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.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Road to Hell
During a lesson last week in Priesthood meeting the teacher read a passage from the Lorenzo Snow manual about losing the Holy Ghost every time we sin. This brought a thought to me: "If that is true, then I cannot have the Holy Ghost until I'm perfect!"
I brought that up, and pushed it a little, because it runs so counter to the "church culture." The men in the room, all older than me, who have been bishops and leaders in the Church since before I was born, all tried to correct me, "You don't have to be perfect, only trying." They told me.
"But if I make another mistake, then I will lose the Spirit -- no matter how hard I try! I'm going to make a mistake, and then what...?" I'm still stuck in a dilemma. They became exasperated because I wasn't "getting it" that all I had to do was to be willing to obey God so even if I made mistakes, as long as I was trying the Lord would make up for what I lacked.
Their argument to me is "intent." The world teaches us that as long as our intentions are good we are on the path of righteousness. In other words, as long as I intend to do good I can have the Holy Ghost as my guide. This is a most damnable doctrine! It definitely counts as the "wicked traditions of our fathers!" This is a great force for evil in the world. Intention is NOT the same as doing the will of the Lord. Being good and doing right is not at all about our intentions. So much sin in this world is done in the name of "good intentions." The proverb states "The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The scriptures also tell us that "natural man is an enemy to God." (Mosiah 3:19) The heresy of good intentions being equivalent to doing good comes because of not understanding the scriptural meaning of the word.
"Good" is the will of God. I can ONLY be "good" if I am doing the will of God.
"Righteous" is continually doing God's will. A "righteous man" is one who has submitted his will to the will of God.
"Wicked" means NOT doing the will of God, no matter how good my intentions are.
"Evil" is purposely going against the will of God.
"Sin" is whenever I do anything I want to do instead of what God wants me to do, or choosing wickedness, either by commission or omission.
The Scriptures do not say that "good intentions" are sufficient. They never say it's OK to have a little wickedness, "because, after all, nobody's perfect." Rather the prophets use absolute words such as "all," "spotless," "pure," "unspotted," and "every whit" to indicate our need to become perfect.
"...he dwelleth not in unholy temples..." (Mosiah 2:37)
"...a righteous people, without spot..." (D&C 38:31)
"...keep himself unspotted from the world..." (James 1:27)
"...keep thyself unspotted from the world..." (D&C 59:9)
"...clean every whit:" (John 13:10)
"...cleansed every whit from his iniquity" (3 Nephi 8:1)
"...they shall be spotless before me..." (D&C 61:34)
"...whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white..." (Alma 5:24)
"...being pure and spotless before God..." (Alma 13:12)
"...cleanse from all unrighteousness" (Alma 7:14)
"...repent of all our sins..." (Alma 24:11)
"...but cross yourself in all these things..." (Alma 39:9)
"...repent of all your sins and iniquities..." (Mormon 7:5)
"...they truly repented of all their sins..." (Moroni 6:2)
Is there any room here for, "I sin, but it's OK because my intentions are good?" No! All intentions must be changed to become obedient to the word of God. But, how can we even know the will of God without the Holy Ghost? We're still in a conundrum.
I was discussing this dilemma with my brother, Chas, who hit upon an answer: You can be a sinner, and continually be repentant and be forgiven so you can still have the Holy Ghost. God practices "instant forgiveness!" As soon as I repent, I can be forgiven and receive the Spirit again (caveat: rebellion is harder, and may take longer). This is why the ordinances of the Priesthood are so important. Baptism is the covenant whereby we can be washed clean and receive the Holy Ghost. Thus, the gift of the Holy Ghost is given after baptism.
