I am convinced that we can find, know, and experience the tender, unconditional love of Jesus of Nazareth as we serve Him by serving our ­fellowmen.

If we continue earnestly with faith and hope in Christ to seek the gift of charity, it will be granted to us. We will be filled with a love of God and of all people.

It is clear that the Lord is preparing the earth for His second coming. May we appreciate the day in which we live.

Today, as one of the Lord’s apostles, I charge you to prepare spiritually and in every other way to be prepared for the important work ahead for you to do.

Let us then be clear in our vision as we pursue and proclaim truth.

I challenge each of us to remember we are part of our Father in Heaven’s earthly family, and we should love each other as our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ love us.

Christlike staying power in romance and marriage requires more than any of us really have. It requires something more, an endowment from heaven.

In the final analysis, then, the greatest testimony we can ever give to others is an exemplary life devoted to service.

The Lord needs faithful, articulate, committed men and women who are undaunted by what lies ahead and who are willing to stand up for what is right again and again.

I bear solemn testimony that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is rolling forth under His direction and in preparation for His second coming.

I now view creation not as something that occurred long ago but as a process that continues today in which we are given the sacred privilege to participate.

We will have trials, but let’s accept them as part of this earthly experience. Let’s recognize that our lives are a miracle, a miracle of love and of innumerable blessings.

It is my view that athletics can and must foster the building of character, create and develop faith, and build men and women imbued with spiritual strength and courage.

As caring adults we have a responsibility to love, to reach out to, and to teach them as our Father in Heaven instructs us to do.

It is possible, because of Him, to have peace deep within our souls when all about there is confusion, tumult, and temptation.

Let us establish clearly our priorities in life. Let us go to the sacrament table repenting of our sins and renewing our covenants on a weekly basis. Let us serve others. Let us fast from critical talk and worldly behavior. Let us feast upon the Word.

Because he was willing to ask God directly, the Prophet Joseph—and each of us through him—learned eternal truths about the nature of God and the current status of God’s kingdom on earth.

When we remember that the war may extend beyond mortality and the rewards may be far greater than the short-term recognition, income, or influence we may have sought, we will not lose the eternal perspective we need to keep.

Where is the right place? Who is the right person? When is the right time? Fortunately, President Hinckley and others have given us inspired counsel concerning these questions, and more than 60 years of research in the social sciences adds another witness to their counsel.

Christ is the basis for all that we do. Without the Savior and His Atonement, there would be no good news to spread.

You can learn vitally important things by what you hear and see and, especially, by what you feel, as prompted by the Holy Ghost.

As we seek for values to stand by, especially in important or controversial matters, let us search the prophets and follow their inspired counsel.

Life will be hard but wonderful. You will be tested, but you will win. Enjoy the process of life. And in a lot of years you will look back and realize you have had a wonderful one.

Here is our foundation of truth. It is the doctrine and His revealed covenants we must take upon ourselves that will lead us back to His presence.

Art that is centered in Christ invites the Holy Ghost to be present during its creation and, again, as it is experienced by others in performance, exhibition, or publication.

We cannot fulfill our mission as a Church without the inspired insight and support of women. They matter to the Lord, and their value is infinite.

Receive the Lord’s servants. If we receive the Lord’s servants, we receive the Lord. Whenever we are obedient to the law upon which a blessing is based, it will be delivered.

Part of “redemption’s mystery” is our paradoxical—and yet ultimately not paradoxical—obligation to respect and love and protect the rights of others not of our faith.

As members of the Church, we must seek truth in all areas, be it spiritual, educational, scientific, or in the social and moral settings of society.

Technology provides the means for communicating the good news of the gospel and its theology to the inhabitants of the world and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the operation of the Church.

To recognize sin we must not rely on the world but rely on our living prophet, President Hinckley; the scriptures; and our ecclesiastical leaders to show us the way.

Choosing the Lord is both a daily and a lifelong task. In mortality we simply never arrive. We must diligently endure to the end every day.

The knowledge of most worth comes first as we learn to place all learning in the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ and seek the gifts of the Spirit as we learn.

The Christlike qualities of selflessness, patience, honesty, and integrity are the most valuable assets we can acquire that will bless the lives of others as well as our own and should be demonstrated in all of our associations and endeavors.

Daily prayer, daily scripture study, and daily service are three important spiritual antioxidants that help guarantee we will retain our spiritual vision and have the Spirit to guide us in our day-to-day activities.

I propose that in striving to achieve the aims of a BYU education, you will simultaneously be advancing in your quest for perfection and eternal life—a quest that we must always remember is made possible only through the love and the Atonement of the Savior.

Remember Jesus’ own words on the night He was betrayed: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Coming to know the Savior, learning to hear His voice, and allowing Him to be our Shepherd also requires commitment. This kind of commitment requires all that we have and are.

Armed with the Spirit, we will do as the missionary does: strive to become an instrument of the Lord to do His work.

The university and the Church have added light to your being, but none has received the fullness that lies ahead.

