9/23/2018 - Section 112:12-34

September 23, 2018

Section112:12-34

Gospel Plan, Plan of Salvation, Our Turn on Earth, Godhead as our ‘coaching’ staff,

This seems to be a section of such succinct and good advice. I don’t know that I have much more to say other than the fact that I treasure these words.

V 13 is a verse that I should keep on my mirror during hard and difficult times… “And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold I, the Lord, will feel after the, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.”…as it will help me to stay strong through rough times. 

V 15 “Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph;”

V 19 “Wherefore, withersoever they shall send you, go ye, and I will be with you; and in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word.”

V 22 “ Inasmuch as they shall humble themselves before me, and abide in y word, and hearken to the voice of my Spirit.”

V 28 “But purify your hearts before me; and then go ye into all the world and preach my gospel unto every creature who has not received it.”

V 32 “Cleanse your hearts”

V 34 “Be faithful until I come, for I come quickly; and my reward is with e to recompense every man according as his work shall be.”

We knew the game plan before we came. The rules are simple. The competition (Lucifer) is powerful, but we were warned, and our warnings continue for us here. All we have to do is to keep up on our ‘conditioning’ and our ‘game skills”.  And there is no better coach than the one we have!

10/6/2021 – D&C 112:16-34

As I read v’s 16-19 I find it so evident that the Lord has specific plans for all of us. He gives us jobs, or should I say challenges, that will build us, and build others at the same time. And He follows that up with the promise that when we accept the jobs (or should I call them the challenges), He promises us that He will be by our side. Our part of this bargain is in v 22 “Inasmuch as they shall humble themselves before me, and abide in my word, and hearken to the voice of my Spirit.” 

President Hinckley taught this same truth as he spoke of the importance of our humility, for humility is one of the things that allows the Lord to truly guide us: “There is no place for arrogance in our lives. There is no place for conceit. There is no place for egotism. We have a great work to do. We have things to accomplish. We need direction in the pursuit of our education. We need help in choosing an eternal companion. The Lord has said, ‘Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers’ (D&C 112:10). What a tremendous promise is given in this statement. If we are without conceit, pride, or arrogance--- if we are humble and obedient, THEN the Lord will lead us by the hand and answer our prayers. What greater thing could we ask for? There is nothing to compare with this. …I believe the meek and the humble are those who are teachable. They are willing to learn. They are willing to listen to the whisperings of the still, small voice for guidance in their lives. They place the wisdom of the Lord above their own wisdom”

The Lord goes on to speak of the evils of the world and how they pull us down. But yet again, He gives us the key to avoiding that darkness: “But purify your hearts before me; and then go ye into all the world, and preach my gospel unto every creature who has not received it.”(v 28) We should be aware to follow His path in our own life, but also we should be always ready to reach out to all around us with comfort, love, and support.

And then there is His final advice and promise: “Be faithful until I come, for I come quickly; and my reward is with me to recompense every man according as his work shall be…” (v 34)

Unfortunately, Thomas Marsh was not able to follow in these paths that the Lord had put forth. He left the Church, and in October of 1838 he signed an affidavit, a sworn statement, that the Church members in Missouri were planning violence against their neighbors, which contributed to the extermination order that led to15,000 Church members being driven out of Missouri. But Thomas later recalled, “I became jealous of the prophet…and overlooked everything that was right, and spent all my time in looking for evil, and then when the devil began to lead me it was easy for the carnal mind to rise up, which is anger, jealousy and wrath.” He spent almost 20 years away from the Church, but ultimately reconciled with the Saints in Salt Lake City in September 1857—and I would hope that the Saints of that time would also have shown humility and love and friendship.  We have to work-- and sometimes work hard-- to truly feel the love that the Lord wants us to have—for Him and for all of His children.