President Gordon B. Hinckley gave Ricks College students their first report card of the year, complete with five B's as he spoke to an overflow congregation during a five-stake fireside at Ricks College Sunday, Aug. 28.
President Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, counseled the students to "B" grateful, "B" smart, "B" clean, "B" true and "B" humble. "These grades won't go on your transcripts, but if you observe them they will bless your lives in a wonderful way," he said.More than 4,500 students attended the fireside in the Hart Auditorium while an additional 1,000 viewed it via closed-circuit television in the nearby Auxiliary Gym.
In his remarks, President Hinckley expounded on the five Bs:
Be grateful. "How thankful we ought to be to our Father in Heaven. Of all the billions of people in the world we are so richly favored. What a wonderful thing it is to be born in this time."
He reminded the students to be grateful for the chance to attend Ricks College. "It is your privilege to come to this school. I hope you get on your knees and thank the Lord for the privilege of being here at Ricks College, this Church institution where you can learn of the things of God as well as the secular things of the world."
President Hinckley asked the students to be thankful for those at home who are praying for their success. "Be thankful to your parents. Love them. Write to them. Express love and appreciation to them."
Be smart. "You need all the education you can get," he said. "Knowledge is an eternal thing. Grasp it. You only have two years here. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn and feast from the dedicated faculty."
Be smart in the way you run your lives, he said. "Don't get off the track going in the wrong direction."
Be clean. "Pornography is all around us. It's the devil's work. It's not your work. Stay away from it."
President Hinckley cautioned the students to be careful and reminded them that "too much is dependent on you. Your whole lives will be affected by it. Somehow there is a scar that never seems to entirely disappear."
He encouraged the young people to be clean in their manners, in their dress, in their apartments and in their thoughts. "The time will come when you thank the Lord for the strength given you."
Be true. "Be true to your great inheritance. Be true to the gospel which has hopefully become a part of your life. Be true to the covenants you made at baptism," he said. "Walk in faith, in truth and in loyalty."
When one has faith, anything can be accomplished, he said. "If we will be true, if we will be faithful, the Lord will bless us to accomplish that which is asked of us."
Be humble. Being humble means being prayerful, President Hinckley said, and prayer is a source of strength. "Go to the Lord in humility and He `will give thee answers to thy prayers and lead thee by the hand.' If you will walk in faith and faithfulness, your days will be fruitful and your lives will be filled with happiness."
President Hinckley's wife, Marjorie, offered greetings to the students and urged them to put Christ in the center of their lives. "I hope you will keep the faith. It pays big dividends," she said. "Stand firm and take Christ into your lives and keep Him there. You will have a better life if you become close to Him."