The Holy Spirit of Promise Posted: 25 Sep 2008
"The Holy Spirit of Promise is the ratifying power of the Holy Ghost. When sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, an ordinance, vow, or covenant is binding on earth and in heaven. (See D&C 132:7.) Receiving this 'stamp of approval' from the Holy Ghost is the result of faithfulness, integrity, and steadfastness in honoring gospel covenants 'in [the] process of time' (Moses: 7:21). However, this sealing can be forfeited through unrighteousness and transgression."Purifying and sealing by the Holy Spirit of Promise constitute the culminating steps in the process of being born again.
"David A. Bednar, "Ye Must Be Born Again," Ensign, May 2007, 22
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
SEEKING PEACE: The Book Chapter Two
I am called to Him, to Father. I understand it is my time to learn what I am to do while on earth. There are so many of us, brothers & sisters, and yet He talks to each one of us privately. I treasure my alone time with Father. Time will be introduced soon to me. We see all our life at once here, not chronologically as we will on earth. I wonder how it will feel to have precious time with those I love passing, moving more and more quickly. Father gently and solemnly puts His powerful hands on my shoulders (huh…as my earthly grandfather will one day). He tenderly and lovingly looks into my eyes. He is ready to show me what is to come as well as what may come if I live up to the many challenges. To my intense surprise, I shudder as I watch my life flooding into my view. Before entering this grand and beautiful room, I had discussed with some of my closest brothers and sisters our various, anticipated assignments. We all believed assuredly we would be ready, up to the task, and able to fulfill all that will be required of us. As I begin to comprehend my mission, I begin to question my ability. I look fearfully into my Father's eyes. He communicates instantly all the knowledge I will require to complete my assignment on earth. I smile as I understand I must succeed. I must not fail. I have an important work to do. If I do not accomplish all that I am sent to do, my life would have been a waste at His, my Savior's second coming. I feel at peace about accepting my assignment. "I can do it, Father", I hear myself say. I will do it. I am confident, ready to face any challenge. I leave Him, knowing I will not see Him again until I have finished my work upon the earth. I turn one last time to gaze upon His glorious face, His soft & able countenance. He smiles back at me & I hear in my mind His reassuring words, "You have an important work to do, but you will never be alone." I somehow know that to be true.
(I WILL BE ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION)
I am now almost 100 in earth years. I lived much longer in the first estate, but I feel my age here. I have many memories and experiences that fill my mind. I have anguished here. I have plead many times for guidance, help, and rescue. I have asked many times that the cup pass from my lips. I have felt again and again unable to complete the task for which I was sent. I have known always that I had an important work to do. I also have known I was never alone, even in my darkest moments. I have cried, begged, and gazed heavenward for relief. I had not received the rescue I had envisioned, but I have felt each time that I was not alone. I longed to hear a voice, His voice, my Heavenly Father’s voice to speak to me. Sometimes I think I have heard it, but not with my earthly ears, but rather with my spiritual ears. I have felt moments of peace, which was fleeting in my younger years, but has been my constant companion for over half my earth life. Regardless, I often felt anxious, uneasy, tormented, misunderstood, useless, helpless, worthless, insignificant, inconsequential, and ignorable. I am wondering if I have fulfilled my purpose yet. I do not remember my exact assignment as the veil covered my view of the last time I spoke with Heavenly Father. I feel sure I did not feel equal to the task. I did not feel ready, but I felt something inside of me, a divine inner nature, that spurred me on again and again. I needed to accomplish this task for which I was sent. I pushed forward though it was extremely difficult at times. A crucial part of doing so involved going someplace holy and separate from the world to clear my mind of all distractions and to gain access to what is buried deep inside of me. I sought to find the peace that already existed there. I sought pure knowledge and truth in quiet moments. I grasped at the perfect idea that I was and am truth & light. I am intelligence. I had the power to find it within myself. I needed to fulfill my purpose and allow others to do the same. The question that will be posed to me very soon is "Hast thou fulfilled and magnified your second estate?" How will I answer?
(I WILL BE ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION)
I am now almost 100 in earth years. I lived much longer in the first estate, but I feel my age here. I have many memories and experiences that fill my mind. I have anguished here. I have plead many times for guidance, help, and rescue. I have asked many times that the cup pass from my lips. I have felt again and again unable to complete the task for which I was sent. I have known always that I had an important work to do. I also have known I was never alone, even in my darkest moments. I have cried, begged, and gazed heavenward for relief. I had not received the rescue I had envisioned, but I have felt each time that I was not alone. I longed to hear a voice, His voice, my Heavenly Father’s voice to speak to me. Sometimes I think I have heard it, but not with my earthly ears, but rather with my spiritual ears. I have felt moments of peace, which was fleeting in my younger years, but has been my constant companion for over half my earth life. Regardless, I often felt anxious, uneasy, tormented, misunderstood, useless, helpless, worthless, insignificant, inconsequential, and ignorable. I am wondering if I have fulfilled my purpose yet. I do not remember my exact assignment as the veil covered my view of the last time I spoke with Heavenly Father. I feel sure I did not feel equal to the task. I did not feel ready, but I felt something inside of me, a divine inner nature, that spurred me on again and again. I needed to accomplish this task for which I was sent. I pushed forward though it was extremely difficult at times. A crucial part of doing so involved going someplace holy and separate from the world to clear my mind of all distractions and to gain access to what is buried deep inside of me. I sought to find the peace that already existed there. I sought pure knowledge and truth in quiet moments. I grasped at the perfect idea that I was and am truth & light. I am intelligence. I had the power to find it within myself. I needed to fulfill my purpose and allow others to do the same. The question that will be posed to me very soon is "Hast thou fulfilled and magnified your second estate?" How will I answer?
Several of my favorite saved emails
Subject: Words Women Use
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks this will cause you to have one of those arguments.
FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade.
NOTHING
This means "something", and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with "Fine"
GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine"
GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows)This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care" You will get a "Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"
SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.
THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow.
GO AHEAD
At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.
PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay"
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.
THANKS A LOT
This is much different from "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh." Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh," as she will only tell you "Nothing"
Send this to the men you know to warn them about future arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology. And send it to your women friends to give them a good laugh!
Second One:
Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this," or "Why did God have to do this to me." Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!" "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. If you like, send this on to the people you really care about. I did.
I hope your day is a "piece of cake."
Third One:
Subject: SATANS TRAP
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church." "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing thetruth." "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior." "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken." "So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ." "This is what I want you to do", said the devil: "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.""Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow." "Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.""Keep them from spending time with their children." "As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!" "Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice.""Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." "To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly." "This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.""Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers." "Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day." "Invade their driving moments with billboards." "Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.""Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives." "Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." "Give them headaches too!" "If they don't givetheir husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere." "That will fragment their families quickly!""Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas." "Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death." "Even in their recreation, let them be excessive." "Have them return from their recreation exhausted." "Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation." "Send them to amusement parks, sporting events plays, concerts, and movies instead." "Keep them busy,busy, busy!" "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences.""Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus." "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.""It will work!" "It will work!"It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little timefor their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?
You be the judge! Does "busy" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks this will cause you to have one of those arguments.
FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade.
NOTHING
This means "something", and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with "Fine"
GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine"
GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows)This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care" You will get a "Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"
SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.
THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow.
GO AHEAD
At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.
PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay"
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.
THANKS A LOT
This is much different from "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh." Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh," as she will only tell you "Nothing"
Send this to the men you know to warn them about future arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology. And send it to your women friends to give them a good laugh!
Second One:
Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this," or "Why did God have to do this to me." Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!" "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. If you like, send this on to the people you really care about. I did.
I hope your day is a "piece of cake."
Third One:
Subject: SATANS TRAP
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church." "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing thetruth." "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior." "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken." "So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ." "This is what I want you to do", said the devil: "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.""Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow." "Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.""Keep them from spending time with their children." "As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!" "Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice.""Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." "To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly." "This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.""Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers." "Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day." "Invade their driving moments with billboards." "Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.""Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives." "Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." "Give them headaches too!" "If they don't givetheir husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere." "That will fragment their families quickly!""Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas." "Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death." "Even in their recreation, let them be excessive." "Have them return from their recreation exhausted." "Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation." "Send them to amusement parks, sporting events plays, concerts, and movies instead." "Keep them busy,busy, busy!" "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences.""Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus." "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.""It will work!" "It will work!"It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little timefor their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?
You be the judge! Does "busy" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?
WHY I GO TO CHURCH
This was sent to me from a friend through email. I thought whoever wrote this was inside my brain when he or she did it. So I say ditto to the following:
http://www.2ofus4now.org/Article.asp?ArticleID=444Why I Go To Church
I go because I made covenants with my Heavenly Father to keep the commandments, and to consecrate myself to the church. I have the opportunity to repent and renew my covenants every week by taking the sacrament. Of all people, I certainly need that each week!
I go because I want to be worthy to attend the temple. I can't imagine going through my trials without having access to the temple. Also, if I have an eternal marriage I have access to an eternal posterity and potential, which gives dimension and depth to our earthly marriage. An eternal perspective makes earthly problems less heavy.
I go because I have received the gift of the Holy Ghost as my constant companion, and I don't want to lose that gift. I can't afford to lose that source of guidance and comfort when dealing with such a significant trial as this. I go because the church is for everyone. Jesus said that. The prophets have said that. I believe them. I'm not going to let an imperfect person in the ward make me believe differently.
I go because President Monson said the church needs each of its members. That means the church needs me. The Lord needs me. The members of our ward need me. Just think if Sheri Dew decided it wasn't worth dealing with the pain of being a single person at church every week! What if Ardeth Kapp decided it just wasn't worth going because it was too hard to deal with our differences?
I go because I have come to realize that everyone comes with something lacking. The person sitting next to me might have children, but maybe her marriage is in trouble. Or her husband just lost his job. Or her mother is terminally ill. Or she was abused as a child. Or her oldest child is rebellious. Or her youngest child has a serious health problem. Or she is struggling to make a blended family work. Or she is trying to overcome a personal weakness that only she knows about. Or she is suffering from post-partum depression and is too embarrassed to tell anyone about it. Or she is overwhelmed and thinks everyone else can do it all. Who knows? We shouldn't assume that everyone else has a perfect life and we are the only ones who got shortchanged. Instead, what if we approached each other with a desire to understand and serve one another?
I go because it is my responsibility to make friends in the ward, and not to wait for others to approach me. I will never forget the woman who spoke in church years ago about coming to a new ward for the first time and thinking it was SO unfriendly. She sat between two women, neither of whom even said 'hello' to her. As it turned out, one was a first-time visitor to the church, and the other was also a new member. Suddenly she realized that she should have been the one to reach out.
I go, even if someone is offensive toward me. With offensive behavior, it is always better to receive than to give. The problem lies with the offender, not the offendee. Why should I let someone else's lack of charity cause me to deprive myself of needed blessings?
I go because it is an opportunity to help us all learn about one another in a positive way. The more I have done that, the more support and understanding I have had from those around me. I go because I am a unique individual who may be uniquely able to touch the life of someone else who is there. We never know who will be affected by our testimonies, shared in a way that only we can.
I go because I am thankful for what I have. The gospel is something that not everyone has in their lives. No, I don't have everything I want, but I do have much to be thankful for, including the gospel in my life. If I don't receive that gift with gratitude and enthusiasm, how can I ask for other precious gifts from the Lord?
I go because I believe in the parable of the talents. Maybe I didn't get the same talents as the person next to me, but that doesn't mean I should bury mine in the ground. I want to use the life I have been given in the most meaningful way possible, so that I fill the measure of my creation. I go because I want my children to go. I want to build habits that will make me the best parent possible.
I go because my eternal salvation is between me and the Lord. I love Heavenly Father and I trust him to take care of my needs. He has asked me to participate in his church, and I told him I would. It's not about going and socializing with people. It's not about being the most popular person in the ward. It's about my personal relationship with Heavenly Father, and my personal statement of love and trust in him by trying to do what has been asked of me.
I go because I know that my trials will not last forever, but my spirit will. Therefore, which should I focus on and nurture? For those who struggle with this, again, please do not take this as criticism or condemnation or 'holier than thou' speech. I realize that I do not walk in your shoes. This is simply my personal testimony of why choosing activity in the church is so important to me. Many of us have heavy burdens, and I hope that everyone will find their own way to lighten their burdens through the blessings offered by the gospel.
http://www.2ofus4now.org/Article.asp?ArticleID=444Why I Go To Church
I go because I made covenants with my Heavenly Father to keep the commandments, and to consecrate myself to the church. I have the opportunity to repent and renew my covenants every week by taking the sacrament. Of all people, I certainly need that each week!
I go because I want to be worthy to attend the temple. I can't imagine going through my trials without having access to the temple. Also, if I have an eternal marriage I have access to an eternal posterity and potential, which gives dimension and depth to our earthly marriage. An eternal perspective makes earthly problems less heavy.
I go because I have received the gift of the Holy Ghost as my constant companion, and I don't want to lose that gift. I can't afford to lose that source of guidance and comfort when dealing with such a significant trial as this. I go because the church is for everyone. Jesus said that. The prophets have said that. I believe them. I'm not going to let an imperfect person in the ward make me believe differently.
I go because President Monson said the church needs each of its members. That means the church needs me. The Lord needs me. The members of our ward need me. Just think if Sheri Dew decided it wasn't worth dealing with the pain of being a single person at church every week! What if Ardeth Kapp decided it just wasn't worth going because it was too hard to deal with our differences?
I go because I have come to realize that everyone comes with something lacking. The person sitting next to me might have children, but maybe her marriage is in trouble. Or her husband just lost his job. Or her mother is terminally ill. Or she was abused as a child. Or her oldest child is rebellious. Or her youngest child has a serious health problem. Or she is struggling to make a blended family work. Or she is trying to overcome a personal weakness that only she knows about. Or she is suffering from post-partum depression and is too embarrassed to tell anyone about it. Or she is overwhelmed and thinks everyone else can do it all. Who knows? We shouldn't assume that everyone else has a perfect life and we are the only ones who got shortchanged. Instead, what if we approached each other with a desire to understand and serve one another?
I go because it is my responsibility to make friends in the ward, and not to wait for others to approach me. I will never forget the woman who spoke in church years ago about coming to a new ward for the first time and thinking it was SO unfriendly. She sat between two women, neither of whom even said 'hello' to her. As it turned out, one was a first-time visitor to the church, and the other was also a new member. Suddenly she realized that she should have been the one to reach out.
I go, even if someone is offensive toward me. With offensive behavior, it is always better to receive than to give. The problem lies with the offender, not the offendee. Why should I let someone else's lack of charity cause me to deprive myself of needed blessings?
I go because it is an opportunity to help us all learn about one another in a positive way. The more I have done that, the more support and understanding I have had from those around me. I go because I am a unique individual who may be uniquely able to touch the life of someone else who is there. We never know who will be affected by our testimonies, shared in a way that only we can.
I go because I am thankful for what I have. The gospel is something that not everyone has in their lives. No, I don't have everything I want, but I do have much to be thankful for, including the gospel in my life. If I don't receive that gift with gratitude and enthusiasm, how can I ask for other precious gifts from the Lord?
I go because I believe in the parable of the talents. Maybe I didn't get the same talents as the person next to me, but that doesn't mean I should bury mine in the ground. I want to use the life I have been given in the most meaningful way possible, so that I fill the measure of my creation. I go because I want my children to go. I want to build habits that will make me the best parent possible.
I go because my eternal salvation is between me and the Lord. I love Heavenly Father and I trust him to take care of my needs. He has asked me to participate in his church, and I told him I would. It's not about going and socializing with people. It's not about being the most popular person in the ward. It's about my personal relationship with Heavenly Father, and my personal statement of love and trust in him by trying to do what has been asked of me.
I go because I know that my trials will not last forever, but my spirit will. Therefore, which should I focus on and nurture? For those who struggle with this, again, please do not take this as criticism or condemnation or 'holier than thou' speech. I realize that I do not walk in your shoes. This is simply my personal testimony of why choosing activity in the church is so important to me. Many of us have heavy burdens, and I hope that everyone will find their own way to lighten their burdens through the blessings offered by the gospel.
