Thomas Carlyle, a nineteenth century American Historian once wrote a book entitled On Heroes and Hero Worship. In the introduction of that volume, Carlyle made a fascinating observation. He said, “Great men taken up in any way are profitable company. For we cannot so much as look upon a great man without gaining something from him.” I have always liked that statement, but it raises an interesting question in my mind. How do we measure greatness in an individual? Or, in other words, how do we determine if a person is truly successful?
When I was a boy, my father taught me a definition for success that has made a tremendous impression on me. He said “success is the achievement of a righteous goal.” My mind caught hold upon that definition and it has stuck with me throughout my life. In my early years I never thought to ask my father where he got that definition. During my later years, I wondered about it, but it was after my father passed away. So I never learned the source of that idea. However, during my adult life, I have been on the lookout for how great people have defined success. On one occasion Elder Sterling W. Sill, of the Seventy, gave a definition of success that I think validated my father’s. He declared, “Success is the power to achieve our purpose, to accomplish the desired end. Success is the outcome, the consequences of right doing.” More recently President Thomas S. Monson said this about success. “Without a goal there can be no real success… Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” I also believe that President Monson’s eloquent definition substantiated my father’s simple phrase, “success is the achievement of a righteous goal.”
This talk has two purposes. First, to discuss seven attributes, or keys, found in the scriptures, that lead to successful living. Second, to give examples in the scriptures, Church History, and World History of people who applied these attributes to their lives and succeeded.
Key #1: Believe in Yourself
The scriptures are full of passages that exhort us to believe in ourselves. Helaman’s two thousand stripling warriors were taught by their mothers that “If they did not doubt, God would deliver them.” Because they believed in themselves and did not doubt, they were successful in battle and none of them lost their lives.
In Romans 14:5 it says, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” In D&C 6:36 it says, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
In Proverbs 23:7 it says, “For [as man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Henry Ford once gave us a great thought that has since become a cliché but it is never the less profoundly true. Said he: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
William James once said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that you can change your circumstances by changing your attitude of mind.”
In spite of these inspirational scriptures and thoughts we still have a tendency, sometimes, to doubt ourselves. Occasionally I will have International students confide in me that they are discouraged with learning the English language and wonder if they will ever be able to speak it fluently. When that happens, I remind them that there have been some great people in the world who have also felt inadequate with their speech. One of those was the prophet Enoch. In Moses 6:27 the Lord commanded Enoch to preach repentance unto the people. But Enoch did not believe in himself. He replied, “I am but a lad, and the people hate me, for I am slow of speech.” Nevertheless the Lord assured Enoch that he would help him with his speech if he would be obedient. In verse 32, “The Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee… open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance.” Enoch humbly did as he was commanded and the Lord transformed him into one of the most powerful speakers in the history of the world. In Moses 7:13 we read that Enoch spoke “the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course… and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the language which God had given him.” This was done by a man who once referred to himself as one, “slow of speech.”
Another person who had a difficult time learning English was President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of our Church’s first presidency. I think our International students will be able to relate to his story. I now quote from a talk that President Uchtdorf gave recently, “When I was 10 years old my family became refugees in a new land. I had always been a good student in school-that is, until we arrived in West Germany. There, my educational experience was significantly a different one… Before, I had been learning Russian as a second language: Now it was English. This was hard for me. Indeed, there were moments when I truly believed my tongue simply was not made to speak English. Fortunately I had a teacher who taught me to be patient. He taught me that steady and consistent work—patience and persistence—would help me to learn. Over time difficult subjects became clearer--even English. Slowly I began to see that if I applied myself consistently I could learn. It didn’t come quickly, but with patience, it did come. From this experience I learned that… patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals.” Now, of course, President Uchtdorf speaks beautiful English and has become one of the most influential speakers in our Church. Remember, this is a man who once believed that “his tongue simply was not made to speak English.”
