BROTHER WRIGHT, FOR YOUR
WONDERFUL, STIRRING MUSIC. WITH US THIS MORNING IS ELDER
KIM B. CLARK, A MEMBER OF THE QUORUM OF THE SEVENTY AND
PRESIDENT OF BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY-IDAHO. ELDER CLARK WAS BORN IN SALT
LAKE CITY, UTAH, AND RAISED IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. FOLLOWING HIS MISSION TO
GERMANY, HE EARNED HIS BACHELOR'S, MASTER'S, AND
DOCTORATE DEGREES IN ECONOMICS FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PRESIDENT CLARK BECAME A MEMBER
OF THE FACULTY AT THE HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL IN 1978. HE WAS NAMED THE DEAN OF THE
SCHOOL IN 1995 AND SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY UNTIL HE BECAME
THE 15TH PRESIDENT OF BYU-IDAHO IN 2005. HE WAS SUSTAINED A MEMBER OF THE
FIFTH QUORUM OF THE SEVENTY IN APRIL 2007. THE CLARKS ARE THE PARENTS OF
SEVEN CHILDREN AND THE GRANDPARENTS OF 13. ONCE AGAIN, PRESIDENT CLARK, WE
WELCOME YOU TO CAMPUS. YOU'RE A DEAR FRIEND. >> ELDER KIM B. CLARK: I AM
GRATEFUL TO BE WITH YOU TODAY. I PRAY THAT THE HOLY GHOST WILL
BE WITH US, THAT YOU AND I MIGHT BE TAUGHT AND EDIFIED BY THE
SPIRIT. ONE SUMMER MANY, MANY YEARS AGO,
MY MOTHER DECIDED IT WOULD BE A GREAT PROJECT FOR HER CHILDREN
TO REFINISH THE DINING ROOM CHAIRS. THE CHAIRS WERE PAINTED A DARK
CHERRY COLOR, AND MY MOTHER HAD DISCOVERED THAT UNDERNEATH THAT
PAINT WAS GOOD HARD MAPLE WOOD. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT
EXPERIENCE. WE BEGAN BY APPLYING A NASTY
SOLVENT CALLED TOLUENE TO ALL THE PAINTED SURFACES, AND THEN
WE SCRAPED THE PAINT OFF. ONCE THE PAINT WAS REMOVED, WE
HAD TO SAND THE WOOD WITH SEVERAL GRADES OF SANDPAPER IN
ORDER TO REMOVE THE VERY LAST BITS OF PAINT AND TO PREPARE THE
WOOD FOR A NEW FINISH. WHEN THE SANDING WAS FINALLY
DONE, WE APPLIED A FINISH TO HIGHLIGHT THE GRAIN AND ENHANCE
THE WOOD'S NATURAL COLOR. IN THE FINAL STEP WE SEALED THE
NEW HARDWOOD FINISH WITH TWO COATS OF VARNISH. THOSE CHAIRS WERE TRANSFORMED! I THINK ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE
EVERY TIME I READ ALMA'S PENETRATING QUESTION TO THE
MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH IN ZARAHEMLA: BEHOLD, ARE YE
STRIPPED OF PRIDE? I SAY UNTO YOU, IF YE ARE NOT YE
ARE NOT PREPARED TO MEET GOD. BEHOLD YE MUST PREPARE QUICKLY;
FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS SOON AT HAND, AND SUCH AN ONE
HATH NOT ETERNAL LIFE. THE WORDS "ARE YE STRIPPED OF
PRIDE?" EVOKE IN ME IMAGES AND SMELLS FROM THAT SUMMER. I THINK OF TOLUENE AND SCRAPING
AND STRIPPING AND SANDING TO GET DOWN TO BARE WOOD. WHEN I THINK OF THE FINISHING
PROCESS WITH A VIBRANT COLOR AND THE PROTECTING SEALING VARNISH,
I THINK OF THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SAVIOR AS THE "AUTHOR AND
