Thank you President Clark and all your staff and faculty for making this university what it is.
I am here on assignment from the First Presidency and today I join you in expressing our deepest love for our beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, who passed away Sunday evening. We pray for his family during this most tender time and for all the saints throughout the world who mourn his passing.
He left a legacy of leadership, and pattern for each one of us to follow; one of humility, love for the Lord and all mankind, and a love which was shown by example for his sweetheart Marjorie and his posterity. If each one of us followed his pattern of love, compassion, and devotion, this world would truly be a heaven on earth.
Just four weeks ago I sat in a meeting with President Hinckley and his counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve and other General Authorities. President Hinckley, who was conducting the meeting, was vibrant, sharp and yes, he had his sweet sense of humor which we will all remember.
A few of the brethren were called on to share their testimonies. Elder Child shared with us that his mother had just celebrated her 106th birthday. When Elder Child finished bearing his testimony President Hinckley smiled and said, "Well brethren, Elder Child just mentioned that his mother had celebrated her 106th birthday. It looks like I have a new goal."
President Hinckley has never lost his sense of humor nor his inexhaustible desire to do good. He worked in his office up until a day or two before his passing.
I shall never forget one of his most tender, heartfelt sermons which he gave to the young people of the church entitled, "A prophet's counsel and prayer for the youth," sometimes better known as the six B's.
President Hinckley started his address by stating:
I am old now, 90 plus. I have lived a long time, and I have lived with great love for the young men and women of this Church. What a truly wonderful group you are.
If he were standing here today I am sure he would say once again, "What a truly wonderful group you are." May I echo those words, for indeed you are truly great and how I love the youth of the church as well.
President Hinckley gave six B's to remember: Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, and be prayerful. As I speak to you today, I pray the Spirit will teach you, as I refer to the six B's mentioned in perhaps a little different way.
I would like to begin with "Be smart." President Hinckley stated:
You are moving into a most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Be smart, not foolish. You cannot bluff or cheat others without bluffing or cheating yourselves.
In high school I had a wonderful history teacher by the name of Mrs. Gundry who taught me this principle. As best as I can remember, on the first day of class she announced that she did not grade on a curve, and if we would follow a few simple instructions, every student could earn an A grade. I remember feeling excited inside, and thinking, at last I have a teacher who does not grade on the curve. Her simple formula to earn an A grade (which I continued to follow all through my college years with the same results), was the following:
1. Attend class every day. (She would not tolerate any sluffing).
2. Take good notes and memorize the key points from our notes prior to each test.
3. Do all of our homework assignments.
4. Read the assigned chapters in the textbook, and review them prior to the exams.
5. Pay attention during her lectures, and there would be no talking to our neighbor.
She promised there would be no surprises or trick questions on her exams, and she told us that at the end of each semester or grading period, she would open her books so that we could see exactly what we had earned on each assignment and test, so that no one could say they had been cheated.
Because of Mrs. Gundry, I learned to love history. She taught with enthusiasm and with clarity, and yes, she held to her word. By following her formula for success, I was able to earn excellent grades.
As a young man, I could not understand why everyone in her class did not get an A grade. The formula was so simple and yet there was a price to pay. Much to my surprise, at the end of the school year, there were a few A's, some B's, several C's, a few D's, and yes, some failed the course.
It was not the teacher who graded on the curve; it was the students who chose to create the curve through their own actions.
Our Master Teacher, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has also given us a simple formula, and there is a price to pay as well. His plan for us, and His doctrine, is clear and concise. He does not give trick questions, and He does not grade on the curve. He clearly wants everyone to live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom for He has stated:
For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.[1]
However, we must earn the privilege to do so. Just like my history teacher, the Savior's formula is very clear, for He said, "If ye love me keep my commandments."[2] And He has taught us exactly what we should, and should not do, to return to His presence. Just like my classmates in high school, we have our free agency to choose if we will follow the prophets and adhere to the Lords plan. And yes, just as Mrs. Gundry opened her books so that no one could question their grade, our "Book of Life" will be opened on our judgment day so that we can see exactly what we have earned.