For a moment let’s review these two examples to see what we learn about overcoming weaknesses and improving confidence in ourselves. From Enoch we learn that the Lord will help us overcome our weaknesses if we are obedient. From President Uchtdorf we learn that if we work consistently and are patient, we will succeed. In addition we read in Ether 12:27, “If they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then I will make weak things become strong.” And in D&C 121:45 it says, “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong.” Finally in Philippians 4:13 it states, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Brothers and Sisters, if you and I want to be successful we must believe in ourselves.
Key #2: Visualize
One of the attributes of successful people is their ability to visualize the thing they want to accomplish. In other words, they form a mental picture in their minds. They have a dream, a vision or a bold idea. Speaking of the last days, the prophet Joel declared. “Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”
In Proverbs 29:18 it says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
William James once said: “The thought precedes the action.” James also affirmed “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”
In the Old Testament the Lord gave Moses a vision of what he was to accomplish. In Exodus 3:10 He commanded his prophet to go to Egypt and free the children of Israel from bondage. Of course, Moses obeyed the Lord and after causing ten plaques and dividing the Red Sea, that vision became a reality.
In 1834 Joseph Smith visualized the growth of the Church. At that time the Church was only in two countries and the population of the whole Church was about 4000. In other words, the entire worldwide Church could have fit right here in the Cannon Center. In a little log schoolhouse the Prophet declared to a small group of brethren: “You know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap… It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this church will fill North and South America… it will fill the world.” Now, in our day, the Church is organized in 185 countries and has 14 million members. Since 1990, your generation has seen the Church go into over 90 new countries and increase in population from 7 million to 14 million. Your age group has had the privilege of living at a time when you’ve seen Joseph Smith’s vision unfold more than any other generation. It has been an absolute miracle to witness.
We learn from Church History, that the town of Laie and the Laie Temple both came to be because of a beautiful vision. Around 1864, Elder William R. Cluff, while in Laie, retired to a small grove of trees to pray. According to one account, “During that prayer… Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball appeared to him, telling him that Laie would be a gathering place for the Church and that a temple would be built there.” That vision has come to pass. Laie is now a beautiful LDS Community, on an island, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, in 1919, President Heber J. Grant dedicated the Laie Temple. Now we have that majestic building in our midst, which in its early history, was sometimes referred to as the Taj Mahal of Hawaii.
One of the most famous speeches in American History was one entitled “I have a dream.” It was given in 1963 by Martin Luther King in Washington D.C. In that talk Dr. King visualized racial equality in America. That speech energized the Civil Rights Movement. A year later, Martin Luther King’s dream came true, in part, when President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
Now you and I need to have a dream. We need to get a bold idea of the things we want to achieve in this life. Where do we get a vision for our life? I have a few suggestions. We can get them from the scriptures, from teachings of the Living Prophets, from prayers, from our Patriarchal Blessings, from the best books, from people we admire and want to be like. We can also raise the level of our conversations so that we talk more about ideas and never say anything negative or unkind about anybody ever. Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
Brothers and Sisters, if you and I are to be successful we must have a dream, and visualize what we want to accomplish in life.
Key #3: Set Righteous Goals
We know that our Savior is a goal setting God. He actually revealed his righteous goal to his prophet. In Moses 1:39 he said, “This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
The Lord has also given us a series of righteous goals which are called commandments. Here are just a few righteous goals that the Lord has given us:
• Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy
• Honor thy father and thy mother
• Seek ye first the kingdom of God
• Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
• Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self
President Ezra Taft Benson taught us this about goals. “Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short and long range goals… Each week when we partake of the sacrament we commit ourselves to the goals of taking upon ourselves the name of Christ, of always remembering him and keeping his commandments.”
Our Church leaders have taught us that goal setting is also an important element for us to achieve happiness.
President Benson taught: “A man who is pressing forward to accomplish goals can soon put despondency under his feet.”
John VanDenBerge, a former Presiding Bishop of the Church, once declared: “I feel that goal setting is absolutely necessary for happy living.”
