Last updated on March 22nd, 2024 at 10:58 pm
General Conference Applied
“Humble to Accept and Follow” by Elder Joni L. Koch; October 2023 General Conference
Corresponding General Conference Applied episode show notes: S2 E25
Talk Outline
Invitations
“May we be humble to follow the counsel of our prophets and accept that only God and Jesus Christ can transform us—through ordinances and covenants received in His Church—into the best version of ourselves in this life and, one day, make us perfect in Christ.”
Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)
- “I would like to explore first how humble we’ve been, or should be, in following the counsel of our prophet. A pop quiz for us individually could be:
- “Do we mention the full name of the Church in all our interactions? President Russell M. Nelson said, ‘To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan.’
- “Are we letting God prevail in our lives by accepting our prophet’s very specific invitation? ‘Today I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice.’
- “Are we overcoming the world, trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men, as our prophet taught?
- “Have we become peacemakers, saying positive things to and about people? President Nelson taught us last general conference the following: ‘If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy that we can say about another person—whether to his face or behind her back—that should be our standard of communication.'”
- “During this conference we’ve heard and will yet hear the unfailing counsel of our prophets and apostles. It’s a perfect occasion to develop humility and let our strong opinions be swallowed by an even stronger conviction that the Lord does speak through these chosen leaders.”
- “Above all, in developing humility, we must also understand and accept that we are not able to overcome our challenges or to achieve our full potential through our own efforts only.”
- “Attending sacrament meeting weekly and worshipping in the temple regularly to participate in the ordinances and to receive and renew covenants is a sign that we recognize our dependence on Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Promises
- Action: “Attending sacrament meeting weekly and worshipping in the temple regularly to participate in the ordinances and to receive and renew covenants is a sign that we recognize our dependence on Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Promise: “That will invite Their power into our lives to help us through all our problems and ultimately fulfill the measure of our creation.” - Action: “Brothers and sisters, the command, invitation, and promise from the Lord is clear and comforting: ‘Be thou humble;”
Promise: “and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.'”
Doctrines
Prophets and Revelation: “Revelation is communication from God to His children. When the Lord reveals His will to the Church, He speaks through His prophet. The scriptures—the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price—contain revelations given through ancient and latter-day prophets. The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s prophet on earth today.”
Principles
Prophets of God: “Many people find it easy to believe in the prophets of the past. But it is much greater to believe in and follow the living prophet. We raise our hands to sustain the President of the Church as prophet, seer, and revelator.
“How can we sustain the prophet? We should pray for him. His burdens are heavy, and he needs to be strengthened by the prayers of the Saints.
“We should study his words. We can listen to his conference addresses. We can also subscribe to the Ensign or Liahona so we can read his conference addresses and other messages he gives.
“We should follow his inspired teachings completely. We should not choose to follow part of his inspired counsel and discard that which is unpleasant or difficult. The Lord commanded us to follow the inspired teachings of His prophet:
“‘Thou shalt give heed unto all his [the prophet’s] words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
“‘For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith’ (D&C 21:4–5).”
Christlike Attributes
Humility: “Humility is willingness to submit to the will of the Lord. It is willingness to give Him the honor for what is accomplished. It is being teachable (see Doctrine and Covenants 136:32). Humility includes gratitude for God’s blessings and acknowledgment of your constant need for His help. He helps those who are humble.
“Humility is a sign of spiritual strength, not of weakness. Humility is a vital catalyst for spiritual growth (see Ether 12:27).
“When you humbly trust the Lord, you can have the assurance that His commandments are for your good. You are confident that you can do whatever He requires of you if you rely on Him. You are also willing to trust His servants and follow their counsel. Humility will help you be obedient, work hard, and serve.”
Attribute Activity
- “I am meek and lowly in heart. (Matthew 11:29)”
- “I rely on God for help. (Alma 26:12)”
- “I am grateful for the blessings I have received from God. (Alma 7:23)”
- “My prayers are earnest and sincere. (Enos 1:4)”
- “I appreciate direction from my leaders or teachers. (2 Nephi 9:28–29)”
- “I strive to be submissive to God’s will. (Mosiah 24:15)”
Most Important Quote
“In order to develop humility, we must understand what it really means in the context of the gospel.
“Some people confuse being humble with other things such as, for example, being poor. But there are actually many who are poor and prideful and also many who are rich and yet humble. Others who are very shy or have low self-esteem may have an outward appearance of humility but deep inside are full of pride sometimes.
“Then what is humility? According to Preach My Gospel, it is a ‘willingness to submit to the will of the Lord. … It is being teachable. … [It] is a vital catalyst for spiritual growth.'”
Powerful Stories
- “Years ago, when our two daughters were still living at home, I decided to show them and my wife the business unit of which I was in charge in the company I worked for.
“My real purpose though was to show them a place where, unlike our home, everyone would do exactly what I asked them to do without questioning me. As we arrived at the front gate, which usually opened automatically when my car approached, I was surprised that it didn’t open this time. Instead, a security guard I had never seen before in my life came to the car and asked me for my company ID.
“I told him I never needed an ID to drive into the property with my car and then asked him the classic prideful-person question: ‘Do you know who you’re talking to?’
“To which he replied, ‘Well, since you don’t have your company ID, I cannot know who you are, and while I am at this gate, you will not be allowed to enter the premises without proper identification.’
“I thought about looking at the rearview mirror to check my daughters’ reaction to all that, but I knew they were savoring every second of that moment! My wife at my side was shaking her head in disapproval of my behavior. My last resort then was to apologize to the guard and say I was very sorry for treating him so badly. ‘You’re forgiven,’ he said, ‘but without a company ID, you’re not coming in today!’
“I then drove very slowly back home to get my ID, having perhaps learned this valuable lesson: when we choose not to be humble, we end up being humiliated.” - “Not long ago the level of my humility and understanding of my dependence on the Lord was once again tested. I was in a taxi going to the airport to catch a short flight to a place where there was a very difficult situation to solve. The taxi driver, who was not a member of the Church, looked at me through the mirror and said, ‘I can see you’re not well today!’
“‘Could you tell?’ I asked.
“‘Of course,’ he said. Then he said something like, ‘You actually have a very negative halo around you!’
“I explained to him that I had quite a hard situation to deal with, and he then asked me, ‘Have you done everything in your power to solve this?’
“I responded I had done everything I could.
“He then said something I have never forgotten: ‘So leave this in God’s hands, and everything will work out fine.’
“I confess that I was tempted to ask him, ‘Do you know who you’re talking to?’ But I didn’t! What I did was humble myself before the Lord throughout that one-hour flight, asking for divine help. As I left the airplane, I learned that the difficult situation to be solved was already in order and that my presence wouldn’t even be necessary anymore.”
The Best Footnote
None.
Questions for Reflection Asked by the Speaker
- “‘Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble?'”
- “Do we mention the full name of the Church in all our interactions?”
- “Are we letting God prevail in our lives by accepting our prophet’s very specific invitation? ‘Today I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice.'”
- “Are we overcoming the world, trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men, as our prophet taught?”
- “Have we become peacemakers, saying positive things to and about people?”
Tags
Humility | Pride | Prophets
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