Your diligence and perseverance and patience in arriving here today will serve you well as this graduating class goes to many parts of this world where your intellect, energy, experience, and values are so critically needed.

That is what we need: leaders with integrity, energy, inspiration, wisdom, and courage… I believe that if you heed the Lord’s call to be the light of the world, you will be those leaders.

You will be able to do and accomplish so much that I will only add to the other advice you have received: live the principles of the gospel.

Besides appreciating the divine worth of others because of their inheritances from God, it is vital that we see this same value within ourselves. We are children of God.

The blessing conferred upon you in company with your degree is simply this: I bless you through the authority of the priesthood as a servant of the Lord that you will live the gospel and that in consequence of that you will be happy.

Thus I can testify that the fifteen men who lead this Church have been called, sustained, and anointed witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the world.

Brigham Young died with the name Joseph upon his lips. He spoke of him and his work in these words: “I honor and revere the name of Joseph Smith. I delight to hear it; I love it.

A strong trunk is essential if the branches and secondary roots are to receive quality nourishment. The parent trunk in Provo must be extraordinary both spiritually and secularly if the reach is to be infinite.

His plan of redemption has always required men and women to consecrate all they have and all they are to the service of God. They covenant to do that.

Even when death comes to those we love, we know what lies ahead. We know they are fine. It is those of us who are left behind who are sad. We know we will see them again, and we know we will be with them.

Family relationships are sacred. The bonds within families have spiritual roots. We know that we lived as brothers and sisters before coming to earth.

May we be an instrument in God’s hands to make the burdens of others last for “but a small moment.” Let us lift up the hands of those whose hang down, that they may “endure it well.”

If we are constantly seeking to know the breadth and depth of His atoning love and how very personal it really is, our seeking will not be in vain.

As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed.

Let us strive to give of ourselves through service to others. We cannot remain aloof from the needs and sufferings of others. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, there is always an opportunity for us to serve.

One of the key ways that we learn—not only here at BYU but throughout life—is by asking questions.

Let us follow Him: Learn the truth, make promises to live the truth, and do all in our power to keep those promises.

Can you sense the blessings that await if you drink deeply of Christ’s living water? Will you set aside a few minutes each day to read from the scriptures and then ponder the meaning of the verses read?

Resolve that each moment of your life will reflect your determination to humbly be an example of righteousness, integrity, and conviction.

The Lord has sent you comfort—many sources of comfort and inspiration—not the least of which are witnesses in stars and stones that He lives, that He loves you, and that He has set in place a plan by which all that He has created can be yours if you will have faith and endure.

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith means trust—trust in God’s will, trust in His way of doing things, and trust in His timetable. We should not try to impose our timetable on His.

I believe that each of us can be renewed in mind and spirit as we sincerely seek for those things that money cannot buy.

I know [God] knows us. He hears and answers our prayers. He has not left us alone on our earthly journey.

Having light is evidence that Jesus Christ is part of our life. His light—His spirit, His truth, His power—inspires, motivates, comforts, capacitates, and protects.

The Lord has given us specific doctrines and principles that show us how to clothe ourselves in the armor of God so that we can stand against the powers of evil.

We cannot be slackers in our commitment to the Lord . . . Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our gratitude for His sacrifice for us compels us to serve by bearing testimony of Him, even Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

Make a commitment today that you will not leave this great university without having read the Book of Mormon at least once.

I pray that the . . . the power of the Atonement in Lazarus, Sonya, Raskolnikov, Theany Reath, and Kats Kajiyama and millions of others will give us courage to “stand forth” and to allow our graveclothes to be removed; and that we might also be both the healers and the healed, the unbinders and the unbound.

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” [Moroni 7:47]

You may not be asked to face death in the service He requires of you, but you will be asked to love and to sacrifice for a lifetime. And you will be blessed by your faithful and loving Master beyond what you would have asked of Him. And, above all, you will, as the faithful servant, become His friend.

My young friends, remember that marriage is essential to eternal life and that a good marriage and family life is crafted, not found.

As we try to do Heavenly Father’s will, . . . I believe we open ourselves, day by day, to the sanctifying power of the Atonement.

I believe that if we will approach all our meetings with a desire to become one with the Holy Spirit, our feelings of the Spirit will dictate our actions, and without prior thought or instruction we will act and speak accordingly.

President Hinckley is encouraging us to be prepared, both spiritually and temporally, so that we might receive all the blessings Heavenly Father has in store for His children.

To avoid money’s corrupting influence, we must love only God and our fellowman and embrace only virtue as the defining and motivating force in our lives.

What do we have that we can offer in return for all the good gifts of our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ? We can offer our hearts and our free will—our obedience. We can sacrifice a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be liberated from sin on condition of repentance. There is no greater liberation.

We have within our own sphere of influence [a] sacred . . . duty to seek and speak the truth in love and courage and to submit in meekness to inspired counsel.

Empathy is an essential ingredient for all positive interpersonal relationships. If we couldn’t at least imagine what it feels like to be in someone else’s shoes or skin, we wouldn’t be able to connect; we would live our lives in isolation.