A TREASURE ABOVE GOLD

 

I love the standard works of scripture because in each of them I see the Christ.

In the Old Testament I see the merciful Jehovah. His long suffering towards His people Israel, despite their backsliding, is beyond my ability to understand. In the Old Testament I see the roots of His covenant with us, His people. I see His devotion, His mercy, and His commitment that will never be broken by Him.

In the New Testament I see Isaiah’s ‘suffering servant’ (Isaiah 53). I see Christ’s descent from His throne, I see the man of sorrows, the sacrificial lamb, the Saviour of all, and I see the hope of eternal life, the triumph over humanity’s foe.

In the Book of Mormon I see the manifested promised Messiah. I see the God of Israel who fulfils all prophecies and all His promises. And again, I see mercy……on every page.

In the Pearl of Great Price I see the brilliance and godship of a son of God who created worlds without number and who was willing to sink into the bottomless pit of human suffering nailing himself to the cross 'from the foundation of the world'. I see His integrity which earned Him my vote and devotion for all time and eternity.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, I see the majestic, exalted God. I see His inexhaustible work in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man through the restoration of His priesthood, the portal to life everlasting to all who will come into His Kingdom. And I see the King of Glory who will come to reign on this earth and subdue all enemies under His feet (Isaiah 9:6,7).

President Joseph Fielding Smith has said that the Doctrine and Covenants is our book. It stands above the Bible, The Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price. Whereas these books of scripture are vital, they belong to another time. Doctrine and Covenants belongs to the Latter-Day Saints in this dispensation. He said we should ‘treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth’ (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:198-99).

And this is why. On another occasion, President Smith said that if we put into practice the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, “we will know the truth and there shall be no weapon formed against us that shall prosper (see D&C 71:9-11). There shall be no false doctrines and no teachings of men that will deceive us” (In Conference Report, Oct 1931, p 17).

There is only one thing that the Doctrine and Covenants lacks. On the very first page should be Moroni’s admonition to us and to the whole world, to ‘ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ’ if the revelations contained therein are true…..and if we shall ask, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto us, by the power of the Holy Ghost……for by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things (Moroni 9:3,4)

The dynamics of the fulness of the truth given to us in this the last hour of this dispensation with the priceless gift of the Holy Ghost to prepare us for the coming of the Son of Man in this the mire of corruption, evil and Satan’s desperate attempt to destroy us, is beyond God’s mercy. The combined truth with the guidance of the Holy Ghost is more precious than gold. It will bring us to Zion and to our God.

It is time to heed President Nelson’s voice: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost”.

We are the House of Israel. We are the covenant people. We are His peculiar treasure above all people (Exodus 19:5). We are ‘the apple of His eye’ (Det 32:9,10; Zech 2:8), hidden under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8), we are His people and He is our God.

This is our Doctrine and these are our Covenants…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Book of Life by Chris Brazelton)

EVEN AS I

 

 

Towards the end of His visit the Saviour commanded the Nephites to record all their doings because out of the books that are written shall the people be judged ‘for by them all their works will be known unto men’ (3 Nephi 27:25).

He also mentioned that the Father likewise keeps a record of all our doings and the whole world will be judged by that which He has caused to be written (v 26).

The idea of being judged seems to bring up a negative connotation of fear as we reflect on all our failings and short comings. Rarely do we look forward to it because we want to be excited about our good works and good character coming before the Father….to bring Him joy……but this is exactly what the pursuit of our lives should be.

The Saviour himself said to the Nephites as He parted from them, that His joy was great, ‘even unto fulness’ and that ‘even the Father rejoiced and all the holy angels’, because none of that generation was lost (v 30,31). Our salvation is their joy and I surmise this is what they look forward to experiencing on Judgment Day…..and there is a reason for their hope.

The Saviour asked the Nephites a crucial question in connection with the judgment we will one day face: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?” and then He answered: “Verily, I say unto you, even as I am” (v 27). Elder John M. Madsen of the Seventy had this to say about this answer:

“The meaning of the word OUGHT, as used in His question….is crucial to understanding His answer, “Even as I am”. The word OUGHT means ‘to be necessary’ or ‘to be held or bound in duty or moral obligation’…….., suggesting and the holy scriptures, ancient and modern, confirm – that it is ‘necessary’ and that we are ‘bound’, as by covenant, ‘to be’, as He declared, ‘even as I am’ (3 N 27:27; see also 3 N 12:48; Matt 5:48; 1 John 3:2; Moroni 7:48)” (in CR April 2002, Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ).

Being like the One ‘who, being in the form of God, took upon himself the form of a servant, and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient unto death’ assures us of a joyful judgment because He is the blue print, He is the map, He is the way….’wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2:6-11).

We are bound to Him by covenant and He to us by the cross: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands….” (Isaiah 49:16).

 

I sorrowed for Your pain

As You entered the Garden’s gate.

I sorrowed for it

As You hung on Calvary’s cross.

