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Not My Will, but Thine
In his superbly creative style, Elder Neal A. Maxwell explores the important principle of willing, loving submission to our Heavenly Father. The Savior s greatest test and greatest triumph the Atonement personifies this attitude. The author offers sound advice on the compelling reasons to be submissive as well as on the how to. There is no way to go around in this life we have to go through it. Elder Maxwell shows that this is not a sacrifice of will, but an elevation to a higher purpose promising a life of faith, peace, and joy.
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
65 people are currently reading
1567 people want to read
About the author
Neal A. Maxwell
77 books154 followersNeal A. Maxwell was well known as an Apostle, author, administrator, and educator. A graduate of the University of Utah, he was the Commissioner of Education for the Church Educational System for six years. He also held a variety of administrative and teaching positions at the University of Utah, including that of executive vice-president.
In 1974 Elder Maxwell was called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. From 1976 to 1981 he served as member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and in 1981 was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Maxwell has written numerous books on Latter-day Saint themes, including "If Thou Endure It Well"; "Lord, Increase Our Faith"; "That Ye May Believe"; and "Not My Will, But Thine". He and his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, had four children.
Elder Maxwell died July 21, 2004.
In 1974 Elder Maxwell was called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. From 1976 to 1981 he served as member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and in 1981 was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Maxwell has written numerous books on Latter-day Saint themes, including "If Thou Endure It Well"; "Lord, Increase Our Faith"; "That Ye May Believe"; and "Not My Will, But Thine". He and his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, had four children.
Elder Maxwell died July 21, 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
February 7, 2018
You don't review books like this... they review you.
But here's some encouragement to read it:
http://goodgazette.blogspot.de/2015/0...
Read it again, whenever possible.
But here's some encouragement to read it:
http://goodgazette.blogspot.de/2015/0...
Read it again, whenever possible.
April 25, 2019
Though this book was only 144 pages, it took me a long time to read this book. Not because I didn't like the content, the emphatic opposite was true, but because there was much to ponder while reading it. I had to read it one morsel at a time to give it proper time to digest, before moving on. Neil A Maxwell is an eloquent writer, and though I did understand some of the docterine he taught, some of the phrases in descriptions he used helped me understand it in a different and better light. An excellent book that left me with a renewed resolve to be more submissive like my Savior.
July 2, 2019
An abundance of Maxwellisms. Such a joy.
July 16, 2008
I read this book over a decade ago and what I read I still apply it in my everyday life. Each day I read an exerpt that I pulled from this book. It seems to keep me in "check" with my reality, which then pulls me up to a higher ground for another day.
"So often in life, it seems a blessing is quickly succeeded by a stretching. Spiritual exhilaration is often short lived, being soon followed by vexation, temptation and even tribulation. Perhaps this is so because we cannot handle exhilaration for any length of time. Or is it because we need to get on to the next challenge, there being so little time for languishing? Or is it that experiencing the sharp, side-by-side contrast of the sweet and the bitter, almost continuously, is essential until the very end of this mortal experience? Or are we at risk if in extended spiritual reveries we quickly forget others in need? Whatever the reasons, the Lord hastens us forward-submissivly on to the next work to be done. Handcarts are to be picked up again promptly, after pausing whether for gladness or sadeness."
"So often in life, it seems a blessing is quickly succeeded by a stretching. Spiritual exhilaration is often short lived, being soon followed by vexation, temptation and even tribulation. Perhaps this is so because we cannot handle exhilaration for any length of time. Or is it because we need to get on to the next challenge, there being so little time for languishing? Or is it that experiencing the sharp, side-by-side contrast of the sweet and the bitter, almost continuously, is essential until the very end of this mortal experience? Or are we at risk if in extended spiritual reveries we quickly forget others in need? Whatever the reasons, the Lord hastens us forward-submissivly on to the next work to be done. Handcarts are to be picked up again promptly, after pausing whether for gladness or sadeness."
September 7, 2012
Elder Neal A. Maxwell is an articulate and eloquent writer. Add to that his powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and gospel principles, and "Not My Will, but Thine" is an engaging and inspiring work. I found myself underlining and wanting to share passages on nearly every page, wanting to draw closer to my Father in Heaven, wanting to be a better person through the grace and power of the Savior, wanting to read it again and again.
As the title indicates, the overall theme is submissiveness to God's will. Elder Maxwell remains focused on this topic, while touching on other aspects of christian faith as they relate. He does not present himself as an apologist, yet at times "Not My Will, but Thine" seems able to serve that purpose, not dissimilar to C. S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" (though not meant to be comprehensive).
Recommended to all christians and to anyone wishing to understand what may on the surface seem peculiar about some aspects of christians' attitudes toward God and faith.
As the title indicates, the overall theme is submissiveness to God's will. Elder Maxwell remains focused on this topic, while touching on other aspects of christian faith as they relate. He does not present himself as an apologist, yet at times "Not My Will, but Thine" seems able to serve that purpose, not dissimilar to C. S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" (though not meant to be comprehensive).
Recommended to all christians and to anyone wishing to understand what may on the surface seem peculiar about some aspects of christians' attitudes toward God and faith.
