Gospel & Doctrine

The Savior warned us of how difficult pride can be to root out in ourselves in his Sermon on the Mount.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)

Why is it so much easier for us to see the faults of others, while looking past or even completely missing our own? President Ezra Taft Benson, the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the "Mormons"), explained some things about pride in a landmark address he gave in 1989:

[A] major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them.

The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: "Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. ... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone." (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109-10, quoted in Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989)

You know, as I go about my own day, I'm not sure I would usually think of myself as feeling "enmity" - another word for it might be hostility - towards people like that. But if I really pay attention to my own thoughts as they flip through my head, the very things that President Benson mentions happen all the time. As I drive by a house that's smaller than mine, I might think briefly, "That's a small house. Mine is bigger." If I see someone dressed immodestly in the store, the thought might pass through my head that "I'm doing a better job at being modest than she is." Even if I see some celebrity featured on a magazine cover who seems to be dripping with pride in his or her own accomplishments, I might think, "Well, at least I'm not as prideful as they are."

Pride can be very difficult to recognize in yourself. Even when you think you've overcome it, the minute you start feeling proud of yourself for it you're headed back where you started. Heeding the words of our modern-day prophets can help us overcome sins such as pride. They are inspired of God to bring to our attention those things that we as a people need most.

President Benson told us how to conquer pride. "The antidote for pride is humility -- meekness, submissiveness. It is the broken heart and contrite spirit." Among those suggestions he made after this statement are to humble ourselves by forgiving others, by striving to do as the Lord would have us do, and by serving and lifting others.

We are truly blessed to have a living prophet on the earth today

Too often in the world today, we hear people bragging of how they "won" and gained more power for themselves - by hurting someone else, or by manipulations or negotiations done to get their way, or by any number of other methods. But what about nice things that we do for people?

Sure, the Savior told us that we shouldn't do good things and then go around bragging about them in order to get recognition and gain power for ourselves that way: "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." (Matthew 6:2) But shouldn't acts of kindness carry more power with them than acts of unkindness?

Today I was returning a big stack of library books to the library. I'd purposely taken them to a book drop I could park by, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to carry all the books. (It did not occur to me until later that I could have carried my books in a bag.) When I got to the book drop, I realized that I was going to have to free up one of my hands somehow in order to pull down the door and put the books in. Just as I was wondering exactly how I would do this, a man stopped and opened the door on the book drop for me. He was very cheerful, and I thanked him, and I left feeling happier than I'd been when I started.

He could have pretended he didn't see me. He could have told himself he was in a hurry and he couldn't help me. He could have refused to help me because, after all, it was my own fault I'd carried so many books to the book drop with me. Any of these excuses would have allowed him to finish his own errands more quickly. I'm sure I've made similar excuses myself, numerous times.

But he didn't. It wasn't a big thing that he did, and I probably even could have figured out a way to get my books in the book drop myself. But his kind deed left me feeling good. It left me in a mood to turn around and do something nice for someone else. Just think of the power that even one good deed can create, if each recipient goes and helps someone else.

King Benjamin, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, gave a powerful talk on the importance of helping others. He said, in part,

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just-

18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? (Mosiah 4:16-19)

Here King Benjamin is telling us that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we must help others. That is what the Savior would do Himself. And even though sometimes people bring upon themselves their misery, it is not our place to determine whether someone needs help or not. For, in the end, we are all beggars. The Lord has given each of us everything that we have; we did not create it ourselves.

So think of the acts of kindness that you've been a recipient of. You can probably come up with quite a few. And then, just as we've been the recipients of so much goodness, particularly from our Father in Heaven, we need to reach out and help others. Even just with small acts of kindness.

During the course of conversation, a friend and I once ended up discussing a book by Sheri L. Dew. Sister Dew was one of the members of the general Relief Society presidency a few years ago. The general Relief Society presidency helps to guide local Relief Society programs (the local womens' organizations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the "Mormons").

I hadn't read this particular book, but I was familiar with Sister Dew and always loved her frank way of speaking and writing. As my friend explained, Sister Dew talked about the concept of submitting our wills to the Lord's.