Now that our hearts beat as one,

I rejoice my soul will never to be lost. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Then Sings My Soul by LDS Art)

SALT OF THE EARTH

 

 

To be ‘the salt of the earth’ is a goal every member of the Church should strive for (3 Nephi 12:13) yet it is one we seldom think about. The ancients would have been better at it as salt was used in the Mosaic sacrificial ritual as a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God (see Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5). This admonition, however, minus the visual use of salt is issued to us today also (D&C 101:39-40).

To be ‘the salt of the earth’ was delivered through the Beatitudes in conjunction with being ‘the light of the world’, which is a clear indication of being a good example but what does being the salt of the earth really mean? And why is it used to help us remember our covenants?

One explanation is that “the saints, as the salt of the earth, are set forth to season their fellowmen, to keep society free from corruption, to help their fellow beings become wholesome, pure and acceptable before the Lord” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 2, p 128). In other words, the more obedient and righteous people there are on the earth, the more spiritual energy and light for all of us to live in and be drawn to goodness.

I remember this, as an example. Some years ago, Australia was in a serious draught. The Pacific Area President told the saints that if we all paid our tithing the draught would end and shortly thereafter it did. The righteous action of the saints benefited the whole country. Why tithing though? Because tithing is one of the commandments of the baptismal covenant which yields temporal blessings.

Salt is a preservative. When we preserve our commitment to our covenants, like salt, we do not lose our spiritual quality. There is nothing that puts us on the path of spiritual corruption quicker than  abandoning our baptismal covenant because the baptismal covenant is a covenant of obedience to the commandments and the gateway to temple covenants.

Alma's first baptism at the waters of Moron was a man called Helam. The words he used as he baptised Helam took the baptismal covenant to a new level. He said: Helam, I baptise thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead...." (Mosiah 18:13). Anciently covenants were not broken even at the point of death. The meaning of the ancient ‘Covenant of Salt’ was equivalent to an ‘indissoluble covenant’.

A covenant is not just a promise but a signed contract. If you break a signed contract, you have lost your integrity and you can no longer be trusted. You have lost your savour. You are no longer the salt of the earth but are ‘good for nothing, only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men’ (D&C 101:40). Consider the legal implications of attempting to break a signed contract in our day and age. Such a contract is binding and cannot be broken.

“That upright people who keep the commandments are the salt of the earth, none question; but we might add that the Lord Jesus himself is the Salt of the Earth. The seasoning, sanctifying, edifying, preserving, uplifting influence of his gospel keeps all the obedient from corruption and decay and sorrow” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 2, p 128).

So we can say, being the salt of the earth makes us like Christ. We can also be that seasoning, edifying and uplifting influence in the world if we live His gospel. Next time you see salt on you kitchen table, remember that…..

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Light of the World by Eva Koleva Timothy) 

HAPPINESS

 

 

I have posted of late a lot of pictures of Jesus smiling. The response to these pictures has been overwhelming with many of you loving to see Him happy. I agree these pictures are beautiful and very endearing. I guess, because we love Him, we don’t like to be reminded of His suffering. It is drummed into us repeatedly. What we are not regularly reminded of is His happiness ‘who for the JOY endured the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2). Of course He is happy, He suffered, He endured and He is now exalted.

One innocent comment I had to one of Christ’s smiling images was: “I wonder what He could be seeing to give Him such a happy smile. Probably a puppy or a kitty”. I could tell you what would really make the Saviour smile, our righteousness. I was very happy to see another comment confirming my belief: “I know that Jesus smiles every time we do good and keep our covenants with Him”.

I am very passionate about ‘trust’. I relish paying my bills because it confirms to me and to those who have provided me with a service, that I can be trusted. My value of trust has been one of the things that has kept me on the strait and narrow path. My reasoning is this: If I have made a covenant at baptism to obey the commandments and made higher covenants in the Temple and then walk away from these covenants, where is my integrity? The message I then send is that I cannot be trusted. It would kill me if God thought He could not trust me. So yes, every time we do good and keep our covenants we bring a smile to the Saviour’s face.

When John the Revelator wrote that Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ he was telling us that the Atonement was already in place in the premortal world and that the Atonement performed in mortality was just a formality. We could draw upon its blessings and power in pre-existence as if it had already happened. This is the power by which we overcame Satan in the great war in heaven (Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Mosiah 3:13; 4:7; D&C 93:38; see also Institute Manual comments for Revelation 12:11). I stand amazed at the man of integrity that the Saviour was from the very beginning. That we not only believed that He COULD carry out the Atonement but that He WOULD. That’s trust of the highest kind. That’s a gift to humanity beyond description. So yes, every time we keep our covenants, we affirm our faith and gratitude that He kept HIS covenant before the world began. The question is, can He trust US???