September 22, 2020
An an interesting and good book. The theme of the book (as reflected in the title) is about submission to God, and each chapter is about a specific facet of that, or about gospel topic related to that central idea. For some reason this book didn't particularly resonate with me and wasn't quite as edifying or inspiring as some other works from Elder Maxwell I have read, but he definitely teaches some good and important doctrine and this book is a worthwhile read.
August 8, 2023
Excellent book. He left me with much to ponder and many highlights to review.
June 7, 2019
This book was so inspiring and thought provoking. I highlighted so many paragraphs and have some new favorite quotes.
May 30, 2010
Elder Maxwell masterfully teaches the concept of doing the will of God over doing our own will. I have wanted to read this book for a long time and have actually been reading it for over a year....here a little and there a little.... :-)
In any case, the greatest thought I am taking with me from this book is the idea that we are not owners of anything....we are merely stewards. Even the elements of our body will one day return to the earth until we are resurrected......again a gift...because of the Lord's gift of the atonement. However, Elder Maxwell points out that the one thing we do own is our "own will." Therefore, it is the only thing we can really give to him. Sure we pay tithes, give offerings and put effort into church projects, but the truth is he could take those items at any time or cause projects to happen by his own power. However, it is through the giving of tithes, offerings, and out time that shows him that we are willing to bend our wills to his will.
So, do we really pay tithes or give offerings or give of our time? Not really, what we really give him is our "will" by engaging in those activities.
In any case, the greatest thought I am taking with me from this book is the idea that we are not owners of anything....we are merely stewards. Even the elements of our body will one day return to the earth until we are resurrected......again a gift...because of the Lord's gift of the atonement. However, Elder Maxwell points out that the one thing we do own is our "own will." Therefore, it is the only thing we can really give to him. Sure we pay tithes, give offerings and put effort into church projects, but the truth is he could take those items at any time or cause projects to happen by his own power. However, it is through the giving of tithes, offerings, and out time that shows him that we are willing to bend our wills to his will.
So, do we really pay tithes or give offerings or give of our time? Not really, what we really give him is our "will" by engaging in those activities.
November 22, 2014
This is another great book by Elder Maxwell about discipleship, enduring, submissiveness. I particularly liked the chapter about faith unto repentance. That’s why we’re here. To learn to have faith in Him which leads to repentance, to change, to become like Him!
There are so many wonderful quotes in this book, and much to come back to and study:
As Obedient Children
"Spiritual submissiveness, a freely given obedience to God's purposes, is neither docility nor ignorant compliance."
"This partnership with God, among other things, requires us to develop enough faith to repent and enough submissiveness to make and keep covenants, including temple covenants."
"We submit to God because He is God. We may safely and rationally do so because He is perfect--perfect in the attributes of love, mercy, justice, knowledge, patience, and so on....Even though He is God, is each of us really willing to yield to His perfect love and omniscience?"
"Our discipleship is patterned after that of the Master."
"Indeed, some trials come directly from God or with His assent."
"For true believers, then, life is a process of getting grounded spiritually: 'Settle this in your hearts, that you will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.'"
"We cannot plan our lives wisely unless we know about Heavenly Father's plan, including His commitment to the agency of His children. when we understand the plan, we can pursue participative and intelligent discipleship in the context of our inherent right to choose."
"Obedience to God is really what makes the flowering of the full self possible."
"Spiritual submissiveness includes our acceptance of the ups and downs of life."
"It takes faith, too, and obedience, to conquer selfishness....a form of self-worship."
"So often in life, it seems, a blessing is quickly succeeded by a stretching."
Whatever the reasons, the Lord hastens us forward--submissively on to the next work to be done."
"Spiritual submissiveness brings about the wiser use of our time, talents, and gifts as compared with our laboring diligently but conditionally to establish our own righteousness instead of the Lord's."
"Giving place in our souls and in our schedules, making room for God's words and work, requires intellectual submissiveness."
The Great Question
"Thankful remembrance, a submissive recognition of our dependence on the Lord, is an especially rich and repetitive theme in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon." (See Moroni 10:3, 2 Nephi 1:1.)
"The detailed correlation of all scripture in its testimony of Jesus Christ is marvelous to behold."
"For believers, however, the great answers to the great questions repeatedly focus us on the reality of the 'great and last sacrifice,' for 'this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal."
"Because the editing of the Book of Mormon, with its witnessing gospel of hope, occurred under divine direction, it has a focus which is essentially spiritual."
"One reason to 'search the scriptures' is to discover these luxuriant meadows of meaning, these green pastures that can nourish us in our individual times of need."
"Real faith, like real humility, is developed 'because of the word,' and not because of surrounding circumstances."
"Without real faith and its attendant submissiveness, people sooner or later find one thing or another to stumble over."
"Thus the Book of Mormon will be with us 'as long as the earth shall stand.' We need all that time to explore it, for the book is like a vast mansion with gardens, towers, courtyards, and wings. There are rooms yet to be entered with flaming fireplaces waiting to warm us. The rooms glimpsed so far contain further furnishings and rich detail yet to be savored, but decor dating from Eden is evident. There are panels inlaid with incredible insights, particularly insights about the great question. Yet we Church members sometimes behave like hurried tourists, scarcely venturing beyond the entry hall."
A Marvellous Work
“This purposeful planet is, in fact, a proving and testing school.”
