Choosing Righteous Desires
Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults
Sunday, May 3, 2020
My beloved sisters and brothers, first I want to thank my wonderful wife for that wonderful counsel and advice. Lynette, thank you.
It is a tremendous blessing and opportunity to join with you this evening. We are truly living in unusual times, and I truly believe you have been raised for these times. Not long ago, President M. Russell Ballard said, “I believe this is the greatest generation of young adults in the history of the Church. I honestly feel that is true.”1 You are a special generation raised up to navigate turbulent times and to help prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He intimately knows you and loves you.
Our Times
Tonight, as we came here to this broadcast, we were told that we had received tens and tens of thousands of tweets of questions about the Spirit and about personal revelation. I hope that tonight as you listen to my wife and myself we’re able to answer those questions. I pray that the Holy Ghost, who is the teacher, will be able to answer to the one as well as to the many.
In our recent days and months as a world community, we have experienced unusual suffering, uncertainty, commotion, and challenges. These are times that have long been foretold, and they will culminate in the glorious Second Coming of our Savior. Jesus Himself prophesied of these times. He said, “You also shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass. … I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation … ; there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. … The love of men shall wax cold. … [A]ll shall be fulfilled.”2 I would like to share just one perspective about all of this. It is a lesson from our Church history.
Amanda Barnes Smith; her husband, Warren; and their five children were new converts to the Church when they traveled to Missouri. They joined the Saints at Haun’s Mill just a few days before a mob came and slaughtered many there. Amanda’s husband and 10-year-old son were among those killed. Another of her young sons was gravely injured. Amanda received a powerful revelation on how to save her wounded son. During that time of great distress, she wrote the following:
“In our utter desolation, what could we women do but pray? Prayer was our only source of comfort; our Heavenly Father our only helper. None but he could save and deliver us.
“One day a mobber came from the mill with the captain’s fiat. [Cursing, he bellowed]: ‘The captain says if you women don’t stop your … praying he will send down a posse and kill every … one of you!’
“And he might as well have done it, as to stop us poor women from praying in that hour of our great calamity.
“Our prayers were hushed in terror. We dared not let our voices be heard in the house in supplication. I could pray in bed or in silence, but I could not live thus long. The godless silence was more intolerable than had been that night of the massacre.
“I could bear it no longer. I pined to hear once more my own voice in petition to my Heavenly Father.
“I stole down into a corn-field and crawled into a [stack] of corn. It was as the temple of the Lord to me at that moment. I prayed aloud and most fervently.
“When I emerged from the corn a voice spoke to me. It was a voice as plain as I have ever heard one. It was no silent, strong impression of the spirit, but a voice, repeating a verse of [our] hymn:
That soul who on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I cannot, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!3
“From that moment I had no more fear. I felt that nothing could hurt me.”4
These times can be unsettling, but know what was true for Amanda Barnes Smith is true for you. No matter the events around you, no matter the trial you might need to bear, God is at the helm. He will not forsake you, and you need not fear if you are faithful and lift your voice unto Him. It is this very thing I would like to speak to you about tonight.
My Wife’s Glasses
As I said, I appreciate having my wife here with me tonight. She is my everything. We met years ago in high school. After our high school graduation, she went to Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and I went to BYU in Provo, Utah. In our first year of college I decided one weekend to drive to Rexburg to visit her. There she taught me an invaluable lesson.
She did not have a car, and it had been some time since she had been able to drive. As we left her apartment, she asked me if she could drive my car. I said, “Sure.” We soon started down a hill close to where she lived. About halfway down the hill she asked me, “Is there a stop sign at the end of the street?” The stop sign was totally visible, and I immediately said, “Yes, there’s a stop sign.” She said, “OK, I thought so. I just can’t see it.” I asked, “Why can’t you see it?” She said, “Because I don’t have my glasses on, and I can’t see much without my glasses.” I then said something like “And why aren’t you wearing your glasses?” “Because I don’t like how they look on me, but I forgot I can’t see everything without them.” I said, “Well then, you’d better let me drive.” The lesson was simple: unless you can see clearly, you will always be in danger.
