David O. McKay on the power of little things

President David O. McKay (1873-1970) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1906.  He served as a counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant and George Albert Smith beginning in 1945, then then as the president of the Church from 1951 to his death in 1970 at age 96.

"Little things are but parts of the great. The grass does not spring up full grown by eruption. It rises up and increases as noiselessly and gently as not to disturb an angel's ear, perhaps is invisible to an angel's eye. The rain does not fall in masses but in drops; the planets do not leap in their orbits, but inch by inch and line by line they circle the orbits. Intellect, feeling, habit, character, all become what they are through the influence of little things, and in morals and religion, it is by little things, by little actions, that every one of us is going—not by leaps, yet surely by inches—either to life or death eternal.

"The great lesson to be learned in the world today is to apply in the little acts and duties of life the glorious principles of the Gospel. Let us not think that, because some of the things may seem small and trivial, they are unimportant. Life, after all, is made up of little things. Our life, our being, physically, is made up of little heart beats. Let that little heart stop beating, and life in this world ceases. The great sun is a mighty force in the universe, but we receive the blessings of his rays because they come to us as little beams, which, taken in the aggregate, fill the whole world with sunlight. The dark night is made pleasant by the glimmer of what seem to be little stars; and so the true Christian life is made up of little Christ-like acts performed this hour, this minute—in the home, in the quorum, in the organization, in the town, wherever our life and acts may be cast."

- David O. McKay, "True to the Faith," p. 153

This is a beautiful thought from President McKay. We sometimes expect grand and glorious events, dramatic progress, spectacular achievements, leaps in understanding. But in almost every case, it's the "little things" that really indicate progress, now and eternally.

All of life is "made up of little things," from the physical beats of each individual's heart, to the rays of sunlight that provide life sustenance, to the Christ-like acts that make life meaningful. What a valuable reminder!

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. (Alma 37:6)

Bruce R. McConkie on the blessings of Sabbath Day observance

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (July 29, 1915 - April 19, 1985) served as a Seventy from 1946-1972 when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve.  He served in that assignment until his death from cancer at age 69.

"The law of the Sabbath is so basic, so fundamental, that the Lord Jehovah named it as number four in the Ten Commandments themselves.  The first three commandments call upon men to worship the Lord and reverence his great and holy name.  The fourth gives us the Sabbath day as the weekly occasion on which we perfect our worship and put ourselves in tune to the full with Him by whom all things are.

"It is in no sense an exaggeration nor does it overstate the fact one whit to say that any person who keeps the Sabbath, according to the revealed pattern, will be saved in the celestial kingdom.  The Sabbath is a day of worship; the requirement to rest from our labors, to do no servile work therein, is simply an incident to the real purpose of the day.  Vital as it is to refrain from the toil and to turn away from temporalities, these requirements are for the purpose of putting men in a position to do what should be done on the Sabbath, that is, to worship the Father in the name of the Son, to worship him in Spirit and in truth.  True worship includes keeping the commandments, and those who devote their Sabbaths to true and proper worship obtain the encouragement that leads to full obedience."

- Bruce R. McConkie, "The Promised Messiah" pp. 390-391

This is an interesting analysis by Elder McConkie. He first places the Law of the Sabbath in doctrinal importance by noting its proximity in the Ten Commandments to the fundamental laws of worshiping God; the Sabbath is the day we "perfect our worship" of God as we "put ourselves in tune to the full with Him."

And the purpose of that worship is to lead to obedience — full and complete. Elder McConkie boldly states (as he often did) his belief that this one act can lead us to the full blessings of eternity.

The key, then, is to fill our day with "true and proper worship" and we will feel and see the blessings that follow.

Richard L. Evans on clinging to eternal truths

Elder Richard L. Evans (1906-1971) served as a Seventy from 1938-1953, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He died in 1971 at age 65.  He was known as "the voice of the Tabernacle Choir" from the beginning of its broadcasts in 1929 until his passing.

"I would say today to those who are in the classroom, to farmers in the field, to the laborers in factories, to men pursuing professions, to young men in military service, to all of us in life, whatever the discouragements, whatever the seeming areas of conflict and confusion, whatever the infinite area of things we don't understand, cling to these eternal verities always: that God lives, that men were made in his image, that life is purposeful, that men are immortal. Cling to the commandments and give observance to them and to the knowledge that it is our Father's plan and purpose to bring immortality and eternal life to man (Moses 1:39). If we will cling to these eternal verities in simplicity and truth and keep our lives well balanced in all our pursuits, we shall reach a glorious end....

