The Duty of Testimony

Sections 14-16 of the Doctrine and Covenants were given to the Whitmer brothers and Section 17 to David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris.  All of them have to do with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.  In each case, the man or men being addressed had a specific, but unexpressed desire to know what was of most worth to them. I think most of us, if we are truly anxious to do the will of God and live in accordance with his will, have desired to know the same thing.  "Just tell me what to do and I will do it." Usually, in answer to that inquiry we get silence, or only the smallest hint of what we should be doing.

In actuality, we don't really want to have our entire lives dictated to us.  We cherish those moments when we have received promptings and direction. These experiences have brought us joy and the satisfaction of knowing that we are an instrument in the hands of God. To have every step dictated to us, however, would eliminate our need for growth, learning and developing our gifts to make the decisions of life. Galileo stated, "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Part of the use of sense, reason and intellect results in failure. Failure is part of our learning; no one who succeeds in any aspect of life has done so without some failure (usually a lot) along the way.  We abhor failure and wish to avoid it, so we think we would prefer to just have the Spirit tell us everything, especially when we are young.  As we grow to see the place of failure, we are less concerned with it and are more willing to move on despite it, I think. "I have not failed," said Thomas Edison, "I have found 10,000 ways that won't work."

In the case of the Whitmer brothers and the Three witnesses, the thing that is of most worth is to declare repentance that they might bring souls unto Christ.  They were also charged with the duty to testify of the Book of Mormon and the fact that they had seen the plates either as one of three or one of eight witnesses.  They were cautioned that because they had the same power, gift and faith as the prophet that they must endure to the end so the gates of Hell could not prevail against them. They were promised that they would receive the greatest gift of all, which is the gift of eternal life. "[M]y grace is sufficient for you and you shall be lifted up at the last day. And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men."

In actuality, none of them remained faithful, or endured to the end.  They all committed serious transgressions to the effect that to some degree, they could be seen to have blood on their hands as they gave fodder to the mobs that drove the saints from one place to another by physical abuse, bloodshed, rape and destruction of property. Most of these men returned and asked forgiveness of the members of the Church and of the First Presidency, but none were restored to their previous prominence.  What does that mean for them, eternally? It means that the perfect God who knows them perfectly and who has the capacity for eternal perspective will judge them accordingly and that they will, assuming that their repentance was true and sincere, receive the gift that was promised to them, that is eternal life - the greatest of the gifts of God.

We must never presume that prominence in the Church (or any other aspect of life, for that matter) will assure us of eternal life.  We must never presume that lack of prominence in this life will condemn us eternally, either.  We may assume, however, that while we may delay, time does not, as Benjamin Franklin observed.  When we fail to use our short time that is allotted to us, or we waste it due to indolence, fear of failure or exposure of our weaknesses, self indulgence, or for whatever reason, we lose what we have been promised, or it is delayed until we take the opportunity to repent and use the time we have left to make up the difference as much as possible.  If you were to ask anyone who has absented himself or herself from activity in the Church, and later returned, they will express regret for the time they have wasted. They have also been absent when others could have used their attention, maybe in positions of prominence or maybe not; it doesn't matter.

In other words, when these men, and , by extension, all of us who accept covenants of sacrifice and consecration, were told to thrust in their sickles with their might if they expect to receive the greatest blessings in heaven and on earth, that challenge was serious.  Anything less deserves less of a result. We cannot expect that we can sit on the sidelines and nurse our doubts, coddle our fears, and grovel in our weaknesses and receive the blessings that those who put aside their excuses and apply themselves with all their hearts will receive. It would be eternally unfair. What shall we do? Stop thinking about ourselves and go to work. When prompted, call someone or visit someone. Know the handbook regarding our calling and do more research, commit it to prayer, act on promptings regarding it and, after setting goals, make a plan to achieve the goals. Have a daily plan to read and ponder the scriptures, including the Ensign and General Conference talks with the idea of finding those things we could be doing better than we currently are. 

