OREM, Utah — Using examples from the scriptures and early Church history as well as personal experiences, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles extolled the virtues and impacts of good friends and mentors as he spoke to a standing-room-only devotional Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Utah Valley Institute in Orem, Utah.
“I counsel all of you tonight: Form loving friendships, and find wise and faithful mentors,” he invited.
Elder Rasband singled out Jesus Christ as “our most cherished friend,” saying “In friendship, as in every other principle of the gospel, Jesus Christ is our Exemplar.”
He added: “So often those ‘angels round about’ (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88) are our friends — like you — who have chosen to live a Christlike life of love, kindness, loyalty, trust and integrity. In the process, they are helping build the kingdom of God on earth. It sounds lofty, but friendship is, by its very nature, a higher call.”
The devotional drew more than 4,500 attendees, filling the multilevel institute building’s main chapel and cultural hall, a second chapel, overflow areas, classrooms and a recreation room and spilling into the hallways. Located on the Utah Valley University campus, the Utah Valley Institute has the Church’s largest enrollment worldwide.
‘Tested like no other campus’
Before beginning his message, Elder Rasband acknowledged the students’ and university’s resilience following the Sept. 10 on-campus shooting of Charlie Kirk.
“You have been tested like no other campus, as a gunman traumatized the peace and purpose of your university,” he said, then quoting from the First Presidency’s Sept. 12 statement condemning violence and calling for peace, kindness and love.
Said Elder Rasband: “You have been the ‘light [that] shineth in darkness’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:49), at a time when the nation needed your strength, your courage. That did not go unnoticed. You peacefully reflected the light and love that Jesus Christ has for all His children. Thank you, everyone, for being disciples of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Elder Rasband was accompanied by his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, who several times was invited to comment on her husband’s anecdotes. They were joined by Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy and Church commissioner of education, and his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert; and Brother Chad H Webb, administrator for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion and first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency.
True friendships
Elder Rasband warned that in today’s world, “so many people willingly trade friendships for video characters and quick text messages. They spend their time identifying with television personalities who are only faces on a screen. They choose to ‘hang out’ rather than commit to a deep and meaningful relationship that can be sealed in the temple for eternity. ... True friendships are based on love of God and sharing that love with others.”
The scriptures are full of examples of men and women who have served as righteous mentors, Elder Rasband said. “Jesus Christ is first and foremost, and He continues to be so.”
He also pointed out the mentoring of Joseph Smith by heavenly visitors and the mentoring the Prophet did for his peers.
‘Who has mentored you?’
“Who has mentored you? Watched over you? Helped you love as the Lord loves?” Elder Rasband asked.
He spoke of his late mentors, including President Thomas S. Monson and businessman and philanthropist Jon M. Huntsman, who hired and mentored a young Ronald A. Rasband as a sales rep, with the latter becoming president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation.
Elder Rasband labeled parents, grandparents or in-laws as “perhaps your ultimate, earthly mentors” and encouraged listeners to include ward and stake leaders, professors and institute teachers, and trusted friends and colleagues. “Take full advantage of their ideas, and let their influence inspire and bless your lives,” he said, adding that “being and having good friends will help us withstand the evils of the day.”
He also cautioned that “sometimes, we are reluctant to receive counsel; we push back from someone offering us suggestions. We think we already know what we need to know — candidly, pride gets in our way. When that occurs, we forfeit the wisdom, information or experience to bless our lives.”
Elder Rasband pronounced an apostolic blessing on his listeners that they “will follow the Lord’s example and light the world … with your friendship, your goodness, your desire to live the gospel and your warm and willing heart. I bless you to love as He loves, to repent daily and to draw upon His powerful Atonement to lift you up.
“I bless you to become a greater disciple of Jesus Christ, committing yourself to serve Him, to obey His commandments and to come to know Him as your Savior, your Mentor and your Friend.”
‘The only true gift at Christmas’
Beginning his message with the “Light the World” Christmas video shown at Times Square last year, Elder Rasband said, “The only true gift at Christmas came from our Father in Heaven. He sent forth his Beloved Son to bring us home, all the way home to Him for all eternity.”
And the gift in return is to give one’s heart to the Savior, the Apostle said — giving devotion, obedience, trust and one’s life to Him.
In addition to congregational hymns during the devotional, Christmas music was provided by the Utah Valley Institute Singers and Utah Valley Institute Orchestra, which were invited by Elder Rasband to perform a post-devotional encore.
