In 3 Nephi 28:11, Jesus teaches: "And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me. "
The Spirit testifies of the Father so that we might know Him, our relationship to Him, and his love for us. That is one of the primary purposes of the Holy Ghost.
God gives the Holy Ghost to us because of Christ. The simple way to look at this is that we would have no real need for the Holy Ghost if not for Christ. If fallen man had no hope of redemption then why send him help? But we do have hope of redemption through Jesus Christ; and for this reason, God has given us the Holy Ghost to help us recognize Christ's teachings, believe in Him as our Savior, and follow Him on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
The Lord's Refined People
In 3 Nephi 24:3 (also Malachi 3:3) it reads:
The Prophet Spencer W Kimball once said that a "portion of the offering in righteousness" is our family history work and bringing temple blessings to those who have passed on (link to his talk). This is consistent with Malachi's message of "turning our hearts to our fathers."
So to paraphrase this verse: The Lord seeks to refine us so that we may better serve Him and others, especially those who have gone before us through temple work.
How does He refine us? I think there is a reason that silver and gold were chosen for this analogy. I did a quick search on Google and it looks like refining gold is a long, complicated process involving dangerous acids and hot temperatures (2,000 degrees Fahrenheit is the melting point of gold). Key take aways for me were that it's a long, difficult, painful process from the gold's perspective. I don't expect it's too different as the Lord refines us. It definitely doesn't happen overnight (probably closer to a lifetime), overcoming sin, temptations and trying to live a perfect life is not easy, and the repentance process when we stumble is painful but necessary. Our trials, the furnace of affliction, refines us because it forces us to be humble, turn to and trust in God, and increase our faith.
Let's remember the end goal again. The Lord wants us refined in order to selflessly serve. So with the end in mind, we have a good idea of what the product of this refinement is. I think of some of the men and women I have known who dedicate their entire lives to serving God through missionary work, church service and temple service. They are the end product. They are also the people I respect and look up to most on this earth. That is the goal. Do our actions bring us closer to that goal or take us further away from that goal?
Sometimes when I think of temple work and genealogy I think of elderly women or elderly couples taking care of these things for the rest of us. Maybe instead I should see temple work and genealogy as the desire of those who have been refined, which more commonly happens to be those who have lived of lifetime of being refined by the hand of the Lord.
If all of this refinement that we go through on this life (which is a lot!) is to help turn our hearts to our fathers (family history work) and live a life of service, then it must be very important! It must be key to the purpose of our existence on this earth.
We will also find joy in this righteous offering for how great is the joy we feel when bringing souls unto God (D&C 18:15-16).
"And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."Let's seek to understand what this can mean for us. The refiner/purifier is obviously Jesus Christ. The sons of Levi (gold/silver) who are to be purified and refined represent the Church, or it can be interpreted further to mean Priesthood holders, or even further to mean holders of the Aaronic Priesthood or Levitical priesthood after Levi. Let's consider that sons of Levi refers to us to liken this scripture unto ourselves. Why are we to be purified/refined? That we may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. What is an "offering in righteousness?" I think this phrase is vague for a reason - it can mean different things for all of us in a very personal way. At the very least it must refer to righteous service. Righteous offerings could be temple service, service in our callings, service in our families, sharing the gospel and any other good deeds done towards our fellow-man.
The Prophet Spencer W Kimball once said that a "portion of the offering in righteousness" is our family history work and bringing temple blessings to those who have passed on (link to his talk). This is consistent with Malachi's message of "turning our hearts to our fathers."
So to paraphrase this verse: The Lord seeks to refine us so that we may better serve Him and others, especially those who have gone before us through temple work.
How does He refine us? I think there is a reason that silver and gold were chosen for this analogy. I did a quick search on Google and it looks like refining gold is a long, complicated process involving dangerous acids and hot temperatures (2,000 degrees Fahrenheit is the melting point of gold). Key take aways for me were that it's a long, difficult, painful process from the gold's perspective. I don't expect it's too different as the Lord refines us. It definitely doesn't happen overnight (probably closer to a lifetime), overcoming sin, temptations and trying to live a perfect life is not easy, and the repentance process when we stumble is painful but necessary. Our trials, the furnace of affliction, refines us because it forces us to be humble, turn to and trust in God, and increase our faith.
Let's remember the end goal again. The Lord wants us refined in order to selflessly serve. So with the end in mind, we have a good idea of what the product of this refinement is. I think of some of the men and women I have known who dedicate their entire lives to serving God through missionary work, church service and temple service. They are the end product. They are also the people I respect and look up to most on this earth. That is the goal. Do our actions bring us closer to that goal or take us further away from that goal?
