"On Becoming Christlike"
Jud E. Miller
July 1, 2003
My dear brothers and sisters, I=m humbled at the chance to occupy this pulpit. I have made a serious effort to prepare myself for today but I will need your prayers for me . . and for yourselves so that we may be edified together.
It is my desire to help you understand your real purpose for being here and to give you some practical tools to help you accomplish that purpose. I recommend that you make some notes, as I speak, that will help you make use of these things later on. It is my sincere prayer that when I have finished, you will leave here thinking to yourselves, AI=m going to try harder to meet the Lord=s expectations of me, and I have made some notes on how I can do it.@ If that happens, I will consider this talk a success.
Today I will speak to all of you, but especially to those of you who have just arrived and are eager to start this new chapter in your lives.
President Boyd K. Packer has said:
Latter-day Saints should worry less about what they do, and more about what they are.
There are many good things you will do while you are here, but more importantly, there are some things that you should try to become while you are here. You came here to do, and the Lord will help you to become.
Brother Stephen E. Robinson, an instructor at BYU, tells us that somewhere in our Latter-day Saint culture, we have gotten the idea that we belong to a gospel of lists, that somehow our final judgement interview will consist of handing in our list of gospel chores with everything checked off: tithing - paid in full, church meetings - all attended, home teaching - 100%. Important as those things are, they will not be part of our final interview.
As we have been so well taught on this campus, our final test will be an open book test. Our final exam will be--what we have become.
I hope you are aware of what an ideal growth atmosphere you are now in. You have essentially all of your physical needs provided for you as well as many of your wants.
I also hope that you are aware of what a coveted position you hold by being here and that you are under a sacred trust to make the most of your time. This expectation comes not only from your parents, but also from the Executive Committee of the Church Educational System, of which President Hinckley is the chairman, and also from the tithe payers throughout the Church.
Given our knowledge of why we are here and where we are going, how fortunate you are to have chosen this place . . and to have had this place choose you.
The Lord has said:
For of him unto whom much is given, much is required. (Doctrine and Covenants 82:3)
That is nowhere more applicable than to students at this university.
Undoubtedly, with your registration materials, you received a page that contained the mission statement of Brigham Young University-Idaho. In case you missed it, let me read the first of those four goals to you: The first declaration in the mission statement of Brigham Young University-Idaho is:
Build testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage living its principles.
I would like to focus on this statement with you today.
There are many respected institutions of higher learning in this land, but none has as its primary goal to build testimonies of Jesus Christ, except those of the educational system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building of a testimony of Jesus Christ leads to becoming like Jesus Christ. It follows, therefore, that the primary mission of Brigham Young University-Idaho is to help students become like Christ.
When I started Ricks College as a 17 year-old freshman in September of 1965, I was here as a graduate of a very large high school just down the valley. Rexburg was a familiar place to me and I was comfortable coming here because my umbilical cord was stretched for only about 30 miles. (For those without a medical background, that means my mother was only 30 miles away.)
I was outwardly quite confident that I would soon be clamping that cord as I showed my parents and myself that I could stand on my own and succeed here.
Inwardly, however, I was scared. What if I can=t do the homework? What about all that reading I=ve heard about? What if I sit home on Saturday night and watch Lawrence Welk re-runs because no one will go out with me? And the big one that scared me most: What if I=m just not college material?
My fears were heightened as I came to the registration process. I must explain something about the registration process in 1965. The word Acomputer@ in those days, meant someone who calculates something (we also called them >nerds=) and Aon-line@ was where you hoped the clothes were after a windstorm.
The registration process back then consisted of a long line of tables where the students came at their appointed times and picked up cards for classes they wanted to take. They would finish by turning the cards in at another table to see if everything fit. If it didn=t, they started over again. Mine didn=t work the first few times, and it took the help of a wonderful advisor to get me through the process.
I soon found that this campus was really a very friendly place and that the homework was do-able . . if I applied myself. The staff and faculty were all oriented toward helping students and I found that they were just extensions of a loving Heavenly Father who was always there for me. I testify to you that none of that has changed.
I had many glorious experiences here and was involved in many extra-curricular activities. My sophomore year I was invited to be a co-chairman of a springtime event they called R-Week. It was similar in some ways to Homecoming in that there was a parade, and a concert, and a dance, and whitewashing the AR@ on the North Menan Butte.