FINISHER OF OUR FAITH" AND THE WORDS OF KING BENJAMIN TO HIS
PEOPLE: THEREFORE, I WOULD THAT YE SHOULD BE STEADFAST AND
IMMOVABLE, ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN GOOD WORKS, THAT CHRIST, THE
LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT, MAY SEAL YOU HIS. MY MESSAGE TODAY IS ABOUT BEING
STRIPPED OF PRIDE. I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT
OVERCOMING PRIDE AND BECOMING THE HUMBLE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST. 20 YEARS AGO PRESIDENT EZRA TAFT
BENSON DELIVERED A POWERFUL SERMON ON PRIDE. IT IS A TALK ALL OF US SHOULD
READ CAREFULLY AND OFTEN. SPEAKING IN GENERAL CONFERENCE,
PRESIDENT BENSON SAID: 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 AFFECTS ALL OF US AT
VARIOUS TIMES AND IN VARIOUS DEGREES. PRIDE IS THE UNIVERSAL SIN, THE
GREAT VICE. PRIDE IN ALL OF ITS
MANIFESTATIONS HAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE STRUGGLE
BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL GOING BACK TO THE WAR IN HEAVEN. THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SIN OF
PRIDE IS ROOTED DEEP IN THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION. IN PREMORTALITY WE LIVED WITH
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AS SPIRIT SONS AND DAUGHTERS. IN THE PREMORTAL COUNCIL,
HEAVENLY FATHER PRESENTED HIS GREAT PLAN OF HAPPINESS THROUGH
WHICH WE COULD OBTAIN IMMORTALITY AND ETERNAL LIFE. OUR FATHER KNEW THAT ALL OF US
WOULD SIN AND "COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD," SO HE SENT HIS
BELOVED SON TO ATONE FOR OUR SINS AND REDEEM US AND GIVE US
THE STRENGTHENING POWER TO BECOME MORE LIKE HIM AND OUR
FATHER AND ULTIMATELY RECEIVE THE GREATEST GIFT OF GOD,
ETERNAL LIFE. HERE IS THE GREAT TRUTH IN THE
FATHER'S PLAN: THROUGH THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST, WE CAN
RECEIVE PEACE, JOY, HAPPINESS, AND ETERNAL LIFE WITH OUR
HEAVENLY FATHER. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THERE IS A
REDEEMER. JESUS CHRIST, THE HOLY ONE OF
ISRAEL, IS THE ONLY "NAME GIVEN UNDER HEAVEN WHEREBY MAN CAN BE
SAVED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD." THE FATHER'S PLAN WAS NOT
RECEIVED WELL BY ALL OF HIS CHILDREN. LUCIFER, A SON OF THE MORNING,
REBELLED AGAINST THE FATHER, AGAINST HIS BELOVED SON, AND
AGAINST THE PLAN AND PRESENTED HIS OWN PROPOSAL: BEHOLD, HERE
AM I, SEND ME, I WILL BE THY SON, AND I WILL REDEEM ALL
MANKIND, THAT ONE SOUL SHALL NOT BE LOST, AND SURELY I WILL DO
IT; WHEREFORE GIVE ME THINE HONOR. THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS TO NOTE
ABOUT SATAN'S PROPOSAL. 1, SATAN WOULD REPLACE CHRIST;
INDEED, THERE WAS NO NEED FOR CHRIST AND NO NEED FOR AN
