Pride Precludes Progress

Pride tends to be one of the biggest obstacles for mankind. Until you learn to let it go, you will never be able to get the help you need from God. God sends no one away empty, except those who are full of themselves.

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.

Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good looking there would be nothing to be proud about.

For pride is spiritual cancer. It eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.

The more pride we have, the more other people's pride irritates us.

Through pride the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every vice, it's the complete anti-God state of mind.

Make no mistake about it. Pride is the great sin. It is the devil's most effective and destructive tool.

Pride has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.

- C.S. Lewis

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

"They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!" (2 Nephi 28:14-15)

Equality is Necessary for Zion

He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion. 2 Nephi 26:29

I think that priestcraft is the opposite of equality. We should not set ourselves up to be a light unto the world to get gain or praise. We should do it for the glory of God.

Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5: 15-16

Even when you have come into Christ’s presence you are still equal with everyone. You don't become better than another when you see him. You should not expect praise and worship for following Christ. You should probably expect persecution like the ones who have gone before you i.e. Joseph Smith, Nephi, Abinadi . . .

The greatest among us will serve as our Lord Jesus did. He was the Greatest and yet he served. God's kingdom is not of this world. Halleluiah!!!

And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

Luke 22: 25-27

We should not be idolaters. If we esteem someone as higher and greater than us, there would be idolatry. If there is nobody that is higher than us then there would be no one to worship but God.

Lets look at an example of some people who were equal.

And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.

And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely. Alma 1:26-27

Here are some people who were not equal:

And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?

Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?

Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer. Mormon 8:36-41

As I look around at our society I see the second scenario. We are not equal and it ought not be so. There are only a few who do not lift up themselves in the pride of their hearts. Worshiping any man or women is wrong.

I feel this message comes from God. If you think I err please correct me (preferably use the scriptures as I don't believe the current LDS church authorities always speak the truth. If you feel that an authority made a inspired comment though, I would like here your thoughts about it)

When someone speaks the truth Glorify God and for goodness sake don't praise the one delivering the message. Have a great day. Raachel - age 16