Sometimes when I think of temple work and genealogy I think of elderly women or elderly couples taking care of these things for the rest of us. Maybe instead I should see temple work and genealogy as the desire of those who have been refined, which more commonly happens to be those who have lived of lifetime of being refined by the hand of the Lord.
If all of this refinement that we go through on this life (which is a lot!) is to help turn our hearts to our fathers (family history work) and live a life of service, then it must be very important! It must be key to the purpose of our existence on this earth.
We will also find joy in this righteous offering for how great is the joy we feel when bringing souls unto God (D&C 18:15-16).
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
3 Ne 22 - Isaiah Speaks to Parents
The words of Isaiah have always been difficult to me but as I studied them this morning a few things did stand out to me.
In 3 Nephi 22:4 "Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame;" made me think of the vision of the Tree of Life that Lehi saw. The first THREE out of four groups of people did not make it to the tree and/or did not endure to the end because of shame at being mocked by the great and spacious building, or the cares of the world.
And in 3 Ne 22:7-8 "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." This is a good lesson in the midst of our trials. We sometimes feel alone, which is really to give us opportunities to grow. But the promise is there - "with great mercies will I gather thee" and "with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee." Those promises are real, and they are the reason why we must turn to the Lord in times of crisis and need, even if we feel alone.
In 3 Ne 22:13-14 some incredible promises are given for us. Isaiah is speaking to the "afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted" - which could be any one of us who is trying to be in the world but not of the world. He basically says it won't be easy but it will be worth it as he explains the result: "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established..." What greater blessing could we ask for than this?
Then to give us further confidence against the adversary and his forces, we are promised in verses 15-17: "whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake...no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;...This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."Make sure you are on the Lord's side!
In 3 Nephi 22:4 "Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame;" made me think of the vision of the Tree of Life that Lehi saw. The first THREE out of four groups of people did not make it to the tree and/or did not endure to the end because of shame at being mocked by the great and spacious building, or the cares of the world.
And in 3 Ne 22:7-8 "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." This is a good lesson in the midst of our trials. We sometimes feel alone, which is really to give us opportunities to grow. But the promise is there - "with great mercies will I gather thee" and "with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee." Those promises are real, and they are the reason why we must turn to the Lord in times of crisis and need, even if we feel alone.
In 3 Ne 22:13-14 some incredible promises are given for us. Isaiah is speaking to the "afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted" - which could be any one of us who is trying to be in the world but not of the world. He basically says it won't be easy but it will be worth it as he explains the result: "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established..." What greater blessing could we ask for than this?
Then to give us further confidence against the adversary and his forces, we are promised in verses 15-17: "whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake...no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;...This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."Make sure you are on the Lord's side!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
3 Nephi 21:10
In 3 Nephi 21:10, the Savior appears to be talking about the Prophet Joseph Smith. I think it is interesting that Joseph would be "marred" because of the wicked people, but the Lord then follows that up with "Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil." Similar to each of us, the Prophet Joseph had times where he was humbled and had to repent and rely on the healing power of the atonement. None of us are perfect, and sometimes our stumbles turn out to be a blessing in our lives and in the lives of others because they allow us to more fully see God's hand in our lives. In this case with Joseph, the Lord was able to show his superior wisdom because although Joseph had lost the manuscript, the Lord had prepared for this incident by commanding Nephi to write the same important things upon the plates that his father had written. So a terrible mistake turned out to be a growth opportunity for the Prophet, who I'm sure needed it to prepare for his future experiences, a testimony builder for the Church, and a witness to those who oppose it that they cannot hinder God's work.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
What Lehi Taught about Agency
What is agency?
Agency is the freedom to choose that God has given to each of us (2 Nephi 2:16). Agency is the reason why there is opposition in all aspects of life. Does it make sense to give someone the ability to choose without them having options?
This is important. God gave us agency so that we are not forced to do anything. He did not force Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit and die, but He did give them the opportunity to do so if they chose. Mortality was the consequence of this choice because it was a choice to follow this plan - the plan of salvation - in the first place. In the pre-existence, God did not force us to come to earth, and once on earth, he will not force us to return to him. It's all about choices.
How does it affect me?
Remember that "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Adam's choice made it possible for us to be here, as was previously discussed. We are here to make choices and we are here to have joy. Logically, that means we are here to make the choices that will bring us joy, right? That's where we come in.
