My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful to be here with you on another great day at BYU-Idaho. The beginning of a new semester is always a special time. I pray that the Holy Ghost will be with you and with me that we may be edified and rejoice together in the beauty and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
First Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, contains many plain and precious doctrines, powerful principles, and wonderful visions and patterns for our day. One of the most important of those visions is Lehi's dream. This dream is about the world and the journey of life, with its mists of darkness, the great and spacious building, the vast multitudes of well-dressed mockers and scorners, the broad and strange roads, and the forbidden paths that lead to destruction and misery.
But the central elements of the dream are the tree of life and its marvelous fruit, the strait and narrow path, and the rod of iron. When Lehi "partook of the fruit . . . it filled [his] soul with exceedingly great joy."[1] Lehi's dream is about our search for joy and happiness. It is about the love of God and the joy that is in Christ, in His love and mercy, and in the fruit of His glorious Atonement. It is about the power of obedience that leads to the tree and its fruit, "the most desirable above all things"[2] "and the most joyous to the soul."[3]
The focus of my talk today is joy. We will begin by looking at the plain and simple joys of life and the path to the joy of redemption the Savior invites us to walk. We will also talk about the mists of darkness Satan creates and the false joy he uses to deceive us. Then I will share three guideposts we can follow to find the joy of redemption. I hope and pray that the Holy Ghost will teach today what you and I need to do to find joy and happiness, not only here at BYU-Idaho, but all through our lives, now and forever.
Joy in the World
You and I live in a fallen world where we are tried and tested. There is much that is difficult and challenging in the world, but our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He has prepared a world for us in which there is also much joy. Remember: In Lehi's dream the tree of life and the precious fruit are in our world. They do not represent the fullness of joy that comes in celestial glory. They represent the joy we might experience in our lives now. Even during life's inevitable trials, we can find joy because of God's love for us.
Some of that joy comes in the plain, simple blessings of everyday life. There is joy in a kind word, in a beautiful song, in the sunlight on the meadow, in learning truth, in a righteous goal achieved, in feeling the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, in lifting up the hands that hang down, in finding someone who was lost. These are the simple, sweet joys of life; and they are there for us if we will see and feel and experience them. We need to recognize that all of the simple joys of our lives come as gifts of God through His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and are the fruits of His atoning sacrifice. As Mormon taught so long ago, "in Christ there should come every good thing."[4]
All of Heavenly Father's children may experience the plain and simple joys of life because all of His children have the Light of Christ. But these simple joys are only part of the joy that Heavenly Father wants us to experience. I speak of the much greater increase of joy that only comes from being born of God through faith in Christ, repentance, receiving sacred ordinances and covenants, obedience to the commandments of God, and the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. I speak of the joy of redemption. Elder Dallin H. Oaks described it this way:
One of the greatest of all God's revelations is Father Lehi's teaching that "men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25). Joy is more than happiness. Joy is the ultimate sensation of well-being. It comes from being complete and in harmony with our Creator and his eternal laws.[5]
The joy of redemption is spiritual in nature. It comes from heaven. It comes with remission of sin and brings validation of our eternal identity and purpose and of the perfect love of Heavenly Father and His Son for us. This is the joy of which the king of the Lamanites spoke after Aaron had taught him about redemption and salvation through Christ:
. . . what shall I do that I may be born of God, . . . that I may be filled with joy . . . ? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess . . . that I may receive this great joy.[6]
Because this great joy of redemption comes as a gift of the Spirit through the Atonement of Christ,[7] it grows in us as we grow in faith, righteousness, and spiritual capacity. The joy of redemption is not an event, but a process of spiritual re-birth that ultimately leads to exaltation in the kingdom of our Father.
The prophets have taught us that we only receive a fullness of joy in celestial glory,[8] but here in mortality we may feel a glimmer of that joy as we take our first steps toward the Savior exercising faith in His redeeming power. If we continue and repent of our sins, we will feel more joy. If we go on and enter into and keep sacred covenants and receive the Holy Ghost in our lives, we will feel even more joy. As our spiritual capacity grows, our capacity to experience that joy grows and deepens.
Major spiritual events in our lives like baptism, marriage in the house of the Lord, the birth of a baby, or the return of the prodigal son, often bring feelings of joy. But the joy of redemption is not meant to be felt only at major events, nor is joy meant to fade away when the event is past. The Lord intends for us to have it with us and to feel it as a deep, foundational aspect of our lives. Listen to His words in the 50th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. I have taken the liberty of associating the joy of redemption with light in this passage:
That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth [joy] light, and continueth in God, receiveth more [joy] light and that [joy] light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.[9]
Real spiritual joy is meant to grow and meant to stay if we continue in God. Moreover, when the joy of redemption grows in us, we also grow in our capacity to see and feel the plain and simple joys of everyday life--a beautiful sunset, the kindness of a roommate or spouse, the beauty of a neighbor's garden, a soft reply.
