Some years
ago in the Priesthood Session of General Conference, President Monson recounted
a story where he was being watched by a young boy during a Stake Conference
that he was attending. He explained that
every action he took was imitated by that young boy in the first row, up to the
point where he wiggled his ears at which point the young boy acknowledged
defeat. Though I do not propose to stand
here and wiggle my own ears, I do wish to examine some the same principles
presented in that talk by President Monson.
My message today focuses on our need to be "Examples of Righteousness."
As we examine this topic, I invite you
to consider three key principles that will allow us to become better living
examples to our fellow men: 1) The commandment to be a righteous example 2) our
examples as a teaching tool and 3) Being identified through our examples
The Commandment to be a Righteous Example
As Latter-Day
Saints, we are taught from a young age the importance of being an example and
living righteously. Each week the Young
Women of the Church stand and recite their theme which is a constant reminder
of the need to "stand as witnesses of God in all times and in all things
and in all places." Similarly,
Young Men of the Church are frequently reminded of their need to be worthy
holders (and bearers) of the Priesthood every time they assist in officiating a
Priesthood ordinance, perform a Priesthood duty, or even put on their Scout
shirts on mutual nights. The design of the
Young Women’s Theme and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood are not merely
to serve as rote recitation or recall but to remind us of commandments that
already exist and were taken upon us when we joined the Church.
While I was
at BYU-Idaho, I had the opportunity to take classes in Biblical Hebrew. One day, while studying Deuteronomy, we came
across a passage that reads:
לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה יְהוָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂא אֶת־שְׁמֹו לַשָּׁוְא׃ ס ( "lo tis-sa 'et sem Yah-weh e-lo-he-ka las-saw ki lo
ye-naq-qeh Yah-weh 'et 'a-ser yis-sa et se-mow las-saw." To the untrained ear, this sounds like a lot
of gibberish and has little to do with a sacrament talk, but it is actually the
11th verse of chapter 5 which we read in our King James Translation as "Thou shalt not take the
name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
vain" The interesting thing about
this verse however is that the original Hebrew manuscript does not use
the verb form for the word "to take" but more appropriately the word תִשָּׂ֛א "tis-sa" stems from the Hebrew verb נָשָׂא "nah-sah" meaning "to
bear." When we look at the verse
in this light, we realize that we are commanded not to "bear the name of
the Lord vain..." which instills in us a greater since of duty and
privilege. When we consider this
commandment along with the first two commandments that instruct us to have no
other gods before the face of the Lord and to never serve or idolize those
things which falsely represent the Lord, we come to a greater understanding of
our responsibilities as members of the Church.
Our understanding of this principle is further expanded when we examine the
words of the prophet Alma in the 18th Chapter of Mosiah,
specifically verses 8, 9 and 22 where we read:
8 And it came to pass
that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were
they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to
be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they
may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing
to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of
comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and
in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of
God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have
eternal life—
22 And thus he commanded
them to preach. And thus they became the children of God.
When we examine these scriptures together, along with the commandment to
bear the Lord’s name righteously, we receive a powerful witness concerning our
duties as living examples in the Lord’s Church.
It is not enough for us to simply assist others with their burdens, but rather,
according to those covenants we made at baptism we take upon ourselves that duty
to assist others in making those burdens light.
We may take this understanding to a more celestial level when we
consider that the reference to light throughout the scriptures often refers to
the Light of Christ that is given to every man, which is also what we radiate
when we become righteous examples of the Savior.
Additionally,
in the Lord’s counsel directed to Joseph Smith and all members of the
Priesthood in the 121st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants
provides us with a stern and clear reminder that it only through our righteous
examples that the work of the Lord may be accomplished. We read:
34 Behold, there are many called, but few
are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
35
Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire
to the donors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
36
That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of
heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only
upon the principles of righteousness.
37
That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover
our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or
dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of
unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the
Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the
authority of that man.
41
No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood,
only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love
unfeigned;
46
The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging
scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting
dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and
ever.
This scriptural
account reminds us that our ability to lead and govern our families and those
organizations which we lead shall be everlasting if we enjoy the companionship
of the Holy Ghost and lead by example, rather than through the compulsion of
other means.
Our Examples as a
Teaching Tool
As we embrace the commandment to be living examples of the Savior, we
become more fully aware of our capabilities as teachers through our righteous
examples. The Irish author Edmund Burke
once sad that “Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no
other.”
The most effective teachers and by extension, examples, in the Church are not necessarily the ones
that receive the most credit nor the ones that are sustained in front of their
congregation, but are the ones that sit at the head of every home within the
Stakes of Zion. They are the mothers and
fathers that guide each family and provide the examples that will pass on to
the next generation.
