Elder David A. Bednar
© 1999 by
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“. . . YOUR WHOLE
SOULS AS AN OFFERING UNTO HIM . . .” Omni
In the year and a half that I have been serving as the president of
I have noted that many, if not most, of our devotional speakers at
Today in my remarks I am going to pay you the ultimate compliment. I
will not spend much time telling you about who you are; rather, I am going to
treat you like who you are. Because I love and trust you, I will strive
to be direct without being overbearing. One of my primary objectives
this afternoon is to cause you to think deeply and seriously about an
important topic. I ask for both your attention and prayers as I speak,
and I invite the Spirit of the Holy Ghost to be with us during this time
together.
Today I want to discuss the relationship between the doctrine of Christ and
your academic work at
The following statement by Elder Richard L. Evans, a member of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles from 1953 to 1971, sets the stage for my message
today.
You know, it is a wonderful thing to be faithful, but a much greater thing to
be both faithful and competent. There is no particular virtue in being
uninformed, certainly no virtue in ignorance. When young people can
acquire the skills, the techniques, and the knowledge of these times, and
along with it have a spiritual commitment and a solid faith and cleanliness
of life, there is nothing that you can’t achieve; nothing in righteousness or
in reason. (From an address given to the young people at the Northwest
Inland Division Gathered for Zion’s Camp, October 15, 1971)
As students, I fear we may sometimes falsely separate spiritual development
and progress (what I will refer to today as faithfulness) from
academic discipline and competence (what I will refer to today as diligence).
Some students may even naively believe that irregular class attendance or a
lesser level of academic performance is understandable and perhaps even
My purpose today is to admonish you to use your academic opportunities to the
fullest and to avoid at all costs the academic path of least
resistance. Specifically, I challenge you as a student at
Please understand that when I use words such as “diligent” and
“competent” I am not simply talking about performing well on
tests and receiving good grades. A student can memorize wonderfully and
perform well on exams and ultimately know very little or nothing at all. The
academic path of least resistance to which I refer can be described in a
number of ways. It is characterized by questions and statements such as
these:
It is also characterized by a student who, during registration last semester,
considered taking a rigorous and challenging course that promised both hard
work and significant learning. The student’s response
to the demands of the class reveal a real poverty of perspective and
is summarized in the following actual comment: “Are the tests really
hard? I have a 3.9 thus far in my college career, and I will not take
any class that might jeopardize my
My dear brothers and sisters, your college experience is not merely a game to
be played with the ultimate winner determined by test scores and GPA.
College is not just an experience to endure and “get through” with the
false expectation that somehow, someway we will magically be different on the
day we graduate. Rather, a college experience is a period of
development in one’s life to be prized and prospered. Indeed, simply
settling for “getting
Today as I refer to “diligence” and “competence” I am talking
about conscientiously and consistently and constantly learning how to
learn. I am talking about preparing your mind for the important and
weighty responsibilities that shortly will come to you, and for which
you
The
mission of 1.
Build testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage living
its principles. 2.
Provide a quality education for students of diverse interests and
abilities. 3.
Prepare students for further education and employment,
and for their roles as citizens and parents. 4.
Maintain a wholesome academic, cultural, social and spiritual
environment.
Please note that the first element of the mission statement, building
testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, relates to the faithfulness
Elder Evans described. The second and third elements of the statement,
which focus upon providing a quality education and preparing students for
future responsibilities, relate to the competence he
described. And the fourth element of the statement relates to the type
of environment in which both faithfulness and competence
can be cultivated.
A disciplined and educated mind is a tool for reasoning and inquiring and
evaluating and discerning. These abilities are not merely the
requirements described in a course syllabus; rather, they are essential
skills for a spiritual, happy, and productive life. More importantly,
the combination of spiritual strength and mental capacity provides the means
whereby we can
The men whom we sustain today as prophets, seers, and revelators are
marvelous examples of both faithfulness and competence. Before his call
to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Russell M. Nelson was a world
renowned heart surgeon. Elder Dallin H. Oaks
was a respected lawyer, judge, and constitutional scholar. And Elder
Richard G. Scott was a highly skilled engineer who played a key role in the
development of the nuclear navy. The faith and diligence of these great men
helped them become powerful servants and special witnesses of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
In the scriptures, the words faith and diligence are used together in the
same verse twelve times. In 1 Nephi
Now please turn with me to section four in the Doctrine and Covenants.