The is the essential understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He suffered so that I could overcome my "natural man" and change my "good intentions" to have the Holy Ghost and receive the word of God. I picture it like being on the "straight and narrow path" that leads to God. Baptism puts me on the path. As long as I'm on the path by doing what God wants me to do, I will have the Holy Ghost to guide me. The Holy Ghost gives me the word of God, and is the "iron rod." If I let go, or disobey even once, and veer off the path, I will lose the Spirit, which tells me that I am in need of repentance so I can repent, get back on the path, obeying every word of God, and can receive the Holy Ghost. This is why the ordinance of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost is a command: "Receive the Holy Ghost." It's something we do as we do ONLY the will of God, living continually "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
We know we have repented of all sin when we "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) This is when we are on the path to God. We never veer off the path because our will is subject to the will of God, and we can have the Holy Ghost with us always! Our "Good intentions" are replaced by the will of God.
I brought that up, and pushed it a little, because it runs so counter to the "church culture." The men in the room, all older than me, who have been bishops and leaders in the Church since before I was born, all tried to correct me, "You don't have to be perfect, only trying." They told me.
"But if I make another mistake, then I will lose the Spirit -- no matter how hard I try! I'm going to make a mistake, and then what...?" I'm still stuck in a dilemma. They became exasperated because I wasn't "getting it" that all I had to do was to be willing to obey God so even if I made mistakes, as long as I was trying the Lord would make up for what I lacked.
Their argument to me is "intent." The world teaches us that as long as our intentions are good we are on the path of righteousness. In other words, as long as I intend to do good I can have the Holy Ghost as my guide. This is a most damnable doctrine! It definitely counts as the "wicked traditions of our fathers!" This is a great force for evil in the world. Intention is NOT the same as doing the will of the Lord. Being good and doing right is not at all about our intentions. So much sin in this world is done in the name of "good intentions." The proverb states "The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The scriptures also tell us that "natural man is an enemy to God." (Mosiah 3:19) The heresy of good intentions being equivalent to doing good comes because of not understanding the scriptural meaning of the word.
"Good" is the will of God. I can ONLY be "good" if I am doing the will of God.
"Righteous" is continually doing God's will. A "righteous man" is one who has submitted his will to the will of God.
"Wicked" means NOT doing the will of God, no matter how good my intentions are.
"Evil" is purposely going against the will of God.
"Sin" is whenever I do anything I want to do instead of what God wants me to do, or choosing wickedness, either by commission or omission.
The Scriptures do not say that "good intentions" are sufficient. They never say it's OK to have a little wickedness, "because, after all, nobody's perfect." Rather the prophets use absolute words such as "all," "spotless," "pure," "unspotted," and "every whit" to indicate our need to become perfect.
"...he dwelleth not in unholy temples..." (Mosiah 2:37)
"...a righteous people, without spot..." (D&C 38:31)
"...keep himself unspotted from the world..." (James 1:27)
"...keep thyself unspotted from the world..." (D&C 59:9)
"...clean every whit:" (John 13:10)
"...cleansed every whit from his iniquity" (3 Nephi 8:1)
"...they shall be spotless before me..." (D&C 61:34)
"...whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white..." (Alma 5:24)
"...being pure and spotless before God..." (Alma 13:12)
"...cleanse from all unrighteousness" (Alma 7:14)
"...repent of all our sins..." (Alma 24:11)
"...but cross yourself in all these things..." (Alma 39:9)
"...repent of all your sins and iniquities..." (Mormon 7:5)
"...they truly repented of all their sins..." (Moroni 6:2)
Is there any room here for, "I sin, but it's OK because my intentions are good?" No! All intentions must be changed to become obedient to the word of God. But, how can we even know the will of God without the Holy Ghost? We're still in a conundrum.
I was discussing this dilemma with my brother, Chas, who hit upon an answer: You can be a sinner, and continually be repentant and be forgiven so you can still have the Holy Ghost. God practices "instant forgiveness!" As soon as I repent, I can be forgiven and receive the Spirit again (caveat: rebellion is harder, and may take longer). This is why the ordinances of the Priesthood are so important. Baptism is the covenant whereby we can be washed clean and receive the Holy Ghost. Thus, the gift of the Holy Ghost is given after baptism.
