Rooted in Love

To love God and to love ones neighbor, these two are the first and great commandments. Have you ever wondered why these two commandments are the commandments upon which hang "all the law and the prophets"? If I understand Christ correctly, He is saying that all of the writings contained in the Law (Torah), and all the writings contained in the Prophets (Nevi'im), essentially all holy writ up until that time, is useless if we fail to love God and our neighbors. Why is the love of God and neighbor so key that without it, nothing else matters?

I believe the answer has something to do with us becoming more like Christ. When God sent Jesus Christ to earth to atone for our sins, it is said that He did so because He "so loved the world" John 3:16. In sending His son, God became involved in our salvation. He showed his love for us in the most real and ultimate way possible, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

It is not simply enough to just accept the fact that Jesus Christ has atoned for our sins; we must become participants in our own salvation, and the salvation of others. As stated in Romans 8:17, we are only to become "joint heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with Him". However, the suffering we are to participate in pales in comparison to the sufferings of Christ, "which suffering caused [Jesus], even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit" D&C 20:18. The Savior has stated, "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent" D&C 20:16.

Therefore, if we are to be like Christ, and if we are asked to suffer with Him, but not to suffer as He suffered, what other way is there to be like Christ than to emulate his perfect Love toward God, His Father in Heaven, and toward his neighbors? That is why the commandment of love is so important, without it, we will never be able to obtain our highest potential and become like God. It is written, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:16-17.

If we are to realize the great blessings that await us, we must do as Paul says, and become "Rooted in love", that we "might be filled with all the fullness of God" Eph 3:17,19, and continue on our journey to become like He is.

Precious Time

Do you ever have those moments in life when you realize that there is so much more that you could be doing? I was listening to President Eyring this morning from his audio book "Because He First Loved Us", and in it, he talks about time. He mentioned a time as a teenager where he heard a voice in his mind say that one day when he knew who he truly was, he would lament over all the time he wasted. It led me to ask the question, how much time do I waste?

Time is one of those precious gifts from God. Once time is gone, there is no reclaiming it, it just slips into history. One cannot slow time, or stop time, or get it back. This is why it is a gift of such great importance, because what we do with our time today, defines who we are tomorrow. We must take the advice from the Latin poem by Horace, "Carpe Diem", we must Seize the day! The word "Carpe" literally means to pluck up, or to gather up, to make yours. We must rule the day, rather than allowing the day to rule us.

We all have the list of daily things that we must get done and want to get done, but are we allowing the list to fill itself with the musts and the wants, while leaving no room for the shoulds? Some items on my list I cannot neglect, but there are a fair number of items that either start on my list, or find their way there that push the shoulds into the dark. I know I should read my scriptures every day. I know I should say my prayers both day and night. I know I should do my home teaching. I suppose if I used my list to define who I am today, the definition might sound fine to the world, but I wonder how my Father in Heaven might respond. While I'm sure he would respond with love, I think it would be in the form of loving guidance toward a better way. Maybe it is time to take another look at my list.

Choosing Joy in this Life

This is from a talk I gave several years ago.

In 2nd Nephi we are taught that;

..."men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

Furthermore, we learn that, "men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil."

We have been taught to be " true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and [to do] good to all men..." in fact, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

However, in a world full of enticing side roads, and the tempting yet false "light" of the adversary, it is becoming increasingly hard for God's children to choose "liberty and eternal life".

Nearly two thousand years ago Paul the apostle saw and wrote about the very times in which we live. Speaking to Timothy in a letter, he wrote:

"...in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

The "World" holds up the proud, and it sees blasphemy as a comical hero. The name of our Savior is no longer sacred, but because many see him as "Just a good man" he is again sold over and over by the Judas Iscariots of this world for the cheap price of humor. Those that are without natural affection are put upon the pedestal of pride, and they receive a pat on the back for being so courageous to stand up for themselves.