The Saviour’s happiness is very much intertwined with ours. The joy that was before Him when He hung on the cross was not only for His but also our eternal happiness. Of course He would be happy if He knew He did not suffer in vein. The Atoning power with which we overcame Satan I pre-existence is the power by which we can overcome him again. How happy that would make the Saviour if we overcame His enemy in this life and subdued the powers of hell with our righteousness! Perhaps we should be a bit more concerned about making HIM happy and less about ourselves. Smile, He is on our side…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus the Source of Joy by Ivan Guaderrama)

A RIGHTEOUS BRANCH

 

 

The ongoing difficulties of the Jewish nation which we are even now witnessing brings to mind the reason a certain Israelite family escaped the destruction of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. when the diaspora began. Lehi explained to his son Joseph the promise that the Lord made to his progenitor, Joseph of Egypt, that He would, in their day, ‘raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel’ (2 Nephi 3:5). And so the promised land they were led to across the waters in 600 B.C. meant a new beginning. How utterly tragic then that just over a thousand years later, a sole survivor of that very ‘righteous branch’ wandered the land of America with a heart wrenching explanation: "Behold.....I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have no friends nor whither to go...therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not." (Mormon 8:4,5).

But the Lord was not finished with the House of Israel and so He gave another promise to Joseph of Egypt, that He would raise up ‘a choice seer’ in the latter days who ‘will be like unto Moses’ and who will bring to light the words of them who were destroyed and who will speak ‘out of the ground’ (2 Nephi 3:7; 26:16,17). Enter Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

We all know that the Book of Mormon is the important second witness of Jesus Christ but it also speaks of something else equally important. Another purpose of the Book of Mormon is to bring to our remembrance the covenant which Jehovah has made with the House of Israel (2 Nephi 3:7, 12). This says two things to me: 1. the Lord will never give up on us and; 2. He will never break His covenant with us, even though we break our covenants with Him (Deuteronomy 4:31). This is the promise He has made to the House of Israel that will stand forever.

If you study the Book of Mormon closely, two things will become very obvious to you: 1. the merciful nature of the God we worship and 2. He always, always fulfils His promises. Mormon ensured that every prophecy and promise in the Book of Mormon was tied to its fulfillment and he testified of this with such phrases as 'all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled' (Mosiah 21:4) and 'God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words' (Alma 37:16). This was his technique and his tool through which he testified of Christ. This strategy proves in a unique way that the Book of Mormon is an authentic record written by Mormon himself for it would have been impossible for anyone else to chronicle such numerous promises and their fulfillments let alone an uneducated man like Joseph Smith. Mormon, on the other hand, knew the history of his people well because of many records that were in his keeping for many years.

One last thought: Christ is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). If we will be the righteous branch of the House of Israel, we need to abide in the vine for without Him we can be nothing (v 4,5). How wonderful is the God of Israel!!! How exquisite the bond He has with His people! I have often thought His tolerance and mercy towards us is excessive but one day a thought came to me that He could have never subjected himself to such an unjust death if He was any other way. This is who He is….Christ the Lord, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of Our Salvation, the lover of our souls……

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Coming to Save You by Laura Wilson)

ON HIGHER GROUND

Among the war chapters in the Book of Mormon is a highly educational story of a man called Amalickiah, a dissenter from the Church of God, who sought to be king and thereby caused a division among the Nephites, leading away many of them to destroy the foundation of liberty (Alma 46:10). By his cunning and deviousness, Amalickiah fled the land of Zarahemla with his many converts and gained the favour of the king of the Lamanites planning to dethrone him and make himself king (Alma 47:4).  Having convinced the king to go to battle against the Nephites, he again caused a division amongst the people. Those who would not consent to fight fled to the place called Onidah with a leader called Lehonti gathering themselves upon the top of the mountain Antipas. Here comes into play one of the most interesting stories in the Book of Mormon.

Amalickiah, being a 'subtle man to do evil' (Alma 47:4) devised the most clever plan to obtain the kingdom through Lehonti, who originally opposed him in every way. Causing his army to pitch their tents in the valley near the mount Antipas, Amalickiah proceeded to coax Lehonti to come down the mountain to speak with him. The record states that Lehonti at first would not dare to do so but Amalickiah was patient and persistent. After sending the third message to Lehonti, Amalickiah decided to get closer and ascended half way up the mountain enticing Lehonti to come to down to him with his guards to speak with him. On the fourth message Lehonti relented and came half way down the mountain. There Amalickiah lay open his plan before him as to how he could assist him in obtaining command of the whole army if he would place him, Amalickiah, as second in charge. Lehonti could not resist this temptation of power and came all the way down the mountain, took possession of the whole army through Amalickiah's assistance and became the leader he desired to be. There was only one problem. He had a dangerous man as his 'second in charge' who according to Lamanite custom stood to become chief leader if the chief was killed (Alma 47:17); a man who had plotted this very thing right from the beginning. The plan worked beautifully for Amalickiah instructed one of his servants to administer poison 'by degrees' to Lehonti and Lehonti died (Alma 47:18) leaving Amalickiah in charge of the entire army of the Lamanites. With such power under his belt, the whole kingdom fell into his hands as he proceeded with his evil plan and caused the death of the king by the hands of his servants. Thus by secret works, manipulating others to do his dirty work, did Amalickiah obtain the whole kingdom of the Lamanites.