I want to draw your attention to verse two: “Therefore, O ye that
embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart,
might, mind, and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last
day.”
Now, typically we would interpret heart, might, mind, and strength
as four separate but interrelated factors that are required in the service of
God. May I suggest an additional interpretation? Please consider
the word “might” as descriptive of the “heart.”
In other words, a mighty heart is required for serving
God. Now also consider that the word “strength” as
descriptive of the “mind.” Therefore, to effectively
serve God we also must have a strong mind.
Perhaps, then, another way of interpreting this verse is as follows: O
ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with a mighty
heart, and with a strong mind, that ye may stand blameless before God at the
last day.
Let me emphasize once again, as I talk about “diligence” and “competence,”
I am not suggesting that one must be a Rhodes Scholar, or a straight A
student, or an apostle. Rather, diligence implies a tenacious
persistence about, an engagement in, and a love for the process of
learning.
Brothers and sisters, each of you has a responsibility to yourself
to become a diligent student as a means of personal preparation for the
challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead.
You have a responsibility to your family to become a diligent student as an
expression of your appreciation for and gratitude to them. And most importantly, you have a
responsibility to the Savior and His church to become a diligent student
because of the covenants you already have made or will yet make— particularly
the covenants of sacrifice and consecration.
I now want to relate the responsibility that you and I
have to be diligent in developing strong minds to the principles of sacrifice
and consecration. Let me briefly describe each of these
principles. The
word sacrifice means “to offer or surrender something valuable or
precious.” The Prophet Joseph Smith provides the most clear and concise
explanation of the importance of the law of sacrifice in the Lectures on
Faith:
For a man to lay down his all, his character and reputation, his honor, and
applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and
sisters, his wife and children, and even his own life also—counting all things
but filth and dross for the excellency of the
knowledge of Jesus Christ—requires more than mere belief or supposition that
he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge, realizing that, when those
sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest, and be a partaker of
the glory of God.
Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of
all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto
life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary
unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the
sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and
this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it
is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do
actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the
sight of God. (Lectures on Faith, Lecture 6, pg. 57-58)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie has taught that sacrifice
pertains only to mortality. In the eternal sense, there is really no
such thing as sacrifice.
Sacrifice involves giving up the things of this world because of the promises
of blessings to be gained in a better world. In the eternal perspective
there is no sacrifice in giving up all things—even including the laying down
of one's life—if eternal life is gained through such a course. (Mormon
Doctrine, pg. 664)
In summary then, the principle of sacrifice requires us to willingly offer
anything and everything that we possess for the sake of the gospel of the
Savior—including our character and reputation; our honor and applause; our
good name among men; our houses, our lands, and even our families; all
things, including our very lives if need be.
Our pledge is: I will give all that I possess, and I am willing to die,
if need be, for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sacrifice is motivated by faith and hope and produces increased commitment
and a desire to obey.
President Spencer W. Kimball vividly describes how he, as a very young boy,
began to learn about the principle of sacrifice.
When I was a little boy about four years old, my father had gone to work on
Monday morning and my mother took my brothers and sisters and myself to see the bishop. (You see, my mother had
eleven children.) There were about four or five that were not in
school, so Monday morning we started out on the road with two buckets of
eggs. I was like many other little boys, I could ask
many questions, and I said: "Where are we going, Ma?"
and she said, "We are going to the bishop's," and I said, "Why
are we going to the bishop's?" "These are tithing eggs," she
said. Then I said, "Ma, what is tithing?" And then she
explained, "Every time we take ten eggs out of the nest, we put one in a
special bucket. The other nine we take to the store to buy clothes and
food with and so these eggs in this special bucket keep increasing until we
have a bucket full. And then every week we take them to the bishop and he gives
us a receipt showing that we have paid our tithing."
Then, when I was a little bigger boy, I used to put up hay. I would
drive the horses that were hitched to the wagon and tramp the hay down and my
older brothers pitched it on the wagon, and when we had gone to the field in
the morning, my father would say, "Now, boys, this is the tenth load
this morning. This belongs to the Lord. You go up into the upper part
where the hay is the best and get a big load and then take it over to the big
barn in which the bishop keeps the Church hay." In that way I
learned how to pay tithing, so it isn't hard for me to obey this law. (The
Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 341)
We are all familiar with many other stories about farmers who offered their best
grain, best produce, or finest animals to the bishop as their tithing. And
only their best was good enough for the Lord.
