Church Educational System fireside address on May 5, 2002, from Mesa, Ariz., via satellite broadcast.

My dear young friends, it is an honor and a trust to have the assignment from the First Presidency to speak to you tonight. We are meeting with a wonderful group of young adults in Mesa, Arizona. The larger audience is convened in hundreds of stake centers and chapels throughout the United States and in other countries. We welcome all of you to this satellite fireside broadcast. We trust and pray that you will feel of the Spirit and that your hearts will be touched and your testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be strengthened.

Elder Earl C. Tingey

We have recently concluded the April general conference of the Church. I bear my humble testimony to you that we have living prophets on the earth today. I am privileged to associate with the fifteen men we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. I bear my testimony that the Lord directs the affairs of His people by revealing all that we need to know today to His ordained prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. I trust you have read, pondered, and prayed about the counsel received during this conference and have determined in your own heart to live a clean life, be effective in your service, and be a contributing member of this church.

Most of you are currently attending colleges or universities. Others of you are employed. Some of you are married. You and others of your age-group are in a pivotal time of your life. You are learning and gaining knowledge and experience. As you gain knowledge, are you also obtaining wisdom? There is a difference.

Have you ever asked yourself this question: Why am I a student at such and such university, seeking a higher education?

President Howard W. Hunter once answered that question in this way: "We will probably come to the conclusion that the primary [reason] is for social and economic reasons. We are compelled to admit that there is substantial economic gain resulting from education, but this is not its highest purpose."

President Hunter then quoted Elder David O. McKay, who said: "True education does not consist merely in the acquiring of a few facts of science, history, literature, or art, but in the development of character."

President Hunter then continued: "At the end of your lives you will not be judged by academic successes, the degrees or diplomas earned, the positions held, the material wealth acquired, or power and prestige, but rather on the basis of what you have become as persons and what you are in conduct and character. Yours is the power individually to transform yourselves into the persons you want to be."¹

With this challenge in mind, I would like to talk to you about several matters that, if you adopt, will greatly benefit you throughout your life. Many years ago I learned that there are some decisions that we need make only once. Having made the decision, we no longer need to wonder how we will act in that particular situation in the future. We have already made that decision. Decisions develop habits or patterns. The word patterns best describes the counsel I would now like to give you. It is important that you know, at your age and experience in life, how to establish patterns that lead to eternal happiness.

The dictionary defines a pattern as "a form or model proposed for imitation."² This word might be familiar to some of you who have used a pattern as a model for making a new dress or a model airplane. The word pattern can also mean to match or imitate or follow a prescribed route or format.

The Lord used the word pattern in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831. This is found in section 52 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

"And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations."³

At the time this revelation was given, the Church was barely one year old, and there were certain manifestations of false and deceiving spirits being exhibited in the early Church. Accordingly, the Lord gave clear instructions in this section that there is an established pattern that all procedures, ordinances, and activities should follow.

Do you remember the counsel the Lord gave the prophet Isaiah:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."⁴

Our challenge in life is to know, understand, and follow the Lord's way. He is all-knowing; we are still learning. He has already established proven patterns that, if followed, will help us qualify for eternal life.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "God dwells in eternity, and does not view things as we do."⁵

If we can begin to view things as our Heavenly Father views things—and this comes about by studying the scriptures, following the prophets, and receiving personal revelation—we may avoid some of the calamities and misfortune that may come into our lives.

As you know, the Lord has established "a pattern in all things" in the creation of the earth and the heavens. He created things spiritually before they were physically upon the earth.

Perhaps the greatest of all the patterns is the Atonement. The law of Moses was given in anticipation of the forthcoming mission of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The law of Moses established the patterns that prepared the people for the mission of Jesus Christ.

With this doctrinal foundation and scriptural background, let us examine several divine patterns the Lord desires us to follow. There will be six of them.

1. Moral Purity

Be clean. Maintain your moral purity. For over a decade the First Presidency has encouraged the youth of the Church to follow the precepts of a wonderful little pamphlet entitled For the Strength of Youth. It was recently expanded and is published in booklet form.

This booklet contains standards that will keep your minds and your bodies clean from the sins of the world. You will remember that some of the topics include dress and appearance, entertainment and the media, music and dancing, language, sexual purity, honesty, and Sabbath day observance.

While this booklet is directed toward the youth, it would be well for each of you as young adults to continue to follow the outstanding instructions and counsel given in this little booklet.