Now I ask you, “How are you driving your life forward?” Are you conducting your life with the glasses needed to see life’s reality clearly? In the ancient city of Laodicea the Saints had no glaring or visible sins, but the Lord reprimanded them for being lukewarm in their discipleship. Prideful in their worldly accomplishments and know-how, they became increasingly self-satisfied and independent of God. Even though the city was known for being expert in eye care, the Lord said to them, “Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”5 It seems a critical question for each of us is this: “Am I seeing my life through the eyes of God’s truths, commandments, and covenants or through my own eyes? Am I daily hearkening to His voice received through prayer and personal revelation of the Spirit or hearkening to the voice of self or the voice of the wise of this world who shout that God’s ways and even His prophets are misplaced, boring, unnecessary, uncaring, or even, in the rhetoric of the world, deceitful and hateful?”
Joseph Smith once said, “The Devil will use his greatest effort to trap the Saints. … He will so transform things as to make one gape at those who are doing the will of God.” Without God’s help and revelation you simply cannot see “things as they really are, and … as they really will be.”6 The adversary is intent on making you gape at those who are doing the will of God. He is intent on keeping you from seeing and understanding reality, on keeping you from seeing that you are a deeply beloved son or daughter of God. His desire is to legitimize the world; have you reject or half-heartedly turn to God; and, especially, have you define yourself and your life’s journey by some political, cultural, or other worldly pursuit, or just plain indifference.
I have often asked myself this question: “What made Nephi a believer and not a Laman or Lemuel?” All three brothers were born of the same goodly parents. One night I heard my question answered. I was in Bangkok, Thailand, on an assignment with President M. Russell Ballard, where he shared this scripture:
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, … having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.”7
There was my answer. God manifests Himself to us according to our desires. Nephi desired, above all else, to know the truths and mysteries of God and was blessed with God’s presence, joy, power, and truth. Laman and Lemuel desired the trappings of the world and received its reward. If you want to be with God, then you must unite your desires to His will.
Where, and on what, you place your heart’s desire will determine how you will be both empowered to move through and prevail in life. Therefore, tonight I invite you to choose to frame your life by the overarching desire to become converted and to strengthen others. You may recall this is what the Savior asked of His chief Apostle, Peter, when He said, “Simon, Simon, … Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”8
The Desire to Be Converted and to Strengthen Others
I will never forget the time my wife and I were interviewed by a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about my willingness to serve as a mission president. My wife and I had many things going on in our lives. At the time of our interview we were involved in some very challenging family dynamics, we were engaged in large humanitarian efforts across the world that required a lot of our attention and resources, and I was a senior managing partner of a global investment business, not to mention all the Church callings we were working on. I thought we were already doing as much as we could possibly do. As we sat there that day with this beloved Apostle and reflected on all that we had going on, we both politely said that this was probably not the best time for us to serve a mission. Without hesitation, this member of the Twelve turned to my wife and said, “Lynette, you are going to make a great missionary and companion to your husband.” He then turned to me and said, “You know, you really don’t get it. The Lord is calling you to save your life. You are either going to live your life by covenant or by convenience. There is never a convenient time to serve. This is a matter of faith. You either believe the Lord will bless your life with the blessings you need as you do His priorities or you don’t.”
Quietly I sat there, stunned. I had just been told that the Lord was trying to save my life. I was living a good life then, but I was greatly out of balance. On that afternoon as Lynette and I left the Apostle’s office, we went home to prayerfully consider how we were going to live our lives. We quickly made the choice to serve and live our lives by covenant, doing whatsoever things the Lord asked of us. A covenant life is a more balanced life, lived according to God’s priorities, not our own agendas. Our lives have not been the same since. We have been completely blessed by His love and His tutoring. If I know anything, I know that this same blessing will be yours if you faithfully stay on His covenant path. God wants to save your life.