Striving for goals may also be an antidote for boredom. Hall of Fame football coach, Lou Holtz, once said: “If you’re bored with life, you don’t get up in the morning with a burning desire to do things—you don’t have enough goals.” That advice resonates with me. I often tell my own students if you’re bored with your life, you’re probably not working on righteous goals. If you want to energize your life and be an interesting person, you need to start working on righteous goals. Somebody once said, “You are a boring person. If you were a book, I would not read you.” I don’t think that will ever be said of you, or me if we are working on righteous goals.
In the Book of Mormon the sons of Mosiah set for themselves an incredible goal. They desired to preach the gospel to their bitter enemies, the Lamanities. It was a dangerous mission and they suffered a tremendous amount of persecution. However, they were diligent and during a 14 year period, they had much success converting thousands of people.
Back in 1847, after the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Rocky Mountains, Brigham Young set a goal to expand Mormon influence far beyond the Great Salt Lake Valley. His plan was to establish Mormon settlements all over the Intermountain West. As a result, over the next 50 years, the LDS Church founded approximately 500 communities in Western America. Therefore the United States not only has a Bible Belt in the Southern States but also a Book of Mormon Belt in the Intermountain West, especially in Utah, Southern Idaho, Northern Arizona, Easter Nevada and Western Wyoming. These beautiful Mormon settlements all came into being because of a righteous goal.
When Elder David O. McKay was in Hawaii way back in 1921 he was “very strongly impressed” that the greatest need for the Saints in Hawaii was a Church School of higher learning and he decided to “write a letter to the first presidency recommending that one be built.” Thus a goal was established to build a college in Laie. However, the Church did little to realize that goal for about 30 years, until David O. McKay became President of the Church. Then in 1955 the Church established the Church College of Hawaii and that goal that President McKay had made 34 years earlier was finally fulfilled. As a result we have the privilege of studying and teaching at the most International University in the United States and one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. I am personally grateful that President McKay understood the importance of setting righteous goals.
Now is the time for you and me to set righteous goals. Here are some possibilities to think about. Do you want to start a business? Do you want to be a doctor, lawyer, professor, teacher, or an accountant? Do you want to run for public office or write a book. It is also important that we set goals for everyday life. Here are a few goals for you to consider: Everyday do something specific to make your spouse happy. Do a Christian act of kindness each day. Plan to arrive early at church every Sunday. Don’t leave church until you’ve attended all of your meetings. Faithfully attend Priesthood or Relief Society every Sunday. Be a 100% home teacher or visiting teacher every month. Give an honest days work for an honest days pay. Study more and play less. Don’t play video games or send text messages during church, during your classes at school or when you should be working.
Brothers and Sisters, if you and I want to be successful, we must set righteous goals.
Key #4: Plan
Successful people establish well thought out plans in order to make their goals come true.
I find it fascinating that the inspired formula that the Lord has given us in order for us to attain salvation is called a plan, specifically the Plan of Salvation. That’s what it is called in Alma 42:5. It is referred to by different phrases throughout the scriptures. But in every case the phrases include the word “Plan.” In 2 Nephi 9:13 it’s called the “Plan of our God.” In Alma 12:33 it is referred to as the “Plan of Redemption.” In Alma 34:9 Amulek calls it “The Great Plan of the Eternal God.” And in Alma 42:8 it is called the “Plan of Happiness.” Notice the word “plan” in each of these phrases. I think it is quite obvious that the Lord thinks it is important to make plans. In order for us to be successful we too must establish well thought out plans.
President Spencer W. Kimball has said: “Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men’s souls.” Now let’s go back in history and quickly review a few examples of people who not only set goals but also established plans to accomplish those goals.
In the Book of Mormon, the brother of Jared had a goal of lighting the eight barges. However, he also had a plan on how to accomplish that objective. He melted sixteen rocks into stones that were white, clear, even transparent glass. Then he asked the Lord to touch those stones with his finger so that they would give light. His plan worked.
After World War II, our prophet President George Albert Smith, had a goal. He wanted to send food, clothing and bedding to the war-torn Latter-day Saints in Europe. He also had a plan on how to get those supplies to their destination. He went to Washington D.C. and met with Harry S. Truman, President of the United States, and asked if the U.S. Government would provide railroad cars to transport the supplies. As a result, The Church was able to ship 133 railroad cars of food, clothing, and bedding to our brothers and sisters in Europe.