The biggest event of the week was the Friday afternoon competitions on the football field where clubs and individuals would compete. The crowning event was to be a tug-of-war, with the losing side being dragged through a fire hose. (Our fun was simple in those days!) School was to be dismissed for the afternoon and the whole student body would turn out.
We started the week with glorious April weather, but as Friday approached cloudy days appeared and rain was forecast.
Those of us on the R-Week Committee had been working for several months to be ready for this event and our spirits plummeted as we saw the predicted weather move in. On Thursday evening, as the wind and rain threatened to spoil Friday=s field events, our concerned committee counseled together and decided we had to have the Lord=s help if the day were to be saved. We decided to begin a fast and to meet the next day before noon for prayer.
The next morning dawned, raining and cold. As I went about my morning classes, I felt as gloomy as the weather. I wondered how Heavenly Father could let this happen when we had worked so hard, and especially since we were now fasting for His help. When our committee met, I could see the same doubts in each of them. We knelt together and poured out our hearts to the Lord.
We ended the prayer and looked out the window to ongoing rain. We decided that we had better act on our faith so we went to the field to continue our preparations.
As the events were to start at 1 p.m., we were standing on the field at about 12:00, and we watched as the rain stopped, the clouds over this part of Rexburg parted, and the sun shone through, drying the football field. The surrounding skies were still cloud-filled with rain here and there in the distance, but we started our competitions that day on a dry, sun-filled field.
As the events came to a close several hours later, our committee watched in awe as the clouds closed in and the wind and rain started again. We looked at the sky and then at each other and felt immense gratitude that our faith had been confirmed.
I=m certain that the miracle went unnoticed by many of the student body that day, but those of us who had worked behind the scenes knew that God had answered our prayers.
There is still, somewhere in the historical files of this institution, a two page summary written by a humbled young R-Week Co-chairman, testifying to future student leaders (and anyone else who would read it) that God indeed intervenes in the affairs of men.
If our goal is to become like Jesus Christ, then having the Holy Ghost with us becomes essential to the process. Before the early Saints left for the West, the prophet Brigham Young saw the prophet Joseph in a vision. As the vision was closing, Brigham asked Joseph:
. . and if you have a word of counsel for me, I should be glad to receive it.
Whereupon Joseph said:
Tell the people to be humble and faithful and to be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right.
How would I go about getting and keeping the Spirit?
I would take the opportunity each day to connect with the Spirit, and I would do it by having my own personal devotional each morning.
You have noticed how top athletes go through a certain routine as they get set to kick a field goal or to throw a pitch. It is a sequence of physical moves accompanied by mental concentration that helps them focus their minds and get in top form. Someone has referred to those rituals as Agetting in state.@
In order to be on top of the game of life, we all need to Aget in state@ as we begin each day. Many individuals and many families have some form of a morning devotional, and perhaps some of you do, too. If not, I would suggest that you begin now. It will take some discipline and some practice, but the benefits can be endless . . and eternal. It has been said: AFirst we make our habits, then our habits make us.@
I would begin my morning devotional with a prayer and personal scripture study time. That will prepare you to be receptive to the Spirit. Then I would write on a note card or a tablet some goals for the day in several areas. This pre-supposes that you have made some long-range goals, perhaps in the form of a personal mission statement, that will guide your daily choices.
Let me suggest five areas for your daily goals and let them be represented by the fingers of your left hand. This visual aid will always be Ahandy@ when you are ready to start.
1) The thumb represents faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let=s come back to some basic definitions for a moment.
Faith means to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true. (Hebrews 11:1, Alma 32:21)
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the first principle of the Gospel, means to hope for the activation of the enabling power of the Atonement in one=s life. What do I mean by the enabling power of the Atonement?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, under the heading of grace in the Bible Dictionary, explains the enabling power of the Atonement. We read on page 697:
The main idea of the word [grace] is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ . . .
It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is the enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
Thus, the enabling power of the Atonement is the strength and assistance each of us can receive, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to lift us beyond our own natural abilities as we face the challenges of each day.
Therefore, in my morning devotional I would ask myself this question:
What will I face today that the Savior can help me with?
You might be facing academic challenges like taking a test or writing a paper or interpersonal challenges such as reducing tension in your apartment by learning to appreciate a roommate.
The Holy Ghost is a marvelous companion to have while preparing for a test, as we Aseek learning, even by study and also by faith.@ He is also a marvelous companion to have while we resolve a delicate problem with a roommate. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118)
In either instance, having faith requires you to believe that He can and will help you and it requires you to do what you must to keep the Spirit.
