Karl G. Maeser urged that “the spirit of the Latter-day Work” should infuse not only “teaching the alphabet or the multiplication tables” but also “unfolding the advanced truths of science and art.”

Branches separated from their roots wither and die, but when they are connected, they receive nourishment, which brings abundant life.

As you read Joseph Smith’s teachings and Paul’s letters note the total commitment of each. Both were men consumed with a mission, which continues the question of what is really important in your world and your life.

Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that have shaped our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.

With the vacation from school approaching, it is important to remember that we are never on vacation from our commitments to the Lord. As we take time to ponder the wonder of His birth and life on earth, let us also review the commitments we have made and recommit to labor with greater zeal during the coming year. Let us be more fully aware of our commitments, decide now to keep them, follow the Master in our approach to our commitments, set realistic goals to help us fulfill our commitments, anticipate the opposition that will come, and reap the blessings, both temporal and eternal, that flow to those who faithfully keep commitments.

All of us can find ways to be more open and receptive to the transformative change that the Lord requires of us—even that mighty change that transforms us into someone new.

The daily discipleship of which I’m speaking is designed to develop these very attributes that are possessed to perfection by Jesus. These attributes emerge from a consciously chosen way of life; one in which we deny ourselves of all ungodliness and we take up the cross daily—not occasionally, not weekly, not monthly.

Patience is a vital mortal virtue in relation to our faith, our free agency, our attitude toward life, our humility, and our suffering. Moreover, patience will not be an obsolete attribute in the next world.

Our testimonies can be strengthened and fortified and our lives given greater purpose every time we read and reread our patriarchal blessings.

“There will be adequate opportunities for unavoidable error and disappointment; we need not reach out affirmatively to create them.”

Christ’s peace resides in one’s heart. It is a spiritual peace that quells fear and anxiety.

Not everything in our lives will turn out the way we want it, but if we give place for and honor to the Restoration in our lives . . . we will have peace—flowing from us—like a river.

Having peace all of the time sounds like a noble project. Knowing that restrictions apply to having peace, though, means that you and I, who could use an additional measure of it in our lives, need to be striving to live in a way that qualifies us.

Will you try to live tomorrow a perfect day? And if you fail to do so, then try again the next day. Then we truly make progress in carrying out one aspect of the mission of the Church, which is the mission of every individual member of the Church, namely, “to perfect the Saints.”

While all human beings share a common bond as beloved spirit children of Heavenly Parents, each of us is a unique individual with individual personalities, experiences, and gifts. And each of these individual characteristics can contribute to greater unity.

Just like waiting until the clock reads double zero, you have prepared for the proper educational plays, emerged victorious, and received your hard-earned degree.

Most of our plans have bumps along the way. Your plan may include an education program that because of limited resources cannot admit all applicants. Your bump may be that you are not able to get into your program or that you have to apply to it more than once. Maybe you will find some of your courses especially challenging. This is when persistence and patience are particularly helpful.

What is personal ministry? Each of us has a personal ministry. I believe we received our personal ministry in the premortal world. It was divinely given and lasts a lifetime.

Receiving personal revelation is not a passive process. As we seek such revelations, we must prepare for these sacred experiences.

Our perspective is limited, so we must act with restraint and compassion. Indeed, our purpose must be to serve. And we, perhaps more than any other group on the planet, are equipped and obligated to establish peace.

The most significant pilgrimage that you will experience in your life will be the one that moves you to seek truth, to exercise faith, and to gain a firm testimony that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

Those brave souls left us a legacy and a rich heritage. No amount of money could purchase what they freely gave. It cost life and limb. It cost great suffering and the most severe kind of heartache imaginable. Theirs was the noblest gift—that of love.

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

Our eternal worth is given to us by God. We do not have to let it be determined by others—only by God and ourselves. We can lose sight of our self-worth if we do not keep the commandments and consequently disregard the divinity within us.

All of us view events through particular paradigms or lenses. If the lenses are accurate, the paradigm enhances our understanding and knowledge. If they are distorted, we sometimes make mistakes, which causes a paradigm shift.

“Most important, never forget to get on your knees and ask your Heavenly Father to point you in the right direction.”

It is true that we have to shoulder our burdens and do hard work, but when we look with hope and love to Christ, we will be given compensating blessings that will bind us to Him in powerful ways—even if our challenge remains.

Dear brothers and sisters, please fill your minds with worthy sights and sounds. Cultivate your precious gift of the Holy Ghost. Protect it as the priceless gift that it is. Carefully listen for its quiet communication. You will be spiritually stronger if you do.

It is during our Abrahamic tests, our moments of excruciating trial, that we prove to ourselves how strong our conviction really is and receive our rewards.

Your experience in enduring well in the trials of life by drawing on God’s power of deliverance can bring you the assurance you need to find peace in this life and confidence for the next.

I think we need to recognize that we tend to do our best work when we are on the outer edges of what we know, when we are doing something hard and new, and when we are growing through challenge.

To be like the Savior is to be whole, which implies that we are engaged in acts of selfless service. Selfless service requires personal action, a desire to pick up our beds and walk. It is easy to give away excess money, used equipment, and used clothing. It is more difficult to give of our time, to give of our personal presence to help others.

