Humility

• 1 Nephi 10: 16…Lehi had many great spiritual experiences while he dwelt in a tent (lived poor, humble life)
• Alma 5:27…Can you say if you were called to die at this time that you’ve been sufficiently humble?
• Alma 27: 17-18…There is a high level of joy that only the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness can experience
• Mosiah 24: 10…When afflictions are hard people turn to God
• Mosiah 29: 20…To be delivered out of bondage one must (1) Humble himself before him (2) Cry mightily unto Him (3) Put their trust in Him
• Alma 13: 28-29…When we allow ourselves be led by the Spirit we become (1) Humble (2) Meek (3) Submissive (4) Patient (5) Full of love (6) All long suffering (7) Having faith (8) Having a hope to recieve eternal life
• Alma 6:3…Members who didn’t repent, humble themselves, and were prideful, they were rejected, their names were blotted out and they weren’t numbered among the righteous.
• Alma 13: 28…To not be tempted above that we can bear we must (1) Humble ourselves (2) Call on His holy name (3) Watch & Pray continually
• Mosiah 21: 14…Humility makes one cry to the Lord in prayer to be freed from afflictions
• Mosiah 4: 19…Poor or not, we all depend on God for everything
• Mosiah 4: 21…We depend on God for our lives, all we have & we should share with one another
• D&C 1:28… Humble – blessed (gain knowledge)
• Ether 9:34-35…People wait until the last second to humble selves
• Ether 11:8…Have trouble humble yourself
• Alma 32:15-16…Be humble on your own choice, don’t wait to be obligated
• 4 Nephi 1:29…Members persecuted for humbleness and belief in Christ
• Luke 18:10-14…The high will be humbled and the humble will be exalted
• Luke 9:46-48…Be humble as the little children
• Ether 12:27…Humble self – weak things become strong
• Moroni 7:43…Humbleness achieves faith and hope
• Moroni 7:44…No one is accepted by God except for the humble in heart
• 1 Nephi 13:16…Humble selves and Lord with thee (the power of Him)
• 1 Nephi 16:4-5…Exhort with all diligence so that others humble selves
• 1 Nephi 19:6…Nephi recognizes his weaknesses
• “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God…and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” (Orson F. Whitney, Ensign, Nov. 1987, 60; Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98)
• “On the other hand, one who is filled with certitude, who is bold and fearless in declaring the truths of salvation, is not necessarily lacking humility. Humility is all about recognition and resolve- we recognize our human weakness and our need for deliverance and strength beyond our own. We demonstrate humility when we gladly acknowledge the hand of the Lord and where the real power comes from and the resolve to draw upon it.” (Men of Influence, 40-41)
• “In a world too preoccupied with winning through intimidation and seeking to be number one, no large crowd of folk is standing in line to buy books that call for mere meekness. But the meek shall inherit the earth, a pretty impressive corporate takeover- and done without intimidation! Sooner or later, and we pray sooner than later, everyone will acknowledge that Christ’s way is not only the right way but ultimately the only way to hope and joy. Every knew shall bow and every tongue will confess that gentleness is better than brutality, that kindness is greater than coercion, that the soft voice turneth away wrath. In the end, and sooner than that whenever possible, we must be more like him.” (Ensign, May 1993, Howard W. Hunter, 64-65)
• “Some six months before his crucifixion, Jesus was asked by his disciples: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” In answer, He “called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (; compare ). Here we find that becoming as a little child is related to being converted. Becoming as a little child represents a turnaround, an alteration of behavior and attitude, a mater of “crossing yourself” (), of going at cross purposes to the natural man and moving toward God and godliness. The Lord does not call upon us to be childish but rather to be childlike.” (Men of Influence, 50-51)
• “In God, you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that- and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison- you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 111)
• “It keeps me cheerfully humble to think of myself as a beginner in a field in which I’m acclaimed as an expert. I also know, from painful experience, that the moment my attitude of cheerful humility slips into self-righteousness or arrogance, the universe will just as cheerfully step in with an unexpected way to make me humble again. The universe will teach us our lessons with the tickle of a feather or the whom of a sledgehammer, depending on how open we are to learning the particular lesson. Getting stubborn and defensive invites the sledgehammer; getting open and curious invites the feather. It took me a long time to figure out who was in charge of the painfulness of my lessons.” The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level (Gay Hendricks)- Highlight on Page 195
• “Elder Ezra Taft Benson said that Paul’s question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” is the most important question we can ask in this life.” Ensign, Jan. 1973, 57
• “This relationship between Christ and His Father is one of the sweetest and most moving themes running through the Savior’s ministry. Jesus’ entire being, His complete purpose, and delight were centered in pleasing His Father and obeying His will. Of Him He seemed always to be thinking; to Him, He seemed always to be praying. Unlike us, He needed no crisis, no discouraging shift in events to direct His hopes heavenward. He was already instinctively, longingly looking that way.” Broken Things to Mend (Jeffrey R. Holland) Kindle Loc. 296-99
• “Haven’t we been told through divine revelation that when we are humble, the Lord, our God, will lead us by the hand and give us answer to our prayers?” Meeting Your Goliath (Thomas S. Monson)-Kindle Loc. 70-71
• “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” (William Shakespeare)
• “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God…and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” (Orson F. Whitney, Ensign, Nov. 1987, 60; Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98)
• “How can we overcome pride and cultivate a spirit of meekness? President Benson counseled: “The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness (see). It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. … We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 6; or Ensign, May 1989, 6–7). Doctrine and Covenants and Church History: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, Lesson 10: “This Is My Voice unto All”
• Mosiah 2:23 -24… 23  And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. 24  And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
• 2 Nephi 9:42… And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
• “In his first general conference address as President of the Church, President Ezra Taft Benson taught about differences between pride and humility: “Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to the man and argues who is right. …“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.”  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, (2014), 229–40
