I want to thank Sister Cannon for her kind introduction. More than that, I want to thank her for standing by my side through 52 years of marriage.
We are grateful for the opportunity to serve as education missionaries at BYU–Hawaii. We have grown to love both the beautiful natural setting and you wonderful students. It is indeed a unique university bringing together you students from all over the world and nurturing you in the gospel and educating you for the challenges of life.
My theme for today is a scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants. This scripture became very meaningful to me during the years I taught Church History and Doctrine and Covenants at Brigham Young University.
It is found in at least five different places in the Doctrine and Covenants. We are told that in order to qualify for the work in God’s kingdom we are to have “an eye single to the glory of God.”
“And faith, hope, and charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work” (D&C 4:5).
In the New Testament we read: “The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22).
In the Joseph Smith Translation, Joseph Smith by inspiration added: “single to the glory of God.” This revealed addition transforms the meaning of this scripture by instructing us on what our eye should be single to—“the glory of God” (JST Matthew 6:22).
Let’s turn now to a discussion concerning the meaning of this scripture. I think that in order to do so we must break the phrase into its components.
We begin with the word eye. The human eye has marvelous capabilities. It is sometimes called the lamp of the body because it provides the capability to give us direction and focus. Although called the lamp of the body, the eye has no light within itself. However, it can be the receptacle of light, or in other words, it can receive light.
We believe an eye can be filled with light. Let’s examine this concept in a scriptural context. In section 50 of the Doctrine and Covenants we read: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).
This scripture is also related to what Elder Bruce R. McConkie has called “spiritual eyes.”
“Through the natural eyes men see the light which guides them in their physical existence, through their spiritual eyes, the spiritual light which leads to eternal life. As long as the natural eyes are unimpaired, men can see and be guided by the light of day; and as long as the spiritual eyes are single to the glory of God—that is, as long as they are undimmed by sin and are focused solely on righteousness—men can view and understand the things of the Spirit.”
The word single in the scripture phrase “an eye single” is significant. When our eye is single, it is focused. It gives direction and allows us to see that which is of greatest importance. It means our actions are purposeful and directed. There are no distractions, detours, or deviations. We remain on task.
What is it we are to be focused on according to the scripture? The glory of God. If we seek the glory of God there is no room for selfishness. We cannot focus inward on ourselves because our eye is focused outward on God.
What is this glory of God on which we are to be focused? The Lord has told us in the book of Moses: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
The immortality and eternal life of man! How can we as mere mortals go about having an eye single to bringing about the immortality and eternal life of man? Jesus Christ has done all that is required to bring about the immortality of man through the overcoming of death through the resurrection. But there is much that we can do to help in the marvelous work of bringing to pass the eternal life of man. How is this to be done?
1. Disciple
First, it requires us to become true disciples of Jesus Christ. In modern revelation, Jesus Christ gives a wonderful explanation of what it means to be a true disciple: “He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple” (D&C 41:5).
As disciples we must first receive and seek to understand the laws of the gospel and then live them to the best of our ability. The laws are to be put into practice in our lives. The emphasis is on action. The Lord will know who His disciples are because He knows what we know and He knows what we do and He knows if the two are in agreement.
2. Missionary Work
If bringing about the eternal life of man is part of the glory of God, then as His disciples missionary work is one of the best ways we can help God achieve his glory. He desires to save every soul, but he is asking for our help in order to do it.
Two missionaries who served with an eye single to the glory of God, giving their all to the work, are memorialized by the statues erected outside this building between the Cannon Center and the Lorenzo Snow building. I refer, of course, to the bronze statues of George Q. Cannon and Jonathan Napela. Let’s examine more closely what these two servants of the Lord did in their missionary service.
Let’s begin with George Q. Cannon. He was one of the first Latter-day Saint missionaries to come to Hawaii. Ten Latter-day missionaries set foot on Hawaiian soil on December 12, 1850. Among their number was George Q. Cannon.
On the day after their arrival, they climbed a hill overlooking Honolulu in the area which is presently called Pacific Heights. It was there that they dedicated the Hawaiian Islands for the preaching of the gospel.
