This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 10-11, which includes the Lord’s direction to Joseph Smith regarding the lost 116 pages from the Book of Mormon translation.
Following are a few quotes from past and present leaders about these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 10
“So, what should we do when we sincerely seek for truth not yet revealed? I have empathy for those of us who yearn for answers that do not seem to come.
“To Joseph Smith, the Lord counseled, ‘Hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known … concerning the matter’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:37). …
“I too have sought answers to heartfelt questions. Many answers have come; some have not. As we hold on — trusting God’s wisdom and love, keeping His commandments and relying on what we do know — He helps us find peace until He reveals the truth of all things.”
— Elder John C. Pingree Jr., General Authority Seventy, October 2023 general conference, “Eternal Truth”
“If we build our foundation on Jesus Christ, we cannot fall. As we endure faithfully to the end, God will help us establish our lives upon His rock, ‘and the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us]’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:69). We may not be able to change all of what is coming, but we can choose how we prepare for what is coming.”
— Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, General Authority Seventy, April 2021 general conference, “They Cannot Prevail; We Cannot Fall”
“Jesus invites us to ‘pray always’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:5). Jesus knows that our Heavenly Father hears and gives what is best for us. Why is it that sometimes we don’t want to receive? Why?
“At the very moment we say, ‘Father in Heaven,’ He hears our prayers and is sensitive to us and our needs. And so His eyes and His ears are now connected to you. He reads our minds and He feels our hearts. You cannot hide anything from Him. Now, the wonderful thing is that He will see you with eyes of love and mercy — love and mercy that we cannot fully understand. But love and mercy are with Him the very moment you say, ‘Father in Heaven.’”
— Elder Juan A. Uceda, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2016 general conference, “The Lord Jesus Christ Teaches Us To Pray”
“No doubt most of our youth have their evening prayers, but perhaps many of them struggle with the habit of personal morning prayer. As parents, as their prime gospel teachers, we can correct this. Which parent in Book of Mormon times would have let their sons march out to the front of battle without a breastplate and shield and sword to protect them against the potentially mortal blows of the enemy? But how many of us let our children march out the front door each morning to the most dangerous of all battlefields, to face Satan and his myriad of temptations, without their spiritual breastplate and shield and sword that come from the protective power of prayer? The Lord said, ‘Pray always, … that you may conquer Satan’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:5). As parents, we can help instill within our children the habit and power of morning prayer.”
— Brother Tad R. Callister, then the Sunday School general president, October 2014 general conference, “Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children”
“That which is sacred to God becomes sacred to us only through the exercise of agency; each must choose to accept and hold sacred that which God has defined as sacred. He sends light and knowledge from heaven. He invites us to receive and treat it as sacred. …
“Joseph Smith … knew the sacred nature of the plates and the work of translation. Yet he was persuaded by Martin Harris to give priority to the worldly concerns of friendship and finances, contrary to sacred instructions. As a result, the manuscript of the translation was lost. The Lord upbraided Joseph for delivering ‘that which [is] sacred, unto wickedness’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:9) and deprived him for a time of the plates and the gift to translate. When Joseph’s priorities were properly reestablished, the sacred things were returned and the work continued.”
— Elder Paul B. Pieper, General Authority Seventy, April 2012 general conference, “To Hold Sacred”
“We live in a great day of temple building around the world. And the adversary surely is mindful of the increasing number of temples that now dot the earth. As always, the building and dedicating of these sacred structures are accompanied by opposition from enemies of the Church as well as by ill-advised criticism from some within the Church. …
“We as faithful Saints have been strengthened by adversity and are the recipients of the Lord’s tender mercies. We have moved forward under the promise of the Lord: ‘I will not suffer that [mine enemies] shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:43).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2009 general conference, “Honorably Hold a Name and Standing”
“The Lord’s prescribed methods of acquiring sacred knowledge are very different from the methods used by those who acquire learning exclusively by study. For example, a frequent technique of scholarship is debate or adversarial discussion, a method with which I have had considerable personal experience. But the Lord has instructed us in ancient and modern scriptures that we should not contend over the points of his doctrine (see Doctrine and Covenants 10:63). … Techniques devised for adversary debate or to search out differences and work out compromises are not effective in acquiring gospel knowledge. Gospel truths and testimony are received from the Holy Ghost through reverent personal study and quiet contemplation.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1989 general conference, “Alternate Voices”
“The scriptural advice, ‘Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength’ (Doctrine and Covenants 10:4) suggests paced progress, much as God used seven creative periods in preparing man and this earth. There is a difference, therefore, between being ‘anxiously engaged’ and being over-anxious and thus underengaged.”
