High Moral Standards
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Basic LDS Beliefs, Becoming Perfected in Christ, Bible, Counsel from Church Leaders, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Fruits of gospel living, Making Decisions
Mormons are known for their high moral standards. Some people think those standards are old-fashioned or out of touch, but Mormons know those standards protect them from many of life’s challenges and help them to live up to standards God himself has set. Read more
Why Do Mormons Obey Their Prophet?
Filed under: Basic LDS Beliefs, Church Organization, Counsel from Church Leaders, Jesus Christ, LDS Q&A
Mormonism is often known as a strict religion with many rules. Mormons are often asked why they obey and why they let others decide how they should live.
It is helpful to understand a little about the role of the Mormon prophet and how Mormons view him. With this knowledge, it is easier to understand why Mormons are willing to follow a prophet. Read more
Pride Goeth Before the Fall
A week or so ago I was able to attend a fireside given by Merrill Osmond. In it, he said something that really stilled the room, for me, and sunk deeply into my heart: Where there is ego, you will never find the Lord.
Pride is one of the seven deadly sins and all of us have heard since we were old enough to understand: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
I am one of those people who craves the presence of God in my life. Everything I do and everything I am is toward that end, returning to my heavenly home. When Merrill said this: Where there is ego, you will never find the Lord, it shook my heart.
Certainly, all of us know that pride can kill love, hope, dreams . . . basically all that is good in life. Pride keeps us from:
- asking for help from another,
- truly loving another,
- truly worshiping our Savior and Heavenly Father as they deserve to be worshiped, or
- being humble enough to be taught
The Lord needs us to be confident and secure in our abilities. But, when we cease to rely on our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ that is when we cross the line from confidence to arrogance, from humility to pride and therein the guaranteed, eventual fall.
In the Book of Mormon, Alma 32, we find one of the greatest treatise on the Gospel and humility.
Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.(Alma 32:19)
The entire chapter is a veritable treasure of plain Gospel principles, but in this instance, “blessed are they who humble themselves” is the key to what we are speaking about today.
Indeed humility is the state of being which allow us to be teachable while be guided by the Spirit of God. Humility produces the greatest of the human family. And so my friends, I ask that you shed your egos and your pride and welcome into your heart our Lord and Savior who loves you and will guide you through mortality, if you will only let Him.
Believe me, I have no desire to traverse mortality without heavenly guidance. Humility, my friends, is the key to returning to our heavenly home. And so, to quote myself from another site:
Every day, morning and night at a minimum, I shall remember to thank my Father in Heaven for the countless blessings showered upon us. For the gifts and talents He granted me I will express my gratitude and ask for continual guidance. I will remember that I am here in this life at the behest and blessings of a loving and eternal God. I have one overriding job . . . to bring as many of the sons and daughters of God back with me as I possibly can.
To this end I stand as a witness of Jesus Christ in all things, in all places and in all times. When asked, if it is within my power, I speak at all firesides, youth conferences, womens conferences and more, sharing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation which He came to fulfill. For where I am, I am determined to find the Lord. (Candace E. Salima, Where There is Ego, Dream a little dream . . .)
Learning to Trust in God
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
The scriptures are full of counsel to put our trust in God, and not in man or in our own intellect. We receive this in our own day as well. For example, a modern-day apostle, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the “Mormons”) has said, “Trust in God … no matter how challenging the circumstance. … Your peace of mind, your assurance of answers to vexing problems, your ultimate joy depend upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ” (“The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2003, 76, 78).
But how can we develop that kind of faith—the kind of faith that will see us through to put our trust in the Lord, rather than in what we can see and understand through our own logic? Elder W. Craig Zwick of the Quorums of the Seventy suggests four keys. Following are his keys along with my own explanations:
1. Learn. Learn of the Lord and His will and commandments for us. Some ways we can do this include studying the scriptures and attending church with a desire to really gain from the proceedings.
2. Listen. Listen to what the Lord is telling us through His servants and through the Holy Ghost.
3. Seek the Spirit. Be in situations where the Spirit can dwell. Stay away from places and situations that would offend the Lord and His Spirit.