“We can rely on the mercy of a loving God, for we are at the center of His redemptive work. Our God is surely no stranger to the successful, continuing execution of His plan of salvation, the plan of happiness. How it helps our faith, and further justifies our obedience to His wishes, to know a little about God’s larger design!”
“What the Restoration brings clearly into our view discloses a many-splendored Savior, not simply a Socrates in Samaria or a Plato in Palestine….Instead of recommending secular history, however, Jesus told us to search the scriptures, for it is they which testify of Him.”
“God sometimes calls young men to be prophets because their ways are not set in worldly traditions.”
“How wondrous and marvelous that the Savior would endure all that the Atonement involved—and for us! How helpful in building our faith in Christ, so that with His perfect example of submission we can be more adequately obedient!”
The Infinite Atonement
“Christ’s atonement is the centerpiece of human history. The Restoration scriptures both confirm the fact and amplify the information concerning this crucial reality.”
“Jesus is a fully comprehending Christ. The Atonement, then, was infinite in the divineness of the one sacrificed, in the comprehensiveness of its coverage, and in the intensiveness—incomprehensible to us—of the Savior’s suffering.”
“Thus the Atonement may reach into the universe—even as its blessings and redemptive powers reach into the small universe of each individual’s suffering. How infinite, indeed!”
“He knows, perfectly and personally, how to succor each of us in our infirmities, if only we are ‘willing to submit.’”
“We mortals sometimes experience boredom in the routine repetition of our mortal tasks, including even good works; and thus vulnerable, we are urged not to grow weary in well doing. But given God’s divine love, there is no boredom on His part and His repetitive work, for his course, though one eternal round, involves continuous redemption for His children; it is full of goodness and mercy and His long-suffering shows His love in action. In fact we cannot even comprehend the infinite blessings which await the faithful—‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard...’”
“Yet unless we are submissive enough to repent and thereafter make His will our guide and director, His suffering for us will not be fully beneficial. Therefore it is crucial for us to develop enough faith to repent, which is surely part of yielding to God’s will.”
Faith Unto Repentance
“One of the great blessings of real faith in Jesus Christ is that it gives us enough strength and courage to repent.”
“We need faith in order to initiate and to sustain better behavior.”
“His prophets—who spend time proclaiming, affirming, and building faith, trying to draw us toward real liberty and real happiness understand more than others do the Master’s lamentation ‘O Jerusalem...’”
“Messes of pottage respond to the ‘now’ in us, whereas only the submissive heart and mind sees eternity’s considerations.”
“Despite all their warnings and pleadings the prophets recognize and honor human agency as given by the God they serve....celebrated appetites of the ‘here and now’ will not survive after the resurrection....prophets urge the long view of the individual’s eternal self-interest.”
“To cease sinning is to begin living.”
“Repentance, the second principle of the gospel, follows naturally in the life of one who has faith in Jesus Christ.”
“True repentance means both turning away from bad patterns and turning to God.”
“In the absence of faith unto repentance and therefore submissiveness, there is resistance to the Spirit, to wise counsel, and to the instructive feedback which flows from life itself.”
“If we cannot endure chastening we do not yet qualify as true disciples.”
“Pride, as its core, involves a measure of self-worship, however mild.”
“Hearing, really hearing, will bring obeying. Those who are thus submissive are not content to ‘live by bread alone’ but instead live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.’”
“Our defiance of God is an expression of our ignorance, not of our individuality….disciples should be shaping their lives to become even as the Father and the Son are. It should not surprise us, therefore, that it takes faith to repent; faith not only that God lives but also that He really knows what is best for us and, in fact, that He really desires us to become like Him in order to share in His joy and happiness. A passive belief in a distant undemanding God neither stirs the soul nor changes wrong behavioral patterns. Belief in a vague ‘life force’ somewhere in space does not open the windows of the mind to the ‘truth…of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.’”
“There was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God….Unfortunately this precious additional time and opportunity often go unutilized....Real intent and real sincerity are required for real repentance....Not turning all the way to God can create a terrible trap.”
“When we are struggling to learn to love, we can have faith in God’s developmental plans for others as well as for ourselves….The more unselfish we are, the more able we are to find joy in their successes, all the while rejoicing without comparing.”
“Our capacity to be meek and lowly enough to love without requiring reciprocity is enhanced by our coming to know how much we are loved by Jesus, even when we do not return His love as we might.”
“We must heed his word sufficiently to develop faith to repent.”
“Trying to live without God in the world delivers us over to the grinding dominance of the world.”
“It would be well to accept too that in a church which oversees some of the processes of repentance, inevitably this perfect and emancipating doctrine is sometimes imperfectly administered.”
“In a church established, among other reasons, for the perfecting of the Saints—an ongoing process—it is naive to expect, and certainly unfair to demand, perfection in our peers.”
“There is no other way for us to overcome the world unless we live in the world.”
“Early repentance thus permits earlier and more extensive service. God has rich blessings which He is anxious to bestow upon us....God delights in the first signs of righteous change.”
“Patient, persistent discipleship depends upon our continued willingness to submit to Him who would guide us to that country.”
Willing to Submit
“However great human accomplishments are, they represent but a tithe of what the Lord could help us achieve on this planet if only we would be meek and lowly, submitting to Him.”
