Greed, Selfishness, and Overindulgence

Greed, Selfishness, and Overindulgence

ELDER JOE J. CHRISTENSEN

Of the Presidency of the Seventy

I am confident that we will literally be called upon to make an accounting before God concerning how we have used [our resources] to bless lives and build the kingdom.

They say the gospel is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comforted. My purpose today is to speak to the comforted: the rich, the poor, and all of us in between.

The Lord has said, “Wo unto you rich men, … for your riches will canker your souls.” He has also said, “Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, … [and] whose eyes are full of greediness.” 1

Many of you probably have heard this little prayer somebody wrote:

“Dear God,

“So far today I have done all right. I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper, haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overly indulgent. But in a few minutes, Lord, I am going to get out of bed, and from then on, I am probably going to need a lot more help.”

When it comes to overcoming being greedy, selfish, and overly indulgent, we all need a lot more help. In his candid manner, President Brigham Young said: “The worst fear … I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church. … My greater fear … is that they cannot stand wealth.” 2

Our prosperity brings some real challenges because many are getting rich, more of us are waxing fat, and as a result of greed, selfishness, and overindulgence, we could lose the Spirit and literally kick ourselves out of the Church.

Money and material things are on the minds of almost everyone. As Morris Chalfant wrote: “The great [question] of the twentieth century is, ‘How can I acquire wealth?’ No question occupies a larger place in the minds and … hearts of … people today than this. … This is true of men in every station and in every walk of life.” 3

Money in and of itself is not an evil, but as Paul taught Timothy, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. 4 There are some of the wealthy who deal with their prosperity very well using their resources to bless others and build the kingdom. For many, however, wealth presents major difficulties.

As we deal with the materialism that threatens us, here are four suggestions for each of us to consider:

First, we should not confuse wants with needs.

My mother taught me an important lesson along these lines. For many years my father had a practice of trading for a new car every year. Then, shortly after World War II when grain prices increased, we were surprised one day when Dad drove home in a more expensive car.

One morning my mother asked, “How much more did the new car cost than the other one?”

When Dad told her, my mother said, “Well, the other car has always been able to get me where I need to go. I think we ought to give the difference to someone who needs it more than we do.”

And so it was. The next year Dad returned to the less-expensive cars, and they continued their generous ways.

If we are not careful, it is easy for our wants to become needs. Remember the line “There, there, little luxury, don’t you cry. You’ll be a necessity by and by.”

Second, we should avoid spoiling children by giving them too much.

In our day, many children grow up with distorted values because we as parents overindulge them. Whether you are well-to-do or, like most of us, of more modest means, we as parents often attempt to provide children with almost everything they want thus taking away from them the blessing of anticipating, of longing for something they do not have. One of the most important things we can teach our children is to deny themselves. Instant gratification generally makes for weak people. How many truly great individuals do you know who never had to struggle?

Elder Maxwell has voiced this concern when he said: “A few of our wonderful youth and young adults in the Church are unstretched. They have almost a free pass. Perks are provided, including cars complete with fuel and insurance—all paid for by parents who sometimes listen in vain for a few courteous and appreciative words. What is thus taken for granted … tends to underwrite selfishness and a sense of entitlement.” 5

A wise young mother said: “I choose not to give our children what I can afford to give them. I hold back for their sake.”

In the words of Fred Gosman, “Children who always get what they want will want as long as they live.” 6 And somewhere along the line it is important for the character development of our children to learn that “the earth still revolves around the sun” and not around them. 7 Rather, we should train our children to ask themselves the question, How is the world a better place because they are in it?

We live in a world of entertainment in full color with a lot of fast action, a world in which many children grow up thinking that if it isn’t fun, it is boring and not worthwhile. Even in family activities, we need to strike a balance between play and work. Some of my most memorable experiences while growing up centered around family activities: learning how to shingle a roof, build a fence, or working in the garden. Rather than being all work and no play, for many of our children it is almost all play and very little work.

As a consequence of overindulgence, many children leave homes ill-prepared to meet the real world. President Hinckley said: “Of course, we need to earn a living. The Lord told Adam that in the sweat of his face should he eat bread all the days of his life. It is important that we qualify ourselves to be self-reliant, particularly that every young man at the time of marriage be ready and able to assume the responsibilities of providing for his companion and for the children who may come to that home.” 8

All too many enter marriage who have never learned to cook, sew, or develop other important life skills. Ignorance of these needed skills, along with the lack of understanding of the management of money, sow the seeds for many failures in our children’s marriages.