4. Pray always. As we draw near the Lord in prayer — constantly, not just once or twice — we invite His Spirit and we open our hearts to what the Lord would have us know and do. (Keys from W. Craig Zwick, “The Lord Thy God Will Hold Thy Hand,” Ensign, Nov 2003, 34)
These keys can help us lay a foundation that will lead us to faith in the Lord. Elder Scott suggests some other principles that when practiced can help our faith grow:
- Obey His commandments and live to demonstrate that He can trust you.
- Be sensitive to the quiet prompting of the Spirit.
- Act courageously on that prompting.
- Be patient and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and answers come a piece at a time over an extended period. (“The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2003, 76, 78)
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The development of faith is not easy. We don’t always see the results of our acts of faith immediately. Sometimes we don’t see them at all. Nevertheless, the development of faith and acting upon it is a necessary step in our ongoing spiritual growth.
Reasons to Make New Year’s Resolutions
Are you thinking of making some resolutions for the new year, and looking for some reasons to give you an incentive to get going? Here are a few good ones.
First, perfection is a commandment. The Lord in Matthew 5:48 tells us: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Not to scare anyone, but if the Lord Himself has told us that we need to strive for perfection, that’s something we need to do.
Second, we all have things we’d like to accomplish in our lives. Our goals may range from developing qualities in ourselves to visiting an exotic location. Whatever we hope to achieve, we usually do better at that when we have a conscious goal to do so.
Third, our Heavenly Father has given us each gifts and talents to use throughout our lives. We each have a divine and infinite potential. Elder M. Russell Ballard, a modern-day apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the “Mormons”), has said:
I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principle of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life. (M. Russell Ballard, “Do Things That Make a Difference,” Ensign, Jun 1983, 68)
Fourth, our Heavenly Father has given us each our free agency, or our ability to choose for ourselves and to act on those choices. We have great power within us to do much good in the world. The Lord through the prophet Joseph Smith tells us in the Doctrine and Covenants:
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.” (D&C 58:27–29.)
To “damn” something can mean to stop its progress. And when we refuse to use our agency to do things of our own free will, we literally stop our own progress.
If all of us do what we can to improve our own characters this year, as well as improve the world around us, together we can make a great difference.
Goal Setting for the New Year
The beginning of a new year is intuitively a time that many people choose to evaluate their lives and set goals for themselves. Sometimes temporal concerns such as losing weight or making more money are at the tops of our lists. But perhaps we should be more concerned with developing Christlike qualities: being more patient, or renewing our commitments to be honest in our dealings with others. Or perhaps we want to study the scriptures more regularly, or spend more time in service to others.
Whatever we feel we need to work on in our lives, here are some ideas for setting and achieving those goals.
1. Pray for help. Our Father in Heaven knows us and loves us perfectly, and He can show us those things that we need to work on most. The Lord tells us in the Book of Mormon:
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; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)
It’s not always fun or even easy to see our own weaknesses, but we can trust in the Lord’s judgment and in His promptings as we strive to improve.
2. Write goals down. This accomplishes a couple of things. For one, it helps us clarify what our goals are, at least enough to put them into written language. And the acts of writing them down and reviewing them regularly help us make and keep commitments to achieve these goals. Elder M. Russell Ballard, a modern-day apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “the Mormons”), says:
I would suggest that if you want to have success in the goal setting process, you learn to write your goals down. I would even put them in a very prominent place—on your mirror or on the refrigerator door. Keep your goals in front of you, in writing. Then, with the desire to reach your written goals, you will be more willing to pay the price that successful goal-oriented people must pay. (M. Russell Ballard, “Do Things That Make a Difference,” Ensign, Jun 1983, 68)
3. Commit to your goals; pay the price to make them happen. All the planning and goal-setting in the world won’t help if we don’t then put our plans into action. Making excuses for not succeeding doesn’t count. Excuses may help us feel justified in not taking action, but they do nothing for bringing us to where we want to be in our lives. Benjamin N. Woodson says:
For my part, I have concluded that the quality which sets one man apart from another—the factor which lifts one man to every achievement to which he reasonably aspires while the other is caught in the slough of mediocrity for all the years of his life—is not talent, nor formal education, nor luck, nor intellectual brilliance, but is rather the successful man’s greater capacity for self-discipline. (quoted in M. Russell Ballard, “Do Things That Make a Difference,” Ensign, Jun 1983, 68)
With these guidelines in mind, here’s wishing all of us a successful new year!
