OUT OF MERCY AND BY WISDOM

As I study the scriptures I am continuously amazed about two things: 1. how merciful the Saviour is and 2. how incredibly wise He is. The Book of Mormon is replete with examples of both of these attributes of the Saviour but none more powerful than the restoration of the Church borne out of His mercy and accomplished through His wisdom. Following the Saviour's death and that of His apostles we learn in 1 Nephi chapter 13 that the efforts of 'the great and abominable church' destroyed the converting power of the Bible which gave Satan great power and caused many to stumble and be in an awful state of blindness. Bruce R McConkie has stated that 'all organizations of whatever name or nature - whether political, philosophical, education, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious - which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 137-38) fall in the category of 'the great and abominable church'.

The corruption of the Bible lay not only in interpretations of various men but in alterations and substantial deletions by "local churches of gentile composition, into whose hands the [Gospels] came at an early time [in the 70's and 80's A.D.] (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol. 7, Ch 2, p 26-7). The translation of Hebrew text to Greek "presented further problems such as scholastic incompetence and theological bias of the translators which caused them to change the meaning or paraphrase texts that were either unclear or embarrassing to them. Concrete terms in Hebrew came out as abstract terms in Greek. Expressions about God deemed by the Greek translators to be crude or offensive because they described Deity as the Holy Man that he is, rather than the immanent spirit they supposed him to be - were changed or toned down or deleted entirely. Passages setting forth the so-called anthropomorphic nature of Deity were simply assumed by the translators to be false and were translated, paraphrased, and changed accordingly...(Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p 403).

When Nephi wanted to know the things his father had seen (1 Nephi 11:1) he was not only shown the meaning of Lehi's dream but was given a panoramic vision of this world to the end of time (see 1 Nephi 14:18-30). Nephi was devastated when he saw the future of the promised land and the slain of his people (1 Nephi 15:5) but the Lord told him that his people will be the means of blessing the Gentiles who stumble in darkness because of the loss of the plain and precious things from the Gospel of the Lamb. He had devised a wise plan to counteract the cunning of the devil and He told Nephi about it: "I will manifest myself unto they seed, that they shall write many tings which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, an also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb. And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation" (1 Nephi 13:35-6). These writings of course became the Book of Mormon. Twice in this chapter the reason for this wise plan is preceded with "I will be merciful unto the Gentiles" (vs 33, 34). And God in His mercy employed His wisdom to carry out this plan beginning with a very important man.

This man was Christopher Columbus and what an amazing and godly man he was! He must have been given the mission to discover the new world and the remnant of 'Lehi's seed' before the foundation of this earth for the Lord made all the knowledge available to him in preparation for such an important task. What was the purpose of him discovering this new land? For the restoration of the plain and precious truths hid in a hill which had been lost from' the record of the Jews' (1 Nephi 13:23) and to bring the Gentiles out of 'the awful darkness' according to Christ's mercy (1 Nephi 13:32, 34). It needed to be a new land for the gospel to be restored for "if the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation [America], it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchial governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of this great kingdom. The Lord has done this" (President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], p 409). Speaking in his own words of his role in discovering a land that would offer religious freedom to all, Columbus said:

"From my first youth onward I was a seaman and have so continued until this day....The Lord was well disposed to my desire, and he bestowed upon me courage and understanding; knowledge of seafaring He gave me in abundance, of astrology as much as was needed, and of geometry and astronomy likewise. Further, He gave me joy and cunning in drawing maps and thereon cities, mountains, rivers, islands and harbours, each one in its place. I have seen and truly I have studied all books - cosmographies, histories, chronicles and philosophies, and other arts, for which our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my emprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed, But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me (Jacob Wasserman, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, pp 19-20, 46)

Speaking of the importance of the land of America and Columbus' role in its' discovery Orson Pratt, an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provides additional interesting insight:

"In those early and perilous times, our men were few, and our resources limited. Poverty was among the most potent enemies we had to encounter; yet our arms were successful; and it may not be amiss to ask here, by whose power victory so often perched on our banner? It was by the agency of that same angel of God that appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones and remains of towns, cities and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice of undeniable truth. This same angel presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our doings. He was in the camp of Washington; and, by an invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to open and prepare the way for the Church and kingdom of God to be established on the western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the salvation of the world.

This same angel was with Columbus, and gave him deep impressions, by dreams and by visions, respecting this New World. Trammelled by poverty and by an unpopular cause, yet his persevering and unyielding heart would not allow an obstacle in his way too great for him to overcome; and the angel of God helped him - was with him on the stormy deep, calmed and troubled elements, and guided his frail vessel to the desired haven. Under the guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water (Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, p 368, July 4, 1854)

I hope there was a degree of comfort in Nephi's heart, despite the destruction of his people, when he was shown the glorious future of the promised land and the power that would come upon those who embraced the covenants restored through a Gentile of the seed of Joseph (2 Nephi 3:7-15). His vision of the Church of the Lamb of God should also give us comfort amidst the evils of our day. Nephi saw that the saints' numbers in our day were few and that the devil gathered together multitudes of people among all nations to fight against the Church of God. There is, however, one thing that the multitudes who fight against the Church do not have while the saints do:

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory" (1 Nephi 14:14).

