Peace is Power

Last night Karyn and I watched a video of Elder Bednar speaking at BYU. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqai9kqiSpw

He talked about "the enabling power of the Atonement," meaning Jesus Christ could give us the strength and power to overcome all difficulties. As Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) This does not mean that the Lord will remove all my problems, but rather will give me the strength to overcome them.

Elder Bednar gave the example of Alma and his people were in bondage and prayed for relief. The Lord told them he would help them, but not by immediately releasing them.

And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

Mosiah 24:13-15

The Lord promised He would eventually take them out of bondage, but in the mean time gave them the strength to endure their afflictions. This may be a metaphor for life generally.

Jesus told His apostles: "In the world ye shall have tribulation..." (John 16:33) I think this means that as long as we are in the world we will have problems. To me this is such an important lesson. Perhaps I should not ask why I must suffer, or to be taken out of my trials, but rather ask for strength to endure and overcome them. I would be a fool to try to change the will of the Lord, for all things are given of the Lord, because that would prevent my growth. However, I can ask for strength to endure, which would encourage growth. The Atonement of Jesus Christ can give me strength to accept what He has given to me, and I can be grateful for all things, including the strength to overcome.

I have often wondered about praying for relief from sickness, pain, or hardship in any form. How can I pray my way out of hardship that is the will of the Lord? Do I change His righteous will? Does He change His mind about giving me a trial because I pray and ask, and believe He can? No. Paul went on to say:

I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Paul still had to suffer all these things, but he knew where his strength came from. He knew that nothing could happen to him as long as he was in the service of the Lord,or, rather, whatever happened to him was the will of the Lord. Indeed, the Lord told Ananias about Paul, "I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." (Acts 9:16) Paul understood this, and was happy to submit to the will of the Lord in all things: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)

When I make a covenant with the Lord, He is in charge of what happens to me. I can now live my life in His service, letting go of what I want to do, and learning to do what the Lord wants me to do. I think this is meant by, "becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19) Paul was indeed a Saint. Perhaps I could do the same.

This concept is so empowering to me! I don't have to be in control of every part of my life. I can let go of the worries and cares of the world, and focus only on the Lord, His Gospel, and living in submission to His will. Rather than trying to prevent or avoid suffering, I could ask for strength to endure and overcome. I worry so much about what's going to happen, praying for things to work out, when in reality Jesus Christ has made sure everything would be right in the end. I can understand that as long as I am in the world I will have problems, but these are for my instruction. There is so much peace in this. I don't have to worry about it. Letting go is so empowering! It is peace. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

I think I am beginning to understand the hymn, Be Still My Soul:

 

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide; In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast'ning on When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,. Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
        (Hymns, 124)

Older Women

Billy Joel has a song that describes nicely how a man feels about his young bride called She's Always a Woman. In it he describes a very self-centered, hurtful, lying, and conniving woman -- "but she's always a woman, to me." A pretty girl is a feast for the eyes. Young women have soft skin, breasts, buttocks, skin, hair, and they can make babies. His woman is everything a young man could want, and none of this has anything to do with what she is inside. She could be a real witch, but she's his woman. A man just wants to touch, possess, and take care of the woman he loves. He'll do anything to make her happy. Because of this, young women don't have to grow up or be mature. They don't have to love. They don't have to take care of themselves. They don't have to have skills, earn money, exhibit leadership, or even be kind. All they have to do is look cute and they are loved.

Young men are concrete. The pretty woman is a sensual experience because sex is the concrete token of what a man really wants -- her heart. A young woman gives her body to her husband in token of giving her heart. Too often, though, the wife thinks she can continue this charade forever, never having to actually follow-through. The heart is hard to give. A wife must develop full trust in her husband. She must be willing to let go of everything else, including her children, to love him. It's hard. My mom said, "It feels like death" -- right before she left my dad.

