I pray today’s devotional may be a celebration of the goodness and power of our Savior Jesus Christ.
In May of this year, President Russell M. Nelson testified about the importance of identity:
Make no mistake about it: your potential is divine. With your diligent seeking, God will give you glimpses of who you may become. So who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.[1]
Since President Nelson's devotional, I have studied the identity of a disciple of Jesus Christ. This identity stuck out to me because BYU-Idaho's mission is to "develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities."[2]
On August 31, 2004, then-President David A. Bednar gave a devotional titled "Brigham Young University-Idaho: A Disciple Preparation Center.” Elder Bednar said:
It should be obvious to all of us that something spiritually significant is taking place in Rexburg, Idaho. . . . In this special and sacred and set apart place, you and I have access to unparalleled spiritual resources that can assist us in developing and deepening our devotion as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.[3]
He emphasized that the development of our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ is the “primary and most important reason for BYU-Idaho’s existence.” This led me to question, “What role does BYU-Idaho have in developing our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ?”
In studying the identities of child of God and child of the covenant, I realized each had an associated learning location and learning process. I created a chart to help identify the learning location and learning process associated with each identity. As I read the following, please consider the learning location and learning process associated with our identities.
First, Child of God
President Dallin H. Oaks has taught:
The purpose of mortal life for the children of God is to provide the experiences needed “to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.” . . . We progress by making choices, by which we are tested to show that we will keep God’s commandments. To be tested, we must have the agency to choose between alternatives.[4]
As children of God, Heavenly Father wants us back, and He wants us to become like Him. To do that, He has provided this mortality (location) as a testing ground to exercise our agency (learning process).
Second, Child of Covenant
From President Nelson:
Everything we believe and every promise God has made to His covenant people come together in the temple. In every age, the temple has underscored the precious truth that those who make covenants with God and keep them are children of the covenant.[5]
As children of the covenant, Heavenly Father extends promises, power, and safety to us through the righteous exercise of our agency as we attend the temple (location) and enter into covenants with Him (learning process).
Third, Disciple of Christ
From Elder Bednar's “Disciple Preparation Center” talk:
BYU-Idaho . . . is a temple of learning . . . with temples of learning referring specifically to the institutions of higher education sponsored by and affiliated with the Church.
Students who are admitted to study and learn in the temples of learning make a commitment to keep the commandments of God and to abide by the university honor and dress codes. Thus, covenants and commitments expand our education in the House of the Lord and in the Church's temples of learning.
Disciples can follow the Savior and learn of and from Him the lessons that will prepare them for effective service in their homes, in the Church, and in their communities and careers.[6]
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have temples of learning (location) which require students to live higher standards, seek learning by faith, and serve one another (learning process).
Of interest for the thousands of BYU-Idaho and BYU-Pathway Worldwide students studying online, this is not referring solely to the campus of BYU-Idaho. The campus is critical as a gathering location, yet Elder Bednar clarifies:
I certainly am not suggesting that these institutions are the only places where latter-day disciples are prepared and tutored and trained. Ultimately, the best disciple preparation center is located within the walls of our own homes.[7]
As you have studied the gospel, I hope you understand the criticality of mortality and agency to your identity as a child of God. I hope you understand the enabling power of the temple through covenants as a child of the covenant.
Today, I pray we may learn more fully the unique characteristics of BYU-Idaho that prepare you to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Just as removing agency and mortality from the plan of salvation would frustrate our capacity to develop, removing the learning process from disciple preparation would not result in our becoming like Him. Elder Bednar teaches:
A disciple of Christ is a follower of Jesus who learns of and from Him and lives according to His teachings. A disciple of Christ is one who is following and learning to be like Christ—learning to think, to feel, and to act as He does. He or she is striving to gain “. . . the mind of Christ.”
Becoming a true disciple of the Savior and following His ways are the most demanding learning objectives we can ever strive to achieve. No other discipline compares with His curriculum in either requirements or rewards.[8]
BYU-Idaho is different by design. BYU-Idaho isn't a place where you pursue an education and learn about the Church. At BYU-Idaho, our shared pursuit is discipleship. We strive to become disciples while studying other disciplines. Discipleship to Jesus Christ is our primary and ultimate focus in all that we do. I pray our hearts and minds may be opened to the learning process of becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. We will consider the three elements of this process: commitments, learning, and service.