"Now as to this discouragement and confusion: I think the enemy of men's souls wouldn't care too much what means he used to render our lives ineffective, just so long as he did render them ineffective. I don't think he would care too much whether it was by indolence or indifference or by withholding willing work, or by doubt, or by discouragement, or by uncertainty—so long as he could render us ineffective, it would please him. And it must be our purpose to see that we pursue our purposes regardless of the things we don't know which we hope sometime to know. It must be our purpose to pursue with all earnestness every righteous purpose.

"No matter how much we may be discouraged or how often we are set back, we must begin again and again, if necessary, and earnestly pursue the purposes of life, full of faith for the future. Enduring to the end is exceedingly important. Pursuing the opportunities and the duties of every day is exceedingly important, and repenting while there is still time to repent is also exceedingly important."

- Richard L. Evans, "With Faith for the Future," Conference Report, October 1950, pp. 138-142
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It was 65 years ago when Elder Evans noted the complexities of life, the challenges and discouragements, the confusions, the conflicts. How those problems have intensified since then, both in society and in our individual lives! But he reminds us of the perspective of eternity that enables us to survive, if we "cling" to the "eternal verities" that are revealed in the gospel. The real challenge is to keep those things alive in our minds and hearts. The word "cling" is very descriptive.

The second point he makes is to explain how "the enemy of men's souls" makes every effort to "render our lives ineffective" through a variety of methods. We must be aware and vigilant, even in the midst of "things we don't know which we hope sometime to know."

And this final encouragement is inspiring:

N. Eldon Tanner on choosing today to serve God

President Nathan Eldon Tanner (1898-1982) was ordained an apostle in 1962.  A year later he was called as a counselor in the First Presidency, and continued in that role during the administration of four Church presidents until his death in 1982 at age 84.

"I was greatly impressed as I listened to the BYU alumni president, Ernest L. Wilkinson, M.D., tell of an emergency call that took him to the Intensive Coronary Care Unit of the LDS Hospital, where a close personal friend of his of several years' duration was in critical condition with a massive coronary thrombosis. He said: 'As I approached his bedside he grasped my hand and through an oxygen mask, though gripped with pain and breathing in a labored manner, he muttered, "Oh, Doctor, can you save me? I have so many things I have been putting off and wanting to do."

"'As we labored into the hours of the morning, utilizing all of the modern electronic gadgetry that medical science can provide, and as it became increasingly evident that my friend would not survive, I was haunted by his comment and its inference. Are we thinkers or are we doers? How many of us procrastinate the really important decisions in life? Will we be found wanting when we too are at the crossroads of life and death?'

"This is a serious and urgent question indeed. We are all nearing the crossroads of life and death ourselves. How fortunate we are to be able to make a choice. What a glorious thing it is to know that we can choose our course, write our destiny and determine our blessings. It is not too late to choose. The choice is ours, but we must choose this day whom we will serve."

- N. Eldon Tanner, "Choose You This Day," Ensign, June 1971, pp. 11-15
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President Tanner presents the poignant example of a man on his deathbed, desperate for a second chance to complete the unfinished business of his life; then he asks these pointed questions:

President Tanner then warns, "We are all nearing the crossroads of life and death ourselves." It's easy to forget that. We just don't know how near we are.  But we do know that accidents happen; fatal diseases sometimes appear suddenly; circumstances can change overnight. All of us know someone, and probably a number of people, who faced an "untimely" end.

It's truly vital that we "not procrastinate the day of [our] repentance" (Alma 13:27) — or of our resolve to improve, to be more committed, to apologize, to change direction, to improve habits, to serve more faithfully. This is a great message: "What a glorious thing it is to know that we can choose our course, write our destiny and determine our blessings. It is not too late to choose."

J. Reuben Clark on the unquenchable light of the gospel

President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. (September 1, 1871 – October 6, 1961) was a prominent attorney who served as Under Secretary of State during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge, and later as the US Ambassador to Mexico. He was called as a counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant starting in April 1933, and was ordained an apostle a year and a half later. He went on to serve as counselor to Presidents George Albert Smith and David O. McKay before he passed away in 1961 at age 90.

"Every human being is born with the light of faith kindled in his heart as on an altar, and that light burns and the Lord sees that it burns, during the period before we are accountable. When accountability comes then each of us determines how we shall feed and care for that light. If we shall live righteously that light will glow until it diffuses the whole body, giving to it health and strength and spiritual light as well as bodily health.  If we shall live unrighteously that light will dwindle and finally almost flicker out.

"Yet it is my hope and my belief that the Lord never permits the light of faith wholly to be extinguished in any human heart, however faint the light may glow. The Lord has provided that there shall still be there a spark which, with teaching, with the spirit of righteousness, with love, with tenderness, with example, with living the Gospel, shall brighten and glow again, however darkened the mind may have been. And if we shall fail so to reach those among us of our own whose faith has dwindled low, we shall fail in one of the main things which the Lord expects at our hands."

