The Only Sure and Safe Foundation

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"The Only Sure and Safe Foundation"

Max Caldwell

May 21, 2002

We live in a time of political, economic, physical and spiritual unrest. Multitudes of people are living in fear. They are asking questions, seeking direction and struggling for strength to bear burdensome afflictions. For various reasons, peoples' lives have been drastically disrupted. For many, concern has replaced comfort and security has given way to anxiety. The pollster George Gallup, Jr. recently made the following observation:

"People are reaching out in all directions in their attempt to escape from the seen world to the unseen world. There is a deep desire for spiritual moorings - a hunger for God." (U.S. News & World Report, May 6, 2002, 42)

People do need anchors and some form of firmness to which they can cling. Drifting without direction develops desperation. So we all must look for and determine for ourselves what foundation we will choose on which to build and structure our lives. Thankfully, we are free to decide the degree to which our personal interests, gifts, talents and opportunities will be used to determine the focus of our lives. Unfortunately, we sometimes restrict our vision and lose our balance. Please permit me to provide you with a few examples of how some people, without the clear vision of the Spirit, seek satisfaction in temporal things only.

Most of us have known individuals who build solely on a foundation of academic attainment. They may make the assumption that enviable scholastic honors and recognition justify an exclusion of efforts to develop structural strength on any other foundation. Any other demand on their time is viewed as an interference with the acquisition of various levels of educational certifications. This kind of emphasis and thinking is altogether too common in many college and university communities.

Some people center their lives on gaining appointments to positions of prestige or the acquisition of monetary wealth. Many seek tenaciously to increase and build on their foundation of monetary assets. In fairness, it should also be noted that some others with wealth, selflessly share what they have in providing humanitarian assistance to needy causes and people. Students who struggle financially while seeking to reach educational goals can identify with the desire to eventually obtain financial independence. Some might even dream of a day when they can quit working and just rest in the lap of luxury. But what might be the cost of acquiring such economic objectives? How much is it really worth? An interesting insight was provided in an article written by two ministers serving in New York State.

"We once heard of a CEO who spoke at his retirement dinner to a group of young executives. He said, `I know you want my job, and I'll tell you how to get it. Last week my daughter was married, and as she walked down the aisle, I realized I did not know the name of her best friend, or the last book she read, or her favorite color. That's the price I paid for this job. If you want to pay that price, you can have it." ("How Do You Find God", Reader's Digest, April 2002, 97-98)

Many young people focus on the development of athletic abilities and seek to build on a foundation of athletic opportunities with varying levels of accompanying rewards. They see talented athletes demonstrate their specialty skills under competitive conditions. Vast audiences applaud their accomplishments, their names are frequently mentioned in common conversation, and their images are sometimes projected to unnumbered viewers worldwide. Many gifted athletes are recipients of accolades and adulation that might better be reserved for legitimate heroes. Because of their popularity, they become advertising spokespersons and role models in social, educational and professional environments. Sometimes emulation of athletes even extends to dimensions of their personal lives that are not exemplary or praiseworthy but serve as undesirable foundations that create an inappropriate influence upon unwary or unthinking youth. Many other people are obsessed observers of sporting activities and, often at the expense of personal, family or even spiritual needs, spend an inordinate amount of time and resources in viewing, reading and discussing current sporting events.

Certain other people effectively develop their talents in building on a foundation of music and either perform or, by other meaningful ways, provide stimulating musical experiences for the edifying enjoyment of themselves and others. Such artists bless the lives of many of us as they share their natural and developed talents. But sometimes their own lives are so narrowly focused on their foundation of music that they fail to frame another more essential structure on a more sure and eternal foundation.

These and many other endeavors and objectives may be worthy of our dedicated efforts. But a legitimate and scriptural concern is that, by themselves, they must not be the more weighty matters of our mortal lives. They must not be on the top of our list of priorities. Rather, they should be secondary supplements to our personal commitments to divine directives that more accurately define proper perspectives.

Listen to the words of Helaman, as he counseled his sons on this critical issue:

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12, emphasis added).

None of us want to fall or fail. So it behooves us to know how to build on our Redeemer as the only sure and safe foundation. The scriptures are clear and the way is simple. The way to build on the Savior's sure foundation is to develop a faith and trust in His words and teachings. We then are certain of protection from the deceptive and spiritually destructive powers of the adversary. Let me share a few examples of this eternal principle.