ATONING SACRIFICE AT ALL. 2, THERE WOULD BE NO AGENCY. EVERYONE WOULD BE REDEEMED. NO ONE WOULD BE LOST. 3, IT WOULD SURELY HAPPEN, AND
SATAN WOULD BE THE SOLE REASON WHY. 4, AND, THEREFORE, HE SHOULD
HAVE GOD'S HONOR AND GLORY. HERE, IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE
FATHER'S PLAN AND THE GREAT TRUTH, WAS SATAN'S GREAT LIE:
YOU CAN OBTAIN JOY, HAPPINESS, AND ETERNAL LIFE WITHOUT CHRIST,
WITHOUT GOD, AND WITHOUT ANY SPECIAL EFFORT ON YOUR PART; AND
SATAN WOULD MAKE ALL THIS HAPPEN WITHOUT ANY SACRIFICE, PAIN, OR
SUFFERING ON HIS PART, BY THE SHEER FORCE OF HIS POWER. IT WAS AND IS THE GREAT LIE BY
THE FATHER OF LIES. IT WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED. IT WAS CONTRARY TO THE WILL OF
THE FATHER AND TO ETERNAL LAWS OF JUSTICE AND MERCY. AND THERE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE GREAT LIE AT THE VERY CENTER OF SATAN'S REBELLIOUS,
DIABOLICAL SCHEME WAS PRIDE. THERE WAS PRIDE AND ALL OF ITS
SORDID OFFSPRING -- ARROGANCE, SELFISHNESS, GREED, VAIN
AMBITION, UNRIGHTEOUS DOMINION -- ON A COSMIC SCALE. THE FATHER REJECTED SATAN'S
PROPOSAL. THEN DRIVEN BY DEEP, DEEP PRIDE
AND ENMITY WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON, SATAN MADE WAR IN
HEAVEN. HE "ACCUSED OUR BRETHREN BEFORE
OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT" AND PUSHED THE GREAT LIE WITH SUCH
DECEPTION AND PERSUASION THAT ONE-THIRD OF THE HOST OF HEAVEN
FOLLOWED HIM. BUT THE FORCES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
"OVERCAME SATAN BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND BY THE WORD OF
THEIR TESTIMONY." AND SO SATAN "WAS CAST OUT INTO
THE EARTH, AND HIS ANGELS WERE CAST OUT WITH HIM." SATAN CONTINUES HIS WAR AGAINST
GOD AND US IN THE MORTAL WORLD WHERE WE ARE SUBJECT TO THE
FRAILTIES, WEAKNESSES, AND TEMPTATIONS OF THE NATURAL MAN. AS IT WAS IN THE PRE-MORTAL
REALM, SO IT IS ON EARTH: PRIDE IS AT THE HEART OF SATAN'S WAR
ON GOD AND ON HIS CHILDREN. IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY SINCE THE
DAYS OF ADAM. BUT PRIDE HAS BECOME ESPECIALLY
CRITICAL IN OUR DAY. WE LIVE IN THE DISPENSATION OF
THE FULLNESS OF TIMES WHEN THE LORD IS BLESSING HIS CHILDREN
WITH GREAT KNOWLEDGE, REMARKABLE TECHNOLOGIES, EXPANDED
OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING, AND UNPRECEDENTED WEALTH. WITH THESE BLESSINGS, HOWEVER,
COMES THIS WARNING FROM THE LORD: IT MUST NEEDS BE THAT THE
RICHES OF THE EARTH ARE MINE TO GIVE; BUT BEWARE OF PRIDE, LEST
YE BECOME AS THE NEPHITES OF OLD. BEWARE OF PRIDE! THIS IS THE WARNING VOICE OF THE
LORD TO US NOW, IN OUR DAY. WE HAVE OBTAINED SO MUCH CONTROL
OVER THE RESOURCES OF THE EARTH, SO MUCH UNDERSTANDING OF THE
BIOLOGY OF LIFE, SO MUCH CAPACITY TO TRAVEL AND TO
COMMUNICATE INSTANTLY THAT WE HAVE BECOME "PUFFED UP" IN OUR