As women age they are no longer cute. They sag. Their skin gets blotched and wrinkly. Their hair gets wiry. Their fat distribution changes so their bodies are no longer attractive. They can't make babies. The outward appearance no longer compels men to desire them, or take care of them. Women hate this. They spend billions of dollars on creams to keep their skin soft and supple, implants to prevent the breasts from sagging, cosmetic surgery to tighten the skin, and liposuction to remodel the fat distribution. They go to spas to put cucumber slices on their eyes, eat strange diets, exercise obsessively, take hormones, vitamins, and all sorts of "youth-enizing" dietary supplements. They spend a great deal of money and time trying to be cute and cuddly so they can be attractive -- and loved like a young woman. They don't want to have to grow up. They want to be loved for just being cute, but it doesn't work. It isn't cute. In fact, often the harder they try the worse they look. "What a drag it is getting old."

Most men also remain childish so they continue to try to live their childhood fantasies. They still believe the token to be the real thing so they seek more sexual relationships hoping that it will lead to fulfillment. They're not looking for a mature relationship so no matter what the age, immature men will seek immature women of youth and beauty. If he wants an immature woman he's not going to seek one his own age, he's going to find a young, supple, sensual one. However, as men mature, they become more abstract. They don't just want the token anymore, they want the real thing. A mature man wants a mature woman who can give him what he really wants -- her heart. Childish men of any age look for young women to be with, and mature men look for mature women so childish older women are the only people left out.

The problem, then, isn't that older women aren't attractive, but rather that they believe they should be coddled like teen brides all their lives. When they realize they are no longer attractive, they begin to resent that men pay attention to younger women, and often become bitter and angry. I have seen so many bitter and angry old women who say, "It's not fair that a man can remain immature into old age and still be attractive to young women." Older immature women feel left out for good reason. Since the body won't return to its virgin state, and they haven't developed their mind and heart, they think they have nothing to offer. They thought they could put off growing up, as if cuteness lasts forever. But now it's gone -- never to return. Life is so hard. .

What our culture doesn't teach is that maturity, not youth, leads to fulfillment. Experience can be a great benefit if a woman has applied herself to growing up. An older woman, though not soft and supple, is very attractive if she has become mature. It's a dimension that cannot be seen in a photograph. She has developed skills and assets beyond looking good. She should be able to carry on an intelligent conversation. She should be widely read and have a good understanding of human nature. She should know who she is, what she wants, and where she's going. A mature woman doesn't make decisions out of fear, but rather faith. She should have hobbies that she enjoys. She should take good care of herself, showing discipline by not indulging her appetites. She should be independent, having marketable skills, and being able to manage finances. She should be happy, not lonely or needy. Most importantly, she should possess the gift of charity, being able to give from her heart. Whether married or not, she is fulfilled.

The attraction of an older woman is not for how she looks, but rather who she is -- just the opposite of younger women. The young woman creates life and nurtures physical growth; the mature woman lives life, possesses wisdom, and nutures spiritual growth. Instead of a supple body with a whiny and selfish temperament, she has a saggy body with a happy and loving disposition. Instead of offering her body, she gives her heart, bringing fulfillment. A mature woman of any age is truly ageless!

The Battle

We are able to plumb the depths of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can know all we want about it because it is given to us to know. Christ came for a primary purpose, not to be a great teacher, but to fight a battle, indeed, the battle.

There is only one war, and that is between good and evil. Jesus said, "He that is not against us is for us." (Luke 9:50) and "He that is not with me is against me." (Matthew 12:30) We know that this war is fought in many battles. Michael, the Archangel, lead the children of God into battle against the forces of Satan before the world was created.

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:7-9)

Part of the war was fought in Heaven, and Michael, heading the forces of God, prevailed, casting Satan and his forces to the Earth. The war continues as we come to Earth and are pelted by the same evil troops that were defeated in Heaven.

In our personal battles we have protection. The other side has boundaries which they cannot pass. Moreover, we have a will which allows us to choose good or evil. We invite good into our lives, or evil by the choices we make every minute of every day. These battles are being fought on an ongoing basis. We always have the upper hand because of the battle fought by Jesus Christ. We are given only what we can bear. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) This is good news, indeed!

The battle
His battle was the same as ours, and yet totally different. Jesus fought a no-holds-barred battle against evil. He did not choose to invite evil into His life by transgression or sin. Instead, He being pure and sinless, offered Himself to Satan as a propitiation for those who did. He would willingly give His body over to Satan with no protection, no armor. David stands before Goliath. The pure white Lamb stands before the dragon. He was the Anointed One to be the Champion for the forces of Good, to fight alone against all the forces of evil.

