I wanted to start with this really fun video that summarizes Jacob's message in these chapters. I don't know why I am so fascinated with these doodling videos, but they mesmerize me. Coincidentally, this YouTube channel has this style of video to go with all of the Book of Mormon, so I imagine I will be watching them each week. They are perfect for the introduction to the lesson for kids, too!
This message on pride hit me a little hard this week. I like to think I'm a pretty humble person, but when I look a little deeper at some of the definitions of pride and how damaging they are, I can see a clear reflection of myself and it isn't such a pleasant picture. There were several articles and talks I read this week including Ezra Taft Benson's very famous talk Beware of Pride and I want to share some of what I found interesting. As always, if you'd like to read the entire article, you will find the links at the bottom of each section.
This is a very powerful talk that truly should be read in it's entirety by all of is. Reading it woke me up to some mistakes I personally have made that make me prideful. Here are some of the powerful quotes that I highlighted as reminders for myself:
Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride—it is always considered a sin. Therefore, no matter how the world uses the term, we must understand how God uses the term so we can understand the language of holy writ and profit thereby.
Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.
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.
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Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.
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Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our relationship with God and His servants, between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?
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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. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)
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. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)
Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.
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You can read the full talk by President Benson here: Beware of Pride by Ezra Taft Benson
There is an article called Pride and Humility by the C.S. Lewis Institute that I loved. C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity:
According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil:
_Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.
While this is an article by another Christian group, it has some valuable teachings about pride and humility that come from the Bible, and we can learn from many of them. If you'd like to read this full article, you can find it here: Pride and Humility by Thomas A. Tarrant
This speech was given at BYU by Kim B. Clark and many of the things he had to say got me thinking. He starts his speech with some lessons we can learn from our premortal existence:
There are several things to note about Satan’s proposal:
- Satan would replace Christ; indeed, there was no need for Christ and no need for an atoning sacrifice at all.
- There would be no agency. Everyone would be redeemed; no one would be lost.
- It would surely happen, and Satan would be the sole reason why.
- Therefore, he should have God’s honor and glory.
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.
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 premortal 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.
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, and lust for control and dominion—have become rampant in our culture and society. Modern Babylon is awash in pride.
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He then goes on to list 4 patterns of behavior that can help up avoid pride:
I loved this talk and there was so much more to it than I can express here so I highly recommend reading the whole thing here: Are Ye Stripped of Pride? by Kim B. Clark
The other big message I got for Jacob in my studying this week is about magnifying my calling. Sometimes I think it means I have to do something "big" or "elaborate" but that is not what is really required. I found this story and I thought it was a sweet example. Since it is short, I decided to share the whole thing here.
I had just been called to teach early-morning seminary. The person I was replacing was a master teacher who had taught seminary for years. He knew the scriptures better than I did, had more teaching experience than I had, and knew countless awesome sports stories. The class of mostly ninth-grade young men loved him.
We are taught to magnify our callings. I had interpreted that to mean we must spend more time, prepare greater lesson aids, and do better than the person who had previously held the calling. I couldn’t see how I could even begin to measure up, let alone magnify my calling.
After I had spent a few days in frequent prayer and had endured several restless nights, a quiet thought crept into my mind: Did I really know what magnify means? I turned to several scriptures that speak of magnifying our callings (for example, D&C 84:33; 88:80), but they didn’t explain what magnify means. Then I went to my dictionary and read, “To cause to be held in greater esteem or respect.”
I had a firm testimony and love of Heavenly Father and His Son, Their chosen servants, and the gospel. Drawing on my testimony and love, I increased my efforts to keep the commandments, nurture my family, pray, and study the scriptures. As I did these things, I realized that if I prepared diligently for my class, prayed to know the needs of my students, and shared my testimony and love of Heavenly Father and His Son, I could help them learn the gospel and strengthen their own testimonies. I also realized that I would be magnifying my calling.
My students didn’t seem to mind that they didn’t hear great sports stories any longer and that they now had a homemaker for their teacher. We had great experiences together nonetheless.
On one occasion, I went to the home of one of my students. He had some challenges, I was worried about him, and I hoped to visit with his single parent.
As I stood on the doorstep, I could see him through the front window sitting at a table studying his scriptures. In front of him stood a small photograph of the Savior I had framed and given to each of my students. Tears ran down my cheeks, and I left without ringing the bell. I was no longer worried about him.
Magnifying my calling, which seemed like an impossible task, turned out to be a sweet experience.