One day a young woman came to my office wanting help with a problem. I asked what it was. She said she was pregnant but not married. Furthermore, she did not want to be pregnant or be married. She wanted an abortion. She claimed to have prayed a lot about what she should do, but didn't seem to get any answers to her prayers. I told her the answer to her prayer was in my file cabinet. I took out a statement by the First Presidency and read to her what the Lord thinks about His children aborting their children. The Lord had already revealed through His prophet the position of heaven on that subject. All she needed to do was to trust Him and thereby avoid the resultant regrets and sorrow that always accompany decisions that are contrary to the Lord's teaching. When she finally decided against the wisdom of having an abortion, she began at that same moment to build on the only sure and safe foundation.

One time a young man wanted to talk with me about whether he should go on a mission. His girl friend didn't want him to go, suggesting instead that he should wait until after they were married and retired and then go together. She insisted that it would be selfish of him to go without her. In her eyes, such a decision would mean he didn't really love her and she wouldn't wait for him. He thought that he loved the girl and just couldn't decide what he should do. I told him the Lord had already declared through a latter-day prophet that "every young man is as much obligated to go on a mission as he is to pay his tithing, attend his meetings, keep the Sabbath day holy, and keep his life spotless and clean" (Spencer W. Kimball, Address to Seminary and Institute Faculty,BYU. June 28, 1968). To build his life on a sure and safe foundation, this young man would need to trust the Lord's judgment, faithfully serve his mission, and ignore any opinion that would persuade him to go contrary to divine counsel. He subsequently told the girl he was determined to follow prophetic counsel and would be going on a mission. He hoped she could support that decision because he would only marry a girl who honored those same commitments.

A Jewish lady had studied the gospel of Jesus Christ and struggled with the decision whether she should join the church. After considerable pondering and praying, she was converted to the Lord, was baptized into His church, and then wrote the following summary of her experience:

"There are times when people feel that the best advice is to listen to their own inner voice, moving with it as they are led by it, forgetting that their own reasoning is not a divine voice and can never be a safe guide to behavior. Human reason is only what we have accumulated in knowledge about our morals and our choices. Even with experience of life, reason alone is never enough to guide us. We need divine help...." (Notes of a Jewish Convert to the LDS Church).

She discovered the value of trusting the divine voice as the only way she could build on a sure foundation.

Sometimes we forget to apply this principle when we wrestle with some of the common problems we all encounter while striving to keep our covenants and be worthy in the sight of the Lord. Here are four examples:

How do we decide whether to participate in work and recreational activities on the Sabbath or to worship the Lord and keep the Sabbath day holy?
How do we decide whether to pay bills or tithing when there doesn't appear to be enough money to do both?
How do we decide whether to view certain videos and/or movies when there is objectionable material in them?
How do we decide whether to be honest in our exams and assignments when there is pressure to receive a high grade and an opportunity to obtain information inappropriately?

We will always be found building on a sure foundation if we simply determine the will of the Lord on these matters and then make His will our own.

Listen to the promises made to those who trust in the Lord as Alma bore his testimony to his son Helaman. He said:

"I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3)

Some years ago, a dear friend in Southern California called me at my office in Salt Lake and asked if I would give him a blessing the next time I came to his area. We made arrangements to meet and then he told me what his need was. His wife was suffering with a terminal illness and he needed to know from the Lord what kind of faith he needed to have. He wondered if he should seek to develop sufficient faith to heal his wife of her illness through the administration of a priesthood blessing. Or, if she was not to be healed, he would need faith to accept the Lord's decision that he might plead for strength to comfort her and provide whatever assistance she needed to get through the illness. Either way he would trust the Lord's will - he just needed to know what it was. This brother built on a safe foundation. I am a witness that he subsequently received the support Alma promised.

There is an account in the Book of Mormon of the Nephite armies marching against a vastly greater Lamanite force who were entrenched in cities built by the Nephites and previously fortified by them. Though they faced overwhelming odds, still the Nephites confronted their enemies with unwavering confidence in a favorable outcome. Why? Listen to their own words of explanation:

"...we trust in our God...we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies." (Alma 58:33,37)

Like the Nephites, many of you have faced challenges and made difficult decisions that dealt with life-altering or even life-threatening consequences. Even though we often don't see how favorable results can be obtained, we should remember to build on the only sure foundation by following the only safe course: Trust the Lord.