Commitments
In President Henry J. Eyring’s Winter 2018 devotional, he taught:
Remember that there’s more to the dress and grooming standards than simply honoring the commitment we made when we came to BYU-Idaho. These standards, approved by inspired leaders, have been given for wise purposes, based on long experience and a heartfelt desire to bless us.[9]
The universal standard is the invitation to keep the commandments. The honor code, with the associated dress and grooming standards, is an example of our additional commitment to help develop as disciples of Jesus Christ. The learning process of agency permeates all three identities as a child of God, child of the covenant, and disciple of Jesus Christ. One of the ways it manifests itself is in the discipleship identity through a commitment to established higher standards.
President Eyring testified the standards, “. . . are designed for our protection . . . in all of our activities. Better still, we can have our hearts and natures changed as we qualify for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and draw closer to the Savior and our Heavenly Father.”[10] I invite you to consider what higher standards you have committed to and ponder how you can improve your resolve to abide by those commandments and commitments.
Learning
We are to seek learning by study and faith. At BYU-Idaho, the learning model represents doctrinally based principles of learning. Implementing the five principles of the learning model in our education at BYU-Idaho will bless us to learn how to be lifelong learners in all facets of life. The five principles are:
- Exercise Faith – Make faith the foundation of your learning.
- Teach by the Spirit – True learning and teaching are by the Holy Ghost.
- Lay Hold on the Word of God – The word of God is the standard for all truth.
- Take Action – Act in faith to participate in learning.
- Love, Serve, and Teach – Follow Christ’s example to love, serve, and teach.[11]
At first, you may see this list and make the same mistake I have made: these may appear as nice suggestions or additions to your learning. Yet these are fundamental spiritual principles that will invite the Spirit and enable you in your studies.
For example, on this week’s devotional discussion board, Amy shared that she relies on the Spirit to sustain her so that she has the capacity to retain information. Jian has started listening to Church music while studying. He says, “This helps me have the Spirit in my studies and enhances my efforts when I am somehow able to solve or complete a hard problem or assignment.” Sarah said, “I listen to my scriptures each morning before I start my homework. I feel that putting my spiritual education first has greatly helped the Holy Ghost to better guide my education spiritually and secularly.”
Service
A hallmark of this university is the sacrifice and service of pioneers that exemplify consecration. Service can take many forms. I would recommend two specific approaches to your service: one, those you serve while at BYU-Idaho, and two, seeking learning that will prepare you for lifelong service.
1. Who are you serving while at BYU-Idaho?
President Henry B. Eyring described the spirit of BYU-Idaho by saying:
The Spirit was not in the buildings or the campus, though you could feel it there. It was a place where people lifted up each others’ hands when they hung down because they had received the truth of the Savior’s gospel and had taken the Spirit as their guide.[12]
The hallmark of BYU-Idaho is to take students of diverse abilities and, as a community, surround them to build them up. Elder Clark G. Gilbert shared, "Diversity of ability truly understood is actually the key design of this entire university."[13] Your fellow students need you, and you need them. Service will invite the Spirit and increase your sense of meaning and purpose as you focus outwardly as the Savior would.
In last week’s devotional, Brother Joel Judkins recommended ways we can serve at BYU-Idaho by stressing the importance to see each other. He said “So many of my students have told me they feel isolated, invisible, or unwelcomed. In such a great place as BYU-Idaho, no one should feel that way.” You can serve your classmates by choosing to spend a portion of your study time helping others understand the material. You can help struggling students at BYU-Idaho by formally volunteering as a peer mentor or informally by being their friend. The opportunities to help and serve those around you will be a defining element of your development as a disciple at BYU-Idaho. As you serve them, you are acting as Jesus Christ would act.
2. How does what you are learning prepare you for lifelong service?
While pursuing any learning, you should ask yourself, why am I learning this? Learning should have an underlying purpose. Purpose represents a goal or outcome for your studies. It is a quest for meaning. Finding true purpose is not just a pursuit for self but anchored in the pursuit to serve others. Consider Peter's purpose as a fisherman vs. a fisher of men as you watch this video.
Purpose Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJfhoAzST3A
As you consider your major, classes, and electives, you should consider how the knowledge and skills gained now will benefit you in serving your family, Church, and community. Many people separate work and service. The assumption is that we work from 8–5 each day and use time outside of that for service. Yet as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we seek service in all we do. Anything can be service when you focus less on what you do and more on how you do it.
