Shepherds of the Flock

Brethren: You are the shepherds of the flock. I cannot help feeling that in the marvelous work you are doing in feeding the sheep and the lambs, you are demonstrating your love of Him, as the Savior expressed Himself to Peter; and I believe we might read between the lines, His love of those who undertake such a marvelous work as you do. ¶

Work in Church Brings Own Reward ¶

Bishop Nibley once said, speaking of the bishops, that he thought Paul made a mistake when he said, "Those who desire the work of a bishop desire a good work." He should have said, "a good lot of work." ¶

We hear a great deal about how the bishops are overloaded, have too much to do, how many of them are wanting to be released because of the great responsibility they are carrying. I have taken occasion during these few conference days to inquire of many of them, "Bishop, how are you enjoying your work?" and each has replied in about these words, "Very much — it is the grandest opportunity I have ever had." And I believe that is the way the bishops feel about it. ¶

When I was on my first mission, I received a letter from my father in which he said in words such as these, "My son, I would like to say to you that there is no organization, corporation, or society in the world that will pay as great dividends on your time, your means invested, and your talents as the Church and Kingdom of God." And I want to bear testimony to you this day, brethren, of the truth of this statement. I feel that the Lord owes me nothing for what I have done in the Church. He is the best Paymaster I know anything about. ¶

Gathering Predicted ¶

I would like to read a few words from the thirty-first chapter of Jeremiah. Jeremiah saw the gathering of the Latter-day Saints in our day and described the same as plainly as you can read it in Church history, even to the long trek along the Platte River in order to reach these valleys of the mountains. And so I read from that chapter: For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. . . . ¶

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. . . . ¶

And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:6, 12, 14) ¶

I do not believe you could go anywhere in the world and find men engaged in the ministry, I care not how great their salaries are, who would testify that the Lord has satiated their souls with fatness and they are satisfied with the Lord's goodness to them, as are you brethren who bear the Priesthood of God and are privileged to feed the flock under His divine leadership and inspiration. ¶

The Worth of Souls ¶

You are dealing with the most precious things in all the world; you are dealing with the souls of men, and I want to remind you of the words of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph given in the eighteenth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, where He says: Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. ¶

And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. ¶

And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! ¶

Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. ¶

Then He adds: And if it is so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father. (D. & C. 18:10-15) ¶

I would like to say, brethren, that these souls who are so precious in the sight of God are not only those who live out among the gentiles, but many of them are the sons and daughters of Israel. In the veins of some of them flows the very best blood of this generation, and many of them are inactive and they are waiting for you to call them into service. ¶

When I was laboring as president of the Southern States Mission and we mission presidents met in the temple with the Quorum of the Twelve, following the reports of the mission presidents, President Clawson told us the Lord had created the earth and the fulness thereof, and then he described at some length the marvelous creations of the Lord. Then he said, "But, brethren, I say unto you that the soul of one of His children is more precious in His sight than all the earth and the things He has created." ¶

How precious are the souls of the sheep of the flock among whom you brethren are called to labor! Now those of you who have had the privilege of laboring in the mission field have seen men arrive, some of whom had never prayed in public in their lives, never done anything in the Church in a public way, and yet you have seen what they have become in a year or two under the inspiration of the Lord. I have come to feel that there is no man in Israel who is without potential power for good in the midst of the people, if he is only given opportunity to render some service. ¶

Gifts of the Spirit ¶

I want to read a few words from the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians, what Paul says about the gifts of the Spirit: Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. ¶

Then I skip some for brevity: But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal. ¶

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:4-8) ¶

The Lord has not left any without some gift and as you look about you, you will find that where one is strong in one way he may be weak in another. The Lord never did give all His gifts to any one individual. Even in the great work the Prophet Joseph accomplished, the Lord told him that his gifts were limited in some respects. You remember how Alma of old said he would that he had the voice of an angel, that he might cry repentance to all the world, but the Lord did not grant his desire, even though he was a prophet. Paul carried a thorn in his flesh all his days, but the Lord did not see fit to remove it; and the Book of Mormon says thereto are we given weaknesses that we might remain humble. Is there one among you who does not feel his weakness and would that he had greater power than he possesses for achievement in this great and mighty latter-day work? And yet you have to satisfy yourselves to do the things that are within your own reach and with the gifts that the Lord has seen fit to bestow upon you. But remember, "The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal" — that is why the Lord gave the parable of the talents. To one He gave five talents; to another, two; and to another, one. And remember the Lord will return and expect an accounting according to the talents given. ¶

