My dear brothers and sisters, it is a pleasure to me to have the privilege of being here with you in this conference.

We as Latter-day Saints have a great many duties to perform. I wonder if we do not sometimes get a little careless, a little thoughtless, a little neglectful; and we do not pay attention to the simple things that belong to the gospel.

Reasons for prayer

I wonder if we ever stop to think why the Lord has asked us to pray. Did he ask us to pray because he wants us to how down and worship him? Is that the main reason? I don't think it is. He is our Heavenly Father, and we have been commanded to worship him and pray to him in the name of his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. But the Lord can get along without our prayers. His work will go on just the same, whether we pray or whether we do not. He knows the end from the beginning. There are many worlds that have passed through the same experience that we are going through. He has had sons and daughters on other earths, where they have had the same privileges and the same opportunities to serve him and the same commandments that we have had given to us. Prayer is something that we need, not that the Lord needs. He knows just how to conduct his affairs and how to take care of them without any help from us. Our prayers are not for the purpose of telling him how to run his business. If we have any such idea as that, then of course we have the wrong idea. Our prayers are uttered more for our sakes, to build us up and give us strength and courage, and to increase our faith in him.

Prayer is something that humbles the soul. It broadens our comprehension; it quickens the mind. It draws us nearer to our Father in heaven. We need his help; there is no question about that. We need the guidance of his Holy Spirit. We need to know what principles have been given to us by which we may come back into his presence. We need to have our minds quickened by the inspiration that comes from him; and for these reasons we pray to him, that he may help us to live so that we will know his truth and be able to walk in its light, that we may, through our faithfulness and our obedience, come back again into his presence.

Segregation after resurrection

If we will just be true and faithful to every covenant, to every principle of truth that he has given us, then after the resurrection we will come back into his presence and we will be just like he is; we will have bodies that will shine like the sun. Moreover, if we are faithful and true while we are here, we will be his sons and his daughters.

But the Lord is going to make a great segregation after the resurrection of mankind, and many—in fact, the greater part of the inhabitants of this earth—will not be called the sons and daughters of God, but they will go into the next world to be servants. The Lord said in that wonderful sermon we call the Sermon on the Mount:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."  Matt. 7:13-14

Gift of eternal life

Eternal life is the great gift held in reserve for all those who are willing to keep the commandments of the Lord. All will receive the resurrection. Is that eternal life? No, not in the words of our Father in heaven. We call that immortality, the right to live forever. But the Lord has put his own interpretation upon eternal life. Eternal life is to have the same kind of life that our Father in heaven has, and to be crowned with the same blessings and glories and privileges that he possesses, that we might become sons and daughters of God, members of his household.

To become sons and daughters of God, we have to keep all of the covenants that belong to the gospel and be true to them to the end of our lives. Then we will inherit; we will be called heirs. We will be joint heirs with Jesus Christ  Rom. 8:17to inherit what? Not that he is going to step down from his throne that we may ascend. Not that, but we will inherit the same blessings and privileges, opportunities of advancement that he possesses, so that in course—I may say of time, but I will say of eternity—we may become like him, having ourselves kingdoms and thrones.

Freedom to obey

If any of you who are here present prefer, when you get on the other side, to be a servant and perhaps go into the terrestrial kingdom, you will have that privilege. You do not have to keep other commandments. You do not need to pay your tithing; you do not even have to be baptized for the remission of your sins, if you want to go into those other kingdoms. But if you want to go into the presence of God and dwell in the celestial kingdom and see the glories of exaltation, then you must live by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God  Matt. 4:4 We must pray to keep humble, to draw nearer to our Father in heaven, that we might be in closer communion with him.

We must learn to be truthful, obedient, sincere, having the willingness to walk by every commandment the Lord has given.

Habits easily formed

When a man confesses that it is hard to keep the commandments of the Lord, he is making a sad confession: that he is a violator of the gospel law. Habits are easily formed. It is just as easy to form good habits as it is to form evil ones. Of course, it is not easy to tell the truth if you have been a confirmed liar. It is not easy to be honest if you have formed habits of dishonesty. A man finds it very difficult to pray if he has never prayed.

On the other hand, when a man has always been truthful, it is a hard thing for him to lie. If he has always been honest and he does some dishonest thing, his conscience protests very loudly. He will find no peace, except in repentance. If a man has the spirit of prayer, he delights in prayer. It is easy for him to approach the Lord with assurance that his petitions will be answered. The paying of tithing is not hard for the person fully converted to the gospel, who pays his tenth on all that he receives. The Lord has given us a great truth: his yoke is easy, his burden is light  Matt. 11:30 if we love to do his will! The Lord has said:

"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."  D&C 4:2

If we will all serve him in this way, we will have plenty to do. The Father asks nothing inconsistent with reason but that which is in harmony with his law, and which he himself obeys. Can you imagine our Eternal Father and Savior doing nothing?

Work for man's benefit

So we see that the great work of the Father, and of the Son, is not for self alone. They work, as they have worked hitherto, for the benefit of man. When a man joins the Church, it is on the principle of faith in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Ghost. It is on the principle that he accepts all that pertains to the gospel. These requirements are made of all men who seek repentance and a place in the kingdom of God. If a man tries to get in by some other way, he is classed as a thief and a robber  John 10:1 Why? Because he is trying to obtain eternal life by fraud! He is trying to obtain a reward of exaltation by counterfeit coin, and this cannot be done.

Importance of service

Obedience to the gospel ordinances is required of all men, and they cannot enter into the kingdom without complying with the law the Lord has given.

Our Savior came into the world to teach us love for each other, and as that great lesson was made manifest through his great suffering and death that we might live, should we not express our love for our fellowmen by service rendered in their behalf? Should we not show our appreciation for the infinite service he rendered us, by giving service in his cause?

The man who does only those things in the Church which concern himself alone will never reach exaltation. For instance, the man who is willing to pray, to pay his tithes and offerings, and to attend to the ordinary duties which concern his own personal life, and nothing more, will never reach the goal of perfection.

Service must be given in behalf of others. We must extend the helping hand to the unfortunate, to those who have not heard the truth and are in spiritual darkness, to the needy, the oppressed. Are you failing? Let us think of the words of the poet, Will L. Thompson, as we think about being saviors on Mount Zion. The poem starts this way:

"Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad,
And made someone feel glad?
If not I have failed indeed."

    (Hymns, 58.)

I hope and pray that none of us fail in our service to our Father in heaven. May the Lord continue to bless us one and all and keep us in the path of truth and righteousness, I humbly pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.