Our cannon of scriptures are replete with instances of various individuals
and their examples teaching their fellow men, most notably those of our Savior
Jesus Christ. Few however, are plainer
in thanking their parents then the example provided in Alma of the Strippling
Warriors.
As you may recall, the Stripling Warriors were a group of very young men
that entered into battle under the command of Helaman. We read from the account in Chapters 56 and
57:
47 Now they never had
fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty
of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by
their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
48 And they rehearsed
unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew
it.
21 Yea, and they did
obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even
according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words
which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.
The examples shown to each of these young men by their mothers and fathers
is evident in these verses. It was
clearly in their homes where they were taught the principles of faith,
obedience, liberty, and instilled with a firm testimony of their God. Their recognition of their duties and
allegiance to God were paramount to their success as warriors and future
leaders of their own families.
More recently, the need to be effective teachers through our examples has
been reaffirmed through the issuance of the Family Proclamation issued by the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency. It states:
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each
other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm
127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and
righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach
them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be
law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and
fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these
obligations.”
Our most effective means of teaching children are through how we treat our
spouses and each other. The
responsibility that each of us bear as current and future fathers and mothers
to be righteous examples is vital to the success of the Lord’s kingdom among
future generations.
President
Monson has also taught about the great value of Sunday School teachers in being
effective examples as teachers to children.
He has spoken on many occasions in General Conference of his fondness
for a particular Sunday School teacher while in his youth, Sister Lucy
Gertsch. He recounts: “The years have
flown. The old chapel is gone, a victim of industrialization. The boys and
girls who learned, who laughed, who grew under the direction of that inspired
teacher of truth have never forgotten her love or her lessons. Her personal
influence for good was contagious.”
Whether we
have our own children or have the opportunity to teach others’, we must fully
recognize our great privilege and duty to be effective teachers through our
examples
Being Identified Through
Our Examples
Over the last several months I have had the opportunity to study and
receive a certification that is both required for my job and is very useful to
have in my line of work. Of the many
topics I covered, one major component of this exam was to fully understand the
principle of multi-factor authentication.
This principle states that when authenticating to a security system,
one’s identity may be established by a combination of three factors which
are: who
you are, what you have, and what you know.
As I initially pondered the topic of being a living example, my mind was
brought to the recollection of this principle.
Likewise, our ability to be recognized as examples of the Savior is also
dependent on who we are, what we have, and what we know. Our successes as examples to others, as
teachers, as missionaries, and as heirs of eternal life are defined by our
ability to present the authenticity of our testimonies of Christ and as
representatives of His Church.
Few of us, if any, would participate in any action that would bring shame
to our own family names. Many of us bear
our surnames as a banner that should not be tarnished nor ridiculed, and would
willingly defend that name to the end if so required. Yet, how many of us regularly consider the
actions of our daily lives and how they relate to the name of Christ which we
bear as members and representatives of the Church? Do we protect our title as Children of God
from tarnish and ridicule? Are we willing
to defend this name at all costs?
There are many within the world today that will propose to be men of God or
examples of righteousness that we should follow. There are fewer however, that are able to
show that witness unto others, to share testimony, or to impart the Spirit into
someone’s lives. The Savior warned us of
such individuals when he taught the Nephites following his crucifixion and
subsequent visit to the Americas after his resurrection. In 3rd Nephi the Savior declares:
15 Beware of false
prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know
them.
It is only by the fruits of any individual that one may truly come to know
them. Thus, there will be many that will
invite us to follow in their footsteps, but outwardly show forth evil fruit
that warns us that they are not living examples to follow. All around us are the examples of pride,
fame, glory, riches, and other worldly pursuits that are not only poor examples
by which to pattern our lives after, but are examples which if followed present
a danger to each individual from claiming their full eternal inheritance.
While each of us strive to be living examples, we cannot reach our full
potential until we first come to a knowledge of our Savior, his teachings, and
the doctrines of the Church. In speaking
through the Prophet Joseph, to his brother Hyrum, the Lord counseled:
20 Behold, this is your
work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength.
21 Seek not to declare my word, but first seek
to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire,
you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing
of men.
The effectiveness of our daily scripture study and prayers, our weekly
Family Home Evenings and Church attendance, and our monthly fasts and
donations, will have little impact upon our lives if we are not first striving
to obtain the word of the Lord, and keep his commandments with full purpose of
heart.
As we strive to become better living examples, let us remember the name
whom each of us bear in our hearts, that of our Savior Jesus Christ. Let us seek to be stalwart parents, teachers,
and members of the Church in showing a righteous example to our children and
those around us. May we continue to ever
seek the word and will of the Lord, and to pattern our lives according to His
counsel through our anointed Church leaders, called at His hand, is my prayer
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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