An edited version of a thought I gave in the weekly devotional of the Missionary Department on Tuesday morning, October 16, 1984, and later published in the November 1984 issue of the Family Journal. Our eighth child and sixth daughter, Mary Elizabeth Cleverly, had been born two weeks earlier on Monday, October 1, 1984. She was our final child.
The pattern in recent months in these devotional talks has been to give some background about ourselves. I was born the seventh of nine children, the next to last of my parents’ eight sons before their final child turned out to be a daughter. I was born in eastern Oregon and lived there until I was nine. Then we moved twenty or so miles eastward into Idaho, where I finished growing up in the Nampa area until I went away to BYU, a mission to Brazil, and back to BYU to graduate in English and Portuguese.
I met my wife on a blind date at BYU, and we have been living happily ever after since that time. And here we are eight children later.
And that brings us to what I wanted to talk about.
Since the birth of our eighth child two weeks ago, I have thought a lot about the importance of names. Interestingly, for the first time in our career as parents, we didn’t have a name ready for this new little one, so she was named by committee.
Over the years we have tried to give our children names that would give them something to live up to. In the book of Helaman in the Book of Mormon we read of how Helaman did a similar thing with two of his sons, Lehi and Nephi. Let me read just two verses from the fifth chapter:
“Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.
“Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them” (Helaman 5:6–7).
I suspect as we seek to obey the commandment the Lord has given us to honor our fathers and mothers we could do no better than to honor the names they have given us—whether our given names or the family names we bear.
President George Albert Smith, while he was President of the Church, told of an incident earlier in his life when he was quite ill and hovered for some weeks between life and death. He was down in St. George, where the climate was supposed to be more healthful for his particular condition.
While there he had a dream or vision, or perhaps even entered into the spirit world, where he met his grandfather, George A. Smith, whom he was named after. His grandfather was a very large man, and he approached George Albert Smith and asked him what he had done with his name.
President Smith was happy to report that he had nothing to bring shame or dishonor to that name. And it was a time of renewed resolve for him to make something of his life, which of course he did, including being called to preside over the Lord’s church.
There is another name that is very important to each of us. At the time of our baptism we covenanted with God that we would take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We became His disciples. We were adopted as His sons and daughters. We were purchased by His blood. In the very finest sense of the word, we became Christians, followers of Christ, His children.
We read in the scriptures in several places that there is none other name by which we may be saved.
And just as Helaman told his two sons, Lehi and Nephi, we “should remember to keep the commandments of God.” As we seek to keep His commandments, as we seek to remember Him always (as we promise each week to do), as we seek to love Him and our fellowmen, as we seek to reverence Him, we will be remembering Him and honoring His name and becoming more like Him, which I pray each of us may do. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Showing posts with label Remembrance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Remembrance. Show all posts
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
47. The Song of the Righteous
A talk I gave on Sunday morning, April 26, 1981, on radio stations KISN–FM and KLUB–AM in Salt Lake City, Utah. The text of the address was later published in the May 1981 issue of the Family Journal and the June 1981 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter.
The Savior of mankind, that perfect Being Who is our example and teacher in all things, taught that “men ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1).
“And in those days” following His resurrection and ascension into heaven, “when the number of disciples was multiplied, . . . the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said,” among other things, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).
When I was a boy I used to wonder about such instruction. How do you pray always? How do you give yourself continually to prayer when there is so much else to be doing in the day-to-day world of gaining an education, earning a living, caring for a family, and the myriads of other things with which we occupy ourselves?
As I searched for an answer, it became obvious from other scriptures that there were right ways and wrong ways of praying always:
“And when thou prayest,” the Savior said, “thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which is in secret shall reward thee openly.
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
“Be not ye therefore like unto them” (Matthew 6:5–8).
I learned from this passage that “praying always” has little to do with vain repetitions or much speaking or a multiplicity of words. Indeed, the Savior used very few words to teach His disciples how to pray:
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give us this day our daily bread.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9–13).
From this divine model of prayer, I think we learn that “praying always” has somewhat to do with our attitudes and our reverence for God and all that is sacred. It has to do with the way we live our lives.
But, from still other scriptures, I found that there are ways to keep our thoughts and hearts continually centered in Him who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The Apostle Paul taught the Saints of his day “to be filled with the Spirit;
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18–20).
And in another place: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
And the Lord Himself speaking: “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing on their heads” (D&C 25:12).
So here we have a key, I think, to one way that we can pray always. The song of the righteous, by the Lord’s own definition, is a prayer unto God. We can speak to ourselves “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in [our] heart[s] to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
Who of us is not moved, inspired, instructed, strengthened in our faith, brought closer to God by the great hymns of Christianity?
Some of the hymns and sacred songs remind us of our daily duty:
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad,
And made someone feel glad?
If not I have failed indeed.
And this one:
Do what is right; be faithful and fearless;
Onward, press onward, the goal is in sight;
Eyes that are wet now, ere long will be tearless;
Blessings await you in doing what’s right!