— The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1976 general conference, “Notwithstanding My Weakness”
Doctrine and Covenants 11
“Like you, I have been thankful for the many ways the Lord has visited me with the Comforter when I needed peace. Yet our Father in Heaven is concerned not just about our comfort but even more about our upward progress. ‘Comforter’ is only one of the ways the Holy Ghost is described in the scriptures. Here is another: ‘And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good’ (Doctrine and Covenants 11:12). Most often, the good He will lead you to do will involve helping someone else receive comfort from God.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2017 general conference, “My Peace I Leave With You”
“Few could have imagined today’s world, where anyone who has access to the internet with a smartphone, tablet or computer can receive the messages of this meeting.
“However, this vastly increased accessibility to the voices of the Lord’s servants, which are the same as the Lord’s own voice, has little value unless we are willing to receive the word (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:21) and then follow it. Simply stated, the purpose of general conference and of this priesthood session is fulfilled only if we are willing to act — if we are willing to change.”
— Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2014 general conference, “What Manner of Men?”
“As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cellphone, it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power — prayer and scripture study, which will charge you with inspiration through the Holy Ghost (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:12-14). It will help you know the mind and will of the Lord to make the small but important daily choices that determine your direction. Many of us immediately stop whatever we are doing to read a text message — should we not place even more importance on messages from the Lord? Neglecting to connect to this power should be unthinkable to us.”
— Brother Randall L. Ridd, then the second counselor in the Young Men general presidency, April 2014 general conference, “The Choice Generation”
“Don’t neglect the opportunity of attending seminary and institute classes. Participate and gain all you can from the scriptures taught in these great religious-education settings. They will prepare you to present the message of the restored gospel to those you have opportunity to meet. …
“In Doctrine and Covenants 11:21, the Lord tells us, ‘Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.’ The pre-missionary age is an ideal time to set the bar higher as you prepare your mind by acquiring the light and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
— The late Elder L. Tom Perry, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2007 general conference, “Raising the Bar”
“One of the most well-known and frequently cited passages of scripture is found in Moses 1:39. This verse clearly and concisely describes the work of the Eternal Father: ‘For behold, this is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.’
“A companion scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants describes with equal clarity and conciseness our primary work as the sons and daughters of the Eternal Father. Interestingly, this verse does not seem to be as well known and is not quoted with great frequency. ‘Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength’ (Doctrine and Covenants 11:20).
“Thus, the Father’s work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children. Our work is to keep His commandments with all of our might, mind and strength — and we thereby become chosen and, through the Holy Ghost, receive and recognize the tender mercies of the Lord in our daily lives.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2005 general conference, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord”
“I bear testimony of our Savior, who said of Himself: ‘Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world’ (Doctrine and Covenants 11:28). Sisters, I know that by daily preparing ourselves a step at a time, each of us … can move forward without fear, finding our way to Him as we personally feel the blessings of His infinite Atonement. … My prayer is that we will ever walk side by side towards the light of His redeeming love.”
— Sister Anne C. Pingree, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2004 general conference, “Walking Towards the Light of His Love”
“The Lord said, ‘Keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work’ (Doctrine and Covenants 11:9).
“Sisters, as women in the Church, each of us has an important role to fill in building His kingdom on earth. The way to do this is clear. We have been commanded to sanctify ourselves that our minds may become single to God so that we can stand firm in the faith, without wavering, until our work is completed. As we keep a time for regular scripture study and quiet time for prayers, we receive knowledge and inspiration. Then, through obedience, we put that information into action. We are sanctifying ourselves one step at a time as we accept personal responsibility for our actions and honor the covenants we make at baptism, in the temple and as we take the sacrament each Sunday. We progress by living worthy to receive the blessings available to us, responding to those promptings to serve others, by loving one another and by trying to obey the prophet’s voice in all things.”
— Sister Barbara W. Winder, then the Relief Society general presidency, October 1985 general conference, “Draw Near Unto Me Through Obedience”
