Strength in Unity

Brethren, I have been greatly impressed with a passage of very modern scripture. You will find it on page thirty of the Message of the First Presidency, delivered in this tabernacle on October 3, 1942. It follows a survey of Satan's present efforts to destroy the people of the earth, and reads: ¶

Strength in Unity ¶

In the midst of this welter of lying and deception, of woe and misery, of death and destruction, of violent disorder and threatening chaos, the only saving forces on earth are the eternal principles of the everlasting Gospel of Christ and the rights and powers of the Priesthood of Almighty God. We of this Church stand as the sole possessors of these mighty forces which we have for our own blessing, salvation, and exaltation, not only, but also we hold them in trust for all mankind. ¶

It seems to me that standing thus as God's representatives in the earth, charged with the responsibility of carrying the banner of righteousness in the mighty conflict now raging between truth and error, we are under great responsibility to be one, for we fight against tremendous odds, and we need all the strength we can get. ¶

United we are strong. We have great strength as a unit. The programs we have undertaken as a Church have been accomplished magnificently. ¶

Evidences of United Effort ¶

I call to mind the building of the Nauvoo Temple. The Saints were poor. The securing of the money for the purchase of the materials they used required sacrifices beyond any that we have been asked to make in recent times. They knew that as soon as the building was completed and they had received their endowments therein, they would have to abandon it. Still they held to their purpose, though they had to complete the construction with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. That building is gone, but the monument erected in the hearts of the builders shall live forever as a testimony to their faith and unity. ¶

The missionary work of the Church is another example of what can be done when the people are united. It is one of the marvels of the age to all who are acquainted with it. Today, one foreign mission is being manned by a single small stake. ¶

The erection of the grain elevator on Welfare Square in this city is a further evidence of what can be done with united effort. When the erection of that structure was in contemplation, it was stated by one of the consulting engineers that the building could not be erected without a skilled crew, and that it would take such a crew between fourteen and fifteen days to pour the cement for the bins. The cement was poured in eight and one-half days, almost wholly by an unskilled force of volunteer Welfare workers. ¶

The production of the annual Church Welfare budget is another demonstration of what this Church can do. ¶

It is my conviction that since we are engaged in the Lord's work, we can accomplish everything He wants us to do if we will but be united. ¶

Can we not be so in all things? The answer is obvious and certain. We can, but there is only one way, and that is for each one of us to find out what the Lord wants done, and then for all of us to proceed together with energy to do it. ¶

Unity never comes while each man charts his own course and walks in his own way. The Lord made this very clear in the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, when He marked such a practice as one of the reasons for the calamities which he saw coming upon the inhabitants of the earth. He said: And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth. ¶

And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (D. & C. 1:13-16.) [Italics author's.] This message was intended for all the world, as the Lord says, and now for nearly one hundred and twelve years the Lord's servants have been carrying it to the world, explaining that the cause of all this strife, trouble, and wickedness is that men rely upon the counsel of their fellow men and trust in the arm of flesh and walk in their own ways after the image of their own gods, rather than seek the true and living God to establish His righteousness. ¶

I repeat that the only path to unity is to find out the will of the Lord, and then follow it. The way to find it out is, first, to be humble. We must not be hard of heart. We must assume our proper relationship to our Father in heaven, recognizing that in His infinite wisdom He knows what ought to be done. Therefore, we should be willing to subject our personal opinions and actions to His will. ¶

Understanding of the Gospel Comes Through Study and Prayer ¶

In this attitude, we should learn what His will is by a study of His word, as given in the standard works of the Church and through the living prophets. This study must be made in faith, and prayerfully. We should ask the Lord to help us comprehend the Prophet's words and understand their application to us. ¶

As an illustration of this approach, I call your attention to some Book of Mormon history. You will recall that Father Lehi had a dream, in which he saw the tree of life, the fountain of water, the iron rod, and the large and spacious building, and that when he told his sons about it, they did not understand its meaning. Nephi had such a desire to know what it meant, and such faith that the Lord could make it known unto him, that he was caught away into a high mountain and given its interpretation. When he returned to the tent of his father, he found his brothers disputing as to the meaning of the words of their father, and they were hard to understand in the wisdom of men, for Nephi says that his father spoke "many great things unto them which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord." His brothers, being hard in their hearts, had not inquired of the Lord, saying that the Lord "maketh no such things known unto us." Then Nephi said: . . . How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts? ¶

Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said? If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you. (I Nephi 15:10-11.) ¶

Independence the Aim of the Welfare Plan ¶

One of the activities of the Church which is being given great emphasis at this time is the Welfare work. If I understand the counsel of the brethren correctly in connection with this program, we must become a self-sustaining, independent people. This means that the Church members, individually and as a body, must become independent of direct public relief of all kinds. ¶

We have done a magnificent work in our production program and in many other Welfare activities. What we need to do now is to become united as one man in our determination to accomplish this great objective of independence. This we can do by understanding and following the advice of the brethren and the instructions issued from the headquarters of the Church. ¶

It seems to me that there is no greater threat today against our fundamental institutions than that of losing our independence. It is a sad fact that in Utah in 1942, when industrial payrolls were up 270% over 1936, the public welfare expenditures were up 282% over 1936. It is possible, in the Church Welfare way, to free every member of the Church of Christ from the necessity of accepting direct relief from any public agency and to make all, except the permanently disabled, self-sustaining. ¶

I accept this Church as the way of life, not only in the interpretation of theology, but in the social and economic phases of our lives, and I expect that through this Welfare program the Church shall point the way to the solution of economic problems, so that in the future a falling world can point to it as a light on the hill which has solved its economic problems in the midst of chaos. ¶

God help us to become united in our understanding and in our efforts to accomplish this great objective, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