Conference Address

My dear brethren and sisters, it is in deep humility that I stand before you today. I have a prayer in my heart that God will sustain and be with me on this occasion. ¶

As a Man Thinketh ¶

The ancient statement, "As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he," (Prov. 23:7) is a divine, sublime, and eternal truth. Every act that we have committed and every word that we have spoken have come about as a result of our thoughts. Your character and my character today are the results of the complete sum of all our thoughts. Thus a man is literally what he thinks. Every plant springs forth from its seed. So it is with the deeds of man. Every one of his ¶

acts springs forth from the hidden seeds of thought. Our minds are as fertile gardens. If we plant in these gardens seeds of impure and unholy thoughts, these seeds grow as weeds and crowd out that which is pure and noble. Under these conditions, our lives become filled with filthy, ungodly, and immoral actions. Paul, the ancient Christian apostle to the Gentiles, warned humanity against sowing evil thoughts which always result in wicked deeds. ¶

Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7, 8.) ¶

In my humble opinion, there is no single passage of scripture that would do more toward saving the world from misery and destruction if the human family would heed its injunction. If all the holy scriptures were suddenly taken from mortal beings but one single passage, and if I were asked to select the passage which I thought would be of most benefit to the human family, I believe I would choose that statement made by Paul. Furthermore, I would print that statement indelibly on a large placard and hold it before the eyes of the people continuously. ¶

Human beings are so prone to flatter each other and to use the art of sophistry that a true measure of character cannot always be accurately ascertained by the words we speak. We adults are not as little children. They are frank and honest in expressing their opinions. Perhaps that is one reason why Jesus declared that except we become as little children we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. ¶

Character Sum Total of Thoughts ¶

The only sure measuring rod of character, therefore, is the sum total of all our thoughts. The claim has been made that if we could look into the hearts and minds of boys and girls and perceive their thoughts — especially their thoughts when their minds are operating undisciplined away from their daily assigned tasks — we could have a rather safe criterion by which to judge their future happiness and sorrow. It is a well-known fact that as thoughts blossom forth into actions, joy and sorrow are the results. Thus it can be said to a young man or to a young woman: "You tell me your thoughts, and I will tell you your future." ¶

Jesus, the Master of life and salvation, proclaimed that: ¶

. . . out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (Matt. 12: ¶

34, 35.) ¶

Since all that is evil and all that is good in human nature comes forth from the heart of man, we shall be held accountable before the judgment seat of God for all that comes from the heart. In fact, the gospel plan of salvation proclaims that every man and every woman ¶

who have their free agency to choose the course that they follow and who are mentally sound and capable of making choices are held responsible for the actions that they commit. God our Eternal Father is both merciful and just. He is very merciful in that he gave to the human family the gospel; and to be completely just, he requires each of us to obey every word that has come from his mouth. ¶

Responsible for Our Words and Acts ¶

Alma the Younger, a great Nephite prophet-teacher, declared that all men, women, and children who come into this mortal world will eventually be "brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works." If we have lived wicked lives while in mortality, according to this Nephite prophet, at the judgment day: ¶

. . . our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us. (Alma 12:14.) ¶

At the judgment day, so great will be the shame of those who have lived wicked lives in mortality that they will cry for the mountains to fall upon them and hide them from the presence of God. But this cannot be the case. Every individual will have to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, and that his judgments are just and true. ¶

Alma was not the only prophet of God who declared that we shall be held responsible for every act that we commit, for every word that we speak, and for every thought that we think. Jesus who is the great Judge, Law-giver, and Savior of the world, proclaimed that we shall be held accountable for the secret thoughts of our hearts. He also declared: ¶

I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matt. 12:36, 37.) ¶

The Savior also maintained that all of our secrets eventually shall be made public. To quote his exact words: ¶

