--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Peery, Joseph S. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 25 number: 6 published: 1922-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph S. Peery, "No Life Without the Sacrament," *Improvement Era* 25, no. 6 (April 1922): 511.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2506unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2506unse start_page: 511 end_page: 511 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1922-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2506unse publication_year: 1922 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1922, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # No Life Without the Sacrament No Life Without the Sacrament By Joseph S. Peery In John 6:53, the Savior's startling words are recorded: "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." Then follows the blessing coming from partaking of the sacrament: "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." In partaking of the Sacrament, the Savior further promises that his Spirit will be with us. More precious than any earthly possession, is the Spirit of the Lord. If we remain away from Sacrament meetings, our spiritual life dries up and we become dead timber. Our children do what we do. They follow us. Then how important that we take our children to Sacrament services, where they also can enjoy the spiritual life. A brother said to some callers at his home, "Will you at- tend Sacrament meeting with us?" They consented. A sterling gift he presented them, in the Spirit of the Master which fol- lowed. We best serve God by serving his children. We best serve his children by leading them into eternal life. The Savior has purchased us with his blood. He re- deems us from the grave. The least we can do is to think of his wonderful service for us — impossible to perform for our- selves. It is imperative that we remember him. In remember- ing him at the Sacrament table we grow in grace, in strength to resist evil, in power to do good. At the Sacrament the Savior blesses us with his Spirit, and, in possessing this Spirit, we have joy the world knows not of, joy that makes us a blessing to ourselves and to all whom we meet. We become construc- tive doers, eternal builders. With his Spirit, nothing can stay our progress. With the wonderful promise for attendance at Sacrament meetings, who can afford to stay away? One mother went to Sacrament meetings and took her chil- dren with her. Now, in her old age, she has the satisfaction of seeing all her children active workers in the Church. Another good mother went alone to Sacrament meetings, without her children. Thereby she received spiritual life, which she withheld from her children. Now she has the sorrow of see- ing all her children going in the ways of the world. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).