February 23, 1941. Father's 80th
birthday anniversary. After a pleasant celebration with his family he remarked
. . .
The gospel is God's plan for my
salvation and for yours. There is no other plan that has emanated from our
Heavenly Father from the beginning to the present time, nor will there be while
the world lasts. All blessings come from God, our Heavenly Father, and the
greatest of all the gifts of God to man is eternal life and exaltation, and
that comes through the obedience unto the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,
and made effective through the atonement wrought out by our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
"Because of my love for you, I
desire that you may obtain salvation and eternal life. I plead with you,
therefore, to live your religion. Answer every call of authority that shall
come unto you, and meet cheerfully every obligation the Gospel entails upon
you. Learn to like to do the things you are called to do in the Church by doing
them well, and then the doing of them will bring to you much joy and happiness
and will make for your own salvation. If you always do the things you know you
ought to do, and refrain from doing what you know you ought not to do, your
happiness and salvation will be secure. I appreciate all you have done for me,
and are doing, as a manifestation of your love and to make the day pleasant and
long to be remembered as one of the highlights of my life; and I thank you
sincerely. (The
Life of George F. Richards: President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Provo, Utah: J. Grant
Stevenson, 1965], 109, 110)
