Trust in the Lord and serve faithfully
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LOGAN, UTAH
President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke to members in 77 stakes Oct. 25 during a Northern Utah Stake Conference Satellite Broadcast emanating from Logan. He advised members to put the kingdom of God first in their lives and trust in the Lord for the rest, and that if they do so they will have the Lord's help while confronting life's inevitable difficulties.
"Jesus Christ reigns in the affairs of men, even though many or most people fail to recognize His hand," President Eyring said. "He does not give an assurance of all that we might want, but we have a sure way to gain His assistance even in the worst of times. The kingdom of God in the earth is His Restored Church."
In addition to President Eyring, other speakers included Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy and Sister Cheryl C. Lant, general president of the Primary. Elder Rasband conducted the conference, which took place in the Spectrum on the Utah State University campus. Eleven Logan stakes attended the event on-site, and it was broadcast via satellite to 66 additional stakes in the Utah North Area.
President Eyring said economic concerns presently envelop many in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An antidote to economic difficulty, he said, is paying a full tithe and earnestly serving in inspired callings.
"Even in difficult times we should pay tithing, which is the financial law of His kingdom," President Eyring said. "We can help Him by giving service to our fellow members in the kingdom and to those outside if in need. Sometimes we may not be able to find employment, but He always recognizes our willingness and capacity to help in His cause.
"Fulfilling a calling faithfully in the Church may not lead immediately to finding a job, but it will magnify your power to qualify for one and to find it. … Most of the Lord's pay will be in the next world, but enough of it comes in this life to give the financial security which is best for us."
President Eyring provided a warning for students with spiritual struggles together with a companion prescription for healing — noting that, in a general sense, the same counsel would be applicable to a man who has been unemployed for a time or a woman whose search for a happy family life has not borne fruit.
"If you are not careful to resist it, your troubles will turn you inward," he admonished. "You can become centered on yourself, your own unmet needs and the difficulty of achieving your dreams for your own future. It is easy to become both selfish and discouraged as you pursue your education.
"The great antidote to selfishness and discouragement in your college years is to put the kingdom of God first in your life. It is easy to do as you recognize and accept the part that God plays in learning whatever is true. He can send us, if we qualify for it, the Holy Ghost, which is the spirit of truth."
In order to obtain the companionship of the Holy Ghost, President Eyring said, two qualifications exist: be purified through the Lord's atonement and be a trusted and faithful servant of God. Both of these requirements "come by consistent and prolonged service in the Lord's kingdom," he said.
"Like you, I often feel that learning comes hard even after study, prayer, the exercise of all the faith I have and diligent service in the kingdom. But I keep trying. The God we serve in His kingdom can send the Holy Ghost to us as we qualify by our faithful labors to study and to serve Him."
'We owe them much'
Elder Ballard detailed his family's roots in northern Utah. He recounted how his great-grandparents, Henry and Margaret Ballard, immigrated from England and Scotland, respectively, and met in Ogden. They became early settlers of Cache Valley. Elder Ballard also noted Logan is the birthplace of his grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard, and father, Melvin Russell Ballard Sr.
Elder Ballard said an irrevocable connection exists between the strength and fidelity of early Mormon settlers and the blessings enjoyed by modern members of the Church.
"I feel the pioneers of yesteryear would be smiling to see what has been accomplished in this great state and in your cities and towns," he said. "We owe them much and must never forget that the success of today is built upon the shoulders and courage of the humble giants of the past."
He emphasized that compelling, inspirational examples can come from lesser-known Church pioneers — or "the faithful who followed the early leaders," as he called them. Elder Ballard cited three such examples: John Tanner, "probably the equivalent of a millionaire in the 1830s, perhaps the wealthiest man in the Church, [who] sacrificed everything so that the Kirtland Temple could be built and the Church established"; Artemus Millet, a stone mason and Canadian convert who left behind a thriving business because he "was asked to leave Canada to supervise the work on the Kirtland Temple"; and Phoebe Carter, the eventual wife of President Wilford Woodruff who at age 28 left her native Maine for Kirtland "when she determined to gather with the Saints even though she had to make her [750-mile] trek alone."
Times may have changed, but Elder Ballard nonetheless likened the experience of Mormon pioneers to the unique challenges of modernity.
"We all face rocky ridges, with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon," he said. "Sometimes it seems as though there is no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision. Sharp edges of despair and discouragement jut out of the terrain to slow our passage. … Today, we are all pioneers in a world where technological advances come faster than we can assimilate them, and in a world that seems to be spiraling out of control into an abyss of wickedness.
"If we are to survive and keep our families safe, we must remain anchored to the word of God as taught by the scriptures and modern-day prophets and apostles. We cannot afford to be caught up in the deceit of worldly logic."
Attending the temple
Elder Rasband spoke of temples. He recalled the experience of leading the media, interfaith groups and government officials through open-house tours of the Draper Utah and Oquirrh Mountain Utah temples earlier this year.
"As I took guests through the spacious baptistery, beautiful ordinance rooms, the Holy Celestial Room, and sacred sealing rooms," he said, "I can tell you without any reservation, the Spirit of the Lord was already in these temples, and left a deep and wonderful impression on all who visited."
He suggested temple-building will be one of President Gordon B. Hinckley's great legacies, noting 77 temples were built during the almost 13 years President Hinckley presided over the Church. To illustrate the blessings that accompany faithful temple attendance, Elder Rasband quoted an October 2004 general conference address by President Hinckley wherein the Church leader said, "I would hope that we might go to the house of the Lord a little more frequently. … It will refine your natures. It will peel off the selfish shell in which most of us live. It will literally bring a sanctifying element into our lives and make us better men and better women."
Elder Rasband issued an invitation to temple attendance that echoed President Hinckley's.
"Certainly in a day and time like we live in," he said, "the importance of every temple built and dedicated to the Lord cannot be overstated. … I invite all of you to attend more frequently, as your circumstances permit, and claim your blessings and protections that have been promised to you by Prophets of God."
'We can give our hearts'
Sister Lant's remarks dealt with obedience, which she said, is "the first law of heaven. This is because while our Heavenly Father has given us a plan of happiness that was designed to help us return to Him, has provided the Savior to atone for our sins and has given us the gospel and commandments so that we would know how to live, we have to be willing to do it — to be submissive and obedient to all that He has given to us in order to make it work for us."
She cited the 2,000 stripling warriors led by Helaman in the Book of Mormon as an example of exact obedience. Sister Lant also posed probing questions about obedience in three specific areas: Sabbath observance, prayer and moral integrity.
"The degree we keep the commandments is the degree we love the Lord," she said. "Our obedience must come from our hearts, from our desire to follow the Savior's example as He gave His will entirely over to the Father. In the same way, we can give our will to Him. We can give our hearts. Because we love Him, we can be obedient, exactly obedient."