Tithing is but one application of the principle of sacrifice. Today, we
do not typically pay our tithing with such donations-in-kind. Rather,
we readily use our cash to pay our tithes and offerings. And most of us
would willingly and gladly offer up anything that was required of us,
including our snowboards, golf clubs, CD players, and our year’s supply of
Ramen noodles.
Consecration
is related to but different from sacrifice. The word
consecrate means to develop and “dedicate to a sacred purpose.”
Sacrifice is what I will offer, surrender, yield, or give up.
Consecration, on the other hand, is to fully develop and dedicate to a sacred
purpose.
Please listen to the following description of the principle of consecration
provided by President Ezra Taft Benson: “We covenant to live the law of
consecration. This law is that we consecrate our time, talents,
strength, property, and money for the upbuilding of
the
As we live the law of consecration, we are willing not only to offer anything
and everything we possess for the sake of the gospel, but we also promise to
develop and devote our best selves—our time, talents, and strength—to the
building of the kingdom of God on the earth.
Our pledge is: I will give me and all that I can become, and I will
live for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The principle of sacrifice is a lesser law preparation for the principle of
consecration. Consecration includes and encompasses sacrifice and much
more. We are not only willing to offer up our possessions, but we will
become the best we can be and assist however possible in building the kingdom
in righteous ways.
We will not only die for the gospel, but we will develop ourselves and live
for the gospel.
True consecration is motivated by charity and produces an increased desire to
serve.
The best application of the principle of consecration that I can think of,
being developed and dedicated to a sacred purpose, is motherhood. Over
the past 24 years I have watched my wife, a very talented, capable, and
competent woman, as she has developed and dedicated herself to the holy
purposes of our home. Some would say she has sacrificed or given up
much to become the heart of our home and to rear and nurture our
children. She has not given up anything; rather, she has been dedicated
and consecrated to a holy purpose. She has developed herself and
applied those skills as God has directed in the most important undertaking of
a lifetime, which is the rearing and nurturing of children.
May
I suggest, brothers and sisters, that in these latter days much more is required of us as children of the covenant than our
money and substance. As the Church spreads throughout the world in a
rapidly changing and complex information age, may I suggest that we must
consecrate unto the Lord both a faithful heart and a strong mind—a
mind capable of learning and instruction and discipline and receiving
revelation. And only our best is good
In my devotional address last year at the beginning of the fall semester, I
indicated that attending
Please turn with me in the Book of Mormon to Omni 1:26.
And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is
the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his
redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an
offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the
end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.
As a student at Ricks College, you have been provided with a stewardship
opportunity and responsibility to develop a mighty heart and a strong mind—to
become both faithful and competent as Elder Evans described—in preparation
for that day when you can offer your whole souls unto Him.
President Marion G. Romney has taught:
Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the
prerequisite to service, when we also know service is what Godhood is all
about? Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires
to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the
hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot
come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from
the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned.
And most important of all, spiritual guidance
cannot come from the spiritually weak. (Conference Report,
October 1982, pg. 135)
My dear young brothers and sisters, what will you and I be
prepared to offer unto God? Will you and I offer a mighty heart and strong
mind, indeed, our whole soul, unto God? Please consider that during your time
at
As I began my remarks today, I told you I would talk to you and treat you
like who you are. Indeed you are a special generation. You live
upon the earth at a remarkable and challenging time. And you must
remember that “. . . of him unto whom much is given much is required”
(D&C 82:3). Now is a season of preparation in your life.
Please use your time at
Remember the promise of Elder Evans:
When young people can acquire the skills, the techniques, and the knowledge
of these times, and along with it have a spiritual commitment and a solid
faith and cleanliness of life, there is nothing that you can’t achieve;
nothing in righteousness or in reason. (From an address given to the
young people at the Northwest Inland Division Gathered for Zion’s Camp,
October 15, 1971)
I testify that God lives. I witness that Jesus is the Christ and the
Redeemer of the world. And I know that the fullness of the gospel was
restored to the earth in these latter days through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Indeed there are living apostles and prophets on the earth today. The
Savior directs the affairs of His church through a living prophet, even
Gordon B. Hinckley. Of these things I testify and declare my witness,
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. |