I am remembering a wonderful latter-day Saint woman who came seeking the Lord's counsel through a priesthood blessing. She explained that she was happily expecting her third or fourth child but had been told by three different doctors that because of unsafe conditions that were developing in her pregnancy, she must abort her baby. She was told that failure to do so right away would most certainly result in the death of her unborn child and most likely would take her life as well. After explaining why she had come, and prior to receiving the priesthood blessing, she made the following statement: "God himself would have to tell me to destroy this baby before I would do it." Several months later, I was seated on the stand in a ward Fast and Testimony meeting. I watched, and wept, as this mother placed her baby in the arms of her priesthood husband, who then gave that precious infant child a name and a father's blessing. Do you suppose she will ever regret having trusted God and followed His foundation-building counsel?

There is another matter that has attracted the feelings of my heart. Many single sisters in the Church have despaired because they have not had opportunity to marry and be sealed to a worthy spouse for time and eternity. Though they live worthy lives, many feel they have been forgotten and the Lord has failed to provide them the opportunity to experience family relationships with husband and children. Some of them think of themselves as second-class citizens in the Lord's Kingdom and sometimes resent hearing sermons or testimonies on the subject of eternal families. They wonder how they can ever hope to enjoy the fullness of the gospel blessings. Similarly, some marriage partners find themselves alone in their faithful efforts to keep their marriage covenants. Though they strive to maintain the Lord's standards of celestial marriage, their companion fails to live the covenants upon which eternal blessings are predicated. Under these circumstances the faithful spouse may also lose hope of ever receiving the glorious blessings promised at the sacred marriage altar.

It may not appear possible and we may not see how such problems can be resolved. It would be well for these dear saints to be reminded of the Lord's promise of Eternal Life to all who keep the baptismal covenant. (See Mosiah 18:9) Though all of us know that Eternal Life, or Exaltation, cannot be obtained without entering into and keeping eternal marriage covenants, we must remember that the Lord made that promise to His worthy and faithful covenant children. Trust Him to keep His covenant if we keep ours. How or when the promises unfold may not be apparent now. But we do know that all faithful saints who build on that sure foundation are safe in their anticipation of being glorified with their own loving family members throughout all eternity.

Sometimes the Lord's blessings are delayed until and unless we first do what we can do. Divine intervention seldom precedes the fulfillment of our duties and responsibilities. Rather, the bestowal of blessings commonly accompanies our own efforts to accomplish worthy goals.

Many of you will remember Nephi's testimony when he said:

"...we know that it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23, emphasis added).

Among other things, that statement tells me that we must put forth our best effort in doing what we can to bring about righteous results before we can expect the Lord to extend His efforts in providing desired blessings. First we place our trust in Him; then we heed and obey His counsel. We do what we can do with confidence that He will honor the promises He has made to us.

Many years ago, a bishop friend of mine took about a dozen scouts on a camping trip in Yellowstone Park for several days. They traveled in canoes across a very large lake to get to their camp area on its far shore. After being there a few days, they heard a radio message warning campers of an early season storm moving into the area. It would bring snow and cold temperatures. The bishop decided they should cut short their camp and leave for home the next morning. However, by morning, the winds accompanying the storm had already come and were creating very dangerous water conditions on the lake, especially for young boys in canoes.

The bishop delayed their departure, hoping the wind would calm down. He went into the woods two or three times to plead for the Lord to calm the winds. While pleading for this blessing the bishop received a very distinct impression from the Lord. It was simply, "Bishop, what are you waiting for"? He knew what to do. He loaded the boys and their camp equipment into the canoes and pushed the canoes out into the wind-whipped lake water. As they left the safety of the shore, the wind ceased to blow, the air was still, and the lake became calm. After crossing the lake and arriving safely on the other side, they all knelt to thank the Lord for His miraculous assistance. Each of them learned a valuable lesson. When you trust in the Lord, He may expect you to move ahead and take steps in the right direction before His blessing is bestowed. There wasn't any reason for the Lord to calm the wind on the lake while they were still sitting on the shore.

The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob described the efforts of the Nephites as they sought to protect their people from their Lamanite enemies. Note how they fulfilled their responsibilities while they built on a sure foundation of trust in their God. Jacob recorded:

"Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against [the Lamanites] with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies" (Jacob 7:25, emphasis added).

I remember a saintly sister who once told me of her mother's experience as a young girl in Switzerland before her family immigrated to America in the late 1800's. The family had joined the church and decided to come to Utah where they could mingle with the saints and be close to the prophet. As a result of their decisions, they experienced a lot of persecution from the people who lived in their small town.