“How much more could be done with regard to poverty and disease, for example, if significant international accords could be humbly reached egos aside!”
“Submission to God, among other things, requires us to strip ourselves of our pride in order to be obedient to Him. In that process we make ourselves so much more useful in the achievement of God’s purposes among His children.”
“Certain supernal spiritual blessings seem to come only after demonstrated obedience.”
“How powerful a role our true desires play in our lives! Desire both initiates our actions and sustains us—for good or evil. If we desire wealth or power, these will tend to be the moving causes of our actions. If instead we desire spiritual things and are obedient, the promised blessings will come to us. Just as it is not possible to save an individual against his will, so blessings do not come against our wills. True discipleship is for volunteers only. Only volunteers will trust the Guide sufficiently to follow Him in the dangerous ascent which only He can lead.”
“Refining our desires is a crucial first step on the path of submissiveness.”
“Our talents are gifts from him.”
“We are servants of Him who lived His unique life as a person of ‘no reputation.’ Every obsession or preoccupation must give way in total submission. Only when we try to subdue our obsessions or preoccupations do we see how powerful they have become.”
“The more serious the work on our own imperfections, the less we are judgmental of the imperfections in others.”
“If we think we own twenty-four hours a day, we can resent any unexpected imposition on our time, feeling we own the hour or the evening that is being ‘stolen’ away from us.”
“While string to walk the same straight and narrow path as other disciples, it is unwise for us to make comparisons.”
“Having faith in Him includes faith in His purposes not only for ourselves but also for others. Only He who carried the great cross can fully compare crosses.”
“God seeks to give us tutoring experiences so that if we are submissive, we will have our own first-hand experiences to refer to in the eternities to come. We will have authentic, personal knowledge upon which to rely, not merely accurate abstractions. Since experiential learning is etched deeply into our souls, it is not easily forgotten.”
“Spiritual submissiveness is not blind faith but deliberate obedience.”
“Knowing the Lord is more than simply acknowledging that He is there. Knowing Him includes understanding His purposes and allowing for His tutorial activism as it affects us and those we love.”
“If we are submissive, we will not be as easily offended.”
“Blessed is he or she who is so loved as to be tutored!”
If Thou Endure Well
“Our capacity to love and to endure well are bound together by patience. Real faith in God includes faith in His timing, God did not, for instance, rush the Restoration, which required, among other things, adequate political and religious freedom. To have rushed would have been to crush human agency or to risk failure because of premature action. Instead, God’s plan of mercy provides, as we know, for those who lived in the darkness of pre-Restoration days, as well as for all others who had no opportunity to receive the gospel in mortality.”
“Hence we are not merely to exist to the end. Rather, we are to persist ‘in following the example of the Son of the living God.’”
“Enduring well involves all of life’s seasons, not just one.”
“There have been and will be times in each of our lives when such faith must be the bottom line: We don’t know what is happening to us or around us, but we know that God loves us, and knowing that, for the moment is enough.”
“‘But if not’ (Daniel 3:17-18)....
‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)....
‘Be still and know that [he is] God’ (Psalms 46:10)”
“Though we can endure being abused, can we endure being underwhelmed, unused and unsung? Can we endure almost uninterrupted unresponsiveness?”
“While enduring is more than simply waiting, it includes waiting. But even waiting can be used to facilitate our becoming more like Jesus. Therefore, we should be ‘anxiously engaged,’ even when it seems to us we are doing no more than waiting. Thus we can be about our Father’s business even when it seems for the moment that we are overcome by ordinariness and routine. Our enduring is easier if we see it as a part of God’s unfolding.”
“Meanwhile, mortality involves teeth to be brushed, beds to be made, cars to be repaired, diapers to be changed, groceries to be bought—such an endless array of mundane matters. In the midst of these, however, is the real business of living—a friendship to be formed, a marriage to be mended, a child to be encouraged, a truth to be driven home, an apology to be made, a Christian attribute to be further developed.”
“Spiritual staying power requires strength—strength to be achieved by feasting upon the gospel of Jesus Christ regularly, deeply, and perceptively. If we go unnourished by the gospel feast which God has generously spread before us, we will be vulnerable instead of durable.”
“Submission, after all, is the ultimate adoration.”
The Mysteries of the Kingdom
“There are special truths, therefore, which cannot be learned by logic; they must come from divine revelation.”
“Depending upon our purity, our receptivity, and our desire for such knowledge, we too can come ‘to know the mysteries of God...in full.’”
“We are to keep his commandments in order to receive the unfolding mysteries of the kingdom.”
“While the temple is a place of service, work done there is not a substitute for Christian service in the outside world. It can be a powerful spur thereto, however, by reminding us of the need for sacrifice—not the giving of just our means but also of ourselves. Temple attendance is not a guarantee that we will become better, but it provides a powerful and pointed invitation to become better.”
“Temple work is not an escape from the world but a reinforcing of our need to better the world while preparing ourselves for another and far better world. Thus, being in the Lord’s house can help us to be different from the world in order to make more difference in the world.”
“Temple work builds within us a spirit of gratitude for our past blessings even while preparing us to receive further blessings now and in the future.”