They quickly discovered that they seemed incapable of learning the Hawaiian language. They said it was large groups of vowels connected periodically with k’s. Also, there were only a few people on the island who understood English and these people did not seem interested in the gospel. Consequently, half of them, including the mission president, decided to return to Utah.
George, however, decided to stay and finish what he had been called to do. Were he to return with the other missionaries, he felt he would be neglecting his duty. His eye was single to what God wanted him to do. He felt inspired to teach the native Hawaiians themselves in spite of the language barrier. Therefore, he had to learn the Hawaiian language. He studied on his own and made some modest progress in the language.
Later, while serving in Maui, he met Jonathan Napela. When George first met him, Napela was serving as a judge in Wailuku. Cannon said when he first entered into Napela’s house, “I was convinced that I had met the man for whom I had been looking.”
He had found the man who would help with the Lord’s work in Hawaii. Less than two weeks after meeting, Napela invited George to come to stay with him so they could teach each other their native languages. Napela would teach George Hawaiian. George, in turn, would teach Napela English. Jonathan also heard the glorious message of the restored gospel from the mouth of George Q. Cannon. Ten months later, after much investigation and opposition, Jonathan was baptized. Unfortunately, when he joined the Church, he lost his judgeship—a reflection of the prejudice against Mormons in Hawaii and elsewhere.
Working together to upgrade their respective language skills was, of course, very helpful to both in their work for the Lord. Eventually, George felt inspired to translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian. Initially, George would start the process by writing a few pages in rudimentary Hawaiian. Jonathan, then would explain the meaning of the translated pages and make needed language corrections. Together, they formed an ideal team—a team which produced the most essential tool for missionary work in Hawaii—a Book of Mormon that could be read by native Hawaiians. They finished the translation by July 1853. The Hawaiian language Book of Mormon was later published in San Francisco.
From the beginning, Jonathan Napela served as a missionary, either as a member missionary to family, friends, and neighbors, or as a formally called missionary serving throughout Maui and some of the other Hawaiian Islands.
In all of their efforts, these good men truly had an eye single to the glory of God. In so doing they built a solid foundation upon which the Church could grow and flourish in Hawaii.
3. Temple Work and Family History
One of the essential ways we can help the Lord bring about the eternal life of man is to be involved in temple work. Searching out our ancestors, who died without a knowledge of the gospel, and then performing vicarious temple ordinances in their behalf enables us to become “Saviors on Mount Zion.” Through our spiritual efforts in this great work, we directly assist the Lord in increasing His glory.
There are many examples of faithful Latter-day Saints who have made great sacrifices in order to visit a temple—sometimes traveling great distances with much difficulty from their homes.
A wonderful example of such sacrifice concerns the members of the Church in Manaus, Brazil. The city of Manaus is located in a remote region of northwestern Brazil near the confluence of the Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers.
Travel from their isolated area is primarily on these two rivers which can be terribly rough and dangerous. For over 20 years, thousands of these faithful saints have traveled for 15 days round trip to attend the distant temple in Sao Paulo. During their arduous journey they traveled over 6000 miles by both boat and bus. Their travel was both uncomfortable and dangerous, but they were determined to attend the temple and perform sacred ordinances on behalf of their departed ancestors. They truly deserve to be called Saviors on Mt. Zion.
4. Endure to the End
Having an eye single to the Lord requires us to endure to the end. We must move along the straight and narrow path. We must finish the course. In order for us to so endure requires us to develop the attribute of patience. We are to stay completely focused on the glory of God until our task is finished.
In the early history of the Church there is an excellent example of enduring to the end. This example comes from the colonization efforts of the Church in the western United States.
During the administration of President John Taylor, the need arose to colonize the southeastern part of the Utah Territory in what is now San Juan County. A group of Saints in Parowan, Utah were called to establish a colony in southeastern Utah in order to secure peaceful relations with the Indians and to open that area to further colonization. In order to establish colonies in that remote region, a trail needed to be built. This trail has been called the Hole in the Rock Trail. The story of blazing such a trail is among one of the most dramatic cases of enduring to the end and having an eye single to the glory of the Lord.