Message to my friends
September 5, 2008
So many of you definitely brought your "A-game" to this world and your life! You are passionate and fun-loving, and you give your whole being and live in each moment to its fullest. I am so very delighted to know you and want somehow to give back to you and use your example and give forward as well. I have lived a small life, important and meaningful, but small. Many of you have lived and are living a large life, important and meaningful and large. It's a little strange to me, if I may confess something personal to you, that when I was little I envisioned that I would live a large life. Either I have made choices that caused me to be on a different tract and Heavenly Father has helped me make the best of it, or those visions were just a survival technique for me back then. I have now made friends, I hope, with people who have lived such a big life and shared their lives with me, through small ways, and I am made better for it!! You are incredible and such an inspiration. I heard one time from someone (can't remember who now) that we will be asked four questions on judgement day and they are: What have you given to your family? What have you given to your community? What have you given to your country? What have you given to your world? Whether it is true or not, I really like the questions a lot. I think sometimes that I'd like to be a fly on the wall during that interview with people who have lived a large life because their answers will be so interesting! Well...you take care and know I feel privileged to know you!!
So many of you definitely brought your "A-game" to this world and your life! You are passionate and fun-loving, and you give your whole being and live in each moment to its fullest. I am so very delighted to know you and want somehow to give back to you and use your example and give forward as well. I have lived a small life, important and meaningful, but small. Many of you have lived and are living a large life, important and meaningful and large. It's a little strange to me, if I may confess something personal to you, that when I was little I envisioned that I would live a large life. Either I have made choices that caused me to be on a different tract and Heavenly Father has helped me make the best of it, or those visions were just a survival technique for me back then. I have now made friends, I hope, with people who have lived such a big life and shared their lives with me, through small ways, and I am made better for it!! You are incredible and such an inspiration. I heard one time from someone (can't remember who now) that we will be asked four questions on judgement day and they are: What have you given to your family? What have you given to your community? What have you given to your country? What have you given to your world? Whether it is true or not, I really like the questions a lot. I think sometimes that I'd like to be a fly on the wall during that interview with people who have lived a large life because their answers will be so interesting! Well...you take care and know I feel privileged to know you!!
What is my purpose?
Originally written May 12, 2008
I need to talk privately, in a very public way. I am feeling a little lost lately. Let me preface it by saying my life is amazing; I am so happy! I have most everything I've ever wanted in life. With that said, life is confusing sometimes. I am afraid this may be rambling because I haven't formulated my thoughts, meaning I have all these thoughts that I am trying to find answers inside. First I guess I'm glad to know I have friends who truly know me & can maybe use the gift of discernment to make sense of what will follow. I found many times my way of thinking seems to be vastly different than most everyone I know. I look for answers & promptings & messages everywhere. I have a belief that we are almost always not alone. I'm unsure if it is The Holy Spirit or one/several spirits "assigned" to me, but I feel its presence a lot & even "see" assurance of that fact. I have just been exposed to too much from the other side of the veil. I've had way too many "experiences"...sacred & public alike to believe I'm not being "led" to something or some end. Recently I have had someone I trust share with me something most sacred...something most members know will be coming; however this "thing" has already come, but only revealed to a select few. Not Christ, but something else. Anyway, I share that with you to let you know how strongly I believe I have some purpose. That is my point...I cannot figure out my greater purpose.
I was listening to Sheri Dew's book on CD "And God Wants a Powerful People". She said Heavenly Father knows four things that we need to know:
1. Who we are?
2. Where we are?
3. What is our purpose?
4. What we need to accomplish that purpose?
I guess I'm confused about all four points.
Who am I? Daughter of God, Alicia, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, friend, daughter, church member, temple attender, family history searcher, follower of Christ, appreciater of the Atonement, Scripture Searcher & Feaster, avid reader, pursuer of the mysteries of God, interpreter. I guess that sums up what I think of myself...where my heart is leaning is who I believe I am. Is that what I truly am? Am I more? Am I missing something?
Earlier this year I was in RS. We were discussing the Gifts of the Spirit lesson in the JS Manual. I hesitated but finally added that I am given the gift of interpretation of tongues for my interpreting in church. That I feel a clear & distinct difference when I have that gift & interpret & when I don't & TRY to interpret. Well later in that class...several women said something that struck me & wounded me some. They said people should receive their gifts privately & not discuss them. I just couldn't disagree more.
I mean it is important to be truly humble & believe it has almost nothing to do with us as individuals who receive the gift, but understand that God has a purpose to fulfill. When we know He gives us the gift to fulfill that purpose, we become an instrument that He uses. Then if we are faithful & humble, He can use us whenever He sees fit. I believe so strongly in the Power of God & believe He not only wants us to figure out how to access that Power, but needs us to do so to fulfill He purposes!!! We have been Called then Qualified for the purpose, not qualified then called. Do you understand??? I am afraid some members (who are completely awesome & humble & true disciples of Christ & serve Him faithfully continually) are confusing their perspective which may be cultural or traditional instead of, perhaps, understanding God's expectations.
I know there is a danger of someone receiving a spiritual gift, then becoming prideful. I, however, believe that we need to be edified & uplifted by sharing with each other (in sacred settings like RS meetings) the amazing things God can do & what He does do. I sure hope you are following. I have had serious problems with people understanding me in the past.
Okay, second question is where am I? I am in Utah. I am in the very last days. I am progressing in the gospel, but feel I may be missing something serious I should be understanding or "seeing" or feeling. I am employed. I know I need to earn money. I am not completely prepared. I need to have food storage and have all the necessary preparedness items for our family!! Time is passing & is almost passed for time to get it. It will be soon that we will need to use it. I know this & I know I need to be getting this together. We do not have the money without my extra income to buy all that we will need, all that everyone needs.
Third is what is my purpose? I understand my purpose thus far as: helping my family in whatever capacity, being an influence for good within my sphere of influence, serving my fellow beings, being a savior on Mt. Zion, assisting the work to build up Zion, helping to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, perfecting the Saints, and there is more, but I just don't know what it is at this time...thus the confused feelings. So much of the time, I feel like people look at me as though I have three heads, which hinders my progress in these areas.
Fourth what I need to accomplish my purpose? Time, Willingness, Knowledge, Faith, Belief, and some way to reach people in which I could do some good. Well...that is quite a bit for now. I could go on, but I will stop for now. I need to think, which hasn't helped me thus far, but feel I am missing something...it is really bugging me...something just under the surface...some gnawing feeling...something in the pit of my stomach....I would pace if I felt like it would help...it is really there & I just can't see it!!
I need to talk privately, in a very public way. I am feeling a little lost lately. Let me preface it by saying my life is amazing; I am so happy! I have most everything I've ever wanted in life. With that said, life is confusing sometimes. I am afraid this may be rambling because I haven't formulated my thoughts, meaning I have all these thoughts that I am trying to find answers inside. First I guess I'm glad to know I have friends who truly know me & can maybe use the gift of discernment to make sense of what will follow. I found many times my way of thinking seems to be vastly different than most everyone I know. I look for answers & promptings & messages everywhere. I have a belief that we are almost always not alone. I'm unsure if it is The Holy Spirit or one/several spirits "assigned" to me, but I feel its presence a lot & even "see" assurance of that fact. I have just been exposed to too much from the other side of the veil. I've had way too many "experiences"...sacred & public alike to believe I'm not being "led" to something or some end. Recently I have had someone I trust share with me something most sacred...something most members know will be coming; however this "thing" has already come, but only revealed to a select few. Not Christ, but something else. Anyway, I share that with you to let you know how strongly I believe I have some purpose. That is my point...I cannot figure out my greater purpose.
I was listening to Sheri Dew's book on CD "And God Wants a Powerful People". She said Heavenly Father knows four things that we need to know:
1. Who we are?
2. Where we are?
3. What is our purpose?
4. What we need to accomplish that purpose?
I guess I'm confused about all four points.
Who am I? Daughter of God, Alicia, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, friend, daughter, church member, temple attender, family history searcher, follower of Christ, appreciater of the Atonement, Scripture Searcher & Feaster, avid reader, pursuer of the mysteries of God, interpreter. I guess that sums up what I think of myself...where my heart is leaning is who I believe I am. Is that what I truly am? Am I more? Am I missing something?
Earlier this year I was in RS. We were discussing the Gifts of the Spirit lesson in the JS Manual. I hesitated but finally added that I am given the gift of interpretation of tongues for my interpreting in church. That I feel a clear & distinct difference when I have that gift & interpret & when I don't & TRY to interpret. Well later in that class...several women said something that struck me & wounded me some. They said people should receive their gifts privately & not discuss them. I just couldn't disagree more.
I mean it is important to be truly humble & believe it has almost nothing to do with us as individuals who receive the gift, but understand that God has a purpose to fulfill. When we know He gives us the gift to fulfill that purpose, we become an instrument that He uses. Then if we are faithful & humble, He can use us whenever He sees fit. I believe so strongly in the Power of God & believe He not only wants us to figure out how to access that Power, but needs us to do so to fulfill He purposes!!! We have been Called then Qualified for the purpose, not qualified then called. Do you understand??? I am afraid some members (who are completely awesome & humble & true disciples of Christ & serve Him faithfully continually) are confusing their perspective which may be cultural or traditional instead of, perhaps, understanding God's expectations.
I know there is a danger of someone receiving a spiritual gift, then becoming prideful. I, however, believe that we need to be edified & uplifted by sharing with each other (in sacred settings like RS meetings) the amazing things God can do & what He does do. I sure hope you are following. I have had serious problems with people understanding me in the past.
Okay, second question is where am I? I am in Utah. I am in the very last days. I am progressing in the gospel, but feel I may be missing something serious I should be understanding or "seeing" or feeling. I am employed. I know I need to earn money. I am not completely prepared. I need to have food storage and have all the necessary preparedness items for our family!! Time is passing & is almost passed for time to get it. It will be soon that we will need to use it. I know this & I know I need to be getting this together. We do not have the money without my extra income to buy all that we will need, all that everyone needs.
Third is what is my purpose? I understand my purpose thus far as: helping my family in whatever capacity, being an influence for good within my sphere of influence, serving my fellow beings, being a savior on Mt. Zion, assisting the work to build up Zion, helping to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, perfecting the Saints, and there is more, but I just don't know what it is at this time...thus the confused feelings. So much of the time, I feel like people look at me as though I have three heads, which hinders my progress in these areas.
Fourth what I need to accomplish my purpose? Time, Willingness, Knowledge, Faith, Belief, and some way to reach people in which I could do some good. Well...that is quite a bit for now. I could go on, but I will stop for now. I need to think, which hasn't helped me thus far, but feel I am missing something...it is really bugging me...something just under the surface...some gnawing feeling...something in the pit of my stomach....I would pace if I felt like it would help...it is really there & I just can't see it!!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Revelation and Preparedness
January 21, 2007
I have a great interest in the United Kingdom, particularly England and Scotland. I think it’s because so many of my ancestors lived there. I love the age of the country. While the US is relatively young with the current civilization barely 400 years old, the UK is at least 1,000 years old and perhaps much, much older. Some of the buildings there are centuries old. So many have endured the centuries well, while other structures of the same time period have partially fallen or have just left hints of their previous life. So I have occasion to wonder why some magnificent edifices still stand just as grand as when they were erected. I also consider why others have fallen to the earth, or just leave one wall or a chimney to declare their once noble purpose.
What was the reason for their permanence, their decline, or their fall? What lessons can be gleaned from such thoughts? What parallels can be drawn from their existence and ours? What if we (as humans) were the buildings in this analogy? Then, what or who could be represented as the building’s foundation? Could it be that the buildings that still stand are on firmer foundations? And those that have fallen were not? We might be able to draw further conclusions as well. The buildings that have withstood the ravages of time may have been cared for continuously, and those that are now ruins have been abandoned at one time.
I’ve heard the phrase many times, “all things testify of Jesus Christ.” If we are the buildings, then it must be said that Christ is our foundation. So how do we make Christ our foundation? With the theme for this month the “Word of God”, it is fitting that we can make Christ our foundation by reading and studying the word of God and making the things we learned a part of who we are, who we become.
We have had several occasions this winter to, perhaps, discuss within our families just how prepared we are for disasters now and for the times ahead. How grounded is our foundation? Have we heeded the words of Christ to prepare now? Have we heeded the words of the prophets to be prepared for whatever conditions may appear in our lives? Isaiah 66:5 says, “Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word.” When I read this, I took it to mean that I treat it seriously, not with an apathetic attitude, or not with a yea, yea, I’ll get to that someday reaction. Of course we can learn line upon line, precept upon precept. We can do a little at a time, I get that and I do that. I think it’s about doing something. Proving ourselves, that we are listening and heeding His words.
I love the words of Alma in chapter 26, verses 8 – 13: Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever. Ammon said: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
Ammon rejoices in the words of God and in the power of His words. There is great power in His words. Ammon reminds us that many mighty miracles can happen when he heed His words and the words of all the prophets. Because we are currently studying President Spencer W. Kimball, I have taken portions of his teachings for portions of this talk. From the life of Spencer W. Kimball, we are counseled to be prepared. D & C 38:30 reads, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” President Kimball warned us to “practice the principles of personal and family preparedness in our daily lives, and preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program.” I found that quote interesting. He said to practice this in our daily lives. He didn’t say to do it in starts and stops. For me I thought of it in athletic terms. Becoming prepared is not a sprint, but a marathon. We might all if needed sprint a far distance. Say if we are being chased by a snake or bear, we might run pretty fast for a short distance. But if we had to run a marathon tomorrow, how many of us could do that? We would need proper training and a special diet and a very particular mindset. The same could be said for being prepared. We need to be ready to live without the daily “necessities” or with much less. We may need to live on a specific diet. And we will definitely need to have the mindset to endure short or long term survival, maintaining our level of faith and gratitude.
After passing this test of being prepared and having lived it righteously and gratefully Alma promises in 32:42 “And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.” So for me this means after heeding the words to be prepared, we’re not just blessed with many mighty miracles, which will likely help us to survive, we’re also blessed with this fruit, which is the love of God and life with Him eternally.
President Kimball explains how we prepare daily. He said, “We have placed considerable emphasis on personal and family preparedness. I hope that each member of the Church is responding appropriately to this direction. I also hope that we are understanding and accentuating the positive and not the negative. I like the way the Relief Society teaches personal and family preparedness as “provident living.” This implies the prudent managing of our resources, the wise planning of financial matters, full provision for personal health, and adequate preparation for education and career development, giving appropriate attention to home [food] production and storage as well as the development of emotional resiliency.” He goes on to say, “The Lord has urged that His people save for the rainy days, prepare for the difficult times, and put away for emergencies, a year’s supply or more of bare necessities so that when comes the flood, the earthquake, the famine, the hurricane, the [ice] storms of life, our families can be sustained through the dark days.”
He scolds in a way by saying, “We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where he says, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the thing which I say?” {Luke 6:46.] How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so-called, into action and call Him by important names, but fail to do the things which he says.”
So, I didn’t want to just talk about these things without also giving you the words of counsel by our General Authorities and others who can help us make these things a reality. A talk given by Pam Taylor, “Taking the Bite Out of Food Storage,” Ensign, Mar. 1992, 72 gives us a four-step program to follow for beginning our food storage.
Step 1: Learn the basics of home storage. Doing so will save you time, money, and effort. An excellent primer is Essentials of Home Production & Storage (booklet, 1978), available at Church distribution centers.
Step 2: Acquire an emergency supply of life-sustaining foods and water and store them properly. (See Ensign, June 1989, pp. 39–42, for details.)
Step 3: Build up your storage gradually. It’s amazing how fast storage shelves can fill up when you buy commodities in double quantities—for example, one can of beans for regular use, the other for storage. I buy some sale items in quantities to cut costs and to add a variety of familiar foods to my storage. Bulk buying is a money-saver too, and you can get even better deals by sharing the cost with someone else and buying larger quantities. Be sure to check the expiration dates on bulk items so they won’t spoil before use.
Step 4: Eat what you store. You can become ill by eating foods you’re not used to eating. Give your body time to adjust to storage foods by supplementing your regular diet with recipes your families like.