We are the covenant people. We are endowed with God's power with which we can defeat armies and nations who fight against the Church and will do so because the Kingdom of God will prevail, never to be taken from the earth again. The scriptures describe the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church as 'a great and a marvelous work' (1 Nephi 14:7, 3 Nephi 21:9). The Church is, however, not an empty constitution but an active institution of people without which it would not flourish. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained that the significance of the Church is two-fold:

"This church, the great institutional body of Christ, is a marvelous work and a wonder not only because of what it does for the faithful but also because of what the faithful do for it. Your lives are at the very heart of that marvel. You are evidence of the wonder of it all" (in Conference Report, Oct 1994, 42; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, p 32)

Remember: Satan might be marching with his armies to steal, kill and destroy but he does not have the power on his best day to take you out on your worst day....

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee,

but with great mercies will I gather thee"

3 Nephi 22:7

THE SORROWING HEART

We live in a fallen world. A world of pain, suffering, grief, sorrow and many other negative emotions and maladies of the mind and heart. It is for this purpose we were sent here, to experience and master the world of opposites; that in our experience with sorrow we might know joy. This world was made for the perfection of our experience; to shape, mould and perfect us that we might have joy in this life and the fullness of joy throughout our eternal existence. Without knowing mortality, we would never have known this fullness but would have languished in innocence and imperfection for eternity. It was therefore imperative that we became agents of our own fate whereby we could choose the outcome of our eternal station. In the process of choosing between right and wrong that would lead us to this outcome, is a necessary teaching tool known as sorrow. This sorrow is born from our inclination to indulge the natural man and is meant to lead us back from wayward paths to the path of accountability, purpose and wisdom. 

The sorrow spoken of here falls into two categories: the sorrow of the world and 'godly sorrow'. It is important for us to understand the distinction between the two because one can keep us trapped in misery while the other can grant us emotional and spiritual freedom. When we choose to be in the world and have no regard for God's laws, we are prone to experience worldly sorrow. The world is trapped in this type of sorrow which offers no peace and no redemption. When the Nephite civilization began it's demise into total destruction, many of them lamented the state they were in which gave Mormon great hopes that their sorrow would lead them to repentance. In this, Mormon was greatly disappointed because he records: "But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin" (Mormon 2:13). In other words, the Nephites sorrowed because they could not have it both ways; they could not live in sin and at the same time be happy. And herein is found one of Satan's biggest lies; that we are free to do whatever we want. Freedom of the heart, however, does not come with 'whatever we want'. Very often 'whatever we want' comes with sorrow. Today, in our attempt to prove that we are free to choose, we have surrounded ourselves by the sorrow of the world: lives devastated by drugs, cruelty, abusive behaviour, greed, selfishness, corruption, immorality, deceit and much more. Those who are of the world experience sorrow for their reckless behaviour when they are shocked into it by the consequences of their actions or when they are found out. 

Unlike worldly sorrow, godly sorrow leads to repentance and freedom. A truly repentant person will experience sorrow not only because of the cost of sin to themselves but also because they offended God. They can see clearly they have put in jeopardy the salvation of their soul, they come to regret their actions and their sorrowing results in a broken heart. This is godly sorrow. This sorrow brings about grieving that teaches us accountability and grows in us a desire to abstain from further sinning. Desisting the sin is simply not enough to effect true repentance because it does not bring about a change of heart. Merely desisting without godly sorrow means it is just a matter of time before we go back to the sin which has had us in its grip. When we experience godly sorrow, we show sincerity in our intentions to forsake the sin. This painful 'payment' acts as a perfect deterrent in the repentance process.

God's love for us is always there but when we are living a sinful life we distance ourselves from that love. Catastrophically, we also distance ourselves from our chance of salvation and ultimate exaltation. Repentance is perhaps the greatest proof of God's mercy towards His children. Not wanting to leave us in the fallen world forever He has provided the way for us to be reconciled to Him and be once more worthy of His presence. Repentance is crucial for this reconciliation. No unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God (3 Nephi 27:19) because God Himself is clean, pure and perfect therefore He cannot receive us into His presence if we are unclean and tainted by sin. But uncleanliness can be eradicated for those 'who have washed their garments in [Christ's] blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end' (3 Nephi 27:19). 

The path to reconciliation with God is in Christ. He is the healing in our wings and the path back to freedom and spiritual security. Because of Him we need not suffer the sorrow of the world but the sorrow that will bring us back to God. This is the sorrow that is worth the pain because it is momentary as opposed to the sorrow of the world that is never ending. "The delightful promise of the Gospel to those who 'sorrow after a godly sort' (2 Cor. 7:11) is complete forgiveness and reconciliation to God. There is a power in the Atonement of Christ that makes the repentant soul new again: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17-18). This dream of a new life, a new start, a new chance is made reality in the Atonement of Christ." (Breck England, NT Lesson 35, Be Ye Reconciled to God)

A bird 

Once broken

Can never fly,

They say,

Quite so high

Again.

Perhaps.

But as for me,

Now desperately

In need of mending,

I have a healer

Who would restore

These foolish wings

Without a scar.

I will lie quiet

Beneath His touch.

I will listen

As He whispers,

"Rise, and fall no more"

And then -

Then I shall

Soar.