The perfect example of this is Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew that it was His Father's plan for Him to be our Savior and atone for our sins. Yet it was not something that He particularly wanted to experience. We don't know what was going through our Savior's head at that time, but we do know that He asked the Father in humble prayer if this cup might pass from Him, if there was any way He could avoid what He was about to experience. Then He added, "Not my will, but Thine be done." (Luke 22:42)

Christ trusted in the will of the Father and submitted to it completely. There are times when we are called upon to do the same. We aren't asked to atone for the sins of the world, but there are times when we are asked to sacrifice things we would like to have or do in order to do other things that the Lord asks of us. There are times when we have our own plans, but the Lord asks us to do something else that may not fit in with them, or even make sense to our mortal minds.

I am not familiar enough with the book by Sister Dew to know if I am quoting Sister Dew or my friend, but that's where the concept of "...or something better" comes in. When we trust in the Lord, we realize that His plans for us are so much greater and grander than anything we could come up with on our own. And we can even reach the point where we can gladly submit to them.

So when we have a need we're praying for, we might pray that we receive what we think we need, "...or something better." We trust that if the Lord doesn't lead us to what we think is best for ourselves, He has something better in mind for us. And we will see His purposes unfold in our lives in His due time.

Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt, told the truth and kept his virtue and was cast into prison as a result. Perhaps he prayed for release. Yet the Lord had "something better" in mind for him. In prison he was able to interpret dreams and gain the trust of the Pharaoh, and eventually save Egypt and his own family from a terrible famine. As he told his family, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." (Genesis 45:5) Perhaps it was difficult for Joseph to reach the point where he believed this, but as he looked back on his life he could see the hand of the Lord in the things that had come to pass.

Sometimes we may pray to get a particular job, or a particular date, or any number of other opportunities - only to realize later that this would have been all wrong for us. Again, the Lord in His infinite wisdom knows the big picture and can guide us toward "something better," even when we're sure we have things all figured out.

My friend is now facing what I hope we can see as "something better" for her. She has been in and out of the hospital and so far the prognosis has not been encouraging. Saying "it must be the Lord's will" can seem cold and hollow to someone whose life has just been ripped apart, but at the same time I know that our loving Heavenly Father is and always has been mindful of her. And things that seem tragic here in this mortal life will make a lot more sense in the next life when we, too, can see the big picture and how the Lord's plans for us have unfolded.

On the surface, the first of the Ten Commandments -"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" -- may seem to have little relevance to many of us today. But President Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the "Mormons"), had this to say about this commandment: "As I study ancient scripture, I am more and more convinced that there is significance in the fact that the commandment 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' is the first of the Ten Commandments." (Spencer W. Kimball, "The False Gods We Worship," Ensign, June 1976, 3. Other quotes in this post from President Kimball are from the same address.)

Idolatry, as commonly defined, is the worship of manmade gods. The prophet Daniel spoke of people who put their faith in "arm of flesh" and in "gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know" (Daniel 5:23) Icons of man's own making, composed of silver, iron, stone, or other materials, are things we might readily recognize as idols.

But President Kimball extends this definition. He said: "Whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god; and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry."

I wonder how many of us profess a belief in God, but devote our energies to things of this world that ultimately don't matter much. Of this, President Kimball said, "Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life."

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and pursuit of wealth, status, worldly goods, and other means of carnal security and satisfaction. After all, we live in this world. Advertising and media bombard us from all directions, telling us that if we buy this product or follow that diet, we'll be happy. Even people who consciously try to center their lives on following Christ usually still have to make a living in this world. Those who want to serve others in the world have to be in the world in order to do so.

But far too often, we find ourselves in the trap described by the prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon. He lived and died around 400 A.D., but was privileged to see our day. See if his description of our time sounds familiar:

36 And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. (Mormon 8:36-37)

His mention of "fine apparel" in particular always gets to me. We're so used to seeing clothing advertisements, fashion magazines, features on how we should dress for success, and so forth that it's easy to get caught up in the false "need" for expensive clothing that will impress others. Not that we shouldn't try to look nice, but our obsessions with worldly goods create other problems, as Moroni points out:

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies-because of the praise of the world?

39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not? (Mormon 8:38-39)

In other words, we become so focused on obtaining worldly goods for ourselves that we ignore - or fail to even notice - those who are in need of our help. And for what? Our worldly goods will bring us momentary pleasure, and perhaps praise of the world and some worldly security. But how long will that last? We can't take these things with us when we die and pass to the next life.

President Kimball said: "What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in faith; to carry the gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies."