Other hymns remind us of important truths about the gospel, about ourselves, and about our relationship to God, such as in the ever-popular children’s song:
I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Among my favorites, however, are those hymns that focus my thoughts on Jesus Christ, that bring me in closer communion with Him, that increase my appreciation for what He has done for me:
Redeemer of Israel,
Our only delight,
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day,
And our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliverer, our all!
Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Praise him for his mercy;
Praise him for his love;
For unnumbered blessings
Praise the Lord above.
Let our happy voices
Still the notes prolong;
One alone is worthy
Of our sweetest song.
Or what comfort from these marvelous promises:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
And these promises:
How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burden on the Lord
And trust his constant care.
Beneath his watchful eye,
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.
Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your heavenly Father’s throne,
And sweet refreshment find.
His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.
Consider also the profound message and the simple beauty in the words of this great hymn:
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high
And sent the Savior from above
To suffer, bleed, and die!
His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.
By strict obedience Jesus won
The prize with glory rife:
“Thy will, O God, not mine be done,”
Adorned his mortal life.
He marked the path and led the way,
And every point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God’s full presence shines.
How great, how glorious, how complete,
Redemption’s grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!
There are many other great hymns. Let me conclude with just a final one—a hymn that is loved by many people:
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
How great thou art, how great thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Yes, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto God. We need not be musicians. We need not even know how to carry a tune particularly. But, as we go about our daily affairs, we can have the words in our minds, we can have the songs in our hearts and thus be found praying always.
May that be our happy lot, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The Savior of mankind, that perfect Being Who is our example and teacher in all things, taught that “men ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1).
“And in those days” following His resurrection and ascension into heaven, “when the number of disciples was multiplied, . . . the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said,” among other things, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).
When I was a boy I used to wonder about such instruction. How do you pray always? How do you give yourself continually to prayer when there is so much else to be doing in the day-to-day world of gaining an education, earning a living, caring for a family, and the myriads of other things with which we occupy ourselves?
As I searched for an answer, it became obvious from other scriptures that there were right ways and wrong ways of praying always:
“And when thou prayest,” the Savior said, “thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which is in secret shall reward thee openly.
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
“Be not ye therefore like unto them” (Matthew 6:5–8).
I learned from this passage that “praying always” has little to do with vain repetitions or much speaking or a multiplicity of words. Indeed, the Savior used very few words to teach His disciples how to pray:
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give us this day our daily bread.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9–13).
From this divine model of prayer, I think we learn that “praying always” has somewhat to do with our attitudes and our reverence for God and all that is sacred. It has to do with the way we live our lives.
But, from still other scriptures, I found that there are ways to keep our thoughts and hearts continually centered in Him who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The Apostle Paul taught the Saints of his day “to be filled with the Spirit;
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18–20).
And in another place: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
And the Lord Himself speaking: “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing on their heads” (D&C 25:12).
So here we have a key, I think, to one way that we can pray always. The song of the righteous, by the Lord’s own definition, is a prayer unto God. We can speak to ourselves “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in [our] heart[s] to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
Who of us is not moved, inspired, instructed, strengthened in our faith, brought closer to God by the great hymns of Christianity?
Some of the hymns and sacred songs remind us of our daily duty:
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad,
And made someone feel glad?
If not I have failed indeed.
And this one:
Do what is right; be faithful and fearless;
Onward, press onward, the goal is in sight;
Eyes that are wet now, ere long will be tearless;
Blessings await you in doing what’s right!
Other hymns remind us of important truths about the gospel, about ourselves, and about our relationship to God, such as in the ever-popular children’s song:
I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Among my favorites, however, are those hymns that focus my thoughts on Jesus Christ, that bring me in closer communion with Him, that increase my appreciation for what He has done for me:
Redeemer of Israel,
Our only delight,
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day,
And our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliverer, our all!
Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Praise him for his mercy;
Praise him for his love;
For unnumbered blessings
Praise the Lord above.
Let our happy voices
Still the notes prolong;
One alone is worthy
Of our sweetest song.
Or what comfort from these marvelous promises:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
And these promises:
How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burden on the Lord
And trust his constant care.
Beneath his watchful eye,
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.
Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your heavenly Father’s throne,
And sweet refreshment find.
His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.
Consider also the profound message and the simple beauty in the words of this great hymn:
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high
And sent the Savior from above
To suffer, bleed, and die!
His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.
By strict obedience Jesus won
The prize with glory rife:
“Thy will, O God, not mine be done,”
Adorned his mortal life.
He marked the path and led the way,
And every point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God’s full presence shines.
How great, how glorious, how complete,
Redemption’s grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!
There are many other great hymns. Let me conclude with just a final one—a hymn that is loved by many people:
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
How great thou art, how great thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Yes, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto God. We need not be musicians. We need not even know how to carry a tune particularly. But, as we go about our daily affairs, we can have the words in our minds, we can have the songs in our hearts and thus be found praying always.