“The work we do is for those who are ‘splendid strangers’—but strangers only for now. Individuals who do the work for those ‘splendid strangers now in the spirit world will become their true and everlasting friends.’”
There are so many wonderful quotes in this book, and much to come back to and study:
As Obedient Children
"Spiritual submissiveness, a freely given obedience to God's purposes, is neither docility nor ignorant compliance."
"This partnership with God, among other things, requires us to develop enough faith to repent and enough submissiveness to make and keep covenants, including temple covenants."
"We submit to God because He is God. We may safely and rationally do so because He is perfect--perfect in the attributes of love, mercy, justice, knowledge, patience, and so on....Even though He is God, is each of us really willing to yield to His perfect love and omniscience?"
"Our discipleship is patterned after that of the Master."
"Indeed, some trials come directly from God or with His assent."
"For true believers, then, life is a process of getting grounded spiritually: 'Settle this in your hearts, that you will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.'"
"We cannot plan our lives wisely unless we know about Heavenly Father's plan, including His commitment to the agency of His children. when we understand the plan, we can pursue participative and intelligent discipleship in the context of our inherent right to choose."
"Obedience to God is really what makes the flowering of the full self possible."
"Spiritual submissiveness includes our acceptance of the ups and downs of life."
"It takes faith, too, and obedience, to conquer selfishness....a form of self-worship."
"So often in life, it seems, a blessing is quickly succeeded by a stretching."
Whatever the reasons, the Lord hastens us forward--submissively on to the next work to be done."
"Spiritual submissiveness brings about the wiser use of our time, talents, and gifts as compared with our laboring diligently but conditionally to establish our own righteousness instead of the Lord's."
"Giving place in our souls and in our schedules, making room for God's words and work, requires intellectual submissiveness."
The Great Question
"Thankful remembrance, a submissive recognition of our dependence on the Lord, is an especially rich and repetitive theme in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon." (See Moroni 10:3, 2 Nephi 1:1.)
"The detailed correlation of all scripture in its testimony of Jesus Christ is marvelous to behold."
"For believers, however, the great answers to the great questions repeatedly focus us on the reality of the 'great and last sacrifice,' for 'this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal."
"Because the editing of the Book of Mormon, with its witnessing gospel of hope, occurred under divine direction, it has a focus which is essentially spiritual."
"One reason to 'search the scriptures' is to discover these luxuriant meadows of meaning, these green pastures that can nourish us in our individual times of need."
"Real faith, like real humility, is developed 'because of the word,' and not because of surrounding circumstances."
"Without real faith and its attendant submissiveness, people sooner or later find one thing or another to stumble over."
"Thus the Book of Mormon will be with us 'as long as the earth shall stand.' We need all that time to explore it, for the book is like a vast mansion with gardens, towers, courtyards, and wings. There are rooms yet to be entered with flaming fireplaces waiting to warm us. The rooms glimpsed so far contain further furnishings and rich detail yet to be savored, but decor dating from Eden is evident. There are panels inlaid with incredible insights, particularly insights about the great question. Yet we Church members sometimes behave like hurried tourists, scarcely venturing beyond the entry hall."
A Marvellous Work
“This purposeful planet is, in fact, a proving and testing school.”
“We can rely on the mercy of a loving God, for we are at the center of His redemptive work. Our God is surely no stranger to the successful, continuing execution of His plan of salvation, the plan of happiness. How it helps our faith, and further justifies our obedience to His wishes, to know a little about God’s larger design!”
“What the Restoration brings clearly into our view discloses a many-splendored Savior, not simply a Socrates in Samaria or a Plato in Palestine….Instead of recommending secular history, however, Jesus told us to search the scriptures, for it is they which testify of Him.”
“God sometimes calls young men to be prophets because their ways are not set in worldly traditions.”
“How wondrous and marvelous that the Savior would endure all that the Atonement involved—and for us! How helpful in building our faith in Christ, so that with His perfect example of submission we can be more adequately obedient!”
The Infinite Atonement
“Christ’s atonement is the centerpiece of human history. The Restoration scriptures both confirm the fact and amplify the information concerning this crucial reality.”
“Jesus is a fully comprehending Christ. The Atonement, then, was infinite in the divineness of the one sacrificed, in the comprehensiveness of its coverage, and in the intensiveness—incomprehensible to us—of the Savior’s suffering.”
“Thus the Atonement may reach into the universe—even as its blessings and redemptive powers reach into the small universe of each individual’s suffering. How infinite, indeed!”
“He knows, perfectly and personally, how to succor each of us in our infirmities, if only we are ‘willing to submit.’”
“We mortals sometimes experience boredom in the routine repetition of our mortal tasks, including even good works; and thus vulnerable, we are urged not to grow weary in well doing. But given God’s divine love, there is no boredom on His part and His repetitive work, for his course, though one eternal round, involves continuous redemption for His children; it is full of goodness and mercy and His long-suffering shows His love in action. In fact we cannot even comprehend the infinite blessings which await the faithful—‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard...’”
“Yet unless we are submissive enough to repent and thereafter make His will our guide and director, His suffering for us will not be fully beneficial. Therefore it is crucial for us to develop enough faith to repent, which is surely part of yielding to God’s will.”