Activity in Church Work Brings Joy ¶

I am grateful for the great Welfare program of the Church. I see in it a marvelous opportunity to use some of the men who have not applied themselves in more spiritual activities. A man sat in my office not long ago who had only recently become active in the Church. He had been very successful in his own business affairs, but apparently the bishop had never asked him to do anything. Then they had to build a church and the bishop selected him to head the finance committee, and he did a marvelous job. ¶

This man said, "Why couldn't my bishop have given me something to do twenty-five years ago so I could have known the joy of service all these years?" Then he told me about having a son who had married in the temple and was not doing anything in the Church. He said, "Why cannot the bishop give him something to do so he will not remain inactive as I have been?" ¶

Brethren, I am pleading for every man whom the Lord has endowed with His gifts through the power of His Spirit, that we find a way whereby they can fit in and do something for the building up of the kingdom. We have the opportunity of ward teaching, missionary work, and of stake, ward, and auxiliary officers and teachers. We can go even further, for there is so much to be done in a temporal way, in beautification, in the Welfare program, in the building of storehouses, in the acquiring of land, and in the production of the things not yet being produced which are needed for the storehouses; and some of the finest leadership in the Church is available, but as yet inactive. I scarcely ever return from a conference without thinking of some of the outstanding men I have met, successful in a particular field, almost beyond words to describe; and I wonder how we can reach into the lives of those less fortunate and lift them to the same level. Then I think of the marvelous possibilities within the Priesthood quorums, of lifting men, of rehabilitating them, and causing Zion to put on her beautiful garments, as the Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph two years after this Church was organized that she should do, because, He said: Zion must increase in beauty and in holiness; her stakes must be strengthened; her borders must be extended; yea, verily I say unto you Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments. ¶

Priesthood Arbitration Committees ¶

I would like to discuss another thought here today. I do not know how right I am in this, but I am going to give Paul the responsibility for the thought. I do not know just what the mechanics ought to be, but I have had an idea for a long time that if we could go out into the stakes and establish arbitration committees among the Priesthood there would be many fine men who could be brought into service. ¶

I spent a good many years in the real estate business. We had what we called a multiple listing system, where we all worked on the sale of the same homes. That naturally brought us into troubles because often two or three men would sell the same home, sometimes the same day; and we settled all our differences through an arbitration committee. I know the Lord set up the bishop's court; I know He set up the high council court, where men can be tried for misconduct. But why couldn't we have an arbitration committee where men could go when they have differences? I do not know a great deal about the law, but my experience in the execution of the law among the ordinary laymen is that it is not so much the righteousness of the law which governs the decisions of the courts as it is the ability of the attorneys who represent those who go to law. And so the decisions are not always righteous. If the brethren of the Church were making decisions, I think the decisions would be righteous. To my friends who come to me inquiring whether they should sue their brethren for this or that, I say, "Brother, if you win, you lose," and that is almost invariably true when you go into the courts. ¶

I would like to read a few words by Paul in First Corinthians, sixth chapter, commencing with the first verse: Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ¶

Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ¶

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? . . . ¶

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? ¶

Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. (I Corinthians 6:1-3, 7-8) ¶

Now I want to read what the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph, as it appears in the Doctrine and Covenants. This is to Joseph and Oliver: And whosoever shall go to law with thee shall be cursed by the law. ¶

Now, brethren, it is my feeling that when we can be, as Brother Romney pointed out yesterday from the revelations of the Lord, free and independent from every power beneath the celestial kingdom and become so united that we as members of the Priesthood of the living God can settle all our troubles within our own ranks, then we will literally become a light upon a hill, an ensign unto the nations. ¶

God bless you, my brethren. God help us that we may all be worthy shepherds of the flock, and that we may bring into activity in our wards and stakes of Zion every man who is a member of this Church, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