- J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, Oct. 1936, p. 114

President Clark presents an interesting description of the "light of faith" that is kindled in every being, and burns in our childhood. Once we are "accountable," we determine for ourselves how we "feed and care for that light." His description of what can happen when we live appropriately is inspiring:

President Clark also offers hope to those who struggle with a loss of faith, in themselves or in one they love and care about:

David B. Haight on personal effort and progress

Elder David B. Haight (1906-2004) was sustained as a member of the Quorum of Twelve in 1976. He passed away at age 97, four days after attending the funeral of his colleague Neal A. Maxwell.  He was the oldest person to have served as an apostle in this dispensation.

"The Lord wants and needs all of you to be strong, to be believers, to be examples of goodness to all the world. You can become mighty rivers, flowing with truth. Mediocrity and weaklings come with little effort. The world has an abundance of them.

"I would urge you to use your time wisely. Don't waste it on frivolous pursuits. As Ted Koppel, a national newscaster, told the graduates of Duke University last spring:

"'[We] can partake of [TV's] daily banquet without drawing on any intellectual resources; without either physical or moral discipline....

"'...In the place of Truth we have discovered facts; for moral absolutes we have substituted moral ambiguity. We now communicate with everyone... and say absolutely nothing.' [Commencement speech given by Ted Koppel at Duke University on Sunday, 10 May 1987, pp. 5-6]

"I admonish you to live so you can ask for the personal revelation you are entitled to. Someone has written, "Souls are not saved in bundles—they are saved individually."

- David B. Haight, "The Streams of Your Life," BYU Devotional, November 24, 1987
Click here to read the full talk

According to Elder Haight, the Lord wants us to "become mighty rivers, flowing with truth." A key element contributing to achieving that level of goodness comes from wise use of time. So much of today's easily-accessible media glut provides little benefit and little challenge to encourage growth.

This is wise and challenging counsel: "I admonish you to live so you can ask for the personal revelation you are entitled to."

David O. McKay on steps to effective prayer

President David O. McKay (1873-1970) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1906.  He served as a counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant and George Albert Smith beginning in 1945, then then as the president of the Church from 1951 to his death in 1970 at age 96.

"Prayer is the pulsation of a yearning, loving heart in tune with the Infinite. It is a message of the soul sent directly to a loving Father. The language is not mere words....

"The first and most fundamental virtue in effective prayer is faith. A belief in God brings peace to the soul. An assurance that God is our Father, into whose presence we can go for comfort and guidance, is a never-failing source of comfort.

"Another essential virtue is reverence. This virtue is exemplified in the model prayer given by the Savior in the words 'Hallowed be thy name.' [Matthew 6:9.] This principle should be exemplified in classrooms, and particularly in our houses of worship.

"The third essential element is sincerity. Prayer is the yearning of the spirit. Sincere praying implies that when we ask for any virtue or blessing we should work for the blessing and cultivate the virtue.

"The next essential virtue is loyalty. Why pray for the Kingdom of God to come unless you have in your heart a desire and a willingness to aid in its establishment? Praying for His will to be done and then not trying to live it, gives you a negative answer at once. You would not grant something to a child who showed that attitude towards a request he is making of you. If we pray for the success of some cause or enterprise, manifestly we are in sympathy with it. It is the height of disloyalty to pray for God's will to be done, and then fail to conform our lives to that will.

"A final essential virtue is humility.... The principle of humility and prayer leads one to feel a need of divine guidance. Self-reliance is a virtue, but with it should go a consciousness of the need of superior help—a consciousness that as you walk firmly in the pathway of duty, there is a possibility of your making a misstep; and with that consciousness is a prayer, a pleading that God will inspire you to avoid that false step."

- David O. McKay, "Pathways to Happiness" (1957), pp. 225-26

President McKay offered some insightful suggestions on "effective prayer" in this excerpt. He noted five important qualities that are fundamental in achieving the divine communication we seek:

Each of these is worth pondering. I was impressed on the statements about "loyalty" — in effect, making sure our actions correspond to our words and desires. "It is the height of disloyalty to pray for God's will to be done, and then fail to conform our lives to that will."

But it is perhaps humility that is the greatest need for so many of us. Recognizing our dependence on God is essential to effective communication. When we truly acknowledge our need and His ability to help, then we approach the consciousness President McKay refers to, "a pleading that God will inspire you to avoid that false step."

Then, perhaps, we approach what is the potential we all seek.