Another aspect of being prepared involves helping and assisting one another. In the May 2005 Ensign, President Hinckley had this to say, “Those in need are expected to do all they can to provide for themselves. Then families are expected to assist in taking care of their less-fortunate members. And then the resources of the Church are made available. We believe in and take very seriously the words of our Lord: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matt. 25:34–36). This is the Lord’s way of caring for those in need which, He declared, “ye have … always with you” (see Matt. 26:11). Those who are able voluntarily work to provide for those who are not able. “
As we are preparing our Branch’s Emergency Response Plan, I know we all realize that we will need to respond. I have witnessed this giving spirit again and again. As we are personally preparing, I know many people agree that we need to think of those we may need to help during times of crisis and disaster. We will surely be called upon to share what little we may have with others who are not prepared at all, even with those who have been warned and have not heeded the warning. Even with those who live the worldly philosophy to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. I think those individuals may not be running to death as they may so easily say, but will instead be fleeing from it, doing anything to survive. In Matthew’s account of Christ’s words, he said just that. It doesn’t matter during these times of emergency why people are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick and imprisoned. It only matters that we help them. It seems to me that we could so easily be in that position of begging for help, but for the grace and mercy of God, we have been warned and have acted. It is also important to remember we are all beggars, and we are only saved by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We have already been bought with a price.
1 Nephi 15:24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.
We can use this verse as we ponder our preparedness. As we hearken unto the word of God and become prepared, then hold fast to our faith in Christ, we will not become separated from Him. We will also not be tempted to follow the blind, those not knowing what to do in those times, but will instead be following the wise, who have told us exactly what to do. In that case, we will not be lead to destruction, but toward life eternal.
To go back to my initial analogy. Which house will we inhabit, figuratively speaking? Is our foundation sure? Are we ready to withstand whatsoever may come our way? Are we prepared personally, spiritually, emotionally, temporally? Are we ready for the situations ahead? If we are doing our best, doing all we can to be prepared in all these ways, we are prepared. We are ready. We have one another to help become prepared and to help during those times ahead. We also have Jesus Christ, His gospel, His words, His foundation for which I am most grateful. Alma 37:44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss.
And I leave these thoughts with you in His name, even our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen
I have a great interest in the United Kingdom, particularly England and Scotland. I think it’s because so many of my ancestors lived there. I love the age of the country. While the US is relatively young with the current civilization barely 400 years old, the UK is at least 1,000 years old and perhaps much, much older. Some of the buildings there are centuries old. So many have endured the centuries well, while other structures of the same time period have partially fallen or have just left hints of their previous life. So I have occasion to wonder why some magnificent edifices still stand just as grand as when they were erected. I also consider why others have fallen to the earth, or just leave one wall or a chimney to declare their once noble purpose.
What was the reason for their permanence, their decline, or their fall? What lessons can be gleaned from such thoughts? What parallels can be drawn from their existence and ours? What if we (as humans) were the buildings in this analogy? Then, what or who could be represented as the building’s foundation? Could it be that the buildings that still stand are on firmer foundations? And those that have fallen were not? We might be able to draw further conclusions as well. The buildings that have withstood the ravages of time may have been cared for continuously, and those that are now ruins have been abandoned at one time.
I’ve heard the phrase many times, “all things testify of Jesus Christ.” If we are the buildings, then it must be said that Christ is our foundation. So how do we make Christ our foundation? With the theme for this month the “Word of God”, it is fitting that we can make Christ our foundation by reading and studying the word of God and making the things we learned a part of who we are, who we become.
We have had several occasions this winter to, perhaps, discuss within our families just how prepared we are for disasters now and for the times ahead. How grounded is our foundation? Have we heeded the words of Christ to prepare now? Have we heeded the words of the prophets to be prepared for whatever conditions may appear in our lives? Isaiah 66:5 says, “Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word.” When I read this, I took it to mean that I treat it seriously, not with an apathetic attitude, or not with a yea, yea, I’ll get to that someday reaction. Of course we can learn line upon line, precept upon precept. We can do a little at a time, I get that and I do that. I think it’s about doing something. Proving ourselves, that we are listening and heeding His words.
I love the words of Alma in chapter 26, verses 8 – 13: Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever. Ammon said: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
Ammon rejoices in the words of God and in the power of His words. There is great power in His words. Ammon reminds us that many mighty miracles can happen when he heed His words and the words of all the prophets. Because we are currently studying President Spencer W. Kimball, I have taken portions of his teachings for portions of this talk. From the life of Spencer W. Kimball, we are counseled to be prepared. D & C 38:30 reads, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” President Kimball warned us to “practice the principles of personal and family preparedness in our daily lives, and preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program.” I found that quote interesting. He said to practice this in our daily lives. He didn’t say to do it in starts and stops. For me I thought of it in athletic terms. Becoming prepared is not a sprint, but a marathon. We might all if needed sprint a far distance. Say if we are being chased by a snake or bear, we might run pretty fast for a short distance. But if we had to run a marathon tomorrow, how many of us could do that? We would need proper training and a special diet and a very particular mindset. The same could be said for being prepared. We need to be ready to live without the daily “necessities” or with much less. We may need to live on a specific diet. And we will definitely need to have the mindset to endure short or long term survival, maintaining our level of faith and gratitude.
After passing this test of being prepared and having lived it righteously and gratefully Alma promises in 32:42 “And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.” So for me this means after heeding the words to be prepared, we’re not just blessed with many mighty miracles, which will likely help us to survive, we’re also blessed with this fruit, which is the love of God and life with Him eternally.
President Kimball explains how we prepare daily. He said, “We have placed considerable emphasis on personal and family preparedness. I hope that each member of the Church is responding appropriately to this direction. I also hope that we are understanding and accentuating the positive and not the negative. I like the way the Relief Society teaches personal and family preparedness as “provident living.” This implies the prudent managing of our resources, the wise planning of financial matters, full provision for personal health, and adequate preparation for education and career development, giving appropriate attention to home [food] production and storage as well as the development of emotional resiliency.” He goes on to say, “The Lord has urged that His people save for the rainy days, prepare for the difficult times, and put away for emergencies, a year’s supply or more of bare necessities so that when comes the flood, the earthquake, the famine, the hurricane, the [ice] storms of life, our families can be sustained through the dark days.”
He scolds in a way by saying, “We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where he says, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the thing which I say?” {Luke 6:46.] How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so-called, into action and call Him by important names, but fail to do the things which he says.”
So, I didn’t want to just talk about these things without also giving you the words of counsel by our General Authorities and others who can help us make these things a reality. A talk given by Pam Taylor, “Taking the Bite Out of Food Storage,” Ensign, Mar. 1992, 72 gives us a four-step program to follow for beginning our food storage.
Step 1: Learn the basics of home storage. Doing so will save you time, money, and effort. An excellent primer is Essentials of Home Production & Storage (booklet, 1978), available at Church distribution centers.
Step 2: Acquire an emergency supply of life-sustaining foods and water and store them properly. (See Ensign, June 1989, pp. 39–42, for details.)
Step 3: Build up your storage gradually. It’s amazing how fast storage shelves can fill up when you buy commodities in double quantities—for example, one can of beans for regular use, the other for storage. I buy some sale items in quantities to cut costs and to add a variety of familiar foods to my storage. Bulk buying is a money-saver too, and you can get even better deals by sharing the cost with someone else and buying larger quantities. Be sure to check the expiration dates on bulk items so they won’t spoil before use.
Step 4: Eat what you store. You can become ill by eating foods you’re not used to eating. Give your body time to adjust to storage foods by supplementing your regular diet with recipes your families like.
Another aspect of being prepared involves helping and assisting one another. In the May 2005 Ensign, President Hinckley had this to say, “Those in need are expected to do all they can to provide for themselves. Then families are expected to assist in taking care of their less-fortunate members. And then the resources of the Church are made available. We believe in and take very seriously the words of our Lord: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matt. 25:34–36). This is the Lord’s way of caring for those in need which, He declared, “ye have … always with you” (see Matt. 26:11). Those who are able voluntarily work to provide for those who are not able. “
As we are preparing our Branch’s Emergency Response Plan, I know we all realize that we will need to respond. I have witnessed this giving spirit again and again. As we are personally preparing, I know many people agree that we need to think of those we may need to help during times of crisis and disaster. We will surely be called upon to share what little we may have with others who are not prepared at all, even with those who have been warned and have not heeded the warning. Even with those who live the worldly philosophy to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. I think those individuals may not be running to death as they may so easily say, but will instead be fleeing from it, doing anything to survive. In Matthew’s account of Christ’s words, he said just that. It doesn’t matter during these times of emergency why people are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick and imprisoned. It only matters that we help them. It seems to me that we could so easily be in that position of begging for help, but for the grace and mercy of God, we have been warned and have acted. It is also important to remember we are all beggars, and we are only saved by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We have already been bought with a price.
1 Nephi 15:24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.
We can use this verse as we ponder our preparedness. As we hearken unto the word of God and become prepared, then hold fast to our faith in Christ, we will not become separated from Him. We will also not be tempted to follow the blind, those not knowing what to do in those times, but will instead be following the wise, who have told us exactly what to do. In that case, we will not be lead to destruction, but toward life eternal.
To go back to my initial analogy. Which house will we inhabit, figuratively speaking? Is our foundation sure? Are we ready to withstand whatsoever may come our way? Are we prepared personally, spiritually, emotionally, temporally? Are we ready for the situations ahead? If we are doing our best, doing all we can to be prepared in all these ways, we are prepared. We are ready. We have one another to help become prepared and to help during those times ahead. We also have Jesus Christ, His gospel, His words, His foundation for which I am most grateful. Alma 37:44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss.
And I leave these thoughts with you in His name, even our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen
My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light
Compiled from Ensign Magazine articles and my own thoughts, originally written on November 29, 2003
When I was a little girl, I had a lot of problems. Physically, I experienced strange ailments, such as boils and sties. I wouldn’t have just one sty on my eye, I would get ten on one eye, and the next week, have eight on the other. I felt the pain of having seventeen boils under one arm and thirteen under the other. Both those would remain in my life for a week or so. Blinking, moving, breathing brought further pain. I had an odd situation w/ my stomach. Doctors were never able to diagnose what was the cause, but I had this gnawing, growling sensation in my stomach. Everyone could hear it and it was quite painful. I have memories of writhing on my bed, doubled over in agony. At the age of eight, I developed psoriasis on my elbows and knees, which made bending those joints quite painful. All of those things were visible or audible to everyone around me. So I suffered emotionally as my peers laughed, made fun, and jeered me continually. If I had tonsillitis once, I had it twenty times. I experienced many of the childhood illnesses, such as mumps and chicken pox. I remember having this recurring wish. I would wish that I could have all my lifetime illnesses, problems, and injuries in one day. I would imagine that I could survive one day of every single thing that would happen to me in my entire lifetime. I just wanted to suffer it all at once, get through it, and never have to experience pain again. It made sense to me. I really thought God would go along with this logical wish. I remember thinking and wishing this for many years, meanwhile any pain, which was new or odd or unique, would surface in my life time and time again.
Now I want to discuss the purpose for my story by first explaining Matthew 11:30 which states, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. What is a yoke? A yoke is a frame or bar that can be placed on one or two people or animals pulling or carrying a heavy load. The yoke balances the burden and makes it easier to manage. Oftentimes yokes for oxen were made with an individual ox in mind. They were measured, their individual bone structures were evaluated and a yoke was made according to those measurements. When the yoke was place upon that animal, it fit perfectly and was less burdensome to that animal. You could not switch yokes between different oxen without causing rubbing sores and pain to that animal.
So what is taking Christ’s yoke upon us? It is to humbly do his will and allow him to guide and direct our lives. Heavenly Father is mindful of each one of us. We are given trials and situations in our lives to mold us, change us into the persons we agreed to become before we came here to earth. He gives each of us just what He knows we can handle. I am not given another person’s trials and they are not given mine. Each trial is meant to teach us or others something that should bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ while we move down the path that leads to Eternal Life.
Adversity, or what we perceive to be adversity, enters into the life of every individual at various times and in various forms. My talk today deals with trials, which come to those who righteously desire and seek earnestly to learn, and strive diligently to do God’s will, yet nevertheless experience adversity. Adversity in the lives of the obedient and faithful may be the consequence of disease, accidental injury, ignorance, or the influence of the adversary. To preserve agency, the Lord also at times permits the righteous to suffer the consequences of evil acts by others. An example of this is found when Nephi suffers at the hands of his brothers.
Laman and Lemuel reacted to their trials with resentment, anger, bitterness, doubt, and fear. Paul’s admonition to us reminds us we have the knowledge and sufficient testimony of the divine plan of salvation to respond with faith, patience, and hope born of that peace which passeth all understanding.
The plan of salvation presented to and accepted by us in the premortal state includes a probationary period on earth, during which we will experience opposites, make choices, learn the consequences of those actions, and prepare to return to the presence of God. Experiencing adversity is an essential part of the process. Knowing all of this, we elected to come into mortality.
Even Christ learned through His trials. In Hebrews 5:8, we read, “Though He were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which He suffered.” Prophets and Apostles, ancient and modern, have struggled with adversity in their own lives. I immediately think of Job in the Old Testament, Paul in the New Testament, and Joseph Smith in the current dispensation.
When I’m inclined to look around me and think “Are they exempt?” and “I don’t see them suffer as I’ve had suffer.” I remember my yoke was made especially for me. My burden has been made lighter when I did not murmur and complain, but accepted my load, bore it was patience and longsuffering, gleaned all the learning out of it I could, and went on with my day. I realize none of us are exempt. Even the most holy and righteous suffer his/her own trials and burdens. We are here to work out our own salvation, through Christ, so I don’t have to worry myself with the next guy and whether or not he is receiving his equal share. What instead I could do with those emotions is to change them to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light”, and in doing so, my burdens become lighter. When we “comfort those that stand in need of comfort,” we receive comfort. When we “stand as witnesses of God in all things,” we feel his redeeming love and see our present circumstances more clearly in an eternal perspective. In that way, we are accepting the Savior’s invitation to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
A very good friend confided in me recently that he had been diagnosed with a debilitating and life-threatening illness. He had been carrying this news around for a couple of weeks. He did not want to burden anyone with it so he had not told a soul. I convinced him to share whatever was bothering him with me and I promised him that I could offer him peace. When he, in tears, finally told me, I assured him that my burden was not made heavier by his news, but his was made lighter. When we share our problems and trials with others who care, our burdens become lighter. It is like the oxen that share the load except that we should not put that load on ourselves, but encourage the bearer of the burden to bring his burden to Christ, and then Christ will give them rest and peace, which peace passeth all understanding. Remind them that Paul teaches us that all things work together for good to them that love God. Joseph Smith taught us through his own trials that all things bring us experience and are for our good.
How should we respond to our adversities and trials? Our responses to suffering and affliction can draw us closer to the Savior, to our Heavenly Father, and to the realization of our own celestial potential. In Alma 17:5 we learn that the sons of Mosiah, during their missionary labors, “had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and mind, such as hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit. Partly because of those experiences, they became “strong in the knowledge of the truth; men of a sound understanding, who searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. They had been given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation.” Through their positive responses to adversity, they grew spiritually.
In Mosiah 23 & 24, we read these the account of Alma’s people who lived the gospel fully, and they were knit together in unity and in love toward one another. These people did not deserve adversity, but they were given the opportunity for further spiritual growth. In verse 21, we read “Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.” In verse 15, we see that the Lord strengthened them “that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.” Eventually, because of the faith and patience, they were delivered from their afflictions. They were refined spiritually and learned increased faith, and they gave thanks to God.
Paul again reminds us that “we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” We are to seek his help in the time of need. In Alma 7: 11-12, we learn that because the Savior suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind, taking upon him the pains and sickness of his people, taking upon him their infirmities, he knew according to the flesh how to help his people according to their infirmities. We need to follow the counsel of Amulek, which states, “Let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those around you”.
Now you could say logically say that I did that as a young girl. I was given much to deal with, many very difficult afflictions and circumstances and, believe me, my heart was drawn out in prayer. Heavenly Father could not give me what I prayed for (to suffer everything in one day). I would never be able to learn all I needed to from every trial if I suffered them altogether and quickly. He knew I would never be able to bear it all at once either. He wisely gives me what I need to move that next little bit down the path, which leads to Eternal Life.