- Carol Lynn Pearson

TO COMFORT THE COMFORTLESS

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee........I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.....I pray for them......that they may be one, even as we are one." (John 17)

As Jesus neared the dreaded hour when he would face His suffering in Gethsemane, where alone, forsaken, 'and without the pomp of crowds, he would win an infinite victory far greater than any defeat of Rome' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles p 165), he turned his attention to those whom He loved. Even though He faced the certainty of His own exquisite suffering, He sought to offer comfort to His devoted apostles and to prepare them not only for the dismal hours ahead but their own fate. That fate, though not remotely comparable to that of His own, the Saviour painted a bleak picture indeed for them whom the Father had given Him to carry on the work He had begun. Jesus warned the Apostles they will be put out of the synagogues (John 16:2) , meaning they would be excommunicated and persecuted; that whosoever killed them would think they were doing God a service (John 16:2); that they shall weep, lament and sorrow (John 16:20, 32); and they shall be scattered and have tribulation (John 16:32, 33). All these predicted and foretold tribulations the Apostles bore with dignity and faith. They were faithful to their divinely appointed callings even though they were often rejected, frequently imprisoned and even stoned and killed. 'They taught and testified and suffered and presided and waited patiently for the fulfillment of the promise that they would see Him again and that He would give unto them eternal life.' (Ted Gibbons, NT Lesson 24, This Is Life Eternal)

With what heavy heart the Saviour must have told them what they should expect once the earthly Kingdom He established was left in their hands. How He must have agonised knowing of their suffering for His sake, so much so that He prayed for them, interceding and pleading with the Father on their behalf, nevertheless, knowing that they could endure all things because they would not be alone. The Saviour promised them He would not leave them comfortless, that He would come to them (John 14:18) through the Comforter that the Father would send them in His name: the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, who shall teach them all things and bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them (John 14:26) . And so it was that on the Day of the Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled and the Holy Ghost found his abode with the members of the Church in the meridian of times; the power of the Holy Ghost being operative during the Saviour's ministry, but the gift of the Holy Ghost withheld until after the Saviour's resurrection (Bible Dictionary p 704): "While Jesus ministered among men, the gift [of the Holy Ghost] itself was temporarily withheld; one member of the Godhead dwelling with mortals sufficed. During that period, however, the Holy Ghost frequently spoke to righteous persons, as he did to Peter in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi. Just a few hours before Jesus went to Gethsemane and from there to the cross He told His disciples: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:7.) This promise -- that the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit would be available -- was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.280 - p.281).

When the Saviour offered the Intercessory Prayer, He did not only pray for His apostles but for all those who would believe in Him through their word (John 17:20). This means us. It also means that all the promises the Saviour made to His apostles, He also made to us. Not wanting to leave us comfortless Jesus made the staggering promise that the obedient would not only receive the comfort of the Holy Ghost but that of Himself as well (John 14:18-24). In addition to the two Comforters, we can also qualify to bask in the presence of God the Father from time to time and converse with Him face to face as one friend converses with another ( See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 150-151).

"These statements about the two Comforters climax and crown the teachings of the Son of God. We have no record of anything he ever said which can so completely withdraw the curtain of eternity and open to the faithful a vision of the glories of God. Based on love, born of obedience, Jesus promises the saints that they can have, here and now in this life, the following:

1. The gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost; the comfort and peace which it is the function of that Holy Spirit to bestow; the revelation and the sanctifying power which alone will prepare men for the companionship of gods and angels hereafter;

2. Personal visitations from the Second Comforter, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the resurrected and perfected being who dwells with his Father in the mansions on high; and

3. God the Father shall visit man in person, take up his abode with him, as it were, and reveal to him all the hidden mysteries of his kingdom.

(McConkie, DNTC, 1:735, The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, p 166)"

We live in a fallen world, a world where sin, wickedness and tribulation abounds; a world that has gone crazy with wanton indulgence and crime; a world where people's hearts are failing them; a world filled with terror, wars, natural disasters and frustrated efforts of mankind to avert them. Despite all this madness, Jesus has promised we can have peace amidst this turbulence: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)". After his death, the Prophet Joseph Smith appeared to Brigham Young and instructed him as follows: "Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord, they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world. Our Father in heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion. (Journal History, 23 February 1847)"

If we will but be obedient and come out of the world, the Lord's promise of peace is sure. If we will make ourselves worthy, the greatest gift to humanity second only to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of Truth, will lead us in paths of security and peace. It will bring comfort to our troubled souls and whisper secrets of eternity to bring us to a remembrance of things past and foster in us a longing to return there. We are not so far from home because those who have sent us here carry us in their hearts forever.

 The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

He will not, he cannot, desert to his foes.

That soul, though all hell shall endeavour to shake,

He'll never, no never, no never forsake!

("How Firm a Foundation", Hymns, 66)

MITES OF SORROWING WIDOWS

"It is estimated that if the widow's mite had been deposited at the "First National Bank, Jerusalem", to draw four percent interest semi-annually, the fund today would total $4,800,000,000,000,000,000,000. If a bank on earth could multiply the widow's mite to such an astronomical figure, think what treasures this dedicated woman will have in heaven where 'moth and rust doth not corrupt'."  - Author unknown

Following His final teaching in the Temple and withdrawing himself from the contentious mobs of men who were debating his words and who had rejected him, Jesus left the temple porches sorrowing only to behold a scene that would appease his heavy heart. As he seated himself  'over against the treasury' (Mark 12:41) He was afforded a view of the Court of the Women. Under the colonnades that surrounded this court were thirteen trumpet-shaped boxes into which various religious and charitable contributions were to be placed. Each of the trumpets bore an inscription that identified the object of the contributions placed therein. Daily temple sacrifices being concluded, Jesus observed as people gathered in the court with intent to pay their various offerings. Among the rich and affluent, desiring to be seen of men to be donating vast sums of money, Jesus spotted a poor widow, identified by her dress of mourning. One can only imagine the timidity with which she would have approached the donation boxes hoping against all hope that her scanty offering would not be seen for into the chest she dropped 'two mites', the smallest legal tender that could be given. Together, two mites are less than a farthing or about half a cent in American money. But this is all she had and yet by giving it away she had lived the law of sacrifice to the full because she had given her all.

