This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 37-40, which includes revelation given through Joseph Smith to James Covel.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 37
“After the Church was organized in April 1830, persecution stagnated Church growth in New York while the number of members increased in neighboring Ohio. By winter, a revelation commanded the Church members to ‘go to the Ohio’ and gather with the Saints there (Doctrine and Covenants 37:1).
“Lucy [Mack Smith] and several dozen Saints responded to the command of the revelation and traveled by boat on the Erie Canal to Lake Erie, then crossed the lake to Ohio. When they arrived at the banks of Lake Erie, however, the water was frozen with no foreseeable passageway. …
“Lucy pleaded with the Saints to pray for the ice to be broken up so they could continue their journey. In that moment, a noise ‘like bursting thunder’ was heard and the ice parted, leaving a narrow passage for the boat that closed no sooner than the boat had passed (‘Lucy Mack Smith, History [1845],’ page 203, josephsmithpapers.org). The Saints then held a prayer meeting to thank God for His deliverance.”
— Sharalyn D. Howcroft, Church History Department, in the January 2021 Liahona article “Lucy Mack Smith: A Faithful Witness”
Doctrine and Covenants 38
“True followers of Jesus Christ yearn for peace and actively seek to build a different kind of society — one that is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. To this end, the Lord has charged us to ‘be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27). Indeed, unity is a hallmark of the true Church of Jesus Christ. …
“Each of us is to ‘esteem his brother as himself’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:24). If we are to be the Lord’s people and be unified, not only must we treat one another as equals, but we must also truly view one another as equals and feel in our hearts that we are equal — equal before God, of equal worth and equal potential.”
— President Russell M. Nelson in the October 2024 Liahona article “A Pattern for Unity in Jesus Christ”
“Rely on God. When we ask Him in faith with real intent, He will reveal our divine assignments to us. Once we discover them, He will help us fulfill those assignments. ‘All things are present before [His] eyes’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:2), and at the right times, He will open the doors necessary for us. He even sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can depend on Him for strength beyond our natural abilities.”
— Elder John C. Pingree Jr., General Authority Seventy, October 2017 general conference, “I Have a Work for Thee”
“Men who hold the priesthood are not inherently better than other men, but they should act differently. Men who hold the priesthood should not only receive priesthood authority but also become worthy and faithful conduits of God’s power. ‘Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:42).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2012 general conference, “The Powers of Heaven”
“Once the gospel is preached and the Church is organized, there is an inexhaustible supply of faithful brothers and sisters who have that testimony and are willing to answer the call to serve. They commit themselves to the work of the Lord and live the standards required of them. …
“This principle sets the Church on a different course from all other Christian churches in the world. We find ourselves in the unusual position of having an endless supply of teachers and leaders among every nation and kindred and tongue and people all over the world. There is a unique equality among members. No one of us is to consider himself of more value than the other (see Doctrine and Covenants 38:24-25).”
— The late President Boyd K. Packer, then the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2007 general conference, “The Weak and the Simple of the Church”
“In the early years of the Restoration, new members gathered to create Zion. Zion was both a place and purpose — a spirit. We no longer gather in the same way. Our branches and wards are now our Zion. But they take on the spirit of Zion only when members care for one another. Sadly, we sometimes hear of women and men who have had their feelings hurt and become alienated by other Church members. If you are on either side of this dilemma — the offender or the one who has been offended — seek forgiveness; see your own part in the fault. Remember Christ’s admonition to us: ‘I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27).”
— Sister Kathleen H. Hughes, then the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, April 2005 general conference, “What Greater Goodness Can We Know: Christlike Friends”
“Covenant-keeping women with mother hearts know that whether motherhood comes early or late; whether they are blessed with a ‘quiver full’ of children here in mortality or not; whether they are single, married or left to carry the responsibility of parenthood alone — in holy temples they are ‘endowed with power from on high’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:32), and with that endowment they receive the promised blessings and are ‘persuaded of them, and embraced them’ (Hebrews 11:13).”
— Sister Julie B. Beck, then the first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2004 general conference, “A ‘Mother Heart’”
“During one of the early conferences of the Church, held on Jan. 2 of 1831, the Lord, through revelation, gave the Prophet Joseph Smith a vision of how He valued the land that He had created for His children. In Doctrine and Covenants 38:17-28 we read:
“‘And I have made the earth rich, and behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it.