In my experience, the results are above our expectations if we are willing to just do it without excuse or fear.

What We Know About God

Reading Sections 6-11 of the Doctrine and Covenants and knowing a little about Church history, some interesting observations can be made.  Oliver Cowdery was given some amazing promises and great spiritual experiences.  The things he witnessed during a few short years were likely beyond anything anyone in the Church today would experience in their lifetimes.  Oliver discovered two truths: 1. The more he experienced, the greater the growth and  joy he obtained. 2. The more he grew spiritually, the greater the burden, challenge and opposition he experienced.  The same is true of Hyrum Smith and many others. The difference among them is that those who endured and did not succumb to the challenges and opposition continued in growth and joy. Those who allowed the opposition and burdens to overcome them ceased receiving the blessings.  In most cases, they considered the great spiritual experiences as a distant memory of something that hardly seemed real any more.

Oliver had expectations of wealth and given the prosperous times, the expectations were well founded.  Land prices were accelerating at an unprecedented rate in Kirtland and all the upper part of Ohio as people moved into the fertile country to settle.  There was no central banking system, so money was produced by the local bank.  Our money today is the result of the type of money they had developed then.  Banks would take your gold or silver coin or bullion and issue you "notes" in various denominations. Your $5 note may be worth $5 or more, or less depending upon the good credit of the bank upon which it was drawn. Today we have a central bank, so our money is subject to inflation or deflation, but will never be worth nothing. Unfortunately, in Kirkland the bank, along with thousands of others, became the victim of the bursting of the real estate bubble and resulting depression and it failed.

Oliver had many trials from mobbers and others outside the Church and even disaffected members of the Church, but this time, he felt that investing with the prophet was his pathway to wealth.  His faith and that of several others was tried beyond what he felt he could bear and he left the Church.  He became a bitter man and an enemy to the prophet.

Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff and many others also lost their fortunes in the venture, but disassociated the bank from the restoration of the Gospel and continued faithful.  Revelations continued, the process of restoring the Gospel, the Church and the priesthood with its saving ordinances also continued.  Oliver felt that he had become an indispensable part of the process and became, at first, bitter when he saw that it all continued without him and that others had easily taken his place.  Later, this realization touched his heart to the point of turning him around and he sought to be readmitted into the Church.

We sometimes make mistakes similar to Oliver.  It may not be that we feel the Church cannot do without us, but we place our finite understanding before God's infinite understanding.  He gives us counsel we would rather not accept.  We find that the way we are living or the way someone we love is living is harmless in our own minds and that a loving God would accept that.  We try to create God in our own image.  We cannot (or choose not to), with our limited understanding, accept certain principles that have been revealed.

We have two choices.  We can continue faithful and accept that the principles are true and eternal, or we can give God an ultimatum that if he does not change the principle, the situation, the commandment, or whatever the case may be, we will leave him and his church. Put that way, the choice is clear, but when we are emotionally invested in the outcome, our ability to see the situation logically sometimes gets cloudy.

In my experience, it never works to try to punish God or his church.  As Cecil B. DeMille once observed, "We cannot break the Ten Commandments, we can only break ourselves against them."  The only process that works is to continue faithful and wait for the day that it becomes clear to us.  That day does come, eventually.  Why?

We know without any doubt that God's understanding is infinite, thus obviously superior to our own, so we trust in his wisdom and keep his counsel.  We know that God's power is infinite, but functions within universal laws which he cannot break because, if he did, the universe would be chaos.  Therefore, he can accomplish with his power what our puny arm is incapable of accomplishing.  Finally, we know his love is infinite and superior to our own.  Because he loves us he cannot excuse our kicking against the pricks and our violations of his laws and commandments, but will give to us what we deserve.  We will deserve what we truly seek.  When we come to the realization that what we seek is damning us, his love, power and understanding are available to change our hearts.