May that be our happy lot, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
33. Our Ward's Fortieth Anniversary
A final bishopric message written for the April 2001 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette. Two months later—on Sunday afternoon, June 10, 2001, I was released as the eighth bishop of the Bountiful 20th Ward, Hyde Frederickson as first counselor, and Lionel Farr as second counselor. Hyde Frederickson was sustained as the ninth bishop of the ward with Keith Riley and Trevor Austin as counselors.
Forty years ago this month—on Sunday, April 30, 1961—the Bountiful Twentieth Ward was created with Jack White as the new bishop. Three months earlier John F. Kennedy had become president of the United States. David O. McKay was president of the Church. George D. Clyde was the governor of Utah. Bountiful, according to the 1960 census, had a population of 17,039 (compared to 41,301 in the 2000 census).
Four months later—in August 1961—the Soviet Union began building the Berlin Wall, that enduring symbol of the Cold War. At the October conference the Church announced that all its programs were to be correlated through the priesthood to strengthen the family and the individual. A significant shift. It would be nearly a year later before John Glenn in February 1962 would become the first American to orbit the earth. Vietnam had not yet entered into the national consciousness, the Beatles were unheard of, and the social upheavals of the late 60s were still years away.
The priesthood brethren of this new ward still did ward teaching (home teaching wouldn’t be introduced until nearly three years later). The reemphasis on family home evening was nearly four years away. Stake conferences—morning and afternoon sessions—were still held four times a year. General conferences in April and October lasted three days each. And there was a June conference for the Mutual Improvement Associations. And road shows and dance festivals and all-Church tournaments and Gold and Green Balls.
The children (and there were a lot of them in those days) went to Primary on a weekday afternoon, the sisters to Relief Society on a weekday morning, not on Sundays as we do now (the revised schedule wouldn’t consolidate meetings into a single three-hour Sunday block until 1980).
We still subscribed to The Improvement Era and The Relief Society Magazine and The Children’s Friend. And paid for our own building projects and raised ward budgets and held Relief Society bazaars.
Eight bishops presided over the ward during these four decades:
- Jack White (1961–1967)
- Keith Beazer (1967–1972)
- Glen Taylor (1972–1977)
- Don West (1977–1980)
- Jay Anderson (1980–1985)
- Delbert Strasser (1985–1991)
- Gail Anger (1991–1996)
- And now Dean Cleverly (1996–present)
We have seen a lot of change these past forty years: The Church has grown and matured. Man walked on the moon. The Cold War ended. Iron curtains fell. Presidents and prophets have come and gone. The economy flourished. Our society and culture changed. Computers and the Internet and other manifestations of technology became such a part of our lives. There were comings and goings. Births and missions and marriages and deaths. A new century and millennium dawned. And through it all we are reminded, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
And yet there have been constants too: Our community is still a peaceful haven where families keep struggling with the enduring problems of life, neighbors keep caring and serving, children keep learning and growing, the fruits of the Spirit are still evident, and the love of God is still manifest. And through it all we are reminded, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Forty years ago this month—on Sunday, April 30, 1961—the Bountiful Twentieth Ward was created with Jack White as the new bishop. Three months earlier John F. Kennedy had become president of the United States. David O. McKay was president of the Church. George D. Clyde was the governor of Utah. Bountiful, according to the 1960 census, had a population of 17,039 (compared to 41,301 in the 2000 census).
Four months later—in August 1961—the Soviet Union began building the Berlin Wall, that enduring symbol of the Cold War. At the October conference the Church announced that all its programs were to be correlated through the priesthood to strengthen the family and the individual. A significant shift. It would be nearly a year later before John Glenn in February 1962 would become the first American to orbit the earth. Vietnam had not yet entered into the national consciousness, the Beatles were unheard of, and the social upheavals of the late 60s were still years away.
The priesthood brethren of this new ward still did ward teaching (home teaching wouldn’t be introduced until nearly three years later). The reemphasis on family home evening was nearly four years away. Stake conferences—morning and afternoon sessions—were still held four times a year. General conferences in April and October lasted three days each. And there was a June conference for the Mutual Improvement Associations. And road shows and dance festivals and all-Church tournaments and Gold and Green Balls.
The children (and there were a lot of them in those days) went to Primary on a weekday afternoon, the sisters to Relief Society on a weekday morning, not on Sundays as we do now (the revised schedule wouldn’t consolidate meetings into a single three-hour Sunday block until 1980).
We still subscribed to The Improvement Era and The Relief Society Magazine and The Children’s Friend. And paid for our own building projects and raised ward budgets and held Relief Society bazaars.
