Do Your Part with All Your Heart
October 2025
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Showing posts with label Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Monday, April 6, 2026
We know that our efforts alone cannot make us celestial. But they can make us loyal and committed to Jesus the Christ, and He can make us celestial.
We know that our efforts alone cannot make us celestial. But they can make us loyal and committed to Jesus the Christ, and He can make us celestial.
October 2025
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
His Expectations For Us Are High
God knows who we truly are, who we are designed to become, and so His expectations for us are high.
But He doesn’t expect us to take some grand, heroic, or superhuman leap to get there. In the world He created, growth happens gradually and patiently—but also consistently and unrelentingly.
Remember,...It is our part to ... turn toward the Savior, and walk in His way, one step at a time.
October 2025
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
You bear within you a potential beyond your own capacity to imagine.
Oh, how I wish I could embrace you and help you understand this great truth: You are a blessed being of light, the spirit child of an infinite God! And you bear within you a potential beyond your own capacity to imagine.
October 2025
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Simply Put, Discipleship Takes Self-Discipline...It Is A Conscious Choice...It Is a Practice Everyday
Simply put, discipleship takes self-discipline.
It is not a casual endeavor, and it doesn’t happen by accident.
Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift, but receiving it is a conscious choice that requires a commitment of all our “might, mind and strength.” It is a practice of every day. Every hour. It takes constant learning and determined commitment. Our faith, which is our loyalty to the Savior, becomes stronger as it is tested against the opposition we face here in mortality. It endures because we keep nourishing it, we keep actively applying it, and we never give up.
October 2025
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Monday, November 17, 2025
The Ideal Worship Service
But it’s important to remember that when most people experience the Church of Jesus Christ for the first time, they aren’t thinking about priesthood authority or ordinances or the gathering of Israel. What they’re likely to notice, above all else, is how they feel when they’re with us and how we treat each other.
“Love one another,” Jesus said. “By this all will know that you are My disciples.” Very often, a person’s first testimony of Jesus Christ comes when he or she feels love among disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Savior declared that He restored His Church so “that faith … might increase in the earth.” Therefore, when people visit our Church meetings, the Savior wants them to leave with stronger faith in Him! The love our friends feel among us will lift them closer to Jesus Christ! That is our simple goal every time we gather.
....
Now, I realize that I’m describing the ideal. And in this mortal life, we rarely get to experience the ideal. And “until the perfect day,” there will always be a gap between the ideal and the real. So, what should we do when the Church doesn’t feel like the perfect day? When, for whatever reason, our ward doesn’t yet nurture perfect faith or love? Or when it feels that we don’t fit in?
One thing we should not do is give up on the ideal!
The title page of the Book of Mormon includes this important caution: “If there are faults,” it says, “they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God.”
Can a book—or a church or a person—have “faults” and “mistakes” and still be the work of God?
My answer is a resounding yes!
....
So, while we hold ourselves to the Lord’s high standards, let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for the kingdom of God on earth.
....
It’s natural to want to be around people who look, talk, act, and think like we do. There is a place for that.
But in the Savior’s Church, we gather all of God’s children who are willing to be gathered and who seek the truth. It is not our physical appearance, our political views, our culture, or our ethnicity that brings us together. It is not our common background that unites us. It is our common objective, our love for God and love for our neighbor, our commitment to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We are “one in Christ.”
....
If you love God, if you want to know Him better by following His Son, then you belong here. If you’re earnestly seeking to keep the Savior’s commandments—even though you’re not perfect at it yet—then you are a perfect fit for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
And what if you’re different from people around you? That doesn’t make you a misfit—it makes you a needed part of the body of Christ. All are needed in the body of Christ. The ears perceive things that the eyes never could. The feet do things that the hands would be ineffective at.
That doesn’t mean your job is to change everyone to be like yourself. But it does mean that you have something important to contribute—and that you have something important to learn!
....