LEARNING AND OUR APPARENT CONTROL AND POWER. PRIDE AND ITS CHILDREN --
MATERIALISM, ENVY, ARROGANCE, GREED, THIRST FOR RECOGNITION,
LUST FOR CONTROL, AND DOMINION -- HAVE BECOME RAMPANT
IN OUR CULTURE AND SOCIETY. MODERN BABYLON IS AWASH IN
PRIDE. THE BOOK OF MORMON PROPHETS SAW
OUR DAY AND SPOKE POWERFULLY ABOUT MODERN-DAY PRIDE. IN HIS PROPHECY OF THE LAST
DAYS, NEPHI SAW THAT MANY WOULD "BE PUFFED UP IN THEIR HEARTS"
AND "WEAR STIFF NECKS AND HIGH HEADS." HUNDREDS OF YEARS LATER MORONI
WROTE THESE WORDS ABOUT OUR DAY: BEHOLD, I SPEAK UNTO YOU AS IF
YE WERE PRESENT, AND YET YE ARE NOT. BUT BEHOLD, JESUS CHRIST HATH
SHOWN YOU UNTO ME, AND I KNOW YOUR DOING. AND I KNOW THAT YE DO WALK IN
THE PRIDE OF YOUR HEARTS. THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS WRITTEN
FOR US. IT BEARS WITNESS OF JESUS CHRIST
AND WARNS US OF THE PERILS OF PRIDE, BOTH IN PROSPERITY AND
ADVERSITY. IN THE STORY OF LAMAN AND
LEMUEL, WE SEE TWO PROUD BROTHERS WHO MURMURED AND
REBELLED AND WERE FILLED WITH RESENTMENT AND ANGER IN THE FACE
OF THE LOSS OF THEIR HOME AND POSSESSIONS, THEIR AFFLICTIONS
IN THE WILDERNESS, AND FAILED EXPECTATIONS OF LEADERSHIP. DESPITE VISITS FROM ANGELS AND
EVEN THE VOICE OF THE LORD AND MANY OTHER BLESSINGS AND
MIRACLES, PRIDE TOOK ROOT IN THEIR SOULS, THEIR HEARTS WERE
HARDENED, AND THEY REJECTED THE LORD AND HIS PROPHETS. WE ALSO SEE THIS SAME PATTERN OF
PRIDE, HARDNESS OF HEART, AND REJECTION OF THE TRUTH IN THE
FACE OF PROSPERITY. INDEED, THE BOOK OF MORMON IS A
RECORD OF AN ENTIRE PEOPLE GREATLY FAVORED OF THE LORD WHO
SUCCUMBED TO THE TEMPTATIONS OF PRIDE, REJECTED THE LORD, AND
WERE DESTROYED. THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR: WHETHER IN
PROSPERITY OR ADVERSITY, IF WE ARE NOT DILIGENT AND FAITHFUL,
EVEN THE ELECT OF GOD, EVEN THOSE GREATLY BLESSED BY THE
LORD, CAN FALL PREY TO THE GREAT LIE AND BECOME HARD-HEARTED,
SELF-ABSORBED, STIFF-NECKED, AND PUFFED UP IN THEIR PRIDE. THIS IS SOMETHING WE SEE ALL TOO
OFTEN. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE
INTERACTION OF PRIDE AND ADVERSITY AMONG PEOPLE YOU KNOW. PERHAPS BECAUSE OF SOME SETBACK
OR A FAILED EXPECTATION OR SOME OTHER PROBLEM, A FAITHFUL MEMBER
OF THE CHURCH FEELS SOME RESENTMENT, SOME SENSE OF BEING
A VICTIM UNFAIRLY TREATED. THAT RESENTMENT GROWS AND
FESTERS AND FEEDS ON PRIDE UNTIL IT TURNS TO ANGER AND EVEN
BITTERNESS. OVER THE YEARS THE MEMBER STOPS
COMING TO CHURCH, FAILS TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS, AND FINDS WAYS
TO RATIONALIZE SINFUL BEHAVIOR. OR PERHAPS YOU HAVE SEEN THE
INTERACTION OF PRIDE AND PROSPERITY. IT HAPPENS TO WONDERFUL PEOPLE
WHO, IN THEIR COLLEGE YEARS, ARE FULL OF PROMISE. THESE ARE PEOPLE OF GREAT
ABILITY AND SPIRITUALITY. THEY MARRY IN THE TEMPLE, ATTEND
SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S FINEST GRADUATE SCHOOLS, AND GRADUATE
WITH DISTINCTION. THEY ARE BLESSED WITH BEAUTIFUL
CHILDREN AND A WONDERFUL FAMILY LIFE. THEY ARE ACTIVE IN THE CHURCH
AND SERVE IN POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY. BUT SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM ON
THE WAY TO A LIFE OF SERVICE, JOY, AND HAPPINESS. WHAT HAPPENS IS PRIDE. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY THE
HONORS OF MEN, WEALTH, POWER, AND RECOGNITION BECOME MORE
IMPORTANT THAN THEIR LOVE OF THE LORD, THE LOVE OF THEIR SPOUSE
AND CHILDREN, AND THEIR SERVICE IN THE KINGDOM. THEY DIVORCE, LEAVE THE CHURCH
AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND BECOME WHOLLY WORLDLY IN THEIR
ATTITUDES AND THEIR BEHAVIOR. THE EFFECTS OF PRIDE, WHETHER IN
ADVERSITY OR IN PROSPERITY, ARE DEADLY. AS ALMA PROPHESIED: 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. THIS CALAMITY COMES LITTLE BY
LITTLE OVER TIME. PRIDE AND ITS EFFECTS ARE LIKE A
THIN FILM OF DARKNESS THAT BEGINS TO SETTLE ON THE SOUL
LAYER BY LAYER, YEAR BY YEAR UNTIL THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL
GROWS DIM. SUCH PEOPLE BECOME HARDENED IN
THEIR HEARTS, SELFISH IN THEIR BEHAVIOR, AND PUFFED UP IN THE
PRIDE OF THEIR EYES. THERE IS, OF COURSE, ALWAYS
HOPE. THE PROUD AND SELFISH SOULS CAN
COME BACK. BUT AFTER YEARS OF DARKNESS AND
SO MANY LAYERS OF PRIDE, IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF SPIRITUAL SOLVENT
AND A LOT OF SPIRITUAL SCRAPING AND SANDING TO GET DOWN TO A
BARE SOUL AND A SOFT HEART. AND THINK OF THE TIME THEY HAVE
WASTED, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND BECOMING THEY HAVE
LOST, THE LIVES THEY COULD HAVE SAVED, AND THE JOY THEY COULD
HAVE RECEIVED HAD THEY SEEN WHAT WAS HAPPENING EARLY ON AND ACTED
ON IT TO CHANGE. HAD THEY JUST RECOGNIZED THOSE
FIRST THIN FILMS OF PRIDE, THEY MIGHT HAVE REPENTED AND SOUGHT
THE LORD'S REDEEMING POWER RIGHT THEN. HAD THEY SEEN IT AND ACTED, THEY
COULD HAVE HUMBLED THEMSELVES AND BEEN STRIPPED OF PRIDE. WELL DID THE LORD WARN US:
BEWARE OF PRIDE. BEWARE; BE ALERT; BE ON GUARD
AGAINST THE PERILS OF PRIDE. MAY I SUGGEST SOME THINGS TO
WATCH FOR, SOME THINGS OF WHICH WE SHOULD ALL BEWARE? I THINK OF THIS LIST AS RED
FLAGS OF PRIDE: THINK OF THEM AS LIKE THOSE
LITTLE FLAGS THAT THE LANDSCAP LANDSCAPERS PUT ON THE LAWN WHEN
THEY HAVE LAID DOWN DANGEROUS CHEMICALS. IT'S LIKE THAT WITH SINS OF
PRIDE, LITTLE WARNING FLAGS. 1. DO YOU FIND YOURSELF
CRITIQUING THE TALKS IN SACRAMENT MEETING? 2. ARE YOU CRITICAL OF OTHERS? DO YOU LOOK DOWN ON OTHERS? DO YOU SCORN OR RIDICULE THEM? 3. WHEN ADVERSITY STRIKES, DO
YOU HEAR A VOICE INSIDE THAT SAYS, "WHY ME?" 4. DO YOU REACT TO PROPHETIC