Eight bishops presided over the ward during these four decades:
- Jack White (1961–1967)
- Keith Beazer (1967–1972)
- Glen Taylor (1972–1977)
- Don West (1977–1980)
- Jay Anderson (1980–1985)
- Delbert Strasser (1985–1991)
- Gail Anger (1991–1996)
- And now Dean Cleverly (1996–present)
We have seen a lot of change these past forty years: The Church has grown and matured. Man walked on the moon. The Cold War ended. Iron curtains fell. Presidents and prophets have come and gone. The economy flourished. Our society and culture changed. Computers and the Internet and other manifestations of technology became such a part of our lives. There were comings and goings. Births and missions and marriages and deaths. A new century and millennium dawned. And through it all we are reminded, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
And yet there have been constants too: Our community is still a peaceful haven where families keep struggling with the enduring problems of life, neighbors keep caring and serving, children keep learning and growing, the fruits of the Spirit are still evident, and the love of God is still manifest. And through it all we are reminded, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
30. Remember Him and Keep His Commandments
A pastoral message written on Friday, September 1, 2000, as the bishopric message for the September 2000 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
Members of our family traveled this summer to parts of the Midwest and the East Coast. We marveled at the beauty and diversity of this vast country, a land we believe is “a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands” (2 Nephi 1:5). And we were reminded of the rich heritage we enjoy as American citizens and of the cost paid by those who went before us in founding our nation and defending our freedoms and bringing us to these mountain valleys we call home.
A warning issued to ancient Israel as they entered their promised land applies in principle to us in our day: “And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
“And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
“Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:10–12).
Each of us, through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has been purchased out of bondage, has been redeemed out of slavery, and has been blessed with a multiplicity of blessings we neither earned nor deserve. We cannot afford to forget the Lord and what He has done for us.
“Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him” (Deuteronomy 6:13) was the command anciently as the remedy for not for-getting the Lord, and it still applies in our day. A recurring theme of the Book of Mormon, which was written to our day, is that we remember the Lord and His divine deliverance. Each week as we partake of the emblems of His body and blood, we witness afresh and covenant anew to “always remember him and keep his commandments” (D&C 20:77).
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Members of our family traveled this summer to parts of the Midwest and the East Coast. We marveled at the beauty and diversity of this vast country, a land we believe is “a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands” (2 Nephi 1:5). And we were reminded of the rich heritage we enjoy as American citizens and of the cost paid by those who went before us in founding our nation and defending our freedoms and bringing us to these mountain valleys we call home.
A warning issued to ancient Israel as they entered their promised land applies in principle to us in our day: “And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
“And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
“Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:10–12).
Each of us, through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has been purchased out of bondage, has been redeemed out of slavery, and has been blessed with a multiplicity of blessings we neither earned nor deserve. We cannot afford to forget the Lord and what He has done for us.
“Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him” (Deuteronomy 6:13) was the command anciently as the remedy for not for-getting the Lord, and it still applies in our day. A recurring theme of the Book of Mormon, which was written to our day, is that we remember the Lord and His divine deliverance. Each week as we partake of the emblems of His body and blood, we witness afresh and covenant anew to “always remember him and keep his commandments” (D&C 20:77).
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
29. Deliverance and Redemption
A pastoral message written on Tuesday, May 30, 2000, as the bishopric message for the June 2000 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette. The same thought was also printed as “A Final Word” in the June 2000 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter. It was also posted on June 4, 2008, on the blogsite The Dawning of a Brighter Day.
When the Lord God brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of Egypt into the promised land, He reminded them that He was giving them cities which they had not built, houses full of good things they had not filled, wells they had not dug, and vineyards they had not planted (see Deuteronomy 6:10–11). Sort of like us today at the dawn of the 21st century.
“Beware,” He cautions them, “lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12).
“And thou shalt remember,” He says unto them later, “that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee” (Deuteronomy 15:15).
This pattern of remembrance runs throughout the scriptures: We are in bondage and the Lord delivers and redeems us. And we are to remember that deliverance and redemption.
Indeed, an important purpose of the scriptures is that “they have enlarged the memory of this people . . . and brought them to the knowledge of their God” (Alma 37:8).
We are enjoined in many places throughout the scriptures to remember the Lord our Redeemer and what He has done both for our fathers and for us. The word “remember,” in some form or another, appears 454 times in the scriptures.
The summer that spreads before us is strewn with opportunities to remember our past, to recall what the Lord has done for our fathers, to recount what blessings we enjoy at His hand.
This past Monday was Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember specifically those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom and more generally all loved ones who have passed on to the other side.
In another ten days is Flag Day, a chance to remember the symbol of our God-given freedoms, a chance to reflect on the opportunities and responsibilities of living in this “sweet land of liberty” (Hymns, 339), “the land of the free and the home of the brave” (Hymns, 340). The Lord Himself referred to it as “a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth” (Ether 1:42).
Three weeks later, on the Fourth of July, we celebrate the birthday of our country and remember again that the Lord has particular designs for the destiny of this nation. He declared, “And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I have raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80).