I promise that as you diligently study and apply the prophetic promises that the Lord has provided through President Nelson—and the other living prophets—your ability to meet and benefit from the challenges and uncertainty you will face in the coming year will be greatly enhanced.

I have since learned that dwelling obsessively on what we do wrong is one of the greatest sources of interference to maximizing our potential. Self-doubt is dangerous.

Perhaps we should reflect on what can and should happen to us as we link ourselves with the name of our Savior. As we do, we too can change.

The powerful truths of the gospel stretch our minds and spirits, and after knowing and believing even some of them, our lives are changed forever.

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.

We can expect trials and tribulation—they are an essential part of the great plan. Some we will experience because of our own mistakes—our sins—others merely as a part of living in mortality, and others because the Lord loves us and provides experiences that tend to our spiritual growth.

It is through prayer that we can find strength, both in spirit and in body. Prayer can provide protection from all sources of harm and evil.

I would like to visit with those of you who have become discouraged in your personal prayers, the ones you say when no one else is listening. I’d like to talk to those of you who have stopped praying or who do not pray as frequently or as fervently as you once did.

It is both the reading and abiding that gets us nearer to God, and that allows us to accept His invitation to come unto Him and be saved because we cannot be saved in ignorance. We cannot receive all that our Father has without understanding all that He is and does.

“We understand that as we strive for excellence in our secular lives we can balance our efforts with our own spiritual quest to be more like the Master, even Jesus Christ.”

“As we develop our talents, we should develop the spirit of sharing or giving—not only with those who are closest to us, but also with all of God’s children.”

Constant effort yields perfection in a skill and a glimpse of the capacity our Heavenly Father has endowed us with. Trust and coachability are akin to faith and obedience, and, when tested, prepare you—and your confidence waxes strong.

The Savior has commanded us to not be afraid, even when the unexpected storms of life are raging around us. This commandment is often easier to articulate than to implement. But, fortunately, the Savior has also promised us that “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”

May we ponder our personal part in helping the Lord’s kingdom to roll forth. May we profit from the blessings of the temple and from guidance through the Spirit, inspiration from the scriptures, and leadership from our living prophets as we prepare for the Lord’s return.

Your spiritual destiny will have obstacles, delays, and equipment malfunctions. There will be mistakes. You may wonder if you are going to make it. Don’t be discouraged! You will also have moments of hope and faith as doors open and obstacles are overcome.

BYU accepts the copyrights of Kirkham’s two new books, A New Witness for Christ in America. Kirkham describes his motives behind writing the books and his experience of publishing the work. He also discusses the coming forth of the Book of Mormon to the world.

My plea to you today is that you work hard to preserve and wisely exercise your own moral agency in the years ahead, and work equally hard to preserve and provide that same blessing of moral agency to others. Let us all be agents rather than objects.

God is always trying to talk to you—even when you are unable to perceive it. Most often He is trying to tell you that He loves you and that you are His priority. He has provided and will continue to provide many countless ways to demonstrate our value and priority.

Things do work out in the end if we trust the Lord. We cannot control some events that cause us great pain, but we can always control how we respond to them. We have no lasting power over another’s agency, but we can control our own for eternity.

Recognize that all good things come from God. He is the source of every blessing you receive. Fill your heart with gratitude for His merciful kindness.

“The capability, through repentance, to forgive and the ability to love are God-given gifts to enable us to live our lives fully and to help others live bravely and meaningfully in this less than perfect world.”

What can we learn from the prophets whom I have known and about whom I have visited with you today? We can learn that they never wavered, never faltered, never failed; that they are men of God.

At those times when you wonder if there is any reason to hope, when you wonder if anyone cares—or if anyone should care—I invite you to ask God what He thinks of you—what He really thinks of you.

I say to you from the very center of my heart that by the revelations of the Holy Ghost I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Although these evidences and many others that could be cited may have the effect of giving one an intellectual conviction, only by the whisperings of the Holy Spirit can one come to know the things 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.

May your lives be your promised lands, worthy in every way for the promised blessings of heaven. With those blessings, may you find a promised land wherever you are, wherever you go, and all the time.

As we pause tonight to contemplate another new year, I would hope that for a few minutes we could catch the spirit of Joel or of Peter as we reflect on prophecy, vision, and dreams.

Preston Nibley narrates accomplishments of Joseph’s life and proves that he was a man of sincerity who never wearied of the task of spreading the gospel.

It is my desire that all of us may get to know the Savior better, including his roles as the perfect Prophet, Priest, and King.

If you will act with faith in your Heavenly Father and His plan and in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and follow God’s prophets, you will be given power to do whatever the Lord needs you to do and to become whatever He needs you to become.

You have been reserved to be here now on account of your exceeding faith in the premortal existence in our Heavenly Father’s plan. Your life also has a plan, and, as you trust in the Lord, you will see that plan unfold in miraculous ways.

Some of you struggle with certain doctrines or practices of the Church, past or present; they just don’t quite seem to fit for you. I say, so what? That’s okay. You’re still young. Be patient, but be persistent.