Day 150

• Principle: Diligence will overcome discouragement. 
• Book of Mormon Reading: Alma 9:7 - 9:18
  • The word 'remember' shows up four times in these verses.  How does remembering help you be more diligent?
• Merrill J. Bateman, President of Brigham Young University shared the following at a BYU Devotional.  Look for the lessons learned about diligence from an education:

  • The students at this university have broader objectives than most students elsewhere. Many are seeking sacred as well as secular truth. You have chosen Brigham Young University knowing the dual nature of the institution. A few months ago I received a letter from a young woman who expressed her feelings in this regard. She said:

    I especially am grateful for the emphasis . . . placed on BYU being a religious institution. I’m from central California and was the valedictorian of my high school class. I felt a lot of pressure from teachers and peers to attend an Ivy League school, Stanford, or one of the more prestigious University of California schools. They could not understand why I would even consider BYU—let alone choose it above the others! But in my mind, I knew the importance of educating my spirit as well as my brain. I wanted a religious education as well as a secular one. I knew that BYU was a place that could provide this type of experience. Since entering here [last] fall, this hope has been confirmed, and I have grown in so many ways that would never have been possible at another university.[Personal correspondence, February 1996]

    Whether sacred or secular, the process of acquiring truth follows the same basic pattern. The Lord said, “All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law [truth] which was temporal” (D&C 29:34). Whether one attempts to learn by faith or by study, the learning process is similar in at least two respects. First, learning is based on diligence—the energetic application of one’s mental powers. Second, the acquisition of knowledge and intelligence is based on one’s obedience to basic truths. The scriptures state:

    Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

    And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. [D&C 130:18–19]

    Oliver Cowdery learned this lesson when he was given the opportunity to assist Joseph in translating the plates. He was unable to do so, and the Lord explained why.

    Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

    But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. [D&C 9:7–8]

    Whether it is called diligence, hard work, or effort, consistent application of one’s energy is required to learn. As an undergraduate student, good grades came easily for me. My diligence was generally confined to class time plus the night before the exam. There were only a few classes that caused me to stretch. Looking back, I now realize how I squandered a major opportunity.

    In contrast, graduate school was a different experience. When I arrived at MIT, I realized that I was not prepared and had shortchanged myself as an undergraduate. I was three years behind in mathematics and not well prepared in my major. It took 18 hours a day, six days a week, of study and class time to compete with the better students. While taking courses in my chosen field, I also studied calculus and difference and differential equations, plus linear algebra—tools required to pass the major exams. During the first year in graduate school I came to understand the meaning of the word diligence. I vowed then to apply my energies in whatever pursuit I was engaged and not waste opportunities.

    Students, take advantage of the BYU educational opportunity by going the extra mile in your homework. In addition to the required materials, read the papers on the suggested list. Ask questions! Take time to become acquainted with your instructors. Establish study groups and use the library.

    Just as the secular learning process requires diligence, so does the search for sacred truths. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated: “When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force” (Lectures on Faith, comp. N. B. Lundwall [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, n.d.], p. 61 [7:3]). In other words, sacred knowledge or a witness of the Spirit comes only after the expenditure of significant mental energy.

    A few years ago, a returned missionary who served in one of the Mexican missions shared with me a classic experience that illustrates the “diligence” principle in the acquisition of faith and sacred knowledge. I had conducted the stake president’s interview before his mission and sent his papers to Church headquarters. I remember that interview with him. He was 6 foot 5 inches tall and 255 pounds. He was one of the first two young men recruited from my children’s high school to play football at Brigham Young University. He was a fine young man, clean-cut and worthy in every way. I remember being impressed with his potential. I could tell from the answers he gave to the questions I asked that he was honest, but there was one crack in his armor. I knew that his testimony was based on the faith of others rather than on his own witness. However, he related the following story to me during his release interview at the end of his mission.

    As his mission began, Elder Stone worked energetically with his companion. Frequently he was called upon to give the first lesson. In the lesson it was necessary for him to tell the investigators about the appearance of the Father and the Son to the boy Joseph in the Sacred Grove and then bear witness of its truthfulness. After bearing testimony a number of times, his conscience began to bother him. Although he believed the story, he did not know that it actually happened. He had not been there, nor had he received his own witness. How could he tell others that the First Vision really happened? As doubts began to multiply and replace his belief and as the pains of conscience increased, he told his companion that he could no longer be a missionary. He was going home. He could not serve as a witness to something he did not know. His companion responded, “Elder Stone, why don’t you follow the counsel given the investigators? You need to study and pray more diligently. Put Moroni’s promise to the test. Exercise your faith, and you will receive an answer. Stay with me for a few more weeks.”