These are the great blessings of joy that come from our Father through His Beloved Son. Now, some of you may be thinking: "But what about the pain I feel? I am a faithful Latter-day Saint, but things are really hard right now and I don't feel the joy you are talking about."
Sister Clark and I have talked with thousands of you in our Monday night home evenings, and we know of the pain and sorrow you experience; but the Lord is very kind. This is His promise: When times are hard, as they surely will be, when there is worry, discouragement, grief, and pain, the joy of redemption will not vanish.
Speaking shortly after his wife's death, Elder Joseph Wirthlin taught this principle about grief and joy:
I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross. . . .
But the doom of that day did not endure.
The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. . . .
Each of us will have our own Fridays . . . .
But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death--Sunday will come. . . .
No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come.[10]
The faith that Sunday will come brings joy, even in the Fridays of our lives. There is joy found in facing hard and fearful times without being afraid. Hard times help us recognize and appreciate the Lord's blessings of joy that have come and will surely come again. There may be anxious moments, heartache, sadness, and tears of sorrow; but if we continue in God, in faith and obedience, shafts of joy born of the Spirit will rise up out of the reservoir of joy that is in us and pierce the clouds of worry, sorrow, and grief. That joy is a glorious blessing from a loving Heavenly Father and from His Son, the Savior and Redeemer--the joy of all mankind. This is why the angel who announced the Savior's birth said, ". . . behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy."[11]
The Path to the Joy of Redemption
Joy in this life is a gift from our Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is clear in Lehi's dream how we obtain joy--we walk the strait and narrow path, hold fast to the iron rod, partake of the fruit, and heed not the scorn and ridicule of the world. As the Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
[God] has constituted mankind moral agents, and given them power to choose good or evil; to seek after that which is good, by pursuing the pathway of holiness in this life, which brings peace of mind, and joy in the Holy Ghost here, and a fulness of joy and happiness at His right hand hereafter . . . .[12]
It is the path of obedience and holiness born of faith nurtured by the Spirit which brings this marvelous gift of joy into our lives. The Lord wants us to keep all of His commandments, learn to do His will, and become more like Him. Elder David A. Bednar taught us the nature of the path when he said:
. . . after we come out of the waters of baptism, our souls need to be continuously immersed in and saturated with the truth and the light of the Savior's gospel. Sporadic and shallow dipping in the doctrine of Christ and partial participation in His restored Church cannot produce the spiritual transformation that enables us to walk in a newness of life. Rather, fidelity to covenants, constancy of commitment, and offering our whole soul unto God are required if we are to receive the blessings of eternity.[13]
Through the scriptures and through living prophets, the Lord has invited us to get the gospel and the Spirit down deep into our hearts[14] and be cleansed from sin and sanctified by the power of the Holy Ghost so that we may experience the joy of redemption.
Listen carefully as I read several phrases from the scriptures that describe the Lord's many invitations to walk the strait and narrow path of obedience and holiness. Listen to the way the Lord describes what we should do:
- " . . . love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength . . ."[15]
- "Put on the whole armour of God . . ."[16]
- " . . . come unto Christ, and be perfected in him . . ."[17]
- ". . . follow the Son, with full purpose of heart . . ."[18]
- ". . . witness . . . that ye do always remember [him]."[19]
- ". . . [with] clean hands, and a pure heart . . . ."[20]
- " . . . be steadfast and immovable . . . ."[21]
- ". . . with an eye single to the glory of God . . ."[22]
- " . . . be filled with the Holy Ghost . . ."[23]
It is natural (and I really do mean natural) to look at this list and make many, many kinds of mistakes. As King Benjamin taught, there are many ways to sin.[24] I want to mention here two kinds of mistakes we make as we approach these marvelous invitations of the Lord.
Mistake #1: This Can't Be About My Life Now
The first mistake is to be completely overwhelmed, to think that you are so far from what the Lord describes that you could not possibly ever do what He says, certainly not in this life. Or, you might feel that even if it is possible some day, what He describes is so far away, so far in the future, that it really can't have very much to do with your life now. When we make mistake #1, we are basically saying, "It is too hard; I'm not going to try or to worry about it."
Mistake #2: Esteem Lightly the Things We Have Received
The second mistake is to lay these invitations aside, to treat them as less important. When we make mistake #2, we become like the early Saints described by the Lord in these words:
In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.[25]
And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received--[26]
When we make these two mistakes (and many others I could mention), we deny the power of the Savior's Atonement and fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of mortal life. The Lord does not expect us to do all this alone. His invitation is to "be perfected in Him." Nor does He expect us to do it all at once. But He does invite us to follow Him now. He gives us the strait and narrow path-now-so that we won't be lost wandering in strange roads and we won't be destroyed by the forces of evil.