Notice that he said to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves. He didn't say that we had to go live alone in caves, and he didn't say that we couldn't try to have successful careers or attractive homes or money and resources saved up to use in times of need. But he did say, in effect, that these are merely tools to help us in this mortal life. They should not be our sole objectives.

President Kimball ends his message with some direction on how we can find true happiness:

We believe that the way for each person and each family to prepare as the Lord has directed is to begin to exercise greater faith, to repent, and to enter into the work of his kingdom on earth, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It may seem a little difficult at first, but when a person begins to catch a vision of the true work, when he begins to see something of eternity in its true perspective, the blessings begin to far outweigh the cost of leaving "the world" behind.

Herein lies the only true happiness, and therefore we invite and welcome all men, everywhere, to join in this work. For those who are determined to serve the Lord at all costs, this is the way to eternal life. All else is but a means to that end.

Pride is a difficult vice to conquer. It's relatively easy to recognize when we have done something overt that we shouldn't do, such as swearing or stealing. But recognizing and rooting out pride in our characters can be completely different. The nature of pride itself keeps us from recognizing it. Rather, pride lets us rationalize and keeps our egos "safe" on top. Because of this, it is a dangerous sin that allows us to mask and rationalize other sins in our lives.

President Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a landmark address on pride in 1989. According to him, a major component of pride is enmity toward God. "Enmity" could be defined as hostility or antagonism. As he explained it, the humble are teachable and willing to change their opinions and actions to be in accordance with God's will. The prideful, however, think that God should agree with them.

That's an interesting concept, isn't it? And it's an attitude that is all too easy to miss in our own selves.

President Benson further explains:

When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of "my will and not thine be done." As Paul said, they "seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." (Philippians 2:21.)

Our will in competition to God's will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled.

The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Helaman 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God's great knowledge, their abilities versus God's priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works. (Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989, 4)

Helaman 12:6, to which President Benson refers us, says the following:

Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.

It may seem futile on the surface to refuse to let God be our guide, but how often do we fall into this trap? Somehow, all too often, we think that we know what's best for us and God does not. We might seek to excuse our own bad behavior, reasoning that God's commandments are too restrictive or they don't really quite apply to our lives.

We may know, for instance, that we shouldn't contend with our family members. And, we reason, as soon as we can convince them that we are right and they are wrong, we won't have to yell at them anymore.

We may know that the Lord has told us that we should study the scriptures regularly. But, we reason, we already know what they say so we don't need to take the time right now. Maybe later when we have more time.

We may know that the Lord has commanded us to be honest and not to steal. But, we reason, we are justified in twisting the truth a little (or a lot) in order to keep ourselves out of trouble with people around us.

Can you see how all of these situations involve elements of pride? It's so easy to get caught up in our own little worlds that we reason ourselves right out of the real things that we need to gain from keeping these commandments - including faith and trust in the Lord.

In the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants we read in the third verse: "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work."

The Doctrine and Covenants is accepted as scripture by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called "Mormons"). It's unique among scripture because it came to us through the mouths of modern-day prophets. So we can view the counsel between its pages as uniquely geared toward us in the latter days.

We've discussed the marvelous work that the Lord has brought forth, and the importance of serving with all our hearts, might, minds, and strength. These are points that are addressed earlier in the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants. But this third verse poses an interesting question: Do we truly desire to serve God?

On some level, perhaps anyone who fears God might desire to serve Him - or at least not offend Him. Mormons understand that God is our loving Father in Heaven who wants only the best for us. In the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price (another book of scripture of the LDS Church) we learn that God's "work and glory" is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

With this in mind, we can understand that serving God will help Him to bring about His purposes - which are to bring about our own eternal life and the eternal life of His other children. It's interesting to realize that our service to God isn't actually for His benefit. It's for ours. It's for the benefit of all of His children.

Now, this might seem like a good idea. And some desires are relatively easy for many of us to fulfill. For instance, if I desire a candy bar, I can go to the store and buy one. If a child desires a new doll or a new sled for Christmas, he or she may need to wait until Christmas to receive what they desire. But many will still get them without having to do more than wait. But what if we desire to serve God?

Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915-1994), who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, shared the following story:

One night a young idealist had a dream. He dreamed there was a new store in a nearby shopping mall. He went in and saw an angel behind a counter. Nervously, he asked what the shop sold.

"Everything your heart desires," replied the angel.

"Then I want peace on earth," exclaimed the idealist. "I want an end to famine, sorrow, and disease."