Where is Christ in all this? It is by his grace (enabling power) that we can approach the Father and receive the miracle of forgiveness.  I am reading a book written by Neal A. Maxwell when he served as a member of the First Quorum of Seventy - well before he became an apostle.  It is one of the books that came from my father's library.  It is entitled Things as They Really Are.  In it he talks of the reality of the purpose of life, the reality of a living God, the reality of a living church, a living prophet, living scriptures and things as they really will be.  It is typical of Elder Maxwell's writings; short, filled with brief metaphors, but direct.  In the chapter on The Reality of the Living God he makes the point these sections we have been  looking at in the D & C are making.

In this chapter he makes the point that it may be "nettling" to be reminded that our work is unfinished and that we yet have remaining possibilities, responsibilities and things that must be done or undone. "But, could we honestly worship the living God or care much about membership in the living Church if it all were not really so?"  He goes on to describe the various levels of acceptance of God.  There are those who are angry with God for not existing (he does not respond as a butler when they call), those who are angry because he does exist (that bothersome conscience thing), those who accept his existence, "but smugly do not choose to take him seriously."

Then there are "others [who] believe their morals are superior to God's. Because he does not adopt their issues or jump the hurdles they wish him to jump, they are not going to extend themselves in worship of him. The Lord describes such individuals as 'walking in darkness at noon-day.' (D&C 95:6) The living God will not be disregarded."

He then states that a "passive life force" (a God who is like a book on a shelf - there when you need him, but otherwise unnecessary) or "an indulgent grandfather God" (one who will change to match our superior morality) wouldn't worry about our life's challenges. "As long as we are being basically good boys and girls who might find some good to do in Tarshish [where Jonah tried to flee in order to change his mission to one he favored over Nineveh]. But we have a precise and loving Father in heaven who knows what we need and who loves us enough to get us to Nineveh instead of settling for the chores of Tarshish.
     "We keep forgetting that a test must really be a test, and a trial a trial... It is a measure of both the love of a living God and his perfect awareness of our needs.  In our hearts we often know this  even if we resent it!"

What of those who never choose to change their damning course; who place their morality before God's; who leave his living church, scriptures, worship and Christ's grace?  We also cannot assume we know their hearts, their conscience or their disabilities. We must only assume that a living God knows them deeply and completely.  They will receive what they have chosen and that with which they will be comfortable.  We weep for them, we grieve for them, but in the end, we must never cease loving them and trusting in a God whose infinite power will change them if they choose to come unto him.  Life tends to last a long time; longer than time, to be exact.  Much can happen that we cannot even predict.  We are patient and loving with them, but we do not accept evil and call it good.  We stay on a plane from which we can pull another up and not descend to a plane below where we should be.

The last verse of Section 11 states: "[A]s many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name." That is why we seek to know his will for us every day of our lives.  That is why we conform to his will despite our desires to avoid the challenges of Nineveh and just stay comfortable in Tarshish. The result is always that we become better than we thought we could in every aspect of our lives.

The Results of Miracles

We have seen the pattern in our own lives, and yet, when we read about it in the scriptures, we are prone to say, that would not happen if I were in their place.  What I am referring to is the loss of testimony based on a miracle or several.  When  I was a 12-year old Deacon, we had to get up early to go to Priesthood Meeting.  I was always sleepy and hard to rouse.  My brothers would chide me because I was not living up to my duty.  They both said that when they got the priesthood they would not sleep in.  In fact, when they were ordained, they did the same.  I hope it was not because of a bad example; I rather think that it is human nature to take what we have been blessed with for granted.

In D & C Section 6, Oliver Cowdery had just begun to act a scribe for the translation of the Book of Mormon. He had  received a witness of the mission of the Prophet and of the Book of Mormon, but wanted more.  I speculate that he was desirous of obtaining the same spiritual gifts that were obvious in Joseph Smith.  In reading about the life of Joseph Smith, it is obvious to me that he considered himself a mere mortal, at least in the beginning, and assumed that if he could receive such manifestations, anyone else could, as well.  We also see that he assumed that when others witnessed those miracles, they would remain as pure and as dedicated as he had.

