What A Beautiful Song I Stand All...

What a beautiful song: "I Stand All Amazed at the Love Jesus Offers Me!" — I feel that way very deeply this morning, my brothers and sisters. I, like President Tanner, feel appreciative and grateful for the many blessings that have been mine. I likewise appreciate the noble heritage with which I have been blessed, and I appreciate the wonderful family that I have and the devotion they have to the Church and particularly the devotion my wife has shown. We have enjoyed the past nine months in the mission field, more than any other time in our lives, and the reason is that we have been serving the Lord to a greater degree than ever before. ¶

President McKay spoke yesterday about love being the first and second great commandments of the Lord, that we must have this love for our Father in heaven and his Son Jesus Christ, and likewise for our brother and neighbor. I have love in my heart this morning, President McKay, for you and for my brethren that are presiding over the affairs of the kingdom of God, and I have love in my heart for my fellow men. I can truthfully say that I have no enmity nor hatred toward any man, and I pray that the Lord will sustain me in this position. ¶

I feel wholly inadequate as an individual; however, I feel the way Nephi did when his father Lehi asked him to go and get the plates, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7.) I know that through these modern revelations and by listening to the words of inspiration and revelation given by our prophets today, that we do receive great strength. I love to read modern revelation, and I love to sit at the feet of the great men who are presiding over the affairs of this Church and to learn what we as servants of the Lord should do to further God's work here upon the earth. ¶

President Moyle yesterday quoted a statement from the Book of Mormon wherein the Lord said that "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25.) I want to testify to you that the greatest joy that can come into the life of any man is to give this "pearl of great price," the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto salvation, to others. That is why Sister Richards and I have been having such great joy this last nine months, because we have been giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. We are in a new era of growth and development in the Church of Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is going forward that the kingdom of heaven may come. ¶

We in the Northwest have been blessed abundantly because we have been active in spreading the gospel and have recognized the importance and shortness of time. The Lord has blessed us in many ways. First, by bringing numbers of people together in groups we have been able to teach the gospel to more people. Secondly, as the members of the Church have shared the gospel with their friends, many more people have been brought into the kingdom of God than otherwise would have been, and those members of wards and stakes and branches and districts that have shared the gospel have been blessed abundantly themselves. And thirdly, spirituality in the wards and branches has increased; the inactive have become active; and the people are happy and are having great joy; and this is as it should be. ¶

Many have said, "How do you find these people that are interested in knowing about the gospel?" We have asked the people of the Northwest to ask their neighbors every day, "What do you know about the Mormon Church?" And whatever their answer may be, our next question is, "Would you like to know more?" Our missionaries are busy teaching in groups those that would like to know more, and they are so busy that they are obliged to use automobiles and do practically all of their proselyting and arranging meetings over the telephone. The Lord is greatly blessing the missionaries and the Saints in the Northwest area, and the gospel is going forward by leaps and bounds as it is in practically every other area of the world. ¶

I am grateful to my Father in heaven that among my other blessings I have the opportunity of spending my time and energy in his service. I pledge all of my efforts, President McKay, to the Church and to you as prophet, seer, and revelator, and to the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In concluding I would like to read from one of the modern prophets, President Heber J. Grant. He said: ¶

"The most glorious thing that has ever happened in the history of the world since the Savior himself lived on the earth is that God himself saw fit to visit the earth with his beloved, Only Begotten Son, our Redeemer and Savior, and to appear to the boy Joseph." (Gospel Standards, p. 16.) And it is our duty above all others to go forth at home and abroad and proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that in order to do this we must live close to the Lord. ¶

President McKay together with President Clark and President Moyle in the beautiful blessing that they gave me when they set me apart as president of the Northwestern States Mission told me to live close to the Lord and listen to his whisperings and have the courage to execute them. When Brother and Sister Lee were in our mission field this last summer, they brought many blessings to the Saints and the missionaries, and already we have seen many join the Church who listened to their words. Likewise Brother and Sister Lee impressed upon us that we should not be too busy taking care of details and mechanics to listen to the whisperings of the Spirit. ¶

I testify to you my brothers and sisters that the greatest message that we have is that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, the power of God unto salvation. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God lives, that Jesus is indeed his Son, the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God — one of the greatest prophets that has lived on this earth, according to the word of the Lord contained in our holy book of Doctrine and Covenants. (See D&C 135:3.) I know that David O. McKay is the prophet of the Lord today, and I know that we need a prophet on the earth today. I propose to sustain President McKay with all of my might and strength. I say this and dedicate myself unto the Church, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