The story of Lehonti, who took his army to the top of the mountain for physical safety has many parallels with us today. As the covenant people of God we have been invited to perserve our spiritual safety on top of another mountain, the mountain of the Lord's house, the temple (2 Nephi 12:2). Anciently mountains were always synonymous with temples or any form of higher worship. High places were also where prophets of old received instructions by the Lord, as in Moses' case when he received the Ten Commandments upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19,20). Today, LDS temples are always built on the highest vantage point in the designated community suggesting that once we have entered into sacred covenants with God, we stand on higher ground. It also suggests that higher knowledge regarding man's salvation and ultimate exaltation is received in the temples of God. Those who adhere to their temple covenants and make their abode with God within its sacred walls, receive spiritual protection and power against the enemy of all righteousness. This, however, does not mean that this enemy sleeps or has no interest in those who have made temple covenants and enjoy the safety of such. On the contrary, the adversary takes no sabbaticals and has more interest in those who are endowed with temple covenants than those who are not and he will use all his skills to bring them down the mountain.

Viewing Amalickiah as a prototype of the adversary we can learn that our enemy is three things - he is subtle, he is persistent and he is cunning. He watches patiently and plots with dedication to bring about our demise. He knows which buttons to push and he will do so repeatedly until cracks in our resolve begin to appear. Using subtle means he will make his enticements appear appealing and even of good value. Like Amalickiah, he will meet us half way up the mountain and make his propositions difficult to resist appealing to our egos and "what's in it for me" attitude. Once we succumb, he will 'poison' us 'by degrees' until he succeeds in bringing about our spiritual death. Compromising ourselves in such a way where our obedience to the commandments suffers can only lead us down the slippery slope to the valley of shadow and death where we are eventually cut off from the presence of the Lord (Alma 50:20). This is what our enemy hopes for, works for and lives for.

When Amalickiah left the Nephites, he fled before the armies of Captain Moroni. There would have to be no two people in the scriptures more unlike than Amalickiah and Captain Moroni. Whereas one sought to destroy, the other sought to preserve; whereas one sought self-interest, the other sought the welfare of his people; whereas one rejected God, the other accepted Him with all his heart. Amalickiah, 'a subtle man to do evil' (Alma 47:4), had one goal only: to subject others to the yoke of bondage. When that desire slipped from his grasp, he cursed God (Alma 49:27). Moroni's one goal was to perserve the welfare and safety of his people (Alma 48:12). This he did by not relying on his sword alone but on God's goodness by preparing his people to be faithful to Him (Alma 48:7). Moroni, a captain of the Nephite armies was a 'strong and mighty man', 'a man whose heart swelled with thanksgiving to his God', 'a man who was firm in the faith of Christ' (Alma 48:11-3). And here is the clincher, Mormon's appraisal of this man reads like a plaque in the hall of fame: "Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (Alma 48:17).

Like Amalickiah, the adversary has only one goal: to put us in bondage. To achieve this he marches with his armies, like a thief in the night, seeking to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). He seeks to destroy us in the flesh and he seeks to destroy us in spirit. He is a collector of ruined lives, corrupted faith and lost spiritual destinies. Immediately preceding Christ's appearance to the ancient Americas, before He said anything else, the Saviour's voice was heard in the darkness as an explanation and a warning: "Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen" (3 Nephi 9:2). Like Nephites of old, we are at war. The battle is raging and many are falling by the way. People's hearts are failing and the love of many is waxing cold (D&C 45:26,27). There is only one place of refuge, one place of safety, one place of power that will help us stand to the end. Stand firm. Don't come down the mountain.

THE EASINESS OF THE WAY

 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."   (Matthew 11:28-30)

"In Biblical times, the yoke was a device of great assistance to those who tilled the field. It allowed the strength of a second animal to be linked and coupled with the strength of a single animal, sharing and reducing the heavy labour of the plow or wagon. A burden that was overwhelming or perhaps impossible for one could be equitably and comfortably borne by two bound together with a common yoke....

Why face life's burdens alone, Christ asks, or why face them with temporal support that will quickly falter. To the heavy laden it is Christ's yoke, it is the power and peace of standing side by side with a God that will provide the support, balance, and strength to meet our challenges and endure our tasks here in the hardpan field of mortality." (President Howard W. Hunter, Conference Report, October 1990)

The yoke in mortality that each one of us must bear is the responsibility to become perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. This responsibility is our journey to godhood and eternal life, a journey that we cannot travel alone for a yoke requires two to pull the burden attached to it. We cannot choose whether to bear a yoke, that choice was made before this world was, but we can choose which yoke we will bear. We can either choose to bear the yoke of Christ or the yoke of the Adversary. Christ has offered us His yoke and has promised that His yoke is easy. This yoke entails covenants and obedience and sacrifice. We might well ask ourselves, how can such a yoke be easy? The yoke of 'perfection' is easy because Christ is yoked by our side, gently leading us in the direction we should go to avoid the pitfalls and heartaches and shouldering the weight we cannot bear. His strength compensates for our lack and empowers us to overcome and become. With Him comes power and enlarged capacity. In short, he makes the way easy with the endowment of His grace.