Christ did not have protection, as we do. He was to take the worst that Satan and his angels had to inflict. They would be able to fight with all they had, and God would entirely withdraw from the fight. The Lord would be left to Himself to fight alone against Satan and all his forces, and would suffer all the torture and pain that could be suffered. He would know all "the buffetings of Satan" (D&C 78:12) that the evil one could inflict. He cried out in the agony of his soul, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" (Mark 15:34) He had all weapons of evil, temptations, pain, suffering, loneliness, wrath, depression, vengeance, hatred, loss, hopelessness, selfishness, and darkness aimed at Him -- alone. Those on the ground couldn't see, and did not know the magnitude of the event before them. Though others were there, and even sympathetic, He was alone.

In this battle He was tortured and killed, the body and the blood; the bread and the wine represent the sufferings and death of Him who did no sin or transgression. They remind us of the Good News that Jesus Christ did not give in; He did not let go, but held firm to faith, hope, charity and love -- keeping an eye single to the glory of God. He suffered the will of the Father, and overcame by faith. He had charity for all and withstood the demons with love. He loved most.

He did not give in to the enticing of the evil one, but rather Satan gave in to Him. Satan acknowledged the superiority of Jehovah. He had done all he could to break the Lord, but could not make Him bend. The Devil, all the devils, tried, but couldn't. They knew they couldn't. They were defeated, and gave up.

He won! He won the battle! David beat Goliath! The Dragon is overcome by the Lamb! Love overcomes all evil! "He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:15) He told the Nephites after His resurrection, "I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." (3 Nephi 11:11)

This is the Gospel, the Good News, for the whole world. All the children of Adam have hope in Him because He won the battle! "It is finished!" The battle that decides the end of the war is over. The fate of the evil one is sealed. Through Him all other battles may end in victory for God, we will not be overcome. We must fight our personal battles, the war is not over, but the decisive victory is at hand because of one battle. The battle.

Redeemer

Blood is shed to redeem anything. Why? What is blood? How is blood payment? What makes blood so precious, more so than gold, diamonds, or the whole Earth? Blood is life. Life is all there is. Creation is the ability to make life, and all living things have power in the sphere where they are created. Life is power. To take control of a life is to have power. Power is the ability to control the elements. Blood represents this ability.

Redemption brings back something once possessed. When someone else righteously and rightly possesses something of yours, that was yours but is now theirs, you must make some form of payment to redeem it. To "redeem" means to bring it back, or restore it to it's former owner. This is about ownership, control, or power. Redeeming is recovering ownership by paying the price exacted by the one who took ownership away. For example, if you don't pay taxes and the government takes your home, you must redeem it by paying "the uttermost farthing," all your taxes, and any penalties. It then reverts back to you.

We fall from grace by transgression. The innocent Adam transgressed the law, and by so doing made himself subject to, and a subject of the power of Satan. Satan then tempts Adam, who gives in and commits sins. He takes possession of Adam, owns him, and becomes his master. This "is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell." (D&C 123:8) Satan becomes the owner of Adam.

In order for God to redeem, or buy back, Adam, God must offer Satan something he wants more. A deal is made, a covenant, that the Son of God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, would offer to be subject to Satan, death, and all of Hell, in place of Adam, if Adam could go free. The covenant is agreed to, signed by both parties.

Adam is us. Satan owns all who sin or transgress a law, and that means all. Satan has the whole human race; all the Children of God are in his chains, and He has power over them. We are all His subjects. He is master! He has what he wants -- control, power, might, dominion. Indeed, he said, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14) He actually accomplishes his desire and has what he always wanted in his grasp -- almost! It isn't enough. Like every power-hungry addict, he wants more. He has power over the people, but doesn't yet possess the very throne of God -- Christ does.