• “Humility responds to God’s will—to the fear of His judgments and to 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.”  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, (2014), 229–40
• “So how can we shine the pure light of God’s truth into our souls and see ourselves as He sees us? May I suggest that the holy scriptures and the talks given at the general conference are an effective mirror we can hold up for self-examination? As you hear or read the words of the ancient and modern prophets, refrain from thinking about how the words apply to someone else and ask the simple question: “Lord, is it I?” We must approach our Eternal Father with broken hearts and teachable minds. We must be willing to learn and to change. And, oh, how much we gain by committing to live the life our Heavenly Father intends for us.”  Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2014 General Conference
• “Some years ago there was a news story about a man who believed that if he rubbed lemon juice on his face, it would make him invisible to cameras. So he put lemon juice all over his face, went out, and robbed two banks. Not much later he was arrested when his image was broadcast over the evening news. When police showed the man the videos of himself from the security cameras, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “But I had lemon juice on my face!” he protested. When a scientist at Cornell University heard about this story, he was intrigued that a man could be so painfully unaware of his own incompetence. To determine whether this was a general problem, two researchers invited college students to participate in a series of tests on various life skills and then asked them to rate how they did. The students who performed poorly were the least accurate at evaluating their own performance—some of them estimating their scores to be five times higher than they actually were. This study has been replicated in numerous ways, confirming over and over again the same conclusion: many of us have a difficult time seeing ourselves as we truly are, and even successful people overestimate their own contribution and underestimate the contributions that others make.”  Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2014 General Conference
• Mosiah 3:18…  For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
• Matthew 23:11 -12…11  But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted
• “Elder Ezra Taft Benson said that Paul’s question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” is the most important question we can ask in this life.”  Ensign, Jan. 1973, 57
•  Jarom 1:2…2  And as these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.
•  April 30th, 1995 – Sunday.  Quito Ecuador… “I just got finished thinking a bit.  For a good while before I was a little scared inside because I wasn’t being as obedient as I know I should’ve been.  I would think a lot of the scriptures, and how the men would always receive punishments or tough trials when they weren’t righteous.  They would receive these things to be reminded of the Lord & to be humbled.  I was always scared that something would happen to me to frighten me to repent or humble me to repent.  At times I even asked for an experience that would change my attitude, that would help me to drop a lot of my carnal desires & sins.  Well, the Lord did answer me.  Because Elder Norris told me that experience of Satan which helped to make a change for the better.  But I still wasn’t even close.  I still had an inner feeling and knowledge that I had to change even more.  Well, I kind of put it in the back of my mind, justifying my little sins – I mean, I was spiritually strong enough – Right??  Yesterday, right when I saw that poor kid dead in the street, a song entered my head that said “Do you hear me?  I can feel you near me.  It’s the answer that I’ve been longing for.”  Seeing this boy woke me up.  It was the answer that I was needing.  It hurts me to think that I didn’t have the common sense or strength enough to repent for myself.  The Lord had to humble me through this experience.  It’s sad for me to think that one of the reasons for this kid’s death was to help me to re-evaluate my life and repent of the picky things that in my mind weren’t too big of a deal.”
• Mosiah, Chapter 3: 19… For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
• Jacob 4: 10… Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseled in wisdom, and injustice, and in great mercy, over all his works.
• Jacob 2:12 -21…12  And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which, this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully. 13  And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.  14  And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.  15  O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust!  16  O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!  17  Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.  18  But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.  19  And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.  20  And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it? 21  Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.
• Jacob 6: 5… Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
• “President Gordon B. Hinckley once told me, referring to himself as well as his Brethren of the General Authorities, “We are ordinary men called to do an extraordinary work.””  INSIGHTS From a Prophets Life – Russell M. Nelson by Sheri Dew, Page VIII
• “It was said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”  Sherman Smith
• “I have thought of that a good many times. We choose carefully the atmosphere that we breathe, that we may live in health. But sometimes, in our carelessness, we place ourselves in subjection to immoral influences that destroy our resistance of evil, and we are led to do things that we ought not to do and would not do if under the influence of the Lord. If we would only be humble, if we would only be prayerful, if we would only live in such a way that each hour of our lives we could truthfully say, “Father in heaven, I am willing and anxious to do what thou wouldst have me do,” our lives every day would be enriched as we go through this earth experience.”  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, 2010, Page 14
• “As we continually repent and rely upon the Lord, we gain strength as we come full circle in possessing the humility and faith of a little child, enriched with the wisdom borne from a life of experience.” 187th Annual General Conference, April 2017
• “Leaders prepare themselves spiritually as they keep the commandments, study the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, pray, fast, and humble themselves before the Lord. With this preparation, they are able to receive inspiration to guide them in their personal lives, their family responsibilities, and their callings.” Manual Handbook 2: Administering the Church, Leadership in the church of Jesus Christ
• “One of the marks of great leadership always has been and ever will be the humble spirit.” Manual, Teachings of the President of the Church: Howard W Hunter, Chapter 23, Leadership