My dear Brothers and Sisters, it is wonderful to be with you this afternoon.
I express my love and appreciation for each one of you and your leaders, both here and in your homes. I ask for your faith and prayers as we discuss a subject of eternal importance to all of us. “Increasing Our Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Why is this so important? Because everything of eternal value depends on it!
Let me explain. We are here in mortality where we are subject to all kinds of challenges and limitations, such as: gravity and other natural laws, sickness, discouragement, fear, misunderstandings, thieves, pollution, cold, darkness, and of course, mortal death.
Our goal is to obtain Eternal Life – or God’s life – where none of these things exist.
How do we get from here to there? There is only one way and that is through Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can get us from here to there. I testify that He came to Earth and in love laid down His life in the great atoning sacrifice which overcame death and sin and makes eternal life possible for us. Can’t you hear Him saying: Have faith in me – trust me – keep my commandments. It will take effort, all good things do. I will help you and you will make it. It is worth everything!
Yes, it will take effort, but remember we can’t coast uphill, only downhill and Eternal Life is far above mortal life!
Would you please repeat with me the Fourth Article of Faith? You all have the clue that it begins with “we believe”. So let’s start: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, repentance, third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, fourth, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Audience: repeats) Thank you.
Can you see why “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” is the first principle of the Gospel? That is where everything begins. Our being here on this earth and having the opportunity to grow and progress and return with added joy and glory to live with our Father and Jesus depends on our faith in Jesus Christ. Everything good both here and hereafter, comes from Him.[1] We all want good things to happen in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. I know that good things do happen as we have faith and increase that faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ – including the best thing of all obtaining Eternal Life!
I know that Jesus lives and loves us - that He desires with all of His heart to bless us, which He can only do as we are prepared to receive those blessings. Any perceived lack of blessings is never because He is not willing or able, it is because we don’t have sufficient faith and thus lack the capacity needed to receive those blessings. How do we increase our faith in Him? There is no other way than to obey.
Faith is not a passive thing, but a vibrant living thing. It is trust, it is confidence, it is Doing. The greater our faith, the greater our action and obedience.
We start where we are and move towards the light, which is Jesus Christ. Each one of us has some degree of faith already or we wouldn’t even be here. Let’s build on that faith.
Listen to the Savior's words which will awaken and strengthen some of what you already know. "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I am the life and the light of the world."[2] "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."[3]“I am the true light that lightest every man that cometh into the world.”[4]
We were born with the light of Christ within us and an innate desire to increase that light to its full Celestial Brilliance as promised: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”[5]
What a promise! Can you feel with me that bursting desire to increase our faith, trust, and confidence in Him, through our love for Him! Anything and everything that helps increase our faith in Him should be sought after and treasured. With we can do all things. Without it we can do nothing.
One of the main purposes of this great institution is to help you increase your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If it does that, which I am confident it will, whatever else it does, though valuable, will be of secondary importance. The same is true of our being here on this earth. If our experiences here increase our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives have been worth it no matter how long or short, or filled with mortal challenges they are.
We increase our trust in Him as we remember what He has already done for us. President James E. Faust recently made this promise: “You can come to know what you knew as a valiant son [or daughter] of God in the pre-mortal existence. It can happen to you.”[6]
Think with me back to those eons ago when, as the scriptures tell us, we shouted for joy not only for the opportunity to come to this earth, but for the victory Jesus had won in the great battle in heaven and for His promise to come and help us here. Because a veil has been drawn over our memories, we do not know for sure what challenges we faced there, but we do know that with the Savior’s help we overcame those challenges.
Likewise, we do not know for sure what kinds of challenges we will face here, but we do know that with His help we can overcome them also. We did not come here to fail. With His help we succeeded there; with His help we will succeed here! We trusted Him then, let us trust Him now.
Reading the scriptures also helps increase our faith in Him. Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be there when the Savior walked the earth?
I will refer to three events from that time. As I do, ask yourself how you might have acted had you been there.
Event #1: A woman who had been ill for many years felt that if she could only touch the hem of the Savior’s robe she would be healed. The instant she touched his robe, the Savior perceived that ‘virtue had gone out’ of Him, and He asked who had touched him. The disciples were incredulous and said: “Look at this large thronging crowd, nearly everyone has touched you.” But He persisted and soon the woman came forth and said she was the one. Can you feel the Savior’s love as he looked into her eyes and tenderly said: ‘Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace.'[7]
Undoubtedly there were other sick people in that crowd – so it was not just touching Him, it was touching Him in Faith. Where would we have been? Where are we now?