For sports fans Lavelle Edwards, the Hall of Fame Football Coach from BYU in Provo, is an excellent example of a man with a plan who succeeded. When he became the coach at BYU in 1972 the football program had a losing tradition. There had been a few bright spots but the records shows that in the previous 50 years BYU had only won one conference championship. Coach Edwards had a goal to win games, but he also had a terrific plan that would change BYU football forever. His plan was to pass the football. Up until that time all the major football teams in America used primarily a running offense. Nobody had ever won a national Championship with primarily a passing game. That would soon change. Over the next 25 years Coach Edwards won 19 Conference Championships and a National Title. Along the way he revolutionized the college game. Now most major colleges pass much more than they use to. It all happened because of a well thought out plan.
Brothers and sisters, if you and I want to be successful, we need to make a plan.
Key #5: Work Diligently
No matter how good our plan is, it will not work unless we are willing to work diligently to make it happen. Some people look upon work as something that is negative and undesirable. Yet the scriptures teach us that work is a positive attribute and one that we should strive for.
In D&C 4 the Lord declared “A marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.” Notice, here the Lord refers to work as something marvelous.
In Alma 34:32 it says “This life is the day for men to perform their labors.”
In D&C 75:3 it says, “Labor with your might.”
President David O. McKay once declared, “We are placed on this earth to work.”
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin counseled, “Work with might to accomplish your goals.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks has a terrific motto. It is simply “Work first, play later.”
President Thomas S, Monson once told the students at the College of Eastern Utah: “Vision without work is daydreaming. Work without vision is drudgery.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley observed: “I believe in the gospel of work. There is no substitute under the heavens for productive labor. It is the process by which dreams become reality. It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements. We are all inherently lazy. We would rather play than work. We would rather loaf than work. A little play and a little loafing are good. But it is work that spells the difference in the life of a man or a woman. It is stretching our minds and utilizing the skills of our hands that lifts us from the stagnation of mediocrity.”
In Ether 2:16 when the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to build eight barges, his charge was straightforward and to the point. He simply said, “Go to work.” That’s good advice for all of us who have goals—specifically ‘Go to work.”
In 1823 when the Angel Moroni appeared to 17 year old Joseph Smith, he didn’t pat him on the back and say, “Way we go! You’ve been a good boy. Why don’t you take a few months off and get away from it all.” No, what he did say was, “The Lord has work for you to do.”
I would like to give a modern day example of how the Church prospered in a certain area because of the diligent work of one man. Back in the year 2000 we were working on an Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint history at BYU in Provo. As part of that project we asked experts to write short articles on the history of The Church in over 180 different countries. We had completed the manuscript and sent it to the publisher. Then I received a telephone call from Kenya, Africa. It was from Dale LeBaron, one of the authors who had written several of our articles on the countries of Africa. He asked if we had sent the manuscript in for publication. I answered, yes. Then, with considerable emotion he said: “Stop the press! Let me tell you what is happening in Mozambique right now. A man named Francisco Dique Sousa has unofficially organized about 500 unbaptized followers into nine branches and they have built six meetinghouses. They have been waiting for the Church to send authorized missionaries to teach them. This week four missionaries have finally arrived and they are teaching scores of investigators. Some people are literally waiting outside their huts all day long to be taught.” Well, many of those investigators joined The Church and an official Branch was soon created. I think Francisco Sousa is an excellent example of one who “Labored without ceasing to bring souls unto Christ.”
One of the most inspirational examples of how hard work led to a great success, happened right here on the BYU-Hawaii campus. Many students in this audience might be surprised to find out that many of the buildings on this campus were built by labor missionaries. Indeed, hundreds of labor missionaries worked diligently in the late 1950s and early 1960s to build this college, the Polynesian Cultural Center and many other buildings in the area. These were people who were “anxiously engaged in a good cause,” who worked energetically without pay. They thought work was, indeed, marvelous. They truly loved their work. Now those of us who teach and study at BYU-Hawaii have been greatly blessed by the unselfish labor of those who came before us. They left a legacy of good works.
