- Put Savior first in life

- Remember Him through prayer, scripture study- Keep His commandments

The sacramental prayer can remind Church members every week of how the gift of unity will come through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, said Elder Henry B. Eyring.

"When we keep our covenants to take His name upon us, to remember Him always, and to keep all His commandments, we will receive the companionship of His Spirit," Elder Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve said Sunday morning. "That will soften our hearts and unite us."

But, he said, there are two warnings that must come with that promise.

"First, the Holy Ghost remains with us only if we stay clean and free from the love of the things of the world. A choice to be unclean will repel the Holy Ghost."

The other warning, he added, is to beware of pride. "A unity which comes to a family or to a people softened by the Spirit will bring great power. With that power will come recognition from the world. Whether that recognition brings praise or envy, it could lead us to pride. That could offend the Spirit."

As Elder Eyring began his address, he noted that the Savior said to those who would be part of His Church: "Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." (D&C 38:27)

"Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together," he said. "That union in love is not simply an ideal. It is a necessity."

Elder Eyring said that all Church members have felt something of both union and separation. "We don't need to be told which we should choose. We know. But we need hope that we can experience unity in this life and qualify to have it forever in the world to come."

Elder Eyring said the Savior's Atonement makes it possible for members to be sanctified - then they can live in unity.

The Holy Ghost, he explained, is a sanctifier. "Where people have that Spirit with them, we may expect harmony. The Spirit puts the testimony of truth in our hearts which unifies those who share that testimony."

Elder Eyring said even children can understand what to do to have the Holy Ghost as a companion - the sacramental prayer tells them so. "We hear it every week when we attend our sacrament meeting," he said. "In those sacred moments we renew the covenants we made at baptism."

First, he said, Church members promise to take His name upon them. "That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives."

Second, Elder Eyring said Church members promise always to remember Him. "We do that every time we pray in His name. . . . We also keep our promise to remember Him when as families we pray together and when we read the scriptures."

Third, Church members promise, as they take the sacrament, to keep His commandments. "We simply submit to the authority of the Savior and promise to be obedient to whatever He commands.