What does it mean to be converted, to live by covenant and not convenience? Jesus said, “Look unto me in every thought.”9 As a wise teacher once told me, “He did not say, ‘Think of me once in a while, and my Spirit will be with you.’ He said, ‘If ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.’”10 This means that as you remember Him, you will always have the power of heaven to be with you to help daily in any and every small or daunting challenge you face—regardless of the hold it may have on you. This includes any fear, addiction, insecurity, or any seemingly insurmountable wall before you. So ponder right now what might be the most important thing you need to do to more fully remember Him, and act to do it.
My best friend growing up introduced me to my wife. In high school, I baptized him a member of the Church, but he always found it difficult to fully commit to living the gospel—always justifying himself by saying that he never did anything really bad, which he didn’t. Then one night at a party, he drank too much and accidentally fell off a cliff and died. He was the same age as many of you. This tragedy should never have happened and would not have happened if covenant, not convenience, had guided my friend’s life.
Where do you draw the line in your life relative to the commandments of God? Perhaps some of you view your life as most of us see obeying highway speed limits. Does anyone ever think of driving the actual posted speed limit? No. Instead, we want to know how many miles above the posted limit we can travel without getting a ticket. That is how my best friend lived his life. In the gospel, we should never think about how much of the world we can embrace without crossing the line. We are simply to forsake the world.
Only as you take upon yourself God’s covenants will you have eyes that allow you to see clearly through the clutter of this world. The Bible teaches, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.”11 Those who live by covenant do not by any means live perfect lives, but they refine their lives through daily repentance. Such refinement opens them to God’s richest blessings and the very powers of heaven. Are there any of you listening tonight, in these turbulent times, who do not need God’s direction and power?
Years ago, a business partner of mine who had been sick told me that President Boyd K. Packer had come by his home to give him a blessing. He said, “As I walked him to his car, President Packer said, ‘Don’t come back too quickly from Gethsemane. Learn the lessons there.’” My friend then asked me, “What do you think he meant?” Before I could answer, he simply added, “I believe he meant we just need to do God’s will, and that’s all I want to do.”
When my associate said those words, I knew he was right. An ultimate test of our life is whether we are going to submit to God’s will or act according to our own. Elder Neal A. Maxwell long ago taught, “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.”12
But what does it mean to be willing to do God’s will? From our Savior’s experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, I believe we are, in part, to understand that submission to God’s will means that you and I must be willing to suffer and endure to the end whatever God asks of us, even if what we are asked to endure comes through no fault of our own. This may include things like physical impairments or inclinations, wrongful accusations, judgments, or buffetings from misguided friends, leaders, or even family members.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Heavenly Father asked our Savior to swallow a bitter cup of sins and afflictions that were not His. In that process Jesus became “sore amazed” at what lay before Him. He felt “sorrowful unto death” and prayed “if it were possible” that “the hour might pass from him,” saying to the Father, “All things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me.” But then he added this: “Nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”13 In our day, in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the Savior said, “Would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”14
To partake and finish the Father’s preparations designed for us, no matter how bitter, is part of the Father’s plan to bring us everlasting joy. Do you think or believe that Heavenly Father will shield you from moments of pain and suffering needed to help you become more like Him? President John Taylor said the Prophet Joseph Smith told him: “You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. … God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings.” Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means that we are “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us].”15
Our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, recently said: “Difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. … Those who diligently follow the Lord ‘shall suffer persecution.’16 That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives. How you deal with life’s trials is part of the development of your faith.”17
The Apostle Paul asked this question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”18 In today’s language we might say it this way: “Will I allow a difficulty in finding someone to marry, or a desire to live in an unsanctioned relationship, or an event from Church history, or a misguided action from some leader or teacher, or my worldly desires, or the loss of a job, or a challenging illness, or a crushing distress keep me from diligently following the Savior and fully participating in His Church?”
All your sins, all your pains, afflictions, and infirmities are a part of what Elder Maxwell calls “the awful arithmetic of the Atonement [of Jesus Christ],”19 an arithmetic that he said can only be calculated as “enormity multiplied by infinity.”20 Your discomfort or challenges from life’s trials will never descend below His. Therefore, heaven’s question to you is whether you will follow in the Savior’s footsteps and say with Him: “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”21
Another way to say this may be to ask, “Will I trust God and also trust in His design for my life?”
