This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 23-26, which includes revelation given to Emma Smith, the Prophet Joseph Smith’s wife.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 23
“May I mention one more everlasting principle — the family. A family can be together forever. Though each of us will pass through the doors of death, the timing of that departure is less important than is the preparation for eternal life. Part of that preparation includes service in the Church. It is not to be a burden but a blessing to a family. The Lord said, ‘Thy duty is unto the church forever, and this because of thy family’ (Doctrine and Covenants 23:3).”
— President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1993 general conference, “Constancy Amid Change”
“Three times in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord uses the phrase ‘beware of pride,’ including a warning to the second elder of the Church, Oliver Cowdery, and to Emma Smith, the wife of the Prophet (Doctrine and Covenants 23:1; see also Doctrine and Covenants 25:14; Doctrine and Covenants 38:39).
“Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride — it is always considered a sin. Therefore, no matter how the world uses the term, we must understand how God uses the term so we can understand the language of holy writ and profit thereby.”
— The late President Ezra Taft Benson, April 1989 general conference, “Beware of Pride”
Doctrine and Covenants 24
“I know from experience what the faith of good people can do to bring words from the Spirit at the close of a sermon. More than once, someone has said to me after my testimony, ‘How did you know what I so needed to hear?’ I have learned not to be surprised when I cannot remember saying the words. I spoke the words of testimony, but the Lord was there, giving them to me in the moment. The promise that the Lord will give us words in the very moment applies especially to testimony (see Doctrine and Covenants 24:6). Listen carefully to the testimonies borne in this conference — you will feel closer to the Lord.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2016 general conference, “Where Two or Three Are Gathered”
“Joseph was attacked physically on many occasions. He was often hounded by false charges. He was almost continually on the edge of financial distress. In the midst of trying to fulfill the staggering responsibilities of his sacred calling, he had to labor as a farmer or merchant to provide a living for his family. He did this without the remarkable spiritual gifts that sustained him in his prophetic calling. The Lord had advised him, ‘In temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling’ (Doctrine and Covenants 24:9).”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1996 general conference, “Joseph, the Man and the Prophet”
“To recognize the hand of the Lord in your life and to accept His will without complaint is a beginning. That decision does not immediately eliminate the struggles that will come for your growth. But I witness that it is the best way there is for you to find strength and understanding. It will free you from the dead ends of your own reasoning. It will allow your life to become a productive, meaningful experience when otherwise you may not know how to go on (see Doctrine and Covenants 24:8).”
— The late Elder Richard G. Scott, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1995 general conference, “Trust in the Lord”
“To early leaders in the Church came the admonition, ‘Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many’ (Doctrine and Covenants 24:8).
“God does not deny us the experience we came here to have. He does not insulate us from tribulation or guarantee immunity from trouble.”
— The late Elder Marion D. Hanks, then an emeritus General Authority Seventy, October 1992 general conference, “A Loving, Communicating God”
“Said the Lord in this dispensation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, ‘Magnify thine office’ (Doctrine and Covenants 24:3).
“Further, ‘Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office’ (Doctrine and Covenants 24:9).
“In that same revelation the Lord said concerning Oliver Cowdery some interesting and remarkable things:
“‘In me he shall have glory, and not of himself, whether in weakness or in strength, whether in bonds or free;
“‘And at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men” (Doctrine and Covenants 24:11–12).
“Oliver, with Joseph Smith, received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist, and subsequently the Melchizedek Priesthood under the hands of Peter, James and John. He magnified that priesthood as a witness to the Book of Mormon, as a counselor to the Prophet, as one to select the Twelve Apostles and to instruct them, as a missionary in moving the Church across the frontiers of the western territories, and as a teacher and speaker whose voice rang with great and persuasive power.
“But he turned and began to look through the wrong end of the lens. He found fault. He complained. His calling shrank, he diminished his priesthood, he distanced himself from those in authority in the Church. …
“Then in the fall of 1848, he and his family made their way to Council Bluffs and found themselves again among many of the Saints who at that time were moving to the West. At a conference held in Kanesville on the 24th of October, 1848, he stood and said: …
“‘Brethren, for a number of years, I have been separated from you. I now desire to come back. I wish to come humble and be one in your midst. I seek no station. I only wish to be identified with you. I am out of the Church, but I wish to become a member. I wish to come in at the door: I know the door, I have not come here to seek precedence. I come humbly and throw myself upon the decision of the body, knowing as I do, that its decisions are right’ (in Stanley R. Gunn, “Oliver Cowdery: Second Elder and Scribe,” Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962, pp. 203–4).