The is the essential understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He suffered so that I could overcome my "natural man" and change my "good intentions" to have the Holy Ghost and receive the word of God. I picture it like being on the "straight and narrow path" that leads to God. Baptism puts me on the path. As long as I'm on the path by doing what God wants me to do, I will have the Holy Ghost to guide me. The Holy Ghost gives me the word of God, and is the "iron rod." If I let go, or disobey even once, and veer off the path, I will lose the Spirit, which tells me that I am in need of repentance so I can repent, get back on the path, obeying every word of God, and can receive the Holy Ghost. This is why the ordinance of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost is a command: "Receive the Holy Ghost." It's something we do as we do ONLY the will of God, living continually "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
We know we have repented of all sin when we "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) This is when we are on the path to God. We never veer off the path because our will is subject to the will of God, and we can have the Holy Ghost with us always! Our "Good intentions" are replaced by the will of God.
Monday, February 18, 2013
The Highest Goal
It is impossible for a human being to know the possibilities without being taught. We cannot know what we can achieve unless we are shown. Therefore, we cannot make any goals on our own. Our ability to achieve is limited by our vision. Our vision is limited by what we know. We only know what we are taught, and what we experience. In the 19th Century it was inconceivable for a man to run faster than a 4-minute mile so nobody did it. Once one person did it, it became common. They didn't know they could until someone did it.
We will achieve whatever goal we have in our minds and hearts. We don't know what we don't know so we can only achieve what we know. What we know depends on where we get our information.
Possibilities
The world teaches certain goals -- money, power, ease of life, and so forth. "Success" is always measured in terms of wealth. Indeed, the very term "successful" implies an abundance of money, goods, and property.
Worldly religions teach loftier goals such as ethics, love, peace, service and morality. Indeed, most religions put honor above money or the things of the world.
There is only one place in the world one can go to receive the ultimate goal; only the Church of Jesus Christ can give people the highest goal -- EXALTATION! Without learning about this goal nobody will know it is possible, and thus will necessarily fall short.
Choosing less
It is surprising to me that so many who are given a chance to know the highest achievement potential of man would choose a lower state. Many people in the Church of Jesus Christ desire lesser goals, assuming the loftiest goal given to them by their Father in Heaven is out of their reach. They desire Celestial Glory, but not to be a leader, only a servant. It is not the Lord that limits them, but rather their own desires.
This is found in all areas of life. Last week I had a young woman in my office who is on multiple medications because she suffers in constant pain, with fatigue, and weakness. I explained to her that I could show her how to be pain-free, with plenty of energy, and no medications, but she can't see it, and won't believe it. She has been given a lower goal of an occasional hour of relief with the medications and cannot let go of them for the lofty goal of a permanent cure. She doesn't see the possibility, and cannot put her trust in me that I do know.
She represents those who just don't believe, but there are other reasons for choosing lesser goals:
1. Some choose a lesser goal without knowing it by assuming they are automatically worthy, or prepared, to receive the highest of gifts without actually treading the path that leads to it. Somehow knowing about it seems to be enough.
2. Others cannot even begin to think of themselves in such a lofty estate, assuming it is only for prophets, apostles, and other "great men."
3. Still others turn away from the highest because they prefer immediate gratification of their worldly desires.
4. Many are so egotistical that they choose to be homeless, knowing that they could have a mansion given to them if they would just let go of their pride.
5. Laziness accounts for a large number of those who choose lower goals. It's just too much trouble to be a leader.
All of these have the opportunity to achieve the greatest glory because they know of it, but choose to be less, to live in a smaller mansion.
Aiming HIGH
Since we cannot understand what we haven't experienced, we must take the goal of Eternal Life on faith. We can learn about it mentally, but nevertheless, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) We cannot know exactly what our goal is because we cannot see it, hear it, nor feel it. We are given only vague descriptions, and we are expected to follow Jesus Christ to get there, wherever "there" is.
