President Ezra Taft Benson on characteristics of humility

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1943, and served as the 13th President of the Church from 1985 until his death in 1994 at age 94.

"Pride is characterized by 'What do I want out of life?' rather than by 'What would God have me do with my life?' It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

"Humility responds to God’s will—to the fear of His judgments and the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.

"Someone has said, 'Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.' Of one brother, the Lord said, 'I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me.' (D&C 58:41.)

"The two groups in the Book of Mormon that seemed to have the greatest difficulty with pride are the 'learned, and the rich.' (2 Ne. 28:15.) But the word of God can pull down pride. (See Alma 4:19.)

"With pride, there are many curses. With humility, there come many blessings."

- Ezra Taft Benson, "Cleansing the Inner Vessel," General Conference, April 1986
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We often ask ourselves the question President Benson shares here: "What do I want out of life?" But he suggests a more profound question is, "What would God have me do with my life?" It's a good reminder that He is willing to help and guide us in all things, as we are willing to turn to Him in humility. There are some great keys in understanding where we find our motivation, our desire for approbation:

The Book of Mormon warns us about being learned and rich. Both of those are relative terms; the standard of learning, and the standard of wealth, in which most of us today find ourselves far exceeds both those of times past and so many who live in our world today. If I then, am learned and wise, how cautious I should be about the pride that too often accompanies those conditions!

The thoughts in this earlier talk were expanded three years later in the more familiar discourse "Beware of Pride" (General Conference April 1989).

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President Joseph F. Smith on cultivating gratitude as the memory of the heart

President Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918) was the son of Joseph's brother Hyrum. He was ordained an apostle in 1866 at age 28, and served as a counselor to Brigham Young and the three presidents who followed.  He became the 6th president of the Church in 1901, and served until his death in 1918 at age 80.

"We are almost daily put under obligations to one another, especially to friends and acquaintances, and the sense of obligation creates within us feelings of thankfulness and appreciation which we call gratitude.  The spirit of gratitude is always pleasant and satisfying because it carries with it a sense of helpfulness to others; it begets love and friendship, and engenders divine influence.  Gratitude is said to be the memory of the heart....

"The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!"

- Joseph F. Smith, Juvenile Instructor, April 1903, 38:242-243; see also Gospel Doctrine 262-3

It's interesting to observe the relationship between service and gratitude. As we give to others, especially when sacrifice or unusual effort are involved, it creates a bond of gratitude between us. "Love and friendship" are the result of helpfulness as we strive to bless one another. And those feelings can be long-lasting, since "gratitude is... the memory of the heart."

I love the two additional points President Smith made. We love being in the presence of truly grateful souls; their attitude rubs off and inspires all around them. And so, why would we not want to become that kind of soul? We can cultivate a greater spirit of gratitude by starting with our expressions to God in prayer. As we emphasize all we have to be grateful for in our interactions with Heavenly Father, it will bless all the rest of our life.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)

Joseph F. Smith on the dangers of ignorance and of pride

President Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918) was the son of Joseph's brother Hyrum. He was ordained an apostle in 1866 at age 28, and served as a counselor to Brigham Young and the three presidents who followed.  He became the 6th president of the Church in 1901, and served until his death in 1918 at age 80.

"Among the Latter-day Saints, the preaching of false doctrines disguised as truths of the gospel, may be expected from people of two classes, and practically from these only; they are:

"First—The hopelessly ignorant, whose lack of intelligence is due to their indolence and sloth, who make but feeble effort, if indeed any at all, to better themselves by reading and study; those who are afflicted with a dread disease that may develop into an incurable malady—laziness.

"Second—The proud and self-vaunting ones, who read by the lamp of their own conceit; who interpret by rules of their own contriving; who have become a law unto themselves, and so pose as the sole judges of their own doings. More dangerously ignorant than the first.

"Beware of the lazy and the proud; their infection in each case is contagious; better for them and for all when they are compelled to display the yellow flag of warning, that the clean and uninfected may be protected."

- Joseph F. Smith, Juvenile Instructor vol. 41 (Mar. 1906), p. 178; see also Gospel Doctrine p. 373

This is a classic warning from President Smith, now well over a century past. We sometimes view our own time as so much more sophisticated, and don't realize how similar the problems of the past were to what we experience today. But this caution seems so very applicable to our own modern-day challenges.

A good "personal evaluation" in this situation would be:

1. What am I doing to make sure I'm not "hopelessly ignorant"? If I am one of those who "make but feeble effort, if indeed any at all, to better themselves by reading and study"—then I am afflicted by the dread disease of laziness. I should be working to improve my understanding and knowledge!
   
2. What am I doing to make sure I'm not "proud and self-vaunting"? Do I resist counsel and advice, preferring "the lamp of [my] own conceit" to give me understanding and direction? If so, I've fallen into the trap "more dangerous" than the one of ignorance.

I am forever grateful for reminders from inspired leaders that help me in the quest for discipleship.

Ezra Taft Benson on choosing to be humble

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1943, and served as the 13th President of the Church from 1985 until his death in 1994 at age 94.

"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.

"We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement.

"We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us.

"We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service.

"We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others.

"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.

"We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives.

"Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can."

- Ezra Taft Benson, "Beware of Pride," Ensign, May 1989, pp. 4-7
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President Benson's talk titled "Beware of Pride" in the April 1989 general conference is one of the modern classics. It is full of insight and inspiration. In this segment, he presents ideas about the positive alternative to pride: humility. This is the foundational insight:

So it's a wise person who will choose to become humble without compulsion. President Benson then gives examples of how we go about making that choice — the kind of actions that lead to humility. It would be wise for each reader to consider the list looking for an area of focus; or to perhaps let the list be an inspiration for finding some other area that will be a personal blessing leading to progress in this area.

Richard G. Scott on being led by the Spirit

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928- ) served as a Seventy from 1977-1988, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

"Impressions of the Spirit can come in response to urgent prayer or unsolicited when needed. Sometimes the Lord reveals truth to you when you are not actively seeking it, such as when you are in danger and do not know it. However, the Lord will not force you to learn. You must exercise your agency to authorize the Spirit to teach you. As you make this a practice in your life, you will be more perceptive to the feelings that come with spiritual guidance. Then, when that guidance comes, sometimes when you least expect it, you will recognize it more easily.

"The inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride. When such influences are present, it is like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeño pepper. Both flavors are present, but one completely overpowers the other. In like manner, strong emotions overcome the delicate promptings of the Holy Spirit....

"Have patience as you are perfecting your ability to be led by the Spirit. By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance. I bear witness that the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, can speak to your mind and heart. Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation."

- Richard G. Scott, "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance," Ensign, Nov. 2009, pp. 6-9
Click here to read the full talk

This was a very worthwhile address from Elder Scott, instructing and encouraging on the process of acquiring more spiritual guidance in our lives.

The first point is our role in seeking the teaching and guidance that the Lord is eager to offer.

I like the phrase "authorize the Spirit to teach you." As we do that more regularly, the process becomes easier, and we become more sensitive to the impressions that follow.

Then this precious insight about the environment into which the Spirit will come, and the things that will prevent it from coming:

Elder Scott teaches that we are all in the process of "perfecting [our] ability to be led by the Spirit." May we do so more eagerly!