Very Essence of the Atonement

 “…President [Gordon B.] Hinckley …stressed our being a covenant people, emphasizing the covenants of the sacrament, tithing, and the temple, citing sacrifice as the “very essence of the Atonement.” 

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Consecrate Thy Performance,” General Conference in April 2002.

Ultimate Submission

 “In striving for ultimate submission, our wills constitute all we really have to give God anyway. The usual gifts and their derivatives we give to Him could be stamped justifiable “Return to Sender,” with a capital S. Even when God receives this one gift in return, the fully faithful will receive “all that [He] hath” (D&C 84:38). What an exchange rate!”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Consecrate Thy Performance,” General Conference in April 2002.

Those We Admire

 “As you and I develop additional love, patience, and meekness, the more we have to give God and humanity. Moreover, no one else is placed exactly as we are in our opportune human orbits.

“Granted, the stepping-stones take us into new territory which we may be very reluctant to explore. Hence, the successful users of the stepping-stones are powerful motivators for the rest of us. We usually pay more attention to those we quietly admire.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Consecrate Thy Performance,” General Conference in April 2002.

Be Meek to Learn God's Ways

 “Since knees bend often bend long before minds, holding back this “part” deprives God’s work of some of mankind’s very best intellects. Far better to be meek like Moses, who learned things he “never had supposed” (Moses 1:10). Yet, sadly, brothers and sisters, in the subtle interplay of agency and identity, there is so much hesitation. The surrender of the mind is actually a victory, because it then introduces us to God’s stretching and “higher” ways! (Isaiah 55:9).”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Consecrate Thy Performance,” General Conference in April 2002.

Pleasing Those Higher than Us

“We can also be deflected if we are too anxious to please those who are ascendant in our professional and avocational niches. Pleasing “other gods” instead of the real God still violates the first commandment (Exodus 20:3)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Consecrate Thy Performance,” General Conference in April 2002.

Live then Teach

In 2007 at a commencement ceremony for BYU-Hawaii graduates, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “If you live the principles of the gospel [rather than] just study them, that special combination of knowledge will allow you to feel comfortable and prepared to teach what you know to be true—in any setting.”

Feelings of Charity

“The Lord is keeping His promise to you as you keep yours. As you serve others for Him, He lets you feel His love. And in time, feelings of charity become part of your very nature. And you will receive the assurance of Mormon in your heart as you persist in serving others in life that all will be well with you.”

President Henry B. Eyring, “A Witness,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 68.