In your devotion you might also pray to have faith to overcome such things as impatience, pride, the use of bad language, the viewing of unworthy entertainment, or any other problem that is troubling you. Please remember also, that some of these A[go] not out but by prayer and fasting.@ (Matthew 17:21)
2) The index finger represents repentance.
Many of us have the idea that repentance only comes into play with a major transgression. It is for that, but we must understand that repentance is also required for the refining process that all true followers of Christ must go through. It is the baptism by fire, spoken of by the prophets, that purifies us and washes our garments clean in the blood of the Lamb.
Repentance is not just the stopping of sin. It requires a turning of the heart to God, and as King Benjamin=s people testified, it brings:
. . a mighty change of heart . . that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. (Mosiah 5:2)
The way to know that we have truly repented is that we have no more disposition to do evil but to do good continually.
Elder Henry B. Eyring explains that we should ask the Lord every day in prayer:
What have I done today, or not done, which displeases Thee? If I can only know, I will repent with all my heart without delay. (Ensign, Nov. 99, p. 34)
With that in mind, I might ask myself the question:
What have I done to offend the Lord that I can repent of today?
And then I would listen inwardly. You will know where to start.
Of course we realize that repentance is a process and not an event, but with consistent daily effort, forgiveness and healing will come, and with it the marvelous peace of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
As a student at this university, please take seriously the Honor and Dress Codes. If, from time to time, an adjustment in your dress or in your entertainment or your language is needed, I would make that adjustment promptly, as a way to show that you are more concerned about pleasing the Lord than about pleasing your peers or yourself.
Someone has said,
Rationalization brings one=s ideals down to the level of one=s conduct, while
Repentance brings one=s conduct up to the level of one=s ideals.
Be aware that a lubricant for the repentance process is humility. Listen to Moroni=s words and the importance of humility:
In Ether 12:27 we read:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Brothers and sister, I testify that humility, combined with faith in the atonement, is a most powerful tool for repentance.
3) The long finger represents learning.
For now, you are here to complete a course of study. Later, you will want to set goals to keep your learning alive. Education has always been a primary emphasis of our Church for we know that it is Aimpossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.@(Doctrine and Covenants 131:6)
You must first understand that the mission of the Holy Ghost is closely connected to the gaining and the use of knowledge. The Savior taught the apostle John:
The Holy Ghost . . shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance. (John 14:26)
And:
When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13)
It is true, knowledge is power, but not all knowledge is of the same value. Remember the first goal in the mission statement of Brigham Young University-Idaho is, to:
Build testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now, I am not suggesting that you neglect your secular studies in favor of full-time gospel study, but I am promising you that if you will make the time to study the scriptures and the modern prophets, both in and out of your religion classes, this knowledge will compliment and vitalize your classroom learning and you will have a framework wherein to fit all secular knowledge . . and you will be able to discern truth.
Truth is knowledge that abides on both sides of the veil. Some of the things that you will learn in this life will need to be unlearned beyond the veil. Truth will not. Therefore you must learn to recognize truth.
President Harold B. Lee taught:
Recent years have ushered in educational theories and philosophies that have questioned all the old standards of religion, morality and family relationships. Modern iconoclasts have been at work . . to destroy faith in the old and trusted authoritative teachings of the scriptures and to replace them with the uninspired, man-made ethical doctrines that change with time and place. (TPC, Harold B. Lee, p. 64)
An iconoclast is someone who attacks traditional beliefs and values, especially religious beliefs. These are the wolves in sheep=s clothing, spoken of in the scriptures and their teachings have crept into all educational fields, even into some of the textbooks you will be studying.
Your only defense will be to become students of the scriptures and companions with the Holy Ghost.
For instance, you have no doubt been taught, and may be taught again, that the earth is overpopulated and that we=re running out of resources to sustain ourselves.
On the other hand, the Lord has declared, regarding our resources:
For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare. (Doctrine and Covenants 104:17)
How do you handle that dichotomy in your mind? First of all, you trust your testimony and your convictions. Truth will prevail, it always has and it always will.
When the revelation on the Word of Wisdom was first given, there was no scientific evidence to convince the critics that tobacco and alcohol are bad for the body. But look at the validation of that fact that is available today.
It will be the same with the overpopulation myth, and every other popular notion that appears to be in conflict with your faith. Your job is to trust in the Lord. Your job is to keep your testimony firm!
So, with that in mind, I might ask myself each morning:
What truth can I learn today that will bless me now as well as in the eternities?
