I rejoice in the opportunity
to sustain our Church leaders, and I wholeheartedly welcome
Elder Gong and Elder Soares to the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles. The ministries of
these faithful men will bless individuals and
families all over the earth. And I am eager to serve
with and learn from them. I pray that the Holy Ghost
will teach and enlighten us as we now learn together about
a vital aspect of the Savior's divine nature that each of
us should strive to emulate. I will present several examples
that highlight this Christlike quality before identifying
the specific attribute later in my message. Please listen to each
example and consider with me possible answers to the
questions I will pose. EXAMPLE NUMBER 1:
In the New Testament we learn about a
rich young man who asked Jesus, "Good Master,
what good thing shall I do, that I may
have eternal life?" The Savior first admonished
him to keep the commandments. The Master next
gave the young man an additional
requirement customized to his specific needs
and circumstances. "Jesus said unto him, If thou
wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come and follow me. "But when the young
man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for
he had great possessions." Compare the response
of the rich young man with the experience of
Amulek, as described in the Book of Mormon. Amulek was an industrious
and prosperous man with many kindreds and friends. He described himself as a
man who was called many times but would not hear, a man
who knew the things of God but would not know. A basically good man,
Amulek was distracted by worldly concerns much
like the rich young man described in the New Testament. Even though he had previously
hardened his heart, Amulek obeyed the
voice of an angel, received the prophet
Alma in his home, and provided nourishment to him. He was spiritually awakened
during Alma's visit and was called to
preach the gospel. Alma then forsook "all
his gold, and silver, and his precious things
... for the word of God, [and was] rejected by those who
were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred." What do you think
explains the difference between the responses of the
rich young man and Amulek? EXAMPLE NUMBER 2:
During a perilous period of war described in the Book of
Mormon, an exchange of epistles occurred between Moroni, the
captain of the Nephite armies, and Pahoran, the chief judge
and governor of the land. Moroni, whose army was suffering
because of inadequate support from the government,
wrote to Pahoran "by the way of
condemnation" and accused him and his fellow leaders of
thoughtlessness, slothfulness, neglect, and even
being traitors. Pahoran easily might
have resented Moroni and his inaccurate
allegations, but he did not. He responded compassionately
and described a rebellion against the government about
which Moroni was not aware. And then Pahoran
declared, "Behold, I say unto you,
Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions,
yea, it grieves my soul. ... "In your epistle you
have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am
not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart." What do you think explains
Pahoran's measured reply to Moroni's accusations? EXAMPLE NUMBER 3: In general
conference six months ago, President Russell M. Nelson
described his response to President Thomas
S. Monson's invitation to study, ponder, and
apply the truths contained in the Book of Mormon. He said: "I have tried
to follow his counsel. Among other things,
I've made lists of what the Book of Mormon
is, what it affirms, what it refutes, what it
fulfills, what it clarifies, and what it reveals. Looking at the Book of Mormon
through these lenses has been ... insightful and
inspiring ... ! I recommend it to each of you." In the same conference,
President Henry B. Eyring likewise emphasized
the importance in his life of President
Monson's request. He observed: "I have read
the Book of Mormon every day for more than 50 years. So perhaps I could
have reasonably thought that President Monson's
words were for someone else. Yet, like many of you, I felt
the prophet's encouragement and his promise invite me
to make a greater effort. ... "The happy result for
me, and for many of you, has been what the
prophet promised." What do you think explains
the immediate and heartfelt responses to President
Monson's invitation by these two leaders
of the Lord's Church? I am not suggesting that the
spiritually strong responses of Amulek, Pahoran, President
Nelson, and President Eyring are explained by only
one Christlike quality. Certainly, many interrelated
attributes and experiences led to the spiritual maturity
reflected in the lives of these four noble servants. But the Savior and His
prophets have highlighted an essential quality
that all of us need to more fully
understand and strive to incorporate into our lives. Please notice the
characteristic the Lord used to describe Himself
in the following scripture: "Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls." Instructively, the Savior
chose to emphasize meekness from among all the attributes
and virtues He potentially could have selected. A similar pattern is evident
in a revelation received by the Prophet
Joseph Smith in 1829. The Lord declared, "Learn of
me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness
of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." Meekness is a defining
attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by
righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness,
and strong self-restraint. This quality helps us to
understand more completely the respective reactions of
Amulek, Pahoran, President Nelson, and President Eyring. For example, President
Nelson and President Eyring righteously and
rapidly responded to President Monson's
encouragement to read and study the Book of Mormon. Though both men were serving