A life of sin with scorching consequences which is the yoke of the Adversary is a far heavier and harder yoke to bear in mortality than Christ's yoke of commandments, covenants and sacrifice. When you are yoked with the adversary, you are left to bear the burdens of sin such as shame, addiction and moral degradation alone. The Adversary is not interested in being yoked with someone to bear burdens and consequences of sin. He is only interested in placing the yoke of oppression that leads to spiritual destruction on those who are willing to take it.  Satan's is a 'yoke of iron' that 'brings us down into captivity' (1 Nephi 13:5). Christ's yoke, on the other hand, offers freedom from sin and its devastating consequences. His compassion and mercy make it possible for us to cast off the yoke of sin and bondage and be free as is illustrated by the sinful woman who dared to enter the house of Simon, the Pharisee and who wept as she bathed the Saviour's feet. This woman would have found no forgiveness from Simon, a representative of the austere 'law' she was subject to but in his house she found the Saviour who was willing to take the burden of her sins upon Himself, to pay the price of justice in the winepress that He had to tread alone (Isaiah 63:3).

Simon, who was repulsed by the sinful woman, who omitted to observe the custom of the day to treat a distinguished guest with 'marked attention; to receive him with a kiss of welcome, to provide water for washing the dust from his feet, and oil for anointing the hair of the head and the beard' (Jesus The Christ, p. 261) stood in poor contrast to a sinful woman who acknowledged Christ's saving grace, who 'stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment' (Luke 7:38). This woman 'represents all of us with our burdens, making our way to the one true source of rest and relief. Knowing that ridicule might well follow her entrance into the eating chamber, knowing that her reputation would accompany her, and knowing that she would not be welcome by some within, still she entered. She was heavy-laden with the recognition of her sins and the downward spiral of her life' (Ted L. Gibbons, NT Lesson 10: Take My Yoke Upon You and Learn of Me, March 2011).

To those of us who are weighed down with heavy burdens of remorse and sin, mortal hardship and pain, sorrow and discouragement and who are often overwhelmed with the requirements for exaltation, the Saviour offers relief and peace, comfort and help. He alone has the capacity to carry all our burdens and all our sorrows and all our imperfections. He who has hung on the cross has taken upon Himself the hardships of mortality for each one who would come to Him and believe. He alone can wipe the slate clean and wash our garments though they be as scarlet to once again be white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). If we come to Him, He will set us free and He will encircle the faithful in the arms of His love (D&C 6:20).

For "he shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom............" (Isaiah 40:11).

HE WHO HAS PAVED THE WAY

The Inspired Version of the Bible records that at the onset of His mortal ministry and following His baptism, Jesus was 'led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God': "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, and had communed with God, he was afterwards an hungered and was left to be tempted of the devil" (Matthew 4:1,2, Inspired Version, italics added). In the King James Version of the Bible, it is recorded that he was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Bruce R. McConkie makes it clear that this was not the case: "Jesus did not go into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; righteous men do not seek out temptation. He went 'to be with God'. Probably he was visited by the Father, without question he received transcendent spiritual manifestations. The temptations came after he 'had communed with God', 'after forty days.' (McConkie, DNTC, 1:128; see also Mosiah 3:7). The King James Version in Matthew 4 continues to record that Jesus was taken by the devil here and there to be tempted of him. The Inspired Version constantly corrects this in the footnotes stating that the Spirit took Jesus and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and an exceedingly high mountain to show him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. This is an extremely important point we need to take notice of. If we did not have the Inspired Version we would be convinced by the erroneous account of the King James Version that the devil had the upper hand with Jesus and that he has the upper hand with us. This is simply not true. The devil has no upper hand in anything. He is simply an upstart and an outcast. He has no power over the children of men except what they give him. He cannot take away anyone's agency or make anyone do his bidding and he most certainly cannot take us anywhere. His only dominion lies in temptation. That is the extent of his power.

I heard an evangelist say on TV recently that the adversary has no power on his best day to take us out on our worst day. This is a sobering thought considering he is so well practiced and considering how well he knows us from pre-existence and from observation. Unknowingly we have taught him where our worst weaknesses lay by our repeated misuse of agency. He knows the traps, the pitfalls, human foibles and all weaknesses. So how can we be more powerful than him? Because of two things:

1. We have a body. This is our biggest advantage. We have kept our first estate and now we are on the second leg of our eternal journey. We stand to gain eternal life. He has already lost that chance. He stands to gain nothing for when all this is over he will be nothing. Isaiah said this of him: "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms?" (Isaiah 14:15,16). In the end Satan will be stripped of the limited power he now has and his reign of horror on this earth will be over. For now he is considered 'the god of this world' but he will once again be just an outcast. 
2. We have once before chosen the God of Glory over Lucifer. We have the power to continue to choose Him who delivers us from the sting of sin and death and offers us ultimate freedom. When God revealed Himself to Moses, Moses beheld His glory and was taught of his divine origin as God repeatedly called him, 'Moses, my son'. When God withdrew, the devil appeared on the scene and wanted to be worshipped also. True to his character, he sought to make Moses believe he was lesser than he was by calling him 'son of man' (Moses 1:12). Satan knew that if Moses believed he was the son of God, he would also believe that he had God's power at his fingertips and could therefore resist him. Moses was not to be confused, however, and he pointed out to Satan that he had no glory, only darkness, and therefore he had no power over him (1 Moses:15) and by his conviction he was able to cast him out of his presence. When Jesus resisted the three temptations of the devil He proved to those who follow Him that all power to overcome lay within Him. We as his followers and disciples, through our faith on Him and by the virtue of our agency, have access to this power to overcome and conquer the enemy of all righteousness.

It was after the Saviour had made his covenants with the Father through baptism that Satan came to tempt Him. So it is with us. Often when we are baptised into the Church, we think we are safe and have 'arrived'. Nothing could be further from the truth. The adversary will work on us, the covenant people, more than he will work on those who have not made sacred promises to God. More often than not his temptations will come in three ways that he tempted the Saviour with: 1. a temptation of the appetite; 2. a yielding to the pride and fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; 3. a gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world or power among men (David O. McKay in CR, Oct 1911, p. 59). We who are his targets need to be vigilant at all times to recognise the subtle slide into sin that he constantly lays before us. Why? Because by it we stand to lose a lot. Here is a clear explanation of this fact:

"Repentance is, frankly, just plain smart, because sin makes you stupid. Stupid because you are deaf, dumb and blind to the ways of the Lord. Stupid because habitual sin drives the Spirit away, leaving you outside the protective influence of the Holy Ghost. Stupid because it makes you incapable of drawing upon the powers of heaven. Being stupid costs a lot. Sin costs a lot too. It can cost time, money, peace of mind, progress, self-respect, your integrity and virtue, your family, the trust of those you love, and even your Church membership. Sin is just plain stupid. And the cost is off the charts. So repent now. Repent daily. If you want to be sanctified, repentance is not optional" (Sheri L. Dew, You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory, BYU Speeches, December 2003)

We are powerful beyond our capacity to understand. This power is shown in the moments of our choices. The power within us comes from God. It is His gift to all those who commit to follow Him. We cannot afford to give this power away for it has the potential to crown us with eternal life and endless glory. We want this, we have always wanted this. We are His children who are destined to wear the crowns of godhood. He has paved the way and by it made us powerful enough to conquer and overcome through His sinless sacrifice. The path is straight, the road smooth, the journey easy if we walk it following the footsteps before us. The Atonement is the key and it can make us brilliant and holy and glorious beyond anything we can ever imagine (Cathryne Allen, How to Use the Power of the Atonement, November Blog 2013). Use it, call upon it and trust in it. The reward is yours and it is waiting.

"And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me."  (Moroni 7:33)

IF I PERISH, I PERISH

This week's Sunday School lesson is about three valiant Jewish exiles who lived in Babylon during the 70 years of Jewish captivity. We are all familiar with their stories of courage which landed them in a fiery furnace and a lion's den. When Judah was about to be sacked by the Babylonians, Jehovah promised to Jeremiah He would spare them if any righteous could be found in all of Jerusalem but such was not the case. Judah had sinned and broken her covenants with God. Out of this sinful and idolatrous nation, King Nebuchadnezzar carried off into Babylon (about 605 BC) the choicest Jewish youths to be trained for service in the king's court. Four such youths among them were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It is not clear whether these youths were disposed towards the God of Israel before their arrived in Babylon or whether they learnt from the sins of their fathers and turned their hearts toward Him once they found themselves in a strange land where with others of their nation they became zealous about the God they once worshipped. Because of their righteousness and commitment to the covenants which they made with the God of their fathers, they were endowed with spiritual and temporal gifts and were given miraculous protection from their enemies.