Let me relate a personal experience I had more than ten years ago with the earlier edition of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet.

Sister Tingey and I were living in Africa at the time. I was sent to a little country by the name of Burundi in east-central Africa. We had several faithful families who had been holding church services in their homes, and they desired to have missionaries assigned to help them.

Whenever the Church enters a new country, we go through the front door. Consequently, I was sent to meet with government officials to seek official recognition of the Church so that we might establish the Church in that beautiful country.

I met with a very fine Christian gentleman who represented the government. He spoke French, but we communicated quite well. I explained to him who we were, what we taught, and how establishing our Church in his country would bless the lives of the people. I thought I had done a pretty good job in making the presentation. When I finished, he said, "I do not see how anything you have told me is any different from what we already have, and I see no reason why we should grant permission for your church to come to our country."

I was devastated. My meeting was almost over, and in a moment I would be ushered out of his office and would have no further opportunity to seek recognition for the Church. I prayed secretly in my heart for something to say. In an instant a thought came to my mind. I reached into my wallet, opened it, and pulled out this little copy of the For the Strength of Youth booklet, which I have always carried. In the remaining moments of our visit I quickly shared with him how each of the young people in our Church had a copy of this little pamphlet. And I read some of the topics and explained that we teach our young people these patterns.

He said, "You mean you expect the young people of your Church to keep the standards you have read to me from this pamphlet?"

I said, "Yes, and they do."

He said, "That is amazing. Would you be kind enough to send me several hundred copies of that pamphlet so I might distribute them to the youth of my church?"

I said, "I would be honored to do so."

I then returned to Johannesburg, and I sent about five hundred copies of the bigger pamphlets in French and English. A month or so later we received official recognition from the government of Burundi, authorizing our Church to come and be established in that country.

I do not know the significance of my participation in that event, but I definitely know that the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, which we often take for granted, was quickly recognized by this good man as something of great value and was likely instrumental in our securing official recognition.

I would like to counsel each of you to obtain your own personal copy of this booklet (it comes in the large and in the small sizes) and follow the precepts and standards outlined in it to enjoy the blessings promised by the First Presidency. Now, let me just read to you the promise of the First Presidency in the booklet:

"Our beloved young men and women, we have great confidence in you. You are choice spirits who have come forth in this day when the responsibilities and opportunities, as well as the temptations, are the greatest. You are at the beginning of your journey through this mortal life. Your Heavenly Father wants your life to be joyful and to lead you back into His presence. The decisions you make now will determine much of what will follow during your life and throughout eternity.

"Because the Lord loves you, He has given you commandments and the words of prophets to guide you on your journey. Some of the most important guidelines for your life are found in this pamphlet. We testify that these principles are true.

"We promise that as you keep these standards and live by the truths in the scriptures, you will be able to do your life's work with greater wisdom and skill and bear trials with greater courage. You will have the help of the Holy Ghost. You will feel good about yourself and will be a positive influence in the lives of others. You will be worthy to go to the temple to receive holy ordinances. These blessings and many more can be yours.

"We pray for each of you. May you keep your minds and bodies clean from the sins of the world so you can do the great work that lies before you. We pray that you will be worthy to carry on the responsibilities of building the kingdom of God and preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Savior."⁶

2. Sabbath Day

Keep the Sabbath day holy. Most of you are in school. Many of you are married and establishing your families. Now is the time to put in place a pattern that will become your pattern for the rest of  your life with respect to observance of the Sabbath  day.

The original pattern of the Sabbath day, given to the prophet Moses, was clearly established by the Lord. You remember the scripture:

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."⁷

The Lord repeated this counsel in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith in these days:

"And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

"For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

"Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

"But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord."⁸

In today's world, with the heavy emphasis on commercialism, it is very hard to distinguish Sunday from any other day of the week. If you are not careful, you will find that quietly and silently you begin to violate the sacred Sabbath and soon establish your own pattern—which will not be the Lord's pattern—and, over time, will be difficult to break.

This imperceptible change is like the old story of the frog being placed in hot water, and it immediately jumps out, saving its life. But when it is placed in cold water, which, over time, is heated to the boiling point, the frog does not notice the change, does not jump out, and hence finally loses its life. The accumulation of little violations of the Sabbath can soon lead us to complete disregard for the Sabbath.