    Elder Stone agreed to stay and put Moroni’s promise to the test. A few weeks passed, the missionary worked harder, prayed more often, was more attentive in his reading, but no witness came. Finally, during an interview with the mission president, Elder Stone expressed his frustrations and indicated his desire to return home. He could not continue. A wise mission president counseled, “Elder, do not give up! You have a desire to believe. If you continue faithful in your calling for a few more weeks, the Lord will answer your prayers. I promise you!”

    Elder Stone agreed to return to his proselyting area for a few more weeks. Again, days and then weeks passed with no change in his feelings. It was difficult. One morning as they were knocking on doors, a woman answered and invited them to return when her husband and children would be home. As they left the small house, Elder Stone said to his companion, “I’m not giving the lesson!”

    His companion responded, “Elder, I’ll give the first portion of the discussion, but I want you to tell the Joseph Smith story.”

    Finally Elder Stone agreed, even though that was the part that bothered him. From the time they left the woman’s house until they returned a day or two later, the missionary used every spare minute to read and pray. He wanted a witness before entering the home. But when the appointed hour came, he still had not received a witness. He had read diligently, he had prayed almost continuously, but there were no special feelings. How could he bear witness when he did not know?

    The father answered the door and ushered the missionaries inside. There on a dirt floor sat nine children, and the father and mother took their places behind them. Elder Stone reported that the size of the home was not much larger than his bedroom in Utah. The humble circumstances only added to his discomfort. The senior companion began the lesson, telling the family that there is a God, that we are his children, and that he loves us. He then explained the mission of the Savior, how God sent his Son to earth to atone for our sins and to make possible our return to our heavenly home. He explained the role of prophets and bore witness that God works through prophets today. He then turned the lesson over to Elder Stone.

    My missionary friend began the story of the 14-year-old Joseph. He told the family about the religious confusion that existed in Palmyra in the 1820s, how Joseph listened to the various ministers proclaiming different versions of Christianity. He told them about Joseph’s experience in reading James 1:5, where James states unequivocally: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

    The missionary related the impact that the passage had on Joseph—that it struck him with more power than had any other scripture, and that this caused him to reflect on it again and again. Finally, Joseph decided to put James to the test. He selected a grove of trees near his father’s farm and went there on a beautiful spring day to pray. Being alone, he knelt down and offered up the feelings of his heart. The elder told the family how a dark power came over Joseph, almost choking the life out of the young boy. Exerting all of his powers, Joseph continued to pray, and then, suddenly, a pillar of light descended out of the heavens directly above him. The darkness was dispelled, and in the midst of the light were two personages. One called Joseph by name and, pointing to the other, said: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (See JS—H 1:1–17.)

    At this point in the story, Elder Stone said that a warm feeling began to stir his soul—one he had never felt before. The warmth was deep inside and soon enveloped him. Tears welled up in his eyes. His throat became full, and he could hardly speak. He was embarrassed and ducked his head until he could regain his composure. When he looked up, he noticed tears in the eyes of the parents and the children. They were experiencing the same feelings and warmth of Spirit that he was feeling. He finished the lesson with a conviction born of a spiritual witness that Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son. Elder Stone’s testimony had shifted from one of belief to a knowledge of the First Vision. As Elder Stone finished sharing his experience with me, he said: “President, I know that Joseph saw the Father and the Son. I did not have a problem in the mission field after that experience. I have my own witness.”

    As I listened to the story’s conclusion, I thought how efficient God is: he got 12 birds with one Stone! The parents, the nine children, and a missionary were all touched by the Holy Ghost, and a desire to believe was transformed into knowledge. More than that, God is efficient in another way. If a person has a witness of the Father and Son’s visit to young Joseph, he or she has a foundation for believing and accepting other gospel principles. The Word of Wisdom, tithing, the law of chastity, and all other principles revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith are true. Once one feels the good seed growing and swelling inside, one has a small amount of knowledge that forms the basis for further growth. In the words of Alma:

    And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. [Alma 32:34]

    The important aspect of the story for us is the diligence required of Elder Stone. The answer did not come the first time he prayed or the second or the third. Weeks went by as his faith and desires were tested. As Moroni states: “Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).

    Brothers and sisters, do not get discouraged in your studies or with respect to your faith. Help will come, and you will master both secular and sacred truths if you are diligent and obedient in your efforts. (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/merrill-j-bateman_peculiar-treasure/) 
     

• Additional Study
  • M. Russell Ballard, “The Trek Continues!”, October 2017
  • I Will Be Valiant, Children’s Songbook No. 162
  • Battle Hymn of the Republic, Hymns No. 60