What can we learn from the poor widow who had no income, no private health insurance, no single mother's pension or a family benefit allowance? Who had no protection of a male provider but yet had children to feed? Did she put her children's next meal at risk for the privilege of being found in the temple court donating the same as others? As any woman who has been an impoverished single mother would attest, parting with money for any reason is a nerve wrecking experience when you have children in your care. What then can we make of the window's sacrifice the day Jesus sat in the court of the Temple? It would be a correct assumption that the widow in question was someone who prized eternal life more than the riches of this life, valuing it even more than life itself. But could her small amount buy her such a priceless gift as eternal life? The message should be clear to us all - the sacrifice of the heart is far more valuable to God than any amount of money we contribute to His Kingdom for 'on the records kept by the angels of God in heaven, the meager gifts of faithful people far outweigh the ostentatiously bestowed largess of the rich who bestow their bounties to be seen of men; and that those who expend the Lord's money to build up his kingdom and further his interests should do so as though it all came from the mites of sorrowing widows' (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 411).

The story of the impoverished widow stands in high contrast to that of a rich young ruler, a devout young man, who had kept the commandments all his life and who knelt in front of the Saviour and asked: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" This is the question that was often asked of Jewish Rabbis in Jesus' time and Rabbis debated and discussed this question at great length. What the chosen people must do to gain eternal life was a dominant theme of discussion in all the Rabbinical schools and always the result of those discussions produced varying views and interpretations of the Mosaic and prophetic writings. If everyone had a different opinion of the matter, it is no wonder that the young ruler sought Jesus' view too. Despite his sincerity however, the way he addressed Jesus indicated that he believed that Jesus was only a great and good Rabbi and not the Messiah or Son of God that could give him the answer that would settle the matter once and for all. By saluting the Saviour as 'good Master' the young ruler acknowledged Him as more than a good Rabbi, whose wisdom was greater than all the rest but he avoided ascribing to him divine Messianic status. This is evident by the fact that 'there is no such thing in all of Jewish literature as addressing a Rabbi as good. It simply was not done in that day and there is no single instance of such an accolade in the whole of Talmud. Jesus, therefore, replied: "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God" Do not address me by the title good unless you acknowledge me as God....." (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 301)


When Jesus answered that to obtain eternal life, one must keep the commandments, the young ruler knowing the commandments of so many Rabbinical schools asked "yes, but which?" . In other words, 'everyone says to keep the commandments but I need to know the particulars'. By pausing the question in the first place, clearly he is suspecting there is something that he is lacking. The Saviour, 'beholding him loved him' (Mark 10:21), knew immediately what this young man lacked and what was his path to eternal life: the commandment that he finds the most difficult to keep. When Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give the proceeds to the poor, He was not telling this young man that his riches were his problem, but his inability to obey the second great commandment, to love thy neighbour as thyself. This the young ruler proved to be true for he walked away disillusioned because he loved his riches more than he loved his fellowmen. How much could he have done for the impoverished widow had he liquidated his goods and sought her out to lighten her burdensome load! And this alone would have been enough to secure for himself treasures in heaven reserved for those who inherit eternal life.

Riches are never the problem, but rather the trust in riches that is found at the center of one's heart, as opposed to trust in God. Why should we trust in God more than in the riches of this life? Because the riches of this life have no place in an infinite realm. Because they come with an expiration date. Because they are fleeting and because they are corruptible. Amassing earthly wealth is futile only to have to relinquish it when the day comes that one's soul is required of God (Luke 12:20). As Hugh Nibley recounted: "I think of Hisham, the mightiest palace an Arab ever built, just outside of Jericho....the prince took twenty-seven years to build it, and it was going to be the finest palace in the world. It was the finest palace; it was magnificent....The night he was to enter it for the housewarming, there came a great earthquake. He had a heart attack and died, and the palace was completely destroyed. They were going to have this big housewarming, and everybody was to come. After twenty-seven years, poof, that's what happened (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 2, Lecture 41, pp 5,6)."

Since the father offers us all that He has, we need to be willing to offer Him all that we have. It is the love of earthly riches as opposed to the riches of eternity that determines the course of one's destiny for 'eternal life can come to those only who put first in their lives the things of God's kingdom; who love the riches of eternity more than a handful of mortal pelf; who are willing to forsake all and follow Christ' (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p. 303). Abraham was exceedingly rich but God did not ask Abraham to place his riches on the alter of sacrifice because his riches were not at the center of his heart, but Isaac was. And so he was asked to sacrifice Isaac and Abraham obeyed, because as much as Abraham loved Isaac, he loved God more. Each one of us is called upon to forsake a prized possession or ardent desire for the sake of the testing process for 'every man has his own Gethsemane' (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 304).

It is a common Jewish proverb that not even in a dream could an elephant pass through the eye of a needle. Jesus used the figure of an equally gargantuan proportion, a camel, to stress the impossibility of a rich man entering into the kingdom of God. When his disciples were astonished by this declaration, Jesus elaborated:

"With men that trust in riches, it is impossible; but not impossible with men who trust in God and leave all for my sake, for with such all these things are possible" (JST Mark 10:26)

"We were in Canada. I was.....an attorney for an oil company and a manager of it. We were drilling wells and making money. I was at the moment up in the Canadian Rockies, way back from the highways. We were drilling there. Everything looked very prosperous. I woke very early one morning before daylight. I was troubled in my mind, and I didn't know the source or the reason for the trouble. And I began to pray, but didn't seem to get an answer. And I remembered that the Saviour was wont to go into the mountain tops frequently.....So thinking about this, I arose before daylight and went back up into the hills where I knew no one would be near. And when I got up on an advantageous point, I began to talk out loud. I was talking to God! Now, I do not mean that he was standing there listening to me or replying to me. But I mean from the center of my heart I was calling to him. 