Certainly we should not shop on Sunday. I was with President Hinckley a few years ago and this is the counsel he gave to priesthood leaders:

"There isn't anyone in this Church who has to buy furniture on Sunday; there really isn't. There isn't anyone in this Church who has to buy a new automobile on Sunday, is there? No. There isn't anyone in this Church who, with a little care and planning, has to buy groceries on Sunday. No. We all have refrigerators. A quart of milk will hold, insofar as the bacteria go, from Saturday until Monday. There is no question about that. You don't need ice cream to be bought on Sunday. You don't need to buy groceries on Sunday, brethren. You don't need to make Sunday a day of merchandising. I don't think we need to patronize the ordinary business merchants on the Sabbath day. Why do they stay open? To get customers. Who are those customers? Well, they are not all nonmembers of the Church. You know that and I know that."⁹

Another aspect of keeping the Sabbath day holy is the matter of studying on the Sabbath day. You might consider what will become your standard and what it should be in this regard. I speak from experience, having attended three universities, which included three years in law school and an advanced master's degree in corporate law. During part of that time I served as a bishop and worked in New York City at a law firm on Wall Street. I had every temptation and opportunity to study on the Sabbath day. I made it a simple matter of faith and principle that I would take the Lord at His word and avoid, at all costs, studying on Sunday. I feel that the Lord honored my commitment. I was able to complete all that I attempted educationally, and I excelled where I needed to excel. I followed the counsel of President Spencer W. Kimball, who said:

"I hope students will use the Sabbath for studying only as an emergency. . . . I believe that generally, with careful organization of time through the week, most studying can be done on weekdays, leaving the Sabbath for worship. . . . There might be times when one would feel forced to study, when he might feel that it was an ox in the mire. I am expressing only my personal opinions on this matter, but since we are talking to students, it would be my hope that your studying could be done in the season thereof and not as a cramming process just before you go on Monday mornings."¹⁰

The Sabbath day can become a wonderful day to do good. You can attend your meetings, partake of the sacrament, fast, study the gospel, visit those in need, write missionaries, read good books, and take time to contemplate and ponder and analyze where you are going and what you are making of your life.

Remember, our observance of the Sabbath day, which is the first day of the week, is "patterned" on the practice of the early Apostles, who commenced meeting on Sunday, rather than Saturday, in commemoration of Christ's coming forth from the grave on Sunday morning.

Elder Mark E. Petersen taught: "Our observance or nonobservance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us."¹¹

3. Tithes and Offerings

Pay your tithes and offerings. I spoke on this subject at the recent general conference and shall not dwell too long on it.¹² But I believe it is important that each of you establish a pattern whereby you take one-tenth of your increase, which by interpretation is "income," and pay it as a tithing to your bishop. You should also attend tithing settlement so that a clear record of your offering is written in the official records of the Church.

Many of you have very little income while you are students. Others of you are beginning to earn a significant income. Paying several hundreds or thousands of dollars in tithing from an income of thousands is, for many of you, a quantum jump from paying a few dollars from the $10-$20 you earned as a youth or possibly as a student. In either case, it requires great faith to pay your tithing. I bear humble witness that establishing this pattern now will bless your life. You cannot possibly contemplate what good will come to you eternally as a result.

Many of you have not established the pattern or habit of paying fast offerings. Many of you had parents who paid fast offerings as you were growing up. As you become a "family" or a "household," you should develop the pattern of paying an honest fast offering so the bishop can properly attend to the poor and needy of the Church.

4. Church Service

Serve in the Church whenever you are called. One of the great patterns of this Church is the pattern of lay leadership, where every person has a calling in the Church. President Hinckley has identified "having a calling" as one of the essential ingredients to retaining newly baptized members active.

In a recent article in U.S. News and World Report, in which the magazine discussed the topic "How a Utah-based church became the world's fastest-growing religion," President Hinckley made the following statement: "We have a demanding religion, and that's one of the things that attracts people to this church."¹³

My counsel would be that each of you, whether in school or in a local ward, accept whatever callings come to you—and serve well. You young men who have not yet served a mission should make that a priority. Prepare yourselves in all respects to be worthy to be called to serve as a missionary, should a call come. Those of you who have served a mission and are now home should continue the same pattern of service you had as a missionary so you can continue to bless the lives of members of the Church wherever you live.

