Humble to Accept and Follow
Joni L. Koch, of the Seventy
Elder Joni L. Koch teaches the importance of humility in following the counsel of prophets and relying on God's grace to become our best selves.
Open talk in Gospel LibraryContents
Topics
Understanding Humility
Elder Koch explores the concept of humility, clarifying common misconceptions and presenting it as a willingness to submit to the will of the Lord and a vital catalyst for spiritual growth.
That question implies that humility is a mandatory requirement for us to be ready to return to the presence of God.
Then what is humility? According to Preach My Gospel, it is a "willingness to submit to the will of the Lord. … It is being teachable. … [It] is a vital catalyst for spiritual growth."Key Points:
- Humility is not synonymous with being poor or having low self-esteem.
- Humility is being teachable and willing to submit to the will of the Lord.
- Can you recall an experience where you learned the importance of humility?
- How has humility been a catalyst for your spiritual growth?
- What steps are you taking to cultivate humility in your life?
Following the Counsel of Prophets
Elder Koch emphasizes the importance of humbly following the counsel of prophets, citing examples of recent prophetic counsel.
I would like to explore first how humble we’ve been, or should be, in following the counsel of our prophet.
It’s a perfect occasion to develop humility and let our strong opinions be swallowed by an even stronger conviction that the Lord does speak through these chosen leaders.Key Points:
- Humility involves following the counsel of prophets, even when it may be challenging or goes against our own opinions.
- The Lord speaks through His chosen leaders.
- Can you share an instance where you followed the counsel of a prophet and saw blessings?
- How have you felt the Lord's guidance through the words of His chosen leaders?
- What changes can you make to better follow the counsel of prophets?
Dependence on God and Jesus Christ
Elder Koch discusses our need to humbly acknowledge our dependence on God and Jesus Christ for overcoming challenges and achieving our full potential.
Motivational speakers, writers, coaches, and influencers around the world, especially on digital platforms, will say that everything depends solely on us and our actions. The world believes in the arm of flesh.
But through the restored gospel, we’ve learned that we greatly depend on Heavenly Father’s benevolence and the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."Key Points:
- We cannot overcome our challenges or achieve our full potential through our own efforts only.
- We greatly depend on Heavenly Father’s benevolence and the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
- Can you share a time when you felt your dependence on God and Jesus Christ?
- How has the Atonement of Jesus Christ helped you overcome challenges?
- What experiences have taught you about the grace of God?
The Power of Ordinances and Covenants
Elder Koch underscores the importance of making and keeping covenants with God, which give us full access to the healing, enabling, and perfecting power of Jesus Christ through His Atonement.
That’s why it’s so important to make and keep covenants with God, as doing so will give us full access to the healing, enabling, and perfecting power of Jesus Christ through His Atonement.
Attending sacrament meeting weekly and worshipping in the temple regularly to participate in the ordinances and to receive and renew covenants is a sign that we recognize our dependence on Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.Key Points:
- Making and keeping covenants with God gives us full access to the healing, enabling, and perfecting power of Jesus Christ.
- Regular attendance at sacrament meeting and the temple is a sign of our recognition of dependence on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
- How have the ordinances and covenants you've made brought you closer to God?
- Can you share an experience where the power of the Atonement was manifest in your life?
- How has your commitment to attending sacrament meeting and the temple affected your life?
Overcoming Pride
Elder Koch uses personal experiences to illustrate the consequences of pride and the importance of choosing humility over humiliation.
When we choose not to be humble, we end up being humiliated.
In Proverbs we find, "A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit."Key Points:
- Choosing not to be humble often leads to humiliation.
- Pride can bring us low, while humility upholds us.
- Can you share a time when you learned a lesson about pride and humility?
- How have you seen the truth of Proverbs 29:23 in your life?
- What steps can you take to overcome pride and cultivate humility?