Event #2: A blind man cried out as the Savior passed by. The Lord stopped and asked: ‘What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: Thy faith hath saved thee.’ [8]
I am confident that there were other blind folks along the way, but this one had the needed faith. Again, where are we?
Event #3: The Savior visited the more righteous Nephites and Lamanites in America. As He looked at them with compassion on them He made this beautiful and thought-provoking statement: ‘I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you. . . and he did heal them every one.’ [9] Is our faith sufficient that He can heal us also? We hope we would have gone to Him and been healed as those folks were.
But think of this question: If we hesitate to go to our Bishop now to be healed, would we really have gone to the Savior then? It took faith to be healed then, it takes faith to be healed today. And remember, physical healing is only a small part of the Savior’s healing powers! There is so much we need to be healed from.
For every challenge there is a solution. The Savior is the only one who completely understands every aspect of our individual challenges, and He is just as anxious to bless us now as He was to bless those people then.
Since He understands everything, His answer may be different from our requests. Remember, Paul had great faith, but after asking three times for relief, his ‘thorn in the flesh’ remained.
See if you can identify with some of these challenges: illness, shortage of money, family concerns, lack of dates, school problems, being overweight, feeling under-appreciated, lacking confidence, feeling discouraged, needing to make hard decisions, being single, going through the death of a loved one, being unsure of our faith, experiencing fear or uncertainty about the future, and on and on. Faith in the Savior is the key that opens doors which contain the solution to every conceivable challenge.
It is fine to seek counsel from others, but remember, ultimately it is the Lord’s counsel that counts. He will not only show us the things we need to do, but will give us the strength and confidence to do them. Each time we overcome a challenge, even a small one, we experience an increase in our faith and confidence to overcome other challenges. That is what growing from strength to strength means. On the other hand, when we let a challenge overcome us, we experience a decrease in faith and confidence.
How grateful we should be for the Savior who has made it possible that when we make mistakes we can change course – called repentance – and through faith in Him be forgiven and get back on the right path.
Another way we increase our faith is found in the 121st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord says: ‘ . . . let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God . . .’ [10]
Jesus is the epitome of virtue, so as we pray and think about and counsel with Him unceasingly our confidence grows.
Let me demonstrate this principle by using a brief clip from the film The Other Side of Heaven. When I served there was no MTC, hence no preparation in language or culture. We went straight to the mission field and did our best. At that time, only the scriptures were available in that language. After several months and lots of effort, I was still struggling greatly.
The word for missionary and outhouse are similar.
As you view this clip I ask each of you to think of something you may be struggling with – something that others may laugh at or make fun of you about. Then try to relate to how the Lord helped me and how He can help you.
People often ask: Did you really learn the language in four days?
Yes and No.
‘No,’ in that I still made mistakes and only knew a few additional words and phrases. ‘Yes’ in this all-important sense: Before that odyssey I was not sure I would ever speak the language. After the odyssey, I absolutely knew I would. I had perfect confidence, for the Lord had promised me. It would take lots of hard work, but with His help I knew it would happen – and it did. What a difference confidence makes!
Over fifty years later I still feel comfortable with that language.
My dear young friends. Please remember that basic lesson. When you seem unable to do what you know you ought to do, call on the Lord in humble faith and He will help you and give you confidence.
When I returned from my mission, I knew next to nothing about marriage or raising a family, nor how to provide a living for them. However, I knew that was what God expected of me.
I prayed with all the faith I could muster and received assurance that He would help me with this, just as He had helped me with the language. So I went ahead.
Now, more than fifty years later, our marriage and our family is strong and fulfilling and ever-expanding and I love my wife, Jean, and my family more than ever. There have been ups and downs, but we have survived and been able to provide the basics and beyond.
As I look at this gathering, I see some who have recently ‘left the nest’ and ventured out into this big world, some who are preparing for missions, some who have already had that great opportunity and are preparing for marriage, some who are in the midst of raising families and pursuing careers, and others who are looking back over many years of experiences.
I promise you that if you seek the Lord’s help and move forward, taking the needed steps, He will bless you with the confidence to do whatever is required to fill your responsibilities, including missions, marriage and family.