I would like to share with you another personal experience that I have only shared once or twice with audiences. It is so sacred that, while it is a part of the heritage of my family, it is something I simply have not shared with many people, certainly not to an audience of this size. But it gives testimony to the principle of serving in the Church.

Following my graduation from law school and after my wife and I were married, I had a military commitment of three years. My wife and I left the Salt Lake City area and eventually ended up at a large military installation in New York City. Near the end of my three-year military obligation, as we were preparing to return to Salt Lake City to establish a practice of law, I was called as the bishop of the Manhattan Ward in New York City.

At that time we had three of our four children. It was a completely unexpected and faith-testing call. I would have to take the New York bar exam in order to practice law in the state of New York. Fortunately, I was successful in doing that. We would have to move our children into a very congested New York City environment, which was a type of living that was very foreign to us.

Nevertheless, having been counseled all our lives to accept Church callings and feeling that I should accept this one, I accepted the call and became the bishop of a large ward of approximately a thousand members.

After serving as bishop for nearly seven years I was extremely worried and concerned because we had now been married for ten years, we had a family of four children, and we were still living in a rented apartment. We had not yet begun to purchase a home and had no equity in a home. Most of my peers were well established in their homes at that time.

In counsel with the stake president, we expressed the feeling that with our growing family we were contemplating a move from the city to a suburb, where we could more adequately care for our children. Considering the seven years I had served as the bishop, the stake president was kind and supportive of that desire.

The small two-bedroom apartment we were living in was in a large multistory building in downtown New York City. At that time, and pursuant to New York law, that building was converted from an apartment building to a "co-op" building, which meant that the apartments became the equivalent of condominiums, as you would know them. The law provided that any occupant of an apartment (now "co-op") could purchase the co-op apartment at less-than-market value and resell it at market value.

With the savings we had accumulated over the years, we purchased our "co-op" apartment and resold it. The profit on the sale was nearly equal to our monthly rental payments on the apartment for the seven years we had lived there. As I discovered that fact, I remembered my concern about not having developed equity in a home during that long period of time. I realized that I could not have done a better job of managing my monies than the Lord had done. Our faithful service during those seven years was rewarded in a way that we could not have envisioned. Our monthly rental payments for seven years had been preserved as equity, and that amount of money allowed us to purchase a beautiful home in nearby Connecticut, one of the suburbs of New York City.

I offer this faith-promoting testimony to you not to draw attention to our circumstances, but to help you realize that the Lord knows you and He knows of your faithful service in the Church. Go forward with faith. Serve wherever you live—whether it is in areas where the Church is mature or in the outlying areas where the Church is small. Serve with enthusiasm, and the Lord will bless your efforts.

One other thought about Church service. I have long since realized that of all the training that has led to what I would consider my success in life, that I have had greater leadership training from Church service than from professional employment. That is a wonderful by-product of faithful Church service.

5. Education and Preparation for the  Future

I believe the Lord expects you to excel in your education and to get good grades. It is one thing to be in a good university but another to have good grades. When you graduate and move into employment in your chosen profession, your opportunities will be based, to a great extent, on your grades and your ability to work.

It is easy, on occasion, when you're completely surrounded and engrossed in the busyness of college life, to lose sight of the fact that you are in school to get a quality education. The social aspects of a university are important, but be careful that they do not overshadow the key purposes of your being there, and that is to secure a good education.

Be careful that you don't waste your money and the money of others who are assisting you to go to school. Be serious. Study hard and learn the material in the classes you are taking. We often say that we wouldn't go for surgery to a medical doctor who had flunked his surgery classes. We must become proficient in our chosen field of our education.

There is one other aspect of your lives that borders on education but, in a real sense, looks forward to other possible aspects of your life. We live in a world that is quite uncertain at this time. There are not just "rumors of war," there is war. The events of September 11 have forever changed our lives, and we will likely never be the same. I remember as a youth 7 December 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed Sunday morning. I remember how all of the men in my community entered military service. That event changed our lives forever.

I do not attempt to know the future; however, I feel that we should be prepared for whatever future lies before us. When I served my mission in the early 1950s, we were at the end of the Korean War and the Vietnam War was to follow. During my mission I had to report to my draft board every six months for permission to remain on my mission. When I returned home I was subject to the draft within days but was able to finish my schooling. I later served for three years as an officer in the U.S. Army. Most of my friends served in the military at that time.