Now my family were all in good health, all quite prosperous, and it looked as for myself that within a few days I would be a multi-millionaire. And yet, I was depressed. And up there on that mountain peak I said to him, 'O God, if what it seems is about to happen will happen, and if it is not to be for the best good of myself and my family and my friends, don't let it happen. Take it from me.' I said, 'Don't let it happen unless in your wisdom it is good for me'. Well, I left the mountains and came down to the camp. I got into my car and drove to the city of Edmonton. It was a Friday, and while I was driving I was thinking of what had happened. And I felt that there was something impending that I couldn't understand. When I arrived home, and after a bite to eat, I said to Sister Brown, 'I think I'll occupy the back bedroom because I'm afraid I'm not going to sleep'. Now I went in the bedroom alone and there, through the night, I had the most terrible battle with the powers of the adversary. I wanted to destroy myself. Not in the sense of suicide; but something within me was impelling me to wish that I could cease to be.......It was terrible. The blackness was so thick you could feel it. Sister Brown came in later in the night, toward morning in fact, wanting to know what was the matter. And when she closed the door, she said, 'What's in this room?' And I said, 'Nothing but the power of the devil is in this room'. And we knelt together by the bedside and prayed for release. We spent the night together, the balance of it. And in the morning I went down to my office. It was Saturday now and there was no one there. And in going into the office, I knelt by a cot and asked God for deliverance from the darkness that had enveloped me. And coming from somewhere, there was an element of peace, the kind of peace that rests on the souls of men when they make contact with God. And I called Sister Brown and said, 'Everything is all right, or is going to be!"

That night at 10.00 o'clock, October 1953 - the telephone rang. Sister Brown answered. She called me and said, 'Salt Lake's calling' and I wondered who could be calling me from that far away. I took the phone and said, 'Hello'. 'This is David O. McKay calling, The Lord wants you to give the balance of your life to Him and His Church. We are in a conference of the Church. The concluding session will be tomorrow afternoon. Can you get here?'  I told him I couldn't get there because there were no planes flying, but I would get there as soon as possible. I knew that a call had come. And the call came after this awful conflict with the adversary. And when he said, 'The Lord wants you to give the balance of your life to the Church', I knew that it meant giving up the money; it meant that I'd turn everything over to someone else and go to Salt Lake without monetary remuneration.

Since that time, I've been happier than ever before in my life. The men with whom I was associated have made millions. And yet, when one of them was in my office not long ago in Salt Lake, he said, 'I am worth at least seven million dollars. I would gladly give every dollar of it to you if you could give me what you have. I can't buy it with money, but I'd like to have what you have. What you have is peace of soul, and I cannot buy that with money'. (Hugh B. Brown, 'Eternal Progression', Address to the student body, Church College of Hawaii, 16 October 1964, pp 8-10)

ON THE ROAD TO JERICHO

"My father, a printer, worked long and hard practically every day of his life. I’m certain that on the Sabbath he would have enjoyed just being at home. Rather, he visited elderly family members and brought cheer into their lives. One was his uncle, who was crippled by arthritis so severe that he could not walk or care for himself. On a Sunday afternoon Dad would say to me, ‘Come along, Tommy; let’s take Uncle Elias for a short drive.’ Boarding the old 1928 Oldsmobile, we would proceed to Eighth West, where, at the home of Uncle Elias, I would wait in the car while Dad went inside. Soon he would emerge from the house, carrying in his arms like a china doll his crippled uncle. I then would open the door and watch how tenderly, and with such affection, my father would place Uncle Elias in the front seat so he would have a fine view while I occupied the rear seat. The drive was brief and the conversation limited, but oh, what a legacy of love! Father never read to me from the Bible about the good Samaritan. Rather, he took me with him and Uncle Elias in that old 1928 Oldsmobile along the road to Jericho."  (President Thomas S. Monson, Hallmarks of a Happy Home, Ensign, Nov. 1988, p 70,71)".

"....A certain man went down to Jerusalem from Jericho, 

and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, 

and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead" (Luke 10:30)

When a certain lawyer wishing to test Jesus, to see how He as a Rabbi would answer one of the points of debate in the Rabbinical schools, he asked Him the following question: "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25). Jesus recounted to Him a parable in which He, by no chance, made the hero of the story a Samaritan. Jesus asked the lawyer what was written in the law of Moses regarding his question and the lawyer answered perfectly: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself" (Luke 10:27). The question, however, had not been asked to gain information but rather in the hope that Jesus would not give the right answer, Him not being a qualified Rabbi (John 7:15). When Jesus therefore affirmed the truth of the lawyer's answer, the lawyer pressed him further by asking Him who exactly was 'my neighbour'. This too was asked in an effort to discredit Him, for he knew full well that Jesus and the other Rabbis differed widely as to who fell in the category of a neighbour as Jesus had taught His followers: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love your neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt 5:43,44) . To the Jews, their neighbours were the members of the House of Israel and no other. The Gentiles and all who opposed the Jewish people were considered enemies. The Saviour constructed the Parable of the Good Samaritan in such a way because centuries after Moses issued the law to 'love thy neighbour', the rabbis, in laying down for the people narrow and uninspired interpretations of this command, wrote the following: "We are not to contribute to the death of the Gentiles, but if they are in any danger of death we are not bound to deliver them, e.g. if any of them fall into the sea you need not take him out, for such a one is not thy neighbour." (Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, p. 751).  By the time Jesus was born the hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews, which had been growing for centuries, was at its peak. The Samaritans were a mixed people, in whom the blood of Israel was mingled with that of the Assyrians and other nations thus they were not recognised as pure Israelites by their Jewish neighbours ("The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 38). "To the orthodox Jew of the time, a Samaritan was more unclean than a Gentile of any other nationality" (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 172) hence a Samaritan could never be considered a neighbour.