I fear that in many cases we are rearing children who are slaves to expensive fads and fashions. Remember the scripture, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 9 How do we determine where our treasure is? To do so, we need to evaluate the amount of time, money, and thought we devote to something. Might it not be well to evaluate how much focus we place on shopping and spending?

This does not mean that our children should not dress in some of the appropriate clothing that is in fashion because that can be very important to them. But they don’t need a closet full. As members of the Church, we have a responsibility to present ourselves in a well-groomed, attractive, and modest manner. With good planning, this can be done without being driven to spend extravagantly on our clothing.

More than 10 times, the prophets in the Book of Mormon warn us about the problems of pride related to the nature of our clothing. Here is one example of them: “And it came to pass … that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen. … in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.” 10

We would do well if in all these areas of material things we and our children would follow the oft-quoted motto of our pioneer forebears to “fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Third, as we have heard so often, live modestly and avoid debt as if it were a plague.

President Hinckley recently reminded us of President Heber J. Grant’s statement: “If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means, and if there is any one thing that is grinding, and discouraging and disheartening it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet.” 11

Samuel Johnson said, “Do not accustom yourself to consider debt as an inconvenience, you will find it [to be] a calamity.”

How much house do we really need to accommodate our family comfortably? We should not endanger ourselves either spiritually or economically by acquiring homes which are ostentatious, feed our vanity, and go far beyond our needs.

If we are to be self-reliant and in a position to share, obviously we must acquire some resources. If we live within our means and avoid debt, resources can be accumulated. There are those with average incomes who, over a lifetime, do amass some means, and there are those who receive large salaries who do not. What is the difference? It is simply spending less than they receive, saving along the way, and taking advantage of the power of compound interest.

Financial consultants indicate that “most people have it all wrong about wealth. … Wealth is not the same as income. If you make a good income each year and spend it all, you are not getting wealthier. You are just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend.” 12

Finally, be generous in giving and sharing with others.

The more our hearts and minds are turned to assisting others less fortunate than we, the more we will avoid the spiritually cankering effects that result from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence. Our resources are a stewardship, not our possessions. I am confident that we will literally be called upon to make an accounting before God concerning how we have used them to bless lives and build the kingdom.

The prophet Jacob provides us with some excellent counsel about how riches can be acquired and for what they should be used:

“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye 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.” 13

In addition to paying an honest tithing, we should be generous in assisting the poor. How much should we give? I appreciate the thought of C. S. Lewis on this subject. He said: “I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. … If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, … they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.” 14

There are many worthy individuals and causes to which we might contribute. We should give generously to the fast offering and humanitarian funds of the Church. And, if we desire our families to live lives of depth and meaning, we must have the courage to examine honestly where our treasures lie and avoid the pitfalls that result from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence.

Let us each remember:

• First: Not to confuse wants with needs.
• Second: Avoid spoiling our children.
• Third: Live modestly and avoid debt.
• Fourth: Be generous in giving to others.
Giving really is at the heart of our faith. At this Easter time, we again commemorate that “God [our Heavenly Father] so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,” 15 who came to the earth and could have possessed any material thing but rather chose to give to all of us an example of a simple life free from any shade of greed, selfishness, or overindulgence. May we strive daily to live more like He lived, the ultimate example of a life of depth and meaning.

I testify that Jesus is the Christ, this is His Church led by living prophets, and His tomb was literally empty on that third day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Developing Character

Developing Character

INSIGHTS FROM PRESIDENT DAVID O. MCKAY 

(1873–1970)

The following are some classic statements on the development of Christlike character by our ninth President of the Church.

True Greatness
“The highest of all ideals are the teachings and particularly the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and that man is most truly great who is most Christlike. What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are, will largely determine what your acts will be. … By choosing him as our ideal, we create within ourselves a desire to be like him, to have fellowship with him” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1951, 93, 98).

“The true measure of a man is how he spends his time when he doesn’t have to do anything” (quoted by Robert L. Simpson, “Pollution of the Mind,” Ensign, Jan. 1973, 113).

“As a Man Thinketh”
“No principle of life was more constantly emphasized by the Great Teacher than the necessity of right thinking. To Him, the man was not what he appeared to be outwardly, nor what he professed to be by his words: what the man thought determined in all cases what the man was. No teacher emphasized more strongly than He the truth that ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’ [Prov. 23:7]. … Contentment, complacency, peace—all that makes life worth living—have their source in the mind of the individual. From the same source spring unrest, turbulence, misery—everything that leads to dissolution and death. … It is well for [every teacher and officer in the Church] to pause frequently and take stock of himself to ascertain ‘what he is thinking about when he doesn’t have to think,’ for ‘what he thinketh in his heart, so is he’” (“‘As a Man Thinketh … ,’” Instructor, Sept. 1958, 257–58).