It is not unlikely that conditions in this world of ours will require some of you to serve in the military. Should that come, it would be my counsel that you be fully prepared and that you have a firm, solid foundation of gospel understanding and living so that you can meet this challenge. The patterns you now establish will greatly aid you in the event that military service becomes part of your future.

6. Celestial Marriage

Develop a pattern that will lead you to accept the responsibilities of celestial marriage. The most important pattern you can establish in your life at this age is a pattern that will lead to celestial marriage.

There is some concern among the Brethren that some of you who are still single may not be moving in the direction of preparing yourselves to seek out and commit to an eternal companion. This applies both to young men and to young women. The greater burden, however, rests upon the young men because in our society it is a responsibility of young men to initiate activities that lead to courtship and to marriage.

The doctrine of the Church is very clear and it anticipates that individuals will be married in the temple and rear a righteous family as guided by the inspired document we call "The Proclamation on the Family." Let me briefly share with you several key scriptures or doctrines. In the Old Testament and in the Pearl of Great Price, we read that the Lord said, "It is not good that the man should be alone."¹⁴

When Eve was given to Adam, it was for eternity. There was no death in the world at that time.¹⁵ The doctrine of celestial marriage is very clear. Listen to the following inspired scriptures from the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants:

"For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory. . . .

"Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.

"Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

"For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever."¹⁶

"In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;

"And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];

"And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.

"He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase."¹⁷

Speaking of the obligation of men to marry, President Joseph Fielding Smith taught as follows:

"Any young man who carelessly neglects this great commandment to marry, or who does not marry because of a selfish desire to avoid the responsibilities which married life will bring, is taking a course which is displeasing in the sight of God. Exaltation means responsibility. There can be no exaltation without it.

"If a man refuses to take upon himself the responsibilities of married life, because he desires to avoid the cares and troubles which naturally will follow, he is taking a course which may bar him forever from the responsibilities which are held in reserve for those who are willing to keep in full the commandments of the Lord. . . .

"According to modern custom, it is the place of the man to take the initiative in the matter of a marriage contract. Women are, by force of such custom, kept in reserve. . . . The responsibility . . . rests upon the man."

President Smith continued with the following advice to young women:

"If in her heart the young woman accepts fully the word of the Lord, and under proper conditions would abide by the law, but refuses an offer when she fully believes that the conditions would not justify her in entering a marriage contract, which would bind her forever to one she does not love, she shall not lose her reward. The Lord will judge her by the desires of the heart, and the day will come when the blessings withheld shall be given, though it be postponed until the life to come."¹⁸

Now young people, it is important that you establish a pattern whereby you are open and willing to move forward into this wonderful association of husband and wife and that you be sealed in an eternal relationship that we call eternal marriage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I bear you my testimony of the importance of establishing patterns in your life that will lead to eternal happiness.

1) Be clean; follow the precepts of the For the Strength of Youth booklet. 2) Keep the Sabbath day holy. 3) Appreciate the blessings that come as you pay your tithes and offerings. 4) Serve faithfully in the Church. 5) Excel in your education and prepare yourself for the future. And 6) Develop a pattern that will lead you to accept the responsibilities of celestial marriage.

Your generation holds great promise for the future of the Church. We believe in you. We know you have many challenges. But we know you can successfully overcome these challenges. Keep close to the Spirit. Be worthy and receptive to receiving personal inspiration. A great trust rests on your shoulders. You must be willing to move forward, in faith, so that the eternal purposes of the Lord can be carried out throughout the world. We know you can do it.

I pray that our Heavenly Father will continue to bless you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes:

1. The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams (1997),  176-77.

2. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. [1993], "pattern," 853.

3. Doctrine and Covenants 52:14.

4. Isaiah 55:8-9.

5. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1979), 356.

6. For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God (2001), 2-3.

7. Exodus 20:8-11.

8. Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-12.

9. Unpublished address at Heber City/Springville regional conference priesthood leadership meeting, May 1995.

10. The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball (1982),  229.

11. In Conference Report, Apr. 1975, 72; or Ensign, May 1975, 49.

12. See "The Law of Tithing," Ensign, May 2002, 10-12; or Conference Report, Apr. 2002.

13. "The Mormon Moment," 13 Nov. 2000,  60.

14. Genesis 2:18; Moses 3:18.

15. See Nephi 2:22-25.

16. Doctrine and Covenants 132:4, 15-17.

17. Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4.

18. Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. (1954-56), 2:74, 76-77.

Text © 2002 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved