This Is the Work of God

One of the most important documents that I have read is the message which was delivered by the First Presidency last spring. Today we have had another equally important message. These brethren are inspired of the Lord. I don't know where we could find such writing outside of Holy Writ itself, and to me it is Holy Writ. We have been called to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him. If this great body of Priesthood will yield to the persuasion of these brethren and set the proper example, there will certainly be an influence for good in this great land that never has been felt before, for here is the strength of God, the strength of the Holy Priesthood, vested in this Church. ¶

I often think of the words of the great Solomon who said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Men who have it in their hearts to keep the commandments of God, will keep them. They will not commit adultery who say and feel that it is a sin akin to murder, a thing the Lord has said we shall not do. Such men will not steal, they will not lie, they will not bear false witness, or violate the Sabbath day. Men will not leave the work of God undone if they feel in their hearts that it is the thing for them to do. ¶

Brethren, there never was a time that was more opportune for us than right now. There will never be another time when we will be enjoying this earthly existence. This is your day and mine. We will never go through this world again as we are now. We are here writing our history. We write it every day and there can be no change. As we write it, that is the way it will be. We write it by our lives. No matter what our vocation is, no matter where we are, there is nothing that will build us more surely and make us stronger than an assurance that we have the truth. As we work in our fields or in our homes, in our shops or in our offices, let us keep in mind this thought: This is the work of God that I am engaged in. ¶

I know that the Lord, our Eternal Father, appeared to Joseph Smith and introduced to him the Savior of the world and said unto him, "This is my beloved Son — hear Him." If we will keep in our minds all the time that the Priesthood of the Son of God is in the earth and that the same leadership that was introduced to the Prophet Joseph Smith is here; if we will reflect constantly upon the high standard of living and teachings that have been ours from the days of Joseph until now; and if we will remember that there has never been a wavering in any way in the leadership of this Church, we cannot help feeling in our hearts and souls that this is the work of God. If we do that we will be strong and we will be able to carry on as the Lord would have us do. We will not be weak, and we will not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but we will feel in our hearts to know the truth. We will understand the course we should take and the opinion that we should express; we will know that we are the Lord's chosen people. ¶

I am thankful for the testimony that I have, for the privilege of laboring in a small way in this great Church of Christ on this earth in this dispensation; I rejoice that I have been permitted to take a part in building this western commonwealth. I know that is the feeling of every true Latter-day Saint. I pray the Lord to bless the leadership of this Church, for this Church is led by a prophet of the living God who was raised up for this very purpose. He stands as a monument in faith and expression of that code of living which, I want to say to you brethren, commands the respect of all honorable men and women everywhere when they become acquainted with the facts and know us as we are. These are the things we should keep in our minds, and if we do, we will not be weak and we will not fail, but we will die worthy men, Latter-day Saints in full fellowship. To this end I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