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)

A PRICELESS GIFT PART 2

 

I wrote yesterday about the priceless gift the Saviour has given to His Church, that of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This is why I consider it the greatest gift to me. My favourite section of the Doctrine and Covenants is Section 76. In it the Saviour gives us, the members of His church, an incredible promise. It is this:

“I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honour those who serve me….to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come….yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know….. yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man…….and their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish…. (v 5-10)

This promise is my holy grail. I don’t know if it is a curse or a blessing to be a deep thinker. I think deeply and I yearn to known the truths of eternity. For this reason, the Holy Ghost is to me a priceless gift because He has enlightened my understanding as I have searched the scriptures for many years. He is my revealer and testifier of truth.

And this is a wonderful thing, the promise ‘to know’ was not made to the leaders of the Church excluding the membership. This promise is to all.

Immediately following the receipt of this promise, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were privileged to receive understanding of the things of God, and upon meditation of the same, the promise was fulfilled by granting them a vision of the Father and the Son of which Joseph and Sidney bore record to the world (v 11-21-23).

The entire Section 76 is filled with amazing doctrinal knowledge which was revealed to these two men. Their entire experience was given to them for the purpose of bearing their testimony to the Church and to the world that God and His Son live, that they are real and that the Church contains the fulness of the gospel.

It is my belief that the Holy Ghost will reveal to us things of eternity according to our capacity to receive them and to the fulfilling our purpose in this life. If it is not necessary for us to have visions, we won’t have visions but we will receive understanding of things we did not understand before that will be of benefit to us in some way. It will serve a purpose.

The mysteries of the kingdom are many and varied. They are things we do not yet understand, hence the name ‘mystery’. As members of the Church, we understand many mysteries that people of the world do not, because of the ministry of the Holy Ghost,  and we will receive even more if we are but worthy.

We are privileged to study the Doctrine and Covenants this coming year. Knowing the true doctrine of Christ in this world of confusion, false ideologies and interpretations of men which are leading many astray, it is one of our greatest privileges to be taught by the Holy Ghost by whom we shall know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5).

Joseph Smith once admonished the sisters of Relief Society thus: “…..If you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates…..”

When the Holy Ghost takes up his abode with us, he lifts us higher in truth which leads to greater righteousness and causes us to stand on higher ground. This is where the angels are…..

I think Joseph spoke from experience. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ascension by Danny Hahlbohm)

THE INFALLIBLE BOOK OF MORMON

 

I am often amazed at the critics of The Book of Mormon, especially those who claim they have read it and do not believe it. I do not understand how anyone who has read such a spiritually charged book could disclaim it. The only explanation I can come up with is this: “….when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1). Notice how Nephi says the Holy Ghost carries the truth UNTO people’s hearts and not INTO. The message can only ever penetrate the heart of the hearer if the hearer allows it. And because of this “….there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught” (v 2). In other words, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. (See also "Seek Learning by Faith by Elder David A. Bednar, Ensign Sept 2007, 61-68).

If you have ever had suspicions that an uneducated man such as Joseph Smith, or anyone else,  could have written “the full-blown history of an ancient people, following them through all the trials, triumphs, and vicissitudes of a thousand years without a break, telling how a civilization originated, rose to momentary greatness, and passed away, giving due attention to every phase of civilized history in a densely compact and rapidly moving story that interweaves dozens of plots with an inexhaustible fertility of invention and an uncanny consistency that is never caught in a slip or contradiction” (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.7, Ch.6, pp.137, 138), I offer the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland for consideration:

"[I only] say what so many have said before: that if Joseph Smith–or anyone else, for that matter–created the Book of Mormon, that to me is a far greater miracle than the proposition that he translated the book from ancient records with an endowment of divine power to do so. Has anyone here ever tried to write anything? Have you ever, with your degrees and libraries and computers and research assistants, ever tried to write anything anyone could stand to read? Even if you have, my guess is you haven’t succeeded at writing anything anyone would read more than once, or say it changed their lives, or say that were willing to leave family and fortune and future for–and then do it.

You thought it was tough to have your dissertation committee grill you for a couple of hours? How about tossing your piece of work to the most hostile–and learned–of enemies for, say, 164 years (just to pull a number out of the air). Go ahead. Put that terrific master’s thesis of yours out there under a microscope for everyone to kick and gouge and attack for a century or two, and let’s see how marvelous that university-produced accomplishment of yours really was. After a little of that, are you still standing by the divinity and immortality of your work? Is anybody still reading it?

In light of all this, as it applies to the Book of Mormon which is still changing human lives and still moving moral mountains, and as one who has tried to write a line or two of both poetry and prose and failed miserably, I want to meet the author of this work whoever it is. I want to praise first hand such a remarkably gifted writer. Surely in 164 years there must be someone willing to step forward– you know, the “real” author–claiming credit for such a remarkable document and all that has transpired in its wake…..Well, the simple fact of the matter is no other origin for the Book of Mormon has ever come to light because there isn’t one. A bad man could not have fabricated such an inspiring book and a good man would not have done so" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, CES Symposium, BYU Marriott Center, 9 August 1994).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mormon Abridging the Plates by Jon McNaughton)

BEING UNSHAKEABLE

 

 

Could we have a better example of steadfastness in the Book of Mormon than Jacob, the brother of Nephi? His valiant defeat of the anti-Christ Sherem is the prime example of his unshakeable faith.

