10/29/2018 - Section 121:26-46

October 29, 2018

Section 121:26-46

Testimony, Loss of Faith, Revelation Still Guides the Church, Callings in the Church, Promises of Performing Pure Service, Service Rewards, Growth and Development, Eternal Growth,

I re-read a quote from the student manual when I sat down today. It is from George Q Cannon and he is speaking about how people who once believed fall away: “The Saints should not imagine that because they know the truth and the Work of God at the present time, that they will alsways know these things and therefore be able to stand. If they lose the Holy Spirit throught their transgressions, from that moment theier knowledge respecting he Work of God ceases to increase and becomes dead: a short time only elapses before such persons deny the faith.” I don’t know if we can steriotype how people decided to leave the church. But I do know that this life is to help us progress, and that a spiritual truth is that we are either progressing or regressing. If we become tired and pull back and stop trying to grow, it is impossible to simple stand still…we will slowly move backward until we notice we can’t feel like we once did. And so often that is because we have put ourselves in a different place where our communications with Heavenly Father are strained or non-existent. The rule is ‘Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you.” That is the Lord’s respect for our agency. But I feel the truth is that He is never far from us. He watches us and cares for us, but –because of His plan—we must be the ones who first reach out.

V 26: “God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost…” The thing I often forget is how slow growth is. Did I see my children physcially getting taller? Not at all, but there was no denying when their clothes got progressively shorter and tighter. Did is see my children go from tantrums of frustration to calm discussions and rational thought…yes, but it took years. Do we go from a stand-offish realtionship with Heavenly Father to a steady flow of soft promptings…yes, when we are trying to do our best at following His commandments and trying to hear just how He speaks to us. But the most important part is when we work to follow His whispered advice.

V 33 speaks of knowledge being poured out on the heads of the latter-day saints. This is what Spencer Kimball said: “There are those who would assume that with the printing and binding of these sacred records, that would be the ‘end of the prophets.’ But again we testify to the world that revelation continues and that the vaults and files of the Church contain these revelations which come month to month and day to day.” Apr 1977 Gen Conf

V 34 speaks of callings. They should not be burdens, but opportunities. Bruce R McConkie said it this way: “within this over-all framework, there are individual calls to positions of trust and responsibility, but these are simply assignments to labor on the Lord’s errand,in particular places, for a time and a season. The call itself is to the gospel cause; it is not reserved for apostles and prophets or for the great and mighty in Israel; it is for all the members of the kingdom.”

V 39 is famous: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” But I think it is best for me to look at that in a more positive view: my heart should be set on the things of God, and I should work in a way that would be approved by Him. I should act in ways that will increase my spiritual growth: being repentant of my sins however small they are; humbling myself; seeking to help the growth of those around me; practicing love and charity toward others. The promises, if I do this: The heavens will draw near; the spirit of the Lord will be near; I will experience an increase…a good growth.

V 38: something I never knew: what does it mean to Kick against the pricks? This is from Howard W Hunter: “This proverbial expression of kicking against the pricks usually refers to the ox goad which was a piece of pointed iron stuck in the end of a stick used to urge the ox while drawing the plow. Sometime a stubborn ox will kick back against the goad only to receive its sharpness more severely. It has become a proverb to signify the absurdity of rebelling against lawful authority.”

After all these warnings, the Lord then tells us how we should be acting…and hopefully eventually feeling. Long-suffering, patience, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, pure knowledge ( I see that as spiritual knowledge),  without guile or hypocrisy, charity for all, and virtue garnishing our thoughts unceasingly. That’s a tall order. We don’t expect it to happen all at once. But as we are able to get better at any one of these things, blessings will follow: 1. Our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God, 2. The priesthood will distill upon our soul as dews from heaven (again a slow and gentle growth) 3. The Holy Ghost will be our constant companion, 4 our scepter (our ability to lead) an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth 5. An everlasting dominion (temple blessings) and then finally without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever…we start slowly, learning as we go and if we persist we will finally get to a point where it simply flows. I to believe this is more than a ‘lifetime’ goal, but that’s okay because we are here on earth to get closer to our ‘eternal’ goals.

10/19/2021 – D&C 121:27-46

Starting in v 28 the Lord promises that there will be “a time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld…” and that this “shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times” (v 31) The Lord knew His plan for this world before it began, and His plan has not changed. All will happen “According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.” (v 32)

The Lord then goes on to explain how we should work to live our lives: “Behold, there are many called but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled not handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” (v’s 34-36) Beware of pride in our lives and in our activities. 

The way we SHOULD live is covered in the final verses of this section: We are to live with “long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness and pure  knowledge , which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile” (v 41-42) He goes on in v 45 to tell us that  “thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy companion…”. 

I think this is a description of pure love. I certainly know, and have felt, deep love in my life, but I still do not live with PURE love—and that is my goal. I want to be able to recognize more quickly when I let pride or arrogance guide my thoughts or action. I want to see others as the Lord sees them. I want to see the good in people, and not pick them apart (even just in my own mind) by focusing only on their weaknesses. 

I think that when we can see and be with others using that mindset, that love and peace will be our reward. And what a sweet reward that will be—for us, and for all those around us. That is certainly a lofty goal, but I will try to reach that goal by working every day to adjust my vision and my thoughts until those sweet things come into my heart and mind naturally.