I have learned to bear my burdens and trials with more patience and understanding that all these things will be for my experience and be for my good. There are times in the midst of my trials, when I wonder how long that particular burden will be with me, then I remember my faith. I remember that Heavenly Father will not allow me to bear it one minute more than is necessary. When I have learned sufficiently what I needed to learn, or when others around me learned what they needed to learn, then that burden will be lifted. I give thanks for my afflictions. I do not fear. I am comforted. I wait patiently on the Lord, with the assurance that all things I have been and will be afflicted with will work together for my good. Afterward a witness of the Spirit and a manifestation of greater things, even the mysteries of God follow a trial of my faith.
In D & C 88:68, we are instructed to “Sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.” The Lord’s own way of preparing us to see him as he his may well include the refining furnace of affliction. Without adversity, we may tend to forget the divine purpose of mortality and live our lives focused on the things of the world. We can and should ask for help in bearing our burdens, but I feel we should use the Savior’s example by always adding “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”.
I do not pray for further affliction and burdens, but I am thankful for those that I have had. I pray that we can become as the people of Alma, knit together in love, keeping our eye single to the glory of God and look to Christ in all our afflictions and trials. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN
When I was a little girl, I had a lot of problems. Physically, I experienced strange ailments, such as boils and sties. I wouldn’t have just one sty on my eye, I would get ten on one eye, and the next week, have eight on the other. I felt the pain of having seventeen boils under one arm and thirteen under the other. Both those would remain in my life for a week or so. Blinking, moving, breathing brought further pain. I had an odd situation w/ my stomach. Doctors were never able to diagnose what was the cause, but I had this gnawing, growling sensation in my stomach. Everyone could hear it and it was quite painful. I have memories of writhing on my bed, doubled over in agony. At the age of eight, I developed psoriasis on my elbows and knees, which made bending those joints quite painful. All of those things were visible or audible to everyone around me. So I suffered emotionally as my peers laughed, made fun, and jeered me continually. If I had tonsillitis once, I had it twenty times. I experienced many of the childhood illnesses, such as mumps and chicken pox. I remember having this recurring wish. I would wish that I could have all my lifetime illnesses, problems, and injuries in one day. I would imagine that I could survive one day of every single thing that would happen to me in my entire lifetime. I just wanted to suffer it all at once, get through it, and never have to experience pain again. It made sense to me. I really thought God would go along with this logical wish. I remember thinking and wishing this for many years, meanwhile any pain, which was new or odd or unique, would surface in my life time and time again.
Now I want to discuss the purpose for my story by first explaining Matthew 11:30 which states, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. What is a yoke? A yoke is a frame or bar that can be placed on one or two people or animals pulling or carrying a heavy load. The yoke balances the burden and makes it easier to manage. Oftentimes yokes for oxen were made with an individual ox in mind. They were measured, their individual bone structures were evaluated and a yoke was made according to those measurements. When the yoke was place upon that animal, it fit perfectly and was less burdensome to that animal. You could not switch yokes between different oxen without causing rubbing sores and pain to that animal.
So what is taking Christ’s yoke upon us? It is to humbly do his will and allow him to guide and direct our lives. Heavenly Father is mindful of each one of us. We are given trials and situations in our lives to mold us, change us into the persons we agreed to become before we came here to earth. He gives each of us just what He knows we can handle. I am not given another person’s trials and they are not given mine. Each trial is meant to teach us or others something that should bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ while we move down the path that leads to Eternal Life.
Adversity, or what we perceive to be adversity, enters into the life of every individual at various times and in various forms. My talk today deals with trials, which come to those who righteously desire and seek earnestly to learn, and strive diligently to do God’s will, yet nevertheless experience adversity. Adversity in the lives of the obedient and faithful may be the consequence of disease, accidental injury, ignorance, or the influence of the adversary. To preserve agency, the Lord also at times permits the righteous to suffer the consequences of evil acts by others. An example of this is found when Nephi suffers at the hands of his brothers.
Laman and Lemuel reacted to their trials with resentment, anger, bitterness, doubt, and fear. Paul’s admonition to us reminds us we have the knowledge and sufficient testimony of the divine plan of salvation to respond with faith, patience, and hope born of that peace which passeth all understanding.
The plan of salvation presented to and accepted by us in the premortal state includes a probationary period on earth, during which we will experience opposites, make choices, learn the consequences of those actions, and prepare to return to the presence of God. Experiencing adversity is an essential part of the process. Knowing all of this, we elected to come into mortality.
Even Christ learned through His trials. In Hebrews 5:8, we read, “Though He were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which He suffered.” Prophets and Apostles, ancient and modern, have struggled with adversity in their own lives. I immediately think of Job in the Old Testament, Paul in the New Testament, and Joseph Smith in the current dispensation.
When I’m inclined to look around me and think “Are they exempt?” and “I don’t see them suffer as I’ve had suffer.” I remember my yoke was made especially for me. My burden has been made lighter when I did not murmur and complain, but accepted my load, bore it was patience and longsuffering, gleaned all the learning out of it I could, and went on with my day. I realize none of us are exempt. Even the most holy and righteous suffer his/her own trials and burdens. We are here to work out our own salvation, through Christ, so I don’t have to worry myself with the next guy and whether or not he is receiving his equal share. What instead I could do with those emotions is to change them to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light”, and in doing so, my burdens become lighter. When we “comfort those that stand in need of comfort,” we receive comfort. When we “stand as witnesses of God in all things,” we feel his redeeming love and see our present circumstances more clearly in an eternal perspective. In that way, we are accepting the Savior’s invitation to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
A very good friend confided in me recently that he had been diagnosed with a debilitating and life-threatening illness. He had been carrying this news around for a couple of weeks. He did not want to burden anyone with it so he had not told a soul. I convinced him to share whatever was bothering him with me and I promised him that I could offer him peace. When he, in tears, finally told me, I assured him that my burden was not made heavier by his news, but his was made lighter. When we share our problems and trials with others who care, our burdens become lighter. It is like the oxen that share the load except that we should not put that load on ourselves, but encourage the bearer of the burden to bring his burden to Christ, and then Christ will give them rest and peace, which peace passeth all understanding. Remind them that Paul teaches us that all things work together for good to them that love God. Joseph Smith taught us through his own trials that all things bring us experience and are for our good.
How should we respond to our adversities and trials? Our responses to suffering and affliction can draw us closer to the Savior, to our Heavenly Father, and to the realization of our own celestial potential. In Alma 17:5 we learn that the sons of Mosiah, during their missionary labors, “had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and mind, such as hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit. Partly because of those experiences, they became “strong in the knowledge of the truth; men of a sound understanding, who searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. They had been given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation.” Through their positive responses to adversity, they grew spiritually.
In Mosiah 23 & 24, we read these the account of Alma’s people who lived the gospel fully, and they were knit together in unity and in love toward one another. These people did not deserve adversity, but they were given the opportunity for further spiritual growth. In verse 21, we read “Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.” In verse 15, we see that the Lord strengthened them “that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.” Eventually, because of the faith and patience, they were delivered from their afflictions. They were refined spiritually and learned increased faith, and they gave thanks to God.
Paul again reminds us that “we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” We are to seek his help in the time of need. In Alma 7: 11-12, we learn that because the Savior suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind, taking upon him the pains and sickness of his people, taking upon him their infirmities, he knew according to the flesh how to help his people according to their infirmities. We need to follow the counsel of Amulek, which states, “Let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those around you”.
Now you could say logically say that I did that as a young girl. I was given much to deal with, many very difficult afflictions and circumstances and, believe me, my heart was drawn out in prayer. Heavenly Father could not give me what I prayed for (to suffer everything in one day). I would never be able to learn all I needed to from every trial if I suffered them altogether and quickly. He knew I would never be able to bear it all at once either. He wisely gives me what I need to move that next little bit down the path, which leads to Eternal Life.
I have learned to bear my burdens and trials with more patience and understanding that all these things will be for my experience and be for my good. There are times in the midst of my trials, when I wonder how long that particular burden will be with me, then I remember my faith. I remember that Heavenly Father will not allow me to bear it one minute more than is necessary. When I have learned sufficiently what I needed to learn, or when others around me learned what they needed to learn, then that burden will be lifted. I give thanks for my afflictions. I do not fear. I am comforted. I wait patiently on the Lord, with the assurance that all things I have been and will be afflicted with will work together for my good. Afterward a witness of the Spirit and a manifestation of greater things, even the mysteries of God follow a trial of my faith.
In D & C 88:68, we are instructed to “Sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.” The Lord’s own way of preparing us to see him as he his may well include the refining furnace of affliction. Without adversity, we may tend to forget the divine purpose of mortality and live our lives focused on the things of the world. We can and should ask for help in bearing our burdens, but I feel we should use the Savior’s example by always adding “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”.
I do not pray for further affliction and burdens, but I am thankful for those that I have had. I pray that we can become as the people of Alma, knit together in love, keeping our eye single to the glory of God and look to Christ in all our afflictions and trials. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN
The Great Things Which God Has Revealed Through Joseph the Prophet
December 18, 2005
My talk this morning is, very appropriately, the great things which God has revealed through Joseph Smith the prophet. I take my talks from two conferences addresses. President Gordon B. Hinckley talk in the April General Conference and President Monson’s October address. I have also used the December issue of the Ensign magazine. I’ll begin be reading from the April conference talk.
An acquaintance said to me one day: "I admire your church very much. I think I could accept everything about it—except Joseph Smith." To which I responded: "That statement is a contradiction. If you accept the revelation, you must accept the revelator."
It is a constantly recurring mystery to me how some people speak with admiration for the Church and its work while at the same time disdaining him through whom, as a servant of the Lord, came the framework of all that the Church is, of all that it teaches, and of all that it stands for. They would pluck the fruit from the tree while cutting off the root from which it grows.
The first of the important revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, of course, is the manifestation of God Himself and His Beloved Son, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. This grand theophany is, in my judgment, the greatest such event since the birth, life, death, and Resurrection of our Lord in the meridian of time.
We have no record of any other event to equal it.
I submit that in the short time of that remarkable vision Joseph learned more concerning Deity than all of the scholars and clerics of the past.
In this divine revelation there was reaffirmed beyond doubt the reality of the literal Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This knowledge of Deity, hidden from the world for centuries, was the first and great thing which God revealed to His chosen servant.
And upon the reality and truth of this vision rests the validity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I speak next of a second very important thing which God revealed.
The Book of Mormon has come forth by the gift and power of God. It speaks as a voice from the dust in testimony of the Son of God. It speaks of His birth, of His ministry, of His Crucifixion and Resurrection, and of His appearance to the righteous in the land Bountiful on the American continent.
It is a tangible thing that can be handled, that can be read, that can be tested. It carries within its covers a promise of its divine origin. Millions now have put it to the test and found it to be a true and sacred record.
It has been named by those not of our faith as one of 20 books ever published in America that have had the greatest influence upon those who have read them.
As the Bible is the testament of the Old World, the Book of Mormon is the testament of the New. They go hand in hand in declaration of Jesus as the Son of the Father.
This sacred book, which came forth as a revelation of the Almighty, is indeed another testament of the divinity of our Lord.
I would think that the whole Christian world would reach out and welcome it and embrace it as a vibrant testimony. It represents another great and basic contribution which came as a revelation to the Prophet.
A third important revelation is the restored priesthood. Priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. That authority is the keystone of any religion.
If the authority of that Church was lost, how was it to be replaced?
Priesthood authority came from the only place it could come, and that is from heaven. It was bestowed under the hands of those who held it when the Savior walked the earth.
First, there was John the Baptist, who conferred the Aaronic, or lesser priesthood. This was followed by a visitation of Peter, James, and John, Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, who conferred upon Joseph and Oliver Cowdery the Melchizedek Priesthood, which had been received by these Apostles under the hands of the Lord Himself when in life He said, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
How beautiful is the unfolding of the pattern of restoration which led to the organization of the Church in the year 1830, 175 years ago this week. The very name of the Church came of revelation. Whose Church was it? Was it Joseph Smith's? Was it Oliver Cowdery's? No, it was the Church of Jesus Christ restored to earth in these latter days.
A fourth great and singular revelation given to the Prophet was the plan for the eternal life of the family.
The family is a creation of the Almighty. It represents the most sacred of all relationships. It represents the most serious of all undertakings. It is the fundamental organization of society. Through the revelations of God to His Prophet came the doctrine and authority under which families are sealed together not only for this life but for all eternity.
The innocence of little children is a fifth revelation which God has given through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph. The general practice is the baptism of infants to take away the effects of what is described as the sin of Adam and Eve. Under the doctrine of the Restoration, baptism is for the remission of one's individual and personal sins. It becomes a covenant between God and man. It is performed at the age of accountability, when people are old enough to recognize right from wrong. It is by immersion, in symbolism of the death and burial of Jesus Christ and His coming forth in the Resurrection.
I go on to mention a sixth revealed truth.
We are told that God is no respecter of persons, and yet, in no other church of which I am aware, is provision made for those beyond the veil of death to receive every blessing which is afforded the living. The great doctrine of salvation for the dead is unique to this Church.
Men boast that they are "saved," and in the same breath admit that their forebears have not been and cannot be saved.
Jesus's Atonement in behalf of all represents a great vicarious sacrifice. He set the pattern under which He became a proxy for all mankind. This pattern under which one man can act in behalf of another is carried forward in the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Here we serve in behalf of those who have died without a knowledge of the gospel. Theirs is the option to accept or reject the ordinance which is performed. They are placed on an equal footing with those who walk the earth. The dead are given the same opportunity as the living. Again, what a glorious and wonderful provision the Almighty has made through His revelation to His Prophet.
The eternal nature of man has been revealed. We are sons and daughters of God. God is the Father of our spirits. We lived before we came here. We had personality. We were born into this life under a divine plan. We are here to test our worthiness, acting in the agency which God has given to us. When we die we shall go on living. Our eternal life is comprised of three phases: one, our premortal existence; two, our mortal existence; and three, our postmortal existence. In death we die to this world and step through the veil into the sphere we are worthy to enter. This, again, is a unique, singular, and precious doctrine of this Church which has come through revelation.
I offer this brief summary of the tremendous outpouring of knowledge and authority from God upon the head of His Prophet.
There is a seventh that I must mention. This is the principle of modern revelation. The article of faith which the Prophet wrote declares, "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Articles of Faith 1:9).
The code of health followed by Latter-day Saints, which is so widely praised in these days of cancer and heart research, is in reality a [eighth] revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 as "a Word of Wisdom" from the Lord (see D&C 89:1). In no conceivable way could it have come of the dietary literature of the time nor from the mind of the man who announced it. Today, in terms of medical research, it is a miracle whose observance has saved incalculable suffering and premature death for uncounted tens of thousands.
A ninth great revelation is Family history research which has become a popular hobby in recent years. Thousands of eyes across the world have been turned to what is described as the Latter-day Saint treasure-house of family history data. But this tremendous program of the Church did not result from the pursuit of a hobby. It is an extension of the teachings of Joseph Smith the Prophet. He declared that we cannot be saved without our forebears, those who did not have a knowledge of the gospel and consequently could not fulfill its requirements nor partake of its opportunities (see D&C 128:9, 15).
The remarkable organization of the Church was framed by him as he was directed by a tenth revelation, and no modification or adaptation of that organization is ever considered without searching the revelations set forth by the Prophet.
Even the welfare program, which some are prone to regard as of rather recent origin, is founded and operated strictly upon principles enunciated by Joseph Smith in the early years of the Church. This could be considered an eleventh important revelation made by Joseph Smith.
This is likewise true of the family home evening program, which is no more than an extension of early revelation on the responsibility of parents "to bring up your children in light and truth" (D&C 93:40). So I’d like to count that as the twelfth.
A sound and clear understanding of the infinite and eternal nature of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I feel should be included as a thirteenth important revelation. Joseph Smith's vision of man's immortal nature reached from an existence before birth to the eternities beyond the grave. He taught that salvation is universal in that all men will become the beneficiaries of the Resurrection through the Atonement wrought by the Savior. But beyond this gift is the requirement of obedience to the principles of the gospel and the promise of consequent happiness in this life and exaltation in the life to come.