COUNSEL BY IGNORING IT, OR BEING UPSET BY IT, OR INTERPRETING IT
TO SUIT YOUR OWN DESIRES? 5. WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING GOOD,
DO YOU HEAR A VOICE INSIDE CONGRATULATING YOURSELF? 6. DO YOU FEEL
SELF-GRATIFICATION AND A SENSE OF IMPORTANCE IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE
AND SKILL? 7. IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW RECEIVES
SOMETHING GOOD, DO YOU HEAR A VOICE INSIDE SAYING, "WHAT ABOUT
ME?" 8. DO YOU FIND WAYS TO LET
OTHERS KNOW OF YOUR SUCCESS WITHOUT APPEARING TO BOAST? 9. IF SOMEONE CORRECTS A MISTAKE
YOU MADE, DO YOU FEEL DEFENSIVE AND RESENTFUL? 10. WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING
THAT CREATES INCONVENIENCE FOR YOU, DO YOU FEEL ANNOYED? I COULD GO ON. THERE ARE MANY, MANY RED FLAGS
OF PRIDE. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I DID NOT
GET THIS LIST FROM A BOOK. I HAVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH
EVERYTHING I READ TO YOU. AND I KNOW IF YOU AND I EVER
FEEL ANY OF THEM OR HEAR ANY OF THEM IN OUR MINDS, WE NEED TO
RECOGNIZE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE, THE ECHOES OF THE GREAT
LIE, THE BEGINNING OF A CALL TO ENMITY WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. IN THAT MOMENT OF RECOGNITION,
WE STAND AT A CROSSROADS BETWEEN TWO PATHS: WE CAN FOLLOW THE
PATH OF THE GREAT LIE AND ACT ON THOSE PRIDEFUL FEELINGS, OR WE
CAN FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE GREAT TRUTH AND CHOOSE CHRIST. IT IS A CHOICE. ARE WE GOING TO KEEP OUR
COVENANTS, OR ARE WE GOING TO BREAK THEM? TO REJECT THE GREAT LIE AND
CHOOSE CHRIST TAKES AN ACT OF WILL. WE HAVE TO CONSCIOUSLY SAY TO
OURSELVES: "I AM NOT GOING DOWN THE PATH OF THE GREAT LIE. WITH FAITH IN CHRIST AND WITH
HIS HELP, I AM GOING TO WALK THE PATH OF THE GREAT TRUTH." HEAVENLY FATHER'S PLAN TO HELP
US MAKE THAT CHOICE WAS BEAUTIFULLY SUMMARIZED BY ALMA
WHEN HE SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE OF AMMONIHAH WHEN HE SPOKE THESE
WORDS, HUMBLE YOURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD AND CALL ON HIS HOLY
NAME AND WATCH AND PRAY CONTINUALLY THAT YE MAY NOT BE
TEMPTED ABOVE THAT WHICH YE CAN BEAR, AND THUS BE LED BY THE
HOLY SPIRIT, BECOMING HUMBLE, MEEK, SUBMISSIVE, PATIENT, FULL
OF LOVE AND ALL LONG-SUFFERING. WE MUST FIRST CATCH OURSELVES IN
THE MOMENT WHEN PRIDEFUL THOUGHTS OR FEELINGS COME AND
THEN ACT IN FAITH TO CHOOSE CHRIST, SEEKING GOD'S HELP IN
PRAYER. THIS IS WHAT ALMA MEANT WHEN HE
ADMONISHED US TO "HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD AND
WATCH AND PRAY CONTINUALLY." BUT THAT IS NOT THE END. WE MUST NOT ONLY CATCH OURSELVES
IN PRIDEFUL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS, NOT ONLY CHOOSE CHRIST
IN THAT MOMENT, BUT THROUGH THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST AND THE
POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST REPENT OF OUR SINS, RECEIVE
FORGIVENESS, AND BE LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BECOME "HUMBLE,
MEEK, SUBMISSIVE, PATIENT, FULL OF LOVE AND ALL LONG-SUFFERING." WHEN WE CHOOSE CHRIST, ACTING IN
FAITH TO HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE HIM, WE PUT OURSELVES IN THE
HANDS OF THE MASTER FINISHER. AS WE DO HIS WILL, HE WILL HELP
US BE STRIPPED OF PRIDE AND BECOME MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART,
FILLED WITH HIS PURE AND PERFECT LOVE. THE LORD'S FINISHING PROCESS MAY
NOT BE ALWAYS PLEASANT. HE WILL CHASTEN AND CORRECT AND
GIVE US EXPERIENCES THAT POLISH US. IF WE ARE STEADFAST AND
IMMOVABLE IN DOING WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO, WE WILL NOT BE
DEFLECTED FROM THE TRUE PATH BY ADVERSITY OR PROSPERITY. WE WILL BECOME THE HUMBLE
FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, AND THE DAY WILL COME WHEN HE WILL SEAL US
HIS. BEING STRIPPED OF PRIDE AND
BECOMING MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART IS NOT EASY. WE CANNOT DO IT BY OURSELVES. BUT THERE ARE PATTERNS OF LIFE
WE CAN ESTABLISH THAT WILL HELP US BEWARE OF PRIDE, REMEMBER
CHRIST, HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE HIM, AND PUT OURSELVES IN HIS
HANDS. I WILL LEAVE YOU TODAY WITH FOUR
PATTERNS: PATTERN 1: NEVER DO ANYTHING TO
DRIVE THE SPIRIT AWAY. THE HOLY GHOST IS ESSENTIAL TO
THE LORD'S FINISHING PROCESS. BUT THE SPIRIT IS VERY, VERY
SENSITIVE TO ANY DEGREE OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. DON'T DO ANYTHING, OR WEAR
ANYTHING, OR SAY ANYTHING, OR READ ANYTHING, OR LISTEN TO
ANYTHING, OR WATCH ANYTHING, OR GO ANYWHERE THAT WOULD DRIVE THE
SPIRIT AWAY. PATTERN 2: DON'T LET THE WORLD
GET INTO YOUR HEART. NEVER SET YOUR HEART ON THINGS,
ON MONEY, OR HOUSES, OR CARS, OR CLOTHES, OR ANY OTHER THING. DON'T LET A CAREER, OR POWER, OR
THE HONORS OF MEN GET INTO YOUR HEART. THEY CAN GET THERE VERY EASILY
IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL. SET YOUR HEART ON THE LORD AND
HIS KINGDOM, ON YOUR FAMILY AND THE TEMPLE AND THE THINGS OF
ETERNITY. ALWAYS LIVE MODESTLY WITHIN YOUR
MEANS, AND ALWAYS PAY YOUR TITHING AND GIVE A GENEROUS FAST
OFFERING. PATTERN 3: SERVE THE LORD. ACCEPT AND ALWAYS MAGNIFY
CALLINGS IN THE CHURCH AND VOLUNTEER TO BE OF SERVICE IN
THE KINGDOM. WHEN THE PROMPTINGS OF THE
SPIRIT COME SENDING YOU ON THE LORD'S ERRAND TO RESCUE A LOST
SOUL OR TO COMFORT ONE IN NEED, ACT ON THOSE PROMPTINGS QUICKLY
AS SOON AS YOU CAN. PATTERN 4: STAND IN HOLY PLACES. MAKE YOUR HOME A SACRED, HOLY
PLACE WHERE THE SPIRIT MAY DWELL. BE IN THE CHAPEL TO PARTAKE OF