As you face challenges and trials, know that God has all power to sustain you—even when the circumstances surrounding you do not change. He promises, even in the midst of soul-searing afflictions, that He “will … ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, … that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”22 Never doubt that the Lord is able to open every effectual door; reassure you through questions of faith; and help you secure work, education, and strength to live righteously or whatever else you may need to reach your fullest potential. The Savior has promised He will provide a way.23 Can anyone or anything else give you that same promise? Trust Him to tutor and sustain you as you humbly submit to His will.
Years ago, President Henry B. Eyring made this penetrating observation: “If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble.”24 Faith is a principle of action, and faith is a choice. Faith is not measured by how many meetings we attend or rituals we keep. Faith is not even the acknowledgment that God and Jesus Christ live. Your faith is the extent of your trust in and complete reliance on God and your Savior, Jesus Christ. We all endure or crumble according to the degree of our personal trust and reliance on Them.
To build faith in Them you will need to eliminate from your life any self-justifying behaviors. You need to own your life and not let others dictate your actions and choices. Your perspectives, attitudes, reactions, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs are all things that you control. Being offended and turning away are not of God. His voice always invites us to “follow Me!” God is prepared to answer any question, comfort any struggle, and redeem any and all individuals. There is no mistake or struggle that cannot be healed through Him. All the internet searches in this world across the web’s nearly billion and a half sites cannot tell you if this Church is true or if Jesus Christ lives; only God can reveal that to you. And the bottom line is this: God will not tell you one truth and tell me another. We will all get the same answers as we inquire and seek after Him with sincerity, faith, and real intent. You do this, in part, as you remove all your self-justifying stories.
Years ago, while on assignment in Africa, I heard a report of a man who was transporting two giraffes in his truck; one giraffe was considerably taller than the other. As he traveled along the highway, he drove under a bridge that went over the highway, but the bridge was not tall enough for the larger giraffe. When the truck drove under the bridge, the taller giraffe’s head hit the bridge and it instantly died. Later the truck driver was asked why he hadn’t taken better care to avoid the giraffe’s death. He said, “It’s not my fault. They built the bridge too low.”
This man’s self-justification may seem ridiculous, but have you ever been just as irrational in justifying your own poor choices? Do not blame low bridges for the way things are. Rather, seek to rise to your full potential by qualifying for every needed power, blessing, and miracle of heaven promised by increasing in enduring faith or trust in Him. The Lord said to Joseph Smith: “How oft you … have gone on in the persuasions of men. … You should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words—yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.”25
Now, I would like to expand beyond self-examination and leave you my witness that part of covenant living and submission to God’s will is also a willingness to get outside yourself and do as the Lord said to Peter, to “strengthen your brethren.” President Nelson recently said, “We are to be builders of … faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith in His Church. … We are to build the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth.”26 He has also testified that “there is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than [the gathering of Israel]. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.”27 Likewise, the Savior asked Peter, “Lovest thou me?” and then said, “Feed my sheep.”28
In the gospel of John, we read where Mary and Martha sent for the Savior when their brother, Lazarus, became gravely ill. His disciples pleaded with him not to go, because the Jews were seeking to take his life, but Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus anyway. There our Savior wept and anguished with his friends. Then, in the power of God, He commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead, saying: “Lazarus, come forth.” The scriptures next record, “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes. … [And] Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”29
My dear friends, nothing is more life-giving than sharing the Light of Christ and the light of His gospel. Nothing other than the gospel of Christ can bring peace to the nations, save the world from poverty, or lift another to sustained happiness. Organizations that operate on any other principles will fall short. Only the gospel can remove the “grave clothes” of those around you. Invite others to His light. As you do so, God promises that you will bring “salvation to [your] soul,”30 that your sins will be forgiven,31 and that He will send his “angels round about you, to bear you up.”32
Hope
Now, I am keenly aware that notwithstanding yours, mine, or anyone else’s good intentions, the press to conform to the world’s opinion and not the Lord’s commandments can be immense. Peter, in absolute resolution, said to Jesus, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet I will never be offended. … Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.”33 But shortly thereafter Peter faltered, denying the Savior three times. What are you to learn by this?