This is not unusual. If I went back in time only a few hundred years and tried to explain cell phones, televisions, and such everyday gadgets of modern life, I might be stoned as a witch. It is normal for people to be suspicious of things they haven't experienced and cannot understand. Just as my patient couldn't conceive of being pain-free with no medications, we cannot know what Heaven is like.
The ability to aim high is called "faith." This is the ability to put your whole heart into something you cannot even understand. As the Proverb tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) The way to do this is found in the next verse, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:6) I take the operative word in this scripture to be "all." Is there any other way? How could there be any other way? How could we know the way? On our own we can't even know, really, what the goal is!
One way
Thus there is only one way to achieve true greatness, and that is by humbly submitting to the will of God. If I view God as my coach who will take me as I am and make me into a "team player" on His team, then I will do as He says. Just as an athlete must submit to the coach in all things, doing everything the coach tells him to do exactly when and how he is told, I would submit to the direction of God in all things, and "perform every word of command with exactness." (Alma 57:21) It is in submission to the will of God in all things that puts me on the path to Eternal Life.
Those in the path of Life are often judged by the goals of the world. A finger is pointed in their direction and they are called accursed because they don't achieve worldly "success;" they aren't wealthy! However, what is not understood is that the goals of the children of Christ are not those of the world; wealth is not an issue. Taking on the goal of Eternal Life means leaving all the short-term goals behind, just like my patient would have to leave her hour of relief with pain medication in order to achieve a pain-free life.
We can achieve only what we believe. We believe what we are taught. What is your goal? What have you been taught?
We will achieve whatever goal we have in our minds and hearts. We don't know what we don't know so we can only achieve what we know. What we know depends on where we get our information.
Possibilities
The world teaches certain goals -- money, power, ease of life, and so forth. "Success" is always measured in terms of wealth. Indeed, the very term "successful" implies an abundance of money, goods, and property.
Worldly religions teach loftier goals such as ethics, love, peace, service and morality. Indeed, most religions put honor above money or the things of the world.
There is only one place in the world one can go to receive the ultimate goal; only the Church of Jesus Christ can give people the highest goal -- EXALTATION! Without learning about this goal nobody will know it is possible, and thus will necessarily fall short.
Choosing less
It is surprising to me that so many who are given a chance to know the highest achievement potential of man would choose a lower state. Many people in the Church of Jesus Christ desire lesser goals, assuming the loftiest goal given to them by their Father in Heaven is out of their reach. They desire Celestial Glory, but not to be a leader, only a servant. It is not the Lord that limits them, but rather their own desires.
This is found in all areas of life. Last week I had a young woman in my office who is on multiple medications because she suffers in constant pain, with fatigue, and weakness. I explained to her that I could show her how to be pain-free, with plenty of energy, and no medications, but she can't see it, and won't believe it. She has been given a lower goal of an occasional hour of relief with the medications and cannot let go of them for the lofty goal of a permanent cure. She doesn't see the possibility, and cannot put her trust in me that I do know.
She represents those who just don't believe, but there are other reasons for choosing lesser goals:
1. Some choose a lesser goal without knowing it by assuming they are automatically worthy, or prepared, to receive the highest of gifts without actually treading the path that leads to it. Somehow knowing about it seems to be enough.
2. Others cannot even begin to think of themselves in such a lofty estate, assuming it is only for prophets, apostles, and other "great men."
3. Still others turn away from the highest because they prefer immediate gratification of their worldly desires.
4. Many are so egotistical that they choose to be homeless, knowing that they could have a mansion given to them if they would just let go of their pride.
5. Laziness accounts for a large number of those who choose lower goals. It's just too much trouble to be a leader.
All of these have the opportunity to achieve the greatest glory because they know of it, but choose to be less, to live in a smaller mansion.
Aiming HIGH
Since we cannot understand what we haven't experienced, we must take the goal of Eternal Life on faith. We can learn about it mentally, but nevertheless, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) We cannot know exactly what our goal is because we cannot see it, hear it, nor feel it. We are given only vague descriptions, and we are expected to follow Jesus Christ to get there, wherever "there" is.