THE SACRAMENT EVERY SUNDAY AND PRAYERFULLY RENEW YOUR COVENANT
TO "ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS." IF YOU LIVE NEAR A TEMPLE, GO
OFTEN TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. RELIVE THOSE SACRED ORDINANCES
AND COVENANTS. REFLECT ON YOUR GRATITUDE FOR
THE PLAN OF SALVATION, FOR THE GREAT TRUTH OF THE ATONEMENT, ON
ITS POWER IN YOUR LIFE AND YOUR NEED FOR THE BLESSINGS AND
STRENGTH THAT ARE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I KNOW
THAT IF WE ESTABLISH THESE PATTERNS IN OUR LIVES WE WILL
BEWARE OF PRIDE; WE WILL BE TRUE TO OUR COVENANTS; AND WE WILL BE
IN THE MASTER'S HANDS. YOU AND I HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO. THE LORD IS MOVING WITH POWER IN
THE EARTH PREPARING US AND THE KINGDOM FOR HIS RETURN. GIVEN ALL THE CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES THAT LIE AHEAD, YOU AND I NEED TO BE LIKE AMMON,
THE SON OF MOSIAH, A GREAT AND MIGHTY MISSIONARY WHO SAID: YEA,
I KNOW THAT I AM NOTHING; AS TO MY STRENGTH I AM WEAK; THEREFORE
I WILL NOT BOAST OF MYSELF, BUT I WILL BOAST OF MY GOD, FOR IN
HIS STRENGTH I CAN DO ALL THINGS. THIS COMBINATION OF HUMILITY AND
COURAGE IS WHAT WE NEED, AND IT IS PRECISELY WHAT COMES TO THOSE
WHO REJECT THE GREAT LIE AND HUMBLE THEMSELVES BEFORE THE
LORD. LISTEN TO THE WAY PRESIDENT
HENRY B. EYRING DESCRIBED THE PROCESS THAT OCCURS WHEN WE
REMEMBER THE GREAT TRUTH OF THE SAVIOR AND PUT OURSELVES IN HIS
HANDS:THOSE MEMORIES, IF WE CHOOSE TO INVITE THEM, CAN
PRODUCE A POWERFUL BLEND OF COURAGE AND MEEKNESS. NO PROBLEM IS TOO HARD FOR US
WITH HIS HELP. NO PRICE IS TOO GREAT TO PAY FOR
WHAT HE OFFERS US. AND STILL IN OUR GREATEST
SUCCESSES WE FEEL AS LITTLE CHILDREN. AND IN OUR GREATEST SACRIFICES
WE STILL FEEL IN HIS DEBT, WANTING TO GIVE MORE. THAT IS A HUMILITY WHICH IS
ENERGIZING, NOT ENERVATING. WE CAN CHOOSE THAT SHIELD AS A
PROTECTION AGAINST PRIDE. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, OUR
PROTECTION, OUR HOPE, OUR SALVATION IS IN JESUS CHRIST. I BEAR WITNESS OF HIM, THE HOLY
ONE OF ISRAEL, THE LIGHT AND THE LIFE OF THE WORLD. HE IS THE LIVING SON OF THE
LIVING GOD. THIS IS HIS CHURCH AND KINGDOM. I KNOW THAT IF WE HUMBLE
OURSELVES BEFORE HIM AND PUT OURSELVES IN HIS HANDS, WE WILL
BE STRIPPED OF PRIDE AND HE WILL POLISH US, AND FINISH US, AND
SEAL US HIS. I KNOW THAT IS TRUE. I INVOKE THE BLESSINGS OF OUR
LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER AND HIS BELOVED SON UPON YOU THIS DAY,
THAT YOU MAY BECOME THE HUMBLE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, THAT THE
PEACE, JOY, HAPPINESS AND POWER OF HEAVEN MAY FLOW INTO YOUR
LIFE AND INTO THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES NOW AND
FOREVER.