Faith Unto Repentance
“One of the great blessings of real faith in Jesus Christ is that it gives us enough strength and courage to repent.”
“We need faith in order to initiate and to sustain better behavior.”
“His prophets—who spend time proclaiming, affirming, and building faith, trying to draw us toward real liberty and real happiness understand more than others do the Master’s lamentation ‘O Jerusalem...’”
“Messes of pottage respond to the ‘now’ in us, whereas only the submissive heart and mind sees eternity’s considerations.”
“Despite all their warnings and pleadings the prophets recognize and honor human agency as given by the God they serve....celebrated appetites of the ‘here and now’ will not survive after the resurrection....prophets urge the long view of the individual’s eternal self-interest.”
“To cease sinning is to begin living.”
“Repentance, the second principle of the gospel, follows naturally in the life of one who has faith in Jesus Christ.”
“True repentance means both turning away from bad patterns and turning to God.”
“In the absence of faith unto repentance and therefore submissiveness, there is resistance to the Spirit, to wise counsel, and to the instructive feedback which flows from life itself.”
“If we cannot endure chastening we do not yet qualify as true disciples.”
“Pride, as its core, involves a measure of self-worship, however mild.”
“Hearing, really hearing, will bring obeying. Those who are thus submissive are not content to ‘live by bread alone’ but instead live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.’”
“Our defiance of God is an expression of our ignorance, not of our individuality….disciples should be shaping their lives to become even as the Father and the Son are. It should not surprise us, therefore, that it takes faith to repent; faith not only that God lives but also that He really knows what is best for us and, in fact, that He really desires us to become like Him in order to share in His joy and happiness. A passive belief in a distant undemanding God neither stirs the soul nor changes wrong behavioral patterns. Belief in a vague ‘life force’ somewhere in space does not open the windows of the mind to the ‘truth…of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.’”
“There was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God….Unfortunately this precious additional time and opportunity often go unutilized....Real intent and real sincerity are required for real repentance....Not turning all the way to God can create a terrible trap.”
“When we are struggling to learn to love, we can have faith in God’s developmental plans for others as well as for ourselves….The more unselfish we are, the more able we are to find joy in their successes, all the while rejoicing without comparing.”
“Our capacity to be meek and lowly enough to love without requiring reciprocity is enhanced by our coming to know how much we are loved by Jesus, even when we do not return His love as we might.”
“We must heed his word sufficiently to develop faith to repent.”
“Trying to live without God in the world delivers us over to the grinding dominance of the world.”
“It would be well to accept too that in a church which oversees some of the processes of repentance, inevitably this perfect and emancipating doctrine is sometimes imperfectly administered.”
“In a church established, among other reasons, for the perfecting of the Saints—an ongoing process—it is naive to expect, and certainly unfair to demand, perfection in our peers.”
“There is no other way for us to overcome the world unless we live in the world.”
“Early repentance thus permits earlier and more extensive service. God has rich blessings which He is anxious to bestow upon us....God delights in the first signs of righteous change.”
“Patient, persistent discipleship depends upon our continued willingness to submit to Him who would guide us to that country.”
Willing to Submit
“However great human accomplishments are, they represent but a tithe of what the Lord could help us achieve on this planet if only we would be meek and lowly, submitting to Him.”
“How much more could be done with regard to poverty and disease, for example, if significant international accords could be humbly reached egos aside!”
“Submission to God, among other things, requires us to strip ourselves of our pride in order to be obedient to Him. In that process we make ourselves so much more useful in the achievement of God’s purposes among His children.”
“Certain supernal spiritual blessings seem to come only after demonstrated obedience.”
“How powerful a role our true desires play in our lives! Desire both initiates our actions and sustains us—for good or evil. If we desire wealth or power, these will tend to be the moving causes of our actions. If instead we desire spiritual things and are obedient, the promised blessings will come to us. Just as it is not possible to save an individual against his will, so blessings do not come against our wills. True discipleship is for volunteers only. Only volunteers will trust the Guide sufficiently to follow Him in the dangerous ascent which only He can lead.”
“Refining our desires is a crucial first step on the path of submissiveness.”
“Our talents are gifts from him.”
“We are servants of Him who lived His unique life as a person of ‘no reputation.’ Every obsession or preoccupation must give way in total submission. Only when we try to subdue our obsessions or preoccupations do we see how powerful they have become.”
“The more serious the work on our own imperfections, the less we are judgmental of the imperfections in others.”
“If we think we own twenty-four hours a day, we can resent any unexpected imposition on our time, feeling we own the hour or the evening that is being ‘stolen’ away from us.”
“While string to walk the same straight and narrow path as other disciples, it is unwise for us to make comparisons.”
“Having faith in Him includes faith in His purposes not only for ourselves but also for others. Only He who carried the great cross can fully compare crosses.”
“God seeks to give us tutoring experiences so that if we are submissive, we will have our own first-hand experiences to refer to in the eternities to come. We will have authentic, personal knowledge upon which to rely, not merely accurate abstractions. Since experiential learning is etched deeply into our souls, it is not easily forgotten.”
“Spiritual submissiveness is not blind faith but deliberate obedience.”
“Knowing the Lord is more than simply acknowledging that He is there. Knowing Him includes understanding His purposes and allowing for His tutorial activism as it affects us and those we love.”
