FATHER'S MERCY

 

“I believe that Heavenly Father wants to save every one of his children. I do not think he intends to shut any of us out because of some slight transgression, some slight failure to observe some rule or regulation. There are the great elementals that we must observe, but he is not going to be captious about the lesser things.

“I believe that his juridical concept of his dealings with his children could be expressed in this way: I believe that in his justice and mercy he will give us the maximum reward for our acts, give us all that he can give, and in the reverse, I believe that he will impose upon us the minimum penalty which it is possible for him to impose.”

-          President J. Reuben Clark, In Conference Report, October 1953, p 84

I too believe in Father’s inherent mercy because of His perfect love but I also believe that this mercy was increased in measure through the Atonement of His Beloved Son who is our Mediator and Advocate with the Father.

Father is justice and Christ is mercy (3 Nephi 20:20; 27:17; D&C 101:9; Mosiah 13:14; Moroni 7:27). Together they are the balanced scale we will face on the day of judgment. That day we will be judged so perfectly that we will not be able to question it.

Even though mercy cannot rob justice (Alma 42:25), it is the mercy that we will receive that we will remember forever because it will come from the loving heart of God. We will know then just how much we are loved…..

 

I marvel, Father, that You could perceive

every thought of my heart,

Long before you gifted one to me;

That you trusted my will to obey

With You so dim in my memory.

I stand amazed at Your sufferance

Of the struggling sinner like me,

And the steadfast flow of gifts you bestow

From the merciful heart that is in Thee.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Father by FluxPro.art)

THE CROWNING BLESSING

 

If ever there was a book for our time, it is the Doctrine and Covenants: a warning to the world and a concise compilation of prophecies, revelations and direct instructions and commandments to Christ’s Church. When I read this book I hear the voice of God.

Every time I study the Doctrine and Covenants, my testimony of Joseph as a prophet grows. No mortal man could come up with anything to rival or match any revelation contained therein that fell from the lips of our exalted, glorified and beloved Saviour.

Consider if anyone bar Christ himself could possibly make the promise He made at the very start of Section 93. The promise to the faithful members of His Church is beyond our wildest imagination:

“It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.”  (v1)

It is the same promise He gave to His Church in the meridian of time:

“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”  (John 14:23)

Could there be a greater promise than to see His face??? Elder Bruce R. McConkie called this “the crowning blessing of mortality”:

“We have the power – and it is our privilege – so to live, that becoming pure in heart, we shall see the face of God while we yet dwell as mortals in a world of sin and sorrow. This is the crowning blessing of mortality. It is offered by that God who is no respecter of persons to ALL the faithful in his kingdom. (In CR, Oct 1977, p 52, or Ensign Nov 1977, p 34)

President Spencer W. Kimball confirmed this privilege is available to all the members of the Church:

“I have learnt that where there is hungering after righteousness, forsaking of sins and obedience to the commandments of God, the Lord pours out more and more light until there is finally power to pierce the heavenly veil and to know more than man knows. A person of such righteousness has the priceless promise that one day he shall see the Lord’s face and know that he is.”  (“Give the Lord Your Loyalty”, Ensign March 1980, p 4)

“Sanctify yourselves that your mind become single to God, and the day will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you….”  (D&C 88:68)

“Verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that inasmuch as you …..humble yourselves before me….the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am….” (67:10)

I sometimes wonder if it is our lack of worthiness or our lack of belief in the promise that keeps Him away…..

I lift and I float in this vast

Universal space,

Seeking and hoping to see Your face.

Angels are near me,

They beckon and call

Ensuring I find a soft place to fall.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Bridegroom by LDS Art)

 

LOVING MORTALITY

 

There is a scene in a movie called “The City of Angels” where a deceased little girl is escorted out of the hospital by an angel who asks her: “What did you like best?” The little girl, in her innocence, replied: “Pajamas”.

I have often wondered what my answer would be if I was asked this question by an angel at the pearly gates. I used to feel guilty for a long time that I couldn’t say I love life but I have learnt over the years to be grateful for it, as hard as it is, for what it is making of me and where it is taking me.

Sometimes we get caught up in the pressure put on us to cultivate a positive attitude. Some of us consider  being negative in any way a downfall. Whereas, I believe there is a place for being positive, I equally believe it is dangerous to systematically deny negative things about life believing if we do so we will be happy.

I knew someone who considered positive attitude a virtue and who boasted that life was always beautiful and that he never let anything get him down. What he in actuality succeeded at the most was denying a full spectrum of human emotions, invalidating truth and reality and exerting a projection of superiority over others.

