“In the Space of Not Many Years”

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

Last updated on December 21st, 2024 at 03:22 pm

General Conference Applied

S4 E8 – Sunday, December 15, 2024 | “In the Space of Not Many Years” by Elder David A. Bednar; October 2024 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Here is my favorite quote from this address: “May I suggest that if you or I believe we are sufficiently strong and stalwart to avoid the arrogance of pride, then perhaps we already are suffering from this deadly spiritual disease. Simply stated, if you or I do not believe we could be afflicted with and by pride, then we are vulnerable and in spiritual danger. In the space of not many days, weeks, months, or years, we might forfeit our spiritual birthright for far less than a mess of pottage.”

Jesus Christ is our perfect example of humility. “‘I Am He’“, President Jeffrey R. Holland, October 2024 General Conference: “When He arrived on the Western Hemisphere following His Resurrection, Christ said to the Nephites: ‘Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, … in the which I have suffered the will of the Father … from the beginning.’ (3 Nephi 11:10-11) Of the myriad ways He could have introduced Himself, Jesus did so by declaring His obedience to the will of the Father … Christ’s charity—evident in complete loyalty to divine will—persisted and continues to persist, not just through the easy and comfortable days but especially through the darkest and most difficult ones.”

“In the Path of Their Duty“, Elder David A. Bednar, October 2023 General Conference: The title of this address is a phrase shared by Samuel the Lamanite in the 15th chapter of Helaman. It’s interesting to me that two of Elder Bednar’s three most recent general conference addresses have focused on this specific Book of Mormon time period.

Bio

  • “David A. Bednar was ordained and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 7, 2004.

    “David A. Bednar was born on June 15, 1952, in Oakland, California. He served as a full-time missionary in Southern Germany and then attended Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. He also received a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from Purdue University.

    “David A. Bednar married Susan Kae Robinson in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and they are the parents of three sons.

    “Prior to his call to the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Bednar served as an Area Seventy, Area Authority Seventy, Regional Representative, twice as a stake president, and as a bishop.

    “After completing his education, Elder Bednar was a professor of business management at Texas Tech University and at the University of Arkansas. He then served as the president of Brigham Young University–Idaho (formerly Ricks College) from 1997-2004.”
  • This was Elder Bednar’s 41st general conference address. Here are his five most recent addresses:

What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “Please remember that the Book of Mormon looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for me and you in the circumstances and challenges of our present day.”

  • Find “important principles, warnings, and lessons” in the Book of Mormon for my current challenges and circumstances.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I cherish the doctrine and principles of the gospel. (2 Nephi 4:15)” (Knowledge)
  • “A particular teaching by President Benson greatly impacted me and continues to influence my study of the Book of Mormon. He said:

    “‘The Book of Mormon … was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, [Mormon] abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us.’

    “President Benson continued: ‘Each of the major writers of the Book of Mormon testified that he wrote for future generations. … If they saw our day, and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, ‘Why did the Lord inspire Mormon … to include [this account] in his record? What lesson can I learn from [this admonition] to help me live in this day and age?”

    “President Benson’s statements help us to understand that the Book of Mormon is not primarily a historical record that looks to the past. Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day. Hence, the Book of Mormon is a book about our future and the times in which we do now and will yet live. …

    “As we follow President Benson’s counsel and ask ourselves why the Lord inspired Mormon to include in his abridgment of the book of Helaman the accounts, admonitions, and warnings that he did, I promise we will discern the applicability of these teachings to the specific conditions of our individual lives and families today.” -Elder Bednar
  • Y Religion Podcast Episode 116: Using Precepts to Draw Closer to Jesus Christ | Maclane Heward | November 2024 (November 24, 2024, What? Eye. Read. 💡 Newsletter): [Dr. John Hilton] “Let’s start today with a quiz. True or false? ‘Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the keystone of our religion, and that a person would get nearer to God by reading it than by any other book.’

    “I recently asked that question to about 500 college students, and they almost all gave the wrong answer. They thought the answer to the question was true, but it’s actually false. Joseph Smith didn’t say that we would get nearer to God by reading the Book of Mormon. He said a person would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book.

    “Now, I acknowledged to my students, and I acknowledge to you, that that was a trick question, but I hope it helps us see an important message: ‘It’s good to read the Book of Mormon, but we need to do more than read the book – we need to live its message.’ …

    [Dr. Jared Halverson] “Can we define our terms, just to make sure we’re all on the same page? Help us understand what a precept is, and what it means to abide by them.