Not only did the Saviour discredit the Rabbinic law of his day by the Parable of the Good Samaritan pointing out rather blatantly that both the priest and the Levite within the story had dishonoured their priesthood and brought disgrace upon their nation by not assisting their fellowman in most dire need but he elevated the hated Samaritan, who was considered an enemy, to the status of a neighbour who chose to make a half-dead Jew his brother (McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 3, p. 179). When Jesus asked the lawyer: "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?", the lawyer could not deny that this honour belonged to the Samaritan who showed mercy.

As we travel through life, we will find ourselves on the road to Jericho, from time to time, on which we will encounter many people with different needs; beggars on the street, struggling single mothers, grieving widows, abused children, impoverished families and men, women and children of all nationalities and of all races. The Parable of the Good Samaritan invites us to ask ourselves who we consider to be our neighbour. It is easy to love the lovelies but not so easy to love those with differing views, those who do not live up to our standards, those who mock us or revile us or even those who purposefully hurt us or those who are just plain 'different'. Do we elevate ourselves above others deeming them unworthy of our association or do we actively seek out those in need, no matter how lowly they might seem? Do we allow prejudice or racism to dictate our actions towards our fellowmen? The Saviour made no distinction between those He served. He associated with publicans and sinners alike and those who needed Him most. And when He atoned for us, He atoned for us all, without any exceptions. When we stood in line to receive His redeeming grace, we all received an equal portion, there was no favouritism there. And when we return home to receive our reward, we will find ourselves amongst black and white, rich and poor, small and great; in short, all who constitute the human family. May we reach out to each other in brotherhood and love that we may be found worthy to one day inhabit together our Father's Kingdom  reserved for the merciful, and the kind, and the loving and the humble and the penitent. 

"Bishop Victor L. Brown told this story to employees of the Church Education System on 9 September 1983. A lesson [on the Good Samaritan] was in a seminary class . . . in Korea. The sequel is told about a student who was in that class. This boy’s father was a physician and a rather affluent man. One day one of the father’s friends called and asked if he were having financial difficulty. His response was that everything was fine. “But why do you ask?” The friend said, “I saw your son selling newspapers on the street corner in Seoul the other day.” The father replied, “It couldn’t have been my son. He has a liberal allowance and has no need for additional money.” The friend said, “I walked up to him and talked to him, and it was your son.” When the boy got home from school that day, his father asked him about the incident. He indicated that he had been selling newspapers. His father asked, “Isn’t your allowance sufficient? Do you need more money?” When the son responded that his allowance was adequate, the father asked, “Then why are you selling newspapers?” He said, “There is a boy in our class at school who comes from a very poor family, and he must have help if he is to stay in school. Each week I have taken my allowance and bought newspapers. I, along with some of my friends, sell the newspapers and give the money to this boy so he may remain in school.” In addition the son had asked his mother to increase the size of the lunch she packed for him each day. She didn’t question him about this; I suppose she thought that as a growing teenager, he was just extra hungry. He told his father that this boy from the poor family went hungry, so he shared his lunch with him. The father asked, “Why are you doing these things?” He replied, “In seminary we have been studying the lesson of the Good Samaritan. I didn’t just want to know what the lesson taught intellectually. I wanted to know how it felt to be a Good Samaritan.”

SEEKING THE KINGDOM

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto the, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23)

When Jesus atoned for the sins of the world, he had an amazing insight into each person who will ever grace this earth; into their problems, capabilities, mental and emotional states and into their very heart. Because of this He knows what makes us tick, what makes us do what we do, He knows our desires, our thoughts and our motives. It is correct to say that He knows us better than we know ourselves because even we sometimes don't know things that are hidden in our subconscious that drive us to certain behaviours. When Joseph Smith was translating the Bible he made the most significant correction to the above verse of scripture which now reads "you never knew me" instead of "I never knew you". This gives us a much clearer understanding of our relationship to the Saviour of the world. Because of the Atonement, He knows us and He will always know us but we on the other hand can very easily misunderstand what it means to know Him and to eventually enter His kingdom. Clearly from the above scripture, only doing as Christ did will not get us there.

By telling us what will not get us into the kingdom of heaven, He also told us what will: instead of laying up for ourselves treasures on this earth, He admonished us to lay up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21). What are these treasures we can lay up in heaven whilst we are here in mortality? If it is not what we do, then it must be what we are: "Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy and truth, will find these same attributes restored to them again in immortality (Alma 41:13-15)" (McConkie, DNTC, 1:239-40, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, Student Manual, p. 58). Jesus confirmed this truth by giving us a further admonition to be 'perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect' (Matt 5:48). It has been our destiny from the beginning of time to become exalted to godhood, in other words, to become perfect and complete even as our Father is. Without this perfection we cannot enter His kingdom. In the words of Joseph Smith: "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens and men have got to learn how to be Gods.....the same as all Gods have done before...." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 345-46).  No man, however, can achieve this lofty ideal on his own merits. 