What is contained in our "Book of Life"? In the Bible Dictionary we read, "In one sense the Book of Life is the sum total of one's thoughts and actions-the record of his life."[3]
Our thoughts and our actions should be focused on those things that will build our faith in Christ and bring our lives into harmony with His teachings, give us lasting joy, thus allowing us to receive "his image in [our] countenances,"[4] and prepare ourselves to live in His presence.
To better understand our "Book of Life", I would like to share an experience Sister Arnold and I had when we visited the Sequoia National Forest in California.
The beauty of the forest was breathtaking, and we saw thousands upon thousands of redwood trees that had weathered the storms of life. We learned how to read the history of each tree by studying its rings. The width of each year's annual rings varies, depending on drought, which produces narrow rings, while increased rainfall will increase growth, producing wider rings. Continuous narrow rings suggest crowding from neighboring trees.
Forest fires can cause a fire scar on the ring, marking the year the fire took place. By counting the annual rings between fire scars, you can determine how many fires there were during the life of the tree. Floods, insects, and other things also leave their marks. Just as the rings on a tree record its history, our own life's history is also being recorded in Heaven, in our Book of Life.
In the scriptures we read:
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works . . . and the book of life is their record, which is kept in heaven.[5]
As we strive to live the principles of the gospel and obtain the attributes of the Savior, those positive attributes are also recorded, for His image is recorded in our countenance, and we experience a mighty change of heart.[6]
Thus the questions posed by Alma, "Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"[7] take on new meaning.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated:
In a real though figurative sense, the book of life is the record of the acts of men, as such record is written in their own bodies. It is the record engraven on the very bones, sinews, and flesh of the mortal body . . . . Every thought, word and deed has an effect on the human body; all these leave their marks, marks which can be read by Him who is Eternal, as easily as the words in a book can be read.... . . When the book of life is opened on the Day of Judgment, men's bodies will show what law they have lived.[8]
What law will our "bones, sinews, and flesh," testify that we have lived? Will it be a telestial law, a terrestrial law, or a celestial law?[9]
Elder Dallin H. Oaks teaches the three-fold degrees of "good, better, and best," even have their counterparts in the kingdoms of glory for which men and women will qualify in the Day of Judgment. We can say that it is good to be in the terrestrial kingdom with the "honorable men of the earth" who receive the glory and "presence of the Son."[10] It is better to make and keep the baptismal covenants that are necessary for the glory of the celestial kingdom, where God the Father reigns.11 But it is best to receive eternal life in the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom, which is called the "fullness" of the Father or exaltation.[12] This comes only by making and keeping all of the covenants of the temple, including the new and everlasting covenant of marriage."[13][14]
Speaking of our thoughts and our actions, President David O. McKay stated:
Man's earthly existence is but a test as to whether he will concentrate his efforts, [our actions], his mind, [our thoughts] and his soul, upon the things which contribute to the comfort and gratification of his physical instincts and passions, or whether he will make as his life's end and purpose the acquisition of spiritual qualities.[15]
As we seek to concentrate our thoughts and our actions on the acquisition of "spiritual qualities," that will strengthen us and help us build faith in Christ, we must also protect ourselves from the siren songs of Satan and his followers, which invite us to follow the instincts and passions that can weaken us.
In the Doctrine and Covenants we read:
Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you.[16]
President Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., then President of the Quorum of the Twelve, taught:
We should be on guard always to resist Satan's advances . . . . He has power to place thoughts in our minds and to whisper to us unspoken impressions to entice us to satisfy our appetites or desires and in various other ways he plays upon our weaknesses and desires.[17]
Satan and his followers are doing everything possible to persuade us to not live the commandments. His goal is to not have one single person, not one, return to God's presence, and he will do anything, including placing unwanted thoughts in our minds, to dissuade us from doing honorable acts. President Packer wisely counseled:
The mind is like a stage. Except when we are asleep the curtain is always up... Have you noticed that without any real intent on your part, in the middle of almost any performance, a shady little thought may creep in from the wings and attract your attention? ...If you permit them to go on, all thoughts of any virtue will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the influence of unrighteous thoughts. If you yield to them, they will enact for you on the stage of your mind anything to the limits of your toleration. They may enact a theme of bitterness, jealousy, or hatred. It may be vulgar, immoral, even depraved. When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the most clever persuasions to hold your attention. They can make it interesting all right, even convince you that it is innocent--for they are but thoughts. ..If you can control your thoughts, you can overcome habits, even degrading personal habits. If you can learn to master them you will have a happy life.[18]
Always remember my dear young brothers and sisters, the bounds of Satan and his followers, "are set and they cannot pass."[19] We must make a very conscious decision to not allow our thoughts and our actions to cross over those bounds.
