2/13/17
This week was petty awesome! We had a zone conference were basically everyone was called to repentance, but in a strange way everyone loved it! It was needed-once again super inspired. President Bigelow gave us this talk to read, Beware of Pride, which he called Section 139 of Doctrine and Covenants. I highly recommend it for every individual who has the Celestial Kingdom as his or her goal. It was also pretty incredible because as of late I was feeling a bit down and bitter, and we all wrote what we needed to change as individuals in the mission (and in the kingdom). I wrote down courage and an open heart underneath the title ´What lack I yet?` I felt deeply moved afterward when we received the mail from overseas and I opened a package from Krista (meant for Christmas!) haha, and inside two lapel pins with the words, Courage, Dear Heart and Stay True. I felt a gentle reminder from Heavenly Father about who I am, and why we are here, and the promise, blessings, and support from eternal families. We read selections from Alma 12, and I was impressed by these verses:
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.
14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.
15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.
erses: I realized that opening and closing our hearts is always our choice, and that Heavenly Father gives us so many warnings so that we can use our agency for eternal happiness. I began to ponder about what is meant by á change of heart, having courage, and staying true.
I was also impressed more by the power of sacred music this week, when Ivany, who teaches the piano for some youth here, told us a bit about her conversion. She said she attended an even where the stake choir was singing, and said she was incredibly moved by the sacred music, while at the time showed zero interest in the missionary lessons. She was drawn to the music, and then she said that afterwards I began to listen to the messages that the missionaries had, and I was baptized.
On a somewhat comical note, a relatively new investigator who warks in the UR-7 Pharmacy was practicing English with me and asked me, ´Do you like to Carnaval?`-me, Úh, no. `Really, because I am really excited, there will be a ´bloco´in Iputinga at 8 tonight, and I can drink all I want. Do you like beer? Me-Uh, I am a missionary!`-Óh, that´s right, I forgot! hahaha then asked ´Can you be a Mormon and carnaval? Me, éntre aspas, you can, but you would be breaking all the rules, and we call this fubeca. Then I said, I´m feeling excited! The investigator asked, ´Why`M-I have a feeling that someone will be baptized!´Investigator-´For God nothings is impossible (in my mind, Ohio´s state motto, how appropriate), then said, but I will definitely go to the Iputinga ward tomorrow at 9. =)
`Speaking of Carnaval, I like asking members ´Hey, are you excited for Carnaval just to see their reaction´Usually they gave me this look as if I asked them if they wanted to be sent to Outer Darkness, haha. And then comment, Éu mesmo nao gosto nao Elder. E muito chato, etc. Or, for Christmas we do nothing Elder, but for the devil people are more than happy to throw a party.
We had a little warning in the mission about Carnaval that I found amusing, here it is in Portuguese:
Gostariam de usar um momento para falar do que precisa acontecer durante o Carnaval para manter a segurança de
vocês. Muitas de suas áreas já começaram a ter blocos de carnaval. Por favor sigam os diretrizes aqui:
Primeiro, evitem todas atividades de Carnaval.
Segundo, evitem TODAS atividades de Carnaval.
Terceiro, evitem TODAS ATIVIDADES DE CARNAVAL.
Entenderam a mensagem?
Pretty clear =) Olinda is already teeming with foreigners and missionaries will soon be prohibited from leaving their areas and traveling into the city. Especially Recife and Olinda.
Also had a funny moment with Israel and Eduardo, youth/rapazes from Camargibe-Israel commented, who did you hair get so blond on top-me ´Foi o sol Pernambucano que fez, and then he replied, Oh, that´s so cool, because you don´t have to pay for material to dye your hair! (people here are fond of blond highlihts, bleach,etc.) Then he went, look Eduardo, it´s actually three colors, blonde, dark blonde, and then gets really dark, Eduardo ´Sim, ficou legal´,-the things that happen when no one here looks like you.
Elder Talentino
Beware of Pride
Ezra T. Benson, GC April 1989
My beloved brethren and sisters, I rejoice to be with
you in another glorious general conference of the
Church. How grateful I am for the love, prayers, and
service of the devoted members of the Church
throughout the world.
May I commend you faithful Saints who are striving to
flood the earth and your lives with the Book of
Mormon. Not only must we move forward in a
monumental manner more copies of the Book of
Mormon, but we must move boldly forward into our
own lives and throughout the earth more of its
marvelous messages.
This sacred volume was written for us—for our day. Its
scriptures are to be likened unto ourselves. (See 1 Ne.
19:23.)
The Doctrine and Covenants tells us that the Book of
Mormon is the “record of a fallen people.” (D&C 20:9.)
