“Praise of the World”
Whenever men of any age value the approval of their fellows more than the approbation of their God, they forfeit the reward that might have been theirs. “Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?” The revealed answer comes: “Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson-that the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” (D&C 121:34-36.) President Joseph F. Smith warned against three great dangers which the Saints of God must encounter: false educational ideas, sexual impurity, and the flattery of prominent men (see Gospel Doctrine, p. 313). To those who seek the applause of mortals, the words of the master are clear and poignant: “They have their reward” (Matthew 6:5).
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