Mosiah 18:8. When we are baptized, we witness that, among other things, we want to be part of a people who “bear one another’s burdens” and “mourn with those [who] mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (verses 8–9). In other words, when we join the Church of Jesus Christ, we are saying—humbly but clearly—that we want to become more like our beloved Savior, and we want to do it together.
“Love one another,” Jesus said. “By this all will know that you are My disciples.” Very often, a person’s first testimony of Jesus Christ comes when he or she feels love among disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Savior declared that He restored His Church so “that faith … might increase in the earth.” Therefore, when people visit our Church meetings, the Savior wants them to leave with stronger faith in Him! The love our friends feel among us will lift them closer to Jesus Christ! That is our simple goal every time we gather.
....
Now, I realize that I’m describing the ideal. And in this mortal life, we rarely get to experience the ideal. And “until the perfect day,” there will always be a gap between the ideal and the real. So, what should we do when the Church doesn’t feel like the perfect day? When, for whatever reason, our ward doesn’t yet nurture perfect faith or love? Or when it feels that we don’t fit in?
One thing we should not do is give up on the ideal!
The title page of the Book of Mormon includes this important caution: “If there are faults,” it says, “they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God.”
Can a book—or a church or a person—have “faults” and “mistakes” and still be the work of God?
My answer is a resounding yes!
....
So, while we hold ourselves to the Lord’s high standards, let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for the kingdom of God on earth.
....
It’s natural to want to be around people who look, talk, act, and think like we do. There is a place for that.
But in the Savior’s Church, we gather all of God’s children who are willing to be gathered and who seek the truth. It is not our physical appearance, our political views, our culture, or our ethnicity that brings us together. It is not our common background that unites us. It is our common objective, our love for God and love for our neighbor, our commitment to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We are “one in Christ.”
....
If you love God, if you want to know Him better by following His Son, then you belong here. If you’re earnestly seeking to keep the Savior’s commandments—even though you’re not perfect at it yet—then you are a perfect fit for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
And what if you’re different from people around you? That doesn’t make you a misfit—it makes you a needed part of the body of Christ. All are needed in the body of Christ. The ears perceive things that the eyes never could. The feet do things that the hands would be ineffective at.
That doesn’t mean your job is to change everyone to be like yourself. But it does mean that you have something important to contribute—and that you have something important to learn!
....
Mosiah 18:8. When we are baptized, we witness that, among other things, we want to be part of a people who “bear one another’s burdens” and “mourn with those [who] mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (verses 8–9). In other words, when we join the Church of Jesus Christ, we are saying—humbly but clearly—that we want to become more like our beloved Savior, and we want to do it together.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
It’s just as important for families to clearly understand the why behind those traditions
Doesn’t it seem reasonable to hope that if we keep the commandments and are sealed in the temple, we will be blessed with a large, happy family with bright, obedient children, all of whom stay active in the Church, serve missions, sing in the ward choir, and volunteer to help clean the meetinghouse every Saturday morning?
I certainly hope that all of us will see this in our lives. But what if it doesn’t happen? Will we stay bound to the Savior regardless of circumstances—trusting Him and His timing?
We must ask ourselves: Is my testimony based on what I hope to happen in my life? Is it dependent on the actions or attitudes of others? Or is it firmly founded on Jesus Christ, “rooted and built up in him,” regardless of life’s changing circumstances?
The Book of Mormon tells of a people who “were strict in observing the ordinances of God.” But then a skeptic named Korihor came along, mocking the Savior’s gospel, calling it the “foolish” and “silly traditions of their fathers.” Korihor led “away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness.” But others he could not deceive, because to them, the gospel of Jesus Christ was much more than a tradition....Interestingly, Korihor’s arguments were entirely unpersuasive among the recently converted Lamanites, the people of Ammon (see Alma 30:19–20), who were following Christ not because of the tradition of their fathers. By contrast, the Book of Mormon also tells of a generation of young people who separated themselves from the Lord’s Church because “they did not believe the tradition of their fathers” (see Mosiah 26:1–4). It’s good for families to establish righteous traditions. But it’s just as important for families to clearly understand the why behind those traditions. Why do we pray every morning and night? Why do we have family scripture study? Why do we hold weekly home evening, family activities and service projects, and so on? If our children understand how these traditions draw us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, they’ll be more likely to continue them—and improve on them—in their own families.