Why did they fall? This is one of the major messages of
the Book of Mormon. Mormon gives the answer in the
closing chapters of the book in these words: “Behold,
the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites,
hath proven their destruction.” (Moro. 8:27.) And then,
lest we miss that momentous Book of Mormon message
from that fallen people, the Lord warns us in the
Doctrine and Covenants, “Beware of pride, lest ye
become as the Nephites of old.” (D&C 38:39.)
I earnestly seek an interest in your faith and prayers as I
strive to bring forth light on this Book of Mormon
message—the sin of pride. This message has been
weighing heavily on my soul for some time. I know the
Lord wants this message delivered now.
In the premortal council, it was pride that felled Lucifer,
“a son of the morning.” (2 Ne. 24:12–15; see also D&C
76:25–27; Moses 4:3.) At the end of this world, when
God cleanses the earth by fire, the proud will be burned
as stubble and the meek shall inherit the earth. (See 3
Ne. 12:5, 3 Ne. 25:1; D&C 29:9; JS—H 1:37; Mal. 4:1.)
Three times in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord
uses the phrase “beware of pride,” including a warning
to the second elder of the Church, Oliver Cowdery, and
to Emma Smith, the wife of the Prophet. (D&C 23:1; see
also D&C 25:14; D&C 38:39.)
Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning
in ignorance. (See Mosiah 3:11; 3 Ne. 6:18.) In the
scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride—it is
always considered a sin. Therefore, no matter how the
world uses the term, we must understand how God
uses the term so we can understand the language of
holy writ and profit thereby. (See 2 Ne. 4:15; Mosiah
1:3–7; Alma 5:61.)
Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit,
boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are
elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still
missing.
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward
God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means
“hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It
is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will
against God’s. 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.” (Philip. 2:21.)
Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires,
appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma
38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)
The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving
direction to their lives. (See Hel. 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.
Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as
rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness,
unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign
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seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them.
They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to
agree with God’s.
Another 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.
(See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)
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.)
In the pre-earthly council, Lucifer placed his proposal in
competition with the Father’s plan as advocated by
Jesus Christ. (See Moses 4:1–3.) He wished to be
honored above all others. (See 2 Ne. 24:13.) In short, his
prideful desire was to dethrone God. (See D&C 29:36;
D&C 76:28.)
The scriptures abound with evidences of the severe
consequences of the sin of pride to individuals, groups,
cities, and nations. “Pride goeth before destruction.”
(Prov. 16:18.) It destroyed the Nephite nation and the
city of Sodom. (See Moro. 8:27; Ezek. 16:49–50.)
It was through pride that Christ was crucified. The
Pharisees were wroth because Jesus claimed to be the
Son of God, which was a threat to their position, and so
they plotted His death. (See John 11:53.)
Saul became an enemy to David through pride. He was
jealous because the crowds of Israelite women were
singing that “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David
his ten thousands.” (1 Sam. 18:6–8.)
The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than
of God’s judgment. (See D&C 3:6–7; D&C 30:1–2; D&C
60:2.) “What will men think of me?” weighs heavier
than “What will God think of me?”
King Noah was about to free the prophet Abinadi, but
an appeal to his pride by his wicked priests sent Abinadi
to the flames. (See Mosiah 17:11–12.) Herod sorrowed
at the request of his wife to behead John the Baptist.
But his prideful desire to look good to “them which sat
with him at meat” caused him to kill John. (Matt. 14:9;
see also Mark 6:26.)
Fear of men’s judgment manifests itself in competition
for men’s approval. The proud love “the praise of men
more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42–43.) Our
motives for the things we do are where the sin is
manifest. Jesus said He did “always those things” that
pleased God. (John 8:29.) Would we not do well to have
the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to
elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo
another?
Some prideful people are not so concerned as to
whether their wages meet their needs as they are that
their wages are more than someone else’s. Their
reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity
of pride.
When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our
independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to
the bondage of men’s judgment. The world shouts
louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The
reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and
the proud let go of the iron rod. (See 1 Ne. 8:19–28; 1
Ne. 11:25; 1 Ne. 15:23–24.)
Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is
rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride
to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the
learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.)
There is, however, a far more common ailment among
us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is
manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding,
gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our
means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and
praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and
jealous.
Disobedience is essentially a prideful power struggle
against someone in authority over us. It can be a
parent, a priesthood leader, a teacher, or ultimately
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God. A proud person hates the fact that someone is
above him. He thinks this lowers his position.
Selfishness is one of the more common faces of pride.
