5/6/2018 - Section 94:1-17

May 6, 2017

Section 94:1-17

Family, Preparation AND Follow-Through, Spiritual Time Importance, Learning Pattern from Heavenly Father, Temple Importance,

Today is Todd’s birthday. I love the days of my children’s birthdays, for that is when I spend more time than usual, thinking back over our lives together. I love the memories of their younger years, and I love the knowledge of them now, and of their so-good families. These are lovely days for me, for my children are such good humans!

Now, on to my scriptures: Section 94 contains the Lord’s instructions to build up Kirtland to become a stake of Zion. The Lord starts explaining the “…work of laying out and preparing a beginning and foundation of the city of the stake of Zion…” From the student manual’s quoting of Berrett’s Restored church: “ The city was to be laid out with the temple as the starting point and the rest of the city built in relation to it. Joseph Smith drafted a plan for the central city of Zion in the spring of 1833 as a general pattern for cities of Zion. According to a copy of the plan sent to the Church in Independence, the temple was to be located in the center tier of blocks in a one-mile square plat.” How important should that make the Temple to us this day?

The Lord admonishes us to prepare first, and then to build. That is good advice in so many areas of our lives. As he speaks of these buildings in Kirtland, he tells them that this special place should be set aside for spiritual work. And again, shouldn’t we—in our day, and in our homes-- also find, or create, a special time and place for our spiritual work: our spiritual efforts and learning? The Lord knows what will bring us closer to him, and he doesn’t keep those things secret. The only thing we have to do is to pay attention.

I also smile at v 17: “And now I give unto you no more at this time.” The Lord gives us the way we should go. He gives us the basic outline. And then he steps back and lets us work and grow and develop. The neatest thing is that if we find ourselves in difficulty, He is just a prayer away from us. He stands with arms outstretched and waits for us to come to Him. He waits for us to make the effort, and he waits for us to learn from our efforts.

8/30/2021 – D&C 94

Just two months before this section was given, the Ohio Saints had purchased some large farms, one of which was called the Peter French farm (because Peter French is the man they purchased it from). This land also had an excellent stone quarry on it, and facilities for making brick. In fact the Kirtland Temple was later built on a part of this farm. Once this land was obtained, the saints surveyed the land and developed a city plat. Many of the Saints came in from surrounding areas until there were about 1500 Mormons living there.

This section was received on May 6, 1833: Other same day that section 93 was given with instructions “to build the city of Kirtland Stake, beginning at His house”—meaning that the city was to be laid out with the temple as the starting point. V 3 also tells them that they should also have a building, which President Joseph Fielding Smith described as a building “for the use of the First Presidency and where revelation could be given and all matters pertaining to the progress of the Church could receive proper attention…”  It was important for the leaders of the Church to have a special place set aside for spiritual work—that makes me think that shouldn’t we also find a special time and place for spiritual things. I think that’s just what my office is at 6 AM—when all is quiet and I spend my time there with just my scriptures and my reference books. I love my days that are started this way, for I am different on these days that I start with the scriptures and with prayer… it is a good kind of difference.

V 8 tells us just how we can prepare to enter the Lord’s House, which for me is one of His temples: “And ye shall not suffer any unclean thing to come into it; and my glory shall be there, and my presence shall be there.”

And then in v’s 10-15, the Lord tells of the third building he wants them to build: a printing house “for the work of the printing of the translation of my scriptures, and all things whatsoever I shall command you.”  It was important to for the Saints to have copies of the Book of Mormon to read alongside of their Bibles. The more I read my scriptures, trying to ponder the things I read and the things that come into my mind during my reading, the closer I feel to my Father, and each day I find a few more adjustments that I can make in my daily thoughts and activities.