This is not unusual. If I went back in time only a few hundred years and tried to explain cell phones, televisions, and such everyday gadgets of modern life, I might be stoned as a witch. It is normal for people to be suspicious of things they haven't experienced and cannot understand. Just as my patient couldn't conceive of being pain-free with no medications, we cannot know what Heaven is like.
The ability to aim high is called "faith." This is the ability to put your whole heart into something you cannot even understand. As the Proverb tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) The way to do this is found in the next verse, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:6) I take the operative word in this scripture to be "all." Is there any other way? How could there be any other way? How could we know the way? On our own we can't even know, really, what the goal is!
One way
Thus there is only one way to achieve true greatness, and that is by humbly submitting to the will of God. If I view God as my coach who will take me as I am and make me into a "team player" on His team, then I will do as He says. Just as an athlete must submit to the coach in all things, doing everything the coach tells him to do exactly when and how he is told, I would submit to the direction of God in all things, and "perform every word of command with exactness." (Alma 57:21) It is in submission to the will of God in all things that puts me on the path to Eternal Life.
Those in the path of Life are often judged by the goals of the world. A finger is pointed in their direction and they are called accursed because they don't achieve worldly "success;" they aren't wealthy! However, what is not understood is that the goals of the children of Christ are not those of the world; wealth is not an issue. Taking on the goal of Eternal Life means leaving all the short-term goals behind, just like my patient would have to leave her hour of relief with pain medication in order to achieve a pain-free life.
We can achieve only what we believe. We believe what we are taught. What is your goal? What have you been taught?
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Beauty and Love
In the late 19th Century Ivan Pavlov did a series of gruesome experiments where he taught dogs to associate food with a bell. He noted that the dogs salivated before the food was actually in their mouths so he would ring a bell every time the food was given. After a period of time he would ring the bell and not give them food, but the dogs still salivated as if they got food. Hearing the ring of the bell became associated with food, and the physiological response was the same.
Yesterday I spent the day on the slopes of the High Sierras with my daughter. As I was talking with her on the ski lift I thought she was so beautiful. She is growing up and becoming a young woman. I love her so much. I realized that there is an association that comes naturally, especially to men, of beauty and love. Charlotte is so beautiful to me because I love her so much, not the other way around.
Because of the association of beauty with love, the physiological response is the same. Women want to be beautiful so that they will be loved; men will love them because they are beautiful. This is how Jim Morrison of The Doors could sing, "Hello, I love you won't you tell me your name." A man can feel loving feelings for a woman he has never met because of the natural and normal brain association of beauty with love. While, on the other hand, he could have the same feelings for a woman he loves no matter how she looks.
Immature love
The "beauty industry" is one of the largest industries in the world. It includes make-up, plastic surgery, aesthetics, health spas, Botox injections, creams, pills, food, clothing, herbs, mud, contacts for eyes, gyms, hormones, and a multitude of gadgets to make people "look and feel younger and more beautiful." These are all designed to bring about the associated feelings of love with beauty.
However, the physiological response isn't really love. Like the dog salivating at the ringing of the bell even though there is no food, the immature man looking at a beautiful woman feels all the physiological responses of love without actually being in love. Seeing beauty and loving it makes the woman into an object, not a person. She is like a beautiful painting that an art lover falls in love with simply because it is beautiful. He wants to possess her, to "have" her because of her beauty.
Thus, a big problem of being a beautiful woman is that a man might "fall in love" with her because of her beauty. The foundation of this sort of relationship is how she looks, and is therefore shaky. Part of Pavlov's experiments included ringing the bell over and over without food to see how long it would take to "extinguish" the response. In the same sense, a man will have the physiological feelings of love only as long as she is beautiful in his eyes. For some it will last only until he finds another beautiful woman, for others it will be until he finds some ugliness in her, some flaw in her personality, character, or physiology. The feelings are dependent on a very unstable perception.