 

Immediately at the beginning of his narration, Jacob made it clear that Sherem pursued an empty goal to ‘shake him from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which he had seen such as angels who had ministered to him and hearing the voice of the Lord…..therefore he could not be shaken’ (Jacob 7:5). And herein begins the formula for guarding against deceit. Imagine being so spiritually healthy and in tune that you see angels and hear the voice of the Lord! Which one of us would not want that???

 

In today’s world of social media, anti-Mormon literature abounds. Those who are convinced of the propaganda they generate are ever zealous to prove us wrong in believing our doctrine. It can be stressful and unnerving. Knowing the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets goes a long way to ensuring we are impervious to attempts of deceit but Jacob goes further to show us an impenetrable shield of faith to withstand falsehoods. He states that ‘the Lord poured his Spirit into his soul’ to enable him to confound Sherem in his words (Jacob 7:8) and then the very sure, ultimate way, of knowing the truth: “it has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Jacob 7:12).

 

Knowing the scriptures and the teaching of the prophets is a start but the ultimate way to conviction is the power of the Holy Ghost. Once you know by this power, you know…. and nobody can convince you otherwise. This is the power by which Jacob knew if Christ would not come and “there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost” (v12)…….and because he knew, he could not be shaken. The Holy Ghost is the witness, the testator of truth, the illuminator of our path. We should crave his presence constantly in the caverns of our hearts.

Whereas Jacob defeated the anti-Christ, he did something even more noble……he influenced his son Enos to believe the truth which he himself was convinced of. This was his greatest legacy…passing on his testimony to his posterity. Enos hungered for a remission of his sins. This hunger came from remembering the words which his father often spoke about eternal life (Enos 1:3,4). So Enos prayed and received a remission of his sins, hoping that one day he will hear :"Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father" (Enos 1:27). This hope he owed to his father Jacob, the brother of Nephi, the defender of the faith, the foe to the anti-Christ, Jacob the believer.   

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jacob the Teacher by Elspeth C. Young)

TAUGHT FROM ON HIGH

 

I am amazed at how many voices there are in the world today due to technology. I guess I am one of them, for which I am profoundly grateful as expressing my love for the truth is my driving force.

 

What concerns me is that some of the voices out there are replacing the most important voice of all, the voice of the Spirit. Let me explain. I have friends who have given up reading the scriptures because podcasts by people who study them are so much easier to ‘listen’ to. This is a grave mistake, not only because you miss out on being tutored by heaven, which I highly recommend, but also because you are at the risk of being misinformed by people’s well intentioned interpretations of the truth.

 

For example, let me discredit one false theory that is circulating right now concerning the 10 Lost Tribes. For some reason, even some self-proclaimed Church ‘scriptorians’ have decided that it is too hard to believe the 10 Tribes of Israel are really lost simply because ‘we don’t know where they are’. They instead believe that these tribes are merely scattered around the world amongst other people. Many members I know have started to believe this.  Firstly, this is partly true because, not all of the 10 tribes were led away by the Lord into the land of the north (D&C 110:11). When Assyrians attacked the Northern Kingdom of Israel, many fled to the safety of the Southern Kingdom; some remained in the Northern Kingdom and intermarried with Assyrians and thus became the Samaritans; and some abandoned their journey north and were scattered throughout Europe and Asia. 

 

On April 3, 1836, Moses appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple and committed to them the keys of the gathering of Israel, specifically from ‘the four parts of the earth, AND the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north” (D&C 110:11). Section 133 goes one step further and explains the manner in which they will come back (vs 26,27).  It says that their prophets will hear the Lord’s voice; they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence; and a ‘highway’ shall be cast up ‘in the midst of the great deep’. And what is this highway? If you look down in the footnotes, you will see a reference to Exodus 14:29 which talks about the parting of the Red Sea for the children of Israel to walk through on dry ground to escape the Egyptians. Clearly the ‘highway’ then means the Lord will perform the same miracle for the 10 Lost Tribes to come to America to receive their blessings at the hands of Ephraim. This undertaking will be so massive and so grand that Jeremiah promised that the God will no longer be called the Lord who led the children of Israel out of Egypt but the Lord who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north (Jeremiah 16:14-15). These scriptures are discussed at length in the Doctrine and Covenants student manual which I would highly recommend.

 

My point is this: make the scriptures your foundation of knowledge and then when you hear other people speak, you will know what is true. My most favourite section of D&C is section 76. It promises that faithful saints will be given to know the ‘wonders of eternity’ and that their understanding will ‘reach to heaven’ (D&C 76:6-10). This can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Ghost.  All the general conference talks are backed by the scriptures. Ponder, pray, study and cherish the word of God. It is food for the soul and salve to the heart. Listen to the spirit and trust it.

 

Your truth pierces my soul

And binds me to Your loving heart;

Your teaching moments

Find my hungry mind

And feed me like a bird in flight

Searching for a morsel

That gladdens its hungry heart.