“What a man continually thinks about determines his actions in times of opportunity and stress. A man’s reaction to his appetites and impulses when they are aroused gives the measure of that man’s character. In these reactions are revealed the man’s power to govern or his forced servility to yield” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1951, 8).

We Radiate What We Are
“There is another responsibility correlated and even coexistent with … agency, which is too infrequently emphasized, and that is the effect not only of a person’s actions, but also of his thoughts. Man radiates what he is, and that radiation affects to a greater or less[er] degree every person who comes within that radiation” (“Free Agency … The Gift Divine,” Improvement Era, Feb. 1962, 87).

“Sickness may waste the body, but the true life is the spirit within, that which thinks and feels and loves and suffers and wills and chooses, aspires, and achieves. The purpose in life is to beautify, ornament, develop that something within. To develop a more radiant and lovely character is the true purpose in life” (Gospel Ideals [1954], 357).

The Approval of Conscience
“Thoughts mold your features. Thoughts lift your soul heavenward or drag you toward hell. … As nothing reveals character like the company we like and keep, so nothing foretells futurity like the thoughts over which we brood. … To have the approval of your conscience when you are alone with your thoughts is like being in the company of true and loving friends. To merit your own self-respect gives strength to character. Conscience is the link that binds your soul to the spirit of God” (“Those Sculptors Called Thoughts and Ideals,” Improvement Era, July 1960, 495).

A Clear Conscience
“It is glorious when you can lie down at night with a clear conscience, knowing you have done your best not to offend anyone and have injured no man. You have tried to cleanse your heart of all unrighteousness, and if you put forth precious effort, you can sense as you pray to God to keep you that night that he accepts your effort. You have a sense that you are God’s child, not a mere cog of the state, but a person whose soul God wants to save. You have the strength, the sense of resistance to evil. … You also have the realization that you have made the world better for having been in it” (Gospel Ideals, 502).

The Development of a Grand Character
“Day by day, hour by hour, man builds the character that will determine his place and standing among his associates throughout the ages. … More important than riches, more enduring than fame, more precious than happiness is the possession of a noble character. Truly it has been said that the grand aim of man’s creation is the development of a grand character, and grand character is by its very nature the product of a probationary discipline” (“Man’s Soul Is As Endless As Time,” Instructor, Jan. 1960, 1–2).

Christlike Character
“True happiness is found in living the Christ’s life—on Monday as well as on Sunday. He who is virtuous only at intervals proves that his pretended virtue is but a sham. Such a person lacks sincerity, the foundation of true character, without which happiness is impossible” (Gospel Ideals, 502).

“What is the crowning glory of man in this earth so far as his individual achievement is concerned? It is character—character developed through obedience to the laws of life as revealed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold nor fame nor material possessions. It should not be the development of physical prowess nor of intellectual strength, but his aim, the highest in life, should be the development of a Christlike character” (“Obedience Develops Character,” Instructor, Aug. 1965, 301; emphasis in original).

Overcoming Addiction

The following is some counsel given by a member of my ward who is struggling to overcome an addiction: They will remain anonymous. I hope you find the counsel uplifting. 


"When  we think of all Jesus did during his ministry, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the primary reason he came to this earth was anomalous rescue us from satan's power.

     The jews did not recognize Christ as the long awaited Messiah, because they were looking for a militant leader who would free them from Roman oppression.  But Jesus came to rescue them from an even greater captivity; the self-imposed slavery of hate, resentment, bitterness, self-condemnation, unresolved guilt, weaknesses, bad habits, and even addictions. He came with the mission to release us, through the power of his love and forgiveness, into a life of abundance and joy. His greatest desire is not for fame or position, but to wrap us in the arms of his love and remove every obstacle that prevents us from being all our Heavenly-father intended for us to be.

     One of the great themes of the scriptures is that no one can fall below the reach of God's infinite, unconditional, and unwavering love. There is nothing that a person can do to make God love him more than he already does, and there is nothing one can do that will cause God to love him any less.

     Heavenly- father doesn't want to see us fall...he wants to see us rise. He wants what is best for us, and allows us to experience hardship,  such as struggling through addiction in order for us to realize greater blessings.  What is required is a complete transformation of our hearts. No one can change the carnal nature of the heart and disposition to do evil like the grace and mercy of the Savior, through the atonement.