In many cases a man will talk himself out of love by picking out the flaws and "ugliness" of his woman. He will tell her that she is fat, or has some other flaw that explains why he doesn't love her. He may even try to fix these flaws, thinking that will make him love her again, but it doesn't work. Picking out flaws is, by itself, an indication that he doesn't love her, and no amount of changing her looks will bring that back. On the other hand I have known many women who gain weight after marriage in order to try to separate themselves from their husbands. It works both ways. Beauty is not a sound basis for a good relationship.
Mature love
Imature love is the bell -- it produces a response like that of food, but doesn't nourish the body. By contrast, food will always produce the response; it never extinguishes. If a man learns to love a woman for who she is, then she will always be beautiful to him. The tide will turn as he learns to love her heart. The feelings of love will no longer come from how she looks, but rather who she is. Mature love makes her beautiful to him no matter what she looks like in the morning, or how much she weighs. He no longer loves her because she is beautiful, rather she is beautiful because he loves her. This love endures; it is real. It is a firm foundation that cannot be moved so she will continue to be beautiful throughout her life, no matter how fat, wrinkled, or infirm she looks.
Love and beauty are permanently connected in the brain, and the physiological response either way is the same; seeing beauty produces feelings of love, but loving someone causes the same feelings and produces the vision of beauty. The association is the same no matter which side we work from. Immature love such as that found in Hollywood is very unstable, as we can plainly see. However, mature love endures the test of time, and all things. I love Charlotte's heart, I love her being, I love her strengths and her weaknesses, I love what she is inside, I love who she is, and because of that she is incredibly beautiful to me -- and she always will be.
Yesterday I spent the day on the slopes of the High Sierras with my daughter. As I was talking with her on the ski lift I thought she was so beautiful. She is growing up and becoming a young woman. I love her so much. I realized that there is an association that comes naturally, especially to men, of beauty and love. Charlotte is so beautiful to me because I love her so much, not the other way around.
Because of the association of beauty with love, the physiological response is the same. Women want to be beautiful so that they will be loved; men will love them because they are beautiful. This is how Jim Morrison of The Doors could sing, "Hello, I love you won't you tell me your name." A man can feel loving feelings for a woman he has never met because of the natural and normal brain association of beauty with love. While, on the other hand, he could have the same feelings for a woman he loves no matter how she looks.
Immature love
The "beauty industry" is one of the largest industries in the world. It includes make-up, plastic surgery, aesthetics, health spas, Botox injections, creams, pills, food, clothing, herbs, mud, contacts for eyes, gyms, hormones, and a multitude of gadgets to make people "look and feel younger and more beautiful." These are all designed to bring about the associated feelings of love with beauty.
However, the physiological response isn't really love. Like the dog salivating at the ringing of the bell even though there is no food, the immature man looking at a beautiful woman feels all the physiological responses of love without actually being in love. Seeing beauty and loving it makes the woman into an object, not a person. She is like a beautiful painting that an art lover falls in love with simply because it is beautiful. He wants to possess her, to "have" her because of her beauty.
Thus, a big problem of being a beautiful woman is that a man might "fall in love" with her because of her beauty. The foundation of this sort of relationship is how she looks, and is therefore shaky. Part of Pavlov's experiments included ringing the bell over and over without food to see how long it would take to "extinguish" the response. In the same sense, a man will have the physiological feelings of love only as long as she is beautiful in his eyes. For some it will last only until he finds another beautiful woman, for others it will be until he finds some ugliness in her, some flaw in her personality, character, or physiology. The feelings are dependent on a very unstable perception.
In many cases a man will talk himself out of love by picking out the flaws and "ugliness" of his woman. He will tell her that she is fat, or has some other flaw that explains why he doesn't love her. He may even try to fix these flaws, thinking that will make him love her again, but it doesn't work. Picking out flaws is, by itself, an indication that he doesn't love her, and no amount of changing her looks will bring that back. On the other hand I have known many women who gain weight after marriage in order to try to separate themselves from their husbands. It works both ways. Beauty is not a sound basis for a good relationship.
