Thoughts on Mary and Joseph

The past several years my thoughts during the Christmas season have turned to Mary and Joseph and how they put their trust in the Lord. 

Mary, we are told in scripture, was blessed among women. Possibly the best woman to ever walk this earth. She was expected to teach and raise the Son of God in righteousness. She was pure and virtuous. She must have been absolutely firm and unwavering in her ability to keep her eyes and heart on the mission Father and Mother had given her. I say this because for being so pure, holy and virtuous, I can imagine what the observers were saying about her. She was espoused to Joseph and yet great with child. Logic would lead others to make false judgments and cry fornication. It would be easy for others to prove that indeed she appeared to be holy but they knew better. She had to bear the shame that others would seek to heap upon her and yet feel charity for her accusers. She had to pray that Joseph would still be willing to take her as his wife and care for her, even though he’d be perfectly justified under the law to put her away, leaving her poor and destitute to care for this new baby alone. I believe she must have wrestled but overcome these emotions and the pressure that must have built upon her shoulders and heart and mind. I believe she did it with a focus upon Father and a resolve to be faithful no matter what pressures she felt from all around her. 

Joseph was amazing too. He trusted the vision he received from the angel telling him to not fear taking Mary to wife. He must have looked like a fool to others. They could easily justify their judgments upon him, as well. It would be easy to make a case that he put too much stock in his dreams and visions and he was a fool, deceived by the evil one. 

It makes sense to me that Mary and Joseph would have to know what it feels like to be despised and rejected of men. How it feels to have deep sorrow and be acquainted with grief. To have others look at you and esteem you stricken, smitten and afflicted by God (see isaiah 55:3-5). I’m sure going through the ridicule and scorn of the events around the birth and after the birth of the Savior prepared them to train Jesus in how to handle the persecutions that would come His way as He fulfilled His mission, to suffer that we might live. I believe Mary and Joseph had to go through their own portion of these things that they might teach the Son of God by precept and example.  

Both of them had to have the evil one bombarding them with thoughts of inadequacy and self doubt. Possibly thoughts of wondering if the Lord would deliver them. Ultimately they heeded not these bombardments of temptation. They feared not and they overcame through the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the Son that Mary carried in her whom. When that holy Baby came, He would gush out with blood around Him. The same symbol of His blood giving life. Each time a baby is born we are reminded that blood sacrifice from the mother gives life to the child. Each time a baby is born we are reminded that the blood of Jesus, sweet Jesus, is the reason we will have life. 

I’m grateful for the examples of Mary and Joseph. My prayer is that I may be faithful to God in my small ways that are required of me. I know that peace and love follow the path of faithfulness. I’m grateful they remained true to God, no matter what the world around them would say of them, even throughout their lives. They truly descended that they might ascend through Jesus Christ. 

Oh Holy Night. Have a wonderful Christmas season!

Creating Zion Below to Meet Zion from Above

I have been learning much about this beautiful and miraculous earth we live on from the scriptures and the incredible experiences of others. As we return, or repent, in our quest to create Zion, there are some major shifts in thought, feeling and action that I believe will take place in the souls of those who desire to come to Zion.  In order to meet Zion from above as it descends from heaven to the earth, we will have to become Zion. We are taught in scripture that Zion from below will meet Zion from above (see Doctrine and Covenants 45:12; Doctrine and Covenants 84:100; Moses 7:61-69; Hebrews 11:16).

Our culture and traditions tend to teach us that if we get an 89.9% grade that the Lord’s grace and/or mercy will somehow lift us up and make us one with Him. As I observe patterns and truth, it seems to me that this logic is flawed. Alma 41-42 teaches of the doctrine of the restoration and shows that we truly must become like God if we are going to inherit His eternal glory. But, this truth has much opposition because it requires work, sacrifice and true repentance (a turning to God and a change of heart and mind).

In the school system, for example, if you study as little as possible you still might be able to get an “A” grade because you get that 89% grade and you do some extra credit or the teacher decides to give you an “A”. This is in contrast to eternal life. Eternal life, or God’s life, requires us to learn, do and become. Eventually we do the things of righteousness because that is who we are. Living 89% like the Lord will restore us to 89% like Him in the eternities. The Lord will redeem us from those sins we repent of but if we are unwilling to see the additional 11% of sin, false beliefs etc. then we will forever remain in our sins. Again, Alma 41-42 is a great resource for the doctrine of restoration.

As we apply “becoming” to our lives here and creating Zion, it will take work to let go of all the false traditions and beliefs of our fathers that have been passed down to us or that we have embraced during our sojourn on earth. It will take work to let go of our sins.

I have found key individuals who God is endowing with light and they have been kind enough to share it with others. I will post some of what I feel tastes like light here below. Hopefully these things will be of great benefit to you on your journey to become Zion and be in Zion when Zion from above meets Zion from below. Buckle your seat belts. These ideas and practices will probably challenge your current tastes but the Spirit of light and truth will ring true to those things God would have you embrace. Remember, Zion won’t just happen. We are invited to create Zion physically and spiritually for we are taught in scripture that all things temporal are spiritual (Doctrine and Covenants 29:34-35). What we do physically shows us who we are spiritually.

Here are some people that I feel are inspired of God and links to what they are sharing:

Joel Salatin
https://youtu.be/lXHrkPC5bok

https://youtu.be/jBZgANtcXm8


Paul Gautschi
https://youtu.be/6rPPUmStKQ4

Gabe Brown
https://youtu.be/GTrrhfebMsI


Many of these individuals have other materials available but I thought I’d post at least one link to get you started.

I will add to this list as I remember past links that have inspired me or come across new ones.

The Restoration of All Things - An Elias

The scriptures speak of an Elias. I did a blog post a several months ago where I posted many references  from scripture and quotes of the prophets about an Elias that will come and restore all things. In this link below, Tony Stephan shares many of these scriptures in a congruent tapestry that clarifies who this Elias is and what his mission is according to the scriptures. Please enjoy and ask God if this is true. It may be a great benefit to you in your search for truth.

https://youtu.be/ZXRRgWLXyZs

Warnings from the Dust

“23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

25 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 22:22-25).

“3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—

4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.

5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;

6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.

7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

10 And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.

11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.

12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.

13 They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.

14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.

15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!

16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish” (2 Nephi 28:3-16).

“23 Search the prophecies of Isaiah” (Mormon 8:23).

“33 O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled.

34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.

35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

36 And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?

40 Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?

41 Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer” (Mormon 8:33-41).

“19 And now it came to pass that I, Enos, went about among the people of Nephi, prophesying of things to come, and testifying of the things which I had heard and seen” (Enos 1:19).

“4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith” (Jarom 1:4).

“25 And it came to pass that I began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him, exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord: and that which is evil cometh from the devil” (Omni 1:25).

“12 And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—“ (Helaman 4:12).

“23 And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare them in the face” (Helaman 4:23).

“7 And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;

8 Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them” (Mormon 9:7-8).

“20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust” (Mormon 9:20).

“1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.

3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.

4 Therefore give heed to my words; write the things which I have told you; and according to the time and the will of the Father they shall go forth unto the Gentiles.

5 And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things” (-Jesus, 3 Nephi 23:1-5).

“4 And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God.

5 And now, the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 6:4-5).

“2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him” (2 Nephi 11:2).

“1 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.

2 For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations.

3 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken.

4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.

5 Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.

6 But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them.

7 But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass” (2 Nephi 25:1-7).

“1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working” (Isaiah 28).

“10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant” (Isaiah 56:10-12).

“1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord;

3 Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.

6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.

9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:

11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.

12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.

14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.

17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

18 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?

19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.

21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 13).

There is more I could write but he or she that is filled with the spirit of prophecy will understand the word of the Lord as they are given the experiences to help shed light on their understanding and know the way that they should go. 

The Day of Grace is Passed

Mormon 2:15 has an interesting phrase that I haven’t found written in this way in other scriptures. Mormon says, “the day of grace was passed with them.” I want to dissect what that means. 

The context is important for us to consider in order to understand what Mormon is trying to tell us. He describes a very dismal scene. He says, “the land was filled with robbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; therefore there was blood and carnage spread throughout all the face of the land, both on the part of the Nephites and also on the part of the Lamanites; and it was one complete revolution throughout all the face of the land” (Mormon 2:8).

“11 Thus there began to be a mourning and a lamentation in all the land because of these things, and more especially among the people of Nephi.

12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.

13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.

14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.

15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away” (Mormon 2:11-15).

I had an experience over the past couple weeks that I believe illustrates what Mormon is sharing. I have a full landscape construction job with a retired couple. They had a landscape plan prepared for them by a landscape architect. I met with them and they decided to use our services to do their excavation, sprinklers, hardscapes and softscapes. Though they had contracted with me, they had one additional request. They had a son that had recently sold his sprinkler business in Oregon (we live in Idaho) and they wanted to see if he could come do their sprinkler system. They said he was very good at what he did. I was fine with that except that sprinklers are one of the first things we do and so I’d need him to come right away. They spoke with him and he couldn’t come right away but he would be willing to help me design the system. They asked if I could draw out the sprinkler plan and send it to him to see what he thought of it. So, I sent over a quick sketch of the layout. After that they asked if I could call him. On a Tuesday evening I called him and we spoke on the phone for 40 minutes. After the first minute or so in the conversation, it became clear to me that he really knew sprinklers inside and out. He understood hydrodynamics to a degree well beyond what I understood. He offered to come help me with the system. I thought that would be good to learn from him but it would be expensive to get him here. He was now living in Colorado. Wednesday morning I was thinking about it and I decided to take him up on his offer and fly him here to teach us for 2 days and then fly him home. He cleared his schedule and got a flight for that evening. Thursday and Friday we all sat and listened to him open up the principles of hydrodynamics that we hadn’t known to this degree before. We felt the influence of light and truth, the Holy Ghost, flowing into us giving us new ideas and new understanding. At this point I saw a gap in my previous sprinkler installation practices and what I was learning. I decided I needed to make the jump and start installing in the new way I was now learning. 

As I thought about this experience, I realized it was a perfect example of Ether 12:27. The Lord had revealed unto me my weakness. He had shed light on our errors and now was inviting us to live a higher law, to do things more as He would do them. I thought about the previous 3 years and the grace He had given me. He knew we were doing the best we could with the leap of faith in starting a new landscape business and had given us a grace period to learn the ropes of the trade. But, there comes a time where one must truly learn and do all that is required to become as He is. Knowledge and competence must rise to meet integrity and work ethic or visa versa. I feel like I was integritous and worked hard for my customers but it was only to the level of knowledge and competence that I then had. Once the light exposed the gap between my old level of competence and full competence, it would no longer be integritous to continue to install systems the way I had previously done them. If I am to be a child of the light, then I must act on that new knowledge. 

It takes time to change from old habits to new habits. If Father knows I’m sincerely trying to change to meet the new expectations I have for myself, then He extends a grace period. This grace is what sustains me as I stumble through trying to live the higher law He has exposed me to. After sometime though, He expects me to do it right, to live the higher law, and if I have reverted to my old ways, that are now mediocre, there will come a time where He doesn’t extend this grace period any longer and will allow justice to take place. If I do correct my errors, then I’m able to use this grace period to provide space for me to change (repent) and then have His mercy extended to me. This happens over and over for all of us as we go from “grace to grace” (see Doctrine and Covenants 93:13). 

This is where I understand that grace, mercy and justice meet. The demand of justice is perfection. We have been commanded by Father to be perfect (see 3 Nephi 27:27). The whole purpose of our existence is to learn to become as He is and thus enjoy a fulness of light, truth and glory as He enjoys it. But this takes time. So, He gives us a grace period to learn heaven. As we stumble we also overcome. Each level of darkness we leave and exchange for light allows Him to extend mercy to us as He redeems us from our previous sins. Eventually the full measure of His mercy can be extended to us as we completely repent. Justice is met because of His sacrifice for our sins and because He suffered justice, He can extend mercy. The time it takes to overcome sin is that grace period He extends. If we never do change, then “the day of grace is passed” (Mormon 2:15). 

I think a telephone bill is a good way to view grace, mercy and justice. The bill is due at some point. If you want the privilege of having a phone and all the blessings it provides then one must pay the bill. Justice demands that the bill is paid for the privilege of phone use. But, sometimes a person may not have the money to pay the bill or they forget. One time I forgot to pay the bill and I noticed that they extended a week’s grace period for me to meet the demand of justice. So, I sent the money in and they allowed me to keep using my phone, even though I had missed the due date. Justice, the full amount on the invoice, had been met. The phone company could now give me mercy as they had suffered not having the money at the time they demanded it. They gave a grace period for me to come up with the money. If I hadn’t come up with the money in their grace period, they could allow justice to take its course and cancel the phone service and not allow the phone to work anymore. 

So, as we go through life we will notice the Lord working with us, shedding the light of truth on our errors, we will have the choice to either step into the light and make the changes necessary to become like Him or we can slink back into the dark and be content with mediocrity and thus, dam our growth. We can live by His grace as we diligently seek Him and struggle to change, or we will suffer the full demands of justice. 

Oh how beautiful it is and oh how wonderful it is that Jesus was willing to suffer for my sins and give me a day of probation, a mortal experience, where I can learn to love Him and the fulness of light. I’m grateful for His patience with me as He gives me grace, or room to grow, and then He allows justice to eventually take full sway, whether unto life or death, depending upon where I have chosen to live in the eternities. 

I love Jesus Christ. I love my Father and Mother in heaven. I pray for strength to follow the light into Their eternal presence, only made possible through the mercy of Jesus Christ, which is His to give. 

I believe the day of the gentiles is being fulfilled and the day of grace is coming to a close. I pray that we will all have the strength to transition to the terrestrial state with the earth as it moves to its terrestrial sphere and then I pray we will have the faith to move to the celestial state with the earth also, that we may enjoy a fulness of joy. We must truly be cleansed by fire that we may withstand the day when the earth is cleansed by fire. Praise be to God and the Lamb!

My Church and My Gospel

I hear people speak of the church and the gospel as if they are the same thing. According to Jesus, my church and my gospel are not synonymous. Listen to what the Lord said in the American continent in response to His disciples asking what the name of the church should be, “if it [the church] be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel” (3 Nephi 27:8). So, it appears to me that this is the great challenge, to make the church and the gospel synonymous. It was the same challenge in the new and old worlds after Jesus spent time with them. Both groups had a church established by Jesus only to see it eventually apostatize from the true gospel. 

In 3 Nephi Jesus gives us many details about what His church is and what His gospel is:

My Church:

Must be called in His name (3 Nephi 27:7-8)

Must be built upon His gospel (3 Nephi 27:8)

If the church is built upon His gospel then the Father will show forth His own works in it (3 Nephi 27:10)

NOT my church if built upon the works of men or of the devil (3 Nephi 27:11-12)

Do the works they have seen Jesus do (3 Nephi 27:21)

My Gospel:

He came into the world to do the will of Father (3 Nephi 27:13) 

Jesus being raised up on the cross that all men might be drawn unto Him (3 Nephi 27:14-15)

Men lifted up by the Father to be judged according to their works (3 Nephi 27:14)

Repent, be baptized in Jesus’ name and endure to the end that one may be found guiltless when Jesus stands to judge the world (3 Nephi 27:16)

Be clean and enter into His rest by washing garments in the blood of Jesus through faith, repentance of all sin, and faithfulness unto the end (3 Nephi 27:19)

Repent, come unto Jesus, be baptized in His name, become sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost that ye may be spotless before Jesus at the last day (3 Nephi 27:20)

Do the works you have seen Jesus do (3 Nephi 27:21)

The Lord gave us a very interesting definition of His church in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
68 Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.
69 And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
70 And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Amen” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:67-70).

Let Us Reason Together

I was struck deeply in the reactions to Paul’s teachings from the people of Thessalonica in comparison to the people of Berea in Acts 17. When Paul enters Thessalonica we read that he went and reasoned with the people in the synagogue. The scripture states, “they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ” (Acts 17:1-3). 

A powerful principle that jumped out at me was how God and His messengers reason with us. Many Jews were looking for a political Messiah, the anointed one, to deliver them from Rome. Most had rejected Jesus, because He was there doing things they were not expecting from the Messiah. Paul had to reason with them, show them in the scriptures, that Jesus was this Messiah they had been looking for. He had fulfilled the prophecies from the law and the prophets in what we now call the Old Testament. 

In Thessalonica they did not understand this principle of reasoning. The majority of the people tried to cast Paul out before listening to him. They rallied the mob of lewd men of the baser sort to persecute them and set all the city in an uproar against them (Acts 17:5).  In Berea they searched their scriptures more diligently to see if Paul was right, that Jesus was this Christ, the anointed one. The record states, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). It’s powerful that they listened and then went and studied for themselves. When we receive new doctrine and things we never had supposed, do we go to the scriptures or do we immediately cast it out because of our unbelief of what is being taught? I would suggest that as things are continually brought to light, for good or evil, if we cast everything out that doesn’t fit with our present paradigm, then we will be damned in our progress. On the other hand, if we are willing to take everything to the Lord, even if we are certain it isn’t what we currently believe it to be, and compare it with the words of scripture then we will know the truth or error of those things presented to us. In speaking of the last days, Jesus said, “whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived,” (JS-Matthew 1:37). 

Feasting on a meal gives our tongues something to taste and our stomachs to digest. Reasoning gives our minds something to think on and our hearts to feel. Let us reason together that we might receive all light and truth until the perfect day when all is revealed. 

Additional thoughts on reasoning together:

Sometimes we shy away from this principle of reasoning with one another. It is important to remember how the Lord shares light and truth with us. We learn in the Doctrine and Covenants that God communicates to us in our minds and our hearts. “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2). The mind and the heart are a great check and balance to one another. When both align we can have confidence that God is truly guiding us through the power of the Holy Ghost. Joseph Smith taught, “This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge...it is calm and serene…” (https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-c-1-2-november-1838-31-july-1842/543 or TPJS page 149).

All through scripture the Lord sends His messengers to reason with His children. They testify from their personal experiences and the truths found in the word of God. “Come now, and let us reason together…” (Isaiah 1:18). Jesus warned, “Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” (Mark 12:24). Lack of knowledge leads one into errors of thought and action. Jesus, the ultimate example, used scripture to fight off Satan when He was tempted (Luke 4:2-13).

In speaking of his servant in the last days, Jesus said this, “the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider” (3 Nephi 20:45). We will hear things that we hadn’t heard before. We will be shown things we had not realized before. We must be willing to consider things that go against our grain, that are not smooth sayings. If we are willing to reason things out in the scriptures and go to the Lord humbly, seeking His will alone, He will guide us along. He will reason with us and the Spirit will burn precious truths into the fleshy tables of our hearts. 

It’s interesting to me how we view humility. Sometimes we think humility is submitting to traditional views of our culture or beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. In my opinion, true humility is a willingness to truly believe the scripture that states, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). If we really believe this, then we are willing to dissect our beliefs that we may have always believed. In my experience, I’ve had to reevaluate what I have previously thought in order to receive greater light and knowledge. There are layers of light and truth and the Lord gives us what we can handle. The law of Moses is good for a time to be a schoolmaster but eventually an elementary education doesn’t satisfy and we look for more. We have to be willing to explore again and again those things we thought we understood perfectly in order to come to a more perfect understanding. Then we have to be open that He may still give us more at a future time. The ways of God are beautiful and perfect. We have to have a sure foundation in Jesus Christ and Father. If we do, it doesn’t matter what false beliefs or traditions we have to unravel because our rock is our Redeemer. He is our sure foundation as all other foundations may or will eventually crumble. 

What I Have Learned from Saul Who Became Paul

I have been studying Saul turned to Paul and it has reminded me of the strong feelings I had about him while I was attending Ricks College. It was there I sensed the Lord was trying to teach me greater truths but it was requiring a breaking of the lesser laws that I had sacrificed so much to live. I was in turmoil seeking to understand the will of God for me. I had a profound experience as my professor of my C.S. Lewis class counseled with me in an interview. That professor’s name is David Ward. He is a great blessing in my life. Somehow in the conversation Saul came up. I don’t know what he said but I do remember what the Spirit burned into my soul. It was that Saul was completely dedicated to what he thought God wanted him to do according to the law. He wasn’t a murderer, he was a student of the law of God and was willing to do anything to live the law as he knew it. I believe this is why Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to a greater work, because Saul was dedicated to what he knew to be true. 

A couple strong principles I feel have blessed me as I ponder Paul. One, when we are faithful to what we believe to be true and our hearts are pure, God rewards that faith, even if we are wrong. Truly the Lord looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The second is the Lord will correct us in profound ways if we are truly seeking to do His will, even if we are slightly off in our quest. Sometimes we are so fearful about being deceived we are paralyzed and can’t move forward in faith. If we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, then we can know that He will correct us when we stray and we won’t lose out on the blessings He offers us through His redeeming blood. What a freeing principle when we really let this sink into our minds and hearts and act with faith in Christ!