Because it is not in our power to attain perfection on our own, God in his mercy has provided a way for us to do so. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invited his disciples to enter in at the 'strait gate' and thereby follow the course to eternal life (Matt 7:13,14). The gate is 'strait' because it is narrow and restricted but the path is both 'strait' and 'straight'. Where 'straitness' has reference to width, 'straightness' has reference to direction, this direction being invariable and always the same for 'there are no crooked paths or tangents leading to the kingdom of God' (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 769). It is at this gate that perfection has to have its beginning. It is here that it must begin and it is now, whilst in mortality. The supreme standard of the Lord's expectation for us to become perfect as our Father is, is rather daunting considering the reality of our imperfections and our mortal weaknesses. However, as the Saviour used our Father in Heaven who is perfect, complete and finished in his glorified state, as the example of perfection, He has by this suggested a broader perspective of this commandment. Joseph Smith taught that we will work out our salvation and exaltation beyond the grave. This gives us a clear indication that perfection in this life is not attainable. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: "We have to become perfect to be saved in the celestial kingdom. But nobody becomes perfect in this life. Only the Lord Jesus attained that state, and He had an advantage that none of us has. He was the Son of God, and He came into this life with a spiritual capacity and a talent and an inheritance that exceeded beyond all comprehension what any of the rest of us was born with.....We enter in at a gate, and the name of the gate is repentance and baptism. We thereby get on a path, and the name of the path is the straight and narrow path. And then if we endure to the end, meaning if we keep the commandments of God after baptism, we go up that straight and narrow path, and at its end is a reward that is named eternal life. All of this is available because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ" (Bruce R. McConkie as quoted in Bruce Satterfield, The Sermon On the Mount: A More Excellent Way, Meridian Magazine).

   

Indeed, because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and by virtue of our faith in Him, we can travel this road that leads to the Kingdom of God. The enabling power that makes this possible is called 'grace'. Once the strait gate is entered and sacred covenants made between God and man, we are then endowed with the saving grace which enables us to reach perfection as the Saviour and our Father did. President Harold B. Lee taught: "The 'saving grace' of the Lord's atoning power is extended to those who would receive the saving ordinances of the gospel". "Through the ordinance of baptism, we receive the divine grace of forgiveness that qualifies us to receive spiritual rebirth through the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now spiritually reborn, we must then grow up to godhood. This will require further enabling power through divine grace or mercy. This grace comes through the higher ordinances of the temple. Each ordinance and covenant made in the temple helps us to receive more grace that enables us to become like God ( (Bruce Satterfield, The Sermon On the Mount: A More Excellent Way, Meridian Magazine).

The steps to perfection come with the enabling power of Christ so none of us can claim that we cannot possibly achieve the lofty ideal of godhood and perfection. The way has been prepared and put in place for those of us who choose to follow the Redeemer of the world. When we make that choice we build our tabernacle of clay on 'the rock' of his teachings. Jesus said that anyone who hears his teachings and does not abide by them is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand (Matt 7:26,27). He has no hope of surviving the spiritual battle of this life, let alone attaining perfection. And why would we want perfection? Because 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which god hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Cor 2:9). One day we will receive this reward because of our faithfulness and His undeniable grace. We will enter into His rest and His kingdom and then and there we will finally come to understand that 'Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). We will joy in our perfections and in our exalted glory, having overcome the world and having gained eternal life with our posterity and all the riches of eternity. It is our promise, it is our right, it is our sacred destiny.

KING OF KINGS

We can find in the Gospel of Matthew the detailed father-to-son genealogy linking Joseph to King David. As Joseph was a cousin to his espoused wife Mary, Joseph's genealogy is basically Mary's genealogy too. Jesus, Mary's son, therefore, inherited from his mother royal blood and the right to David's throne. Had the tribe of Judah that Jesus was born into been a free and independent nation at the time of His birth, Jesus would have been born the King of the Jews. Instead Jesus was born of the lowliest birth  into the most humble of circumstances, his divinity heralded by angels to only a group of shepherds, announcing a less than majestic birth of a true Shepherd and the King of Kings. When Jesus was brought before Pilate accused of proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews, His response to Pilate was: "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). During his mortal life, Jesus was not interested in an earthly kingdom. His interests were not political aspirations or desire to gain power. What He was interested in was establishing a kingdom of loyal subjects who would take upon themselves His name and proclaim him their God and the King of their salvation.

When Daniel found himself in Babylon serving King Nebuchadnezzar,  he interpreted the King's disturbing dream through revelation from God. This dream had to do with earthly kingdoms who have come and gone and had no power of endurance. By the time Christ was born, Egyptians had been conquered by Assyrians, Assyrians by Babylonians, Babylonians by Persians, Persians by Greeks and Macedons and Greeks and Macedons by Romans. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream the kingdoms were portrayed by an image of a man signifying man made kingdoms of this earth. Each part of the image represented a different kingdom, the last being feet and toes that stood for 10 modern governments born from the Roman Empire. We know these kingdoms today as the 'crowned heads of Europe'. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw the image of the kingdoms broken into pieces by a stone cut out without hands (Daniel 2:34) meaning not a man made stone but divinely crafted by God representing a kingdom that the God of heaven shall set up, that shall never be destroyed, that would consume all other kingdoms and that shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44). This dream and prophecy was fulfilled in 1820 through the restoration of the Gospel.