Lehi taught:
The liberty and eternal life is through the great Mediator of all men - Jesus Christ atoned for us and "bought us with a price" so that he can plead for us before the Father as our mediator. He paid the consequences of our sin so that we will not have to - if we choose Him. Choosing Christ will lead us to liberty as we will not be captive to sin and is the path to eternal life.
Captivity and death are according to the captivity and power of the devil. These are exact opposites of what Christ offers us. Instead of the liberty of righteous living, we are free to choose the spiritual bondage of sin, which limits our choices. If we choose this path of sin, we will have to pay for the consequences of the sin - spiritual death. No unclean thing can dwell with God, so choosing sin and death puts us outside of his presence eternally. Interesting that he uses the word "power" because Satan has REAL power over us when we sin. Sin is how we give him this power. Living righteously prevents him from having any power over us.
He seeketh that we might be miserable like he is - Satan is miserable. How could he not be? He had the potential to be like God (as any son has the potential to be like his father), but he chose to pridefully reject God's plan and rebel. His consequence was to eternally be out of God's presence and to forfeit the eternal inheritance that could have been his. This would make anyone miserable. He can't get back at God but in one way, bringing us down with him. God loves each and every one of us with a love we cannot fathom. How much it must pain God to lose one of his precious sons or daughters!! Satan's only retribution is to bring us down into the misery, captivity and death in which he is fully engulfed.
He will try everything to trip us up. And he succeeds much too often in each of our lives because we are human, frail in our mortal state; however, there is always a way to escape. It is not too late to choose to follow Jesus Christ and to choose liberty and eternal life. The choice is yours. You know the consequences both temporal and eternal. Choose the right!
Agency is the freedom to choose that God has given to each of us (2 Nephi 2:16). Agency is the reason why there is opposition in all aspects of life. Does it make sense to give someone the ability to choose without them having options?
This is important. God gave us agency so that we are not forced to do anything. He did not force Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit and die, but He did give them the opportunity to do so if they chose. Mortality was the consequence of this choice because it was a choice to follow this plan - the plan of salvation - in the first place. In the pre-existence, God did not force us to come to earth, and once on earth, he will not force us to return to him. It's all about choices.
How does it affect me?
Remember that "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Adam's choice made it possible for us to be here, as was previously discussed. We are here to make choices and we are here to have joy. Logically, that means we are here to make the choices that will bring us joy, right? That's where we come in.
Lehi taught:
Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:27)Let's break this down. Men are free - we know that and discussed that already. All things are given us which are expedient - to me this is the light of Christ (or our conscience) that we all have. We know right from wrong, all of us, so we are able to make choices with accountability. We are free to choose liberty and eternal life or captivity and death - these are really our only two choices. Everything we do brings us towards one or the other, though we don't usually look at our choices this way.
The liberty and eternal life is through the great Mediator of all men - Jesus Christ atoned for us and "bought us with a price" so that he can plead for us before the Father as our mediator. He paid the consequences of our sin so that we will not have to - if we choose Him. Choosing Christ will lead us to liberty as we will not be captive to sin and is the path to eternal life.
Captivity and death are according to the captivity and power of the devil. These are exact opposites of what Christ offers us. Instead of the liberty of righteous living, we are free to choose the spiritual bondage of sin, which limits our choices. If we choose this path of sin, we will have to pay for the consequences of the sin - spiritual death. No unclean thing can dwell with God, so choosing sin and death puts us outside of his presence eternally. Interesting that he uses the word "power" because Satan has REAL power over us when we sin. Sin is how we give him this power. Living righteously prevents him from having any power over us.
He seeketh that we might be miserable like he is - Satan is miserable. How could he not be? He had the potential to be like God (as any son has the potential to be like his father), but he chose to pridefully reject God's plan and rebel. His consequence was to eternally be out of God's presence and to forfeit the eternal inheritance that could have been his. This would make anyone miserable. He can't get back at God but in one way, bringing us down with him. God loves each and every one of us with a love we cannot fathom. How much it must pain God to lose one of his precious sons or daughters!! Satan's only retribution is to bring us down into the misery, captivity and death in which he is fully engulfed.
He will try everything to trip us up. And he succeeds much too often in each of our lives because we are human, frail in our mortal state; however, there is always a way to escape. It is not too late to choose to follow Jesus Christ and to choose liberty and eternal life. The choice is yours. You know the consequences both temporal and eternal. Choose the right!
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