During the 70 years of Jewish captivity in Babylon, Daniel served 5 kings remaining in Babylon even after most of his countrymen had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and nation. It would seem strange that a devout Jew such as Daniel would choose to remain in a foreign land and not return to Jerusalem but I believe there was a purpose for this for "......he was raised to positions that enabled him to spend his life in service to the kings of the land. He became the Lord's minister to those rulers. He was made chief of the wise men, chancellor of the equivalent of a national university, ruler of all the Hebrew captives, and as governor of the province of Babylon, one of the chief rulers in both the Babylonian and Persian Empires" (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p. 297). So honourable and righteous was Daniel in his personal and professional life that he endeared himself to King Darius to such an extent that the King preferred him above all the presidents and princes and he 'thought to set him over the whole realm' (Daniel 6:3). This attachment to the King ignited a lot of jelousy among the presidents and princes who sought to discredit Daniel in some way by hoping to 'dig up some dirt' on him. When they could find no fault in him they devised a plan by which they knew they could trap him and put him away for good. From their observation of Daniel, they knew that he was so committed to the worship of his God that he would not break that commitment under any circumstances. In other words, he was true to his covenants in every way. The trap which they set was to get the King to pass a decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days save King Darius, shall be cast into the den of lions. They then ensured that once the King signed the decree that he also signed a document stating that this law could not be changed. The trap was set and the victim caught. Daniel, as was his usual habit, continued to pray to Jehovah three times a day, facing Jerusalem, with his window open for all to see. Daniel was arrested for breaking the law and King Darius was devastated. The scriptures record that 'he laboured till the going down of the sun' to deliver him (Daniel 6:14), fasting and spending a sleepless night and when the morning came he went to the lion's den with haste to test his own belief that Daniel's God would deliver him (Daniel 6:16). Addressing Daniel as a 'servant of the living God' (Daniel 6:20) Darius called to him to come forth and was 'exceeding glad' (Daniel 6:23) to find him alive and unharmed. What can we learn from this? The usual lesson is that the Lord protects those who are loyal to Him and this truly is so but a further lesson lies herein. Looking at Daniel's life one cannot help but see that he was sent to Babylon and used by God to be his advocate with kings who presided over exiled Judah. This was Daniel's mission and God's purpose. Was Daniel successful in this? King Darius was certainly convinced enough to proclaim Daniel's God 'the living God' an made a decree that in every dominion of his kingdom 'men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God and steadfast for ever....' (Daniel 6:26,27). Daniel's story proves to us that God has a plan for each of us: "When we say God has a plan, he truly has a plan - not simply a grand scale, but for each of us as individuals, allocating some special talent to this dispensation and some to another. I regard God as the perfect personnel manager, even though he must work with and through all of us who are so imperfect. I assume, gladly, that in the allocation to America of remarkable leaders like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, the Lord was just as careful. After all, if you've got only one Abraham Lincoln, you'd better put him in that part in history when he's most needed - much as some of us might like to have him now" (Neal A Maxwell, Deposition of a Disciple, p. 46). We find another valid example of this concept in Queen Esther who had to marry King Ahasuerus of Persia in order to avert annihilation of all Jews in Persia and Media (Esther 1-10). Her story of intrigue and suspense reads like a modern day action drama series.

We can learn something about keeping covenants from Daniel's companions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They too had risen to prominent positions within the governing body of Babylon and as such inspired jelousy amongst the other rulers of the provinces and in particular the Chaldeans (Daniel 3:8). When King Nebuchadnezzar erected a massive golden image for his people to worship, his three Jewish rulers were not found among the worshippers. The Chaldeans thought it their duty to report this to the King who summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and promptly reminded them that if they do not worship the designated image with his people they will be basically fried in a fiery furnace. He went further to assert his power by saying: "...and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" (Daniel 3:15). Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego were not perturbed. With boldness and daring they answered: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter" (Daniel 3:16). In other words, we are not going to weigh our words hoping not to offend you for we don't care if we do! They then made it known to the King that they would never worship his golden image and serve any of his gods even if they stood to perish. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego had learnt something valuable in exile, that the covenant which their fathers had made with the God of Israel that they would have no other gods before Him is not to be broken. They knew this is what led them into exile and servitude to other nations. They therefore chose to perish rather than break the covenants which they made to worship Jehovah. Their spiritual resilience paid off. King Nebuchadnezzar, seeing the three Jewish rulers come out of the fiery furnace unharmed, acknowledged the God of Israel as 'the most high God' (Daniel 3:26) and made a decree that whoever should speak against the God of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego should be put to death.

God is a keeper of covenants. We find proof throughout the scriptures that He keeps His promises. Whereas the House of Israel had forsaken Him as their God, He has not forsaken the House of Israel. He will never break the covenant which He has made with Abraham that through his seed all nations of the earth will be blessed. This promise includes gathering the scattered Israelites who He longs to bring back. In the Book of Mormon we read: "Yeah, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn" (3 Nephi 29:8). The question begs to be asked: if God always keeps his covenants with us, are we prepared to keep our covenants with Him? Even at the point of death? Would we gladly step into a fiery furnace before we would break the laws of obedience, sacrifice, chastity and consecration that we have covenanted we would keep? Is there a Daniel among us or maybe an occasional Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?  These men could not be turned out of the path defined by their covenants or by their sense of right and wrong. We too can be like them and face the fiery furnace saying like Queen Esther did with all her daring: "If I perish I perish" (Esther 4:16).