In the classical book of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, The King is murdered by the hand of his own brother, by a vial of poison which had been poured into his ear. In his own words he speaks of the torment that this untimely death is causing him. He says that he is "...Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confined to fast in fires, Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purged away." Likewise, the music and media of today act as a spiritual poison to our ears and eyes. They creep into our homes through the television and computer, and "lead captive silly [men] women [and children] laden with sins, led away with divers lusts." Thus we become spiritually dead and "...Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,...Till the foul crimes done in [our] days of nature are burnt and purged away", by the cleansing effects of repentance through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

But what of choice? What of our ability to simply say "no, I will not partake of it"? It does exist, however, Satan would have us choose from two evils, prompting us think that if we choose the lesser of two evils, we have made a good choice. President Benson has said, "Don't see R-rated movies", but many of us find ourselves in PG13 movies that are just as vulgar, just as violent, and full of immorality. We then say to ourselves, "it only had a few bad parts in it, but at least it wasn't rated R." If I could suggest an eleventh commandment, it would read, "Thou shall not fool thyself".

Men, women and children are, or to put it in another way, men, women and children exist, that they might have joy. The whole of the human race exists to learn and choose joy in this life. Not the fleeting artificial joy of the "world", but true, eternal joy. This joy begins at the foundation of the family.

The Proclamation on the family put together by our modern day Prophets and Apostles teaches us that "...the family is central to the creators plan for the eternal destiny of His children." furthermore, "Parents have the sacred duty to...teach [their children] to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God, and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live." I testify that this teaching is to be accomplished in weekly family home evenings. Below are three areas of study that will give our families the strength needed, during these perilous times, to choose joy in this life.

#1 Teach the principle of prayer "for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." We are taught that "as soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand towards God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part...prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." We must learn to call upon God in all that we do, and then trust that if it is his will, we will obtain the desires of our hearts. Nothing can bring the spirit, and call down the powers of heaven faster than the sweet, honest and humble prayer of a child, for "of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

#2 Teach the power of the scriptures The scriptures have been the means by which millions of God’s children have come to the knowledge of truth. Prophets have taught from them, and even the savior used them to bring the spirit into the hearts of his followers. Within their pages, we can find answers to all of life’s problems. The Book of Mormon has been written for our day. It was painstakingly engraved onto plates of gold, and its sacred words, which Nephi teaches us "are the words of Christ" have been sealed by the testimonies of both ancient and modern Prophets at the insurmountable price of spilt blood. Within it's pages lay the fullness of the everlasting gospel and the all important knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, The Son of The living God. No book on earth has more power to change and soften the hearts of man than the Book of Mormon. That wonderful book is truly the keystone of our religion.

#3 Teach the blessing of tithing The miraculous stories that are created in peoples lives from paying a full and honest tithe could fill thousands of books being held in hundreds of rooms. It seems that any mention of whether or not one can afford to pay tithing leaves you open to the cumulative stories of all in the room who have seen the blessings that paying a full tithe can offer you. Why does the Lord ask us to pay tithing, he doesn't really need the money, any more than he needs 60,000 full time missionaries. If the Lord wanted to show people the true gospel, couldn't he just do as he did to the nephites? Couldn't he just show himself in some miraculous way to groups of people telling them what is true until he has reached the whole of the earth? It worked for the nephites. As a result they lived in perfect peace for nearly 200 years, a nice break considering the state of the people prior to the Saviors visit. No, he doesn't need our money, or our help to convert the world, but WE, as his children, need to pay tithing, and WE need to serve him in some form of missionary service. It creates a special chance for him to instruct us in things of godliness. It creates an opportunity for us to be tried, and tested. Those very trials, if passed, can give us the faith and strength necessary to call down the powers of heaven. The Lord has said, "Prove me now herewith...if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

I feel that these three things stand as a guide in this troubled world. If we and our your families learn all we can about these principles, and practice them daily, I know that when the time comes to choose between liberty and eternal life, or captivity and death, we will not be deceived.

The Spirit of Truth

This Blog entry is an excerpt from an answer to a series of questions that were posed to a member of my ward. The questions were anti-Mormon in nature, and were asked to serve the purpose of opening an argument about the LDS church. We should be careful when we engage in conversations of this sort, because  if they result in argument, the spirit cannot fully be present. You may have the spirit, but if the one asking the question does not, no fruit will come of the conversation. Remember the council given from Jesus Christ to the Nephites in 3rd Nephi, He said, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another”. Written below is my answer to arguing the gospel.

When people ask pointed questions like, “don’t you believe BLANK”, or “doesn’t you church teach BLANK”, oftentimes what they are doing is attempting to engage in an argument or debate about the church, rather than honestly seeking truth. A spirit of learning and discovery is difficult, if not impossible, to create in a situation like this. In order to illustrate what I mean, I will use scriptural examples of those who engaged in arguments of this kind and their outcomes, as well as those who honestly sought after truth and their outcomes.

My first example is Korihor. This man, whom the scriptures call an "Anti-Christ", was famous for making very pointed comments, and asking very pointed questions (when I say pointed, I mean that he was asking others to self reflect, rather than asking questions that caused him to self reflect). ALMA 30:13-17 “why do ye look for a Christ...no man can know of anything which is to come”. “These things called prophesies…are foolish traditions of your fathers”. “How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.” He continues telling them that the repentance they believe they will receive is a result of their “frenzied mind[s]”, and that they are deranged because of the traditions of their fathers. He also lies about Alma and the other High Priests, claiming that they preach to get gain (a lie that Alma calls him on). Alma does his best to show Korihor the reality of the Savior, and he does this by laying the scriptures before him, and baring his testimony to him. However, those things do not interest Korihor, he wants a physical sign. Alma warns him that he has already had proof enough that Christ is a reality, and that a sign would do him no good, but Korihor’s hard heart demands the sign. Alma then says, and this is the important part, “Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart, yea, that ye will still resist the spirit of truth, that your soul may be destroyed.” Korihor did not feel the spirit of truth, because he was not honestly seeking truth. Korihor did not feel the truth, because, as D&C 50: 17-25 states, both the teacher and the student must preach and receive in the spirit of truth for that light and truth to combine, grow brighter, and chase away the darkness. See below.

17 Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?

18 And if it be by some other way it is not of God.

19 And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?

20 If it be some other way it is not of God.

21 Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?

22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.

24 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.

25 And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you;

The outcome for Korihor’s desire to listen to darkness and demand a sign, was physical and spiritual death.

The next scriptural example is found in Alma 11-15 (Alma was a busy man). In this example, a man named Zeezrom attempts to “stir up the people against Alma and Amulek” in order to get gain. In the beginning, Zeezrom contends with Amulek, and this is the manner in which he speaks (pay close attention to the pointed nature of his questions). “Will ye answer me a few questions which I will ask you?” Amulek, new to the mission field, might be compelled to believe that Zeezrom is about to honestly seek after truth, but he learns in quick order that Zeezrom is desirous to engage in an argument. Notice that the verbiage from Amulek is the similar to what we read from D&C 50. You can ask me questions, Amulek says, only “if it be according to the spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the spirit of the Lord.” In other words, Amulek says, I’m only going to preach according to the spirit of truth, and he tells him this because he knows that the only spiritually profitable way to get through this question and answer session is if both he and Zeezrom preach and receive by the spirit of truth. Zeezrom wastes no time in bringing out the big guns, stating that he will pay Amulek six onties of silver to “deny the existence of a supreme being.” Even though Amulek’s chastisements, the pointed questions from Zeezrom continue to spew forth from his mouth. “Thou sayest there is a true and living God?” “Is there more than one God?” “How knowest these things?” He continued asking who is to come, and is the one who is to come the Son of God, All these things were asked to try and trick Amulek into saying something that Zeezrom could twist.

Fortunately, the outcome for Zeezrom was better because he chose to begin receiving Amulek and Alma’s words according to the spirit of truth. This change in Zeezrom’s heart takes place in Alma 12:8 when the scriptures tell us that he “began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God.” The beauty of this transformation is that Zeezrom was no longer asking pointed questions of these two men of God in order to trick them, the scripture says that his questions were now being asked that he might know more. He was now an honest seeker of truth, and through trial, he received his forgiveness.

I feel it is important to see and understand that our answers must always be given to our non-member friends in the spirit of truth. In both examples, Alma and Amulek were consistent in teaching by the spirit of truth, and we must do the same. Those who ask the questions will have to get the spirit of truth too before they can be converted.