October 2024
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Monday, February 24, 2025
Why Confession Is a Necessary Part of Repentance
“Being able to see ourselves clearly is essential to our spiritual growth and well-being. If our weaknesses and shortcomings remain obscured in the shadows, then the redeeming power of the Savior cannot heal them and make them strengths [see Ether 12:27]” (“Lord, Is It I?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 58) Dieter F. Uctdorf
Friday, January 10, 2025
Ministering Motive and Goal - To Become More Christlike
If we see home teaching as only the stake president’s goal, we may place a lower value on doing it. If we see it as our goal—something we desire to do in order to become more Christlike and minister to others—we will not only fulfill our commitment but also accomplish it in a way that blesses the families we visit and our own as well.
October 2013
2010–2019
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Saturday, August 3, 2024
I suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes
“To be perfectly frank, there have been times when members or leaders in the Church have simply made mistakes. There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles, or doctrine.
“I suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes. …
“It is unfortunate that some have stumbled because of mistakes made by men. But in spite of this, the eternal truth of the restored gospel found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not tarnished, diminished, or destroyed.
“As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ and as one who has seen firsthand the councils and workings of this Church, I bear solemn witness that no decision of significance affecting this Church or its members is ever made without earnestly seeking the inspiration, guidance, and approbation of our Eternal Father. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. God will not allow His Church to drift from its appointed course or fail to fulfill its divine destiny.”
Sometimes we defend a concept about the way the Lord deals with the leaders and members of His Church that does not serve us well. We might expect that the Lord should control everything that leaders and administrators in the Church do so that no mistakes of any kind can be made. It may be better to recognize that the Lord gives guidance to those servants as they prayerfully do their best in their respective charges to direct His work. That is how loving parents teach their children.
The Lord gives us guidance but does not generally exercise control, except in matters that bear directly on our salvation. Once again, it is not His purpose to perfect the Church but rather to perfect His children, including Church leaders and administrators. This pattern of inspired operations at Church headquarters is not substantially different from that used in stakes and wards and homes.
June 2024
Liahona
J. Devn Cornish
Monday, October 16, 2023
at the center of that plan is the family.
Of course, we know that God’s will is not always accomplished “in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Mortal parenthood certainly pales in comparison to God’s ideal. He surely sees that. He must weep over all the sorrows and heartache in family relationships. And yet He has not given up on the family. And He will not, because God has a glorious plan for the eternal destiny of His children. And at the center of that plan is the family.
Jesus Christ is the Strength of Parents, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference April 2023
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Don't Inhale & Don't Take Yourself too darn seriously
Shortly after my call as a new General Authority, I had the privilege to accompany President James E. Faust for a stake reorganization. As I drove the car to our assignment in beautiful Southern Utah, President Faust was kind enough to use the time to instruct and teach me. One lesson I will never forget. Said he, “The members of the Church are gracious to the General Authorities. They will treat you kindly and say nice things about you.” Then he briefly paused and said, “Dieter, always be thankful for this, but don’t you ever inhale it.”
This important lesson about Church service applies to every priesthood holder in every quorum of the Church. It applies to all of us in this Church.
When President J. Reuben Clark Jr. counseled those called to positions of authority in the Church, he would tell them not to forget rule number six.
Inevitably, the person would ask, “What is rule number six?”
“Don’t take yourself too darn seriously,” he would say.
Of course, this led to a follow-up question: “What are the other five rules?”
With a twinkle in his eye, President Clark would say, “There aren’t any.”6
To be effective Church leaders, we must learn this critical lesson: leadership in the Church is not so much about directing others as it is about our willingness to be directed by God.
Although You are Worthy to Receive Certain Callings...He May Say "This is not my calling for you."
No calling is beneath us. Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and to grow. The Lord organized the Church in a way that offers each member an opportunity for service, which, in turn, leads to personal spiritual growth. Whatever your calling, I urge you to see it as an opportunity not only to strengthen and bless others but also to become what Heavenly Father wants you to become.