A Mist of Darkness: False Joy
It has been my experience that members of the Church who make mistake #1 or #2 are in real danger. They may remain active in the Church. They may still be on the strait and narrow path, but over time their hold on the iron rod weakens and their pace slows. They become more casual in their approach to sacred things. In their dress and grooming, in their demeanor, in their attitudes, in their behavior and their language, they become more worldly. The light of the gospel grows dim in their eyes, replaced by the glitz and glamour of the great and spacious building.
In that moment, the great danger lies in the mists of darkness. The mists of darkness are "exceedingly great"[27] and very powerful, so powerful that they "blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost."[28] This is no small fog. This is a swirling, rushing, alluring, blinding fog that carries people into paths of destruction.
The mists are very attractive. Satan and all his angels and those he controls and uses do not get us off the path by offering to put us in nasty chains of destruction. They start with flaxen cords that are soft and gentle on the skin. Here is one example of a flaxen cord: false joy.
There are all sorts of messages and videos and voices coming at us from the web sites and channels and outlets of the great and spacious building. They offer promises of joy and happiness. It may look like joy in the advertising-it glitters, and shines, and beckons-but it is counterfeit. The only joy in the great and spacious building is false joy. It may look glitzy on the outside, but on the inside it is hollow, cold, and dark. Listen to words that describe the false joy offered in the great and spacious building: pleasure; lust; entertainment; amusement; thrills; excitement; rush; buzz.
All of these have one thing in common: they are addictive. They are Satan's way to trap you with his flaxen cords that become stronger and stronger until he can wrap you in the awful chains of spiritual death and hell.
I could cite so many examples of false joy-pornography, video games, drugs, and sexual immorality. But I want to use an example that may seem harmless, but is quite deadly. That example is thrill seeking. President James E. Faust warned us against:
Delirious voices that spawn the desire for a "high." I refer not to a drug- or alcohol-induced high, but to the pursuing of dangerous, death-defying experiences for nothing more than a thrill. Life, even our own, is so precious that we are accountable to the Lord for it, and we should not trifle with it. Once gone, it cannot be called back.[29]
There are people among us who seek thrills by engaging in dangerous, even life- threatening activity. [I hesitate to mention these activities for fear of putting ideas into your minds, but I will continue.] They jump off bridges into shallow rivers full of rocks and unknown currents. They do tricks with flammable gas and fire, and shoot guns at canisters of propane. They jump into shallow canals and swim near causeways where the undertow is so violent that even big, strong, experienced swimmers sometimes cannot get out. They ride inner tubes over river rapids where the turbulence is so powerful that rescuers often cannot save people who get sucked under.
I wish to raise a voice of warning. Anyone who knowingly engages in these kinds of dangerous, thrill-seeking activities runs two life-threatening risks. The first, of course, is the risk of physical death and injury and the consequent pain and heartache and tragic loss that follow. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who knowingly engage in these life-threatening, thrill-seeking activities put their period of mortal probation and their physical bodies at great, unnecessary risk.
The second is the risk of spiritual injury and, perhaps, spiritual death. Your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost.[30] When you entered the waters of baptism, when you were confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, you made sacred covenants of obedience to the Lord. You declared your willingness to take upon you the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are under covenant to take care of your bodies and use them according to the Lord's will and purpose. You are bought with a price.[31] You are bought with the blood of Christ, and your bodies are sacred.
Moreover, these activities are addictive. They cause chemical action in the body and the brain that mimic the effects of illegal drugs. You can lose control of your life and become addicted to thrill seeking. When that happens, your body will not be satisfied with the thrills that got you started. You will be compelled to seek greater and greater thrills and more risk.
Brothers and sisters, there are much better things to do than to put your spiritual and physical lives at risk. You do not have to break your covenants in order to have a good time.
Take a tip from the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith: run and jump, dance and sing, go swimming in safe places, ride horses, go hiking and climbing. Whatever you do, get yourself trained, get the right equipment, and go with someone who is an expert.