Nor was the gospel he taught limited in application to those of his own and future generations. The mind of Joseph Smith, tutored by the God of heaven, encompassed all mankind of all generations.
We cannot stop counting his many important revelations without mentioning one which is very dear to my heart, that is, of course, the missionary program, his fourteenth contribution. Within the space of that 20 years preceding his death, Joseph Smith set in motion a program for carrying the gospel to the nations of the earth. I marvel at the boldness with which he moved. Even in the infant days of the Church, in times of dark adversity, men were called to leave homes and families, to cross the sea, to proclaim the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Prophet's mind, his vision encompassed the entire earth.
It would be a shame to list his important contributions to the restoration of the fullness of the gospel without stating his example to each of us. So I will count that as the fifteenth great thing Joseph Smith has done. President Thomas S. Monson was so kind to list for us in conference this fall several qualities Joseph the Prophet learned that we may emulate. These as courage, faith, honesty, patience, diligence, missionary work, and love.
The story of Joseph's life is the story of a miracle. He was born in poverty. He was reared in adversity. He was driven from place to place, falsely accused, and illegally imprisoned. He was murdered at the age of 38. Yet in the brief space of 20 years preceding his death, he accomplished what none other has accomplished in an entire lifetime. He translated and published the Book of Mormon, a volume which has since been retranslated into scores of languages (106 to be exact) and which is accepted by millions across the earth as the word of God. The revelations he received and other writings he produced are likewise scripture to these millions. The total in book pages constitutes approximately twice the volume of the entire New Testament of the Bible, and it all came through one man in the space of a few years.
In this same period he established an organization which for 175 years has withstood every adversity and challenge and is as effective today in governing a worldwide membership of some 12 million as it was in governing a membership of 300 in 1830. There are those doubters who have strained to explain this remarkable organization as the product of the times in which he lived. That organization was as peculiar, as unique, and as remarkable then as it is today. It was not a product of the times. It came as a revelation from God.
He began his time as a prophet as a humble, studying, meditative man. Many have stated he had what may equal a third grade education. When his life came to an abrupt end, he remained a humble servant of God, but he was no longer uneducated. He knew several languages, including Hebrew and German. His mind had been molded to equal the statement penned by John Taylor as recorded in D & C 135. “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”
We do not worship the Prophet. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood through which the authority of God is exercised in the affairs of His Church and for the blessing of His people.
My talk this morning is, very appropriately, the great things which God has revealed through Joseph Smith the prophet. I take my talks from two conferences addresses. President Gordon B. Hinckley talk in the April General Conference and President Monson’s October address. I have also used the December issue of the Ensign magazine. I’ll begin be reading from the April conference talk.
An acquaintance said to me one day: "I admire your church very much. I think I could accept everything about it—except Joseph Smith." To which I responded: "That statement is a contradiction. If you accept the revelation, you must accept the revelator."
It is a constantly recurring mystery to me how some people speak with admiration for the Church and its work while at the same time disdaining him through whom, as a servant of the Lord, came the framework of all that the Church is, of all that it teaches, and of all that it stands for. They would pluck the fruit from the tree while cutting off the root from which it grows.
The first of the important revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, of course, is the manifestation of God Himself and His Beloved Son, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. This grand theophany is, in my judgment, the greatest such event since the birth, life, death, and Resurrection of our Lord in the meridian of time.
We have no record of any other event to equal it.
I submit that in the short time of that remarkable vision Joseph learned more concerning Deity than all of the scholars and clerics of the past.
In this divine revelation there was reaffirmed beyond doubt the reality of the literal Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This knowledge of Deity, hidden from the world for centuries, was the first and great thing which God revealed to His chosen servant.
And upon the reality and truth of this vision rests the validity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I speak next of a second very important thing which God revealed.
The Book of Mormon has come forth by the gift and power of God. It speaks as a voice from the dust in testimony of the Son of God. It speaks of His birth, of His ministry, of His Crucifixion and Resurrection, and of His appearance to the righteous in the land Bountiful on the American continent.
It is a tangible thing that can be handled, that can be read, that can be tested. It carries within its covers a promise of its divine origin. Millions now have put it to the test and found it to be a true and sacred record.
It has been named by those not of our faith as one of 20 books ever published in America that have had the greatest influence upon those who have read them.
As the Bible is the testament of the Old World, the Book of Mormon is the testament of the New. They go hand in hand in declaration of Jesus as the Son of the Father.
This sacred book, which came forth as a revelation of the Almighty, is indeed another testament of the divinity of our Lord.
I would think that the whole Christian world would reach out and welcome it and embrace it as a vibrant testimony. It represents another great and basic contribution which came as a revelation to the Prophet.
A third important revelation is the restored priesthood. Priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. That authority is the keystone of any religion.
If the authority of that Church was lost, how was it to be replaced?
Priesthood authority came from the only place it could come, and that is from heaven. It was bestowed under the hands of those who held it when the Savior walked the earth.
First, there was John the Baptist, who conferred the Aaronic, or lesser priesthood. This was followed by a visitation of Peter, James, and John, Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, who conferred upon Joseph and Oliver Cowdery the Melchizedek Priesthood, which had been received by these Apostles under the hands of the Lord Himself when in life He said, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
How beautiful is the unfolding of the pattern of restoration which led to the organization of the Church in the year 1830, 175 years ago this week. The very name of the Church came of revelation. Whose Church was it? Was it Joseph Smith's? Was it Oliver Cowdery's? No, it was the Church of Jesus Christ restored to earth in these latter days.
A fourth great and singular revelation given to the Prophet was the plan for the eternal life of the family.
The family is a creation of the Almighty. It represents the most sacred of all relationships. It represents the most serious of all undertakings. It is the fundamental organization of society. Through the revelations of God to His Prophet came the doctrine and authority under which families are sealed together not only for this life but for all eternity.
The innocence of little children is a fifth revelation which God has given through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph. The general practice is the baptism of infants to take away the effects of what is described as the sin of Adam and Eve. Under the doctrine of the Restoration, baptism is for the remission of one's individual and personal sins. It becomes a covenant between God and man. It is performed at the age of accountability, when people are old enough to recognize right from wrong. It is by immersion, in symbolism of the death and burial of Jesus Christ and His coming forth in the Resurrection.
I go on to mention a sixth revealed truth.
We are told that God is no respecter of persons, and yet, in no other church of which I am aware, is provision made for those beyond the veil of death to receive every blessing which is afforded the living. The great doctrine of salvation for the dead is unique to this Church.
Men boast that they are "saved," and in the same breath admit that their forebears have not been and cannot be saved.
Jesus's Atonement in behalf of all represents a great vicarious sacrifice. He set the pattern under which He became a proxy for all mankind. This pattern under which one man can act in behalf of another is carried forward in the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Here we serve in behalf of those who have died without a knowledge of the gospel. Theirs is the option to accept or reject the ordinance which is performed. They are placed on an equal footing with those who walk the earth. The dead are given the same opportunity as the living. Again, what a glorious and wonderful provision the Almighty has made through His revelation to His Prophet.
The eternal nature of man has been revealed. We are sons and daughters of God. God is the Father of our spirits. We lived before we came here. We had personality. We were born into this life under a divine plan. We are here to test our worthiness, acting in the agency which God has given to us. When we die we shall go on living. Our eternal life is comprised of three phases: one, our premortal existence; two, our mortal existence; and three, our postmortal existence. In death we die to this world and step through the veil into the sphere we are worthy to enter. This, again, is a unique, singular, and precious doctrine of this Church which has come through revelation.
I offer this brief summary of the tremendous outpouring of knowledge and authority from God upon the head of His Prophet.
There is a seventh that I must mention. This is the principle of modern revelation. The article of faith which the Prophet wrote declares, "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Articles of Faith 1:9).
The code of health followed by Latter-day Saints, which is so widely praised in these days of cancer and heart research, is in reality a [eighth] revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 as "a Word of Wisdom" from the Lord (see D&C 89:1). In no conceivable way could it have come of the dietary literature of the time nor from the mind of the man who announced it. Today, in terms of medical research, it is a miracle whose observance has saved incalculable suffering and premature death for uncounted tens of thousands.
A ninth great revelation is Family history research which has become a popular hobby in recent years. Thousands of eyes across the world have been turned to what is described as the Latter-day Saint treasure-house of family history data. But this tremendous program of the Church did not result from the pursuit of a hobby. It is an extension of the teachings of Joseph Smith the Prophet. He declared that we cannot be saved without our forebears, those who did not have a knowledge of the gospel and consequently could not fulfill its requirements nor partake of its opportunities (see D&C 128:9, 15).
The remarkable organization of the Church was framed by him as he was directed by a tenth revelation, and no modification or adaptation of that organization is ever considered without searching the revelations set forth by the Prophet.
Even the welfare program, which some are prone to regard as of rather recent origin, is founded and operated strictly upon principles enunciated by Joseph Smith in the early years of the Church. This could be considered an eleventh important revelation made by Joseph Smith.
This is likewise true of the family home evening program, which is no more than an extension of early revelation on the responsibility of parents "to bring up your children in light and truth" (D&C 93:40). So I’d like to count that as the twelfth.
A sound and clear understanding of the infinite and eternal nature of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I feel should be included as a thirteenth important revelation. Joseph Smith's vision of man's immortal nature reached from an existence before birth to the eternities beyond the grave. He taught that salvation is universal in that all men will become the beneficiaries of the Resurrection through the Atonement wrought by the Savior. But beyond this gift is the requirement of obedience to the principles of the gospel and the promise of consequent happiness in this life and exaltation in the life to come.
Nor was the gospel he taught limited in application to those of his own and future generations. The mind of Joseph Smith, tutored by the God of heaven, encompassed all mankind of all generations.
We cannot stop counting his many important revelations without mentioning one which is very dear to my heart, that is, of course, the missionary program, his fourteenth contribution. Within the space of that 20 years preceding his death, Joseph Smith set in motion a program for carrying the gospel to the nations of the earth. I marvel at the boldness with which he moved. Even in the infant days of the Church, in times of dark adversity, men were called to leave homes and families, to cross the sea, to proclaim the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Prophet's mind, his vision encompassed the entire earth.
It would be a shame to list his important contributions to the restoration of the fullness of the gospel without stating his example to each of us. So I will count that as the fifteenth great thing Joseph Smith has done. President Thomas S. Monson was so kind to list for us in conference this fall several qualities Joseph the Prophet learned that we may emulate. These as courage, faith, honesty, patience, diligence, missionary work, and love.
The story of Joseph's life is the story of a miracle. He was born in poverty. He was reared in adversity. He was driven from place to place, falsely accused, and illegally imprisoned. He was murdered at the age of 38. Yet in the brief space of 20 years preceding his death, he accomplished what none other has accomplished in an entire lifetime. He translated and published the Book of Mormon, a volume which has since been retranslated into scores of languages (106 to be exact) and which is accepted by millions across the earth as the word of God. The revelations he received and other writings he produced are likewise scripture to these millions. The total in book pages constitutes approximately twice the volume of the entire New Testament of the Bible, and it all came through one man in the space of a few years.
In this same period he established an organization which for 175 years has withstood every adversity and challenge and is as effective today in governing a worldwide membership of some 12 million as it was in governing a membership of 300 in 1830. There are those doubters who have strained to explain this remarkable organization as the product of the times in which he lived. That organization was as peculiar, as unique, and as remarkable then as it is today. It was not a product of the times. It came as a revelation from God.
He began his time as a prophet as a humble, studying, meditative man. Many have stated he had what may equal a third grade education. When his life came to an abrupt end, he remained a humble servant of God, but he was no longer uneducated. He knew several languages, including Hebrew and German. His mind had been molded to equal the statement penned by John Taylor as recorded in D & C 135. “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”
We do not worship the Prophet. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood through which the authority of God is exercised in the affairs of His Church and for the blessing of His people.
Grace and Perfection
March 16, 2003
I have wonderful, incredible news. This is Christ’s gospel. He stands at the head—holy, divine, supreme, full of power, majesty, grace, and truth. He lived for us, and He died for us, because He loves us. I love Him more deeply and powerfully than I can find words to express. He is my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my friend. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Eternal Father. He lives and directs His Church today through His prophet and His Apostles. His great work will continue to roll forth until it fills the whole earth.
I have written my talk primarily using and quoting from the book “Believing Christ” by Stephen E. Robinson. I have also used past Ensigns and the scriptures.
Part of the good news of the gospel is the knowledge that finally perfection comes, to those who desire it, through the atonement of Christ instead of solely through their own efforts. When we become one with Christ in the gospel covenant, we gain access to his perfection. It’s as though two people with separate bank accounts got married and formed a joint account. When Clyde and I got married, my checking account was overdrawn, but Clyde had money in his. After the wedding, we went to the bank and merged our accounts to create a single, joint account. As far as the bank was concerned, I was no longer Alicia Walker and he was no longer Clyde Ferree. A new partnership had been created, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde and Alicia Ferree. That partnership included the assets and liabilities of both its individual parts. And since Clyde had more assets than I had liabilities, the new account had a positive balance. It was like a miracle! Just by entering into a marriage covenant and becoming one with Clyde, I was on firm financial ground for the first time in months.
This makes an excellent analogy for what happens when we enter into the gospel covenant. 2 Cor. 12: 9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The Savior, who has infinite assets, proposes a joining with the individual, who has finite liabilities. I say “proposes” because the relationship proposed is often referred to in scripture as a marriage, and it is certainly as intimate and bonding as a marriage. That is why Christ if often call the Bridegroom and why the Church is often referred to as the Bride.
As husband and wife become one with each other through the covenant of marriage, so the Savior and the saved become one with each other through the covenant of the gospel. Just as the bride renounces all competing claims upon her loyalties and normally takes her husband’s last name, so those who enter this covenant with Christ give up all competing loyalties, put him first, and take his name upon them. To this union, we bring our righteous desires and our loyalty. He brings his perfection. In the covenant union, what is mine becomes his, and what is his becomes mine. Thus my sins become his for payment, and his righteousness becomes mine for justification.
When we become one with Jesus Christ, spiritually we form a partnership with a joint account. Since he has more assets than we have liabilities (he as an infinite ocean of assets), the new account has a positive balance as soon as it is formed, and the partnership is justified, even though its junior partners (you and me) could not make it on their own. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as being “in Christ” and what Moroni calls being “perfect in Christ”.
Moro. 10: 32-33 “Yea, came unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.”
Taken together, Christ and I make up a new creature. The old creature, the imperfect me, ceases to exist, and a glorious new creature, a perfect partnership, takes its place. Taken together as a single entity, the two of us, Christ and I, are perfect. I do not mean (this is absolutely crucial!) that we can become perfect later on. I mean that from the moment the partnership is formed in good faith, from the moment we have sincere faith in Christ, sincerely repent of our sins, and receive baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost—from this moment the partnership is celestial. The merits of the Senior Partner make it so. True, this is not individual perfection, which will indeed come later (much later), rather it is perfection-in-Christ through which we receive the benefits of our partner’s merits. Nevertheless, from this moment the kingdom is ours, provided that we maintain the partnership by abiding in the gospel covenant.
At this point someone will object by saying “I still have faults and limitations”. I admit that if I am judged separately and alone, this is true. But in the covenant relationship, I am not judged separately and alone but as one with Christ. Simply consider the mathematics of it: If Christ is infinite and unlimited, but I am finite and limited, and we become one, what do Christ and I together add up to? What is the sum of an infinite, positive quantity and a limited, negative quantity (infinity + -x)? It’s infinity, of course! And the math is the same whether I’m the prophet or a stake president or any other struggling member. Infinity plus any amount, positive or negative, equals infinity.
Grace in not something that I can trigger, manipulate, earn, deserve, or control, it is a preexisting aspect of Heavenly Father’s attitude toward me/us. Before I could even respond to him, he already loved me, wanted to help me, and wanted me to succeed. Because of the predisposition in my favor, he grants me gifts from time to time to help me succeed.
