President George Albert Smith on the sacred importance of scripture

President George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was the son of John Henry Smith (1848-1911) and grandson of George A. Smith (1817-1875), both of whom served as members of the Twelve. He was called as an apostle in 1903, and then served as the 8th president of the Church from 1945 until his death in 1951.

"I sometimes feel that we do not appreciate the Holy Bible, and what it contains, and these other scriptures, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price that have been referred to by our beloved President [Heber J. Grant] as letters from our Heavenly Father. They may be so received, at least they are His advice and His counsel to all the children of men given to them that they may know how to take advantage of their opportunities, that their lives may not be spent in vain. One of the sorrowful things in life is to see men and women laid away in Mother earth with a realization of the fact that they have refused the greater blessings that our Father offered to them and have continued grasping at the bubble that has itself disappeared. When I think of the millions of God's children in the world, and realize how little they are striving for the things that are really worth while, I feel sad; but when I see this body of people here today—representatives of the great Church that bears the name of the Redeemer—and realize that we who have accepted the Gospel have been chosen, as it were, from among the multitude of our Father's children to understand Him and to know why we are here, my heart is filled with gratitude and praise to Him for His blessings unto us."

- George Albert Smith, "Thanksgiving for Latter-day Saints' Blessings," General Conference, October 6, 1923; see Millennial Star 86:9:129
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President Smith suggests we don't always appreciate the gift of the scriptures as we should. They can be considered "letters from our Heavenly Father" to us. If we were to receive a new "letter," wouldn't we be overwhelmed with eagerness to read it? But yet we take the existing ones for granted, even though they have so much to offer us.

How can we make the most of our life on this earth, to ensure that it is not "spent in vain"? By reading, studying, pondering, and following the counsel in the scriptures.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President George Albert Smith on sustaining the Church president

President George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was the son of John Henry Smith (1848-1911) and grandson of George A. Smith (1817-1875), both of whom served as members of the Twelve. He was called as an apostle in 1903, and then served as the 8th president of the Church from 1945 until his death in 1951.

"When Moses led Israel from Egypt through the wilderness and into the promised land, Amalek attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses directed Joshua to choose fighting men to protect Israel. Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of a hill overlooking the battlefield. While Moses held the rod of God above his head, Israel prevailed, but when he let his hands down because of weakness, Amalek prevailed. A stone seat was provided and Aaron and Hur held up his hands in order that the blessings of God could flow to Israel that their warriors might prevail and the battle was won. (Ex. 17:8-13) The power of God was upon Moses and remained with him until he had finished his work. When he had the support of his people they too were blessed, and so it has been with every servant of the Lord who has presided over Israel.

"How grateful we must all be to see the President of the Church stand here this morning, in spite of physical infirmities and advancing years, and yet with that testimony burning in his heart that God gave to him when he was a youth. He has here testified to us of the power of God which has been made manifest unto him. President Grant has been an example of devotion and a tower of strength in this Church. He has been a friend-maker among the gentiles of the world because the Lord has made him so.

"We sit here this morning under the inspiration of his voice, and just as long as the Lord holds up his hands, just as long as he presides over this Church, it matters not how many years it will be, our Heavenly Father will give him strength, power, wisdom, judgment, and inspiration to talk to Israel as they need to be talked to. We, in following his leadership, must be like Aaron and Hur of ancient times; we must uphold his hands, that through him the Lord will let the blessings of heaven descend on us and this people."

- George Albert Smith, "Upholding the Hands of Our Leaders," Conference Report, Apr. 1942, 14
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When President Smith shared these remarks, Heber J. Grant had been serving as President for over 23 years and was now rapidly aging at 85 years of age. President Smith was a relatively young 72; three years later, he would assume the presidency and would serve for 6 years until dying on his 81st birthday.

In a system where our leaders are often aging men, the need to sustain them physically becomes apparent. But the greater need is to sustain spiritually. The story of Moses and his companions at Rephidim is particularly insightful, as the physical sustaining of his raised arms resulted in divine blessings of assistance to the people. God's power would remain with Moses until his work was completed, but the actions of others in this case played a key role in demonstrating that power—"and so it has been with every servant of the Lord who has presided over Israel."

We would do well to ponder what it means for each of us to "uphold the hands" of God's chosen representative on earth. Perhaps it means, at a minimum, to:

• carefully listen to his inspired counsel
• be willing to accept and follow his challenges and directions
• teach and encourage others appropriately to do likewise
• defend him against criticism or false accusations and interpretations

Speaking 26 years before he became Church president, a much younger Elder George Albert Smith said:

"It must be a source of strength to the President of this Church to look into the faces of thousands of honest men and women and observe them raise their hand in covenant with our Father in heaven, and sustain him in the office to which he has been called as president of this great Church. The obligation that we make when we raise our hands under such circumstances, is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means,—if I understand the obligation I assumed when I raised my hand—that we will stand behind him; we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct him to offer them to us while he remains in that position." (CR June 1919, p. 40)

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President George Albert Smith on expressing kindness to others

President George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was the son of John Henry Smith (1848-1911) and grandson of George A. Smith (1817-1875), both of whom served as members of the Twelve. He was called as an apostle in 1903, and then served as the 8th president of the Church from 1945 until his death in 1951.