“If we are submissive, we will not be as easily offended.”
“Blessed is he or she who is so loved as to be tutored!”
If Thou Endure Well
“Our capacity to love and to endure well are bound together by patience. Real faith in God includes faith in His timing, God did not, for instance, rush the Restoration, which required, among other things, adequate political and religious freedom. To have rushed would have been to crush human agency or to risk failure because of premature action. Instead, God’s plan of mercy provides, as we know, for those who lived in the darkness of pre-Restoration days, as well as for all others who had no opportunity to receive the gospel in mortality.”
“Hence we are not merely to exist to the end. Rather, we are to persist ‘in following the example of the Son of the living God.’”
“Enduring well involves all of life’s seasons, not just one.”
“There have been and will be times in each of our lives when such faith must be the bottom line: We don’t know what is happening to us or around us, but we know that God loves us, and knowing that, for the moment is enough.”
“‘But if not’ (Daniel 3:17-18)....
‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)....
‘Be still and know that [he is] God’ (Psalms 46:10)”
“Though we can endure being abused, can we endure being underwhelmed, unused and unsung? Can we endure almost uninterrupted unresponsiveness?”
“While enduring is more than simply waiting, it includes waiting. But even waiting can be used to facilitate our becoming more like Jesus. Therefore, we should be ‘anxiously engaged,’ even when it seems to us we are doing no more than waiting. Thus we can be about our Father’s business even when it seems for the moment that we are overcome by ordinariness and routine. Our enduring is easier if we see it as a part of God’s unfolding.”
“Meanwhile, mortality involves teeth to be brushed, beds to be made, cars to be repaired, diapers to be changed, groceries to be bought—such an endless array of mundane matters. In the midst of these, however, is the real business of living—a friendship to be formed, a marriage to be mended, a child to be encouraged, a truth to be driven home, an apology to be made, a Christian attribute to be further developed.”
“Spiritual staying power requires strength—strength to be achieved by feasting upon the gospel of Jesus Christ regularly, deeply, and perceptively. If we go unnourished by the gospel feast which God has generously spread before us, we will be vulnerable instead of durable.”
“Submission, after all, is the ultimate adoration.”
The Mysteries of the Kingdom
“There are special truths, therefore, which cannot be learned by logic; they must come from divine revelation.”
“Depending upon our purity, our receptivity, and our desire for such knowledge, we too can come ‘to know the mysteries of God...in full.’”
“We are to keep his commandments in order to receive the unfolding mysteries of the kingdom.”
“While the temple is a place of service, work done there is not a substitute for Christian service in the outside world. It can be a powerful spur thereto, however, by reminding us of the need for sacrifice—not the giving of just our means but also of ourselves. Temple attendance is not a guarantee that we will become better, but it provides a powerful and pointed invitation to become better.”
“Temple work is not an escape from the world but a reinforcing of our need to better the world while preparing ourselves for another and far better world. Thus, being in the Lord’s house can help us to be different from the world in order to make more difference in the world.”
“Temple work builds within us a spirit of gratitude for our past blessings even while preparing us to receive further blessings now and in the future.”
“The work we do is for those who are ‘splendid strangers’—but strangers only for now. Individuals who do the work for those ‘splendid strangers now in the spirit world will become their true and everlasting friends.’”
November 12, 2022
The ability of Elder Neal A. Maxwell to make one deeply ponder the Gospel principles and relate them to his/her life is incredible. His instruction and the context of the things he writes are presented so illustratively, and the Scriptures he quotes flow perfectly with his narrative. While reading the book, I rarely came across a vague sentence that I didn't find relatable to my life. Answers the question of how submitting our lives to God can help people live more meaningful lives. After reading and pondering the book, I definitely felt a need to be more submissive. He explains the fundamental principles of everything he writes about before being more specific, and makes sure the reader is well informed about the topic. He doesn't focus on being persuasive, but his eloquent and expressive language, that transmits the message so fluently, prompted me to act and be a better disciple of Christ.
December 19, 2018
Elder Maxwell is amazing. I don’t know how he comes up with the gospel parallels that he does. He literally speaks in scriptures. Read one of his books and you’ll see what I mean. This book is only 145 pages but it took me a while to get through it because I have to read each paragraph 3 times. He is so full of gospel idioms, puns, jargon and cross references that you’ll get lost if you’re not paying attention. If you are following what he’s saying then you’ll be taken for the wildest ride of spiritual epiphanies you’ve ever experienced. So good.
December 19, 2023
Here’s the thing- the wisdom that Elder maxwell imparts is 5/5.
But judging it as an actual book, and not just the content? Agh.
the layout of this book was ROUGH for me. It seems very disjointed and it was edited very poorly - so a lot of rambling so you couldn’t remember where you started.
Brilliant doctrine? Absolutely?
But filled with spelling mistakes, run on sentences and poor formatting - I just didn’t enjoy reading it.
I learned a lot, and again, loved the doctrine. But struggled with the book all in all.
But judging it as an actual book, and not just the content? Agh.
the layout of this book was ROUGH for me. It seems very disjointed and it was edited very poorly - so a lot of rambling so you couldn’t remember where you started.
Brilliant doctrine? Absolutely?