"Just a moment," replied the angel. "You haven't understood. We don't sell fruit here-only seeds." Marvin J. Ashton, "The Measure of Our Hearts," Ensign, Nov 1988, 15

It isn't enough to hope in the backs of our minds that God's work goes forth, especially if someone else does all the work. It isn't enough to hope in passing that our friends and families will be saved in the kingdom of God. If we truly desire these things, we must work and bring these seeds to fruition. And if we truly desire them - we will.

Are the Ten Commandments still in force today? They may have been received thousands of years ago, but the truths behind them have not changed.

Even so, they are commandments many of us are able to rattle off without really considering their meanings. One interesting exercise that can help put the Ten Commandments in a different perspective is to take the "thou shalt not" commandments and turn them into "thou shalts."

The fourth and fifth of the Ten Commandments are "thou shalt" commandments. In other words, they tell us things we should be doing. The others are "thou shalt not" commandments. They give us specific instructions regarding things we should not do.

But just refraining from doing wrong things does not mean that we have done them correctly. So sometimes it helps to think about what we should be doing to keep the commandments, rather than just what we shouldn't be doing.

Here are some ideas for things we could do to keep these commandments.

1) "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" could become: Thou shalt love and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength. Thou shalt place this loyalty first in your life, above all other priorities.

2) "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" could become: Thou shalt worship the Lord and not become infatuated with your own creations. Thou shalt love and care for the earth; thou shalt exercise thy talents for good toward the building up of the kingdom of God; thou shalt serve the Lord only.

3) "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" could become: Thou shalt speak kindly. Thou shalt take care that the words that come from your lips build people up and build the kingdom of God. Thou shalt call on the Lord in prayer. Thou shalt speak of the Lord and testify of His goodness. Thou shalt use good and wholesome language.

4) "Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy."

5) "Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother."

6) "Thou shalt not kill" could become: Thou shalt protect the sanctity of life.

7) "Thou shalt not commit adultery" could become: Thou shalt live the law of chastity and practice sexual relations only within the bonds of marriage. Thou shalt be completely faithful to your spouse, both physically and emotionally.

8) "Thou shalt not steal" could become: Thou shalt have as property that which was rightfully given to you by purchase or gift, or earned as wages, or earned as natural increase from your own property.

9) "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" could become: Thou shalt always tell the truth. Thou shalt keep thine integrity and be honest with yourself and with others.

10) "Thou shalt not covet" could become: Thou shalt be grateful for the things you have been blessed with. For everything you have is a gift from your Father in Heaven.

The Savior said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) President Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as "Mormons"), gave us this assurance regarding keeping the commandments of God: "If we keep the commandments and are valiant in the testimony of Jesus and are true to every trust, the Lord will guide and direct us and his church in the paths of righteousness, for the accomplishment of all his purposes." (Improvement Era, June 1970, p. 26.) Surely the Lord will bless us as we strive to keep the commandments that He has given us.

You might think that there was nothing to be grateful for in the horrifying conditions of a Nazi concentration camp. On the contrary, the lesson that Corrie ten Boom learned there and shares with us in her book The Hiding Place impacted me greatly when I first read it as a teenager, and it has stuck with me to this day.

Corrie and her sister Betsie were Christians living in the Netherlands and were arrested and sent to a camp when they were caught hiding Jews in a secret area in their home. At one point they were sent to a flea-infested barracks where the women were crowded uncomfortably close on the beds. But somehow they managed to smuggle in a Bible. This was no small feat, given that the guards usually confiscated all personal property upon a prisoner's arrival. Somehow this was overlooked for them at this time.

Even stranger, they somehow managed to keep the Bible. They were able to hold regular Bible studies with the women in their barracks, and were undisturbed by the guards. Their ownership of a Bible and their Bible study meetings should have been a serious punishable offense under the Nazi system. But the guards never bothered them.

After this had gone on for some time, Corrie and Betsie read the counsel in the Bible that they should give thanks in all circumstances. They decided that they should try to give thanks for the blessings that they had, however meager they seemed.

Some of the blessings weren't too hard to come up with. They were grateful that they had each other, and they were grateful that they had a Bible and were able to share the word of God with their bunkmates and bring them some hope. But beyond that, there weren't many obvious blessings.

