dictionary, “Repentance.”
[11] John 13:34.
[12] Patrick Kearon, “Welcome to the Church of Joy,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 36.
[13] Russell M. Nelson, “Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 114.
[14] 2 Nephi 25:26.
[15] Mosiah 18:9.
[16] Galatians 6:9.
[17] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Great Adventure,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 87.
[18] Neal A. Maxwell, “Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 67.
[19] Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 122.
[20] Omni 1:26.
About President Timothy L. Farnes
President Timothy L. Farnes was sustained as Young Men General President on April 5, 2025. He began serving on August 1, 2025.
His past Church assignments have included Area Seventy, president of the Brazil São Paulo North Mission, stake president, counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, high councilor, counselor in a bishopric, and full-time missionary in the Brazil Porto Alegre Mission.
President Farnes studied economics at Brigham Young University and later founded multiple companies in several industries, as well as a humanitarian nonprofit doing work in Ghana, Africa.
Timothy Lowell Farnes was born on June 29, 1969, in Baltimore, Maryland. He and his wife, Linsey, have five children.