Always remember the Savior loves you, and if we ask, he will be on our "right hand and on [our] left, and [His] Spirit shall be in [our] hearts, and [His] angels round about you, to bear you up."[20]
One of my heroes, who at the time was young like you, and refused to allow Satan to affect his thoughts or his actions, was Joseph who was sold into Egypt. He clearly understood the importance of having good thoughts, and actions. When Potiphar, captain of the guard, bought Joseph from those who had carried him into Egypt, the scripture states: "And the Lord was with Joseph. . . . And his master saw that the Lord was with him."
Perhaps said another way, Potiphar could perceive that Joseph had received the Lords image in his countenance . . . "And Joseph found grace in [Potiphar's] sight, and he served him, and he made him overseer over his house and all that he had he put into his hand."[21]
Then comes the unexpected and unsolicited curve ball that could have left a very deep fire scare on his body. The scriptures state:
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, lie with me,
But he refused, and said unto his master's wife . . . how . . can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
And it came to pass as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.[22]
Remember President Hinckley's words to "Be Clean."
Joseph kept his mind pure and did everything in his power to stay as far away from her as possible, even though he was required to visit their home. One day when Joseph arrived at Potiphar's home, Potiphar's wife was alone and grabbed his garment, "saying lie with me." Joseph had obviously determined in his mind that he would not break the commandments and he fled.
The decision to not commit a sin must be clear in our minds and our hearts long before we are tempted. Alma taught this concept when he said:
Teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.[23]
Your decision to not sin starts long before you accept a date. In your mind and your heart you have determined what your actions will be, where you will go or not go, what you will do or will not do, and that you will never allow yourself to be alone in a place or circumstances where something inappropriate could happen, such as in a home or apartment alone with your date.
This same pre-planning thought process and action plan, applies to being honest in all your schoolwork, shunning pornography of any type, not using foul language, or listening to inappropriate music. Decide in your mind and your heart in advance that you will not participate, and that you will FLEE when it becomes necessary.
President Hinckley, who dearly loves us, and has continually warned us to discipline our thoughts and our actions has taught us that:
Self-discipline was never easy. I do not doubt that it is more difficult today. We live in a sex-saturated world. I am convinced that many of our youth, and many older but no-less-gullible adults, are victims of the persuasive elements which surround them--the pornographic literature . . . seductive movies and television shows that excite and give sanction to promiscuity, dress standards that invite familiarity [and] parents who often unwittingly push the children they love toward situations they later regret . . . Today there are persons numbered in the millions who, in a search for freedom from moral restraint and peace from a submerged conscience, have opened a floodgate of practices that enslave and debauch. These practices, if left unchecked, will not only destroy these individuals, but also the nations of which they are a part.[24]
Remember, Joseph had great self-discipline, and when Potiphar's wife tempted him, he did not hang around, he immediately "FLED!"
David, on the other hand, did not flee when he saw Bathsheba bathing from his balcony. That one act of just looking instead of fleeing, which to many may seem like such a minor sin, (just as many rationalize that looking at a little pornography is no big deal), led to even greater sins.
At times you may be tempted to break the law of chastity, just as David was tempted. Perhaps a boyfriend or girlfriend, or someone else will try to entice you to do something inappropriate. Regardless of what that thing may be, take action! Choose not to be with them. Flee!!
In the pamphlet, For the Strength of Youth, we read the following wonderful promise:
When you obey God's commandment to be sexually pure, you prepare yourself to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple. You prepare yourself to build a strong marriage and to bring children into the world as part of a loving family. You protect yourself from the emotional damage that always comes from sharing physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage.