In November, 1879, 250 men, women, and children, with 80 wagons and teams and 1000 head of livestock set about the task of cutting a trail through what seemed almost impossible and impassable terrain. They had selected the shortest and supposedly safest route, but unfortunately it was also the most difficult route.
I have had the privilege of following the Hole in the Rock Trail, and it, indeed, runs through some of the most rugged topography in the entire American West. Even with a 4 wheel drive vehicle it is still very challenging and dangerous travel. My experience puts in bold relief what a tremendous endeavor they so earnestly engaged in. The road today stands as a monument to their pioneer determination. They really had to endure to the end—in their case to the end of the trail.
Rocks and brush had to be cleared and depressions had to be filled in. Not only were they blazing a trail for their trek, but for others to follow as the process of colonization went ahead.
After an already arduous journey the determined group reached the Colorado River gorge which stretched 1200 feet below the place where they stood. In order to proceed through what has been now been called the Hole in the Rock, they had to construct a suitable passageway down to the river. It looked impossible. But these Saints had been called to colonize southeastern Utah and this was the only way to go at this point. For more than 6 weeks the men in the party carved a wagon road down that narrow steep crevice—the only way down from the plateau above.
Their initial task was to blast away a sharp 40 foot drop off into a more gradual downward slope. They also moved huge boulders from the center of the crevice. As they moved down toward the river they had to level more high spots and fill in holes and depressions. They also had to widen the walls to enable wagons to pass through. In order to avoid a very steep grade near the river, they constructed a wooden track on the north side of the crevice. To do this they blasted and drilled holes and then placed sturdy posts into the holes into which horizontal beams were attached.
Once the passageway was cleared they had to lower the wagons down to the banks of the Colorado River. Wagons were heavily roped and teams of both oxen and men pulled back on the wagons to slow their descent as they traveled to the valley floor.
They then ferried their wagons and livestock across the 300 foot wide river. Continuing to build a trail beyond the river, took another 10 weeks, because of one roadblock after another, to reach the bottomlands along the San Juan River where they established a new colony which they called Bluff.
David Miller, a historian at the University of Utah, wrote about their accomplishment in his book, Hole in the Rock, in these words:
“In all the annals of the West, replete with examples of courage, tenacity and ingenuity, there is no better example of the indomitable pioneer spirit than that of the Hole-in-the-Rock Mission. No pioneer company ever built a wagon road through wilder, rougher, more inhospitable country, still one of the least-known regions of America. None ever demonstrated more courage, faith and devotion to a cause than this group.”
Through all of their challenges and trials they carried on, determined to accomplish the charge that had been given them. They accomplished the impossible and endured to the end because they kept their eyes single to the glory of God.
5. Obedience
Keeping one’s eye single to the glory of God involves total obedience to His commands.
An excellent example of this comes from my experience as a missionary in Germany during the 1950s. I first met Walter Krause while serving as mission secretary in the North German Mission office located in West Berlin. Walter, who lived behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany would periodically travel to East Berlin by rail. This was a before the Berlin wall was built in 1961. As secretary my duties included meeting Brother Krause at one of the many train stations in East Berlin and then driving him to mission headquarters in Berlin-Dahlem. Walter brought important news about the Church in East Germany. During these visits he and I became close friends. I learned that Walter Krause was a man who obeyed unwaveringly what he was asked to do by the Church leaders for he firmly believed that it was the Lord’s will. He showed an unwavering commitment to living a profoundly Mormon life while some of the most dramatic events of the twentieth century swirled around him.
Walter was the first Latter-day Saint in Germany to serve as a missionary after World War II. His description of his determination to do so reveals his willingness to do whatever the Lord wanted him to do:
“I prayed about it and set out on the first of December 1945, with twenty marks in my pocket and a piece of dry bread. One brother had given me a winter coat left over from a son who had fallen in the war. Another brother, who was a shoemaker, gave me a pair of shoes. So, with these and my two shirts, two handkerchiefs, and two pairs of stockings, I left on my mission.”