Like our Heavenly Father, most parents are predisposed positively toward their children even before the child does anything to return the favor. Even when all a child can do is cry and wet its pants, even then it can usually draw on a vast reservoir of parental love and care and concern. Though children consume much more than they produce, most parents are predisposed to treat them with favor, or in other words to grant them grace. Thus, they do things for their children that they might not do for other people.
This is not a doctrine of “easy” grace. 2 Ne. 25: 23 “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” There is no virtue one might have possessed before entering the covenant that one may then discard or renounce upon entering the covenant—without violating the covenant. This means if you are really good at canning vegetables, but after you’ve realized the wonderful news of grace, you want to stop canning vegetables. Then, I think Heavenly Father would say to you, don’t stop canning, just can as much as you are capable of. The gospel covenant is not an excuse to work beneath our abilities. The covenant requires more than merely wishing we were better; we’ve got to actually do what is within our power. Although personal perfection is not required of us right now, our best attempt at it is. The good news is that God will not require of us more than the best we can do, but the bad news is he will not accept less than that either.
This is how I think of grace. I picture a ladder with say, twelve rungs. The ground the ladder rests on is where we all start from, each rung represents what we are capable of doing. The top of the ladder is the Celestial Kingdom. Maybe I can only step up to the third rung. I’ve worked as hard as I possibly could. I’ve done everything in my power to achieve what I am capable of achieving. And still I have only reached the third rung. Christ then reaches down, grabs my hands, and gently pulls me up the rest of the way. His grace becomes sufficient for me to enter into the Celestial Kingdom, provided I have kept my end of the bargain. I have entered into and obeyed all the covenants made available to me on earth. I have properly repented and offered a broken heart and a contrite spirit for my sins.
Now we can never compare what we are capable of against what another person is capable of. Who knows, maybe the prophet can make it to the tenth rung, maybe the person sitting next to me in sacrament can only make it to the first rung, maybe the relief society president can make it to the sixth rung. That doesn’t matter at all to Christ. That is what makes the gospel such good news! It is only about our own individual ability. Christ will never say to us, well your brother can do more, so why can’t you? He will ask us, “Are you doing the very best you can do??” I think we should be prepared to answer that question. “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
There is really no such thing as “easy” grace because the partnership with Christ isn’t easy—it calls for the best and the highest within us. He requires our loyalty, our service to God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. He demands ongoing repentance and continual recommitment. And he offers no proof and no guarantee beyond the private witness of the Spirit that he can do what he promises. Rather, he asks us to trust him, to accept his word on faith. Rom. 16: 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I have wonderful, incredible news. This is Christ’s gospel. He stands at the head—holy, divine, supreme, full of power, majesty, grace, and truth. He lived for us, and He died for us, because He loves us. I love Him more deeply and powerfully than I can find words to express. He is my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my friend. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Eternal Father. He lives and directs His Church today through His prophet and His Apostles. His great work will continue to roll forth until it fills the whole earth.
I have written my talk primarily using and quoting from the book “Believing Christ” by Stephen E. Robinson. I have also used past Ensigns and the scriptures.
Part of the good news of the gospel is the knowledge that finally perfection comes, to those who desire it, through the atonement of Christ instead of solely through their own efforts. When we become one with Christ in the gospel covenant, we gain access to his perfection. It’s as though two people with separate bank accounts got married and formed a joint account. When Clyde and I got married, my checking account was overdrawn, but Clyde had money in his. After the wedding, we went to the bank and merged our accounts to create a single, joint account. As far as the bank was concerned, I was no longer Alicia Walker and he was no longer Clyde Ferree. A new partnership had been created, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde and Alicia Ferree. That partnership included the assets and liabilities of both its individual parts. And since Clyde had more assets than I had liabilities, the new account had a positive balance. It was like a miracle! Just by entering into a marriage covenant and becoming one with Clyde, I was on firm financial ground for the first time in months.
This makes an excellent analogy for what happens when we enter into the gospel covenant. 2 Cor. 12: 9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The Savior, who has infinite assets, proposes a joining with the individual, who has finite liabilities. I say “proposes” because the relationship proposed is often referred to in scripture as a marriage, and it is certainly as intimate and bonding as a marriage. That is why Christ if often call the Bridegroom and why the Church is often referred to as the Bride.
As husband and wife become one with each other through the covenant of marriage, so the Savior and the saved become one with each other through the covenant of the gospel. Just as the bride renounces all competing claims upon her loyalties and normally takes her husband’s last name, so those who enter this covenant with Christ give up all competing loyalties, put him first, and take his name upon them. To this union, we bring our righteous desires and our loyalty. He brings his perfection. In the covenant union, what is mine becomes his, and what is his becomes mine. Thus my sins become his for payment, and his righteousness becomes mine for justification.
When we become one with Jesus Christ, spiritually we form a partnership with a joint account. Since he has more assets than we have liabilities (he as an infinite ocean of assets), the new account has a positive balance as soon as it is formed, and the partnership is justified, even though its junior partners (you and me) could not make it on their own. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as being “in Christ” and what Moroni calls being “perfect in Christ”.
Moro. 10: 32-33 “Yea, came unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.”
Taken together, Christ and I make up a new creature. The old creature, the imperfect me, ceases to exist, and a glorious new creature, a perfect partnership, takes its place. Taken together as a single entity, the two of us, Christ and I, are perfect. I do not mean (this is absolutely crucial!) that we can become perfect later on. I mean that from the moment the partnership is formed in good faith, from the moment we have sincere faith in Christ, sincerely repent of our sins, and receive baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost—from this moment the partnership is celestial. The merits of the Senior Partner make it so. True, this is not individual perfection, which will indeed come later (much later), rather it is perfection-in-Christ through which we receive the benefits of our partner’s merits. Nevertheless, from this moment the kingdom is ours, provided that we maintain the partnership by abiding in the gospel covenant.
At this point someone will object by saying “I still have faults and limitations”. I admit that if I am judged separately and alone, this is true. But in the covenant relationship, I am not judged separately and alone but as one with Christ. Simply consider the mathematics of it: If Christ is infinite and unlimited, but I am finite and limited, and we become one, what do Christ and I together add up to? What is the sum of an infinite, positive quantity and a limited, negative quantity (infinity + -x)? It’s infinity, of course! And the math is the same whether I’m the prophet or a stake president or any other struggling member. Infinity plus any amount, positive or negative, equals infinity.
Grace in not something that I can trigger, manipulate, earn, deserve, or control, it is a preexisting aspect of Heavenly Father’s attitude toward me/us. Before I could even respond to him, he already loved me, wanted to help me, and wanted me to succeed. Because of the predisposition in my favor, he grants me gifts from time to time to help me succeed.
Like our Heavenly Father, most parents are predisposed positively toward their children even before the child does anything to return the favor. Even when all a child can do is cry and wet its pants, even then it can usually draw on a vast reservoir of parental love and care and concern. Though children consume much more than they produce, most parents are predisposed to treat them with favor, or in other words to grant them grace. Thus, they do things for their children that they might not do for other people.
This is not a doctrine of “easy” grace. 2 Ne. 25: 23 “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” There is no virtue one might have possessed before entering the covenant that one may then discard or renounce upon entering the covenant—without violating the covenant. This means if you are really good at canning vegetables, but after you’ve realized the wonderful news of grace, you want to stop canning vegetables. Then, I think Heavenly Father would say to you, don’t stop canning, just can as much as you are capable of. The gospel covenant is not an excuse to work beneath our abilities. The covenant requires more than merely wishing we were better; we’ve got to actually do what is within our power. Although personal perfection is not required of us right now, our best attempt at it is. The good news is that God will not require of us more than the best we can do, but the bad news is he will not accept less than that either.
This is how I think of grace. I picture a ladder with say, twelve rungs. The ground the ladder rests on is where we all start from, each rung represents what we are capable of doing. The top of the ladder is the Celestial Kingdom. Maybe I can only step up to the third rung. I’ve worked as hard as I possibly could. I’ve done everything in my power to achieve what I am capable of achieving. And still I have only reached the third rung. Christ then reaches down, grabs my hands, and gently pulls me up the rest of the way. His grace becomes sufficient for me to enter into the Celestial Kingdom, provided I have kept my end of the bargain. I have entered into and obeyed all the covenants made available to me on earth. I have properly repented and offered a broken heart and a contrite spirit for my sins.
Now we can never compare what we are capable of against what another person is capable of. Who knows, maybe the prophet can make it to the tenth rung, maybe the person sitting next to me in sacrament can only make it to the first rung, maybe the relief society president can make it to the sixth rung. That doesn’t matter at all to Christ. That is what makes the gospel such good news! It is only about our own individual ability. Christ will never say to us, well your brother can do more, so why can’t you? He will ask us, “Are you doing the very best you can do??” I think we should be prepared to answer that question. “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
There is really no such thing as “easy” grace because the partnership with Christ isn’t easy—it calls for the best and the highest within us. He requires our loyalty, our service to God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. He demands ongoing repentance and continual recommitment. And he offers no proof and no guarantee beyond the private witness of the Spirit that he can do what he promises. Rather, he asks us to trust him, to accept his word on faith. Rom. 16: 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
FEAR NOT
These words come from articles located in the Ensign Magazine and my own thoughts originally written on August 10, 2003.
Isa. 35: 4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Isa. 41: 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Ps. 27: 1, 3 THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Fear is such a varied emotion. There are deep fears and subtle anxieties. We, as parents, may fear that our children will lose their way and never find the way back. We may fear the pain of losing someone we love deeply. We may fear the unknown or the unexpected. We may fear what we know to expect in the last days. We may fear trying something new, changing our lives (even if it is in more accordance with Heavenly Father’s plan), or the ridicule of others. That last fear, the ridicule of others is what may be holding most of us back from doing missionary work. We all know that we have the best news, the good news that is the gospel, but we allow what others may think of us as being more important than sharing Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation and happiness. Fear can even be an emotion that many people refuse to admit they feel.
Who among us can say that he or she has not felt fear? I know of no one who has been entirely spared. Some, of course, experience fear to a greater degree than do others. Some are able to rise above it quickly, but others are trapped and pulled down by it and even driven to defeat. We suffer from the fear of ridicule, the fear of failure, the fear of loneliness, and the fear of ignorance. Some fear the present, some the future. Some carry the burden of sin and would give almost anything to unshackle themselves from those burdens but fear to change their lives. Let us recognize that fear comes not of God, but rather that this gnawing, destructive element comes from the adversary of truth and righteousness. Fear is the antithesis of faith.
Why is fear part of earth life? Perhaps our Heavenly Father’s greatest hope is that through our fears we may choose to turn to him. The uncertainties of earth life can help to remind each of us that we are dependent on him. But that reminder is not automatic. It involves our agency. We must choose to take our fears to him, choose to trust him, and choose to allow him to direct us. We must make these choices when what we feel most inclined to do is to rely more and more on our own frantic and often distorted thinking.
Fear doesn’t come from God, but from the adversary. Fear is the antithesis of faith. Mark 4: 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? God gives us power, love, and a sound mind as antidotes to fear. 2 Tim. 1:6-7 states: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
These principles are the great antidotes to the fears that rob us of our strength and sometimes knock us down to defeat. They give us power. What power? It is the power of the gospel, the power of truth, the power of faith, the power of the priesthood.
A mighty fortress is our God, A tower of strength ne’er failing. A helper mighty is our God, O’er ills of life prevailing. He overcometh all. He saveth from the fall. His might and pow’r are great. He all things did create. And he shall reign forevermore. (“A Mighty Fortress,” Hymns, no. 3.)
There is a mighty strength that comes of the knowledge that you and I are sons and daughters of God. Within us is something of divinity. The power of the gospel gives us the strength that comes from knowing we are sons and daughters of God. As children of our Heavenly Father, we can learn to be happy, to trust in Him, and to not be afraid.
In the children’s classic story The Secret Garden, the author tells the story of the orphan, Mary Lennox, who is taken to her uncle’s house, where she meets her cousin, Colin, who is a recluse. Even though there is nothing wrong with him, he is paralyzed by the fear he will become a hunchback if he lives, and he has convinced himself that he will soon die.
Mary Lennox is a lonely child who is determined not to be interested in anything. One day while walking on her uncle’s estate, she stumbles upon the key to the entrance of a garden enclosed by a high wall. Once she enters the garden, a transformation takes place. In working to restore the garden to its former grandeur, she experiences a freshening of her spirit. Colin is coaxed from his gloomy room into the garden, and the author writes this commentary: “So long as Colin shut himself up in his room and thought only of his fears and weakness and his hatred of people who looked at him and reflected hourly on humps and early death, he was a hysterical half-crazy little hypochondriac who knew nothing of the sunshine and the spring and also did not know that he could get well and could stand upon his feet if he tried to do it. When new beautiful thoughts began to push out the old hideous ones, life began to come back to him; his blood ran healthily through his veins and strength poured into him like a flood. … Much more surprising things can happen to any one who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has sense to remember in time to push it out by putting in an agreeable determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place. ‘Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”
Satan is our greatest enemy and works night and day to destroy us. But we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm he will retreat. He has the power to bruise our heel, but we have the power to crush his head.
Heavenly Father will comfort us. Remember, the Lord has said, “The very hairs of your head are all numbered” unto the Father. “Fear ye not therefore” (Matt. 10:30-31). He knows us, He loves us, and He knows our needs. He will comfort us if we will only trust in Him and His goodness and wisdom.
The popular secular Serenity Prayer says “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
There are many things that we cannot change. We all have difficulties and disappointments. But often these turn out to be opportunities. The Lord can measure how strong we are by how we handle these difficulties in our lives. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).
Sometimes the Lord allows us to have trials to shape us into productive servants. In our desire to achieve, we often fail to see that the Lord is trying to prune us away from false pride and vain ambition so He can teach us discipleship. His all-seeing eye is over us and ever watching us as our Eternal Heavenly Parent. When trials come, as surely they will to all of us during mortality, let us not sink into the abyss of self-pity but remember who is at the helm, that He is there to guide us through all the storms of life.
We can overcome fear and doubt, worry and discouragement through the sustaining power of love—love of the Lord, parents, family, friends, and Church leaders. D&C 68: 6 insists “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” Deut. 31: 6 (6, 8) asserts “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
As we try to live his commandments and pray to him, there are things he will direct us to do that will help calm our fears. These actions often require great courage and direction from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost may help us to understand when and with whom we should share our fears. He will support us as we face our fears and try to do things that we have never done before.
A former Primary General President, Sister Michaelene Grassli said, when I was afraid my performance would be far less than those who had come before, and I would certainly be a disappointment to everyone and probably an embarrassment to the Church, it was comforting to me to know that I need only be concerned that what I do and say is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord.” Concentrating on pleasing Heavenly Father brings peace, a respite from fear and anxiety.
The prophet David said: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1.)
Vincent van Gogh, a famous painter, said, “I am always doing what I can’t do yet in order to learn how to do it.” A large part of conquering daily fear is simply doing things that we don’t know how to do—yet.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
As we concentrate on pleasing the Lord rather than others and continue to work hard, doing the things we don’t know how to do yet, we will experience personal growth. We will increase our confidence in Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. This faith assures us that in the end, we will not only survive but we will know great joy and happiness.
After the death of Christ, Paul was converted and became a great missionary. He had a junior companion, whom he loved as a father loves his own son. When we pick up their story in 2 Timothy, they are separated in their service. Timothy is lonely and afraid—being a missionary can be a fearful thing. Paul is in prison in Rome. He writes Timothy a letter: “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son. … “I thank God … that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; “Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears.” (2 Tim. 1:2-4.)
Isn’t that a tender letter? Pretend it is coming to you from one who is mindful of your tears.
Paul then goes on to remind Timothy of his strengths: “I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee.” (2 Tim. 1:5.) He reminds Timothy that both his grandmother and his mother were women of faith.
Think of some of the strengths that your grandmothers and mother have passed on to you.
Then Paul asks Timothy to remember to use the gift of the Holy Ghost: “I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” (2 Tim. 1:6.) Are you remembering that you have had hands laid on your head—that you have been given a gift? Use that gift to conquer your fears! And then my favorite part of the letter: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7.)
Are those just the things you want when you are fearful—power, love, the ability to think clearly? The power of a sound mind leads us to see that the gospel is simple, beautiful, and logical.