What we all desperately need is greater confidence that the Lord will help us succeed in our righteous endeavors. I know He gives confidence, I know you can succeed!
Another extremely important way to increase our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to make the Temple a bigger part of our lives.
This encompasses everything we have talked about, and much, much more. As we qualify for a temple recommend and use it regularly our faith in the Lord will increase and our lives will improve. I know that to be true. Temple Living is the key to joy and progress here and hereafter.
And what is Temple Living? Just what it says – living according to the principles taught in the Temple.
In Matthew the Savior invites all men to "Come unto me" and to "Learn of me."[11] That is a direct invitation to come to the Temple, because that is where He is and that is where He teaches us.
He wants us to come to Him and learn of Him so we can increase our faith in Him, and thus have more capacity to receive help from Him. I promise you that everything about your life will improve as you live in accordance with Temple principles.
Figure out a way to get to the temple more often, and the Lord will figure out a way for you to receive more blessings.
I realize that most of you are students and need to study, date, and be involved in other school activities. Thus, we do not say how often you should attend, only that you should make the Temple a bigger part of your lives. It is up to you.
Our faith in the Lord increases as we bear Testimony of Him. I can think of no better way to bear testimony of Him than to go to His house, learn of Him by serving His children, and adjust our lives to the standards He teaches there.
“Going” to the Temple is one thing, but having the teachings of the temple "go through us" is the real goal.
This is what I call temple living; it is much more than just an event – it is a transformation of life.
Recently while visiting with a wonderful stake president, he told of how for years he had taught the young people in his stake the importance of Temple Marriage. The majority of the youth in that stake did get married in the temple and all seemed well. Then towards the end of his time as stake president, a few young sisters came to him and asked him what went wrong. They had been married in the temple but for various reasons their marriages had not worked out. "We did what you asked, so why has this happened?"
He prayed a lot about it and finally received this impression: Teach them the importance of Temple Living. As he pondered that thought, he realized that Temple Living is really what the Temple is about. The ordinances, such as Temple Marriage, are vital and should always be taught and emphasized – but the goal for everyone - including these young divorcees, widows, everyone whether married or single, is Temple Living. If we would all make Temple Living our way of life, there would be much greater happiness and fulfillment in our lives.
I don't know what challenges you will face on your missions or in your marriages or your families, but I do know you will overcome them if you are true and faithful to the covenants you make in the temple. If you are true and faithful to them, every blessing promised therein will be fulfilled either here or hereafter. The Lord always keeps His promises.
Now, as I hope we have done throughout this talk, I would like to finish with my testimony. I know Jesus lives and loves and cares for us. I know He is our friend. I know that you can know that, too. I know that He gives you joy and happiness. To me one of the main reasons for increasing our faith in Him is to better be able to express gratitude and love to Him. Not only for what He has done for us, but for what He continues to do for us on a daily basis.
I remember thinking when I seemed discouraged and everything was going wrong, “Why is life so hard?” Do you ever wonder that? Almost instantly, I felt an impression like a voice in my mind, saying, “Well, would you like it easier?” At that very moment, something hit me and I said, “No, no, no, please, I’m sorry. Leave it as it is. I trust. I trust Thee. I trust thee ways.” I’ve never forgotten that experience. Don’t ever try to think you are smarter than the Lord. Just do what He asks you to do.
I have learned for myself that Jesus has all power. That He desires to bless and help us. I know that He gives us strength to survive any challenge. I know that He doesn’t require that we have the faith to walk on water, to be saved from an otherwise deadly sea or storm. We just have to try and keep trying.
As our faith and confidence in Him waxes strong, all things are possible. I hope the purpose of this talk to strengthen our love for, testimony of, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has been accomplished. I know for myself that He lives. I know that He is in His temple. I know that He loves you and me. That He is our true Savior. That He can move us from this mortal world to eternal life. I testify that He is our Lord and Savior, our ever present friend and helper. I testify that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. That President Monson is God’s mouthpiece on the earth today. I leave my love and blessings with you and do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Moroni 7:12
[2] Doctrine & Covenants 11:28
[3] John 14:6
[4] Doctrine & Covenants 93:2
[5] Doctrine & Covenants 50:24
[6] Ensign, May 2002
[7] Mark 5:34
[8] Luke 18:41-42
[9] 3 Nephi 17:8
[10] D&C 121:45
[11] Matthew 11:28-29