Your mysteries are laid at my feet

And, I come to you Father

Clutching the riches that are mine to keep.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Outpouring of the Spirit by Danny Hahlbohm)

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

There is much talk today about the Universe among the modern day philosophers who seek to promote the law of attraction. One of their theories is that you should not ask for anything because that sends the message to 'the Universe' that you are lacking and putting out the message of lack attracts lack. In other words, whatever you say and think attracts the like because the Universe 'seeks' to match the vibrations which you send it which suggests that the Universe is mindless. They argue that words like 'want' and 'hope' should be eradicated from our vocabulary because they contribute to the lack mentality. Rather, they reason, when in need of something you should think and speak as if you already have it. Whereas imagining and saying that we already have what we want is a great way to exercise faith, it should in reality be the method employed after we ask and not a method that replaces asking. Consider the story of Lehi who said "I have obtained a land of promise" (1 Nephi 5:5) after God had revealed it to him and before he set foot on the American continent.

Whereas laws have been placed in the Universe that allow us to receive according to our actions and obedience (D&C 130:20,21), there is a huge flaw with the world's theory of the 'mindless Universe'. The law of attraction largely surpasses God in the equation because it eliminates the action of asking encouraging us to believe we will get it no matter what. It suggests the Universe is an entity devoid of the mind of God. It also surpasses and denies the mediator in whose name we have the right to approach God and place our petitions before Him. These two factors combine to perpetrate a gross violation of the spiritual law to love God and glorify Him through His Son. The world tells us we do not need to believe in God so we are led to have faith in His creation rather than Him. Because the Universe can be seen and there is scientific proof of it, it is easier to worship it and ignore the very first commandment, to love God.

Jesus said to His disciples: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13). By asking in Christ's name we acknowledge Him and His supreme role in our lives as our Creator and our Saviour. By acknowledging Christ, we acknowledge the Father and glorify His name (John 14:9,10).

I know there are many pragmatic people in the world who prefer to have faith in practicality of life and their own capabilities rather than exercise faith in a being who they cannot see and do not understand the workings of.  How can we comprehend God and his ability to be mindful of all His children and attend to so many of us at the same time? There is an interesting scripture that could offer an explanation for this. When Moses saw God face to face, God gave him a vision of the earth and every living soul that belonged to it and 'their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore' (Moses 1:27-8). The interesting part is this: The scripture says 'there was NOT A SOUL which he beheld not' (v 28). it does not say that he saw masses of people but that he saw souls. Now how could Moses see numberless people, individually, in such a short time, perhaps even all at once? The scripture goes on to say that he discerned them by the spirit of God. This gives us somewhat of a glimpse into the mind of God and how it works, because it is clear that God's spirit allowed Moses to see things the way God sees them. This would suggest that God is able to entertain multiple thoughts simultaneously. He does not think one thought at the time like we do. If He can think multiple thoughts at once, that means He can have more than one child on his mind at any given time too and know their thoughts and hear their prayers all at once. This could also explain how Christ, being God, could atone for infinite number of people at one time without losing individual focus (see "The Infinite Atonement" by Tad R. Callister)

We of the finite minds and finite world do not understand what it means to be a God and the power and capabilities that lie within godhood. Beyond the realm of our finite limitation lies faith. Without that limitation we would be as gods, understanding as they do and knowing as they know. This is our goal and our destination, but for now it is our responsibility to recognise the path that will get us there and in the process to glorify the Father through His Son who has proclaimed: "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). We cannot bypass the reverence that He so fully deserves. This is the path and there is no other; this is the way and there is none else; He is the way, the truth, the life....

THE GREAT ONES

I am tired of sailing my little boat

Far inside of the harbour bar;

I want to be out where the big ships float –

Out in the deep, where the great ones are!

And should my frail craft prove too slight

For storms that sweep those wide seas o’er,

Better go down in the stirring fight

Than drowse to death by the sheltered shore!

     - Daisy Rhinehart

I imagine this is what we would have been like in our pre-existence, not content to stay intelligences without form and purpose. We wanted godhood and we accepted the price we had to pay to get it. The sheltered shore is never enough for the ones that want to be great. The truly great ones want the storm and the stirring fight and the grandeur that comes with victory. The truly great ones wanted to risk everything in order to gain everything. They are formidable souls of men that did not flinch in battle with the opposing forces who wanted to keep us in the sheltered shore. They stood firm, believed and accepted when the Father said:

"All that I have I desire to give you - not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived.  I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours." (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, The Challenge to Become, New Era Aug 2002)

In William Wordsworth's poetic words, we came to this earth 'trailing clouds of glory....from God who is our home' (Ode On Intimations of Immortality), leaving the memory of our greatness behind the veil, leaving all that we once held dear but determined to return ever triumphant and more glorious than when we left. Now in mortality we know very little of who we truly are because most of the time we do not seek to know our former selves. President Lorenzo Snow taught that we can come to know exactly who we are just as the Saviour did. He taught that "Jesus was a god before he came into the world and yet His knowledge was taken from Him. He did not know His former greatness, neither do we know what greatness we had attained to before we came here". He also taught that it was revealed to the Saviour who He was and 'for what purpose He was in the world. The glory and power He possessed before He came into the world was made known unto Him" (Conference Report, April 1901). We too can come to possess such knowledge and revelation for the Father can tell us all things through the power of His Spirit.