Then comes this warning:
Satan may tempt you to rationalize that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable when two people are in love. That is not true. In God's sight, sexual sins are extremely serious because they defile the power God has given us to create life. Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person's body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you . . . Some people knowingly break God's commandments, expecting to repent before they go to the temple or serve a mission. Such deliberate sin mocks the Savior's Atonement and invites Satan to influence your life.[25]
My dear young brothers and sisters, please remember the words of the Savior when he said:
Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord . . . touch not that which is unclean.[26]
As we consider President Hinckley's words to "be prayerful," remember that like Joseph, even when we are doing our best to be righteous, sometimes when we pray for things answers do not come quickly, and many times the answer may come in an unexpected way, or the answer is not exactly what we had anticipated.
Each and everyone one of us can be assured that the Father of us all, who is all loving, all knowing, and all powerful, and with whom the prophet John Taylor stated we lived for "thousands of ages"[27] in the pre-mortal life, knows exactly what is best for us, and what will best help us return to his presence. He will always answer our prayers, but we must understand that perhaps the answer we will receive will require us to take a difficult journey, or require some molding and changing on our part.
There are no shortcuts to receiving the Lords image in our countenances, or to the Celestial Kingdom. We must earn the privilege to be there. Having the faith to honestly say, 'Thy will be done,' may not bring the immediate results we seek, but I promise you it will bring eternal rewards.
As you reflect on President Hinckley's admonition to "Be Humble," think of the humble way Joseph accepted our Heavenly Father's will, trusting that the Lord knows the beginning from the end.
Let's assume for a moment that Joseph of old was pleading with our Heavenly Father to spare his life when his brothers spoke of killing him. Do you think Joseph ever thought the answer to his prayers would be that he would be thrown into a pit or that he would be cast into prison for living the law of chastity?
Even at the peril of his life, Joseph refused to sell his eternal promises for a "mess of pottage." Joseph's thoughts and actions demonstrated that he was willing to endure to the end, regardless of the circumstances, even when things did not turn out in the short run like he had perhaps hoped or expected.
By enduring to the end, he not only saved himself physically, and spiritually, he also saved his family and many others. He endured the heat of the refiners fire, and received the best kind of fire scars, those which will be recorded in his Book of Life and testify that he was obedient regardless of circumstances or outside pressures.
When I think of President Hinckley's words to "Be True," I think of Daniel, who was also young like you when he was carried into captivity. He is another one of my heroes who endured the firestorms of life. In the Book of Daniel we read:
And the king spake unto Ashpenaz . . . that he should bring certain of the children of Israel . . . . Children in whom was no blemish.[28]
Have you ever wondered what it meant by, "no blemish?" As I pondered the words "no blemish," the words of President Hinckley's came into my mind, when he stated:
Respect your bodies. The Lord has described them as temples."[29] "Be clean in mind, and then you will have greater control over your bodies."[30] Unclean thoughts lead to unclean acts. How truly beautiful is a well-groomed young woman who is clean in body and mind. She is a daughter of God in whom her Eternal Father can take pride. How handsome is a young man who is well groomed. He is a Son of God, deemed worthy of holding the holy priesthood of God.[31]
Respecting our bodies is much more than dressing modestly, or not eating, drinking, or injecting, harmful things that would deface or destroy them. It also includes how we think about our bodies, or otherwise treat them.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland cautioned us to not have self-defeating thoughts about our body when he said:
You are bombarded in movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements with the message that looks are everything! The pitch is, "If your looks are good enough, your life will be glamorous and you will be happy and popular... In too many cases, too much is being done to the human body to meet just such a fictional (to say nothing of superficial) standard. I'm really saddened by the way women mutilate [themselves] in search of that. I see women [including young women] . . . pulling this up and tucking that back. It's like a slippery slope. [You can't get off of it.] . . . It's really insane . . . what society is doing to women. In terms of preoccupation with self, and a fixation on the physical, this is more than social insanity; it is spiritually destructive, and it accounts for much of the unhappiness women, including young women, face in the modern world. ...At some point the problem becomes what the Book of Mormon called, 'vain imaginations.'[32]
Please don't sit and think that you would be better off if you were someone else or looked like someone else. When Moses complained about his frailties and inadequacies, the Lord answered with these words:
Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb; or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? . . . NOW THEREFORE GO AND I WILL BE WITH [THEE].[33]
Always remember who created you, and like whom you are striving to become.
