Brother Gabriel W. Reid, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, encouraged students to "go, work and build" as they respond to promptings from the Lord at the BYU weekly devotional on March 18.
Reid opened by remarking on his love for President and Sister Reese and former BYU football teammate, Coach Kalani Sitake.
The Marriott Center has been a setting for countless unforgettable experiences and is “more than just an arena, it is a place of revelation,” he said.
“Your Heavenly Father wants to speak to you too and is eager to give away the secrets of the kingdom,” Reid said. “He will do it in his way, time and place.”
Reid questioned what will students will do with revelation they receive.
He shared the story of the brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon, who after being blessed, began forgetting to call upon the Lord. The Lord chastened him and instructed him to “go to work and build.”
“These three words — go, work and build — resonate deeply with me,” Reid said. “I believe they can serve as pattern for the way we respond to revelation and guidance from the Lord.”
Reid told a story from his freshman year of college when he received revelation from the Lord to serve a full-time mission.
“It was inconvenient. I didn’t think I knew enough about the gospel,” Reid said. “I thought, ‘Maybe a mission isn’t for me.’ But no matter how much I tried to push it aside, the prompting kept coming. The message was clear: Go!”
Later, he realized his mission was not just another box to check, but a catalyst for a path that continues to bless his life.
“When the Lord commands us to go, it is always with a purpose,” Reid said. “His direction is intentional, leading us toward growth, greater faith, and blessings — even though sometimes the destination is unknown to us.”
As we go where the Lord leads us, He will prepare the way — but it will still require work, he said. Though we often view work as something to avoid, the gospel teaches us it is actually a blessing.
Ultimately, we become the works, or the results, of God’s work. “Our progress is His work,” Reid said.
He said as you answer the Lord’s call to go and work, you also need to build yourself into the person God created you to be.
“When you go to work and build, God builds you,” Reid said.
Reid shared that despite his intentions to be done with football after college, the Lord prompted him to pursue an NFL career.
His football career never made ESPN headlines, he said, but it took faith, resilience and sacrifice from him and his wife Heather.
“When I chose to go and work, God built me into something far greater than a football player. He was making me a stronger husband, a more present father, and a man who would trust Him fully,” Reid said. “Heather was right there beside me, growing, stretching and becoming the person God needed her to be as well.”
After a career-ending injury, Reid focused on growing his business and continued to follow the Lord’s promptings for him and his family.
“With every move, every sacrifice, and every unknown, God was preparing us,” Reid said. “We weren’t just enduring; we were growing. We weren’t just following; we were becoming.”
Reid wanted the audience to know that God hears, sees and leads them.
“May we always choose to follow Him,” Reid said. “Trusting in His plan as He builds our lives of faith, shaping us into who we are meant to become — today and for eternity.”