“He was accepted. He was baptized again. He longed to gather with the Saints in the valleys of the mountains, but he died March 3, 1850, without ever realizing that dream.
“His is one of the most touching, pathetic stories in the history of this great work. So long as he magnified his calling, he was magnified. When he diminished that calling, he shrank to oblivion and poverty. He came back, but he never regained his previous stature. He never regained the incomparable promise given him by the Lord that, conditioned upon his faithfulness, he should have glory and be given ‘strength such as is not known among men’ (Doctrine and Covenants 24:12).”
— The late President Gordon B. Hinckley, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, April 1989 general conference, “Magnify Your Calling”
Doctrine and Covenants 25
“Now, you might be saying to yourself: ‘This sounds wonderful, but how do I do it? How do I draw the Savior’s power into my life?’
“You won’t find this process spelled out in any manual. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do. This process is neither quick nor easy, but it is spiritually invigorating. What could possibly be more exciting than to labor with the Spirit to understand God’s power — priesthood power?
What I can tell you is that accessing the power of God in your life requires the same things that the Lord instructed Emma and each of you to do.
“So, I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you. Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand and use the power with which you have been endowed.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, October 2019 general conference, “Spiritual Treasures”
“You can pray as the choir is about to sing. The choir director, the organists and the choir members have prayed and practiced with a prayer in their hearts and with faith that the music and the words will soften hearts and magnify their power to build others’ faith. They will perform for the Lord as if they were before Him, and they will know that our Heavenly Father hears them as surely as He hears their personal prayers. Together they have labored with love to make the promise of the Savior to Emma Smith come true: ‘For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads’ (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12).”
— President Henry B. Eyring, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2016 general conference, “Where Two or Three Are Gathered”
“The music of sacrament meeting is a vital part of our worship. The scriptures teach that the song of the righteous is a prayer unto the Lord (see Doctrine and Covenants 25:12). The First Presidency has declared that ‘some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns’ (”Hymns,” ix). How wonderful when every person in attendance joins in the worship of singing — especially in the hymn that helps us prepare to partake of the sacrament. All sacrament meeting music requires careful planning, always remembering that this music is for worship, not for performance.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2008 general conference, “Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament”
“Christlike attributes come into our lives as we exercise our agency righteously. Faith in Jesus Christ leads to action. When we have faith in Christ, we trust the Lord enough to follow His commandments — even when we do not completely understand the reasons for them. In seeking to become more like the Savior, we need to reevaluate our lives regularly and rely, through the path of true repentance, upon the merits of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement. …
“By becoming more like the Savior, we will grow in our ability to ‘abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost’ (Romans 15:13). We will ‘lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better’ (Doctrine and Covenants 25:10).”
— Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2005 general conference, “Christlike Attributes — the Wind Beneath Our Wings”
“The Lord needed the strength of the women of this Church as the seeds of the Restoration were planted and nourished. And He needs us today. He needs us to speak up for what is right, even when doing so is unpopular. He needs us to develop the spiritual maturity to hear the voice of the Lord and detect the deceptions of the adversary. He delights in women who keep their covenants with precision, women who reverence the power of the priesthood, women who are willing to ‘lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better’ (Doctrine and Covenants 25:10). He needs us to be everything we can be, to ‘arise and shine forth, that [our] light may be a standard for the nations’ (Doctrine and Covenants 115:5).”
— Sister Sheri L. Dew, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 1997 general conference, “Are You the Woman I Think You Are?”
“The Lord has counseled us directly in this dispensation to seek the Spirit — to learn much — that we might ‘lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better’ (Doctrine and Covenants 25:10). I feel strongly that this is a clarion call for the women of this Church at this time. For us to stand firm and faithful, we must be clearly focused on seeking the Lord.”
— Sister Elaine L. Jack, then the Relief Society general president, October 1994 general conference, “Seek, and Ye Shall Find”
Doctrine and Covenants 26
“When I study the scriptures, the Spirit of the Lord fills my home. I gain important understanding, which I then share with my family, and my love for them increases. The Lord has told us that our time should ‘be devoted to the studying of the scriptures’ (Doctrine and Covenants 26:1) and that ‘the Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures are given … for [our] instruction’ (Doctrine and Covenants 33:16). Every woman can be a gospel doctrine instructor in her home, and every sister in the Church needs gospel knowledge as a leader and teacher. If you have not already developed the habit of daily scripture study, start now and keep studying in order to be prepared for your responsibilities in this life and in the eternities.”
— Sister Julie B. Beck, then the first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2004 general conference, “My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures”