So, God makes Satan an offer he can't refuse -- Himself. The Devil agrees to give back all the children for just one opportunity to control God Himself! Jesus Christ pays the price to redeem all mankind, and all the possessions of God out of the grasp of Satan. He allows Himself to become subject to Satan, and all the evil spirits. He gives His body to them, to control, to torture, to possess! He becomes subject to them to pay the price. They want Him who sits on the Throne of God more than all the children of Adam. Thus, He pays the price to get them back, to redeem them. He willingly takes all the evil minions can throw at him -- all the pain, all the temptation, all the hopelessness, all the guilt, and every doubt. He takes it all.

His blood is shed, both body and spirit. He is subjected to all the powers of destruction. He submits to the will of the Father in giving His body as a sacrifice, but does not submit to the power of Satan. He does not give in. He doesn't break. All the temptations of all the unlimited power of the evil one are focused on Him, but He stays strong. He commits no sin or transgression. He isn't lost. He did it! He overcame!

He overcomes them with love. He loves them. He loves Satan and his minions. He gives back love for hate. He gives back joy for pain. He gives back good for evil. He does it for them, for them for the very ones who are trying to bring Him down. He just accepts it, takes it all in, and gives back love. He completely and totally embodies His own teaching to "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) Thus, He destroys Satan's plan. Though He paid the price, the Devil could have no power over Him.

Satan is cheated! In the end he gets neither the children of God, nor the Son! He gambled and lost! He overestimated his power. He thought he could overpower and subject the Great Jehovah! Now all is lost. Now, as Isaiah explains, "thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms...?" (Isaiah 14:15-16) He ends up in his place, the lowest of the low in Christ's Kingdom.

Paradoxically, in losing he wins. The Atonement of Jesus Christ saves even him from utter destruction. He is allowed an existence because all are redeemed. Even he shall bow the knee and confess with his lips that Jesus is the Christ! Thus, in not getting what he wanted, he is nevertheless benefited by the Infinite Atonement.

The end of our story is happy. All are saved. All take their rightful place among the stars. All the children of God are redeemed!

Individual Atonement

In reading a book by John Pontius I understood that God, and thus His servants, have the ability to comprehend every detail of every life in an instant. When out of the body a righteous spirit could know all about a person he came in contact with. There is nothing left out. If this is true, then God, being infinite, has the ability to know, understand, and even feel the pain of His children. I believe Christ suffered this pain. This is the "bitter cup" that the Father gave to Him, to take upon Himself the sins of all mankind.

Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of all mankind. In describing His suffering He states that He "suffered these things for all..." (D&C 19:16) I am impressed that this was not just a general suffering, but that He comprehended the suffering of each and every creature -- every single one of the children of God. His capacity was not just that He suffered, but that He did it for each and every one of God's children. As a literal Son of God He had the capacity to comprehend the entire life of each person who ever lived. He knows me personally, and has taken upon Himself my personal sins, my suffering, my trials, my pain, my loneliness, my sorrows, my weaknesses, my frustrations, my guilt, my anger, my hatred, my loss, and all I have experienced. Personally.

The point is not that He knows what happened to me, or that He suffered worse things than me, and therefore I should be grateful that I don't, but that He knows my personal suffering. He has had compassion on me personally. He has suffered with me in all my own personal sorrows. He has been there, literally with me in every way. It's not a "I know how that feels" sort of experience, but rather an "I am with you" experience. In all things, He is there. He is there for everyone, personally. He is there with the child who is abused. He is there with those who are tortured, beaten, and suffering all manner of pain. He suffers with them. He knows their suffering, not just because He suffered likewise, but because He is there, with them, in every way. He truly has compassion -- "to suffer with."

When Christ says, "I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world..." (3 Nephi 11:11) It was both a collective suffering for and with all mankind, and also an individual suffering for each individual. Each and all. The Atonement truly is infinite, amazing, and wonderful.