I believe in part the Lord wants you to know that He understands that submission to His will—covenant living or becoming fully converted—is a process, not an event. Jesus gave His life so we would not measure our lives by our weaknesses or imperfections but so we could repent daily and grow in strength through repentance into faith unshakable. You might want to write in your hearts this insightful instruction from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at the April 2016 general conference:
“We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn’t have much of a distribution list. Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength.”34
Lynette and I were sitting with Elder Holland in Johannesburg when a young single adult sister returned missionary stood and testified, “I did not come this far only to come this far.” Please remember, “no matter what challenge you are currently facing … [ to] keep going. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. … Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever.”35 You are in the palm of God’s hand, and He is able to deliver you through any blast furnace.
Elder Holland also spoke of an additional tender mercy and assurance from the Lord that you may want to hold deep within your heart:
“The Spirit is not blocked by a virus or by national boundaries or by medical forecasts. [There are] gifts from heaven that are not limited by trouble in the land or illness in the air. … He who created this marvelous world in which we live can say to any of the elements in it: ‘This far and no farther.’ That is what He will say to this blight we are facing. In the presence of His majesty, even subatomic-sized creations must bend—if only figuratively—and each in its own way ‘confess’ that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the great Redeemer of all. Under the direction of His Father, the Savior is in charge of the destiny of this world. We are in very sure and loving hands.”36
Conclusion
I would like to close where I began. I believe you are the greatest generation of young adults in the history of this Church. You may also be the generation that faces the greatest challenges. As you reflect on the challenges that surround you, remember that God has said, “For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.”37 The Spirit can help you cultivate your desires, but you alone get to choose what you desire, and you alone are accountable to God for that choice. He has also declared that “according to your desires … shall it be done unto you.”38 This means “[you] better want the consequences of what [you] want!”39
I close with this personal experience and testimony from my life. Years ago, as a college sophomore, I was studying for final exams in an apartment by myself. It was a warm day, and as I was reviewing my papers, a gnat started buzzing in front of my face. The persistence of the gnat began to really annoy me. Finally, I had enough. I raised my hands and slapped them together and killed the gnat. I cannot explain to this day what happened next: I looked down at the dead gnat in the palm of my hand and felt great compassion. I said to myself, “That gnat did not need to die. It is only dead because of my frustration and impatience.” I then knelt and prayed to God to forgive me and let that gnat live again. As I finished that prayer, the gnat flew from my hand.
I have asked myself for years, why did God do this for me? Many answers have come, but none more important than this: He wanted me to understand at my very core that He has all power to lift me or anyone else, even the least. He wanted me to know He has complete compassion for our weaknesses and that He numbers the very hairs on our heads. Now, if He would restore a gnat, He will never forsake you—no matter where you stand.
Do not be like the Laodiceans and allow complacency to rule you. This is my testimony to you. As you set aside self-rationalization and pride, as you inquire and hearken to His voice, not yours, as you act upon His ways, you will see things as they really are. As you desire to strive earnestly to become converted, living by covenant and not convenience, and in submitting to God’s will while strengthening others, you will find every blessing and miracle you need to succeed in this life and be enabled to return home to your Father in Heaven and receive eternal joy.
Jesus Christ is our Savior. He lives. This is His Church, and this will be the church received by the Savior at His Second Coming. Our Heavenly Father is not an absentee Father. His plan is the only plan of happiness. Through the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of all things and all things which you must do. My prayer is that you will have the courage to repent of any unrighteous desires and replace them with godly desires to live by covenant and to submit to and endure His refining hand in your life. I testify to you in your youth, as Alma testified to his son Helaman in his youth, “I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.”40
May God bless you all is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.