Six Reasons To Serve Others
There are many aspects to good Christian living; moral cleanliness, worship, prayer, scripture study, and honestly dealing with one’s fellow men are just a few of them. But perhaps service to those around us could be considered the true heart of Christian living. Christ taught, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” (Matthew 20:27). In a latter-day revelation, He commands us to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” (D&C 81:5) It is through our service that those things that we learn through our worship, prayers, and study are truly put into action.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the “Mormons”), explains: “People serve one another for different reasons, and some reasons are better than others. Perhaps none of us serves in every capacity all the time for only a single reason. Since we are imperfect beings, most of us probably serve for a combination of reasons, and the combinations may be different from time to time as we grow spiritually. But we should all strive to serve for the reasons that are highest and best.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 12) He offers six reasons why we might serve others, in order of lesser to greater:
- Some may serve in hopes of receiving an earthly reward ? We may see this particularly in youth who are promised a treat if they participate in an act of service. But according to Elder Oaks, some individuals serve either publicly or privately “in an effort to achieve prominence or cultivate contacts that would increase income or aid in acquiring wealth. Others might serve in order to obtain worldly honors, prominence, or power.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 12) The Savior condemned such service when He said: “When ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will 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.” (3 Nephi 13:2, in The Book of Mormon; see also Matthew 6:1-2)
- Some may serve in order to receive good companionship from those with whom they serve ? Some individuals may participate in a particular act of service only if their friends are participating, or if they can serve with prominent individuals. Serving with others can be a wonderful way to build friendships, but those who will only serve with certain people rob themselves of the opportunity of building friendships with others. Again, Elder Oaks explains, this is not the Savior’s way.
- Some may serve out of fear of punishment ? The scriptures do give vivid descriptions of what happens to the unrepentant sinners, and some folks are simply afraid of what will happen to them if they don’t serve others.
- Some may serve out of a feeling of obligation or loyalty ? According to Elder Oaks, “These are those I would call the good soldiers, who instinctively do what they are asked without question and sometimes without giving much thought to the reasons for their service. Such persons fill the ranks of voluntary organizations everywhere, and they do much good. We have all benefited by the good works of such persons. Those who serve out of a sense of duty or loyalty to various wholesome causes are the good and honorable men and women of the earth. Service of the character I have just described is worthy of praise and will surely qualify for blessings, especially if it is done willingly and joyfully.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 12). But there are still higher reasons for service.
- Some may serve with the expectation of an eternal reward ? The expectation of an eternal reward takes place through faith in God and Jesus Christ and in those promises they have given us. In a revelation given through the prophet Joseph Smith in 1829, the Lord tells us: “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” (D&C 14:7)
- Some serve out of charity, or the pure love of Christ ? Elder Oaks calls this the greatest motive of all. “This principle—that our service should be for the love of God and the love of fellowmen rather than for personal advantage or any other lesser motive—is admittedly a high standard,” says Elder Oaks. “…Such service must be free of selfish ambition. It must be motivated only by the pure love of Christ.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 12)
Although Christ has commanded us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48), He knows we are not. As Elder Oaks reminds us, we may serve with different motives at different times, or we may have a combination of hopes as we serve. It is up to us to strive to purify our hearts and to pray for God’s help in doing so, and to learn to serve as the Savior would have us do: with charity, the pure love of Christ.
Pride: Enmity Against Our Fellow Man
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
…Or Something Better
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.
Pride: Fighting Against God
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.