Consider Brigham Young's words on this subject : "I want to tell you, each and every one of you, that you are well acquainted with God our heavenly Father, or the great Elohim. You are all well acquainted with Him, for there is not a soul of you but what has lived in His house and dwelt with Him year after year; and yet you are seeking to become acquainted with Him, when the fact is, you have merely forgotten what you did know....There is not a person here today but what is a son or a daughter of that Being" (Journal of Discourses, 4:216). The fact is though that the veil is as thick or thin as we make it be. We are the ones that determine which way it will be for the Lord has promised: "If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things - that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal." (D&C 42:61)

Now that we are here, some of us are struggling to remain great. President Harold B. Lee warned that 'there were many who were foreordained ...to a greater state than they have prepared themselves for here. Even though they might have been among the noble and great...they may fail of that calling here in mortality' (Ensign, January 1974, p 5) It would seem it all depends on whether we are converted. We might have a testimony and a conviction of the gospel but we might not be converted, meaning our basic nature is not changing to reflect that of a Christ like person. It is one thing to be convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel and another to hunger and thirst after righteousness and allow it to change our hearts and our nature. It is one thing to know the commandments and another to have them 'written in our hearts' (Mosiah 13:11). We are here not only to achieve but also to be true and even add to our greatness that we brought with us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to help us become as gods, namely the Father and the Son in whom is all perfection. We are not here to merely make deposits into 'some heavenly account' by doing good deeds (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, The Challenge to Become, New Era Aug 2002). To be converted means to 'become'. With conversion comes the desire to live according to God's plan. It is then that all feelings of compulsion to choose the right flee and the path to eternal life becomes easier. Following King Benjamin's memorable sermon, his people ".....cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) This is true conversion. How much easier is it to live God's plan when you have no more disposition to do evil? The path to this conversion lies in yielding our hearts to God continually and being worthy of the Spirit which can sanctify us and change us. As we change and get closer to God, the veil thins and we become aligned with our true greatness. The aim is not to just return home but to return home being great. The Saviour of all mankind realised his greatness and has paved the way. May we walk in his footsteps for He is the light, the truth, the way.

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and the evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark:
For tho' from out of bourne of time and place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

-  Lord Alfred Tennyson

LOOKING UP

From the very creation of the world to this last dispensation, God has provided his children with many effective ways to admonish them to 'look to God and live'. We might look to the children of Israel and the miracles they witnessed and think that it should have been easy for them to do so with such tangible proofs and evidences that He was in their midst.  Our signs to direct us towards Him seem subtle in comparison.  After all there is no manna in our backyard and there is no smell of animal sacrifices in our temples to provide such visually searing remembrance of shedding of His blood for the souls of men.  So how can we effectively remember to stop looking down under the crushing weight of this world that oppresses us with demands of daily necessities and hardship?  When we are looking down, we cannot look up, it is impossible to do both,  but look up we must if we want to rise above this oppression.  The Israelites of old make an interesting study in this regard.

The Israelites' entire journey to the promised land was an exercise in 'looking up' to see the Saviour of the world, their personal and collective saviour who would not only lead them to their promised land but also to life eternal.  Everything the Saviour did for them was symbolic of Him to keep them in remembrance of His power to save and deliver.  Even the rod with which Moses challenged Pharoah's authority, which parted the Red Sea and provided drinking water to the needy Israelites became the symbol of Christ's ability to heal the believing, as it held up the serpent symbolic of Him who has all power.  According to the mythic epics of the ancient Near East, this rod was cut from the tree of life itself and passed down through the patriarchs to Abraham and ending up with Moses.  In the Book of Mormon we learn from Nephi that the tree of life represents the Saviour (1 Nephi 11) . Even though the Saviour sought to establish himself as the God of Israel to ultimately lead the Israelites to exaltation, he used the needs of this temporal life to point them in that direction.

I think why the Israelites found it difficult to cope with the challenges of their journey is because they expected the deliverance to give them immediate ease from any burdens and difficulties. They expected the milk and honey straight away.  Surely that's what deliverance means?  What happened instead was that they went from slavery to the harsh challenges of the wilderness.  Each of those challenges though were needful for them to get to know the God of Israel. The water that issued from the rock of Horeb became a symbol of Living Water as the rock yielded under the Christ within the rod in the hands of Moses. How else could Israelites learn that they were in the hands of the Living Water? And as manna descended upon the dew straight from heaven and filled the hungry hosts of Israel, how could they not know that they were fed by the Bread of Life?  How tough would it have been in the wilderness that afflicted them with so many personal discomforts and fears, yet the wilderness was exactly what was needful to serve as the training ground to make the Israelites God's people.