Betsie, usually the more pious of the two, encouraged Corrie to continue with their prayer and thank God for everything they had. Corrie, after a little thought, expressed gratitude for the crowded conditions in the barracks because that meant that more people would be able to hear the gospel. Then Betsie expressed her thanks for the fleas.

"The FLEAS!! This was too much. Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"'Give thanks in all circumstances,'" she quoted. "It doesn't say in pleasant circumstances. Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers to bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

But sometimes it is those blessings that we understand the least that bring us the most. Corrie and Betsie later learned that their particular guards had decided that they would never enter the barracks that Corrie and Betsie lived in because there were too many fleas.

The Apostle Paul counseled us, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

A modern apostle today, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gives us some insight into this counsel: "When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the context of the purpose of life. We are sent here to be tested. There must be opposition in all things. We are meant to learn and grow through that opposition, through meeting our challenges, and through teaching others to do the same." ("Give Thanks in All Things," Ensign, May 2003, 95)

The Lord doesn't always bless us with exactly what we want, or in ways that we would expect. But He does bless us with what He knows we need ... even fleas.

May we all be grateful for all of our blessings, including the fleas in our lives.

Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. (D&C 4:2)

It's natural for people to want to be blameless. Or rather, it may not be so much that many humans truly want to be blameless as it is that they don't want to be blamed. How often do we see individuals (maybe ourselves) caught at something they've done wrong then turn around and pin the blame on someone else or on external circumstances?

But truly being able to stand blameless before God doesn't mean we have wiggled out of blame that we deserve. Instead, it means that we have lived our lives in a way that we sincerely don't have anything to be blamed for.

The prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon asked us some probing questions that we can in turn ask ourselves about how blameless we really are.

14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?

16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?

17 Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say-Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth-and that he will save you?

18 Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God? (Alma 5:14-18)

Alma makes it clear that we cannot hide our shortcomings from the Lord. We may be able to fool those around us, but we cannot hide our sins from the Lord. At that point, we won't even be able to hide our sins from ourselves.

Now as humans, we all make mistakes. The Lord has provided the process of repentance to help us to change and grow and overcome these mistakes. So certainly someone who can stand blameless before God would turn to the power of repentance.

Alma's words are powerful. Certainly they are questions we should ask ourselves often. But I admit that the power behind them can make them slightly unnerving. Hang in there and don't get discouraged. Our Heavenly Father wants nothing more than to see His children return home to Him, and this is possible through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ.

How else can we stand blameless before God? D&C 4:2 gives us another way: "See that ye serve (the Lord) with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."

So one thing that we need to do in order to stand blameless before God is to serve the Lord diligently, with all we have to give and more. As we strive to serve the Lord, something interesting happens. Those people we serve as we do the Lord's will may or may not draw closer to the Lord and enter His kingdom. Some will. Others will not. They have their free agency to make these choices. But at that point, we will have done what the Lord has asked of us. And at that point, perhaps we can imagine with confidence that, in Alma's words, the Lord will say unto us, "Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth." (Alma 5:16)

I first learned what repentance was in Primary, the children's organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our teacher told us that when we did something wrong, we needed to repent for it. She had us learn and recite the four major steps:

• Feel you're sorry.
• Say you're sorry.
• Ask for forgiveness.
• Try never to do it again.

Maybe you can envision a group of six- and seven-year-olds reciting this in a singsong voice. It's pretty amazing that I still remember this particular lesson. At the time, it seemed to me like a consequence for doing something wrong, in the same league as getting sent to your room or having to stay after school.

But the power of repentance is a truly glorious blessing from our Father in Heaven. As human beings, we all fall short of perfection. The Lord knows this. In His mercy, our Heavenly Father provided us with a Savior to atone for our sins. Because He has paid the price, we are not lost forever when we fall short. Through the Atonement of Christ and the grace of God, we have the ability to repent of our sins.

Repentance truly begins with faith in God and the Atonement of Christ. We need this power from the beginning of the process, helping us to recognize and turn from our sins. True repentance can be difficult. Allowing yourself to feel godly sorrow for things you have done can be quite painful.

And that's where the first step we learned as Primary children comes in: Feel you're sorry. That involves recognizing that you've done something wrong, and then truly feeling sorrow for having done it. That's a feeling that many of us try to escape from, either by blaming someone or something else, or just dismissing it altogether and chalking the whole thing up to experience. But real repentance involves feeling that sorrow, recognizing that what we have done has offended God and has likely hurt others.