And finally, we celebrate Pioneer Day, a wonderful commemoration of the great migration of our forebears to these western valleys. We remember their sacrifices, their devotion, their faith as they fulfilled the ancient prophecy that “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1) as the Lord “set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people” (Isaiah 11:11; 2 Nephi 21:11).
Deliverance and redemption. May each of us remember. And may each of us declare, as did the Psalmist anciently, “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old” (Psalms 77:11).
When the Lord God brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of Egypt into the promised land, He reminded them that He was giving them cities which they had not built, houses full of good things they had not filled, wells they had not dug, and vineyards they had not planted (see Deuteronomy 6:10–11). Sort of like us today at the dawn of the 21st century.
“Beware,” He cautions them, “lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12).
“And thou shalt remember,” He says unto them later, “that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee” (Deuteronomy 15:15).
This pattern of remembrance runs throughout the scriptures: We are in bondage and the Lord delivers and redeems us. And we are to remember that deliverance and redemption.
Indeed, an important purpose of the scriptures is that “they have enlarged the memory of this people . . . and brought them to the knowledge of their God” (Alma 37:8).
We are enjoined in many places throughout the scriptures to remember the Lord our Redeemer and what He has done both for our fathers and for us. The word “remember,” in some form or another, appears 454 times in the scriptures.
The summer that spreads before us is strewn with opportunities to remember our past, to recall what the Lord has done for our fathers, to recount what blessings we enjoy at His hand.
This past Monday was Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember specifically those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom and more generally all loved ones who have passed on to the other side.
In another ten days is Flag Day, a chance to remember the symbol of our God-given freedoms, a chance to reflect on the opportunities and responsibilities of living in this “sweet land of liberty” (Hymns, 339), “the land of the free and the home of the brave” (Hymns, 340). The Lord Himself referred to it as “a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth” (Ether 1:42).
Three weeks later, on the Fourth of July, we celebrate the birthday of our country and remember again that the Lord has particular designs for the destiny of this nation. He declared, “And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I have raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80).
And finally, we celebrate Pioneer Day, a wonderful commemoration of the great migration of our forebears to these western valleys. We remember their sacrifices, their devotion, their faith as they fulfilled the ancient prophecy that “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1) as the Lord “set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people” (Isaiah 11:11; 2 Nephi 21:11).
Deliverance and redemption. May each of us remember. And may each of us declare, as did the Psalmist anciently, “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old” (Psalms 77:11).
Friday, April 18, 2008
24. That Ye May Not Remember Your Guilt
A bishopric message published in the February 1999 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette. On February 28, 1999, Kevin Thueson was released as my first counselor. Hyde Frederickson moved from second to first counselor, and Lionel Farr became the new second counselor.
A few weeks ago I had to go to LDS Hospital to have my esophagus dilated. I have had the procedure done a few other times over the years and was not looking forward to the unpleasant experience. Although partially sedated, I could not be put all the way out because I had to cooperate with the doctors during the procedure by swallowing the tube they stuck down my throat.
This time, however, they used a new type of sedative that actually made me forget the whole experience. Although I was apparently awake for the entire procedure, I remember absolutely nothing from when the medication went into my arm until I was being walked back to the recovery area. Pretty nice.
It occurred to me that there is one type of pain that is even more excruciating than physical pain and that is the pain that results from sin. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some way to induce amnesia to forget that type of misery? Fortunately, there is. It’s called repentance.
Notice what Nephi says about not remembering our sin at the day of judgment: “Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness” (2 Nephi 9:46).
The only way that happens is to repent of our sins before that great and dreadful day. That’s the only way to prepare our souls so that it will be a glorious day. Otherwise, we will remember our guilt most exquisitely.
If we do repent, however, the Lord promises that even He Who knows all things past, present, and future will forget our transgression: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). The choice is ours.
A few weeks ago I had to go to LDS Hospital to have my esophagus dilated. I have had the procedure done a few other times over the years and was not looking forward to the unpleasant experience. Although partially sedated, I could not be put all the way out because I had to cooperate with the doctors during the procedure by swallowing the tube they stuck down my throat.
This time, however, they used a new type of sedative that actually made me forget the whole experience. Although I was apparently awake for the entire procedure, I remember absolutely nothing from when the medication went into my arm until I was being walked back to the recovery area. Pretty nice.
It occurred to me that there is one type of pain that is even more excruciating than physical pain and that is the pain that results from sin. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some way to induce amnesia to forget that type of misery? Fortunately, there is. It’s called repentance.
Notice what Nephi says about not remembering our sin at the day of judgment: “Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness” (2 Nephi 9:46).
The only way that happens is to repent of our sins before that great and dreadful day. That’s the only way to prepare our souls so that it will be a glorious day. Otherwise, we will remember our guilt most exquisitely.
If we do repent, however, the Lord promises that even He Who knows all things past, present, and future will forget our transgression: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). The choice is ours.
