Today Is the Day of Salvation

(President of the Shelley Stake of Zion, Idaho) ¶

I trust, my brethren and sisters, that while speaking to you I may enjoy the spirit that has prevailed during this conference. I would not like to occupy this position without it being of some benefit to you as well as to myself. I feel that time is very valuable, that you have come here to be blessed of the Spirit of the Lord, and that you should receive that blessing in your gathering. ¶

Brother Goddard referred to the spiritual part of our religion, the inspiration which directs this people. I want to> bear my testimony, as one of the humble servants of the Lord, that in my ministry have I noticed this inspiration upon the brethren who are somewhat far from the center stake of Zion. The instructions that are given in this conference come very forcibly to my mind, something that I valued two months ago. I have noticed that on other occasions when there have been special instructions given to us as a people, they have come to us in our stakes as an inspiration from the Lord. I do not speak of this with any praise to myself, but I speak of it to show to you, that it is a testimony to me that the Spirit of the Lord is permeating this great assembly, and that its influences extend throughout the length and breadth of this great land of ours, where the people are worthy to receive it ; and I think that under the influence of this Holy Spirit we are bound to succeed, especially if we put into practice that which we are taught. ¶

One of the ancient apostles in teaching the people in his time made a statement like this : "Today is the day of salvation for you" ; and I have had a thought during this conference, and from the report of the instructions given that will go out among the people, and especially when these thoughts go out to the young people, that today is your day of salvation; today is the day that the Lord has given you to prepare not only for life in the future, but to prepare for this life, in order that you may have the blessings here as well as hereafter. ¶

For illustration, where is there a greater blessing than health to our people, to any people ? Without health we are helpless. We are of very little use unless we have health and strength, and the Lord has told us how to obtain that health and strength. Yet many of our own people do not cherish these words of the Lord as they should do, because they are breaking these laws of health and depriving themselves of the blessings that they might enjoy. Is not today the day of salvation for these young people? Certainly it is — not to wait till they get old for their salvation, going on in a reckless way, being out late at nights, using those things which are forbidden, as they grow older they will realize this, but this opportunity will be gone. The period) of youth will have passed, and opportunity neglected, and the result is they have lost that salvation that they could have secured. ¶

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, ¶

The saddest are these, it might have been." ¶

I often think of our young people as well as many of our older ones, that they will see the day when they will look back and sigh for that which might have been. And where we have neglected to take advantage of these opportunities, that, sometime, either in this life or the hereafter we will think what we have missed, and then these words will come forcibly to us, "The saddest are these, it might have been." ¶

Many times our young boys, and older ones too, have had a chance to receive the Priesthood, one of the greatest opportunities that can come to a mortal man ; and yet many of them would prefer, perhaps, some of the things they cherished in the flesh, such as the use of tobacco, the pleasures of the world. They would rather have them than receive the Priesthood. And it strikes me, O what are we doing as members of the Church when we take such a course, when we fail to receive the things that are of greater value unto us, both here and hereafter. Will there not come a time of reckoning and is not today the day of salvation to us ? A time to prepare not only for this life but for the life to come? ¶

I read here in the Doctrine and Covenants, that those who receive these two Priesthoods (the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood) become joint heirs with God the Father and with his son Jesus Christ, and that all the blessings that they have to give are theirs, inasmuch as they receive these two Priesthoods ¶

and remain faithful to them. O what a blessing to become joint heirs of God with his Son Jesus Christ in all these glorious things. That is further than eternity, and yet those blessings are within our reach if we will take the opportunity that is presented to us. So again, let. me say, today is the day of salvation, for you and for me, and we should not neglect these things, and should not have to look back and say — ¶

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, ¶

The saddest are these, it might have been." ¶

I see a few young people here before me this afternoon. I wish there were more, because I love to speak to the young people, because they are the people whose course I feel we should direct. The young people sometimes give way to pleasures that surround them, the environments which are about them ; they partake of them more or less, and they do not think, I feel, as seriously of the gospel and of the future as they should do. There comes a period in their lives when they want to get married, and we do not blame them for wanting to be married. If there is anything that I despise, in the walks of life, it is the old bachelor or the old maid. And so I think that our boys and girls should have this opportunity when young, especially when they are married in the right way, and that is coming to the temples which have been provided where they may be sealed together for time and for all eternity. Now, for illustration, we will say, here are two boys raised in the same community, taught by good parents. One of them, when the opportunity comes, goes to the temple, as all good boys should go, and there he receives his companion for time and eternity. The other thinks, "Well, I believe I will be married by the justice of the peace, or by my bishop. What a difference between those two' marriages! Don't you see at once that one is cutting himself off from the salvation, the glory, that he might attain to? I imagine that I can see these two young boys with their wives, as time goes on, one going" into eternal glory and eternal lives, the other deprived of those blessings, because he has neglected those privileges he had while in the flesh. What will it be to that young man? Is not today his opportunity for salvation, is not today the day to prepare for salvation, not only in this life but in the life to come? I certainly think it is; and, should they neglect this opportunity, when they go to the other side they will look back and regret the course they have taken ; or, on the other hand, be glad that they had the opportunity and improved it in this life, for salvation in this life and also in the life to come. ¶

I rejoice that this Church calls us all into the service, gives us all a chance to receive the blessings of the Lord, and if we neglected it, we deprive ourselves of the blessings of the Lord. In one of the beautiful hymns in our hymn book, Sister Eliza R. Snow says, and we so often sing: ¶

For a wise and glorious purpose ¶

Thou hast placed me here on earth, And withheld the recollection ¶

Of my former friends and birth. ¶

W.e came to this world for a wise and glorious purpose for which God sent us here. We should take advantage of the opportunity. ¶

May the Lord bless us, and help us to realize our advantages in this life, and by improving our opportunities may we realize his blessings, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