When traveling to the stakes of Zion for the purpose of reorganizing a stake presidency, I have sometimes been surprised when, during an interview, a brother would tell me that he had received an impression that he would be in the next presidency.
When I first heard this, I wasn’t sure how to react.
It took some time before the Holy Spirit gave me understanding. I believe that the Lord has a certain calling for every man. Sometimes He grants spiritual promptings telling us that we are worthy to receive certain callings. This is a spiritual blessing, a tender mercy from God.
But sometimes we do not hear the rest of what the Lord is telling us. “Although you are worthy to serve in this position,” He may say, “this is not my calling for you. It is my desire instead that you lift where you stand.” God knows what is best for us.
When traveling to the stakes of Zion for the purpose of reorganizing a stake presidency, I have sometimes been surprised when, during an interview, a brother would tell me that he had received an impression that he would be in the next presidency.
When I first heard this, I wasn’t sure how to react.
It took some time before the Holy Spirit gave me understanding. I believe that the Lord has a certain calling for every man. Sometimes He grants spiritual promptings telling us that we are worthy to receive certain callings. This is a spiritual blessing, a tender mercy from God.
But sometimes we do not hear the rest of what the Lord is telling us. “Although you are worthy to serve in this position,” He may say, “this is not my calling for you. It is my desire instead that you lift where you stand.” God knows what is best for us.
Dieter F. Uctdorf, Lift Where You Stand, October 2008 General Conference
Sunday, August 6, 2023
From Presiding to the Parade
During the 150th anniversary of the pioneers’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, Brother Myron Richins was serving as a stake president in Henefer, Utah. The celebration included a reenactment of the pioneers’ passage through his town.
President Richins was heavily involved with the plans for the celebration, and he attended many meetings with General Authorities and others to discuss the events. He was fully engaged.
Just before the actual celebration, President Richins’s stake was reorganized, and he was released as president. On a subsequent Sunday, he was attending his ward priesthood meeting when the leaders asked for volunteers to help with the celebration. President Richins, along with others, raised his hand and was given instructions to dress in work clothes and to bring his truck and a shovel.
Finally, the morning of the big event came, and President Richins reported to volunteer duty.
Only a few weeks before, he had been an influential contributor to the planning and supervision of this major event. On that day, however, his job was to follow the horses in the parade and clean up after them.
President Richins did so gladly and joyfully.
He understood that one kind of service is not above another.
He knew and put into practice the words of the Savior: “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”9
President Richins was heavily involved with the plans for the celebration, and he attended many meetings with General Authorities and others to discuss the events. He was fully engaged.
Just before the actual celebration, President Richins’s stake was reorganized, and he was released as president. On a subsequent Sunday, he was attending his ward priesthood meeting when the leaders asked for volunteers to help with the celebration. President Richins, along with others, raised his hand and was given instructions to dress in work clothes and to bring his truck and a shovel.
Finally, the morning of the big event came, and President Richins reported to volunteer duty.
Only a few weeks before, he had been an influential contributor to the planning and supervision of this major event. On that day, however, his job was to follow the horses in the parade and clean up after them.
President Richins did so gladly and joyfully.
He understood that one kind of service is not above another.
He knew and put into practice the words of the Savior: “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”9
Thursday, April 27, 2023
A Higher Standard
Jesus Christ has very high standards for His followers. And the invitation to earnestly seek His will and live by His truths is the highest standard possible!
Important temporal and spiritual choices should not only be based on personal preference or what is convenient or popular. The Lord is not saying, “Do whatever you want.”
He is saying, “Let God prevail.”
He is saying, “Come, follow me.”
He is saying, “Live in a holier, higher, more mature way.”
He is saying, “Keep my commandments.”
October 2022
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I don’t think He would make excuses for your mistakes. He wouldn’t minimize them. No, He would ask you to repent—to leave your sins behind, to change, so He can forgive you.