For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. (Luke 12:2, 3.) ¶

If it is true that our bad unspoken thoughts are recorded against us, will it not be just as true that all our good thoughts unspoken, the kindness, tenderness, sympathy, pity, love, beauty, and charity that enter the breast and cause the heart to throb with silent good, find remembrance in the presence of God, also? Yes, I firmly believe that all of our good impulses and thoughts will find remembrance with the Lord just as much as will the evil that we have thought, said, or done; and certainly since God is our loving Father, he will remember ¶

the good with a greater degree of satisfaction and joy than he will the evil. ¶

Think Pure Thoughts ¶

My friends, it will pay high dividends for us to guard our lips, as James, the ancient Christian writer, so plainly taught. "... If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." ... for the tongue which is unbridled "is a fire, a world of iniquity." (James 3:2, 6.) ¶

If it pays well to guard our lips, it pays just as well and even better to guard our thoughts, for every word that we speak is preceded by the thought. We, as Saints of the Most High, should accustom ourselves at all times to think such pure thoughts that if our minds and hearts were laid open before the world, nothing would appear which when brought to light would cause us to blush. Since the key to every man is his thoughts, we should thoroughly understand that our habitual thoughts will completely determine our character, for the soul is truly dyed by the thoughts. Therefore, thought and character are one. Our reputation is what men believe us to be, but our character is what God and angels actually know of us. The Lord gave us the key in modern revelation by which we can build lives of righteousness: ¶

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be -an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever. (D. & C. 121:45, 46.) ¶

If we would do as the Lord has commanded, we could rest assured of receiving blessings in great abundance. Surely then we could sing with the psalmist of old: ¶

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalm 24:3-5.) ¶

God has revealed to us as Latter-day Saints the true plan of salvation; therefore, it is not only our opportunity, but, according to modern revelation, it is the duty of each of us to "serve him with all [his] your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." (D. & C. 4:2) Let us heed the solemn warning found in Ecclesiastes which is one of the greatest statements in the Old Testament: ¶

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring ¶

every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.) » ¶

Roots of Sin in Our Thoughts ¶

Throughout history, men of God have put forth strenuous efforts to reform those individuals who have strayed from the path of truth into the byways of sin. Repentance has been their theme. It is true that repentance is the only pathway back from sin to God; but when one becomes steeped in iniquity, repentance is a long and difficult process. The Master Teacher had a more keen insight into the building of character than did any of the other great teachers of history. He declared: ¶

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust alter her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matt. 5:27, 28.) ¶

In this and similar statements Jesus declared that the roots of sin lie in our thoughts. This being true, the proper time to reform people is not after they have formed thought habits but to teach our children while they are in their childhood and youth to think no other than pure and noble thoughts. At that time their minds are clean and pliable, and it is possible for us more easily to implant in their hearts seeds of purity, truth, and righteousness. Surely, as the writer of the proverb aptly stated: ¶

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6.) ¶

Responsibility to Develop Proper Habits ¶

Parents in Israel, a heavy responsibility rests on each of us to help our children develop proper habits of thinking. The Savior has laid the responsibility on us to be the principal agents in teaching our children the gospel plan of salvation. I tremble when I realize the responsibility that is mine as a father. To quote one of the commandments: ¶

And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized. And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands. And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. (D. 6 C. 68:25-28.) ¶

Teachers throughout the Church who are working in the seminaries and institutes of religion, in the Sunday Schools, Primaries, and Priesthood classes, your opportunities and responsibilities are as great as any opportunities and responsibilities that can rest on ¶

the shoulders of men. In your charge is given our most priceless blessing — our sons and daughters. It is your duty and calling to assist the parents in Israel in planting in the hearts of the youth of the Church seeds of thought that will shoot forth into deeds of righteousness. What greater calling could men and women have than to be the molders of character? May God bless you in your noble callings; and may he continuously bless every one of us that we may think pure and holy thoughts, for "as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he." ¶

In conclusion, I desire to bear testimony that I know that God lives and is indeed our Eternal Father, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, and that Joseph Smith is the Prophet whom God foreordained and sent into the world in the last days to establish the only true Church of Jesus Christ, which Church is endowed with power from on high to bring salvation to the human family. I also bear witness that President George Albert Smith is also a prophet of the Most High and that he holds the keys of the priesthood just as the other holy prophets have done. I humbly pray that God will bless us all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