Mature love
Imature love is the bell -- it produces a response like that of food, but doesn't nourish the body. By contrast, food will always produce the response; it never extinguishes. If a man learns to love a woman for who she is, then she will always be beautiful to him. The tide will turn as he learns to love her heart. The feelings of love will no longer come from how she looks, but rather who she is. Mature love makes her beautiful to him no matter what she looks like in the morning, or how much she weighs. He no longer loves her because she is beautiful, rather she is beautiful because he loves her. This love endures; it is real. It is a firm foundation that cannot be moved so she will continue to be beautiful throughout her life, no matter how fat, wrinkled, or infirm she looks.
Love and beauty are permanently connected in the brain, and the physiological response either way is the same; seeing beauty produces feelings of love, but loving someone causes the same feelings and produces the vision of beauty. The association is the same no matter which side we work from. Immature love such as that found in Hollywood is very unstable, as we can plainly see. However, mature love endures the test of time, and all things. I love Charlotte's heart, I love her being, I love her strengths and her weaknesses, I love what she is inside, I love who she is, and because of that she is incredibly beautiful to me -- and she always will be.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Pray ALWAYS
Speaking of the miraculous preservation of every one of the "2000 stripling warriors" Helaman writes, "...they do put their trust in God continually." (Alma 57:27) The word "continually" strikes me as the operative word in this phrase. I am considering this topic of being guided by the Spirit in all things, and I find so many examples and injunctions in the Scriptures that it surprises me that this could be new to me. I remember reading the words of the Lord in Luke regarding preparing for the Second Coming, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy..." (Luke 21:36) I thought this was some sort of hyperbole, that it would not be possible to "Pray always!" However, now I'm beginning to think this is a commandment that I must learn how to do.
"...be watchful unto prayer continually..." (Alma 34:39)
"...to keep them continually watchful unto prayer..." (Moroni 6:4)
"...men ought always to pray, and not to faint." (Luke 18:1)
"...ye must pray always, and not faint..." (2 Nephi 32:9)
"Pray always..." (D&C 88:126)
"...men ought always to pray and not to faint..." (D&C 101:81)
"...let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly..." (D&C 121:45)
"...bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)
"Look unto me in every thought..." (D&C 6:36)
"...treasure up in your minds continually the words of life..." (D&C 84:85)
"...be constant unto me..." (Reverently and Meekly Now)
"...we will give ourselves continually to prayer..." (Acts 6:4)
It is a commandment to pray always. There is no way around all of the Scriptures that tell us to pray always, continually, constantly, and unceasingly. I grew up with the tradition of separation of my "religious life" from my "secular life." This is one of the "wicked traditions of my fathers" and is found generally in the Church. I hear it all the time from other members, that we should keep our religion out of our workplace, for example. In reality, though, there can be no separation, because either we give our whole heart to God, or we have nothing. The road to God is straight, and narrow. There is no other way. The road to hell is wide and varied-- it is every other path that is not outlined by Christ. I now recognize that I have been keeping a foot in the world as I delude myself into thinking that I am on the path to God because I keep the letter of the law, like a Pharisee, but I have missed the Spirit entirely.
Distinguish good from evil
I will repent. I am beginning to understand how to keep a prayer in my heart at all times. As I go about my day, I am thinking various things. How do I know if something is of God? Mormon tells us that we must judge good from evil, "For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night." (Moroni 7:15) I know the fruit of the Spirit as explained by Paul, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance..." (Galatians 5:22-23) When I feel peace and joy it is of God. However, when I feel separation, guilt, depression, worry, doubt, or fear I can know it is of the devil. This test can be applied to every thought of my mind and heart. If I always seek those things that are virtuous, and never dwell on the evil, then I can always have a prayer in my heart.
"More purpose in prayer"
Another essential part of constant prayer is purpose. Those who pray "to be heard of men" do not pray with real intent. "He [that] shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such." (Moroni 7:9) "Real intent" is connecting with God in an obedient way. It is praying with the intent that whatever God tells me to do, I will do, no matter how hard it seems. Submission to the will of God is a pre-requisite to receiving answers to prayers. If the prayer is for some other reason than to submit to the will of God, it is not real. Thus, the attempt to pray always without obeying "every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God" is vain and useless.