I promise you that the Lord delights to teach you His truth. If you will ponder and pray for answers to these questions, He will enlighten you on every matter that comes before you.
4) The ring finger represents, guess what? Love! Now I would not ask:
AWhom can I fall in love with today?@ Instead, I would ask:
AWho needs my love today?@
As you ponder that question, the name of a room mate or a ward member or some other acquaintance will come to you. It may be a parent, a grandparent or a sibling. Then ask the Lord to help
you formulate a way of expressing that love--today. It may be a note or a phone call, or maybe just a prayer in their behalf.
Of course, if you are wearing a gold band or a diamond on that finger, then you have someone that needs reminding of your love everyday! Start there, but also go beyond.
Christ taught that we must Alove [our] neighbor as ourselves.@ And who is our neighbor? The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us that everyone who crosses our path is our neighbor. Surely there is someone in the array of souls that will cross your path today that needs your love.
May I suggest that we also learn to apply the Savior=s higher law of love, wherein He says:
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. (Matthew 5:44)
Hopefully, you have no one in that category right now, but if you don=t have, you someday will. The most Christlike kind of love is that which says,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Mark 23:34)
And finally, Moroni tells us how to have that higher love which he calls charity, the pure love of Christ:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the father with all the energy of heart that ye may be filled with this love. (Moroni 7:48)
How do I learn to love a cantankerous roommate? Follow Moroni=s counsel! And I will make you a promise. If you will pray with all the energy of heart for that roommate, he or she will become less cantankerous. So often a difficult personality comes because of a need to feel loved.
In the Savior=s injunction, AI was in prison and ye came unto me,@ (Matthew 25:36) the word prison has many meanings. Many are trapped in prisons of their own making, and they need our love, too.
5) The little finger represents planning.
Someone has said that planning is the activity of the Gods. If we study the scriptures with a focus on the importance of planning, we will see such passages as this in Abraham:
The Gods organized and formed the earth. . . and the Gods saw that they would be obeyed and that their plan was good. (Abraham 4:1, 21)
And from Alma:
The plan of mercy . .will appease the demands of justice . . and will bring about the great plan of happiness. (Alma 42:15,8)
How great the plan of our God! (Alma 42:8)
I would have some sort of a planner, and I would use it. Don=t just plan your dates and your intramural games. Plan your study time; plan your preparation time; and then stick to your plan. I have learned that when I also plan my fun time, it makes the plan less of club and more of a tool for a complete life.
It is my belief that the parable of the talents refers to time as well as to material things. A good businessman will tell you, time is money. A good student will tell you, time is good grades.
Just as it is with money, if you carefully plan your time, you will have more of it. Let me repeat: If you carefully plan your time you will have more of it. Let us not say, I don=t have time for that. It would be more honest to say, I have chosen, either consciously or unconsciously, to not make time for that. We all have 24 hours in a day, but some do so much more with that 24 hours than others do. Planning is the secret.
You have all seen the demonstration where the large rocks are placed in the jar first and then the sand fills in around them. The large rocks represent the activities that are key to your reaching your goals, whereas the sand represent all of the unplanned and less vital activities that seem to fill up our days. If we don=t put the rocks in first, and let the sand fill around them, soon the sand has filled our day and the rocks don=t fit. We must remember that those rocks are a sure foundation to our celestial character house . . and every primary child knows what happens when you build your house upon the sand. (Matthew 7:26)
Joseph Smith said, AWorry the Lord until He blesses you.@ I suggest that making and then praying over our plans is a way to bring down the blessings of heaven.
Now brothers and sister, I implore you to consider the things which I have taught today. As soon as you can, review the notes you have taken and then make additional notes as ideas come that will help you to implement these things.
By way of review, I would begin each day with a prayer and scripture study. Then I would look at the fingers of my hand, and remind myself to:
1) Have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2) Repent.
3) Learn.
4) Love.
5) Plan.
Start each day centered on that which matters most. You may find your own system, but do somethingBand do it consistently! Centering on the Lord, on a daily basis, will be of the greatest assistance to your becoming a Christlike person.
As we continue to strive for perfection, Moroni tells us what we must eventually become. Finishing the verse from Moroni 7, we read:
. . That ye may become the sons of God, that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is . . . that we may be purified even as he is pure. (Moroni 7:48)
I testify that God lives and that Jesus Christ, in atoning for our sins, has provided the means for us overcome our weakness, by faith, and to return to our Father in Heaven as purified beings . . . even as types of Christ. This I do in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.