Vessels of Wrath

Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—
They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;
For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;
Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—
Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.
These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels—
And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power;
Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath.
(D&C 76:31-38)

The anger of God is shown forth in those who disobey His word, and find themselves shut out of peace, joy, and happiness. They are "doomed to suffer the wrath of God." They remain the children of God. They are part of Him. God encompasses all, all of us, all of them, all that He creates -- including those who receive anger, pain, separation and loneliness. God is the embodiment of all. There is nothing that exists that isn't part of Him. They are cast out of His presence that they are not tormented by Him, but they do come to Him as Satan came to the Lord when all the sons of God were brought before Him. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." (Job 1:6)

The vessels of wrath serve the purpose of God, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) He does not hate them. He does not reject them, but rather they have their agency to reject Him. They do not desire His life, Eternal Life, but rather prefer "to dwell with the damned souls in hell." (Mormon 9:4) They are given bounds that they cannot cross, but have free will within those bounds. They endure suffering, and desire to be connected to others, but only so that they may exercise control or dominion over them. They only submit to the bounds they must because they have no power to do otherwise. They are the "wrath of God," to bring punishment, temptation, and darkness in opposition to the peace, forgiveness, and light of Christ. As such, they are a "necessary evil" in the progression of His children. He needs them. He loves them. They are a part of Him, though they reject that, they cannot avoid it. He loves them in spite of them. He forgives them, but they are not able to receive what He would give them. At some point, it becomes too late, and they remain in their lost and fallen state forever. They cannot be what He is, but they can come to Him. He cannot bless them with light because they are unable to receive the light. While the offer stood, they rejected it, and decided to take a smaller portion. That is theirs -- forever. They then try to bring others into their "kingdom" to rule over them. God does the same. Each of the children of God chooses their own glory. God offers it all. All are part of Him. All are His children. Each can have whatever he wants. All are saved by Him to whatever degree they desire. All are different in degree of glory. Each is unique -- infinite uniqueness! All are His. All are God, together.

The "vessels of wrath" contain His wrath, just as the "vessels of mercy" contain His mercy. He encompasses all. "He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." (D&C 88:41) He knows the depths of their sorrow. They contain, and carry-out, His anger. They are the embodiment of the wrath of God. They are "of" Him as surely as the gods are "of" Him.

Jesus "treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:15) He willingly subjected Himself to these "vessels of wrath" and suffered their torment. In doing so He suffered more, descending below even them into the absolute depths of loss and separation. "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things." (D&C 88:6) Zero degrees Kelvin. There is a zero. There is an absolute bottom. Nobody else has hit bottom because of Him, and nobody else ever will.

Jesus Christ saves the spectrum of people from the least to the greatest. "What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory." (Romans 9:22-24)

The "lower kingdoms" are also part of God, or His realm. It is His winepress, after all. All those who exist do so because of Him. They are part of Him. They are His. Jesus could save even them, if they so desired. But they will not submit to Him. They would rather suffer loss and separation forever than submit to Him. Thus is everyone who will not submit to the Lord of lords, King of kings. The degree to which they submit is the degree of growth, power and glory they receive. They say, "I will go this far, and no farther!" and they are done -- damned, because they refuse to let go of their own desires. They are given exactly what they want. Jesus Christ offers them all they want, and so much more. Each chooses his own glory according to his desires -- and willingness to submit.

The Lord has determined that "every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ." (Isaiah 45:23) This means every one of God's children, from the beginning to the end -- including Satan himself! He truly is Lord of lords. None are above Him because none have ever been below Him. He is in all things, and he comprehends all things. No matter where you are, or where you've been, He's been there. Thus, Christ brings all things together and presents them whole to God. "He shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God." (D&C 76:107)

This is the Atonement: to bring together as one. He even saves the lowest of God's children to the exact degree they desire, allowing them to be above absolute zero. The "whole" is the sum of its parts, every part in perfect order -- "spotless!" This includes the "vessels of wrath" as well as those who receive more. All things are brought together by Him.

The children of God are not so separated as I have often thought. We are all different in glory. "...for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead." (1 Corinthians 15:41-42) We are all different. We have different talents, and different weaknesses -- and different glories. God's children span the spectrum from the greatest to the least. Jesus saves us all.

Even so, only a relative few will find find the path to Eternal Life. "Damnation" explains every level except for those who achieve the highest, exaltation, or Eternal Life. Each who rises above damnation "becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19) Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Eternal Father of all.

When Joseph Smith Jr. was in Liberty Jail for over six months he inquired of the Lord what would happen. The Lord enumerated all the trials he would suffer, and then finished with, "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." (D&C 122:8-9) The disobedient have boundaries through which they cannot pass, while those who keep the word of the Lord will be boundless!