Have you ever watched a child being reprimanded (or reprimanded a child yourself) for hurting another child? Often the adult will command the offender to tell the other child he or she is sorry. And quite often, the offending child mumbles a rather nasty-sounding "Sorry," indicating that the child is really only sorry he's in trouble and not that he committed the offense in the first place.

So when we move to the next step of repentance, confession, or "say you're sorry," it isn't enough just to mumble a "sorry" and be done with it. If we've felt the real sorrow in the previous step, these confessions will be a lot more meaningful.

Who do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confess to? It is usually a good idea to confess and apologize to anyone we have wronged or who may have been affected by our bad choices. It may be appropriate to confess to people who have witnessed our bad example that we have set for them. We also confess our sins before the Lord in prayer and pray for help to overcome them. Serious sins should be confessed and discussed privately with the bishop of your ward (local congregation); he can help you work through your repentance and determine when your repentance is complete. Higher Church authorities may be involved when needed.

The next step we learned in Primary is to ask for forgiveness. As you may have guessed, repentance in the end is not really a series of discrete steps. As we confess our sins to the Lord and to those we have wronged, it may be appropriate at that time to ask for forgiveness. The Lord is always willing to forgive those who are ready for it. People around us may understandably take a little longer. It's important to realize that our own salvation is not dependent on whether people in our lives forgive us - only on the Lord's forgiveness. But nevertheless, the forgiveness of others is something we seek after.

And as we confess and ask for forgiveness, we need to make restitution for our sins. "We must restore as far as possible all that has been damaged by our actions, whether that is someone's property or someone's good reputation. Willing restitution shows the Lord that we will do all we can to repent" (True to the Faith, pp. 132-135).

The final step we learned in Primary is to try never to do it again. Perhaps it goes without saying that if we repent of something and then turn around and do it again, we probably didn't repent fully the first time. True repentance includes an abandonment of the sin. We should also seek after righteousness. "It is not enough to simply try to resist evil or empty our lives of sin. We must fill our lives with righteousness and engage in activities that bring spiritual power. We must immerse ourselves in the scriptures and pray daily for the Lord to give us strength beyond our own. At times, we should fast for special blessings" (True to the Faith, pp. 132-135).

Repentance, although not easy or pleasant, is a precious gift in our lives and can bring us real peace and joy. All of us, regardless of our specific religious beliefs, can benefit from the power of truly seeking to purge wrong behavior from our lives and turning our lives over to God. As we use this power, we become better and stronger people.

I love to read stories of prophets called of God, and to watch them overcome their natural inadequacies and grow into men whom the Lord can truly work through. One of these prophets is Moses, and part of his story can be found in the book of Exodus.

Raised by the daughter of Pharaoh, he likely could have claimed the throne of Egypt if he had desired it. Instead, he identified with his own people, the house of Israel. And when the time was right and the Lord's prophet was prepared (whether this prophet realized he was prepared or not), Moses was called to deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt.

First, the Lord tells Moses that He does know of the trials that Israel is experiencing: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians." (Exodus 3:7-8)

Sometimes it is easy for us to think that we suffer our trials alone. But as the Lord tells us here, He is mindful of us and does know of our sorrows, and He is prepared to deliver us. But notice here what His solution is:

"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:10)

The Lord was going to deliver Israel, but His plan was not to come down and talk to Pharaoh Himself. Instead, His plan was to work through His prophet. Throughout the ages, we have seen this pattern repeated. The Lord works through people who are willing to be instruments in His hands to accomplish His purposes.

President Spencer W. Kimball, twelfth prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once said, "God does notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs" (Ensign, December 1974, 5). This is the Lord's pattern of doing things. Among the other things this accomplishes, it requires us to stretch and grow so that we may meet the needs of others around us. Sometimes this may seem like a burden, but it is truly a great opportunity for us as we rise to meet the challenge.

And suddenly Moses felt the weight of this responsibility given to him: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11)

Just like many of us do when we are given new responsibilities, Moses felt dreadfully inadequate. He sincerely wondered how he could even do this great thing the Lord had asked him to do. Perhaps he wondered if someone else could do it better than he could.

Sometimes we think of our prophets as something like superheroes, who never worry about anything, come by their abilities naturally, and always know exactly what to do. But the story of Moses shows us that this is not the case. Moses was terribly concerned about his abilities to carry out this assignment. The Lord's next words to him must have been a comfort to him: "Certainly I will be with thee." (Exodus 3:12)

The Lord went on to teach Moses some miracles that he could perform to testify to the people of Israel that his call came from God. And he again reassured him that He would be with him: "I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." (Exodus 4:12).