As I learn to understand the language of prayer and am able to feel the Spirit of the Lord I can be more and more obedient to His word. If I don't understand a command, I can't obey it. However, if I understand and obey, I can be a servant of the Lord. And, as I grow in this knowledge and become a seasoned warrior, obeying every word of command with exactness, then "Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 304). I will be sent from the bow of God and fly straight and true to the mark He intends to hit.
I'm so excited to learn how to "pray always" so I can obey "every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." I'm going to practice listening and obeying every minute until every thought and every action comes into alignment with the will of the Almighty. Jesus said, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38) "Lord, I would follow thee!"
"...be watchful unto prayer continually..." (Alma 34:39)
"...to keep them continually watchful unto prayer..." (Moroni 6:4)
"...men ought always to pray, and not to faint." (Luke 18:1)
"...ye must pray always, and not faint..." (2 Nephi 32:9)
"Pray always..." (D&C 88:126)
"...men ought always to pray and not to faint..." (D&C 101:81)
"...let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly..." (D&C 121:45)
"...bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)
"Look unto me in every thought..." (D&C 6:36)
"...treasure up in your minds continually the words of life..." (D&C 84:85)
"...be constant unto me..." (Reverently and Meekly Now)
"...we will give ourselves continually to prayer..." (Acts 6:4)
It is a commandment to pray always. There is no way around all of the Scriptures that tell us to pray always, continually, constantly, and unceasingly. I grew up with the tradition of separation of my "religious life" from my "secular life." This is one of the "wicked traditions of my fathers" and is found generally in the Church. I hear it all the time from other members, that we should keep our religion out of our workplace, for example. In reality, though, there can be no separation, because either we give our whole heart to God, or we have nothing. The road to God is straight, and narrow. There is no other way. The road to hell is wide and varied-- it is every other path that is not outlined by Christ. I now recognize that I have been keeping a foot in the world as I delude myself into thinking that I am on the path to God because I keep the letter of the law, like a Pharisee, but I have missed the Spirit entirely.
Distinguish good from evil
I will repent. I am beginning to understand how to keep a prayer in my heart at all times. As I go about my day, I am thinking various things. How do I know if something is of God? Mormon tells us that we must judge good from evil, "For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night." (Moroni 7:15) I know the fruit of the Spirit as explained by Paul, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance..." (Galatians 5:22-23) When I feel peace and joy it is of God. However, when I feel separation, guilt, depression, worry, doubt, or fear I can know it is of the devil. This test can be applied to every thought of my mind and heart. If I always seek those things that are virtuous, and never dwell on the evil, then I can always have a prayer in my heart.
"More purpose in prayer"
Another essential part of constant prayer is purpose. Those who pray "to be heard of men" do not pray with real intent. "He [that] shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such." (Moroni 7:9) "Real intent" is connecting with God in an obedient way. It is praying with the intent that whatever God tells me to do, I will do, no matter how hard it seems. Submission to the will of God is a pre-requisite to receiving answers to prayers. If the prayer is for some other reason than to submit to the will of God, it is not real. Thus, the attempt to pray always without obeying "every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God" is vain and useless.
As I learn to understand the language of prayer and am able to feel the Spirit of the Lord I can be more and more obedient to His word. If I don't understand a command, I can't obey it. However, if I understand and obey, I can be a servant of the Lord. And, as I grow in this knowledge and become a seasoned warrior, obeying every word of command with exactness, then "Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 304). I will be sent from the bow of God and fly straight and true to the mark He intends to hit.
I'm so excited to learn how to "pray always" so I can obey "every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." I'm going to practice listening and obeying every minute until every thought and every action comes into alignment with the will of the Almighty. Jesus said, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38) "Lord, I would follow thee!"
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