Self-Mastery
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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If
our faith be united in prayer that we may be edified together, I should like to
speak about our quest for self-mastery. In so doing, I would converse as a
loving father counseling one of my own children.
Before
you can master yourself, my precious one, you need to know who you are. You
consist of two parts—your physical body, and your spirit which lives within
your body. You may have heard the expression “mind over matter.” That’s what I
would like to talk about—but phrase it a little differently: “spirit over
body.” That is self-mastery.
When
you arrived as a newborn baby, your little body was master. You had what I call
the “I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it” philosophy. No amount of discussion
could postpone your impatient demands when you wanted to be fed—and now! Like
all parents, we anxiously anticipated the first smile, a word, a glimpse at the
potential of the spirit within your tiny body. Is there a mother who has not
cradled her baby as your sweet mother did, in wistful wonder of the destiny of
her dear little one? Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, might have asked such
questions:
Baby,
lyin’ in a manger, slumberin’ so sweetly,
What
you goin’ to be?
Baby,
all the world is watchin’, all the world awaits to see.
What
will you be?
Baby,
sleepin’ in a stable, underneath the heaven,
What
you goin’ to say? …
Baby,
lyin’ in a manger,
Will
you save the world one day?
Through
those early years, we parents are properly concerned with physical needs of our
children, such as food, clothing, and shelter.
But
as you grow older, our concerns shift more toward your spiritual growth, in
order that you might achieve your full potential. “For the natural man is an
enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and
ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit … and becometh a
saint.” (Mosiah
3:19.)
That
requires self-mastery. Remember, “The spirit and the body are the soul of man” (D&C
88:15.) Both are of great importance. Your physical body is a
magnificent creation of God. It is his temple as well as yours, and must be
treated with reverence. Scripture declares: “Ye are the temple of God. … If any
man defile [it], him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are.” (1
Cor. 3:16–17.)
Remarkable
as your body is, its prime purpose is even of greater importance—to serve as
tenement for your spirit. Abraham taught that “these … spirits … existed
before, they shall have no end … for they are … eternal.” (Abr.
3:18.)
Your
spirit acquired a body at birth and became a soul to live in mortality through
periods of trial and testing. Part of each test is to determine if your
body can become mastered by the spirit that dwells within it.
Although
your spirit had a veil of forgetfulness placed over it at the time of your
birth into mortality, it retained its power to remember all that
happens—precisely recording each event of life. Indeed, scriptures warn “that
every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the
day of judgment.” (Matt.
12:36.) Prophets refer to our “bright recollection” (Alma
11:43) and “perfect remembrance” (Alma
5:18) at that day of decision.
Since
thoughts precede deeds, you must first learn to control your thoughts. “As [a
man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Prov.
23:7.)
In
your quest for self-mastery, full participation in the activities of the Church
will help. I’ll mention but a few. A first step comes as we learn together to
keep the Sabbath day holy. This is one of the Ten Commandments. (See Ex.
20:8; Deut.
5:15.) We honor the Sabbath “to pay [our] devotions unto the Most
High” (D&C
59:10), and because the Lord declared: “It is a sign between me and
you … that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” (Ex.
31:13; see also Ezek.
20:20.)
Another
step toward self-mastery comes when you are old enough to observe the law of
the fast. As funds are contributed from meals missed, the needs of the poor may
be met. But meanwhile, through your spirit, you develop personal power over
your body’s drives of hunger and thirst. Fasting gives you confidence to know
that your spirit can master appetite.
Some
time ago your mother and I visited a third-world country where sanitary conditions
were much poorer than ours. We joined with a delegation of other doctors from
all over the world. The president of our group, an experienced traveler, warned
of risks. In order to avoid water that might be contaminated, we were even
counseled to brush our teeth with an alcoholic beverage. We chose not to follow
that counsel, but simply did what we had learned to do once a month. We fasted
that first day, thinking we could introduce simple food and fluids gradually
thereafter. Later, we were the only ones in our group without disabling
illness.
Fasting
fortifies discipline over appetite and helps to protect against later
uncontrolled cravings and gnawing habits.
Another
step toward self-mastery comes from obedience to the Word of Wisdom. Remember,
it contains a “promise, adapted to the capacity of … the weakest of all
saints.” (D&C
89:3.) It was given “in consequence of evils and designs which do
and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days.” (D&C
89:4.) Indeed, as you develop courage to say no to alcohol, tobacco,
and other stimulants, you gain additional strength. You can then refuse
conspiring men—those seditious solicitors of harmful substances or smut. You
can reject their evil enticements to your body.
If
you yield to anything that can addict, and thus defy the Word of Wisdom, your
spirit surrenders to the body. The flesh then enslaves
the spirit. This
is contrary to the purpose of your mortal existence. And in the process of such
addiction, your life span is likely to be shortened, thereby reducing the time
available for repentance by which your spirit might attain self-mastery over
your body.
Other
physical appeals come during your courtship period. In your youth, you may be
challenged by restraints of parents hoping to guide you through this wonderful
period of life.