We have to remember that this is the Lord's work that we're doing. He wants this work to succeed, and He wants us to succeed at it. So we don't need to be afraid in the face of our own inadequacies as we are doing the work of the Lord, because He will be there to help us. Ether 12:27 in the Book of Mormon tells us:

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Our weaknesses can be made strengths as we turn them over to the Lord and as we truly seek to do His work.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe and testify that the heavens are not closed, and that God still speaks to man today and reveals His will through His prophets. We believe, use, and love the Bible, but there are other books in our scriptural canon that we use as well, including the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. Of the additional scriptures used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Pearl of Great Price is perhaps the least known. What is the Pearl of Great Price?

While the Doctrine and Covenants is composed largely of revelations received through Joseph Smith regarding the operation and doctrine of the Church beginning in 1830, the Pearl of Great Price is composed of other revelations received through Joseph Smith.

The name itself comes from the Bible. The Savior, speaking in parables, said: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Matt. 13:45-46.) The name "The Pearl of Great Price," then, tells us that the knowledge had on its pages are more precious to us than worldly wealth.

It's an interesting book of scripture, and very short. Two of the books within, Moses and Abraham, were received by Joseph Smith in the early years of the Church. They contain writings of these ancient prophets-the same as the Moses and Abraham in the Bible-that are not found in the current versions of the Bible.

The book of Moses talks about Moses's calling as a prophet, the creation of the world, and the Lord's dealings with Adam and Enoch in greater detail than is had in the Bible today. The book of Abraham also talks about the creation, the premortal life of man, and Abraham's early history. Latter-day Saints often study these books as they study the first chapters of Genesis, as the two fit together chronologically. They contain truths that were previously lost from the Bible.

The book called Joseph Smith -- Matthew is an enlargement of Matthew chapter 24 as revealed through Joseph Smith. It discusses preparation for the Second Coming and what the world will be like at that time. Joseph Smith -- History is another book in this collection. In this book, he describes what we call "The First Vision," where God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him when he prayed for guidance on which church he should join. He also talks about his visitation by the Angel Moroni a few years later, in which Moroni gave him instructions on finding and translating the gold plates into what would become the Book of Mormon.

The Pearl of Great Price also contains the Articles of Faith, which is a short summary of the beliefs of the Church as written by Joseph Smith. The Articles of Faith are handy to memorize; while they do not include everything important about the Church, they are a good summary of some of the things that are important to us.

The heavens are not closed, and we are truly blessed to have the word of God available to us today. Having the scriptures in our lives is indeed a great blessing.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revere and honor the Bible as the word of God. They also have additional writings from Moses and from Abraham, as revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith. These writings clarify some important points about the creation as described in the book of Genesis.

The book of Genesis speaks of each portion of the Creation taking place during one day. For example, most of us are familiar with Genesis 1:5, which reads, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

The book of Abraham, in the Latter-day Saint book of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, uses slightly different terminology to describe the creative periods. After the day is divided from the night, mention is made of "the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night." (Abraham 4:5). Beyond that, the creative periods are designated as "the second time" (Abraham 4:8) or "the third time" (Abraham 4:13) that night and day occurs.

One author has written, "We therefore learn that periods of time for the Creation may have lasted 24 hours each, 1,000 years, or even millions of years. The periods of time are indeterminate in length; as one phase of the creation was finished, the next began. Therefore the age of the earth before Adam and Eve could have been great indeed." (Robert J. Woodford, "'In the Beginning': A Latter-day Perspective," Ensign, Jan. 1998, 12)

Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle of the Church until his death in 1985, shared these insights: "But first, what is a day? It is a specified time period; it is an age, an eon, a division of eternity; it is the time between two identifiable events. And each day, of whatever length, has the duration needed for its purposes... There is no revealed recitation specifying that each of the "six days" involved in the Creation was of the same duration." ("Christ and the Creation," Ensign, Jun 1982, 9).

The important thing to remember here is our trust in the Lord and His purposes. It might be nice to know exactly how the world was created and how long it took, but God, in His wisdom, has chosen not to bog us down with that information at that time. As we exercise our faith in Him, we can come to understand that, regardless of exactly how He created the heavens and the earth, He did do so. And He did a pretty good job.