We may do much good in controlling behavior, but until we allow Jesus-Christ to alter our hearts and desires, we will suffer a continual struggle between the desires of the flesh and the will of the spirit. I struggled in my addiction with alcohol 'cause I felt I could overcome it alone for a long time, until I realized that I could not overcome this without the Saviors help. The natural man in me wanted that drink...especially after I had a hard day. Each day that passes, I sometimes am really tempted to have that drink, but the Savior has promised us that we would not be tempted above that which we can bear ( alma 13:28).

He has already paid the price. All any of us  need to do is ask in humility through earnest prayer for him to help us overcome our weaknesses...whatever they  may be. As you ask in humility for him to help you, you will experience an overwhelming feeling of peace, and love that the Savior personally has for you,  regardless of what your weaknesses are. He is waiting with open arms to receive you, but you have to ask for his help. Satan would have you believe that you have gone too far, or you are so absorbed in the addiction that it has taken over your life to where there is no hope. These are some of his many lies.  If he can prevent you from going to church, or reading in the scriptures by telling you that you are unworthy because of choices you have made...then he has won half the battle.

Don't allow him to push you down his slippery slide into utter destruction and misery. Take it from someone who was at the bottom of his slide for awhile, and had to fight my way back without the companionship of the holy-ghost. I can't begin to tell you how lonely, and depressing that road was. It started with curiosity from when I started hanging out with the wrong group of people, and had my first substance. I felt I could handle it...that I was strong enough to prevent things from getting out of hand. Curiosity lead to continuing to  justify things that I would do, until before I knew it, that curiosity turned into something BIG, and I lost my membership in the Lords true church. I was open to the buffetings of satan and his followers, and I WAS buffeted...day and night until I was able to be re-baptized. Don't permit yourself to get to this point. Don't say to yourself that you can prevent things from getting out of hand, 'cause you can't. Satan is very real."

Pride: A Challenge from Within

Pride: A Challenge from Within

BY ELDER STEPHEN D. NADAULD

Of the Seventy

The age-old problem described so well by prophets in the Book of Mormon and reiterated by modern prophets can beset any of us if we let it.
We live in a glorious era of the earth’s history when the fulness of the gospel has been restored. It is an exciting time to be a Church member: to see nearly 50,000 missionaries teaching the gospel to many of the nations of the earth, to have meetinghouses springing up like mushrooms, to have sacred temples rising majestically, to have the use of computers to search for ancestors, to hear prophets and Apostles by satellite transmission. Indeed, these are extraordinary times by any measure.

And yet there is a wise saying in French: Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, which means, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Despite the progress, prosperity, and success of today’s Church, there seem to be challenges to Church members that are common to men and women of all ages. We are blessed to have written records of the experiences of members of Christ’s Church in previous eras, such as the Book of Mormon, a sacred record that provides wonderful insights about common challenges.

One of many such examples is found in the teachings of Jacob, the brother of Nephi and son of Lehi. The Nephites had separated from the Lamanites, they had been diligently taught principles of the gospel by Lehi and Nephi, the Church was established, and a temple had been built. Yet Jacob, who had been in the temple to obtain his “errand from the Lord” (Jacob 1:17), made this very interesting statement to the people: “Behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God” (Jacob 2:5; emphasis added). Jacob had been shown by God the minds and hearts of his people and therefore could prepare specific counsel for them.

He first spoke to the people in plainness about pride and then about immorality (see Jacob 2:12–22, 23–33). He clearly pointed out to the people that these sins were not challenges from outside the Church but from within, initiated in their thoughts—their minds and hearts—as they dealt with the daily challenges of living gospel principles.

Jacob’s experience can be applied to our time. Today we live in a world full of external influences. As members of the Church, we are appropriately admonished to be “in the world but not of the world.” In other words, we seek to establish an environment and a mind-set which allows us to withstand the enemy without. And it is certainly wise to do so, for there is ample evidence that the evils of the world can bring sorrow and tragedy whenever we do not protect ourselves against their influence.

However, Jacob’s full message should be clear to every Latter-day Saint. There are challenges from within that are every bit as difficult as those from without. We must not assume that once we are within the fold we will find our safety assured; rather, we need to be aware of the potentially serious pitfalls strewn in the way of converted, practicing Latter-day Saints. President Ezra Taft Benson’s admonition to study the Book of Mormon was designed to help us avoid some of the problems experienced by former-day Saints. As the Book of Mormon unfolds a thousand years of history, we receive extraordinary doctrinal teachings and practical wisdom from the experience of members of the Church.

Mormon, who compiled the record, had an especially interesting insight into the history of his people. In the space of 395 of our modern-day pages, he chronicled nearly 600 years of history. He also had his own personal experience to draw upon. When he paused in chapter 12 of Helaman to express his frustration with a repeating pattern he had observed that suggests how slow his people were to learn, we as members of the Church today should pay special attention. He begins by commenting in verse one about the “unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men.” In verse two, he summarizes the 600 years as follows:

“Yea, and we may see at the very time when he [the Lord] doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.”