When Nephi said, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25) he had more than this life in mind. Adam and Eve rejoiced in the joy of their redemption and eternal life which will follow (Moses 5:11). If anybody found this mortal life a burden it would have to be Adam and Eve. Living out their mortal lives remembering what it was like to be in God’s presence would have been excruciating, therefore, their joy was rightfully in being redeemed from The Fall.

I cannot imagine the Saviour saying that He enjoyed His mortality. Paul tells us that ‘He endured the cross despising the shame of it for the joy that was set before Him’ (Hebrews 12:2). In reality, He endured His mortality, and gruesome death, looking forward to eternity.

And I think this is the point. If we were too comfortable here, if we had all the happiness we wanted, if our lives were smooth and easy, none of us would want to leave here. We would not yearn for eternal life with God where there is no trial, no pain, no misery.

Having said all that, I will now say this. It’s not about the quality of life you were given or how happy or unhappy it made you. It’s what you have become because of it that counts. This is what I know. Every righteous and good desire I have had in my life was met by God. He gave me all the trials and difficulties I needed to become who I wanted to be.

Nowdays I am ok with not loving life. It’s been hard but worth it. When I cross the bar and stand with God  face to face and He asks me what I liked best, I will say: ME. This is what I came for and what I will take back. I know deep down, I will kneel before Him and my heart will overflow with gratitude for my mortality. I hope that’s what will be written about me in the Book of Life.

 

Your teaching moments

 feed me like a bird in flight

Searching for a morsel

That gladdens its hungry heart.

These gifts are laid at my feet

And I, I come to You Father

Clutching these riches

That are mine to keep.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Book of Life by Chris Brazelton)

A SALVATION ASSURED

 

“Over long eons of time in the premortal realm the Saviour proved faithful and dependable and honourable in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge……He never deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his word.

“He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with precision; he was ‘not slack concerning his promise’ (2 Peter 3:9). His promises were  ‘ immutable and unchangeable’ (D&C 104:2). As a result, his spiritual credit was rapidly escalating until it was pure gold, even infinite in value.”  (Tad R. Callister, “The Infinite Atonement, 80)

Elder Callister goes on to say that the laws of justice (meaning the Father) recognised the Saviour’s Atonement as a surety long before it became a reality. He recognised and accepted it because Christ’s pledge and covenant was one of perfect integrity. What’s more, we all knew it too. This is why we could with a surety sustain Him as the author of our salvation for “there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it” (Abraham 3:17)

The Saviour’s commitment and integrity is not the only thing we relied on. His perfect knowledge, wisdom and power was undeniable. A massive mission such as the salvation of the whole host of heaven had to be trusted to one no less than a god. Because of His perfect knowledge and foresight, our salvation was sure.

There are a couple of scriptural examples in the Doctrine and Covenants which demonstrate this clearly. The first is found in Section 1 which suggests that the Lord called Joseph Smith as the prophet of this last dispensation because He knew the difficulties we would face in these last days (v 17).

Another example which is rather startling involves the loss of the 116 pages of manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation involving Martin Harris. Even though this event occurred in 1828, the Saviour inspired Nephi in 570 B.C. to compile a small set of plates and instructed Mormon in 385 A.D. to include those small plates in his records. Neither Nephi nor Mormon knew why they should do this but they trusted Him who knew. The Restoration and the Book of Mormon were secured because of the work of Him who promised us our salvation cannot and WILL NOT be frustrated.

The Saviour has knowledge of the beginning to the end (Abraham 2:8). Without our understanding that He has all knowledge, we could not exercise faith in Him and be assured of our salvation.  He does not miscalculate, nor is he startled over the events of this life or our thoughts and actions. Rest assured…..He has it covered.

Is there anyone greater than this man we call our God…???

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Light of the World by Mindi Oaten)

A SAVING WORD

 

“A 1986 “Guideposts” magazine contains the story of a woman who discovered what she called “the nevertheless principle”. She had been facing a difficult experience with her husband’s having a malignant brain tumour. She said that in the midst of the experience, at a moment of her greatest pleading, God granted her a word in a moment of inspiration. This single word was NEVERTHELESS. She said:

“I knew it had to be a special word, though I didn’t yet know it would become a life-style. I was sure only that it was a kind of promise. It was even a powerful little phrase: never the less.