In the biography written by his mother, she records that after the Three Witnesses had received their vision of the plates, Joseph returned home and exclaimed that he no longer had to bear the burden of testimony alone.  Similar expressions came with Oliver's and Sidney Rigdon's great spiritual experiences. The fact is, however, despite their amazing experiences, the world was able to pull them away and every one of them forsook their commitment to and testimony of the restored gospel, though none denied his testimony of the Book of Mormon. While it is true that some returned, none were restored to their former spiritual status of seeing heavenly messengers and being involved with mighty miracles.  Those who remained faithful, such as Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff, did not experience the same level of manifestations that were necessary during the process of the restoration, but their priesthood power and spirituality remained with them for the remainder of their lives.

In this section, Oliver was promised that he would be given significant spiritual gifts.  He then was told that he had already been given answers to his prayers. When he prayed about the truthfulness of the work of Joseph Smith, peace was spoken to his mind and he was led to the prophet's door.  Other evidence came in the form of enlightenment to his mind.  Yet, these things were so common to him that he had discounted their importance.  Over the years that followed, he was witness and participant to many amazing experiences wherein he saw heavenly beings and had hands laid on his head to receive ordinations and ordinances. (See the footnote to J.S. History 1:71 where he declares, "These were days never to be forgotten - to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven..." He recounts being visited by an angel of God and the voice of Jesus and goes on to say, " Uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise,...fiction and deception had fled forever.") When, however, the trial of his faith came in the form of loss of money, it was more than he could endure, all the experiences he had received were a distant memory and he left the fellowship of the Church and the prophet.

There will be trials of our faith; there certainly have been severe trials of mine.  What can we do to be sure we will survive those trials and not only remain faithful, but come out better than we started?  The answer is in this section.  First, remember that we have already received sacred experiences, some of which we cannot share; "Trifle not with sacred things." (V. 12, 14-16, 22-24) Second, magnify our gifts to bless others and we will receive the greatest gift: "there is no greater gift than the gift of salvation." (V. 13) Third, never let fear of any kind destroy your faith whether it is the fear of loss of society, fear of commitment, fear of loss of employment, fear of giving offense, fear of______ (fill in the blank - several more times). (V. 33, 34, 36) Finally, doubt not, but be faithful to the end. (V. 36-37) The promise is that we will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Sometimes, holding out faithful is a matter of minutes, days or months, but sometimes it is a matter of years.  It does not matter.  We faithfully continue to read sacred writings with an eye to how to  improve our service. We continue to meditate on sacred things.  We continue to magnify our callings, not just fill a space in them. We continue to pray morning and evening and more when prompted.  We continue to act on the promptings of the Spirit.  We continue in all matters as commanded and counseled and one day we find that our spirit is renewed and we are right with God.  When that time comes, we realize that we are in a place that is superior to where we were before that trial.  "Therefore, fear not, little flock...doubt not, fear not." (V. 34, 36)

Of Human Potential

How many times have I recited Section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants?  I can't count them. As I began to read it this time, I was struck by the head notes: Valiant service saves the Lord's ministers. I have taught and tried to practice the principles of magnifying one's calling for many years.  I have, myself, and have heard a number of other priesthood leaders emphasize the need to apply our heart, might, mind and strength and all the virtues listed in the last three verses, but I had never focused on the end of verse four. We apply ourselves that we might bring salvation to our souls.

I have been trying lately to remember what it was that turned me from a smorgasbord Mormon to a dedicated priesthood man.  I now distinctly remember that I came to the conclusion that I would spend my life doing the will of the Father as expressed by the counsel of the Brethren, the teachings of the scriptures and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  I determined that I did not need to have every doubt satisfied before I could commit myself to that practice.  I also determined that I was not putting God to the test, so if bad things happened or good things that I hoped for did not come to pass, I would not blame God and try to punish Him.  I had seen that in others and it always turned out badly. I was not placed here to test God, but to be tested by Him.

