Paisley: Hi everybody. Welcome back today. We're going to be
talking about, we're going to be talking about a talk given by
Elder Maxwell Neil, a Maxwell back in 1982 titled, be of good
cheer. There is a lot of noise in the world today, and it can
get a bit overwhelming. And one of the things that you know, as
we've been talking about President Nelson's talk, a plea
to my sisters and how we need to be different and distinct and
happy ways,
this phrase keeps coming into my mind, be of good cheer. I did a
quick search on the church's website just for that phrase, be
of good cheer. And a whole bunch of talks came up with that
title. I picked this one honestly, because it was the
oldest one. But I'm really glad that I did, because there's some
really good stuff in here. And from 1982 I was, oh gosh. How
old was I in 1982 this was October 1982 so I was almost
four. I, for sure, don't remember ever hearing this,
but so just to set the stage, it is elder Maxwell. It's not
President Hinckley. So we have a little bit more it's a little
bit more direct and firm than maybe something from President
Hinckley would be where President Hinckley would be. He
would throw in the jokes and have some fun with it. Elder
Maxwell is a little bit more direct and to the point. He sets
it up by sharing the example of the original 12 apostles, when
the gosh, the Jesus going into the garden of Gethsemane was
coming really soon, and they found they all found themselves
in this less than ideal circumstance, if you will. On
the surface, it didn't seem like there was anything for them to
be cheerful about, but he and elder Maxwell gives the list of
things that were coming like Gethsemane was coming, Judas is
betrayal was coming. Jesus was about to be arrested and
reigned. There was going to be a mock trial. The 12 were going to
be scattered like sheep and obviously the crucifixion. But
even in all of this, Jesus says to his apostles in John 1633, he
says, in the world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good
cheer. I have overcome the world.
So even to his original 12 who went through so much with him,
it's okay, you guys, it's okay. I've overcome the world. It's
going to be okay. And Maxwell points out that, yes, even
though those things were coming, all of those really scary and
dreadful things were coming. There were other things coming
too, reasons for them to be of good cheer, reasons for them to
rejoice and celebrate. And some of the reasons he gives, He
says, Death would be irrevocably defeated. Satan would have
failed to stop the unfolding of the Plan of Salvation. All
mankind would be given immortality, and eternal life
becomes a possibility. And so in his way, he's telling his
apostles, yes, all of these things are coming, but it's
okay. I've overcome all of these things. We're going to be fine.
Everything is going to be fine in the long run, right?
Everything's going to be fine in the long run.
And then elder Maxwell says these were among the resplendent
realities and the fundamental facts which justified the
twelves being of good cheer, not their grim, temporary
circumstances. And then he says something else that I really
liked, and that helps bring it back and make it more relative
or relevant to us. He said quote, the precious perspectives
of the Gospel give to us this gospel gladness. He calls it
gospel gladness. And he says it two or three more times
throughout his talk. And I just think it's cute, gospel
gladness.
And then he gives some other examples, too, of people who
were going through hard times, things that we can learn about
in the Scriptures. He talks about the Nephites who listened
and believed in Samuel, the Lamanite, when Samuel came and
said that Jesus would come in five years, and how they had all
been rounded up. And basically said, You're going to die
tomorrow if the signs don't come, because we're tired of
listening to you, there was plenty for them to be afraid of.
He gives, He gives a singular example of Joseph Smith. He
could give plenty of examples of Joseph Smith, but he gives a
singular, singular example when, uh. Um, Emma was really, really
sick, and she had just given birth to a baby boy who died,
and they weren't sure that Emma was going to make it. And Joseph
starts to write about temple work. He writes about temple
work and how important it is for both, for people on both sides
of the veil trying to remain of good cheer and likely. I mean,
I've had miscarriages. I have not lost a child, thank
goodness, but I have had miscarriages and just the little
bit of hope that the temple ordinances give the sealing
ordinance specifically, that little bit of hope that that is
worth being of good cheer. That's enough.
So those three examples, the original 12, Joseph Smith and
the Nephites, they seem a bit extreme and maybe not so
relevant to us, but I don't think they are. And I think that
he hand picked those specific experiences on purpose, even
back in 1982 the opening line of his talk is this, he says,
quote, my brothers and sisters, we are living in a time in which
we shall see things both wonderful and awful. There is no
way that we can be part of the last days and have it otherwise
later on, he says, alas, though we are asked to be peacemakers.
We do live in a time when peace has been taken from the earth.
War has been the almost continuing experience of modern
man. There have been 141 wars, large and small, just since the
end of World War Two in 1945 that was back in 1982 when he
said that. So between 1982 and 2024 how many more have there
been? How many more?
So, yes, the times that we're living in now unprecedented.
