The pleasant thing about standing before you, brethren and sisters, is to have the opportunity to look at you and recognize among you many of our friends. If you love me as dearly as I love you, then I am happy. I would like to serve you since the Lord has said that inasmuch as we serve the least of his children, we serve him. That is our purpose, and that has always been my purpose, to serve God to the best of my ability. I am sure that he lives, and I am grateful for all that he has done in my behalf.

THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST

Last Sunday we celebrated Easter, the day on which we recognize the resurrection of Christ, our Lord. It is a wonderful thing to contemplate what he did for us. I am not so happy to think of what might have been our lot if it had not been for him. But when we realize the wonderful gift which he gave us through his atonement, it should give us great joy and happiness and a new determination to serve him, to serve him to the very best of our ability. He gave us an opportunity to go back into the presence of our Father in heaven, from whom we came. He promised, too, that if we would repent of the things which we do which are not right, and repent honestly and sincerely and come through the waters of baptism into the body of the Church, and there serve him well and faithfully to the end, that he would forgive us of those transgressions, that when we should appear before him he would hold us guiltless before the Father, that he would carry the burdens of our sins. He tells us, in the Book of Mormon, that that is his gospel and that he came into this world to give his life for the world; that whosoever should repent and endure in righteousness to the end, would be saved, the sins of those people being blotted out from the Book of Remembrance  3 Ne. 27:13-22 the dearest consolation of all, perhaps, that I find in reading the scriptures.

He did for us, as has already been said, the thing which no one else could have done, having power over life and death: he gave his life for us. God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son for us  John 3:16 The Only Begotten Son so loved the world that he gave his life for us. We should learn to appreciate it and to honor him and to help in the realization of his worthy purposes.

"MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU"

It was said, on one occasion, that he was not bringing peace to the world, but the sword. And then, again, he said, ". . . my peace I give unto you"  John 14:27 not the peace of the world, but his peace, the peace that passeth understanding  Philip. 4:7 the peace that one can feel in one's heart in the midst of trial and turmoil and persecution. And if we could get that peace, especially in this time of uncertainty, what a wonderful thing it would be for us. The peace that passeth understanding—how are we going to go about getting it?

He told us on one occasion, too, that the first commandment was to love God with all our hearts and with all our might and with all our strength, and that there is another commandment like it, which is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves  Matt. 22:37-39 If we will do that, we will serve our neighbors as we would hope that those neighbors would help and serve us. If we could bring ourselves to that wholehearted service of men, I am sure that we would be on the highway of the realization of that supreme peace. In this day when everybody is struggling with everybody to get gain, it is hard to find time to serve one another wholeheartedly. But, before we ever realize that peace, we will have this to do; we must eradicate from our hearts, from our feelings, and from our program, all selfishness. If we could do that now, we would be happier. If we could impress our neighbors with the fact that they should do it now, they would be happier. If we could impress the governments of the nations of the earth with the fact that they should be unselfish, there would be peace, not only a peace that the world could enjoy, but an opportunity for man, himself, to realize in his heart that wonderful peace.

CONSCIENCE FREE OF OFFENSE

Today at the dinner table I asked my guests, "What is it that you worry over most, the offenses of other people made toward you, or the things you do to other people which are offensive?" I have come to believe that you will never have that peace so long as you are constantly doing things to other people that you know you should not do. If we ever get to a state where our minds are free of offense toward other people, then I believe that peace will begin to creep into our hearts and that we will love them and love them so that we can bring them to our embrace and serve them. Until that time comes, perhaps, we will never know that peace. I believe that it is possible, in the midst of the turmoil of today, to get that peace, the peace of God. I believe that during the conflict that we recently terminated—and which some people fear is imminent again—there were many of our boys our boys who went through the struggles of warfare with that peace in their hearts, a conscience free of offense to other people and knowing that if they could give their lives for us they were not fearful to meet their God and give account of their services. It might be possible for us to enjoy that same spirit in our business relationships with each other if no man should ever take advantage of another. It ought to be possible for us to enjoy that same feeling of peace in our social relationships with each other, that no man should ever say offensive things about another to hurt his feelings.

PEACE COMES FROM RIGHTEOUS LIVING

If you will permit a personal reference, I believe that I feel worse over the thoughtless things I do and say to other people than I do over the things they say and do to me, and I would like to enjoy the Spirit of God to such an extent that I never would say or do a thing that would be detrimental to another. Then, perhaps, I might enjoy that wonderful peace of Christ. He said in effect, "I leave it with you"  John 14:27 and that implies that it is possible of attainment, but we must admit that the struggle of attainment is great, that none of us is perfect, that failure seems to be the lot of most of us in most things that we attempt to do to approach perfection. But we must strive for it, nevertheless. It was held out as a goal to us, and the nearer we approach perfection in that respect the greater will be our joy and our happiness.

I have been thinking of that lately a good deal, how can we approach the peace that Christ would leave with us? And I have come to the conclusion that if and when we enjoy it, it will be because we repent of our sins and purify our lives. There is no progress without repentance. We cannot enjoy the Spirit of God in sinful living. And inasmuch as I feel that that peace is the most desirable thing in the world, then I feel that my duty and yours is to repent and purify our lives that we may have claim upon God, our Heavenly Father, for his Spirit. Once we get it, we will have that peace. And regardless of the uncertainties of our lives, we will not worry over them, but we will have the peace that comes from the realization that we are the children of God and that if our lives are holy in his sight, our exaltation and election will be sure, and that eternity is so much more important than mortality. This life is not a goal, it is just a means of preparation for eternity, that we may go back, eventually, into the presence of our Heavenly Father and there enjoy whatever blessings he may have to bestow upon us. "My peace I leave with you"  John 14:27 God bless you. Amen.