In this context, salvation to the soul is not just being saved by grace, but , as Brad Wilcox put it in a recent article in BYU Magazine, being changed by grace. I had never considered myself to be of the material to be a priesthood leader or scholar.  Neither of those were my goal.  What I wanted was to know what the scriptures said about my situation and what I had to do to qualify to be considered a good and faithful servant. To do this I began to read everything with an eye to what steps were involved for a particular commandment, counsel or principle and what blessing was associated with those steps.

For example, I pulled out my patriarchal blessing and underlined the passages that made promises and double underlined the passages of counsel to accomplish those promises.  When I read the scriptures I found the same pattern often applied.  For instance, Section 93 of the D&C has five requirements in the first verse to achieve the promise of seeing the Lord's face and knowing that he is and that he is the true light.  Jacob 1:17-19 has three principles for magnifying our callings in the priesthood and avoiding the mistake of trying to magnify the calling of someone else, lest we become critical of the work of another.

The first time I was called to serve as a counselor was a complete surprise to me.  After a while, I realized that the Lord chooses those who are willing to magnify their callings.  I have also come to realize that even if we are not called to a position of responsibility, we must continue with the same determination to serve others and to approach the counsel and commandments with equal dedication.  I have also come to realize that this approach has fixed in me not just a testimony of the Church, the Gospel and the Priesthood, but a love for them and for the Savior.  I now seldom have doubts, but some things are unclear from time to time, so those things I either research until I find what I need to know, or I shelve it until, as always happens, I later gain some insight into the issue.

Most often I find that the doubt or mystery is nothing that will affect my salvation, and I am really only concerned with those things that will allow me to fully use the amazing resources that remain untapped in my own body and brain as well as the spiritual blessings that are yet to be discovered.  I see so much of human potential that is utterly wasted.  It sickens me to go into a casino or see a young person completely absorbed in electronic media that the potential within these people is ignored.  I believe that finding the will of God and complying with it to the best of my abilities will get me farther in life than any other pursuit.  That has more than proven to be the case thus far.

Grandpa's Funeral

I thought I would try to put down in writing the talk I gave at my father's funeral. I don't write out my talks, typically, although I did some of this one.  While it is relatively fresh on my mind, I will try to remember what I said based on my outline and notes. I understand there were recordings made, so those may be a more accurate source.  This is how I remember it:

I remember many years ago when I was just a boy that Dad's brother, Clyde, was called to serve in the stake presidency of the Uintah Stake.  At the first conference where he was called upon to speak, I remember him asking for the congregation to pray for him.  I knew that this was hard for him because he was a shy man, so I took him seriously and prayed for him.  He gave a great talk.  I tend to be emotional, so I am asking you today to pray for me to get through this talk.

My wife and I, until just a few months ago, were ordinance workers in the Reno Temple.  One evening I had a particularly strong feeling of being close to the Spirit.  I was assigned to the front desk that evening, which is quite busy just before an endowment session, but then is quiet for long stretches of time.  I was anxious to read from the scriptures and was particularly impressed to read from Mosiah 18.  I have read that chapter many times.  There are some well-known passages in Mosiah 18, but I could not go beyond verse 2.  Here Alma is recounting to the people the message of Abinadi and in verse 2 he summarizes the five elements that were necessary in the atonement. "Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people<the part of the atonement for which I am most grateful>, which was brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and the death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven."

What do we know about the power of Christ?  We know he had the power to heal, the power of discernment (John 4:16-18), the power to change lives, the power to lay down his own life and raise it up again (John 10:17-18).  There are many examples of his powers. After his resurrection, he explained to the remaining apostles that the father had given him all power in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).

My father also had power.  He had the  power of the priesthood.  Many who are here today have been healed of serious issues as a result of the exercise of his priesthood power.  Many have received ordinances, ordinations, patriarchal blessings, and some have been set apart by him. You have felt the power of the priesthood through the blessings you received.