Because
the adversary is keenly aware of the power of physical temptation, Alma
instructed his son and all of us: “See that ye bridle all your passions.” (Alma
38:12.)
When
you marry, you and your eternal companion may then invoke the power of
procreation, that you may have joy and rejoicing in your posterity. This divine
endowment is guarded by your Creator’s law of chastity. All through the years,
remember: chastity is the powerful protector of virile manhood and the crown of
beautiful womanhood.
In
courtship and marriage, virtue seems to come under attack first. Mental turmoil
that trails in the wake of weakness from lust has evoked many a tear from
innocent loved ones. Without repentance, tumult within self does not quit either.
Shakespeare
expressed such self-conflict as one of his characters contemplating conquest in
lust spoke these lines:
What
win I, if I gain the thing I seek?
A
dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy.
Who
buys a minute’s mirth to wail a week?
Or
sells eternity to get a toy?
For
one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?
Prophets
have repeatedly cautioned about moral sin. One, for example, warned: “O, my
beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy
God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one.
Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life
eternal.” (2
Ne. 9:39; see also Rom.
8:6; Alma
36:4; D&C
29:35; D&C
67:10.)
Now
don’t misunderstand me. I would not want you to neglect your body. It deserves
daily care. Physical conditioning through regular exercise requires
self-mastery too. I marvel at Elder Joseph Anderson, now in his ninety-sixth year.
For decades, the strength of his spirit over his body has induced him to swim
regularly. But his motivation has never been to attain physical longevity. That
has come only incidentally. His desire has been to serve God and His anointed.
Elder Anderson has followed what I label as the Lord’s prescription for a long
and useful life. Those faithful in “magnifying their calling, are sanctified by
the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. They become … the elect of God.” (D&C
84:33–34.)
Elder
Anderson’s exercise program agrees with the perspective of Paul, who said:
“Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things,
having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (1
Tim. 4:8.)
Handsome
and fit, Elder Anderson personifies this scripture: “Glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1
Cor. 6:20.)
As
you work during the productive years of life, whether at home or in the field,
in the factory or at a workbench, reputation is built and character is forged
as you develop self-mastery. Faithful payment of tithing is part of that
process. It defends you against dishonesty or shabby temptations. Courageous
accountability for your own actions becomes a cherished prize.
It
really matters what you listen to, what you look at, what you think, say, and
do. Select music that will strengthen your spirit. Control your speech; keep it
free from profanity and vulgarity. Follow the teachings of this proverb: “My
mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
“All
the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing … perverse in
them.” (Prov.
8:7–8.)
As
you approach old age, you will face new challenges to self-mastery. Symptoms of
the deteriorating body can be painful, even disabling. Deep aches of sadness
are caused by the departing of loved ones. For some, these deepening trials
come early in life. But when yours are thrust upon you, remember a concept expressed
by my father some time after my mother had passed away. Your grandparents had
been married for sixty-four years. When someone asked how he was doing, my
father simply stated, “I’m lonely, but I’m not lonesome.” Do you know what he
meant? Though he was now without his sweetheart, he was so busy assisting
family and friends, he had replaced sorrow with service and had displaced
self-pity with selfless love. He had found joy in following the timeless
example of the Master.
Jesus,
our Savior, was born in the lowliest of circumstances. For his baptism he was
immersed in the lowest body of fresh water upon the planet. In service and
suffering, he also “descended below” all things (D&C
122:8), that he could rise above all things. Near the end of his
life, he triumphantly declared, “I have overcome the world.” (John
16:33.) “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for
unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.” (3
Ne. 15:9.) Scriptures tutor us at least twenty-six times* to
endure to the end to attain eternal life. Then we will obtain a resurrected
body—one that is incorruptible, glorified, and prepared to live in the presence
of God.
To
reach your highest destiny, emulate the Savior. He proclaimed, “What manner of
men ought ye to be? … Even as I am.” (3
Ne. 27:27.) Our loftiest hope is to grow in spirit and attain “the
stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children.” (Eph.
4:13–14.)
You
will then be well prepared for that pending day of judgment when, as taught by
President Spencer W. Kimball, “the soul, composed of the resurrected body and
the eternal spirit, … will come before the great judge to receive its final
assignment for the eternity” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed.
Edward L. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, p. 46.)
Remember,
my dear one, not an age in life passes without temptation, trial, or torment
experienced through your physical body. But as you prayerfully develop
self-mastery, desires of the flesh may be subdued. And when that has been
achieved, you may have the strength to submit to your Heavenly Father, as did
Jesus, who said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke
22:42.)
When
deepening trials come your way, remember this glorious promise of the Savior:
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev.
3:21.)
Christ
is our great Exemplar. I declare, as a special witness, that he is the Son of
God and “is the life and the light of the world.” (Alma
38:9; see also D&C
11:28.) We develop self-mastery as we become like him, I testify in
the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“All to
Ponder”
cji
6/24/18
When
truth is shared
it should
be welcomed
ministering
is this sharing
where
one can uplift
opening in
an embrace
welcoming
all within
for all
to ponder!
Copyright ©
2018 – cji