Those of you who have run a marathon know that speed and natural ability have little to do with successfully running that race. By far the most important attribute for running a marathon is hard work. Those runners begin training about four months in advance of the race. They gradually increase their distance until they are running between 40 and 50 miles a week. If a runner does not faithfully follow his training schedule, he will not finish the marathon, no matter how much natural ability he has. The one and only way he can succeed is if he consistently works hard over a long period of time. I believe we should have that same attitude as we engage in all of our righteous activities.
President Theodore Roosevelt once gave us an inspirational statement on diligence: “It’s not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how a strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again…; who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
Brothers and sister, if you and I want to be successful we need to work diligently.
Key #6: Never give up
The scriptures teach us that people who never give up, who persevere, who endure to the end are greatly blessed. In Alma 38:2 it says, ”Blessed is he that endureth to the end.” In 2 Nephi 31:20 the Lord commands: “Press forward, feasting on the words of Christ and endure to the end… [and] ye shall have eternal life.”
When Joseph Smith was suffering in the Liberty Jail the Lord revealed this great truth: “If thou endure [your adversities] well, God shall exalt thee on high.”
When Susan W. Tanner was General President of the Young Women, the motto for her presidency was “I can do hard things.” I think that is a great motto for all of us.
Of course, the greatest example of one who endured his adversities well is our Savior, who suffered for our sins on the cross and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Back in 1982, when Elder Jeffery R. Holland was President of Brigham Young University in Provo, he spoke of the Savior’s suffering and related it to college students. I quote: “Cherish your spiritual burdens because God will converse with you through them and will use you to do his work if you carry them well. So if your prayers don’t always seem answered, take heart. One greater than you… cried… ’My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?’ If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived… Postpone your gratification so you don’t have to postpone your graduation. You may feel school will never end and that you bills will never get paid. It will and they will. To work hard, and to try earnestly, and to deserve good things to happen is worth the effort and worth the wait…An easy education is a contradiction in terms.”
A wonderful story of perseverance took place right here in Laie many years ago. In 1885 Joseph F. Smith served his third mission in Hawaii. At that time Saints in Laie were suffering from a devastating drought and were very discouraged. In fact some even wanted to give up on Laie as a gathering place and seek another location to settle. At that time President Smith made a great prophecy. I quote. “Dear Brothers and sisters, do not leave this land, for it is the land chosen by God as a gathering place for the Saints… Do not complain because of the trials which have come upon you, because of the desolation and lack of water… and the great poverty in which you live. Be patient for a while for the day will come when this desolate land will become a land of beauty. Springs of water will gush up and spread upon the land, and upon this dry waste you now see, the Saints will build beautiful homes, they will plant taro and they will eat and drink in abundance. They will also plant trees which will grow to furnish pleasant shade, and the fragrance of flowers will fill the air…. Therefore do not go backward. Work with patience, persevere, stand firm and keep the commandments, including the commandment of gathering, which have been given you, and you shall receive blessings.”
Well, the Saints in Laie were obedient and did not give up. They endured in righteousness and were greatly blessed. Joseph F. Smith’s prophecy came true and Laie is now a beautiful topical paradise.