I love this painting by the LDS artist, Rose Datoc Dall.  It is titled "Hope of Israel".  A babe, yet a god. I love to see the Saviour depicted as a child because it reminds me that He experienced mortality like the rest of us, that He had to become acquainted with humanity to save the humanity.  He truly was the hope of Israel for no other power could have delivered them from their misery and He remains the hope of Israel today. Now more than ever, the house of Israel needs to be invested in that hope. Our needs today are really not that different from ancient times, they are just packaged differently.  Our only hope is the Saviour of the world who had 'descended below all things' that he might comprehend all things, 'that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth' and who 'ascended up on high' (D&C 88:6).  Where once he dwelt in the tabernacle of the congreation, He now sits upon His throne.  A god of majesty and power filled with grace, mercy and truth.  A god worth knowing and looking up to for we cannot afford not to.

"For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys" (Exodus 40:38).  Imagine having physical evidence that God is in your midst.  Ancient Israel was constantly subjected to signs and wonders, yet they found it difficult to trust that the Lord would supply the necessities of life for them.  No wonder they rejected the higher law, the commitment was not there, but murmuring was.  For this reason the Lord in his mercy gave them the lower law to live by.  We however, are required to live by the higher law and are required to have an exorbitant amount of faith to follow Him in all things, and to trust that He will care for us as he cared for ancient Israel. No cloud of the Lord resting on our temples by day and fire by night for us.  So how do we remember to look up and believe the Saviour can do for us what he says He can do?  By living in constant 'state of grace'.  Grace being  God's power to fill the gap between what we can give and what is required of us.  In all things, both temporal and spiritual.  When you are looking up in constant supplication to the God of Israel depending on Him to provide what is lacking that you cannot supply, you are in the state of grace. This applies to temporal needs as well as spiritual striving to become better.

There is a component of the state of grace that the ancient Israel was somewhat short on and that is gratitude.  When you are constantly murmuring, you cannot cultivate the attitude of gratitude and Israelites were proficient at murmuring, constantly afraid that they would die from their afflictions.  Why would God take them out of Egypt to allow them to die in the wilderness? There was no logic to their fears.  When you are murmuring you are denying God's power to come to your aid, his goodness and his watchful eye. Murmuring destroys your faith and breeds distrust and doubt.  By it you are denying what God has already done for you and given you and what you have learnt about your total dependence on Him.  When you pray for something and then go about complaining that you don't have it, you have stepped out of the state of grace.  God cannot give you what you need if you are creating the feeling of lack for your reality will always match the vibrational energy that you are creating.  This vibration can be likened to a magnetic field that you create by believing that you will receive.  If the magnetic field is not there, the blessing can be repelled.  If however, you ask for something and reflect consistently on all that you have already received from the fountain of all blessings, you are acknowledging God's power and your gratitude will create the vibrational energy that will draw that blessing to you.  This is the power of faith because faith is energy. Whatever you invest yourself in will create the energy to match that investment.  If you invest yourself in sorrow, you will create more sorrow, if you invest yourself in joy, you will have more joy.  If you are looking up, believing that you will receive, you will (1 Nephi 7:12).  The Saviour himself said this many times in the scriptures:

"Behold, I say unto you that whosoever believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." (Mormon 9:21)

To know God is to trust in His might and power and in His promises.  How much more blessed are you than the Israelites of old if you believe without the signs, if the bended knee is all you need to find the God of Israel.  How beloved you are of God if you honour Him with your faith and faithfulness.  Abraham's belief in God's promises to him were accounted to him for righteousness (Galatians 3:6). You are of the seed of Abraham, a true Israelite in the household of God. You have the power to believe.  No matter how heavy your load, lift your head and look up.  Look up and believe.

WISDOM OR FOLLY

When Adam and Eve came to be in the Garden of Eden they were commanded to eat the fruit of every tree of the garden freely except of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They lived in the garden as one with the animals because there was no enmity between them.  Adam and Eve's ideal diet consisted of 'the fruit of the vine', meaning whatever came from the ground. There was no killing in the Garden of Eden, therefore, Adam and Eve ate no animal flesh. When Jesus comes again the enmity between man and animals that came into the world with the fall will be taken away and we will once again live in a paradisiacal state, this time for a thousand years.  In Isaiah chapter 65 we read:

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 65:25)
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)

The Millenium will be a time of peace, no crime and no killing.  The carnivorous animals will cease to be carnivorous and will become herbivorous. The lion who now kills his prey, will no longer kill and will eat 'straw like the bullock'.  This also means there will be no meat for us to eat because humans will not kill animals either.  We will return to our original plant based diet for which we were biologically created.

This is my take on the health code we have in the Church called the Word of Wisdom.  I fear we have become so proficient at killing in this fallen world that we have saturated this planet with suffering of innocent animals and in the process we have endangered our health with over-consumption of animal products.  I think most of the Church membership pays very little heed to the dietary guidelines of the Word of Wisdom and consider themselves obedient to this law just because they abstain from coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes.  Yes, the onus in the Church is on coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes, however, the observance of the total Word of Wisdom indicates the level of one's commitment to living the Gospel fully and taking advantage of all the counsel the Lord has given us.