    [Dr. Maclane Heward] ‘Yeah, great questions. A precept is a general principle or rule intended to regulate the way that we think and act. A general principle that is designed to change the way that we think and act. When we think about the scriptures, we often don’t engage with this idea of – ‘how does this change the way that I think and act?'”
  • Actions:
    1. I have read the Book of Mormon many times, but I have never read the Book of Mormon specifically looking for precepts. In 2025, I will read the entire Book of Mormon with a focus on identifying and then abiding by its precepts. I may even revisit these show notes and include precepts below that I find in my 2025 study of the Book of Mormon:
      • Book of Mormon Precepts:
    2. For my newsletter subscribers, I will include a link in my newsletters going forward to a Google spreadsheet which has a daily Book of Mormon reading schedule. This schedule indicates the chapters / verses that you will need to read each day in order to complete the entire Book of Mormon in one calendar year. For those of you who served foreign language speaking missions, there is another tab in this spreadsheet which includes a schedule for listening to the entire Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price in your mission language in one calendar year. I did this a couple of years ago, and it was a fantastic experience! (Even if you didn’t serve a foreign language speaking mission, or even a mission, you can certainly still follow this listening schedule in your native language as well).

2: “At the individual level, each of us must ‘beware of pride, lest [we] become as the Nephites of old.'”

  • “Beware of pride.”
  • Christlike Attribute: “I rely on God for help. (Alma 26:12)” (Humility)
  • “Ancient voices from the dust plead with us today to learn this everlasting lesson: prosperity, possessions, and ease constitute a potent mixture that can lead even the righteous to drink the spiritual poison of pride.

    “Allowing pride to enter into our hearts can cause us to mock that which is sacred; disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and revelation; trample under our feet the commandments of God; deny the word of God; cast out, mock, and revile against the prophets; and forget the Lord our God and ‘not desire that the Lord [our] God, who hath created [us], should rule and reign over [us].’

    “Therefore, if we are not faithful and obedient, we can transform the God-given blessing of prosperity into a prideful curse that diverts and distracts us from eternal truths and vital spiritual priorities. We always must be on guard against a pride-induced and exaggerated sense of self-importance, a misguided evaluation of our own self-sufficiency, and seeking self instead of serving others.

    “As we pridefully focus upon ourselves, we also are afflicted with spiritual blindness and miss much, most, or perhaps all that is occurring within and around us. We cannot look to and focus upon Jesus Christ as the ‘mark’ if we only see ourselves.

    “Such spiritual blindness also can cause us to turn out of the way of righteousness, fall away into forbidden paths, and become lost. As we blindly ‘turn unto [our] own ways’ and follow destructive detours, we are inclined to lean upon our own understanding, boast in our own strength, and depend upon our own wisdom. …

    “May I suggest that if you or I believe we are sufficiently strong and stalwart to avoid the arrogance of pride, then perhaps we already are suffering from this deadly spiritual disease. Simply stated, if you or I do not believe we could be afflicted with and by pride, then we are vulnerable and in spiritual danger. In the space of not many days, weeks, months, or years, we might forfeit our spiritual birthright for far less than a mess of pottage.

    “If, however, you or I believe we could be afflicted with and by pride, then we consistently will do the small and simple things that will protect and help us become ‘as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us].’ ‘Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.’ …

    “As we study and ponder [the Book of Mormon], we will be blessed with eyes to see, ears to hear, minds to comprehend, and hearts to understand the lessons we should learn to ‘beware of pride, lest [we should] enter into temptation.'” -Elder Bednar
  • As I read the Book of Mormon each day with my 6-year-old son, Romney, I frequently explain the meaning of various words. My definition for ‘pride’ is loving myself more than I love God. ‘Humility’, then, is the inverse: I love God more than I love myself.
  • Action:
    1. I will dedicate 1 hour of gospel study before the end of 2024 to the topic of “Humility” in the Christlike Attribute section of Preach My Gospel and to the Humility section of Gospel Topics and Questions. As I study, I will share thoughts, feelings, and impressions here in these show notes:
      • Thoughts, feelings, and impressions:

Take Action

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

As we conclude this episode, I have some important information. Show notes for this and all other episodes can be found on my website, mitchellryanpeterson.com. On my website, you will also find my weekly What? Eye. Read. 💡 newsletter.

In my newsletter, I share the best thing I heard, saw, and read during the past week, as well as the best idea I developed. If you are wondering how you can help me: if you could subscribe to, rate, and review the podcast as well as share it with others, I would appreciate it. And please also sign up for my newsletter at mitchellryanpeterson.com.

You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook where I share additional General Conference related content. The links to my social media accounts are in the podcast episode details for each podcast episode. Lastly, please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses.

I promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first. Thank you for joining me in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.

Tags

Apostasy | Book of Mormon | Pride

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (Non-General Conference Applied: November 2024 Invitations Recap)

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