The night before their planned departure, the young daughter was walking alone up the hill to her home. As she walked by two men who were working alongside the road, she overheard one of them say, "Isn't that the Mormon girl that is leaving tomorrow? She's alone and we can easily catch her." She began to run but she could tell they were running faster and would catch her long before she could reach her home. As she ran, she poured out her heart to Heavenly Father, telling Him that she had always kept herself pure and begged that He help her escape from the men who were coming after her. The next thing she knew, she was standing alone on the front porch of her home. She didn't know how she got there, but she knew some power had done for her what she could not have done for herself. As Helaman had promised his sons, this young woman found that building on the Lord's sure foundation brought her a literal escape from the powers of the adversary. She, like Jacob's people, found that trusting in God made possible the conquering of her enemies.

Frequently in our society, controversial issues arise involving the church. With regularity, people in and out of the church can be heard to criticize the church by saying, "The church is out of line", or they refer to the church doctrine on the subject as being too strict. It seems to me the real problem is a lack of trust in God. Instead of speaking of church doctrine, it should be called the Lord's doctrine. The church's position on a matter would be better described as the Lord's position. Then it becomes clear that one must take a stand either in favor of or in opposition to the Lord. Should we not be wise and build our trust on the rock of Christ, the one sure foundation?

Now, may I refer you back to the four questions we raised earlier. I will repeat each question and then quote a statement from the Lord's anointed servants. We are then free to determine our own level of trust.

How do we decide whether to participate in work and recreational activities on the Sabbath or to worship the Lord and keep the Sabbath day holy?

From the First Presidency:
"We sense that many Latter-day Saints have become lax in their observance of the Sabbath day. We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly desecrate the Sabbath.

"We urge all Latter-day Saints to set this holy day apart from activities of the world and consecrate themselves by entering into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and family-centered activities appropriate to the Sabbath. As Church members endeavor to make their Sabbath activities compatible with the intent and Spirit of the Lord, their lives will be filled with joy and peace." (First Presidency Letter, Sept. 28, 1992)

How do we decide whether to pay bills or tithing when there doesn't appear to be enough money to do both?

From Elder George Q. Cannon Assistant to the Quorum of Twelve:
"I think when people say they haven't money enough to pay tithing, they should say they haven't faith enough to pay tithing. It is my conviction that we pay tithing with faith and not with money..." (Conf Report, Apr `53, 111)

From President Joseph F. Smith:
"By this principle [of tithing] the loyalty of the people of this Church shall be put to the test. By this principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is against it. By this principle it shall be seen whose hearts are set on doing the will of God and keeping His commandments,...by it it shall be known whether we are faithful or unfaithful. In this respect it is as essential as faith in God, as repentance of sin, as baptism for the remission of sin, or as the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Conf Report, Apr 1900, 47)

How do we decide whether to view certain videos and/or movies when there is objectionable material in them?

From President Ezra Taft Benson:
"Consider carefully the words of the prophet Alma to his errant son, Corianton, `Forsake kyour sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes' (Alma 39:9).

"`The lusts of your eyes.' In our day, what does that expression mean?

"Movies, television programs, and video recordings that are both suggestive and lewd.

"Magazines and books that are obscene and pornographic.

"We counsel you,...not to pollute your minds with such degrading matter, for the mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterward. Don't see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive, or pornographic. Don't listen to music that is degrading." (Conf Report, Apr 1986, 58).

How do we decide whether to be honest in our exams and assignments when there is pressure to receive a high grade and an opportunity to obtain information dishonestly?

From President Gordon B. Hinckley:
"Simple honesty is so remarkable a quality. It is of the very essence of integrity. It demands that we be straightforward, unequivocal, in walking the straight and narrow line of what is right and true. It is so easy to cheat. At times it is so enticing to do so. Better a poor grade than a dishonest act." (BYU Speeches of the Year, October 17, 1995, 53)

Might each of us remember, with King Mosiah, that the Lord extends His arms of mercy to those who put their trust in Him. (See Mosiah 29:20) Who amongst us does not need an extension of His mercy? I testify those arms are real. I know they are extended in welcoming each one who has trusted Him and has built upon the rock of His sure foundation. As each day of our lives comes to a close may I suggest that we reflect upon our life that day. It is my hope that, as we kneel in benediction before the Lord, we can raise our voices and declare as Nephi when he said, "O Lord, I have trusted in thee..." (2 Ne. 4:34)

While the world around us is in a terrible state of strife and turmoil, we all desire peace. The world cannot currently experience peace but individually we can. We can obtain it the same way the Prince of Peace did. And what was that way? Listen to what I believe was the greatest tribute ever paid to Jesus by mortal man. It was inadvertently declared by His mocking and reviling enemies as He hung on the cross in the closing moments of His atoning sacrifice. They said, "He trusted in God..." (Matt. 27:43) May we do as He did, I humbly pray.