Please do not be fooled by all the other claims of false joy coming from the great and spacious building. We have the real thing right here. All those phrases I mentioned earlier-the ones with words like always, all, whole, complete, filled, and perfect in them-they are the answer. They are the way to real joy, the joy of redemption. Don't make the mistake of ignoring the Lord's invitation to experience the joy of redemption or all the marvelous things He has given us to help us: the power of His Atonement, temples, priesthood power, gifts of the Spirit, the Church. Don't make the mistake of thinking that it is too hard or that He is inviting someone else. He is inviting you. As President Hinckley said:
Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). . . . May each of us have a rich and wonderful life moving in that direction. We will not become perfect in a day or a month or a year . . . . but we can keep trying, starting with our more obvious weaknesses and gradually converting them to strengths as we go forward with our lives.[32]
Guideposts to the Joy of Redemption
I would like to close today with three guideposts that you can use to calibrate where you are on the path that leads to the joy of redemption.
Guidepost #1: Live a Life of Honor - Follow the Code of Student Honor
The BYU-Idaho Honor Code encompasses a pattern of personal commitment and development that will protect you from evil and help you become a disciple of the Savior. Are you committed to a life of honor that begins with obedience to the baseline standards, continues with raising your personal bar of righteousness according to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and leads on to becoming more like the Savior?
Guidepost #2: Find Joy in Relationships of Love and Service
When the lawyer asked Jesus which of all the commandments was most important, Jesus said:
. . . Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.[33]
This simple statement of the Master is the second guidepost. Are you nurturing and cultivating the three relationships that will help you grow in the joy of redemption?
- The relationship with Heavenly Father, and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the witness and power of the Holy Ghost. Are you getting to know the Father and the Son, serving Them and loving Them? Do you pray to the Father with real intent in the name of Jesus Christ? Do you feast on the scriptures, cultivate the Spirit in your life, and keep the commandments?
- The relationship with those around you. Do you love and serve roommates, ward members, friends, family members, spouses, children, and neighbors? Are you fully forgiving of them? Do you seek their forgiveness without delay?
- The relationship with yourself. Do you know that you are a beloved son or daughter of God? Do you recognize who you are and nurture and cultivate the divine nature and destiny within you? Do you recognize your sins and mistakes and turn to Christ and repent, receiving His forgiveness and forgiving yourself?
Guidepost #3: Trust in the Lord -- The Lord Prepares the Way
In his dream Lehi did not have to make the strait and narrow path, nor place the iron rod by the path, nor plant the tree. They were all there, ready for him. The plain and simple message is: the Lord prepares the way-trust in the Lord. When Lehi and his family set out for the promised land, the Lord said,
And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.[34]
Brothers and sisters, as you walk the strait and narrow path holding fast to the iron rod, do you trust the Lord to lead you to your personal, promised land of joy and happiness? Though there may be bumps and rough places, do you trust that the Lord will prepare the way?
My dear brothers and sisters, I bear witness to you that God, our Father, lives and loves us. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Savior and Redeemer. I know He lives. He has restored His Church to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Because of the Restoration, we have the Book of Mormon and Lehi's marvelous dream and we know of the strait and narrow path of obedience, virtue, and holiness. We know of the rod of iron, the tree of life, and the joy of redemption that comes through the Atonement of Christ and the supernal, perfect love of our Heavenly Father.
Brothers and sisters, you were born to rejoice. May God bless you to have the joy of redemption in this life and a fullness of joy in celestial glory through the merits and mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and Savior of us all. In the holy and sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] 1 Nephi 8:12
[2] 1 Nephi 11:22
[3] 1 Nephi 11:23
[4] Moroni 7:22
[5] Dallin H. Oaks, "Joy and Mercy," Ensign, Nov 1991, 73
[6] Alma 22:15 (emphasis added)
[7] Mosiah 3:13
[8] D&C 93:33; D&C 76:50-70
[9] D&C 50:24
[10] Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Sunday Will Come," Ensign, Nov 2006, 28-30
[11] Luke 2:10
[12] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007), 213
[13] David A. Bednar, "Ye Must Be Born Again," Ensign, May 2007, 19-22 (emphasis added)
[14] Enos 1:3
[15] D&C 59:5 (emphasis added)
[16] Ephesians 6:11 (emphasis added)
[17] Moroni 10:32 (emphasis added)
[18] 2 Nephi 31:13 (emphasis added)
[19] 3 Nephi 18:11 (emphasis added)
[20] Psalms 24:4 (emphasis added)
[21] Mosiah 5:15 (emphasis added)
[22] D&C 4:5 (emphasis added)
[23] 3 Nephi 30:2 (emphasis added)
[24] Mosiah 4:29
[25] D&C 101:8
[26] D&C 84:54
[27] 1 Nephi 8:23
[28] 1 Nephi 12:17
[29] James E. Faust, "Voice of the Spirit," Ensign, Jun 2006, 2-6
[30] 1 Corinthians 6:19
[31] 1 Corinthians 6:20
[32] Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Quest for Excellence," Ensign, Sep 1999, 2
[33] Matthew 22:37-39
[34] 1 Nephi 17:13