“‘And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh;
“‘And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.
“‘And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.’
“The Lord has blessed us with lands of promise to enjoy during our mortal probation. The nations of the earth, if they would continue to follow the ways of the Lord, could be a blessing to His children here. You special young sons and daughters, He expects you to be especially mindful of the bounteous blessings you have received from Him. …
“The best way I know of to make a contribution to the land we live in is to be prepared for the future. The Lord has promised us if we are prepared we should have no fear (see Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). If we make an effort to obtain the best education available to us, we are in a better position to be self-sufficient and not to become a burden on the society in which we live.”
— The late Elder L. Tom Perry, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1998 general conference, “Youth of the Noble Birthright”
“This is a glorious time to live, to be young, to face an exciting future; but it is also a very threatening and frightening time, if you are not prepared. And if you are prepared, there is no need to fear (see Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). You are the pioneers of today and will blaze a trail into a wilderness unlike and perhaps even more challenging than that of the pioneers of earlier days.”
— The late Sister Ardeth G. Kapp, then the Young Women general president, October 1990 general conference, “’Crickets’ Can Be Destroyed Through Spirituality”
“While it is important to be aware of the desire Satan has to own us, it is not necessary for us to live in fear. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are taught, ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). As we prepare ourselves to receive the blessings of the Lord and to be worthy to serve Him, we are gathering strength — power from the Holy Ghost — preparing ourselves to overcome evil.”
— Sister Michaelene P. Grassli, then the Primary general president, October 1989 general conference, “Follow Him”
Doctrine and Covenants 39
“In a revelation to James Covel, the Lord told him, ‘Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish’ (Doctrine and Covenants 39:13). Each faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ receives a similar mandate to labor in His vineyard and build up His Church to help establish and strengthen Zion.”
— Elder Jorge F. Zeballos, General Authority Seventy, in the January 2025 Liahona article “The Restoration and the Establishment of the Kingdom of God”
“The charge and the responsibility these unselfishly committed Saints have taken upon themselves have evolved as portrayed in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to James Covel, who had been a Baptist minister for 40 years. The first step in the process of becoming a Latter-day Saint, Brother Covel was told, as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, is truly to accept the gospel, of which the Lord says, ‘And this is my gospel — repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom’ (Doctrine and Covenants 39:6).
“Following his acceptance of the gospel, Brother Covel was charged to do what is the uncompromising obligation of all of us today. For the Lord says, ‘And if thou do this, I have prepared thee for a greater work. Thou shalt preach the fulness of my gospel, which I have sent forth in these last days, the covenant which I have sent forth to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel’ (Doctrine and Covenants 39:11). And here is the promise made to Elder Covel: ‘And it shall come to pass that power shall rest upon thee; thou shalt have great faith, and I will be with thee and go before thy face’ (Doctrine and Covenants 39:12).
“What is said here to James Covel in this dispensation, when the Church was only nine months old, applies with equal force to us now — and is a remarkable and powerful reiteration of the promise made by the Savior during His earthly ministry. His pledge that He will be in our midst when two or three are gathered together in His name is a wonderful declaration of His unbounded love for each of us and assures us of His presence in our Church services, in our individual lives and in the intimate circles of our families.”
— The late Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, then an assistant to the Council of the Twelve, April 1976 general conference, “There Am I in the Midst of Them”
Doctrine and Covenants 40
“As a partial self-appraisal of our spiritual-procrastination standing, what is our attitude when we attend the meetings of the Church? … Do we have an ‘I’ve heard it all before’ mentality that immediately blocks the Spirit’s access to our minds and our hearts and enables procrastination to become a major part of our character?
“Of a prominent early investigator of the restored Church who covenanted that he would obey any command that the Lord would give him, it was said, ‘And he received the word with gladness, but straightway Satan tempted him … and the cares of the world caused him to reject the word’ (Doctrine and Covenants 40:2). Contrast that with the Lord’s clear statement: ‘He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple’ (Doctrine and Covenants 41:5).”
— Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2007 general conference, “Do It Now”