Perhaps the strongest evidence of his willingness to be totally obedient lies in his willingness to remain in Communist East Germany and not emigrate to America. He took seriously the counsel given by Elder Ezra Taft Benson, when he spoke to the Saints in Berlin in the fall of 1946. Elder Benson counseled them to stay in East Germany and build up the Church. Said Walter, “For me it was clear: stay here.” This was not on easy decision. One East German psychotherapist wrote, “Little by little, every citizen of this land was confronted with the question: leave or stay? There was a need for decision that could not be reached conclusively, but rather the question had to be answered daily.”
But for Walter it was answered conclusively. The Lord had asked him to stay. The decision had been made. What the Lord willed, Walter would do.
Walter and other valiant Latter-day Saints not only stayed, but built a vibrant, close-knit community of faithful members of the Church. Their total obedience to whatever the Lord asked eventually led to their having the first temple behind the Iron Curtain. That temple stood as a beacon of light in Freiberg amid the dark surroundings of Communist East Germany.
Walter was ordained the first patriarch in Eastern Europe and served in the presidency of the Dresden Mission. As a dedicated home teacher, he traveled throughout East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary to visit those in his district. As an apostle, President Thomas S. Monson had frequent contact with Walter Krause. As you might remember, President Monson talked about Walter Krause in his recent conference address. In 1990, he described Walter as a “stalwart in the Church and a man of great courage, fearless even when interrogated by government authorities or when passing through checkpoints and controls, surrounded by dogs and armed guards, as he did hundreds of times.”
6. Love
In order to truly have one’s eye single to the glory of God one must develop the attribute of love by earnestly seeking for the gift of charity. With the pure love of Christ and for Christ we will desire to bless the lives of others by offering them the blessings of eternal life. We will be able to reach out to others in meaningful, appropriate ways because we will become the eyes and hands of the Savior.
A beautiful example of love and charity is the story of Ma Manuhi’i. There is a statue of this noble woman in the garden adjacent to the Laie Temple.
During Joseph F. Smith’s first mission to Hawaii from 1854 to 1857, he lived in primitive conditions on Molokai. He had been called to serve when he was only 15 years of age, and had become seriously ill. Joseph was sick for nearly three months during which time a loving Church member, Sister Manuhi’i, tenderly cared for him until he fully recovered.
When President Smith returned to Hawaii in 1915 to dedicate the temple site for the Laie Temple, Sister Manuhi’i came to the dock in Honolulu to bid him aloha. By that time she was 90 years old. She had with her a bunch of bananas as her gift for him. When he appeared, she cried out, “Iosepa, Iosepa.” President Smith ran to her, took her in his arms and kissed her. He called her “Mama, Mama, my dear sweet Mama” as tears ran down his cheeks. It was indeed a tender reunion. Her loving care and charity in his time of need had not been forgotten by the prophet.
7. Concern for Others
As we focus our eyes on the Savior, our focus turns outward to our fellowman as well and we find ourselves being more concerned about their welfare than about our own. We learn to be selfless rather than selfish.
In his very first general conference address after being called as a General Authority, Elder Marlin K. Jensen taught this concept:
“Latter-day Saints whose eyes are single to God’s glory see life from a vastly different perspective than those whose attention is directed elsewhere... They are more interested in feeding the Lord’s sheep than in counting them. In fact, they frequently find their greatest happiness in serving anonymously, thereby leaving the beneficiaries of their kindness with no one to thank or praise except the Lord.”
An example of a person who was more concerned about others than herself is Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last reigning monarch. In January 1893, a group of American and European businessmen determined to overthrow the Hawaiian Kingdom and depose the queen. John L. Stevens, a U.S. government official, ordered a company of U.S. marines from the USS Boston to come ashore in order to ostensibly preserve neutrality. This action put the Queen in a very precarious situation. She could have ordered the military under her command to confront the Marines. However, in an official statement Queen Liliuokalani said: “to avoid any collision of armed forces and perhaps the loss of life… I do yield my authority.”
The Queen chose to give up her throne in order to avoid bloodshed. Her concern for the lives of her people exceeded her desire for her own political power. Her nobility and her love for her people were evident in her desire to protect them from physical harm. Her actions stand in sharp contrast to some heads of nations who are willing to sacrifice their own people in order to maintain their own power.
