I am off for a fun day at the
I couldn’t spend my time in any better way today, with any better group of people.
Oh yeah, and the icing on the cake is the fact that because of the New Family Search program I can take names of my own family that have passed away, that I have cleared on-line from my own home, and have saving ordinances preformed for them today. Such is the miracle of modern technology. The work moves forward despite opposition and persecution!
Soon after the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints took place on April 6, 1830, the prophet Joseph Smith was hit with a deluge of persecution from the people of the surrounding areas by way of libelous law suits and unlawful arrests. These were times of great trial and a true test of the faith of the early saints of the Church.
The Lord knew that the Mormon's would be no strangers to persecution so, in His loving fashion, provided a pattern in Section 24 of the Doctrine and Covenants for the saints to follow, to help them endure and even avoid the persecution that would come their way. The pattern was that of pruning.
D&C 24: 19 For thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time; yea, and also all those whom thou hast ordained, and they shall do even according to this pattern. Amen.
The act of pruning a tree or a vineyard is the process of removing the “dead wood” or the “sucker saplings” so that the plant does not become drained of its strength and nourishment. By pruning away the unnecessary burden of unproductive branches the whole energy of the plant can concentrate on those branches that will bare fruit.
The Pattern
1) In verse 3 the Lord instructed Joseph to “magnify thine office.” These were specific instruction given to Joseph, but can also be profitable for us today. We all have a calling. We have been called as Children of our Heavenly Father to further His work by proclaiming His gospel, perfecting His saints, and redeeming our dead. When we magnify that office we are entitled to the added blessing of strength that is promised because of obedience and commitment to the Lord. This magnification of our sacred calling is proof to the Lord that we are willing to “make Him our God, and we will be His people” and willing to “walk with Him.” Knowing who we are and what we are called to do is the best protection against persecution that can be given.
2) In verse 5 He instructs us to “call upon God in my name”, or to pray. By submitting ourselves to constant prayer we are showing that we are willing to be directed in the path the Lord would have us take.
3) Also in verse 5, the Lord tells Joseph to “continue writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter.” At this time Joseph was in the process of working on the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. If we think about the process that took place to allow this to happen, it is actually the ultimate scripture study experience. Joseph read the scriptures, pondered their meaning, and was taught by the spirit the truth of the words. In this manner we are taught the perfect pattern for scripture study. When we actually study with this same amount of intensity the spirit will make the scriptures live in our hearts.
4) Again, in verse 5 Joseph is instructed to “expound all scriptures unto the church.” He was promised that “it would be given him in the very moment what he should speak and write.” This is another wonderful example of “teaching by the spirit”. The best way to fully understand a principle is to teach it. This instruction, to teach, was a process that allowed Joseph to solidify the concepts he had learned through his study. The best way to make sure you understand a principle is to try to teach it to someone else.
5) In verse 7 Joseph is instructed to serve. Service is the stepping stone for love. We serve those we love, but miraculously we come to love those we serve.
6) Verse 8 calls for patience. Patience allows for differences in opinion and charity towards those who have not received as much light and knowledge as another may have. Imagine the understanding that the Prophet Joseph Smith was given, and the amount of patience he must have needed to “wait” for others to simply catch up to him. Many times persecution exists simply from ignorance or misunderstanding. Patience is a quality that is essential to overcome the desire to “strike back” or retaliate for wrongs that may be done, or feelings that may be trampled on unintentionally or on purpose.
7) The next instruction given is directed to Oliver. It is to “open his mouth in bearing the name of Jesus Christ before the world”, in other words, bear his testimony. The promise for bearing his testimony was the blessing of “strength such as is not known among men.” This is the strength that is needed to overcome any amount of persecution. Every time a testimony is borne the person becomes more strengthened in his resolve and conviction of truth.
8) In verses 13 and 14 instructions are given regarding the use of priesthood authority. The Lord admonishes us to exercise the power of the priesthood righteously. The priesthood is never to be used to “prove” by way of miracles or in exhibitions of power.
9) Finally, they were admonished to take no “purse or scrip” making sure they relied solely on the Lord for their support. When persecution is raging there are times when we can do nothing else but rely on the Lord.
If we ponder this pattern, we can see that through obedience and commitment, prayer combined with scripture study, teaching and serving others in patience, the blessing that naturally follows is the development of a testimony.
The strengthening of that testimony comes in bearing it. Bearing your testimony among those who would persecute you requires a righteous use of priesthood power relying on the Lord for strength, or in other words a complete exercise of faith.
Thus the pattern is set for protection from any type of persecution that we may face. Our membership in the
How have you strengthened your testimony lately?
D&C 127: 4 And again, verily thus saith the Lord: Let the work of my temple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven.
I have the blessing and privilege of being a Young Adult Institute instructor in my Stake. What that means is that I have a wonderful opportunity to "rub shoulders" with some of the greatest people I know on this earth. I believe that one of my Young Adult friends summed up the character of these “Children of the Promise”, or this generation, best when he observed:
“Our generation will do things different from generations past. We are strong enough to do it. We were prepared that way in the preexistence. We have more scripture and examples to learn from. It's prophesied that we will come through, so we have that positive mindset. Nevertheless, it will still take great faith. When others have fallen in the past we will rise up because of our faith. We are still reliant on the Lord. We need to serve him in faith, love and humility. We will realize more fully than past generations and the Lord will lift us up.” Zeb Shockley
I believe that because of their desire to know, and willingness to study, they will be blessed with that strong foundation that is needed to combat the evils in the world coming at them with equal force and frequency as the good.