He had the power of faith.  He had the faith to move mountains.  The way he used his faith to move mountains is exemplified by what happened in LaBarge, Wyoming.  There was some prejudice against the Church in that little town.  The LaBarge Bible Church preached against the Church as did the Singing Knudsens.  We were using the school as our chapel at that time and the principal was a member of the LaBarge Bible Church.  He always made sure to turn the thermometer all the way down so when we arrived for church it was barely 50 degrees. We got to sit in metal chairs while waiting for the temperature to rise.

It was announced one day that the Jones' house was going to be flooded due to a dam that was going to be built and that they had donated it to the Church if we could arrange to move it.  Land was also donated by a ward member.  We would have to prepare a foundation to place it on.  Dad was serving as bishop at the time and announced that there would be a work party to dig the basement for the chapel.  It had to be a basement because it would be heated by a coal furnace that had to be below the building.

In church the next Sunday he told the story of arriving at the property with his shovel and being the only one there.  Expecting that others would soon come, he began digging.  He dug until he was down about waist deep and disappointment began to set in.  He knelt in the hole he had been digging and prayed that others would come.  As he is reporting this in church tears are running down his cheeks as he expressed gratitude – when he got up from his knees he saw two men coming toward him with shovels over their shoulders. There was no scolding or attempts to make anyone feel guilty, but I am sure that day a lot of husbands received Scotch blessings from their wives, because every work party after that had a lot of men with shovels, backhoes and other earth moving equipment.  That is how Dad moved mountains.

Dad had the power of love.  There are people here who have been invited to change their lives and  changed initially just because they felt his love for them and would not disappoint him.  He radiated Christ-like love.  I call Mom and Dad every Sunday and until he could no longer hear, I talked to him.  One day I asked him what they had him doing in the Church.  You have to picture this.  Here he is all bent over and he could hardly hear.  He said, “Well, Brad, since your mother can’t stay for more than sacrament meeting because of her arthritis, I can’t really have a calling, so I just visit the old people.” Sometimes it is hard to imagine doing what Christ would do, but we can imagine what Dad would do, because we have seen it modeled for as long as we have known him. (This was in my notes, but so cryptic that I couldn't remember what it meant, so I didn't include it in the talk).

If Christ had the power to lay down his life and to take it up again, why didn’t he just lie down, stop his heart, have his disciples witness it, wait three days and rise again?  He knew that suffering was a necessary part of the atonement.  “[W]herefore they scourge him and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it.  Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.” (1Nephi 19:9) “And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.” (Mosiah 3:7)

Dad accepted personal suffering with patience and grace.  I never heard him complain.  When he was all bent over, when he could no longer hear, we heard no complaints. When he was disappointed by his children, grandchildren ward or stake members, he did not dwell on what pain they caused him.  Through prayer, counseling with them and personal faith did all he could to invite them back to the path that leads to the tree of life.

Christ’s death was among the most ignominious ever conceived by the minds of evil men.  It was also very public.  There was no question in anyone’s mind that he was dead when he was taken down from the cross. His death did not occur until his suffering was complete.  When he knew that the mission was complete he said, “It is finished,” (John 19:30) then he shouted with a loud voice, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” (Luke 23:46) and he laid down his life.

Dad had no such power; he couldn’t lay down his own life.  As his suffering drew to a close, I felt anxious to be here with him, to lay my hands on his head, but circumstances would not allow me to do that.  At that same time Devon, one of his grandchildren felt that same urgency and went with my son, Micah, to give him a blessing.  We don’t know how much longer he lingered, but when his granddaughters, Cherie and Robin and a friend came to visit later that day, they found that he had passed away. I am grateful that there are men of the priesthood who act when prompted.

When Christ appeared in the room where the remaining apostles and some disciples had gathered for protection they were terrified and afrighted for they thought they had seen a spirit. Then he spoke, “Peace be unto you.” (Luke 24:36-41) As he had earlier calmed the waters, he calmed their souls.  He later told Peter, “Feed my sheep…Feed my lambs… Feed my sheep.” As he met with the eleven remaining apostles on a mountain in Galilee he blessed them and gave them their mission to spend their lives inviting all to keep his commandments, teaching them and baptizing them.

