What
1 Nephi 20:4
4 And
I did it because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy aneck is
an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
I, the Lord, gave you prophecies that have been fulfilled
Why
Because the people were so stiff necked
that their heads would not bow in humility and their brows were like
brass, so thick that it was almost impossible to get anything through
their thick sculls.
Pattern
TG Stiffnecked
Ex.
32:9
Ex.
33:5
5
For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of
Israel, Ye are a stiffneckedpeople: I will
come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee:
therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what
to do unto thee.
Deut.
9:6
6
Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this
good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a
stiffnecked people.
2 Chr.
30:8
8
Now be ye not stiffnecked,
as your fathers were,
but yieldyourselves
unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath
sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the
fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.
Jer.
17:23
23
But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their
neck stiff,
that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
D&C
5:8
Enos
1:22
22
And there were exceedingly many prophets among
us. And the people were a stiffnecked people,
hard to understand.
Christ
This verse is
spoken by the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Conference
10/16
Rasband
Lest
Thou forget
...I
begin by reminding you that you are a son or daughter of a loving
Father in Heaven and that His love remains constant. I know that such
reassuring feelings of love are difficult to recall when you are in
the midst of personal struggles or trials, disappointments, or broken
dreams.
Jesus
Christ knows about fierce struggles and trials. He gave His life for
us. His final hours were brutal, beyond anything we can even
comprehend, but His sacrifice for each one of us was the ultimate
expression of His pure love.
No
mistake, sin, or choice will change God’s love for us. That does
not mean sinful conduct is condoned, nor does it remove our
obligation to repent when sins are committed. But do
not forget,Heavenly
Father knows and loves each of you, and He is always ready to help.
As
I pondered my friend’s situation, my mind reflected on the great
wisdom found in the Book of Mormon: “And now, my sons, remember,
remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the
Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil
shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it
shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery
and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is
a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot
fall.”2
I
testify that “the gulf of misery and endless wo” is a place no
one wants to be. And my friend was feeling that he was on the edge.
When
I have counseled individuals such as my friend, I have explored their
decisions made over the years which led them to forget sacred
experiences, to weaken, and to doubt. I encouraged them, as I
encourage you now, to recall, especially in times of crisis, when you
felt the Spirit and your testimony was strong; remember the spiritual
foundations you have built. I promise that if you will do this,
avoiding things that do not build and strengthen your testimony or
that mock your beliefs, those precious times when your testimony
prospered will return again to your memory through humble prayer and
fasting. I assure you that you will once again feel the safety and
warmth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Each
of us must first strengthen ourselves spiritually and then strengthen
those around us. Ponder the scriptures regularly, and remember the
thoughts and feelings you experience as you read them. Seek other
sources of truth as well, but heed this caution from the scriptures:
“But to be learned is good if they
hearken unto the counsels of God.”3 Attend
Church meetings, especially sacrament meeting, and partake of the
sacrament and renew covenants, including the promise to always
remember the Savior, that His Spirit may ever be with you.
...In
the midst of life’s greatest storms, do
not forget your
divine heritage as a son or daughter of God or your eternal destiny
to one day return to live with Him, which will surpass anything the
world has to offer. Remember the tender and sweet words of Alma:
“Behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a
change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming
love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”9
To
all who feel the need to have their faith fortified, I plead with
you, do
not forget! Please
do not forget.
This
entire talk is worthy of more study and reading the whole talk on
this subject.
10/16
Snow
Be
Thou Humble
One
song that was new to the 1985 hymnal is “Be Thou Humble.”5This
tranquil hymn was written by Grietje Terburg Rowley, who passed away
last year. She joined the Church in 1950 in Hawaii, where she was
teaching school. Sister Rowley served on the General Music Committee
and helped to adapt the hymns into multiple languages. She based her
text for “Be Thou Humble” on two verses of scripture: Doctrine
and Covenants 112:10 and Ether
12:27.
The verse in Ether reads: “And if men come unto me I will show unto
them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be
humble; … for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith
in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
Like
all of the Church’s hymns, “Be Thou Humble” teaches pure and
simple truths. It teaches us that if we humble ourselves, our prayers
are answered; we enjoy peace of mind; we serve more effectively in
our callings; and, if we continue to be faithful, we will ultimately
return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.
The
Savior taught His followers that they must humble themselves as a
little child in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.6 As
we raise our own children, we need to help them remain humble as they
mature into adulthood. We do not do this by breaking their spirit
through unkindness or by being too harsh in our discipline. While
nurturing their self-confidence and self-esteem, we need to teach
them the qualities of selflessness, kindness, obedience, lack of
pride, civility, and unpretentiousness. We need them to learn to take
joy in the successes of siblings and friends. President Howard W.
Hunter taught that “our genuine concern should be for the success
of others.”7 If
not, our children can become obsessed with self-promotion and
outdoing others, jealousy, and resentment for the triumphs of peers.
I’m grateful for a mother who, when seeing I was becoming too full
of myself as a boy, would say, “Son, a little bit of humility right
now would go a long way.”
But
humility is not something reserved to be taught only to children. We
must all strive to become more humble. Humility is essential to gain
the blessings of the gospel. Humility enables us to have broken
hearts when we sin or make mistakes and makes it possible for us to
repent. Humility enables us to be better parents, sons and daughters,
husbands and wives, neighbors and friends.
On
the other hand, unnecessary pride can dissolve family relationships,
break up marriages, and destroy friendships. It is especially
important to remember humility when you feel contention rising in
your home. Think of all the heartache you can avoid by humbling
yourself to say, “I’m sorry”; “That was inconsiderate of me”;
“What would you like to do?”; “I just wasn’t thinking”; or
“I’m very proud of you.” If these little phrases were humbly
used, there would be less contention and more peace in our homes.
Simply
living life can be and often is a humbling experience. Accident and
illness, the death of loved ones, problems in relationships, even
financial reversals can bring us to our knees. Whether these
difficult experiences come through no fault of our own or through bad
decisions and poor judgment, these trials are all humbling. If we
choose to be spiritually attuned and remain humble and teachable, our
prayers become more earnest and faith and testimony will grow as we
overcome the tribulations of mortal existence. All of us look forward
to exaltation, but before this can occur, we must persevere through
what has been referred to as the “valley of humility.”8
Apply
Humility
is the beginning of a desire to remember all that the Lord has
blessed us with. Be humble and submissive to the will of our Father
in Heaven. Be teachable, be humble. I love the scripture D&C
Doctrine
and Covenants 112:10
10
Be thou humble;
and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by
the hand, and give thee answer
to thy prayers.
Elder
Snow concluded his talk with this advice:”But
humility is not something reserved to be taught only to children. We
must all strive to become more humble. Humility is essential to gain
the blessings of the gospel. Humility enables us to have broken
hearts when we sin or make mistakes and makes it possible for us to
repent. Humility enables us to be better parents, sons and daughters,
husbands and wives, neighbors and friends.
On
the other hand, unnecessary pride can dissolve family relationships,
break up marriages, and destroy friendships. It is especially
important to remember humility when you feel contention rising in
your home. Think of all the heartache you can avoid by humbling
yourself to say, “I’m sorry”; “That was inconsiderate of me”;
“What would you like to do?”; “I just wasn’t thinking”; or
“I’m very proud of you.” If these little phrases were humbly
used, there would be less contention and more peace in our homes.
Hymns
130-
Be thou Humble
Children
177-
Teach Me To Walk In The Light
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