21. All Things Bear Record
A bishopric message written on Monday and Tuesday, July 27–28, 1998, and published in the August 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
Summer is passing quickly—a little too quickly for those who enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures. And yet the passing of the seasons, as the earth makes its annual orbit about the sun, reminds us that “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
The Savior, in His premortal role as the Lord Jehovah, declared that “all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me” (Moses 6:63). That doesn’t leave much out.
“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ,” wrote the prophet Nephi, “and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him” (2 Nephi 11:4).
A later Nephi testified concurrently, “Ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true” (Helaman 8:24).
Recently we celebrated Pioneer Day. Those of us who have traveled to other parts of this great country or even to distant parts of the earth know that there is much of beauty and goodness and opportunity across the face of the earth. Yet, we are privileged to live in a peaceful, blessed area that was preserved by the hand of God for His peculiar purposes.
This desert area, in fulfillment of ancient prophecy, has blossomed as a rose. Among other things, that should remind us ever and always that we are the Lord’s covenant people, the sheep of His pasture. It should remind us that the Lord God Almighty has set His hand again to gather scattered Israel and bring them home. It should remind us that He keeps His promises, all of them, and that nothing will ever fail of all His goodness toward us if we keep the covenants we have made with Him.
May we “with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances” (D&C 59:15), always be found among “those who confess . . . his hand in all things, and obey . . . his commandments” (D&C 59:21).
Summer is passing quickly—a little too quickly for those who enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures. And yet the passing of the seasons, as the earth makes its annual orbit about the sun, reminds us that “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
The Savior, in His premortal role as the Lord Jehovah, declared that “all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me” (Moses 6:63). That doesn’t leave much out.
“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ,” wrote the prophet Nephi, “and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him” (2 Nephi 11:4).
A later Nephi testified concurrently, “Ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true” (Helaman 8:24).
Recently we celebrated Pioneer Day. Those of us who have traveled to other parts of this great country or even to distant parts of the earth know that there is much of beauty and goodness and opportunity across the face of the earth. Yet, we are privileged to live in a peaceful, blessed area that was preserved by the hand of God for His peculiar purposes.
This desert area, in fulfillment of ancient prophecy, has blossomed as a rose. Among other things, that should remind us ever and always that we are the Lord’s covenant people, the sheep of His pasture. It should remind us that the Lord God Almighty has set His hand again to gather scattered Israel and bring them home. It should remind us that He keeps His promises, all of them, and that nothing will ever fail of all His goodness toward us if we keep the covenants we have made with Him.
May we “with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances” (D&C 59:15), always be found among “those who confess . . . his hand in all things, and obey . . . his commandments” (D&C 59:21).
20. Springtime
A bishopric message written on Monday, April 27, 1998, and published in the May 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
Springtime. What a glorious time of year. A time of rebirth and renewal. A time of hope and promise. A time when the very earth bears record of Him who made it (see Moses 6:63; 2 Nephi 11:4 Alma 30:44; and Helaman 8:24).
Although in concert with the rest of the Christian world we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus at Christmas time, we believe from latter-day revelation that it really happened in the spring of the year, during that season when shepherds would be “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).
It was also in the spring of the year, at the season of Passover, when the Lamb of God worked out what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has called “the awful arithmetic of the atonement,” causing the Savior “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18) that He might take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses and the infirmities and the sins of His people (see Alma 7:11–13).
It was also on an early spring morning, the first day of the week, when faithful women arrived at an empty tomb to become the first witnesses of His glorious resurrection.
And it was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820 that the boy Joseph walked into a grove of trees near his New York farmhouse and, in answer to his humble prayer, saw the Father and the Son in that glorious vision that opened the dispensation of the fulness of times.
These and a score of other springtime events associated with the gospel of Jesus Christ—such as the restoration of the priesthood in May 1829 and the organization of the Church in April 1830—all remind us of “the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, [we] might be saved” (D&C 138:3–4).
May God bless us, as we enjoy this season called spring, to remember always these evidences of His love.
Springtime. What a glorious time of year. A time of rebirth and renewal. A time of hope and promise. A time when the very earth bears record of Him who made it (see Moses 6:63; 2 Nephi 11:4 Alma 30:44; and Helaman 8:24).
Although in concert with the rest of the Christian world we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus at Christmas time, we believe from latter-day revelation that it really happened in the spring of the year, during that season when shepherds would be “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).
It was also in the spring of the year, at the season of Passover, when the Lamb of God worked out what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has called “the awful arithmetic of the atonement,” causing the Savior “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18) that He might take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses and the infirmities and the sins of His people (see Alma 7:11–13).
It was also on an early spring morning, the first day of the week, when faithful women arrived at an empty tomb to become the first witnesses of His glorious resurrection.
And it was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820 that the boy Joseph walked into a grove of trees near his New York farmhouse and, in answer to his humble prayer, saw the Father and the Son in that glorious vision that opened the dispensation of the fulness of times.