in important and visible Church positions and had studied
the scriptures extensively for decades, they demonstrated
in their responses no hesitation or sense
of self-importance. Amulek willingly
submitted to God's will, accepted a call to
preach the gospel, and left behind his
comfortable circumstances and familiar relationships. And Pahoran was blessed
with perspective and strong self-restraint
to act rather than react as he explained to Moroni
the challenges arising from a rebellion
against the government. The Christlike
quality of meekness often is misunderstood in
our contemporary world. Meekness is strong,
not weak; active, not passive;
courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive;
modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily
provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and
readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others. Whereas humility denotes
generally a dependence upon God and the constant need for
His guidance and support, a distinguishing
characteristic of meekness is a particular
spiritual receptivity to learning both from the
Holy Ghost and from people who may seem less
capable, experienced, or educated, who may not
hold important positions, or who otherwise may not appear
to have much to contribute. Recall how Naaman, captain
of the king's army in Syria, overcame his pride
and meekly accepted the advice of his
servants to obey Elisha the prophet and wash in the
river Jordan seven times. Meekness is the
principal protection from the prideful
blindness that often arises from prominence,
position, power, wealth, and adulation. Meekness is an attribute
developed through desire, the righteous exercise
of moral agency, and striving always to retain
a remission of our sins. It also is a spiritual gift
for which we appropriately can seek. We should remember, however,
the purposes for which such a blessing is given,
even to benefit and serve the children of God. As we come unto and
follow the Savior, we increasingly
and incrementally are enabled to
become more like Him. We are empowered by the Spirit
with disciplined self-restraint and a settled and calm demeanor. Thus, meek is what we become as
disciples of the Master and not just something we do. Moses "was learned in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in
words and in deeds." Yet he "was very meek,
above all the men which were upon the
face of the earth." His knowledge and
competence could have caused him to be prideful. Instead, the attribute
and spiritual gift of meekness with
which he was blessed attenuated arrogance in his
life and magnified Moses as an instrument to
accomplish God's purposes. The most majestic and
meaningful examples of meekness are found in the life
of the Savior Himself. The Great Redeemer, who
"descended below all things" and suffered, bled,
and died "to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness," tenderly washed the dusty feet
of His disciples. Such meekness is a
hallmark characteristic of the Lord as a
servant and leader. Jesus provides the ultimate
example of righteous responsiveness and
willing submission as He suffered intense
agony in Gethsemane. "And when he was at the place,
he said unto [His disciples], Pray that ye enter
not into temptation. "And he ... kneeled
down, and prayed, "Saying, Father,
if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." The Savior's meekness
in this eternally essential and
excruciating experience demonstrates for each
of us the importance of putting the wisdom of
God above our own wisdom. The consistency of the
Lord's willing submission and strong self-restraint
is both awe-inspiring and instructive for us all. As an armed company of temple
guardsmen and Roman soldiers arrived at Gethsemane to
seize and arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and
cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant. The Savior then touched the
servant's ear and healed him. Please note that He
reached out and blessed His potential captor using
the same heavenly power that could have prevented Him from
being captured and crucified. Consider also how the Master
was accused and condemned before Pilate to be crucified. Jesus had declared
during His betrayal, "Thinkest thou that I cannot
now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
me more than twelve legions of angels?" Yet the "Eternal Judge of both
quick and dead" paradoxically was judged before a temporary
political appointee. "And [Jesus] answered him
to never a word; insomuch that the governor
marvelled greatly." The Savior's
meekness is evidenced in His disciplined
response, strong restraint, and unwillingness to
exert His infinite power for personal benefit. Mormon identifies
meekness as the foundation from which all spiritual
capacities and gifts arise. "Wherefore, if a man have
faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there
cannot be any hope. "And again, behold I say unto
you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be
meek, and lowly of heart. "If so, his faith
and hope is vain, for none is
acceptable before God, save the meek and
lowly in heart; and if a man be meek
and lowly in heart, and confesses by the
power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the
Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have
not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must
needs have charity." The Savior declared,
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth." Meekness is an essential
aspect of the divine nature and can be received and
developed in our lives because of and through
the Savior's Atonement. I testify that Jesus Christ
is our resurrected and living Redeemer. And I promise that He will
guide, protect, and strengthen us as we walk in the
meekness of His spirit. I declare my sure witness
of these truths and promises in the sacred name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