8. Pure Motives
The motivation guiding our actions will determine whether we have an eye single to the glory of the Lord. The condition of our heart can be seen only by God, but it is the measure of whether our love for Him is the reason for whatever it is we are doing in His service and the service of our fellowmen. We must make certain our motives are pure and untainted by self-interest or personal gain.
Concerning this subject Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught:“Priestcraft is the sin committed by the combination of a good act—such as preaching or teaching the gospel—and a bad motive. The act may be good and visible, but the sin is in the motive. On earth, the wrong motive may be known only to the actor, but in heaven it is always known to God.”
His point is that the sin is related to the real motive. If our desire is to be seen of men or to make a good impression or to receive praise, then our eye is not single to God. Our motive must be pure and selfless, our only desire to serve Jesus and our fellowmen and do whatever we can to help others to come unto Christ and be saved in His kingdom.
As disciples of Christ, we should ask ourselves: “Why am I doing this?”
When we teach a lesson or give a talk or help a neighbor, we should ask ourselves, “What is my real motive? Is it for the glory of God or is it for my own personal glory?”
In looking for examples of this attribute, we are almost compelled to move beyond mere mortals and examine the life of the Savior. The actions that He took and the precepts which he taught were always for the glory of His Father. He had no selfish or ulterior motives.
Jesus Christ was willing to do anything and everything that the Father directed Him to do. This special trait, manifested itself during the Council in Heaven, in pre-mortal life. His desire to add to His Father’s glory and not to his own can be found in the totality of his actions.
The supreme example, however, is found in his atoning sacrifice. His words: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
The purity of the Savior’s motives is evidenced by His total submission to the Father’s will. His love for His Father and for each of us enabled him to overcome any desires for Himself such as continuing life on earth that He might have had. His focus was solely on bringing to pass the glory of God—the immortality and eternal life of man.
When our desires are motivated by our love for the Father and His Son and for our fellowman we can then feel that our motives are pure and our eye single to the glory of God.
After considering these attributes relating to the glory of God, and examining perhaps dramatic or unusual examples, one might well conclude that having an eye single to the glory of God may be nearly impossible for most of us.
Let me assure you, nevertheless, that it is possible for each of us to have an eye single to His glory. There are many examples around us right here at BYU–Hawaii. There are many among us who are focused on doing whatever the Lord would have them do, who show their love for their Savior by their faithful service in his kingdom. Allow me to present just a few examples:
Let’s begin with our home teachers. Steven Liu and Caesar Porman have faithfully visited every month and taught us a meaningful gospel message in a heartfelt manner. There is never any doubt that they will come. As they teach the gospel each month, we feel of their spirit and of the spirit of the Lord and know of the goodness of their hearts. They always express concern for our welfare and their desire to help with anything that is needed. In spite of their busy schedules they fulfill their calling as home teachers exactly as the Lord would have them do.
There are many among you students who are good examples.
Sery Kone, a student from the west African country of Ivory Coast, has created a program here at BYU–Hawaii to support a worldwide program designed to help children in his native country. The children often begin to work in the cocoa fields as young as four years old depriving them of the opportunity to go to school. The goal is to make enable these children to receive an education rather than being forced to work in the cocoa fields.
There are wonderful examples among the CES missionaries here in Laie.
One such missionary couple is Elder and Sister Reed Nielsen who are serving as missionaries at the PCC. A few years ago Sister Nielsen was involved in an accident that put her close to death. Elder Nielsen lovingly and patiently nursed her back to health. They then resolved to show their gratitude for the Lord’s blessing by serving as missionaries wherever they were needed.
These are examples of ordinary people who are striving to have an eye single to the glory of God. They are willing to do whatever the Lord needs them to do to build and strengthen His work. These examples show us that it is possible for all of us if we are willing to make the sacrifice.
It is possible to keep an eye single to the glory of God if we follow the counsel given in the lovely song sung so beautifully today by the women’s choir: “Look On Him and Live.”
If we keep our eyes on the Savior;
If we allow our thoughts to focus on his teachings;
If we follow His example by submitting our will to the will of the Father;
It is then that we will have an eye single to His glory;
May the Lord enable us to do so I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.