But filled with spelling mistakes, run on sentences and poor formatting - I just didn’t enjoy reading it.
I learned a lot, and again, loved the doctrine. But struggled with the book all in all.
June 13, 2025
Neal A. Maxwell is definitely not for the weak of heart. I appreciate his deep, thoughtful work. This book can read a little academic at times, and, if you're unfamiliar with scripture, you may miss out on some of the connections. Even with my general familiarity with scriptures, there were plenty of quick references that eluded me. My favorite chapter was Chapter 7, "If thou Endure it Well."
Definitely worth a read, but be prepared to take it slow.
Definitely worth a read, but be prepared to take it slow.
July 26, 2020
Elder Maxwell does not write for the uninitiated. If you are not well versed in the scriptures you will miss many of his references.
I enjoyed this book the more I read of it with chapters 6, 7 and especially 8 being the most interesting. Endure to the End for the best part.
I enjoyed this book the more I read of it with chapters 6, 7 and especially 8 being the most interesting. Endure to the End for the best part.
November 19, 2017
Elder Maxwell is freaking amazing
January 22, 2018
This book was so rich with ideas and quotes that I will likely read it again.
July 28, 2019
Foundational.
July 7, 2020
I love all of Maxwell's books. His overall theme of submitting ourselves to the Lord in all things touches my soul. And he writes it all so poetically.
July 21, 2020
Elder Maxwell was such an inspired man. I loved this book, which was full of so much teaching, inspiration, and deep insight.
November 22, 2020
Neal A Maxwell is always great, though this wasn't my favorite one.
August 4, 2022
Elder Maxwell has a tremendous command of the English language. He makes doctrinal comments that are quite memorable.
December 8, 2024
Deep. Rewarding. Enlightening. Refreshing. Pure Neal Maxwell.
March 16, 2025
Neal A. Maxwell is a poet. I love learning about the topic of submission. It's a hard concept....to lay down your agency to the God who gave it to you.
Lent 2025
Lent 2025
November 26, 2025
Libby. What we need to do to live with our Heavenly Father.
August 17, 2017
This is an incredible book about what it means to really accept God’s will in our lives. This is one of my favorite books on religion that I’ve ever read and it really touched me and taught me a lot. It is a poignant look into what humility means and what it means to trust in the plan that God has for each of us.
UPDATE: I sat down and reread this book, and I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't as great this time around. Neal A. Maxwell has a captivating way of describing things, and his writing is better than many of these types of books, but I found the book itself a bit rambling. He spends a lot of time talking about the Restoration and various other aspects of the gospel; though he eventually ties a lot of that stuff into the topic of spiritual submission (and sometimes in a vague way), that it felt like most of the book wasn't focused on the actual point--patience and submission to God's will.
This is still a wonderful book, and it was still helpful to read, but not quite as good as I remember it being.
UPDATE: I sat down and reread this book, and I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't as great this time around. Neal A. Maxwell has a captivating way of describing things, and his writing is better than many of these types of books, but I found the book itself a bit rambling. He spends a lot of time talking about the Restoration and various other aspects of the gospel; though he eventually ties a lot of that stuff into the topic of spiritual submission (and sometimes in a vague way), that it felt like most of the book wasn't focused on the actual point--patience and submission to God's will.
This is still a wonderful book, and it was still helpful to read, but not quite as good as I remember it being.
October 23, 2012
Reading this, I could hear Elder Maxwell speaking and it was comforting. I love how he knew the scriptures so well that his speaking weaves quoted pieces of the scriptures seamlessly with his own words.
This book came at a serendipitous time. I love when many pieces come at once to form the puzzle you have been trying to figure out for years. His writing is much like his speech, eloquent and deep. This is not for someone looking for a light read. That being said, it was much easier for me than, say, Talmadge. The entire book is on how and why we must submit. The Atonement being the main theme running though the entire book. This book was tender for me. I look forward to reading more of his books.
July 22, 2011
I love the way Elder Maxwell expresses/expressed himself; not to say I always understand what he is saying. But when I do, I feel like pure knowledge is flowing into me. I have those great "ah-ha" moments that inspire me. I always learn about something I am not doing or something that I need to change so that I can be a better disciple of the Lord. This book was just another great opportunity for me to be taught by a man who worked with all his might to submit himself to the Lord and then help the rest of us figure out how to do it, too. It was an amazing book to me because I was taught by the Holy Ghost...now it's up to me to put what I was taught into action.
March 21, 2014
Elder Maxwell stresses the purposes of our mortal existence, the most important of which is to seek and do the will of our Heavenly Father. At times, we stumble and we must repent. We must submit with a willing heart and because we want to please our Heavenly Father and become like him. Often we must endure, but He is always at our side ready to comfort and assist us. Through the process of submitting and enduring, we experience tremendous growth. Our ability to submit and endure is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
March 12, 2012
I've been thinking a lot about religious authenticity - namely one's level of commitment to their religion - of late, and this book weighs in heavily on this topic. I found the doctrines and they way they are presented herein very refreshing and reinvigorating. Maxwell has a very unique style, which I know rubs some people the wrong way, but I very much enjoy it. I wouldn't say this is an absolute "must read", but I recommend it to anyone who is searching for deeper understanding of what it takes to become a true disciple of Christ.
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