Friday, February 6, 2009

Order and Ordinances


When this world was created, it was done so because of order.

“And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed.” Abraham 4:18



When Christ established His church upon this earth with Father Adam, He did so with order.


“Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.” Doctrine and Covenants 132:8


Order is necessary to combat chaos.



In the Book of Mormon from the great sermon given by King Benjamin we learn,

Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.



It seems very comfortable to me that the same Church that was established in the beginning with Adam, and renewed with every dispensation thereafter, would be one of order. It is not surprising to me then, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is one of order.



Ordinances are simply one way that Christ has ordered His Church and His people.



An ordinance is a sacred rite or ceremony performed by the power of the priesthood and intended to bless God’s children. Some ordinances, such as baptism, are essential for salvation. Other ordinances, such as administering to the sick constitute gifts from God to His children which are not essential for salvation. Many ordinances have symbolic meaning.



Elder Boyd K Packer explained,

“Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into God’s presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality.”



The Melchizedek Priesthood, or power by which all things are governed was originally called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.



As we journey on this “walk” we call mortality, we must learn to fall in order. Our Father has simply ordered us to do so, and he watches until we learn to obey.


We simply need to remember, there is order and He excuses no one!

2 comments:

In The Doghouse said...

My dear friend Glenna made this observation that I think we can all be enlightened by...

That very verse from Abraham has been on my mind these past few weeks. I was going to look the reference up today. Elder Bednar's recent conference talk on prayer has been on my mind. He told the story of a family that was on vacation in Europe when a son became ill. The father gave him a blessing, but the mother and son continued to pray until the blessing was realized. That sank deep into my heart. Those words from Abraham kept coming to my mind about watching until they obeyed and praying until the blessing is realized. I think we have more to learn about diligence and persistence in exercising faith in both the spiritual and temporal salvation of mankind.

In past years, when the boys were all at home, Abrahams words taught me an important parenting skill. Things were rarely accomplished as well when I left a list of things for the boys to do while I was gone as when we counseled together, made the list and I was there to "watch until they obeyed." Order in the home came the same way as order in the kingdom.
Glenna

Thanks Glenna... I love you!

Mona said...

Excellent! I have believed for a long time now that the work of a "God" or of Father Himself, is to organize out of chaos. If that is true, then the objective of our lives is to "organize" those lives - not rearranging cupboards or closets - not keeping a running to-do list or detailed calendar -- but actually living each day, each moment with purpose and direction; propelling ourselves and others toward exaltation. Love your blog Doghouse!! Thank you for following Mona's Musings. I love nothing more than thinking about, writing about and discussing the Plan of Happiness.
Your newest friend,
Mona
http://monasgospelmusings.blogspot.com/