Dad did not begin inviting and feeding when he became a bishop, nor did he cease when he was released from his callings. It was a lifetime mission that was as natural to him as breathing.

It is interesting that the first person to whom Christ appeared was Mary of Magdalena giving rise to speculation that they were married. As our temple president recently observed, in the morning of the first resurrection, Dad will raise Mom’s veil and will see the most beautiful woman to have graced the earth and Mom will see a man whose beauty and grace is beyond our ability to describe.

The resurrected Christ appeared to literally thousands in the old and new world, but made it clear that he must return to his Father.  Had he remained, no faith would be required of us and, thus, no growth. Imagine having a resurrected being with all power both in heaven and on earth.  The Ascension was a necessary part of the Atonement.

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior said, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48)  In the new world he said, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as I and your father which is in heaven are perfect." (3Nephi 12:48).  A more accurate interpretation from the Greek is "complete" rather than "perfect."  If, at the end of the summer, I go into my garden and pick a green tomato, it is not complete or perfect.  It is not rotten and to be discarded, it is simply not yet ripe.

I know from experience that if I take it to the garage or into the basement, it will still turn red, but it will taste like something from the store - sort of mealy and flavorless.  If, however, I put it in the window or on the picnic bench where it can ripen in the light of the sun, it will taste as good as if I had allowed it to ripen on the vine.

Unlike the tomato, we can choose how we will become complete, whether it will be in darkness or in the light of the Son.  My father chose to ripen in the light of the Son.  It was a conscious choice for him just as it is for us. I pray that we might choose the light of the Son in our lives.  I bear witness that Christ beckons us to be with him and that if we place our will upon the alter and put aside our personal agendas to spend our time accomplishing His will, we can be comfortable in His presence.

All That Will Hear May Hear

I have begun the study of the Doctrine and Covenants again and that means reading Section 1.  This section is filled with wisdom and counsel with which we are quite familiar.  The section is called The Lord’s Preface because it was revealed specifically for the purpose of preceding all the other sections and as an introduction and a warning to those who read the book.

Of all the familiar parts of the section one that impressed me as I read it was in verse 11: Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear.

I know I had read that before, but I concentrated more on the verses that follow.  They talk about those who will not hear and the consequences that follow when we refuse to take into our hearts the words of the Lord or his servants.

This verse, however, is an invitation to open our hearts and minds to the possibilities that will lead us to the blessings we seek in life.  We all tend to pick and choose what we will accept and what we will leave to others to believe. 

In his autobiography, Yearning for the Living God, F. Enzio Busche describes his conversion.  He has, at one point, several witnesses of specific parts of the Gospel as he has received them, but his life experiences and circumstances have caused him to have doubts about others.  When the missionaries challenge him to quit smoking, his wife says, “Oh, that is no problem, he is good at that.  He has quit eight times, already.”  In fact, he was smoking 40 cigarettes, 3-5 small cigars and 2-3 pipes every day.  He accepted the challenge to pray about it, as he knew that his prayers were heard from time to time.  As he prayed he got the impression that God would help him quit smoking if he would read the Book of Mormon. 

He had never read the Book of Mormon except to find fault with it and he had no desire to read it again.  He knew that this time would have to be different.  This time he would have to read it with the intent to discover what it contained that could be of use in his quest for truth.  He looked for those things that could teach him of Christ.  He said he expected to cut down on his tobacco intake, but to his surprise, he had already smoked his last cigarette.

So our search must be.  If we are looking for the inconsistencies in the scriptures, we will find them whether in the Book of Mormon, the Bible or any of the recorded words of God.  This critical approach gives us permission to continue in our comfortable path without truly examining our lives.  When we accept the Lord’s invitation, not only will we examine our lives and discover where we fall short, but we are given energy, positive feelings of love and hope and a desire to be a blessing to everyone.  We are open to receive all that God promises to the righteous and faithful.

 That little verse opens us to a world of possibilities.

