President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, shared the account of the Moses who stood face to face with God and was shown the grandeur of God's work and creations, after which Moses said, "I know that man is nothing" (Moses 1:10).
"But even though man is nothing, it fills me with wonder and awe to think that 'the worth of souls is great in the sight of God,'" President Uchtdorf said. "Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters."
He added that this is a "paradox of man" because man is nothing compared to God, but man is "everything to God."
He counseled that the Satan seeks to appeal to the "extremes of the paradox of man" to lead the children of God astray, namely appealing to prideful tendencies by convincing them they are better than what they are surrounded by.
"Disciples of Jesus Christ understand that compared to eternity, our existence in this mortal sphere is only a 'small moment' in space and time," he said.
President Uchtdorf said disciples of Christ know a person's worth and value is not related to the things the world values and that no amount of currency in the world would allow them to buy a "loaf of bread in the economy of heaven."
To inherit the kingdom of God, a person must become like a child, President Uchtdorf said. Disciples are able to understand that serving those around them also means serving their God.
President Uchtdorf warned that Satan seeks to deceive the children of God by discouraging them and endeavoring to make them believe they have no worth and are forgotten by all, including God.
He related an experience he had while attending pilot training in Big Spring, Texas. Upon arriving there from Germany he found a small branch of the Church and began to help build the new meetinghouse. He spent his time attending training school, helping with the new meetinghouse and improving his English skills by fulfilling his call to serve as a teacher in elders quorum and Sunday School.
"At the time, Big Spring, despite its name, was a small insignificant, and unknown place. And I often felt exactly the same way about myself — insignificant, unknown, and quite alone," President Uchtdorf said. "Even so, I never once wondered if the Lord had forgotten me or if He would ever be able to find me there.
"I knew it didn't matter to Heavenly Father where I was, where I ranked with others in my pilot training class, or what my calling in the Church was," he said. "What mattered to Him was that I was doing the best I could, that my heart was inclined toward Him, and that I was willing to help those around me. I knew if I did the best I could — all would be well."
President Uchtdorf said God knows where all of His children are, no matter how humble their circumstances may be and that He uses "those who incline their hearts to Him" in His own way to fulfill His purposes.
"God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history," he said. "They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior's example and spend the days of their lives doing good."
President Uchtdorf invited the congregation to consider four divine principles.
"First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are 'greatest in the kingdom of heaven'" (See Matthew 18:1-4)
"Second, the Lord entrusts "the fullness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world" (Doctrine and Covenants 1:23).
"Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to be, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith," he said.
"Fourth,... understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be." Individuals will not feel sorrow, loneliness, pain or discouragement forever and have been promised that God will not forget or forsake "those who incline their hearts to Him."
"Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed," he said.
"Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love," he said. "God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season. He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."