FORGET NOT

As ancient Israel prepared to enter the promised land, they stood at the threshold of a greater danger than the one they left behind. It would seem nothing could be worse than slavery, however, in slavery they had physical bondage but spiritual freedom because they remembered God. Now, at the end of their wandering they faced physical freedom and the risk of spiritual bondage. As they prepared to embrace a life of ease, they also faced the danger of forgetting God and what he had done for them.  Israel had already proven they had short memories.  They had become complacent with miraculous ways that God took care of them during their 40 years in wilderness. Moses' last words to the Israelites were ones of admonishment to remember they were a covenant people and what God had done for them.  Moses knew that nothing could make them forget better than prosperity and a life of ease. He described the Land of Promise as a land of "great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, and houses full of good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not...." (Det. 6:10,11).  As the Israelites overcame the land, they also inherited all that the conquered heathen nations left behind; houses and goods they never had to work for were given to them on a silver platter. Comfort breeds complacency and forgetfulness so Moses cautioned them:

"Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage".  (Deut. 6:12)

Much of the book of Deuteronomy consists of instructions and observances given to ancient Israel to assist them to remember.  Deuteronomy, or the Fifth Book of Moses is considered 'Second Law' or renewal of the covenant made at Mt Sinai. It is an exhortation to obey God out of love and reverence. It served to:

1. Teach obedience through love;
2. Teach significance of making covenants;
3. Look forward to Christ.

It is expected of us, the modern day Israel and members of the Saviour's Church to remember Him always and to cultivate that remembrance on daily basis. While ancient Israel had many outward, physical reminders of their status as the covenant people, our reminders tend to be more of a spiritual nature. While it is not required of us to build huts for us to live in for 7 days celebrating the Feast of the Tabernacles to remind us of our wilderness journey, it is required of us to step into the temple on ward temple night and be reminded that the earth was created for our sake.  While it is not required of us to eat the bitter herbs and celebrate the Passover in Egypt, it is required of us to take the sacrament every Sunday in remembrance of His body and his blood which was shed for us.  While it is not required of us to wear frontlets on our foreheads with the written law inside them, it is required of us to be spiritually born and have His image in our countenance (Alma 5:14)

The covenants that we make today with the God of Israel have the same objective as the covenants made anciently. They are intended to teach us obedience, the importance of making covenants and to look forward to the second coming of Christ. We also have the challenge to remember for we too have the trial of prosperity and a life of ease, more so now than ever before.  Not many of us think of ourselves as being rich but perhaps we should.  We have come a long way since the pony express, horse drawn carts and candle lit houses. We live in an age of instant gratification, advanced technology and conveniences beyond our forebears' wildest imaginations. For instance, by the world standards I would fall in the 'poor bracket' but by my grandmother's standards, I am rich. My grandmother never owned a washing machine or drove in an automobile and she never saw sliced bread. It's all in the perspective and we must have the correct one.  In the midst of the Depression, Melvin J. Ballard warned of the danger of wealth and prosperity which has the potential to cause us to forget God:

"We are in the age of self-indulgence. It is not peculiar to this Church, it is in the world. The spirit of it is rampant everywhere. It beats upon our shores from all points. It enters into the midst of the people. It is a deadly siege in an attempt to destroy that which persecution, mob, violence, privation and hardship failed to destroy - the integrity of this people. I am not a pessimist either. While I recognize the storms that are raging against our standards, I am as sure as that I live that the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled, and that this work shall not fail, nor shall it be given to another people. I recognize however, with my brethren, that the sorest trials that have ever come to the Church in any age of the world are the trials of peace and prosperity. But we are not to do a new thing, a thing that never has before been done - we are to take the Church of Christ not only through the age of persecution and mob violence, but through the age of peace and prosperity. For we must learn to endure faithfully even in peace and prosperity.

I am not praying for the return of persecution and poverty. I am praying for peace and prosperity; but above all things for strength and power to endure this test. For it was not the design and the intention of the Lord to have this people always in suffering in bondage and distress. They shall come to peace and prosperity, but it is the sorest trial that will come to them. (Elder Melvil J. Ballard, April 1929 Conference Report, p. 66)"

We, of the household of God, are of the House of Israel. We are the covenant people of the Lord, given the fullness of the gospel in this last dispensation of times. Unlike the ancient Israel, we have all the keys and covenants that lead to exaltation and eternal life. Sometimes I wonder how many of us realise the significance of this. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in its fullness. The Book of Mormon along with the holy priesthood and its sacred ordinances attest to that. We are a favoured people and we have been given much so that we will not forget: sacrament, family home evening, daily prayer, scripture study, church and temple participation and bi-annual General Conferences.  All these religious practices keep us in remembrance of our God if we willingly partake.  President Kimball said this regarding the need to remember:

"You will always be in your sacrament meetings so that you will remember. When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember. Because all of you have made covenants - you know what to do and you know how to do it - our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day - to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that they 'may always remember Him and keep His commandments which he has given them'. Nobody should ever forget to go to sacrament meeting. Remember is the word. Remember is the program."
(Kimball, Spencer W., "Circles of Exaltation", Charge to Religious Educators, Second Edition, Salt Lake City, UT: Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Resolve to so live that you will forget not.