As we overcome fear, let us walk with confidence—never with arrogance—and with quiet dignity in our conviction concerning the Savior. “Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. … Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.” (D&C 6:34, 36-37.) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love. …”
Love of what? Love for the Lord, love for his work, his cause, and his kingdom; love for people, love for one another. Love of God can bridge the chasm of fear. Love for the Church can also lift one above doubt.
I am grateful for the marvelous words found in D & C 93:36 that “the glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” And for the counsel given us to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” and to acquire knowledge “by study and also by faith.” D&C 88:118
“And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. that which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” (D&C 50:23-24.)
I wish we would ponder these words. They are wonderful in their promise concerning the great potential that lies within each of us and is an expression of God’s love for his sons and daughters. What have any of us to fear regarding our challenges and difficulties in life? “Only fear itself,” as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said.
Let us refer again to the tremendously important truths taught by Paul: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7.)
Then Paul gave his great direction to Timothy: “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.” (2 Tim. 1:8.)
President Hinckley says “May this counsel be as a personal charge to each of us. Let us walk with confidence—never with arrogance—and with quiet dignity in our conviction concerning Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Let us find strength in the strength that comes from him. Let us find peace in the peace that was of the very essence of his being. Let us be willing to sacrifice in the spirit of him who gave himself a sacrifice for all men. Let us walk in virtue, and repent of our sins, and seek forgiveness. Let us demonstrate our love for him through service to one another.”
I pray we learn lessons of those who came before us, the prophets and teachers of the gospel. Those who have learned to live without fear, such as Abraham, Daniel, David, Job, Paul, and Joseph Smith. Let us heed the words recorded in the scriptures time and again to walk through this life without fear, but with the love of God. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Isa. 35: 4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Isa. 41: 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Ps. 27: 1, 3 THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Fear is such a varied emotion. There are deep fears and subtle anxieties. We, as parents, may fear that our children will lose their way and never find the way back. We may fear the pain of losing someone we love deeply. We may fear the unknown or the unexpected. We may fear what we know to expect in the last days. We may fear trying something new, changing our lives (even if it is in more accordance with Heavenly Father’s plan), or the ridicule of others. That last fear, the ridicule of others is what may be holding most of us back from doing missionary work. We all know that we have the best news, the good news that is the gospel, but we allow what others may think of us as being more important than sharing Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation and happiness. Fear can even be an emotion that many people refuse to admit they feel.
Who among us can say that he or she has not felt fear? I know of no one who has been entirely spared. Some, of course, experience fear to a greater degree than do others. Some are able to rise above it quickly, but others are trapped and pulled down by it and even driven to defeat. We suffer from the fear of ridicule, the fear of failure, the fear of loneliness, and the fear of ignorance. Some fear the present, some the future. Some carry the burden of sin and would give almost anything to unshackle themselves from those burdens but fear to change their lives. Let us recognize that fear comes not of God, but rather that this gnawing, destructive element comes from the adversary of truth and righteousness. Fear is the antithesis of faith.
Why is fear part of earth life? Perhaps our Heavenly Father’s greatest hope is that through our fears we may choose to turn to him. The uncertainties of earth life can help to remind each of us that we are dependent on him. But that reminder is not automatic. It involves our agency. We must choose to take our fears to him, choose to trust him, and choose to allow him to direct us. We must make these choices when what we feel most inclined to do is to rely more and more on our own frantic and often distorted thinking.
Fear doesn’t come from God, but from the adversary. Fear is the antithesis of faith. Mark 4: 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? God gives us power, love, and a sound mind as antidotes to fear. 2 Tim. 1:6-7 states: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
These principles are the great antidotes to the fears that rob us of our strength and sometimes knock us down to defeat. They give us power. What power? It is the power of the gospel, the power of truth, the power of faith, the power of the priesthood.
A mighty fortress is our God, A tower of strength ne’er failing. A helper mighty is our God, O’er ills of life prevailing. He overcometh all. He saveth from the fall. His might and pow’r are great. He all things did create. And he shall reign forevermore. (“A Mighty Fortress,” Hymns, no. 3.)
There is a mighty strength that comes of the knowledge that you and I are sons and daughters of God. Within us is something of divinity. The power of the gospel gives us the strength that comes from knowing we are sons and daughters of God. As children of our Heavenly Father, we can learn to be happy, to trust in Him, and to not be afraid.
In the children’s classic story The Secret Garden, the author tells the story of the orphan, Mary Lennox, who is taken to her uncle’s house, where she meets her cousin, Colin, who is a recluse. Even though there is nothing wrong with him, he is paralyzed by the fear he will become a hunchback if he lives, and he has convinced himself that he will soon die.
Mary Lennox is a lonely child who is determined not to be interested in anything. One day while walking on her uncle’s estate, she stumbles upon the key to the entrance of a garden enclosed by a high wall. Once she enters the garden, a transformation takes place. In working to restore the garden to its former grandeur, she experiences a freshening of her spirit. Colin is coaxed from his gloomy room into the garden, and the author writes this commentary: “So long as Colin shut himself up in his room and thought only of his fears and weakness and his hatred of people who looked at him and reflected hourly on humps and early death, he was a hysterical half-crazy little hypochondriac who knew nothing of the sunshine and the spring and also did not know that he could get well and could stand upon his feet if he tried to do it. When new beautiful thoughts began to push out the old hideous ones, life began to come back to him; his blood ran healthily through his veins and strength poured into him like a flood. … Much more surprising things can happen to any one who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has sense to remember in time to push it out by putting in an agreeable determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place. ‘Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”
Satan is our greatest enemy and works night and day to destroy us. But we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm he will retreat. He has the power to bruise our heel, but we have the power to crush his head.
Heavenly Father will comfort us. Remember, the Lord has said, “The very hairs of your head are all numbered” unto the Father. “Fear ye not therefore” (Matt. 10:30-31). He knows us, He loves us, and He knows our needs. He will comfort us if we will only trust in Him and His goodness and wisdom.
The popular secular Serenity Prayer says “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
There are many things that we cannot change. We all have difficulties and disappointments. But often these turn out to be opportunities. The Lord can measure how strong we are by how we handle these difficulties in our lives. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).
Sometimes the Lord allows us to have trials to shape us into productive servants. In our desire to achieve, we often fail to see that the Lord is trying to prune us away from false pride and vain ambition so He can teach us discipleship. His all-seeing eye is over us and ever watching us as our Eternal Heavenly Parent. When trials come, as surely they will to all of us during mortality, let us not sink into the abyss of self-pity but remember who is at the helm, that He is there to guide us through all the storms of life.
We can overcome fear and doubt, worry and discouragement through the sustaining power of love—love of the Lord, parents, family, friends, and Church leaders. D&C 68: 6 insists “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” Deut. 31: 6 (6, 8) asserts “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
As we try to live his commandments and pray to him, there are things he will direct us to do that will help calm our fears. These actions often require great courage and direction from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost may help us to understand when and with whom we should share our fears. He will support us as we face our fears and try to do things that we have never done before.
A former Primary General President, Sister Michaelene Grassli said, when I was afraid my performance would be far less than those who had come before, and I would certainly be a disappointment to everyone and probably an embarrassment to the Church, it was comforting to me to know that I need only be concerned that what I do and say is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord.” Concentrating on pleasing Heavenly Father brings peace, a respite from fear and anxiety.
The prophet David said: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1.)
Vincent van Gogh, a famous painter, said, “I am always doing what I can’t do yet in order to learn how to do it.” A large part of conquering daily fear is simply doing things that we don’t know how to do—yet.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
As we concentrate on pleasing the Lord rather than others and continue to work hard, doing the things we don’t know how to do yet, we will experience personal growth. We will increase our confidence in Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. This faith assures us that in the end, we will not only survive but we will know great joy and happiness.
After the death of Christ, Paul was converted and became a great missionary. He had a junior companion, whom he loved as a father loves his own son. When we pick up their story in 2 Timothy, they are separated in their service. Timothy is lonely and afraid—being a missionary can be a fearful thing. Paul is in prison in Rome. He writes Timothy a letter: “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son. … “I thank God … that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; “Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears.” (2 Tim. 1:2-4.)
Isn’t that a tender letter? Pretend it is coming to you from one who is mindful of your tears.
Paul then goes on to remind Timothy of his strengths: “I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee.” (2 Tim. 1:5.) He reminds Timothy that both his grandmother and his mother were women of faith.
Think of some of the strengths that your grandmothers and mother have passed on to you.
Then Paul asks Timothy to remember to use the gift of the Holy Ghost: “I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” (2 Tim. 1:6.) Are you remembering that you have had hands laid on your head—that you have been given a gift? Use that gift to conquer your fears! And then my favorite part of the letter: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7.)
Are those just the things you want when you are fearful—power, love, the ability to think clearly? The power of a sound mind leads us to see that the gospel is simple, beautiful, and logical.
As we overcome fear, let us walk with confidence—never with arrogance—and with quiet dignity in our conviction concerning the Savior. “Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. … Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.” (D&C 6:34, 36-37.) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love. …”
Love of what? Love for the Lord, love for his work, his cause, and his kingdom; love for people, love for one another. Love of God can bridge the chasm of fear. Love for the Church can also lift one above doubt.
I am grateful for the marvelous words found in D & C 93:36 that “the glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” And for the counsel given us to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” and to acquire knowledge “by study and also by faith.” D&C 88:118
“And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. that which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” (D&C 50:23-24.)
I wish we would ponder these words. They are wonderful in their promise concerning the great potential that lies within each of us and is an expression of God’s love for his sons and daughters. What have any of us to fear regarding our challenges and difficulties in life? “Only fear itself,” as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said.
Let us refer again to the tremendously important truths taught by Paul: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7.)
Then Paul gave his great direction to Timothy: “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.” (2 Tim. 1:8.)
President Hinckley says “May this counsel be as a personal charge to each of us. Let us walk with confidence—never with arrogance—and with quiet dignity in our conviction concerning Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Let us find strength in the strength that comes from him. Let us find peace in the peace that was of the very essence of his being. Let us be willing to sacrifice in the spirit of him who gave himself a sacrifice for all men. Let us walk in virtue, and repent of our sins, and seek forgiveness. Let us demonstrate our love for him through service to one another.”
I pray we learn lessons of those who came before us, the prophets and teachers of the gospel. Those who have learned to live without fear, such as Abraham, Daniel, David, Job, Paul, and Joseph Smith. Let us heed the words recorded in the scriptures time and again to walk through this life without fear, but with the love of God. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sacrifice is Expected
Ryan’s return home from mission and I gave this talk
March 12, 2006
1 Nephi 16:6 “Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.”
Many people that I knew who are not members of the church, approached me and commented that they could never send their son away for two years. It was beyond their understanding how I could ever allow that to happen. They said that they could never sacrifice their time with their child for any reason.
I thought a great deal about that during that period of time because my viewpoint was so vastly different. Of course, I would sacrifice my time with Ryan. Of course, I would support him in his decision to serve the Lord for two years. These things have been brought back to my remembrance as Ryan has returned. The two years is finished and the sacrifice has been made.
Two individuals with two viewpoints came to my mind as I thought about how people view sacrifice. The first is Nephi. I began my talk by quoting Nephi’s words about his father’s sacrifice. Nephi’s father, Lehi, sacrificed a great deal, at least from Nephi’s perspective. I get that from Nephi’s own fascination with his father dwelling in a tent. He mentioned several times “and my father dwelt in a tent.” From those words, I can deduce Nephi is recognizing his father’s sacrifice. Lehi was a man of some influence, wealth, status, reputation, and means. He was born under the covenant. His sons stood to inherit much in terms of land and name and influence. Yet when called upon by the Lord, Lehi left it all behind. He left his home, his possessions, his extended family, his power, and his status in the community. He left it all to pursue a new life of which he knew nothing about, other than the Lord had commanded him to do so. Nephi never forgot this. He stood in awe of his father. He reverenced him for his choice and decision. It was the right thing to do, as we all know, because we know the rest of the story. Lehi and his family did not know what would happen to them as they made this journey. They just knew the Lord said they must leave and leave they did. The Lord did not reveal what would happen to them except one step at a time. I'd like to just add their journey took 11 years. I'm sure there were weeks or months in which they had no idea what to expect or why they were being tested. We know they were being refined for future challenges, but they may not have had that understanding.
When the Lord asks us to sacrifice, we do not know what will happen. We just do it because we trust in Him and know He wants only the very best life for us. He wants to train us and teach us how to become our very best selves.
As we continue reading in 1 Nephi, we learn how they are blessed as they are obedient, faithful and diligent.
I know as I look back on Ryan’s mission through his letters, I see how he was blessed as he was obedient, faithful, and diligent. I know that we have been blessed as we were obedient, faithful, and diligent.
So why do we sacrifice when we do not know what will result from our sacrifice. Hindsight is 20/20. But we sacrifice prior to the blessings. I can tell you why I have sacrificed.
Read from “The Atonement” in “Preach My Gospel”.
Other than my covenant to sacrifice all that I have and am for Christ, I want to do whatever is asked of me or required of me to gain access to that most wonderful of all gifts, the great atoning sacrifice of my Savior. When I think of things in this way, it is not a sacrifice at all. It is a gift that I can give to my Savior and Redeemer, as He as already given His all to me.
March 12, 2006
1 Nephi 16:6 “Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.”
Many people that I knew who are not members of the church, approached me and commented that they could never send their son away for two years. It was beyond their understanding how I could ever allow that to happen. They said that they could never sacrifice their time with their child for any reason.
I thought a great deal about that during that period of time because my viewpoint was so vastly different. Of course, I would sacrifice my time with Ryan. Of course, I would support him in his decision to serve the Lord for two years. These things have been brought back to my remembrance as Ryan has returned. The two years is finished and the sacrifice has been made.
Two individuals with two viewpoints came to my mind as I thought about how people view sacrifice. The first is Nephi. I began my talk by quoting Nephi’s words about his father’s sacrifice. Nephi’s father, Lehi, sacrificed a great deal, at least from Nephi’s perspective. I get that from Nephi’s own fascination with his father dwelling in a tent. He mentioned several times “and my father dwelt in a tent.” From those words, I can deduce Nephi is recognizing his father’s sacrifice. Lehi was a man of some influence, wealth, status, reputation, and means. He was born under the covenant. His sons stood to inherit much in terms of land and name and influence. Yet when called upon by the Lord, Lehi left it all behind. He left his home, his possessions, his extended family, his power, and his status in the community. He left it all to pursue a new life of which he knew nothing about, other than the Lord had commanded him to do so. Nephi never forgot this. He stood in awe of his father. He reverenced him for his choice and decision. It was the right thing to do, as we all know, because we know the rest of the story. Lehi and his family did not know what would happen to them as they made this journey. They just knew the Lord said they must leave and leave they did. The Lord did not reveal what would happen to them except one step at a time. I'd like to just add their journey took 11 years. I'm sure there were weeks or months in which they had no idea what to expect or why they were being tested. We know they were being refined for future challenges, but they may not have had that understanding.
When the Lord asks us to sacrifice, we do not know what will happen. We just do it because we trust in Him and know He wants only the very best life for us. He wants to train us and teach us how to become our very best selves.
As we continue reading in 1 Nephi, we learn how they are blessed as they are obedient, faithful and diligent.
I know as I look back on Ryan’s mission through his letters, I see how he was blessed as he was obedient, faithful, and diligent. I know that we have been blessed as we were obedient, faithful, and diligent.
So why do we sacrifice when we do not know what will result from our sacrifice. Hindsight is 20/20. But we sacrifice prior to the blessings. I can tell you why I have sacrificed.
Read from “The Atonement” in “Preach My Gospel”.
Other than my covenant to sacrifice all that I have and am for Christ, I want to do whatever is asked of me or required of me to gain access to that most wonderful of all gifts, the great atoning sacrifice of my Savior. When I think of things in this way, it is not a sacrifice at all. It is a gift that I can give to my Savior and Redeemer, as He as already given His all to me.