The Gifts of God

I have, in my lifetime, come across several people who have attempted to punish God.  He had failed to meet their timetable, answer their need, provide a doctrine or any number of other imponderables, so they rebelled as if that would change God.  In every case, the result has been unhappiness and failure to one degree or another.  Others, in similar situations, have exercised their faith and found solace in God and His words and patiently wait for the blessing, knowing it will come according to His timetable.

In his final treatise, Moroni discusses the power of God and the gifts of God.  This comes right after the reminder of the love of God.  “Deny not the power of God, for he worketh by power according to the faith of the children of men…” (Verse 7)  Moroni then states, “…deny not the gifts of God, for they are many and they come from the same God.”  (Verse 8) He concludes by saying, “…come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.” (Verse 30) The power of God is apparently manifested in the gifts of God.  Both require faith if they are to be expressed in their highest capacity.

In Moroni 10 there is a list of the gifts of God that are bestowed upon mankind.  They are bestowed by the Spirit and are sometimes referred to as spiritual gifts.  They include the ability to teach the word of wisdom (as opposed to the Word of Wisdom) and to teach the word of knowledge. To some is given the gift of great faith, to others the gift of healing, and to others the ability to work mighty miracles. Still others receive the gift of prophecy, while others receive the ability to perceive and receive the ministering of angels. There are those who are given the gift of tongues and the interpretation of languages.

In D&C 46 and ICor. 12 we find similar treatises and the lists are similar but by no means intended to be a complete list of all the gifts of God.  I think the point is often missed that we come with some gifts, we develop our capacities and receive other gifts, but if we are to find the highest expression of the gifts we are given, we must exercise those gifts in accordance with the influence of the Spirit of God (which I understand is the Holy Ghost) and the Spirit of Christ (which we are taught is our conscience). Further, we must understand that “every good gift cometh of Christ.” (Verses 8,17-18)

Are there those who have gifts, but do not have to live by the influence of the Spirit of God, and ignore the Spirit of Christ?  Of course, we see them every day.  They can be prominent men and women or just people we meet from day to day.  The gifts they have received are sometimes used to their own profit, sometimes for the profit of others, sometimes never put to a good use because of fear or laziness.  Some even become great by earthly standards all the while being arrogant that they are somehow superior to others who have not the same degree whatever their gift may be.  Seldom do they stop to realize that what they have is a gift and the source from which that gift is derived.

These people may magnify their gift by studying, exercising, performing, rehearsing, or in any number of ways, but if they do not include the Spirit of Christ at least, they reach a ceiling and find they cannot go beyond a certain point.  If they magnify that gift while following their conscience, they find their gift is a blessing to themselves and to others, as well.  A good example is Steve Jobs who had a magnificent gift, realized it and used it to produce products that continue to enrich the lives of people all around the world. When someone not only magnifies his gifts while honoring the Spirit of Christ, but also the Spirit of God by increasing sensitivity to the promptings he receives, he finds that his gift is greater than he could imagine.  That person also comes to realize that he is magnifying other gifts he may not have known he even had to begin with.  Having read the autobiographies and biographies of Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Spencer W. Kimball, Heber C. Kimball and many others I see that pattern repeat itself over and over.

I believe this is what Moroni was leading to when he began discussing the gifts of God.  When we look at the chapter as a whole we find that it begins with the admonition to ask God if these things are true.  Receiving the answer is a gift from God, so he continues with the commentary on the gifts of the Spirit which, again, require a hope in Christ (despair comes from rebellion and disobedience he tells us), faith adequate to exercise those gifts and the charity to use our gifts to bless the lives of others.  Then he ends the entire book by discussing the doctrine of perfection.  

Why the discussion on gifts with the discussion of perfection?  Because “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)  We, being sinners deserve death (or Hell, in other words) and that is what we will get without our turning to Christ, but with Him we can overcome that death and receive eternal life.  It is the greatest gift of God and it is a gift he is anxious to bestow on all of us.  Cut out the excuses, turn our lives to Him and receive the gift. It is that simple; and that difficult.