The health advice in Section 89 is prefaced with a warning 'of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of the conspiring men in the last days'. The last days are the days that we live in. What are these evils and designs that comprise conspiracy which we should be aware of?  One well known that has been discovered in recent times has to do with cigarettes which was revealed do not only contain tobacco but many chemicals which make cigarettes so very addictive.  Why would anyone want to make them addictive? To generate sales which fill the pockets of the conspiring men.  It is plausible that the conspiracy might well and truly run beyond the cigarette manufacturers to pharmaceutical companies which produce drugs to supposedly 'cure' cancer and other ailments that smoking produces.

Lucky for us who have been commanded not to smoke and have taken that commandment to heart, we have not fallen prey to the cigarette conspiracy.  But what of the dietary guidelines we have been given in the Word of Wisdom which are not enforced as a commandment to the body of the saints?  Here is what the Lord has to say regarding that:

"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward." (D&C 58:26)

My daughter is a vegan.  She has received many health benefits from not eating animal products.  She is very passionate about it and wants others to know that this lifestyle could bring them happiness. She also loves animals and routinely posts information on social networks about inhumane treatment of farmed animals and the horror of slaughter houses.  She seeks to inspire others to seek better health and not to be supporters of cruelty through ignorance.  For this she is constantly attacked by her meat eating friends who feel it their duty to defend their eating habits.  They accuse her of being narrow minded yet they refuse to think 'outside the box' to entertain the idea that there might be a better way.  People are jumping down her throat regarding this issue unceasingly.

The scriptures tell us that we have dominion over all the creatures on this earth (Genesis 1:28).  It does not, however, tell us outright that we should not abuse the animals in our stewardship but, honestly, does it need to?  Any man who is born with the light of Christ, which means all of us, would know that this would be wrong.  The Mosaic law included treatment of animals and decreed that animals were to be spared labour on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10).   A proverb observed that 'a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast....' (Prov. 12:10)

In March 1831, it was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that even though we are not commanded to eat only a plant based diet, men are still responsible for their killing of animals.  I am afraid we have overlooked this responsibility and taken liberty with the fact that we are not 'commanded' to abstain from eating meat. We have allowed the meat and dairy industries to brainwash us to believe that we would die without the 'essential protein' we derive from animal products.

"For behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.
And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need." (D&C 49:18-19,21)

Many people reading this scripture would focus on the first verse and conveniently disregard the second. They would argue that we humans have a need for animal protein, every day, sometimes each meal of the day.  This is total nonsense.  The Lord himself proclaimed what this need is:

"Yea, flesh also of the beasts of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly.
And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."
(D&C 89:12, 13)

It is very obvious that animals are to be used as the last resort to sustain human life.  For this reason the Lord has also decreed that 'whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God' (D&C 49:18).  We know full well that there are religious groups in the world who would not eat the flesh of animals even at the point of death.  In other words, when there is a need to save human life and there is no other food to do so, we are commanded to consider human life before the life of an animal.  This is in accordance with the plan of salvation and the order of this telestial world we live in.

Most of us do not live in such cold climates that necessitate eating meat on regular basis.  None of us in the western world where animals are raised for mass consumption have ever seen or experienced a famine. Our stores are laden with colourful, fresh produce and many nutritious alternatives.  There is no lack of food that would necessitate such high consumption of meat.  We have gone from the directive of 'eating meat sparingly' to eating it on most days,  three times a day.

One of my daughter's missionary friends was outraged by her veganism.  He felt it his duty to point out to her that he cooks for one of the restaurants in Salt Lake City where President Monson eats regularly and that his favourite meal is meatloaf.  For this reason, the young man declared, we should not even question our consumption of animal products.  This is a perfect theory of following like sheep.

The natural resources of this planet are being depleted at dangerous levels because of the high rate at which we raise cattle for human consumption.  The gasses emitted into the atmosphere by this cattle cause more damage to the ozone layer than any carbon dioxide produced by humans.  If that isn't enough, the cruelty which is inflicted on these animals is staggering.  From cows that are artificially and constantly impregnated and milked just as constantly to animals that spend their entire lives in incredibly confined spaces and the atrocious ways they are killed in slaughterhouses makes this a horrific and shameful facet of our civilized society.  We are the only species on earth that drink the milk of another species beyond the time of our weaning.  We insist that we must have protein from the flesh of animals that eat grass for their protein. Well, we think they eat grass.  I once saw an American farmer on a TV programme who was feeding his cattle a mixture of cement and sawdust.  So much for high quality protein on our plates, not to mention the abuse of a vegetarian cow that is forced to eat cement.  And we pride ourselves on thinking with reason.  Do we know what goes on in the food industry?  If we don't, we should find out and we should live according to the dictates of our conscience.