Anybody else tired of hearing that word? I'm a little tired of
that word, unprecedented. Times we live in unprecedented? Yes,
we do. We do, it's true, these times are different than any
other times that have come before. The things that we
struggle with are no less to us than the circumstances of the
people that we've already talked about. They're no less. They're
different. Different does not mean better. Different does not
mean worse. They're just different. They are equally as
important to us as their struggles were to them. Elder
Maxwell also says we must not underestimate, however, the
difficulty of the last days. Joel and Zephaniah both speak of
the last days as being a day of gloominess. The coming decades
will be times of despair. Why? Because, as Moroni said, despair
comes of iniquity. The more iniquity, the more despair. And
unless there is widespread repentance, despair will both
deepen and spread, except among those who have gospel gladness,
there's gospel gladness again.
And then a little bit later on, he says, and I'm sorry to read
so much of this, but it's hard to paraphrase. It's hard to
paraphrase elder Maxwell, so a little bit later on, he says,
Brothers and sisters, we likewise live in a time when the
love of many will wax cold, fear will therefore increase. Why?
Because when men fear, it is because we are not perfect in
love. The less love, the more fear, as well as the more war.
See? So we do live in a time when there is plenty to worry
about and plenty to be afraid of, there's a lot to stress
over, and there's a lot to try and get through. So how do we
how do we get through it? He gives us that answer too. He
says there is such thing as cheerful believing,
participation, cheerful believing participation, even
without full understanding. When you and I keep certain things in
our hearts and are nourished as we ponder them. Okay, I don't
know about you, sometimes when I read elder Maxwell, I gotta read
it a couple of times. That one, I had to read a couple of times.
There is such thing as cheerful believing participation. We can
believe and participate cheerfully, even if we don't
understand everything, we can still participate and cheer
cheerfully participate.
And then he says to keep certain things in our hearts and ponder
them so that we can be. Nourished by them. So then I was
like, Well, what are those things? What are those things I
need to keep in my heart so that I can be nourished by them, so I
can be cheerful.
First, he says that reassurances will come to us from the Lord
and His prophets. And evidence of that is how many talks came
up with Be of good cheer as their title reassurances,
positive reassurances will come from the Lord and His prophets.
Second he says that we need to maintain our perspective about
things as they really are. I did an episode a few back about
President oaks talk things as they really are. We need to
maintain our perspective of things as they really are, and
in order for us to do that, we have to be worthy of the Holy
Ghost. He throws this in there too, and I don't remember ever
hearing that this before, but he said such reassurances and
Third, a bit later on, he tells us that we need to be prepared,
perspective will surely be needed for the Lord has clearly
and says to be careful and rely on parents, priesthood
principles, scriptures, temples and leaders to see us through.
So three things, reassurances will come from the Lord and His
indicated that his purifying and sifting judgment would begin
prophets. So look for those reassurances that everything is
going to be okay. Second, he says to maintain our perspective
about things as they really are, aka, LISTEN to the Spirit. Let
the spirit guide. And third, be prepared, be spiritually
first at the house of God and then proceed outward to the
prepared. And as we spiritually prepare ourselves, we can lean
on parents, priesthood, principles, scriptures, temples
and leaders, those seven things.
And then he gives us a warning. And I thought that this warning
world. And he talks, there's so much in his talk, and I cannot
was really interesting, and I had to think about it a little
bit. But he says, if we are of good cheer, we will find no use
for nostalgia for another time, even though a wistful
get through all of it in one episode. Maybe we'll come back
lamentation such as this one is understandable. And then he
quotes from Helaman seven, where it says, Oh, that I could have
had my days and the days when my father, Nephi, first came out of
to it another time. But he talks in here about the sifting. I
the land of Jerusalem. Then were his people easy to be entreated,
firm to keep the commandments of God and slow to be led to do
iniquity. But behold, I am consigned that these are my days.
mentioned it briefly in this quote, but he talks about how
The warning, if we are of good cheer, we will find no use for
nostalgia for another time, to me, that's a warning in that if
the Lord is going to sift people. And, I mean, the Lord
you find yourself wishing that you lived in the 1940s or 50s or
60s, or whenever you think it was a better, happier time, if
doesn't do the sifting. We do the sifting. We sift ourselves
you find yourself In that sort of state, it's a trap, because
we have no use for that if we are cheerfully living in today.
out. And he explains how we sift ourselves out, if we're not
He says, Brothers and sisters, these are our days. This is our
time on Earth. These are our tasks to be done. And in these
days, being of good cheer is part of being valiant in the
careful, I really encourage you to go back and check that out,
testimony of Jesus. In other words, it's our responsibility
to be of good cheer. Share the gospel cheerfully with others.
Bring glad tidings, bring the gospel gladness to the whole
because it's it's really good, it's really good, and it's a
world. It is part of our responsibility to face our
challenges with as much cheer as we can and spread the gospel
throughout the world, share the gospel gladness. Okay, that's it
little eye opening, especially if you're willing to look inside
for today. Thank you for watching or listening. If you
found it helpful, like, share, subscribe. You know all the fun stuff,
and until next time, be of good cheer and share the gospel
and see if any of it applies to you.
gladness. Thank you, everybody. See you next time