NASA and the Bible
Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore Maryland and a consultant in the space Program relates the following development. "I think one of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Greenbelt, Maryland. They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space where they would be 100 years and 1000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send a satellite, up and have it bump into something later on in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite, and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down. They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong either with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out and they said, "What's wrong?" Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair. There was no answer. Finally, a Christian man on the team said, "You know, one time I was in Sunday School and they talked about the sun standing still." While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, "Show us." He got a Bible and went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with "common sense." There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, "Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before Thee." Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy and if darkness fell they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right-"The sun stood still and the moon stayed-and hasted not to go down about a whole day!" (Joshua 10:12-13) The astronauts and scientists said, "There is the missing day!" They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes-not a whole day. They read the Bible and there it was "about (approximately) a day." These little words in the Bible are important, but the were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes you'll still be in trouble 1,000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings that told of the following story: Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said "Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?" Hezekiah said "It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees." Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe!" Isn't it amazing? (References: Joshua 10:8 and 12, 13 and 2 Kings 20:9-11) Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
FORGIVENESS
May 16, 2004
Read D & C 64: 9 – 10
Read 3 Nephi 13: 14-15
Within the Lord’s Prayer, we read, “Forgive us our debts (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us). How much do we need forgiveness? How often do we seek forgiveness? For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son.
Our Father in Heaven is a perfect being & cannot look on sin with the least allowance. We cannot return to Him unspotted & yet our greatest hope is to be able to live with Him again. So how do we do that, live with him again, when we sin everyday? We are natural man trying to learn to cast off that part of ourselves. Still, we are unclean; we are not perfect, except through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He atoned for our sins, that through proper repentance, we could be forgiven. However, how we are forgiven is largely dependant on ourselves. It is dependant upon how we forgive others. I want to read to you a story. It is a story from a book that is a fictionalized account of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. I picked this story I’m about to read because it explains just how important it is to forgive everyone, absolutely everyone.
In the story, two people are speaking. One is Peter, a recent convert & follower/disciple of Christ and the other is a young man named Simeon. Simeon has many very good reasons for not forgiving people, particularly the Romans who have deeply hurt & wronged him and his family. This is Peter’s explanation of the parable of the unmerciful servant found in Matthew 18:21-35.
Simeon starts, “Jesus talks of love & forgiveness, right?” “Yes”, answers Peter. Simeon says, “I heard him say that we were to love our enemies and forgive those who treat us spitefully. But that doesn’t seem to be the main message he has for people. Is that his main message?” “I don’t know if I would say that is his main message, but—“ Peter stopped, his brow furrowing. “For example, the other day I asked him about forgiveness. I, too, was a little troubled by what he had said. When he gave us the model of how we should pray (The Lord’s prayer), he said, ‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ Well, I had been thinking about it. Knowing that he expects us to do more than the normal, I asked if we forgave someone seven times if that would be enough.” Simeon asked, “Seven? The law requires only three times, and that’s if they come asking for forgiveness.” Peter pulled a face. “I know. I thought I was being vastly generous. Do you know what he said?” Simeon shook his head. “He looked directly at me and said, ‘I say not unto you, until seven times, but until seventy times seven!” A stunned gasp exploded from Simeon’s mouth. Seventy times seven? His mind automatically did the calculations. “Four hundred and ninety times?” Peter shrugged. “That’s what he said. I think what he really meant was ‘Why are you counting?’ He then gave a parable. The more I’ve thought about it, it’s a really astonishing parable. He said that the kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who decided to take an accounting of his servants. When he had begun to reckon with them, he met with one who owed him ten thousand talents.” Simeon head came up sharply. “Ten thousand talents! For a workingman, one talent is a major fortune. A hundred talents would be beyond his wildest dreams. Peter went on. “It’s a staggering sum, isn’t it? Well, Jesus went on to say that when the servant did not have sufficient means to repay the debt—obviously! —The king commanded the servant to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.” Simeon sarcastically said, “Oh, that would help! What’s the price of a slave now? Thirty pieces of silver? Even if the man had a large family, that would barely be tiny dimple of what he owed.” Peter continued, “That makes what followed all the more astonishing. The servant fell down at the king’s feet and pleaded with him saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’” A mischievous grin stole over the apostle’s face. “Do you have any idea how much patience the man is asking for?” He didn’t wait for Simeon to answer. “Even if he paid him back at the rate of one talent per week—an incredible sum—it would still take nearly two hundred years!” “This can’t be a true story,” Simeon said. “It’s more like a fable.” Peter answered, “Jesus never said it was true. He just said that the kingdom of heaven was like this story.” Eager to know more, Simeon pleaded, “So did the king agree to this fantastic proposal and give the man some time?” Peter shook his head. Simeon pounced on that. “I knew it.” “No,” Peter said, his voice soft with awe. “He forgave the man the debt. Took it off the books. Totally forgot the whole amount.” Simeon started. “Jesus said that?” Peter seemed pleased to see that Simeon was a little dazed by this too. He had been. The story had left him spinning. “But that’s not the end of the story. That same servant had one of his fellow servants (a co-worker) who owed him a debt as well. The co-worker owed him one hundred denarii.” Simeon remarked, “After ten thousand talents, that’s a mere pittance.” Peter went on without responding to that. “Well, this servant laid hands on the co-worker. He took the co-worker by the throat and demanded that he repay the debt. And this co-worker fell at the servant’s feet and besought him, saying…” he paused for effect, “’…Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’” Simeon was transfixed. “The same words he had used with the king.” Peter said, “Exactly. But the servant would not listen. He had no mercy on him. He called for the officers and had his co-worker sent to prison until he paid the hundred denarii back.” Simeon blurted, “After the king forgave him of ten thousand talents?” “I was so angry by that point,” Peter said with a rueful smile. “I had forgotten that this was only a story. But Jesus went right on. The king called the servant back before him. ‘O thou, wicked servant! He said. Peter stopped again. “Isn’t it interesting? He didn’t call him a wicked servant when he owed him ten thousand talents. Only now does he use that term. ‘I forgave thee all that debt,’ the king said, ‘because you desired it of me. Should you not also have had compassion on your co-worker, even as I had pity on thee?’” “I would say so,” Simeon said, not realizing that he, like Peter, had become so caught up in the story that he was responding as though it were real. “And then came the lesson,” Peter concluded. “Jesus looked right at me then. ‘So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto his children,’ he said, ‘if they from their hearts forgive not every one his brother his trespasses.’” Peter seemed lost in his own thoughts. “I’ve thought a lot about that, wondering what he meant. Do you know that the one debt is six hundred thousand times larger than the other?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Do you realize that though a man could carry one hundred denarii in a pouch in one hand, a talent would be like half a large sack of grain? And it would take a column of men almost ten miles long to carry ten thousand talents!” “Then why?” Simeon asked. “Why is Jesus so fixed on forgiveness? What is he trying to teach us?” Peter was staring at the ground. He finally looked at Simeon. “How many times do you suppose a person sins in his life? I mean, if you count every thought, every act, every word that makes us less like God—which is a pretty good definition of sin, I suppose—how many times do you think we trespass against God? A thousand times, maybe?” Peter eyes narrowed. “Ten thousand times!” “Maybe more, in some cases,” Simeon whispered. Peter asked him, “If God is willing to take such debt upon him, forgive it without requiring full payment, then how can we go before him in the judgment and say, “But Lord, Micah hurt my feelings. Ezra wronged me when he stole my cattle. Baruch took my wife away?”
I really love this story. It explains to us in very simple terms what is expected of us in regards to forgiving our fellow man, our brothers and sisters. Because that is the level of forgiveness we’ve come to want and need and expect from Jesus Christ.
John Taylor explained it this way: “Treat one another aright. Have you sinned one against another? Then go and make restitution. Have you defrauded one another? Go and make it right. Have you spoken unkindly to your brother or sister? Then go and acknowledge your wrong and ask to be forgiven, promising to do better in the future. Let us treat one another with kindness and one another’s reputation with respect, and feel after one another’s welfare, treating everybody, as we would like God to treat us. And then, when we come to the Lord, we can say, ‘Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.’ Do you constantly think of that? We get down upon our knees and many of us think we are pretty decent fellows, but there is Brother So and So, he does not do exactly right, and I do not like him very much, and he has done me wrong, and I would like to have full retribution, but O God won’t you forgive my sins? I will, says the Lord, on condition that you forgive your brother, and only on that condition. “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matt. 5:23-24)
I know that this is a true principle. I know that I have done many wrongs and have not sought forgiveness for them. I intend to clear those things up for several reasons. It is a commandment & a requirement of me. I want there not to be any bad feelings against me for things I have caused. And finally, I want forgiveness, complete forgiveness, so that I can, through Christ’s infinite atonement, return to my Father in Heaven cleansed of my many sins and white and worthy. I say these things in the sacred and holy name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, Redeemer and Teacher. Amen
Read D & C 64: 9 – 10
Read 3 Nephi 13: 14-15
Within the Lord’s Prayer, we read, “Forgive us our debts (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us). How much do we need forgiveness? How often do we seek forgiveness? For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son.
Our Father in Heaven is a perfect being & cannot look on sin with the least allowance. We cannot return to Him unspotted & yet our greatest hope is to be able to live with Him again. So how do we do that, live with him again, when we sin everyday? We are natural man trying to learn to cast off that part of ourselves. Still, we are unclean; we are not perfect, except through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He atoned for our sins, that through proper repentance, we could be forgiven. However, how we are forgiven is largely dependant on ourselves. It is dependant upon how we forgive others. I want to read to you a story. It is a story from a book that is a fictionalized account of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. I picked this story I’m about to read because it explains just how important it is to forgive everyone, absolutely everyone.
In the story, two people are speaking. One is Peter, a recent convert & follower/disciple of Christ and the other is a young man named Simeon. Simeon has many very good reasons for not forgiving people, particularly the Romans who have deeply hurt & wronged him and his family. This is Peter’s explanation of the parable of the unmerciful servant found in Matthew 18:21-35.
Simeon starts, “Jesus talks of love & forgiveness, right?” “Yes”, answers Peter. Simeon says, “I heard him say that we were to love our enemies and forgive those who treat us spitefully. But that doesn’t seem to be the main message he has for people. Is that his main message?” “I don’t know if I would say that is his main message, but—“ Peter stopped, his brow furrowing. “For example, the other day I asked him about forgiveness. I, too, was a little troubled by what he had said. When he gave us the model of how we should pray (The Lord’s prayer), he said, ‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ Well, I had been thinking about it. Knowing that he expects us to do more than the normal, I asked if we forgave someone seven times if that would be enough.” Simeon asked, “Seven? The law requires only three times, and that’s if they come asking for forgiveness.” Peter pulled a face. “I know. I thought I was being vastly generous. Do you know what he said?” Simeon shook his head. “He looked directly at me and said, ‘I say not unto you, until seven times, but until seventy times seven!” A stunned gasp exploded from Simeon’s mouth. Seventy times seven? His mind automatically did the calculations. “Four hundred and ninety times?” Peter shrugged. “That’s what he said. I think what he really meant was ‘Why are you counting?’ He then gave a parable. The more I’ve thought about it, it’s a really astonishing parable. He said that the kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who decided to take an accounting of his servants. When he had begun to reckon with them, he met with one who owed him ten thousand talents.” Simeon head came up sharply. “Ten thousand talents! For a workingman, one talent is a major fortune. A hundred talents would be beyond his wildest dreams. Peter went on. “It’s a staggering sum, isn’t it? Well, Jesus went on to say that when the servant did not have sufficient means to repay the debt—obviously! —The king commanded the servant to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.” Simeon sarcastically said, “Oh, that would help! What’s the price of a slave now? Thirty pieces of silver? Even if the man had a large family, that would barely be tiny dimple of what he owed.” Peter continued, “That makes what followed all the more astonishing. The servant fell down at the king’s feet and pleaded with him saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’” A mischievous grin stole over the apostle’s face. “Do you have any idea how much patience the man is asking for?” He didn’t wait for Simeon to answer. “Even if he paid him back at the rate of one talent per week—an incredible sum—it would still take nearly two hundred years!” “This can’t be a true story,” Simeon said. “It’s more like a fable.” Peter answered, “Jesus never said it was true. He just said that the kingdom of heaven was like this story.” Eager to know more, Simeon pleaded, “So did the king agree to this fantastic proposal and give the man some time?” Peter shook his head. Simeon pounced on that. “I knew it.” “No,” Peter said, his voice soft with awe. “He forgave the man the debt. Took it off the books. Totally forgot the whole amount.” Simeon started. “Jesus said that?” Peter seemed pleased to see that Simeon was a little dazed by this too. He had been. The story had left him spinning. “But that’s not the end of the story. That same servant had one of his fellow servants (a co-worker) who owed him a debt as well. The co-worker owed him one hundred denarii.” Simeon remarked, “After ten thousand talents, that’s a mere pittance.” Peter went on without responding to that. “Well, this servant laid hands on the co-worker. He took the co-worker by the throat and demanded that he repay the debt. And this co-worker fell at the servant’s feet and besought him, saying…” he paused for effect, “’…Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’” Simeon was transfixed. “The same words he had used with the king.” Peter said, “Exactly. But the servant would not listen. He had no mercy on him. He called for the officers and had his co-worker sent to prison until he paid the hundred denarii back.” Simeon blurted, “After the king forgave him of ten thousand talents?” “I was so angry by that point,” Peter said with a rueful smile. “I had forgotten that this was only a story. But Jesus went right on. The king called the servant back before him. ‘O thou, wicked servant! He said. Peter stopped again. “Isn’t it interesting? He didn’t call him a wicked servant when he owed him ten thousand talents. Only now does he use that term. ‘I forgave thee all that debt,’ the king said, ‘because you desired it of me. Should you not also have had compassion on your co-worker, even as I had pity on thee?’” “I would say so,” Simeon said, not realizing that he, like Peter, had become so caught up in the story that he was responding as though it were real. “And then came the lesson,” Peter concluded. “Jesus looked right at me then. ‘So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto his children,’ he said, ‘if they from their hearts forgive not every one his brother his trespasses.’” Peter seemed lost in his own thoughts. “I’ve thought a lot about that, wondering what he meant. Do you know that the one debt is six hundred thousand times larger than the other?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Do you realize that though a man could carry one hundred denarii in a pouch in one hand, a talent would be like half a large sack of grain? And it would take a column of men almost ten miles long to carry ten thousand talents!” “Then why?” Simeon asked. “Why is Jesus so fixed on forgiveness? What is he trying to teach us?” Peter was staring at the ground. He finally looked at Simeon. “How many times do you suppose a person sins in his life? I mean, if you count every thought, every act, every word that makes us less like God—which is a pretty good definition of sin, I suppose—how many times do you think we trespass against God? A thousand times, maybe?” Peter eyes narrowed. “Ten thousand times!” “Maybe more, in some cases,” Simeon whispered. Peter asked him, “If God is willing to take such debt upon him, forgive it without requiring full payment, then how can we go before him in the judgment and say, “But Lord, Micah hurt my feelings. Ezra wronged me when he stole my cattle. Baruch took my wife away?”
I really love this story. It explains to us in very simple terms what is expected of us in regards to forgiving our fellow man, our brothers and sisters. Because that is the level of forgiveness we’ve come to want and need and expect from Jesus Christ.
John Taylor explained it this way: “Treat one another aright. Have you sinned one against another? Then go and make restitution. Have you defrauded one another? Go and make it right. Have you spoken unkindly to your brother or sister? Then go and acknowledge your wrong and ask to be forgiven, promising to do better in the future. Let us treat one another with kindness and one another’s reputation with respect, and feel after one another’s welfare, treating everybody, as we would like God to treat us. And then, when we come to the Lord, we can say, ‘Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.’ Do you constantly think of that? We get down upon our knees and many of us think we are pretty decent fellows, but there is Brother So and So, he does not do exactly right, and I do not like him very much, and he has done me wrong, and I would like to have full retribution, but O God won’t you forgive my sins? I will, says the Lord, on condition that you forgive your brother, and only on that condition. “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matt. 5:23-24)
I know that this is a true principle. I know that I have done many wrongs and have not sought forgiveness for them. I intend to clear those things up for several reasons. It is a commandment & a requirement of me. I want there not to be any bad feelings against me for things I have caused. And finally, I want forgiveness, complete forgiveness, so that I can, through Christ’s infinite atonement, return to my Father in Heaven cleansed of my many sins and white and worthy. I say these things in the sacred and holy name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, Redeemer and Teacher. Amen
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