In the most recent BYU Devotional Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke to the BYU students in attendance and emphasized to them the importance of building their testimonies on the rock Helaman spoke of.
Helaman 5:12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Elder Jensen gave six tips that he promised would help any student of the scriptures gain more insights from their studies when used. They are as follows:
First was to pray. He told of a time when he was waiting for his airplane to take off — he thumbed through the in-flight magazine and then began to flip through his scriptures. As he did so, he felt the Spirit tell him that he should pray before studying the scriptures instead of treating God’s word as he did a common magazine.
Second, pay the right price. It’s important to search, ponder, analyze and compare instead of merely reading.
“Going through the scriptures regularly is good,” he said, “but to have the scriptures go through you and have them change you comes with a price.”
Third, look for patterns, using whatever study aides necessary.
Fourth, have a pencil and notebook ready to write down impressions. He said we have the 138th section of the Doctrine and Covenants because President Joseph F. Smith wrote down the inspiration he received while studying the scriptures.
Fifth, mark, annotate and write in the margins. Jensen is on his fourth set of scriptures since serving as a mission president in
Sixth, teach what you learn. He said he does not consider a principle mastered until he can articulate it to someone else. He said it is our responsibility to teach others.
We are long past the days of reading simply out of habit or obedience, and have moved into a time where it is imperative to read for direction in our lives. These Young Adults have been taught better than any other generation how to do this. Where much is given, much is expected.
What are some techniques you find helpful when you study the scriptures?
The Priesthood is the power by which all things are created, governed, and ultimately redeemed. Women and men both play integral roles in that priesthood responsibility, as delegated to them from the Father. Both are equally needed and important, and are required to fulfill their priesthood obligations as they covenanted to do, they simply have different assignments within that priesthood organization.
The priesthood responsibility of the woman is to provide physical birth. This is fulfilled through the righteous union of the opposite sexes through the sealing power available in the House of the Lord. Thus, as stated in The Family: A Proclamation to The World,
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose....
The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”
Although some women may not have that sacred blessing of actually experiencing the physical birthing process in this life, ultimately she will be able to fulfill that priesthood responsibility if she remains true and faithful. As a testimony of that fact, she experiences the cleansing power of blood every month and is pronounced “clean”.
Men, on the other hand, have the sacred responsibility of providing an opportunity for “spiritual” birth. This process is done through the administration of the ordinances required to allow the spiritual birthing process to take place, these include faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. This may be referred to as the process of becoming “born again.” When the man faithfully fulfills his priesthood responsibility he “may become clean” as well.
Once the woman and the man have worked “with one heart and one mind”, submitting their will to that of the Father, by performing these sacred priesthood duties, they are then ready to enter the House of the Lord to administer in the “higher” priesthood saving ordinances together.
Thus, neither is the man without the woman or the woman without the man, in the Lord. Both are needed to further the beautiful plan that the Father has made to “bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life” of His children.
I love the Old Testament. That said, I believe that many of the “plain and precious” truths that were contained in the Old Testament were taken out during the many translation processes. Joseph Smith had the incredible job of restoring some of those truths back where they belong, within the context of the scriptural stories of the Old and New Testament. Today we have what is known as the JST or Joseph Smith Translation which adds back many truths that have been lost to the world.
The Lord knowing the “cunning and craftiness” of Satan and of men, knew that some of these evident truths would be tampered with. In His wisdom he allowed them to remain, buried in symbolism, known only to those who “searched” diligently, guided by the direction of the Spirit, to find them. These are some of the “mysteries of the kingdom” that we are instructed to search for.
One such mystery is that of the organizational make up of our Heavenly abode. The Doctrine and Covenants plainly teaches about the “three degrees of glory” and illustrates the nature of Heaven.
D&C 88:20 That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.
21 And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
23 And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
24 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.
I believe that even though this doctrine is not as plainly taught in the Old Testament it is still there. It was such an important concept to learn, that the Lord made sure His covenant children would never forget it, or recognize the truth of it when taught to them a new.
One example of the Lord’s teaching on the "three degrees of glory" is shown to the Children of Israel through the manner in which they were to set up the camp of
Even in the placement of the Camp of Israel we see the separation, or concept of the degrees of glory, that is being taught. The innermost place was the Tabernacle of the Lord, moving out from there were the Son’s of Moses and of Aaron, or the priesthood. These priesthood holders acted as mediators between the outermost circle which consisted of the rest of the camp and represented the world, and the Tabernacle itself. There was even a place labeled “outside” the camp of
To illustrate the point even further, within the Tabernacle there were three distinct separations as well.
D&C 131: 1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
The Lord made sure that the “mysteries of His kingdom” would be made know to those who searched for them throughout all generations. We are so lucky to have the added insights from the additional scripture we have been given, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Joseph Smith Translation. These scriptures allow us to more fully recognize these truths that are taught in both the Old and New Testaments.
Hebrew...................English
Adam............................... Man
Seth...................................Appointed
Enos..................................Mortal
Cainan...............................Sorrow
Mahalaleel.........................The Blessed God
Jared.................................Shall come down
Enoch................................Teaching
Methusaleh........................His death shall bring
Lamech.............................The despairing
Noah.................................Comfort, or rest
If we read the names in order as a sentence, we find:
"Man [is] appointed mortal sorrow; [but] the Blessed God shall come down
teaching [that] His death shall bring [the] despairing rest."
Here is the "gospel" hidden within the name meanings from a genealogy in Genesis!
I found out that she is also an author of the book, Beloved Bridegroom, which I have added to my collection. I will let you know how it is when I read it.