My dear young friends, if the Savior were here right now, what would He say to you?
I believe He would start by expressing His deep love for you. He might say it with words, but it would also flow so strongly—just from His presence—that it would be unmistakable, reaching deep into your heart, filling your whole soul!
And yet, because we’re all weak and imperfect, some concerns might creep into your mind. You might remember mistakes you’ve made, times you gave in to temptation, things you wish you hadn’t done—or wish you had done better.
The Savior would sense that, and I believe He would assure you with words He has spoken in the scriptures:
“Fear not.”
“Doubt not.”
“Be of good cheer.”
“Let not your heart be troubled.”
I don’t think He would make excuses for your mistakes. He wouldn’t minimize them. No, He would ask you to repent—to leave your sins behind, to change, so He can forgive you. He would remind you that 2,000 years ago He took those sins upon Himself so that you could repent. That is part of the plan of happiness gifted to us from our loving Heavenly Father.
October 2022
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Sacrifice, Consecration, All In
To many of us, such a standard of whole-souled commitment seems out of reach. We are already stretched so thin. How can we balance the many demands of life with our desires to offer our whole souls to the Lord?....
How to distribute your time and energy among your many important tasks will vary from person to person and from one season of life to another. But our common, overall objective is to follow the Way of our Master, Jesus Christ, and return to the presence of our beloved Father in Heaven. This objective must remain constant and consistent, whoever we are and whatever else is happening in our lives.....
And what about the many tasks and responsibilities that make our lives so busy? Spending time with loved ones, going to school or preparing for an occupation, earning a living, caring for family, serving in the community—where does it all fit in? The Savior reassures us:
“Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”....
And what about the many tasks and responsibilities that make our lives so busy? Spending time with loved ones, going to school or preparing for an occupation, earning a living, caring for family, serving in the community—where does it all fit in? The Savior reassures us:
“Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It requires both sacrifice and consecration.
It requires letting some things go and letting other things grow.
Sacrifice and consecration are two heavenly laws that we covenant to obey in the holy temple. These two laws are similar but not identical. To sacrifice means to give something up in favor of something more valuable. Anciently, God’s people sacrificed the firstlings of their flocks in honor of the coming Messiah. Throughout history, faithful Saints have sacrificed personal desires, comforts, and even their lives for the Savior.
We all have things, large and small, we need to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus Christ more completely. Our sacrifices show what we truly value. Sacrifices are sacred and honored by the Lord.
Consecration is different from sacrifice in at least one important way. When we consecrate something, we don’t leave it to be consumed upon the altar. Rather, we put it to use in the Lord’s service. We dedicate it to Him and His holy purposes. We receive the talents that the Lord has given us and strive to increase them, manifold, to become even more helpful in building the Lord’s kingdom.
Very few of us will ever be asked to sacrifice our lives for the Savior. But we are all invited to consecrate our lives to Him.
As we seek to purify our lives and look unto Christ in every thought, everything else begins to align. Life no longer feels like a long list of separate efforts held in tenuous balance.
Over time, it all becomes one work.
One joy.
One holy purpose.
It is the work of loving and serving God. It is loving and serving God’s children.
When we look at our lives and see a hundred things to do, we feel overwhelmed. When we see one thing—loving and serving God and His children, in a hundred different ways—then we can work on those things with joy.
This is how we offer our whole souls—by sacrificing anything that’s holding us back and consecrating the rest to the Lord and His purposes.
April 2022
General Conference
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most.
Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your patience you possess your souls. Or, to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls. Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time of the Savior. It is true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these latter days to “continue in patience until ye are perfected.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience", Ensign, May 2010, 56–59
Thursday, February 3, 2022
when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins.
That is a good lesson for us all, brethren, in any calling or life situation. We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings(Website administrators thought: Social Media Posts)—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Pride in the Priesthood, October 2010 General Conference
When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities.
When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities. We gladly serve wherever we are asked. When we do this, the Lord can use us in ways beyond our understanding to accomplish His work.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Pride in the Priesthood, October 2010 General Conference
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)