The enduring nature of the kingdom begun in 1820 is intended to cover the whole earth and prepare it for the Millennial reign when Jesus will return and be at last crowned King of Kings bringing with Him peace and prosperity to his loyal subjects. Why the title King of Kings? Because no other kingdom that has ever existed will equal His in scope and perfection. Christ's kingdom will end political mayhem and oppression doing away with human foibles and man's wisdom. It will end crime, poverty, sickness, sorrow, death, killing, calamities, natural disasters and all evil. No other king has ever had the power to affect change of such proportion. We live in a troubled world: politically, religiously and morally. Governments are failing to safeguard our economies, law and order and the moral fibre of our society. Our judicial system, comprised of imperfect men who are exercising earthly wisdom are failing to protect the innocent in our society. We have witnessed this truth only this week as a madman was allowed to walk our streets free and inflict terror on the citizens of our city. The world is deep in sin and ripening for destruction. We are guilty of gross moral and ethic transgressions: human trafficking, sexual exploitation, abuse of children, thieving, murder, rape, greed, abuse of power, bondage and many atrocities that I couldn't even name. It always fascinates me when I sit in Church lessons where the coming of the Saviour is portrayed as something we should dread. Why are we anticipating the Saviour's return with trapidation? How long have we waited for Him? Long enough to warrant scorn from non-believers. Should we not look forward to His return with eagerness and joy? Instead of discussing in class how Daniel saved the day by interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream should we not focus on the hope of the Millennial day, what that dream was really about? I feel that if we familiarised ourselves with the condition of the Millennial reign we would desperately await His coming with eagerness and joy.

It is true that when He comes, the Saviour will exercise judgment on the wicked but for the loyal subjects of His Kingdom, He will bring love, mercy, peace and joy because that's who He is. He will be eager to see us and press us to his bosom. Should we not be longing for this? Recently I sat in the Gospel Doctrine class where a question was asked: "If you knew that the Saviour was coming tomorrow what would you change in your life?" Of course, there were many answers indicating much needed personal change. The answer to this question should be: nothing! There is nothing you could do in one day to change your life in a drastic way. One of the answers was - doing more missionary work. How much missionary work could you do in one day that would make up for years of not doing it??? If the Saviour was coming tomorrow, there is nothing you could change, it would be too late. Should we not instead put on a party to welcome Him back, to let Him know that He is wanted and needed to fix this sad telestial world we find ourselves in, to take away our sorrows and dry our tears, to fix the broken hearted, to give us much needed peace?

Who is this King of Kings that will come to reign in righteousness for a thousand years? He is known by many names because He is a God of  many perfect attributes but mostly He is a God of love and mercy and justice. He will come to claim His own and when He does every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ. And when He comes we will hail Him as our God and our King, the King of Kings, known by majestic names such as these:

Jehovah

Jesus Christ

The Lord

The Son of God

The Son of the Eternal Father

The Lamb

The Shepherd

Redeemer

Almighty God

The God of Israel

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

The Lord of Hosts

The Holy one of Israel

The Redeemer of Israel

King Immanuel

The Eternal God

The Redeemer of the World

Holy One

The Saviour

The Mighty One of Jacob

The Mighty One of Israel

Messiah

The Lord God

The God of Hosts

The Prince of Life

The Lord of Glory

Eternal King

Lord God Almighty

The Son of Righteousness

The Lord of Hosts

Alpha and Omega

The Great I Am

The Stone of Israel

Holy Messiah

I Am

The Great Mediator

Son Ahman

Firstborn

King of Glory

The Lord God of Hosts

The Father of Heaven and Earth

The Creator of All Things

Wonderful

Counselor

The Mighty God

The Everlasting Father

The Prince of Peace

TO RESCUE AND TO SAVE

 

After a few of the usual Sunday hymns, the church's pastor stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon that evening. briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening.  In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak:

A father and a son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized. 

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story.

Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life - to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out. "I love you son!", he threw the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells in to the black of night. His body was never recovered.

By this time, the teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for he next words to come out of the old minister's mouth.

The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line He is throwing out to you.

With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story", politely stated one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."

"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see, I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."

- Author Unknown

The Father gave us the perfect example of sacrifice when He sent His only begotten Son so that we might through Him be saved. Such a sacrifice might be unfathomable to our finite minds but to Him, sacrificing the one that all might be saved was worth the momentary pain. Imagine as a parent standing to lose all your children to eternal death never to feel their presence again. By not sacrificing one, the Father stood to lose us all. This was unthinkable to Him who desires not only to save us but to make us equal to Him in might, power and glory. As a parent you want the very best for your children; the best house, the best job, the best companion, the best situations in life, and most of all you want them to be happy. Does your heart not break when your children are suffering? You want to save them from the dangers and harshness of this world and so you want to give them everything to ensure their well being and happiness. What we can give our children though is not even a tenth of a tenth compared to what the Father can give us. Paul said to the Corinthians that "....eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

If God so loved us that He would sacrifice his only begotten Son, should we not love one another "...for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8).  This law was decreed by Him who has also loved us with a perfect love which enabled His sacrifice for the souls of men for "greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). The Son, "having finished his preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:19), having saved them from the depths of the deep, has charged us to love and save one another, for if we labour all our days and save even one soul, how great shall be our joy with him in kingdom of our Father (D&C 18:15).

Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled;
Loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

- Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876