“How everything affects me” is the center of all that
matters—self-conceit, self-pity, worldly self-fulfillment,
self-gratification, and self-seeking.
Pride results in secret combinations which are built up
to get power, gain, and glory of the world. (See Hel. 7:5;
Ether 8:9, 16, 22–23; Moses 5:31.) This fruit of the sin of
pride, namely secret combinations, brought down both
the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations and has been
and will yet be the cause of the fall of many nations.
(See Ether 8:18–25.)
Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights,
unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces,
spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this
category of pride.
Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord
away. It also drives many of our family members away.
Contention ranges from a hostile spoken word to
worldwide conflicts. The scriptures tell us that “only by
pride cometh contention.” (Prov. 13:10; see also Prov.
28:25.)
The scriptures testify that the proud are easily offended
and hold grudges. (See 1 Ne. 16:1–3.) They withhold
forgiveness to keep another in their debt and to justify
their injured feelings.
The proud do not receive counsel or correction easily.
(See Prov. 15:10; Amos 5:10.) Defensiveness is used by
them to justify and rationalize their frailties and failures.
(See Matt. 3:9; John 6:30–59.)
The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether
they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined
by where they are judged to be on the ladders of
worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals if
the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent,
beauty, or intellect are large enough. Pride is ugly. It
says, “If you succeed, I am a failure.”
If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more
than men’s, we will have self-esteem.
Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It
limits or stops progression. (See Alma 12:10–11.) The
proud are not easily taught. (See 1 Ne. 15:3, 7–11.) They
won’t change their minds to accept truths, because to
do so implies they have been wrong.
Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our
relationship with God and His servants, between
husband and wife, parent and child, employer and
employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our
degree of pride determines how we treat our God and
our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where
He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?
Pride fades our feelings of sonship to God and
brotherhood to man. It separates and divides us by
“ranks,” according to our “riches” and our “chances for
learning.” (3 Ne. 6:12.) Unity is impossible for a proud
people, and unless we are one we are not the Lord’s.
(See Mosiah 18:21; D&C 38:27; D&C 105:2–4; Moses
7:18.)
Think of what pride has cost us in the past and what it is
now costing us in our own lives, our families, and the
Church.
Think of the repentance that could take place with lives
changed, marriages preserved, and homes
strengthened, if pride did not keep us from confessing
our sins and forsaking them. (See D&C 58:43.)
Think of the many who are less active members of the
Church because they were offended and their pride will
not allow them to forgive or fully sup at the Lord’s
table.
Think of the tens of thousands of additional young men
and couples who could be on missions except for the
pride that keeps them from yielding their hearts unto
God. (See Alma 10:6; Hel. 3:34–35.)
Think how temple work would increase if the time spent
in this godly service were more important than the
many prideful pursuits that compete for our time.
Pride affects all of us at various times and in various
degrees. Now you can see why the building in Lehi’s
dream that represents the pride of the world was large
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and spacious and great was the multitude that did enter
into it. (See 1 Ne. 8:26, 33; 1 Ne. 11:35–36.)
Pride is the universal sin, the great vice. Yes, pride is the
universal sin, the great vice.
The antidote for pride is humility—meekness,
submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) It is the broken heart
and contrite spirit. (See 3 Ne. 9:20; 3 Ne. 12:19; D&C
20:37; D&C 59:8; Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:15; Isa. 66:2.) As
Rudyard Kipling put it so well:
The tumult and the shouting dies;
The captains and the kings depart.
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget.
(Hymns, 1985, no. 80.)
God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to
be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma
said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without
being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.)
Let us choose to be humble.
We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering
enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming
them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher
than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving
counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3;
D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84;
D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those
who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C
64:10.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering
selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by going on
missions and preaching the word that can humble
others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the
temple more frequently.
We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and
forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C
58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.)We can
choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting
our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3
Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)
Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we
can.
My dear brethren and sisters, we must prepare to
redeem Zion. It was essentially the sin of pride that kept
us from establishing Zion in the days of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. It was the same sin of pride that brought
consecration to an end among the Nephites. (See 4 Ne.
1:24–25.)
Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion. I repeat: Pride
is the great stumbling block to Zion.
We must cleanse the inner vessel by conquering pride.
(See Alma 6:2–4; Matt. 23:25–26.)
We must yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit,” put
off the prideful “natural man,” become “a saint through
the atonement of Christ the Lord,” and become “as a
child, submissive, meek, humble.” (Mosiah 3:19; see
also Alma 13:28.)
That we may do so and go on to fulfill our divine destiny
is my fervent prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen
