I was pondering my Father this morning. I am grateful He gave me an earthly father that shared the word of God with me. He taught me to pray to my Father and to study His word that I might learn of Him and know how to come unto Him. When I was on my mission to northern Spain, my earthly father sent me the Lectures on Faith and the King Follett Discourse. As I read these things with the holy scriptures, the eyes of my understanding were opened and I began to see more clearly the whole purpose of our existence on this earth. I was filled as I sought for the blessings of the Fathers.
We know Jesus has become as Father is, perfect (3 Nephi 12:48). We know Jesus taught us to be even as He is (3 Nephi 27:27), which is like the Father. I have been pondering over the Lectures on Faith again. They used to be included in the early editions of the Doctrine and Covenants when Joseph Smith was on the earth. In Lecture 3 we learn “that three things are necessary for any rational and intelligent being to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.
3. First, the idea that he actually exists;
4. Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes;
5. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which one is pursuing is according to His will. For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive. But with this understanding, it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness unto the praise and glory of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The word of God teaches us of His character, perfections and attributes. We also learn of Him as we come unto Him. We learn, “if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness” (Ether 12:27). When one enters a dark room, all of that person's physical flaws are hidden. Let’s suppose the room is a dark corridor with a small light at the end of it. As one approaches that light, his or her physical flaws start to appear. So it is with each one of us spiritually and physically. As we come unto Him, we see our weaknesses. At that point we can decide to change, repent, and become as He is or turn back and leave the light because it is too uncomfortable or painful to change. Many choose to turn back. It requires too much humility to keep coming unto the Light.
We know that many do exactly as the Jews did in Jesus’ day. They hated the Light. They hated it, Him, because He revealed their weakness. There are a couple options as one approaches the Light: the first is to accept the Light and change so you don’t feel uncomfortable in the presence of the Light, the second is to turn away from the Light and the third is to put out or kill the Light. When Jesus was in Israel there were a few who chose to change but the vast majority chose to turn away from Him or to kill Him. We learn this great truth in John. He said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:19-21).
The incredible blessing in this is that God and His Son, Jesus, are incredibly graceful Beings. They give us a grace period to work out our salvation. I know I have turned back from that Light at times in my life or at different moments throughout each day, either intentionally or unintentionally. Each time I turn to Him He continues to show me my weakness with the perfect touch of love. It takes time to fully come unto Him. For this reason we are given a mortal probation, a time to prepare to meet God so that we may be able to abide in His presence, fully in the Light.
I love Father. I’m grateful He sent His Son to cleanse me from sin that I may abide the Light of His glory. It is interesting that we learn that, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36). So, as we grow in light and truth we decide if we want to know the whole truth. Knowing the whole truth and acting accordingly leads to receiving the glory of God, even Jesus Christ, the personification of light and truth.
We learn, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). So, if we are to receive eternal life, we must know Jesus Christ and Father. Since the fullness of Their glory includes all light and truth, it behooves us to learn all things.
Sometimes as we learn the truth it is uncomfortable. Many feel a certain level of comfort and security in the life they presently know. We get used to the dim lights in our tabernacles and more light feels too bright. Learning more truth creates discomfort as we realize we need to act to conform to the new truths we are learning. This discomfort of the unknown is sometimes equated to darkness. I have heard people say that a certain truth is darkness to them and so they fear exploring it. I believe what they are really saying is, “this truth is new to me and I don’t understand it, therefore, it is darkness and I will not search it out to know if it really is the truth or not.” This leads to a stunting of growth, or what the scriptures call damnation.
Nephi explained it this way;
“24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Nephi 28:24-30).
God will not cast you out for entertaining ideas that are foreign to you as you search out greater light and knowledge. James said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:5-6). Trust God. Allow Him to guide you.
It’s difficult to leave our comfort zone to find additional truth. I have allowed myself to search out the truth on things that I thought I understood. It turns out that I had only scratched the surface and God was waiting for me to come unto Him so He could reveal more truth to me and expose more of His glory to me. As I come to understand more clearly the truth, it amazes me how He works with us where we are at. He has veils in place that He wants to remove as soon as we are willing to learn and act on that new knowledge. As we tiptoe to Him, He tiptoes to us. As we step into the dark in faith, He opens the path and lights the way. He is amazing!
I’m grateful for Father. He loves me. I know that. I love Him. I know that as I come unto Him and repent, He will eventually reveal all my darkness to me that I might lay upon the altar the complete beast in me. This sacrifice, a living sacrifice, will be enough and my Lord will take it upon Himself and allow me, the prisoner, to go free. Praise be to God and the Lamb!
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