Even though Daniel tried his best to be obedient by not eating "a daily provision of the king's [delicacies],[34] (I am not sure what the delicacies of the king might have been, but in today's world, perhaps it would be large amounts of soda pop, chocolate, candy, ice cream, and junk food), and not drink the kings wine, and did his best to live the commandments, we know that along the way Daniel encountered some challenges, just as you and I do.
Have you ever wondered what kind of flack Daniel and his friends got from the other young men, when they pulled out their milk and their whole grain cereal, while the rest of them chopped on their chocolates and ice cream, and drank their wine? I very much doubt the peer pressure Daniel felt would have been any greater than the peer pressure each of you feel when you are asked to break the Law of Chastity, the Word of Wisdom or any other commandment.
Do you think that when Daniel was taken into captivity he anticipated being thrown in the lions' den, or that his companions Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who also remained true and faithful to the commandments, anticipated being thrown into the fiery furnace? However, they all clearly understood the doctrine that:
When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.[35]
Daniel and his companions were greatly blessed, protected and spared, because of their obedience and their faith, and they endured to the end. We must have the long-range vision of enduring to the end, instead of thinking about short-range gratification.
Whether our name is Joseph or Daniel, Christy, Jim or Rachelle, it does not matter. In the great plan of happiness, each one of us will be called upon to endure challenges, trials and tribulations. Remember, in the pre-mortal life we all agreed to be tried and tested, and we all voted to receive our free agency.
Elder Richard G. Scott explains how these trials and tribulations fit into our eternal plan:
No one wants adversity. Trials, disappointments, sadness, and heartache come to us from two basically different sources. Those who transgress the laws of God will always have those challenges. The other reason for adversity is to accomplish the Lord's own purposes in our life that we may receive the refinement that comes from testing . . . When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are, to where He wants you to be, requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain. To exercise faith, is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it . . . If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly.[36]
Remember that some fire scars are good for us, such as those we receive as we walk through the refiner's fire, travel through life experiences, and receive the adjustments and changes that our kind and wise Heavenly Father knows that we need in order to return to His presence.
I have spoken to many young people who feel there is no way they can be forgiven for some of their past mistakes, so why even try. They think that they may as well continue with their sinful ways because repentance is not an option for them. This type of thinking hinders our progression. We can repent, we can change, and we can be forgiven!
Some people have told me that because of their parents, what they were taught, or because of the environment in which they were raised, they can never change.
Elder Robert D. Hales stated:
If the example we have received from our parents [or others] was not good, it is our responsibility to break the cycle . . . . Each person can learn a better way and in so doing bless the lives of family members now and teach correct traditions for the generations that follow.[37]
Please do not use your past as an excuse for not having a bright future. Remember, Paul, Alma the younger, and thousands of new converts every year have made, and continue to make, very substantial positive changes in their lives in their journey to receive the Savior's image in their countenances.
If any of you are suffering the disheartening effects of transgression, the only path to permanent relief from sadness is sincere repentance. The Savior is there with open arms to help you for he has said:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls.[38]
Realize your full dependence upon the Lord and your need to align your life with His teachings. There is really no other way to get lasting healing and peace. True repentance will relieve the pain and guilt that are caused by sin. Your bishop is anxious to help you in this process. If you are suffering because of sin, please go see your bishop. Do not put it off.
Have courage for the atonement is real, you can and will be forgiven, all fire scars caused by sin can, and will be, removed from your mind, heart, body, and from your Book of Life. Through your efforts and those of your priesthood leaders, the repentance process will leave you as white as the driven snow. That I know, and of that I testify!
As you think about the statement, "Be grateful," I wish to express my gratitude for President Hinckley's love for the temple and temple building.
If I were to pick one thing that I would want written over and over in my Book of Life, and recorded in my "bones, sinews, and flesh,"[39] it would be a love for the temple and its sacred ordinances. Think about how the countenances of mankind would change if we were living the principles of the gospel, which we all promise to do, as we answer the temple recommend questions and earn the right to enter the "House of the Lord". The entire world would be living the law of chastity, the word of wisdom, treating their family members appropriately, our spouse as a king or a queen, attending church meetings, being honest, and striving to keep the commandments and keep our temple covenants. I love the word 'strive' because not one of us is perfect, nor will we be in this life, however, we can do the "very best we can."