"I stand here tonight to speak of a man who has several years ago gone home. … I refer to Francis M. Lyman [of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles] and I want to say to you that that great man was as tender as a baby, just as tender as a little child, and his desire to help and encourage was beautiful. I have heard him compliment his brethren many times when they have done something praiseworthy—one had delivered a fine address, another had borne a convincing testimony, another had done something else praiseworthy. I have seen him put his arm around them and say, 'I am proud of you and the fine thing you have done.' Is not that a commendable way to live? That is the way to make ourselves happy. If, instead of being jealous, we see and appreciate and commend the virtues and abilities of our fellows, if we see the power for good in [others], how much better it will be.

"Many of us live in such an atmosphere that we are almost dumb when it comes to praising somebody else. We seem unable to say the things that we might say … to the blessing of others. Let us look for the virtues of our associates and observing them make them happy by commending them."

- George Albert Smith, "To the Relief Society," Relief Society Magazine, Dec. 1932, 707; See "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith" pp. 226-227

President Smith in this excerpt is encouraging us in a practice that he demonstrates himself by pointing out someone else in whom he recognized the quality. We should say kind things about others, so President Smith said kind things about one of his predecessors. Elder Francis R. Lyman is a fascinating but little-known leader. He was called as an apostle in 1880 at age 40. He became the President of the Twelve in 1903 and served in that role, during the presidency of Joseph F. Smith, until his death in 1916. The tribute given to him by President Smith is a wonderful indication of his character, and a marvelous example for us to emulate.

What a great quality to cultivate in our lives! As we seek to be kind and praising to others, we will find wonderful opportunities to serve and bless some who might need our encouraging words.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President George Albert Smith on staying on the Lord's side of the line

President George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was the son of John Henry Smith (1848-1911) and grandson of George A. Smith (1817-1875), both of whom served as members of the Twelve. He was called as an apostle in 1903, and then served as the 8th president of the Church from 1945 until his death in 1951.

"I think I would like to repeat something I have told many times as a guide to some of these younger men. It was an expression of advice of my grandfather for whom I was named. He said: 'There is a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord's territory and the devil's territory. If you will remain on the Lord's side of the line, the adversary cannot come there to tempt you. You are perfectly safe as long as you stay on the Lord's side of the line. But,' he said, 'if you cross onto the devil's side of the line, you are in his territory, and you are in his power, and he will work on you to get you just as far from that line as he possibly can, knowing that he can only succeed in destroying you by keeping you away from the place where there is safety.'

"All safety, all righteousness, all happiness are on the Lord's side of the line. If you are keeping the commandments of God by observing the Sabbath day, you are on the Lord's side of the line. If you attend to your secret prayers and your family prayers, you are on the Lord's side of the line. If you are grateful for food and express that gratitude to God, you are on the Lord's side of the line. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you are on the Lord's side of the line. If you are honest in your dealing with your fellow men, you are on the Lord's side of the line. If you observe the Word of Wisdom, you are on the Lord's side of the line. And so I might go on through the Ten Commandments and the other commandments that God has given for our guidance and say again, all that enriches our lives and makes us happy and prepares us for eternal joy is on the Lord's side of the line. Finding fault with the things that God has given to us for our guidance is not on the Lord's side of the line."

- George Albert Smith, Conference Report, Oct. 1945, pp. 115-120
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The concept of a "line of demarcation" is helpful for us in thinking about our commitment to standards, and the environments in which we find ourselves in life. If there are areas or situations that might be considered "the devil's territory," it's pretty clear there is danger there and we would be wise to avoid frequenting the area:

President Smith's suggestions of ways to stay on the Lord's side of the line were interesting and helpful. Those suggestions included things such as observing the Sabbath day, individual and family prayer, loving neighbors, dealing honestly, and so on. In short, "all that enriches our lives and makes us happy and prepares us for eternal joy is on the Lord's side of the line."

George Albert Smith on sustaining church leaders

President George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was the son of John Henry Smith (1848-1911) and grandson of George A. Smith (1817-1875), both of whom served as members of the Twelve. He was called as an apostle in 1903, and then served as the 8th president of the Church from 1945 until his death in 1951.

"It must be a source of strength to the President of this Church to look into the faces of thousands of honest men and women and observe them raise their hand in covenant with our Father in heaven, and sustain him in the office to which he has been called as president of this great Church.

"The obligation that we make when we raise our hands under such circumstances, is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means—if I understand the obligation I assumed when I raised my hand—that we will stand behind him; we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct him to offer them to us while he remains in that position."

- George Albert Smith, Conference Report, June 1919, 40; see Teachings of the Presidents of the Church—George Albert Smith, p. 64

As a relatively young apostle, then-Elder George Albert Smith pondered on the strength the president of the Church must feel as he witnesses a congregation raise their hands as a sign of sustaining him. He would have that experience himself a few decades later. Any member of the Church who has been sustained has felt the same comfort and reassurance, perhaps to a lesser degree but just as meaningfully.

So what does it mean to raise our hands to sustain the Church president?  Elder Smith went on to give some thoughts:

This is a good thing for us to consider as we have that same opportunity!

• stand behind him
• pray for him
• defend his good name
• strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct him to offer