These and a score of other springtime events associated with the gospel of Jesus Christ—such as the restoration of the priesthood in May 1829 and the organization of the Church in April 1830—all remind us of “the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, [we] might be saved” (D&C 138:3–4).
May God bless us, as we enjoy this season called spring, to remember always these evidences of His love.
17. Remembering the Past
A bishopric message written on Monday, June 23, 1997, for publication in the August 1997 issue of the Newsette, the monthly newsletter of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward. Some of our children, 18-year-old Anna, almost-16-year-old Camilla, and 14-year-old Eliza, represented our family June 11–14 in the stake Pioneer Trek referred to in the second paragraph. (Michael and Rebecca had participated in a similar trek experience six years earlier, when they were 17 and 16.) Our family visited the Wyoming handcart sites mentioned in the third paragraph in mid-July, just a week before the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first pioneer company into the Salt Lake Valley. And all of us participated in the 150 hours of service our ward donated on July 19 (my 48th birthday) at Bountiful Elementary School, paying back in very small measure for the twenty years the school has benefited the children of our family.
This sesquicentennial year has been a wonderful season of remembrance for us. We have been enriched, strengthened, and inspired by the examples of faith, courage, and perseverance of those who have gone before.
The youth who participated in the stake Pioneer Trek in early June had life-changing experiences that will, if they keep them in remembrance, forever alter the way they think about themselves, their families, their ancestors, and (most important of all) the long-suffering goodness and tender mercies of their God.
Others have had the privilege of standing on the desolate and windswept highlands of Wyoming—at places like Martin’s Cove and Devil’s Gate and Rocky Ridge, places that are hallowed because of what the Martin and Willie handcart companies experienced there in late 1856. Many gave their lives for the cause they had espoused, while the survivors in the hour of their extremity came to know their God.
Many of us also participated two weeks ago, in concert with fellow Saints across the face of the earth, in giving community service as a part of the worldwide Pioneer Heritage Service Day. In the words of the First Presidency, inviting us to this effort, “As modern-day beneficiaries of the sacrifices made by pioneers who have gone before, we [were able to] show our gratitude by unitedly rendering charitable service to others in our community.”
A common theme in all the Lord’s dealings with His people in every age of the world’s history has been the importance of remembering the past and, in particular, remembering Him and His doings.
• For example, from the beginning of time a book of remembrance was kept among those who called upon the name of the Lord (see Moses 6:4–5).
• The scriptures help enlarge the memory of the people (see Alma 37:8).
• From the days from Moses until the coming of Christ the children of Israel were to keep the Passover and the other revealed feasts as a two-way remembrance: The types and shadows and signs, the ordinances and commandments and performances were all designed to remind them, first, of their past deliverance from Egypt, and second, of their future deliverance at Gethsemane and Golgotha.
• In the meridian of time, at the hour of that promised deliverance, the Savior instituted the sacrament as a memorial—in remembrance of His body and His blood—to help us “always remember him” (D&C 20:77, 79).
• Alma posed challenging questions to the church in his day: “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?” (Alma 5:6).
• Helaman gave his sons the names of their ancestors, telling them “that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works” (Helaman 5:6).
And so in that same pattern of remembrance, stretching from the very beginning of recorded time, we in 1997 have been remembering our pioneer forebears.
“We have been reminded that ours is a great inheritance,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley at the April general conference. “The past is behind us. It is the future with which we must be concerned. We face great opportunities and great challenges. . . . We have nothing to fear and everything to gain. God is at the helm. We will seek His direction. We will listen to the still, small voice of revelation. And we will go forward as He directs” (Ensign, May 1997, 83).
Seventeen years ago—as we celebrated another sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of the organization of the Church—another prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, declared in similar fashion concerning the future, “One of the best ways to celebrate righteous history is to make more of it, make more righteous history!” (Ensign, May 1980, 4).
In a spirit of love and appreciation for all that you already do, that would be our invitation to each of you: Look to the future, go forward, and make even more righteous history.
This sesquicentennial year has been a wonderful season of remembrance for us. We have been enriched, strengthened, and inspired by the examples of faith, courage, and perseverance of those who have gone before.
The youth who participated in the stake Pioneer Trek in early June had life-changing experiences that will, if they keep them in remembrance, forever alter the way they think about themselves, their families, their ancestors, and (most important of all) the long-suffering goodness and tender mercies of their God.
Others have had the privilege of standing on the desolate and windswept highlands of Wyoming—at places like Martin’s Cove and Devil’s Gate and Rocky Ridge, places that are hallowed because of what the Martin and Willie handcart companies experienced there in late 1856. Many gave their lives for the cause they had espoused, while the survivors in the hour of their extremity came to know their God.
Many of us also participated two weeks ago, in concert with fellow Saints across the face of the earth, in giving community service as a part of the worldwide Pioneer Heritage Service Day. In the words of the First Presidency, inviting us to this effort, “As modern-day beneficiaries of the sacrifices made by pioneers who have gone before, we [were able to] show our gratitude by unitedly rendering charitable service to others in our community.”