Please do not allow the halls and rooms of the beautiful Rexburg Idaho Temple to go empty. Go often. It will nurture your tree and fill your Book of Life with many wonderful thoughts, teachings, experiences, and inspire our best actions. By striving to live the commandments, doing acts of kindness and attending the temple each of us on a very individual basis can learn how to receive, "His image in our countenances."[40] If you are not endowed, go do baptisms for the dead. Remember baptism opens the gate for the dead to receive the other ordinances.
Do we all have a Book of Life that is recording our life's journey? Yes.
Does it contain our thoughts and our actions, which are molding us into what we will become? Yes.
Will we be judged by the changes we make and what we become through obedience to the commandments and life's experiences? Yes.
However, always remember that what is published in the final version our Book of Life, is 100 percent up to us. Pages can be added to that sacred record through our good works and our actions, and pages can be deleted, through repentance, necessary changes, and through the atonement of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. You can, and will, weather the storms of life, the fire scars, the adversities, and the droughts, and you will be better for it. You can and will stand strong and tall.
I am so very proud of you for the many good choices you are making and the many wonderful acts of kindness and the service that you are rendering.
In that most sacred setting four weeks ago, President Hinckley called on me to bear my testimony. I am so grateful that I had the privilege of expressing my love and appreciation to him at that time. I expressed the feeling that the older I get, the less I know. However, there are some things that I do know.
I know that President Gordon B. Hinckley was truly a prophet of god. I know that Joseph Smith did see God the father and the Son, and that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. I know that our Heavenly Father knows us intimately and answers our prayers. I know that Jesus Christ lives, he is a resurrected being, he is our redeemer and Savior, of that I testify in the name of Jesus Christ amen.
Notes
[1] Moses 1:39
[2] John 14:15; D&C 124:3
[3] Alma 5:14
[4] President Gordon B. Hinckley, "In Search of Peace and Freedom," Ensign, Aug. 1989, 2
[5] Revelation 20:12, D&C 128:7
[6] Alma 5:13-14
[7] Alma 5:14
[8] Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Bookcraft, 1966, 97
[9] D&C 76; 88
[10] D&C 76:75-77
[11] John 3:4; D&C 76:77, 92; D&C 132:15-17
[12] D&C 76:56, 95
[13] D&C 130:1-4; 132:19
[14] Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Good, Better, Best," October 7, 2007. Used by permission of Elder Oaks, who intended to include this in his talk but omitted it for reasons of time
[15] As quoted in Conference Report, Oct. 1950, 111
[16] D&C 50:3
[17] Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. 5 vols., Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Company, 1957-66, 3:81
[18] President Boyd K. Packer, "Inspiring Music--Worthy Thoughts," Ensign, Jan 1974, 25
[19] D&C 122:9
[20] D&C 84:88
[21] Genesis 39:2-4; italics added
[22] Genesis 39:7-10; italics added
[23] Alma 37:33
[24] "In Search of Peace and Freedom," Ensign, Aug. 1989, 5
[25] [2001], 26-27, 80; italics added
[26] D&C 38:42
[27] G. Homer Durham, John Taylor, Gospel Kingdom: Selections from the Writings and Discourses of John Taylor, Deseret Book Company, 1943, 12
[28] Daniel 1:3-4
[29] President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004, 112
[30] President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Words of the Prophet: The Body Is Sacred," New Era, November 2006, 5
[31] President Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Body Is Sacred," New Era, November 207, 2-5
[32] Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "To Young Women," Ensign, November 2005, 28
[33] Exodus 4:10-11
[34] Daniel 1:5, footnote 5b
[35] D&C 130:21
[36] Elder Richard G. Scott, "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, November 1995, 16
[37] Elder Robert D. Hales, "How Will Our Children Remember Us?" Ensign, November 1993, 10
[38] Matthew 11:28
[39] Job 10:11; D&C 138:17
[40] Alma 5:14