“Never the less with God, no matter what. Always the most. Though I was alone in this automobile, nevertheless God Himself was right here beside me. Though doctors pronounced Jerry incurable, nevertheless he would be gloriously healed. Perhaps not here on earth as we had prayed. If Jerry’s physical body should die, nevertheless he would go on living in another, greater dimension.” (Marion Bond West, “One Simple Word from God”, p 12)

-       (Jerry A. Wilson, “The Great Plan of Happiness” p 40)”

This woman researched the word ‘nevertheless’ in her Bible and found it 90 times. There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants which uses this word to its biggest potential to teach us of Christ’s character:

“For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; NEVERTHELESS, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven” (D&C 1:31-32).

Imagine if that word was not there. Imagine if instead of a semicolon there was a fullstop. Instead this one simple word introduces not only three doctrinal principles but the Saviour’s attribute which makes salvation possible: repentance>obedience>forgiveness…..born out of mercy.

If there was no mercy, we would all be lost. If He was not, we would not be, silence would have wept at Calvary!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Land of Dreams)

HIS GREATNESS

 

I contemplated the Saviour’s greatness upon awakening today and the scriptures I have loved and admired came into my mind like Joseph’s admiration and praise of ‘King Immanuel’ which has many times brought me down to my knees:

“Let the mountains shout for joy and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy!

“And let the sun, moon and the morning stars sing together and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever. And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory and salvation, and honour, and immortality and eternal life, kingdoms, principalities and powers!”   (D&C 128:23)

I also remembered how His greatness and His power will be manifest when He returns:

“O Lord, thou shalt come down to make thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at thy presence – Yea when thou comest down and the mountains flow down at thy presence….And so great shall be the glory of your presence that the sun shall hide his face in shame, and the moon shall withhold its light, and the stars shall be hurled from their places.”  (D&C 133:40-53)

All that immense, immense, power yet nothing compares to His love, His compassion and His mercy. When he comes we shall acknowledge his loving kindness, his love and his pity on those he has redeemed…….if we follow Him that we might know Him and be recipients of such now…..

My desire to bring Thee honour

My desire to bring Thee joy

Shall forever through my faith in Thee

With devotion be known.

 

In the depths of my heart You bid me follow

My love freely flows from me,

My offering so small but faithful

With honour I give to Thee.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Everlasting God by Spencer Rasmussen)

PURPOSE

 

Over the years I have had revelations that had given me clarity about my life’s difficulties but this morning I was given such clear understanding that it made me reflect on our purpose here at a deeper level.

I am beginning to see that salvation is not an individual responsibility but a collective effort to save the human family. We are not single entities but links in a chain that binds us together in the Plan of Salvation. Some of us might never survive without the efforts of those around us.

And here is an important component of this principle. We cannot strengthen others without having had experience in difficulties ourselves which give us compassion, empathy and wisdom. Alma is a great example of this. Alma became the single greatest missionary in the ancient Americas who baptised ‘thousands of souls’ (Alma 4:4,5)

He could never have obtained his zeal for relentless missionary service had he not faced the jaws of hell during his 3 days of repentance (Alma 36:6-24; 43:1). His amazing sorrowing for people was born walking through the fire of his own experience with sin ((Alma 7:5; 8:10,14; 31:1,2,30,31; 35:15).

One of the greatest lessons I learnt from the Old Testament is about being a link in the chain. As ancient Israel conquered cities before them, lands were appropriated to them for their settlement. Among the first to receive land were the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Mannesah. They settled in the land of Gilead which divided them from the rest of Israel by the river Jordan (Numbers 34:14,15; Deuteronomy 3:12,13; Joshua 22:9).

After they had assisted in further conquest of the land, Joshua sent them back to Gilead to live peacefully in their newly appointed inheritance. Upon their return home, these tribes built an altar by the river Jordan. When the rest of Israel heard of it they were outraged presuming the altar was built for idol worship.

These three tribes had to defend themselves by explaining the altar was built to be "a witness between us that the Lord is God" (Joshua 22:34) and that even though they were geographically divided from the rest, they were still a link in the chain. They knew that if they turned to the worship of other gods, the ripple effect would be detrimental to the spiritual salvation of the whole House of Israel.

My greatest lesson in all this is my belief that the difficulties we go through are not just for our benefit but for a human being we might have the ability to save. We are the under-shepherds and saviours on mount Zion following in the footsteps of the greatest healer who did the same by taking upon himself our infirmities that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh that He might know how to give relief and aid to the human family in their suffering (Alma 7:12).

I am just now beginning to understand the willingness of Him who embraced pain for our sake…..

Next time you are suffering through something, know there might be a greater purpose….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Knock and Ye Shall Receive by LDS Art)