Prophet Urges Young Adults to Be a Light

On November 1, 2011, at a Brigham Young University–Provo devotional, President Thomas S. Monson admonished listeners to “be a righteous example.”

Quoting the Apostle Paul from the New Testament—“Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12)—President Monson expressed his desire that members of the Church be a light to the world.

“What is light?” he asked. “I prefer the simple ‘something that illuminates.’ Providing an example of righteousness … can help to illuminate an increasingly dark world.”

He acknowledged that for many, the light has dimmed almost to the point of being extinguished. Ours, he said, is the responsibility to keep our lights aflame for others to see and follow, which requires that we must believe.

“It is up to each of us to develop the faith necessary to survive spiritually and to project our light for others to see,” he said. “Remember that faith and doubt cannot exist in the same place at the same time.”

Some of the best ways to gain and keep faith, President Monson explained, are to read and study the scriptures and to pray frequently and consistently.

“Have you read the Book of Mormon? Have you put to the test the promise found in Moroni?” he asked. He urged those in attendance to set aside time each day to find out for themselves if the Book of Mormon is true, “for it will change your heart, and it will change your life,” he said.

Quoting 3 Nephi 12:16—“Let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven”—President Monson explained that Christ is the “‘true light, which lighteth every man who cometh into the world’ (John 1:9), a light which ‘shineth in darkness’” (John 1:5).

He concluded: “Our opportunities to shine are limitless. … As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light, as it were, in the lives of those around us.”

During his address at a Brigham Young University–Provo devotional, President Monson urged members to read the Book of Mormon and find out the truth of it for themselves.