Animals are God's creatures too and as such they should be given respect and human kindness that they deserve. Prophet Joseph Smith explained that John the Revelator "probably saw beings in heaven of a 'thousand forms' that were 'strange beasts of which we have no conception', and that all animals 'might be seen in heaven'.  He also stated: 'John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made, whether beasts, fowls, fishes or men...." (DHC, vol. 5, p. 343)
"John heard the words of the beasts giving glory to God, and understood them.  God who made the beasts could understand every language spoken by them.  The beasts were four of the most noble animals that filled the measure of their creation, and had been saved from other worlds, because they were perfect.  They were like angels in their sphere.  We are not told where they came from, and I do not know, but they were seen and heard by John praising and glorifying God." (DHC, vol. 5. pp 343-44)
(Gerald E. Jones, The Gospel and Animals, Ensign Aug. 1972)

Why am I jumping on this bandwagon?  For one, I recognise my need to change and; two, I firmly believe that the state of our bodies affects our spirituality.  Our connection to God should matter to us the most. Everything is energy, even food.  We absorb the energy from the food we eat.  Consuming animal flesh means consuming all the vibrational energy from the animal that was once alive.  In Roman times, soldiers were fed stressed out chickens before battle to increase the adrenalin and make them more aggressive. Could it be that our consumption of animal products is responsible for many mental disorders our society suffers from?  Matt Monarch, a raw foodist who has subsisted on raw fruits, vegetables and nuts for 15 years, claims his spiritual energy is beyond what he ever dared imagine.  Could we improve our spiritual channels if our bodies were purer and cleaner and not so burdened with dead and unhealthy food that affects us mentally, emotionally and physically? President Packer seems to think so:

"Our physical body is the instrument of our spirit.  In that marvelous revelation the Word of Wisdom we are told how to keep our bodies free from impurities which might dull, even destroy, those delicate physical senses which have to do with spiritual communication."  (Boyd K. Packer, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled, p. 211)

Information about bad effects of animal consumption on health are plentiful for anyone who wishes to research a healthier way of eating.  We are all responsible to seek things out for ourselves that will improve the quality of our lives.  We do not need to be commanded in this.  We will, however, be held accountable for stewardship of our bodies because our bodies are not our own. Paul taught this principle to the Corinthians:

"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
"For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
(1Cor 6:19-20)

And again in Corinthians chapter 3:

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."  (1 Cor 3:16-17)

Clearly our bodies belong to God and are conduits for the Holy Ghost who administers the truth of all things and delivers personal revelation.

The children of Israel told Moses they would have been better off staying in servitude with their 'flesh pots of Egypt' than risk death being free in the wilderness.  Such is the nature of mortal appetite.  When the Saviour comes and we find ourselves vegan, will we reflect longingly on our 'flesh pots of Egypt' or will we live in gratitude for a society that will make us free from effects of crime, sin and wickedness? Preparation is everything.

THE LOVE OF GOD

Bethlehem, the town of Jesus' birth is also called The House of Bread. Bethlehem provided the surrounding region including Jerusalem with their entire supply of bread. It is by no accident that Jesus was born there because that is the origin of his mortal lineage and it is not surprising that later he would proclaim himself to be the bread of life.  I love symbolism and there is a lot of it surrounding Jesus' birth and life.

When Nephi, being the dutiful son that he was, inquired of God the meaning of the tree of life that his father had seen in a dream, an angel appeared to him to tutor him.  When the angel asked Nephi if he knew what the tree represented,  Nephi answered that it is the love of God, most desirable above all (2 Nephi 11:22,23).  Immediately following his answer he was shown a vision of the Savior during his mortal ministry.  It becomes very clear through Nephi's vision that the love of God is manifest to his children through the gift of his only begotten son.

Living on this side of the veil and experiencing the harshness of mortal life it is easy at times to feel unloved by God because he allows misfortune to befall us or we don't get in life what we want.  We wonder how He could possibly love us when we are in the depths of despair and need so much that we don't have.  All the while we are wondering where the love of God is for us, He is hoping against all hope that we would open our eyes and see that He could not give us greater proof of His love than He has already done so through His son.  Why would Jesus be the ultimate expression of God's love for us?  Because through him God is offering us the greatest gift he could possibly give us, the gift of eternal life.  This life is but a moment, a few years of school so to speak but eternity is forever.  For this reason God's greatest desire is not that we have everything in this life but in the next.

It has puzzled me that a lot of us, even members of the Church, don't quite grasp this principle.  In my reflection on this I am beginning to think that this is so because a lot of us don't quite understand who we really are.  Maybe I should rephrase that.  We don't quite FEEL who we really are.  If we truly felt and understood our divine origin and knew ourselves as first and foremost the offspring of God with a divine destiny we would wade through this life's gutters much easier.

When Moses had his experience with God sometime after the burning bush and before the Exodus, Jesus who appeared to him and spoke to him on behalf of the Father through 'divine investiture of authority' called him 'Moses, my son' on a number of occasions. God showed Moses all his creations and where man fitted in that plan. Moses who was brought up in Pharoah's court to believe that Pharoahs due to their birthright are gods, was astonished and said, 'Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed' (Moses 1:10).  As soon as he had said that,  the adversary appeared and immediately addressed him as 'Moses, son of man' to divert his attention from his spiritual and true identity and almost as an affirmation that man truly is nothing. God reappeared, however, and gave Moses the same vision all over again but this time he finished it with the greatest statement that was ever made:  "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).  What the Lord tried to say to Moses was that he was wrong, that 'man is the underlying and overriding purpose of all His work, that man's success constitutes his glory, that man is everything'. (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 1)