After Mormon rehearses that pattern of iniquity, he provides in verse six a classic one-verse analysis of the problem: “Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.” Mormon is amazed that a people can continue in such self-destructive behavior instead of simply acknowledging the goodness of the Lord and letting themselves be led by His counsel.

Mormon continues his lament with a vivid analogy: “The children of men … are less than the dust of the earth.

“For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.

“Yea, behold at his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake.

“And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley.

“Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake;

“Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center.

“Yea, and if he say unto the earth—Move—it is moved” (Hel. 12:7–13).

With occasional exceptions, the Church has endured the early period when its members were severely and directly tested from without. The early persecutions, the subsequent flight to the Rocky Mountains, and the challenges from the national government are behind us. There are stakes of Zion in many countries and lands. But is it possible that in not a few of these stakes, conditions are developing that have been described again and again in the Book of Mormon?

The age-old problem described so well by prophets in the Book of Mormon and reiterated by modern prophets seems to be one of pride. Pride in its many forms is the great challenge from within. Mormon expressed it so well when he said, “Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them” (Hel. 12:6). Once rooted in a person’s heart, pride sets the stage for spiritual downfall: unrighteous thoughts that spring up from within can lead to an unwillingness to be submissive or to follow counsel. For some, personal prosperity reinforces the notion that they are doing fine on their own. Others begin to feel that rules can be tailored a little to meet their personal desires. Sound teachings become old-fashioned, and leaders start to seem out of touch, unfeeling, or too old. None of these thoughts happen overnight but come gradually as humility and meekness are eroded by possessions, status, and prosperity. Pride causes a hardened heart and spiritual deafness, both of which can ultimately lead to a host of more serious sins. In the worst case, a person may go beyond self-destructive behavior and become an enemy to God, desiring to fight openly against His teachings.

A most disquieting aspect of the repeated cycles described in the Book of Mormon is the time frame, for an entire people can “become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years” (Hel. 4:26; emphasis added). Whether it be individuals or a whole society, it is possible that decay from within can wreak havoc in a relatively short time.

As people individually or collectively experience conditions that may lead unwittingly to their own downfall, what can be done? I would like to recommend three steps that can help. First, Jacob acknowledged that the people had begun to have inappropriate thoughts: thoughts of gain, of advantage, of status, of power, of lust. How useful it would be from time to time to take an inventory of our thoughts and the feelings of our hearts. Such an examination might involve asking questions like, What do I spend time thinking about? Do I ever feel uneasy about my thoughts? How do my thoughts compare with concepts taught in the scriptures and by spiritual leaders? Have I read the Sermon on the Mount lately, and do I understand its applications? Am I nervous, anxious, and upset, or calm and confident?

Second, a behavior check may be helpful. Certain behaviors can be early warning signals; for example, spending patterns, “harmless” flirting, missing church meetings and assignments, and wearing temple garments inappropriately. The rationalizations are all familiar: “So and so does it.” “A little won’t matter.” “Nobody will know or care.” When we carefully and prayerfully examine our behaviors, the Spirit may prompt needed adjustments.

Third, it is useful to return to the basics and review the fundamental concepts of the plan of redemption. Alma observed, “Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption” (Alma 12:32; emphasis added). We infer from this that an understanding of the plan of redemption is an important prerequisite to an appreciation of commandments. Our motivation for the difficult act of repentance comes after and as a result of understanding the role that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ plays in the plan. Hearts are changed, thoughts are controlled, and behavior is modified when the plan is well understood.

Alma had firsthand experience with this principle. As both the chief judge and presiding high priest over his people, he observed that many of the difficulties they faced came from within: “For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world” (Alma 4:8). And so he appointed another to fill the office of chief judge and retained the office of high priest. “And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, … that he might preach the word of God unto them … and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people” (Alma 4:19). Alma recognized that there was enormous power in teaching the plan—the doctrine, the word of God. This is equally true today.

How blessed we are to have the Book of Mormon and to learn from it enduring truths that can be so helpful for today. Life is complicated, and among its many challenges, some of the greatest come from within. But we are not destined to repeat the past if we can learn from it. May we echo the words of the ancient prophet Nephi: “I know in whom I have trusted.

“My God hath been my support. …

“O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh” (2 Ne. 4:19–20, 34).

To learn this great lesson from the Book of Mormon that pride and reliance on the arm of flesh can be replaced with trust in the Lord is to be blessed for eternity by an extraordinary book containing the word of God.