Calvin Coolidge, former President of the United States, once gave us this thought on never giving up. Said he, “Nothing in this world will take the place of persistence. Talent will not. There is nothing more common than an unsuccessful man with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb… Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
One of the greatest examples in the sports world of one who never gave up in spite of adversity, is the story of Oscar Pistorius. He is the runner from South Africa who ran in the 2012 Olympics. He is unique because both of his legs had been amputated below the knee. He is the first double amputee to ever participate in the Olympics. He ran with a prosthesis, or an artificial foot, on both legs. One of my sons is a Podiatrist, that is a foot doctor. More than once he has had the sobering responsibility of amputating somebody’s foot. He tells me how traumatic it is for the patients and sometimes even devastating, but not for Oscar Pistorius. He ran in the 4x400 relay. His team did not win but they recorded their best time of the year, which goes to show that a person can be a champion without being a winner. My Podiatrist son tells me that Oscar Pistorius has been a tremendous inspiration to his patients who have had their feet amputated. The fact of the matter is, Oscar has been an inspiration to the whole world. I would like to compare Pistorius to Usain Bolt from Jamaica. Bolt is the fastest runner of all time and holds the world record in the 100 and 200 meters. However, I would not consider him to be the most inspirational runner of all time. I believe that distinction belongs to Oscar Pistorius. Now think carefully about what we have just said. Perhaps the most inspirational runner in the history of the world is a man who does not have any feet. It would be good for us to think of Oscar Pistorius when we are feeling sorry for ourselves, or when life throws a few obstacles in our path. If Oscar Pistorius can do it, so can we.
Brothers and sisters, if you and I want to be successful we need to never give up when the going gets tough.
Key #7: Keep the Commandments
The last and most important scriptural key to success is to keep the commandments
In D&C 121:36 it tells us that the only way we can draw upon the powers of heaven to help us with our goals is by being obedient. Listen carefully. It says, “The powers of heaven cannot be controlled or handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” Therefore, the Lord will not give his power to unrighteous people because they would use it for unrighteous purposes. However, he will give his power to you and me if we will keep the commandments.
Numerous times in the Book of Mormon we read: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper.”
In Mosiah 2:41 it says “Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.”
In D&C 90:24 it says “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for you good, if you walk uprightly,” in other words, if you keep the commandments.
President Benson has said: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He can deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their soul and pour out peace.”
In the Book of Mormon there is an excellent example of how the Lord blessed the Nephites with success in war, because they kept the commandments. Amalickiah, the wicked leader of the Lamanities, was determined to “overpower the Nephites and bring them into bondage.” The record states that Amalickiah had been “obtaining power by fraud and deceit.” Captain Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the Nephites “to be faithful unto the Lord their God.” They were taught that “If they were faithful in keeping the commandments…. the Lord would deliver them.” Well, when the Lamanites attacked, the Nephites were victorious and able to kill over 1000 Lamanite warriors. On the other hand, the Nephites did not lose a single life. Of course the Nephite military leader, Captain Moroni, was also righteous. I love the description of Moroni in Alma 48: “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; Yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. Behold he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea and even the other sons of Mosiah, Yea and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.”
In secular history there is another great military leader who was known for her righteousness. She was Joan of Arc from France. Joan was born 600 years ago in 1412. She is famous because, as a teenager, she led the French army to victory during the Hundred Years War. Every description that I have ever read of her tells about how virtuous, honest, loving, kind, loyal, and courageous she was. Joan was also a devout Christian during a time described by one author as brutal, wicked and rotten. She also claimed to have visions which told her that she would lead France to victory. At the end of her short but illustrious military career Joan was betrayed and turned over to her enemies. In a corrupt trial she was tried for witchcraft and convicted. She was sentenced to be burned at the stake. As they prepared to execute her, those in charge gave Joan one last chance to save her life if she would simply deny that she had seen visions. Of course, Joan would not deny her spiritual experiences, even if it meant losing her life. According to one account, this was the last statement she made before she was burned to death.
“The world can use these words. I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes; every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and yet they give their lives for that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe it, and then it’s gone. But to surrender what you are and live without belief is more terrible than dying, even more terrible than dying young.”
Thus, ended the life of one of the most inspirational military leaders in the history of the world. We might ask, why was she successful in battle? Why were soldiers willing to risk their lives to follow her in war? It’s because she lived according to what she believed. It’s because she was righteous. It’s because she kept the commandments.
Brothers and sister, if you and I want to be successful, we need to keep the commandments.
In conclusion I would like to say that I really believe that the Lord needs us to be successful so that we can be effective instruments in His hands to build the kingdom of God and prepare the world for the second coming. It is my sincere wish and prayer that the Lord will bless you and me with true success. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.