In contrast to the vessels of wrath, those who have Eternal Life have increasing joy forever. While in this life we are subject to evil, however, after the resurrection we will not be -- unless we choose to become the vessels of wrath!

Entropy

We believe in an inexorable and inevitable force called "entropy" in which all things break down over time to it's lowest energy state. Everything slows down. Everything dissipates energy, finally ending up in nothing. Every star runs out of hydrogen power. Every person is dying the day they are born. Every living thing will die, some in only minutes from birth, others in hundreds of years, but die they will. Mountains will wear down. Energy will cease. Eventually, all will become as one mass of rock with dispersed energy that cannot be focused. Death. Destruction. Waste. Nothing. Utter loss and disintegration. It's inevitable. It's inexorable. It is the end of all the Universe.

However, what if this energy to destroy is confined to a certain area, time, or sphere? The power to destroy is balanced by a power to create. There is a creative power that is the force of life. Life creates, inexorably, inevitably, and abundantly! The life force is the ability to improve, build, grow, increase, ascend and expand. It is more. It is redoubling. It creates more than itself and thus continues to grow. There is no end to this growth. Each life can reproduce itself many times over. You may count the seeds in one apple, but you can never count the apples contained in one seed. Eternal increase is just as much a force as entropy!

These are two opposing forces. Both are immutable. Both are ubiquitous. Both are inevitable. But why should either exist at all? Why don't things just always stay the same? It would make more sense if all things just remained as they are, but then there would be nothing -- no life or growth, no death or decay -- just nothing. Existence requires that there be opposition. There must be death if there is to be life. There must be suffering in opposition to joy. There must be a creative force in opposition to entropy. If you have only only one side it's like everything being the same color -- vision requires differences in shade, color and hue. If everything were the same color, there would be no way to see anything -- vision would not exist. Likewise hearing requires high, low, loud, soft, silence, and sound, or there is no hearing. If everything makes the same noise no information can be passed, and we may as well be deaf. Hot requires the opposing cold in order to exist.

Lehi explains to his son this concept:
For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
2 Nephi 2:11

Life requires opposition. God is life. God must require both good and evil in order to exist. "He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." (D&C 88:41)

God is all of existence. Just as vision requires both light and darkness, God's creative force brings both life and death, joy and suffering, power and impotence. It's all part of God. He creates both things to act, and things to be acted upon. The things to act have freedom to choose their own fate -- joy or suffering, life or death, power or impotence -- whereas those things that are to be acted upon have little choice, they take what they are given. God not only creates them all, they are all part of Him. He gives them autonomy from Himself and lets them choose their own level of existence. No matter what level they choose, they remain part of Him. Just as a father with two children loves them both even though one is obedient and the other is not, God loves those who choose darkness just as much as those who choose light. In the body we have ten-trillion cells, each of which is independent of all the others. Cells make choices, but generally act in the tissue where they are planted. Some cells are not considered honorable, such as those that inhabit the intestines, whereas those that are the brain cells, that allow us to think, are very honorable. Yet, they are all important. They all serve an important function to the body. We need each one of them in order to function. The pristine and protected brain cells need the down-and-dirty intestinal cells in order to function. In like manner God needs each one of his "trillions" of children, both the children of light, and those of darkness. They are all part of Him.

Those of us imbued with the freedom to choose are in the process of deciding what kind of cell we are going to be in the body of God. Are we going to be a creative force, or destructive? Every minute of every day we make decisions to create or destroy. When we come to the end of our lives, our cumulative choices will determine where we fit in the "body of Christ." The food we eat either builds or destroys our body. The thoughts we think either build faith or doubt. The words we speak either inspire or discourage. We act either in selfishness to destroy those around us like a cancer, or we become self-sacrificing to build those around us. Each thought, word, and deed brings us to our place or function within the Kingdom, Sphere, or Body of God. We are not there yet. We're not yet fully mature. We are picked when we are ripe, when we have matured as far as we can. At this point we are no longer acted-upon, as children, but rather we become a force, either for good or evil. Good is growth, the power of God to give life, the creative force. Evil is the opposition to that creation -- entropy. The choice is ours.