Hal Boyd, chief of staff to the president, delivered the first devotional of spring term on Tuesday morning in the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University.
During his address, Boyd emphasized the unique mission of BYU and that on its campus, both the spiritual and intellectual spheres of life can and must coexist.
“Revelation enhances reason; sainthood exalts scholarship; discipleship adds to deliberation,” he said.
“Beware, my young friends, of falling prey to what President Reese has called the false dichotomy of thinking we must choose either reason or revelation — in fact, they are both indispensable in our quest for light and truth.”
He encouraged students and employees to stay true to the university’s calling as a Christ-centered, prophetically directed institution, with their eyes fixed on eternal purpose, not external validation.
Boyd highlighted the various recent accolades BYU has received while warning that “no win on the field, no musical performance, no top-tier peer-reviewed publication is worth even the slightest drift away from Christ or His kingdom.”
Boyd continued his address with an admonition to look to Jesus Christ in faith and to follow the prophet’s counsel to repent quickly and often, enhancing our ability to feel God’s love. He emphasized that repentance is a joyful and essential process for maintaining spiritual strength.
“On the ledges of life, you will be tempted to doubt yourself or your faith — to feel as though you might not be able to make that leap,” Boyd expressed. “I plead with you to look ‘unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.’”
Boyd concluded his address by emphasizing that the ultimate goal of students and employees at BYU is to be ready to receive the Savior with unwavering faith, light and truth that radiate from this campus to the entire world.
“Every knee bowing, and every tongue confessing — the glorious eternal fire of faith you’ve kept strong on this campus will spread light and truth throughout the whole earth, ushering in never-ending peace and progress,” Boyd concluded. “May we be a university ready — a people prepared. And may our feet be nerved for that final joyous leap to embrace our Savior, I pray.”