A common theme in all the Lord’s dealings with His people in every age of the world’s history has been the importance of remembering the past and, in particular, remembering Him and His doings.
• For example, from the beginning of time a book of remembrance was kept among those who called upon the name of the Lord (see Moses 6:4–5).
• The scriptures help enlarge the memory of the people (see Alma 37:8).
• From the days from Moses until the coming of Christ the children of Israel were to keep the Passover and the other revealed feasts as a two-way remembrance: The types and shadows and signs, the ordinances and commandments and performances were all designed to remind them, first, of their past deliverance from Egypt, and second, of their future deliverance at Gethsemane and Golgotha.
• In the meridian of time, at the hour of that promised deliverance, the Savior instituted the sacrament as a memorial—in remembrance of His body and His blood—to help us “always remember him” (D&C 20:77, 79).
• Alma posed challenging questions to the church in his day: “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?” (Alma 5:6).
• Helaman gave his sons the names of their ancestors, telling them “that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works” (Helaman 5:6).
And so in that same pattern of remembrance, stretching from the very beginning of recorded time, we in 1997 have been remembering our pioneer forebears.
“We have been reminded that ours is a great inheritance,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley at the April general conference. “The past is behind us. It is the future with which we must be concerned. We face great opportunities and great challenges. . . . We have nothing to fear and everything to gain. God is at the helm. We will seek His direction. We will listen to the still, small voice of revelation. And we will go forward as He directs” (Ensign, May 1997, 83).
Seventeen years ago—as we celebrated another sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of the organization of the Church—another prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, declared in similar fashion concerning the future, “One of the best ways to celebrate righteous history is to make more of it, make more righteous history!” (Ensign, May 1980, 4).
In a spirit of love and appreciation for all that you already do, that would be our invitation to each of you: Look to the future, go forward, and make even more righteous history.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
15. Faith in Every Footstep
A bishopric message published in the February 1997 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette. The year 1997 was the sesquicentennial celebration of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the valley of the Great Salt Lake.
Throughout this year we have a marvelous opportunity to celebrate the pioneer sesquicentennial, which marks the 150th anniversary of the July 1847 arrival of the first pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. “Faith in Every Footstep” is the theme of the year-long celebration.
Reflecting that tens of thousands of those hardy pioneers walked virtually half-way across the continent to reach the Great Basin, the “Faith in Every Footstep” theme reminds us that the pioneering spirit is alive and well across the earth today as hundreds of thousands of new converts each year take the courageous steps necessary to leave the world behind—often at great sacrifice, sometimes alienating family and friends—by taking the name of Jesus Christ upon themselves in the waters of baptism.
Whether or not we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whether or not our own ancestors came across oceans and plains during that pioneer era, each of us here in our own little corner of Bountiful is blessed by the legacy of faith the pioneers left for us. Each of us is benefited by the great inland commonwealth they established here in the tops of the mountains for us now to enjoy.
One of my wife’s distant ancestors—in a letter written to his son nearly two hundred years ago, more than a decade before the restoration of the gospel—wrote an important admonition that every righteous parent would wish for his or her children and grandchildren: “See that you outstrip us in purity of heart and holiness of life.”
This admonition reflects the Apostle John’s sentiment: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).
What greater way could we honor our pioneer heritage than making sure that we walk in truth, with faith in every footstep, and that we outstrip those who have gone before in purity of heart and holiness of life?
Throughout this year we have a marvelous opportunity to celebrate the pioneer sesquicentennial, which marks the 150th anniversary of the July 1847 arrival of the first pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. “Faith in Every Footstep” is the theme of the year-long celebration.
Reflecting that tens of thousands of those hardy pioneers walked virtually half-way across the continent to reach the Great Basin, the “Faith in Every Footstep” theme reminds us that the pioneering spirit is alive and well across the earth today as hundreds of thousands of new converts each year take the courageous steps necessary to leave the world behind—often at great sacrifice, sometimes alienating family and friends—by taking the name of Jesus Christ upon themselves in the waters of baptism.
Whether or not we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whether or not our own ancestors came across oceans and plains during that pioneer era, each of us here in our own little corner of Bountiful is blessed by the legacy of faith the pioneers left for us. Each of us is benefited by the great inland commonwealth they established here in the tops of the mountains for us now to enjoy.
One of my wife’s distant ancestors—in a letter written to his son nearly two hundred years ago, more than a decade before the restoration of the gospel—wrote an important admonition that every righteous parent would wish for his or her children and grandchildren: “See that you outstrip us in purity of heart and holiness of life.”
This admonition reflects the Apostle John’s sentiment: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).
What greater way could we honor our pioneer heritage than making sure that we walk in truth, with faith in every footstep, and that we outstrip those who have gone before in purity of heart and holiness of life?
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