I became aware of three struggling young men over this Christmas period which has led me to think about this deeply and how the adversary seeks to cloud our true identity through the lense of this earth life.  The first young man is a son of a friend of mine who is inactive in the Church and struggling with a homosexual lifestyle.  He is angry that God has given him this to struggle with.  He feels he cannot be happy in or out of this lifestyle.  I suggested a few things but she answered that he is not yet ready to tackle 'overcoming' the problem, that he first needs to accept who he is.  I wasn't sure if she was suggesting that being a homosexual is who he truly is and that he needed to accept it but I replied with conviction that this is not who he is but what he is while he is immersed in this lifestyle.  Who he truly is is a son of God and he will not discover this spiritual origin looking for it in the world.  Instead of being heavily immersed in the Church to find himself and make sense of his burden, he is alienating himself further and fostering more and more resentment towards God.

The second young man is a returned missionary from my daughter's mission field.  He has not only gone inactive but has had his name removed from the records of the Church and proclaimed himself to be an athiest.  When my daughter asked him why he doesn't even believe in God let alone the Church, he replied 'I have no reason to believe in Him'.  I shuddered to hear this.  It is like an invitation for the universe to give him a reason to believe, a very painful reason.  I fear for that young man because I believe he will be brought down to his knees one day.  He was given to know the Savior and the truth that so many people are desperate to find and he has discarded it as a thing of naught.  The greatest love, the greatest gift the Maker of the Universe could possibly give us, the chance for eternal life with eternal happiness and glory.  I am hoping this young man will come to his senses one day.

The third young man is a close friend of my daughter's who was visiting his family for the holidays and struggling so badly beneath the crippling burden of negativity his father was hurling at him during his stay at home.  When he contacted my daughter he could barely breathe he was under so much stress and anxiety brought on by his father's verbal abuse.  He has been subjected to this kind of treatment all his life.  Now that he is an adult he is struggling to make something of himself because his sense of self worth is so damaged. His mind tells him what his father says about him is not right but his heart is working overtime trying to believe it.  My heart aches for this young man  because he has a father who loves him beyond his understanding who would never hurl such poisonous words at him that would damage his soul.  This father has given him something so great at his own cost so this young man would understand that he is worth so much that such a high price would be paid for his eternal welfare.

How do we get to know who we truly are so we can withstand this world that works so hard to tear us apart? The same way that Jesus found out who he was.  There is no possible way that Jesus would have become the savior of all mankind if he didn't find out who he truly was and what he had covenanted to do before this earth life even began. Luke tells us that 'Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man' (Luke 2:52)  He also waxed strong in spirit and thereby was given precept upon precept until he had it all (Luke 2:40).  By the time he was 12  he was preaching in the temple. I am certain that the more the Savior studied the scriptures and the more he communed with his Father the quicker he learnt who he was. No doubt he had angelic visitations that assisted and ensured his spiritual growth.  I do not for one moment believe that the tools we have been given are any less than the Savior had at his disposal.  We have the scriptures, we have the open channel of prayer, we have the right to call upon angels to assist us and we have most importantly the gift of the Holy Ghost.  All these tools when used consistently ensure that we come to know God and our relationship to Him like Jesus did.

Because Jesus is the embodiment of the Father's love for us, the more we acknowledge Him as our Saviour and strive to live his teachings, the greater becomes our capacity to feel God's love for us.  The more we feel God's love, the greater our relationship with Him and the greater our conviction of our spiritual origin.  Once we have that conviction intact, it is so much easier to put this earthly life in perspective.  It also becomes easier to handle and understand our burdens and trials.  The alternative to not putting in this effort is to go throughout life filled with resentment, bitterness and suffering.  God cannot remove our trials from us and make this earthly life an easy ride, else what would be the point of being here?  What He can do is what He has done, provided the best possible way for us to be connected to Him and to feel His love.  This is what we should be reminded of every Christmas when our attention is being directed towards the Saviour's birth.

King Solomon went to great lengths to bring in 'living water' into Solomon's temple to wash away copious amounts of blood from animal sacrifices.  Blood signifies sin and living water symbolises Christ.  He is the living water, not just any water but water that gives and sustains life, life eternal.  The Saviour knew so well who he was when he was here.  In scriptures He proclaims himself to be The Great I Am.  Can you believe that's who he is when you read what he says about himself:

I am the bread of life (John 6:35)
I am the good shepherd (John 10:14)
I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)
I am the light of the world (John 8:12)
I am the way, the truth, the life (John 14:6)
I am the true vine (John 15:1)
I am the first and I am the last (Isaiah 44:6)
I am the Great I Am.

And who are we?  If He is the Great I Am and we are the offspring of God who come to God through His Son, then we are great too. He makes us so.  Make a list of all the things that you are but at the top of that list put I am a son/daughter of God and then see what other things come to mind following that statement.  I guarantee there will be more positive attributes than negative ones.  It's all a matter of perception and consistent focus.  Be that son or daughter of God you were born to be for this is who you are first and foremost.  All else is of little importance.  Live so that you are worthy to feel that love which is constant and which will feed your soul, which will bring you life eternal.