As you consider the development of your identity as disciples of Jesus Christ, I invite you to learn to learn as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The additional commitment of higher standards qualifies us for added measures of the Spirit, learning by faith invites us to be agents of our learning, and service gives us a Christlike focus in our educational pursuits. Elder Bednar has taught:
The learning I am describing reaches far beyond mere cognitive comprehension and the retaining and recalling of information. Learning by faith cannot be transferred from an instructor to a student through a lecture, a demonstration, or an experiential exercise; rather, a student must exercise faith and act in order to obtain the knowledge for himself or herself.[14]
As an example of the blessings that come through the learning process at BYU-Idaho, I would like to share two examples. The first is the blessings that have come to my own family through study at BYU-Idaho. The second is a family friend studying from a distance but witnessing similar blessings.
We are a pretty average family. Neither of my parents completed college as young adults. My dad didn't feel he belonged, and my mom was so homesick she couldn't make it any longer here at Ricks College. Yet they paved the way for their future posterity through years of tireless effort. From their examples of diligence, five of my brothers graduated from BYU-Idaho; one brother's educational journey isn't over yet. We were each first-generation college students. Besides the five brothers, my wife and four of my sisters-in-law also graduated from BYU-Idaho.
Here we have developed as disciples of Jesus Christ while preparing to meet a need in the world. As we diligently seek to live lives of discipleship, service has taken different forms, including employment in various fields of healthcare, management, education, and tourism. We also developed the capacity to serve in callings within our wards and stakes. Fundamental to our schooling at BYU-Idaho, we learned the greatest work we do is within the walls of our home. Education has enhanced our discipleship. We now strive to replicate the pattern taught to us at BYU-Idaho by preparing and teaching our children to be disciples of Jesus Christ
For those not able to gather on campus, I would also like to share an example of a family friend from Sialkot, Pakistan.
Nosheen Rahat is a great example of making her home a temple of learning. She has engaged in the sacred journey of being a pioneer in her family by seeking education one step at a time. Knowing that the knowledge and skills she gains will bless her and her family, she began Pathway Connect and is now pursuing a BYU-Idaho certificate through BYU-Pathway Worldwide. As a convert to the Church, her educational pursuits are an act of faith. She is a purpose-driven mother who desires to serve her family. BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s certificate-first approach has allowed her to begin working as a customer service and marketing specialist while providing the added support her family needs. Her pursuit of education is a blessing to herself and her family, even for many generations to come.
Whether gathered on campus or spread across the globe, as we engage in learning through BYU-Idaho, we are developing as disciples of Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, I echo President Nelson:
No identifier should displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations: “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ.”[15]
BYU-Idaho was preserved by the hand of the Lord for the distinct purpose of developing our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ.
When you graduate, you’ll be asked, “What was your major? What career are you pursuing? What are you going to do now?” Yet, no success at BYU-Idaho will be more important than the learning process of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ while studying at this temple of learning. Success at BYU-Idaho will be measured by those who can declare, along with Moroni:
Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.[16]
As we seek learning by faith, find a deeper purpose in our studies through service, and commit and live the inspired higher standards, we will become even as He is. Ultimately that transformation will take place through the love, grace, and mercy of His atoning sacrifice. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes:
[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Choices for Eternity,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 2022.
[2] BYU-Idaho Mission Statement. https://www.byui.edu/about/byu-idaho-mission-statement
[3] David A. Bednar, “BYU-Idaho: A Disciple Preparation Center,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, Aug. 2004.
[4] Dallin H. Oaks, “Opposition in All Things,” Ensign, May 2016.
[5] Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021.
[6] David A. Bednar, “BYU-Idaho: A Disciple Preparation Center,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, Aug. 2004.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Henry J. Eyring, “A Tradition of Honor,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, Jan. 2018.
[10] Ibid.
[11] BYU-Idaho Learning Model. https://www.byui.edu/learning-model/
[12] Henry B. Eyring, “The Spirit of BYU-Idaho,” Inaugural Address, Sep. 2017.
[13] Clark G. Gilbert, “Dare Mighty Things,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, Feb. 5, 2016.
[14] David A. Bednar, “BYU-Idaho: A Disciple Preparation Center,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, Aug. 2004.
[15] Russell M. Nelson, “Choices for Eternity,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 2022.
[16] 3 Nephi 5:13.