1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. (D&C 4:1-2)

Earlier we discussed serving the Lord with all our hearts. How about our might? How could you go about "serving with all your might"? "Might" is a word we use often in phrases like "trying to do something with all my might." But frankly, I looked this one up just to make sure I truly understood the definition. It means "power, force, or influence." This brings up some interesting ideas. Certainly we can refer to physical power. But what about our influence? Does the example we set reflect our commitment to serving God? Do those things we have influence over - perhaps through our professions, or our friends, or our families - reflect that commitment?

Then there's serving with all our minds. Our minds are where our intellectual capabilities come in. Do the things we think about reflect a devotion to the Lord and building up His kingdom? Do we use all of our intellectual capabilities to serve the Lord? And here's an interesting question: What do we think about when we don't have to think about anything?

And we also are to serve with all our strength. This can refer again to our physical power. Those who truly seek to serve the Lord can find that their natural capabilities are enhanced so they can do all that is required of them. President Howard W. Hunter, for example, experienced years of poor health. But as he served the Lord, he was preserved and became our prophet for a season.

Certainly we are seeing the same thing in President Gordon B. Hinckley, our prophet today. His job is a large one for a man of any age, let alone one who's 97 years old. The Lord in His wisdom will preserve those who fulfill His purposes at that time.

Serving the Lord with all our hearts, mights, minds, and strength truly encompasses yielding all that we are to the Lord. As we do that, we will find that the Lord can make more out of us than we can of ourselves.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a system of religious education for college-age students called the "Institute of Religion." When I was in college at the University of Oklahoma, we had a Latter-day Saint Institute instructor who warned us against the fallacy of "we used to think but now we know." How many times have you heard the scientific or medical community say that? "We used to think such -and-such, but now we know this other thing."

Here's a familiar example: "We used to think that Pluto was a planet, but now we know it's actually a part of a group of planetoids that exist past Neptune." But does our new definition of Pluto's role in the solar system actually change what it really and truly is, or ever was? Did our calling it a planet before change the fact that those other planetoids existed? Just because we hadn't previously discovered those planetoids in the Kuiper Belt, does that mean that they hadn't been there long before we were?

And just because we "know now" that Pluto is one of these planetoid objects, does that mean that there isn't some other undiscovered aspect of the solar system that these objects belong to? Once we discover it, might we change our definitions again and "know" something else?

It's interesting how our perceptions can change just from new discoveries. Man through science has made vast strides forward in the understanding of scientific truth. Each discovery and each experiment brings us a step closer to understanding the true nature of the universe. But the universe itself hasn't changed. Only our understanding of it has.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:24 tells us: "And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come." That tells us that regardless of man's definition of the day, truth exists. The knowledge of things as they really are, were, and are to come, is truth - regardless of whether we currently possess that knowledge or whether we even want the knowledge. Truth itself doesn't change.

Truth also applies to a knowledge of right and wrong. Regardless of what the current trends of the world are, regardless of how people around us choose to live their lives, what is right and wrong does not change. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve was specifically speaking of the standards of chastity when he said:

Too many of our young men and women are succumbing to the pressures imposed by a world saturated with evil messages and immoral behavior. Lucifer is waging a vicious war for the souls of young and old alike, and the casualty count is climbing. The standards of the world have shifted like the sands of a windblown desert. That which was once unheard of or unacceptable is now commonplace. The world's perspective has been so dramatically altered that those who choose to adhere to traditional standards of morality are viewed as strange, almost as though they must justify their desire to keep the commandments of God.
But one thing is certain: the commandments have not changed. Let there be no mistake about that. Right is still right. Wrong is still wrong, no matter how cleverly cloaked in respectability or political correctness. We believe in chastity before marriage and fidelity ever after. That standard is an absolute standard of truth. It is neither subject to public opinion polls nor dependent upon situation or circumstance. There is no need to debate it or other gospel standards. (Ensign, May 1999, 85-87)

Why is a knowledge of the truth important to us? One reason is because the truth is as a light to us. It is a beacon that shows us the way to go:

45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.
47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. (D&C 84:45-47)

And once we have that truth to guide us, something wonderful happens that may seem strange in the eyes of the world. Many believe that commandments and rules restrict our freedoms, but on the contrary, Christ tells us in the book of John: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)