Discipleship

LDS Quotes on Discipleship

Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“I believe it was George Macdonald who reminded us that the only door out of the dungeon of self is the love of one’s neighbor. How proud we ought to be, in a quiet way, that we are members of the church of the most selfless being who ever lived. How proud we ought to be to belong to a church that makes specific demands of us and gives us specific things to do and marks the strait and narrow way, lest we fall off one side of the precipice or the other. I am so grateful that God loves us enough to teach us specifically. Had secularists written the Ten Commandments, they might have said, “Thou shalt not be a bad person.” Note what the Ten Commandments say: “Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, thou shalt not commit adultery,” and so on. The gospel of Jesus Christ is specific because God cares specifically for each of us and, caring for us, will mark the way carefully lest we fall out of happiness.

“A vague creed is fitted only for a vague God. We have a Father who loves us specifically and gives us things to do and, because he loves us, will cause us, at times, to have our souls stretched and to be fitted for a better world by coping with life in this world.

“May God bless us with that kind of commitment, with the capacity to be serious disciples and to accept both the agendum that he has prepared for each of us because he loves us and the curriculum, prepared for each of us, which he has customized to teach us the things we most need to know, because he loves us.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “But For a Small Moment,” BYU Fireside, September 1, 1974

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“Righteousness is simply a humble understanding of how unrighteous one is coupled with a deep commitment to become better.”

James L. Ferrell  |  The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Though of themselves life’s defining moments may seem minor, our wise responses can gradually increase our traction on the demanding path of discipleship. For instance, we can decide daily, or in an instant, in seemingly little things, whether we respond with a smile instead of a scowl, or whether we give warm praise instead of exhibiting icy indifference. Each response matters in its small moment. After all, moments are the molecules that make up eternity, affecting not only ourselves but others, because our conduct even in seemingly small things can be contagious.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  The Promise of Discipleship, pg. 71

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“The final judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts – what we have done. It is an acknowledgement of the final effect or our acts and thoughts – what we have become.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks

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Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the LDS church

“Do you want capability, safety, and security in dating and romance, in married life and eternity? Be a true disciple of Jesus. Be a genuine, committed, word-and-deed Latter-day Saint. Believe that your faith has everything to do with your romance, because it does. You separate dating from discipleship at your peril. Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, is the only lamp by which you can successfully see the path of love and happiness. How should I love thee? As He does, for that way ‘never faileth.’”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland  |  “How Do I Love Thee?” New Era, Oct. 2003, 8.

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Christ’s Atonement, being the central act of human history, benefits super-sinners, sinners, and all of us makers of mistakes. Taking up the cross daily, rather than quarterly or semi-annually, helps us in the isometrics of discipleship.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better. Wishing to be more faithful to our covenants is good; actually being faithful to sacred covenants – including living a virtuous life, paying our tithes and offerings, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and serving those in need – is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives.

“Discipleship is the pursuit of holiness and happiness. It is the path to our best and happiest self. Let us resolve to follow the Savior and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents.

“The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets. The more we rely on the Savior’s grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  “Of Regrets and Resolutions,” Ensign, November 2012

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I fear that in this world of skeptics and pragmatists we are losing the spirit of those wonderful scriptural phrases: “I will go and do;” “I know not save the Lord commandeth me;” or “for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.” That’s the spirit of dedication, of commitment, of faith that we must show to the Lord as we go about our Father’s business in a significant way. This is how we say in our own lives, “Because I have been given much, I too must give.”

Stanley A. Peterson

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I invite you to commit to a lifelong process of discipleship. Make and keep covenants. Throw your old ways into deep, churning waterfalls. Completely bury your weapons of rebellion with no handles sticking out. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, making covenants with a real intent to reliably honor them will bless your life forever.

Elder Dale G. Renlund  |  Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“. . . whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want.” (C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 53) Hence it is so vital for us to be submissive because we’ll be puzzled when He gives us what we need in order to become more like Him and the Son, unless we are submissive in mind.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Insights from My Life,” Ensign, August 2000, p. 10

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