BEING WORTHY

 

Jesus In The Garden by Pam Wenger

Did You count me amongst

Your valuable host

As we met in the councils of heaven?

Did I stand strong and ready

To defend Your godship;

To smite the enemy,

To secure Your path to my eternity?

Was I brave and willing to carry the cross

Some of the way to Calvary?

Did I weep with you in the Garden

And held You as You bore the burdens of mortality?

Did I wipe the sweat of Your brow

As I wept for You and weep even now?

Did I promise to bear Your name

Etched in my mortal heart for all to see?

Am I now worthy to carry Your sacrifice

With me into eternity?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

WISDOM OF THE UNWISE PART 2

 

(Art: King Solomon by Simeon Solomon (1874)

Solomon's is the ultimate story of corruption. His wealth was staggering. The scriptures suggest that Solomon received annually 666 talents of gold (1 Kings 10:14; 2 Chronicles 9:13). At today's prices that is $3,051,800,000 USD (over $3.05 billion). And herein begins Solomon's downfall. The riches turned him into a man of excess. The description of his wealth and extravagances is astonishing (1 Kings 10:14-23).

 

Solomon's reign enforced great economic changes in the kingdom and his massive building projects created serious problems: “He taxed the people heavily and used forced labour to complete his projects. The people began to complain and a deep resentment, especially in the northern tribes, began to fester......For the first time in Israel's history, there began to be a distinct difference between 'rich' and 'poor'. The king and his household were rich; the common people were poor. In between were the salaried civil servants and the merchants and artisans, many of whom had organised craft guilds by that time. Such class separations had not been known in the Israel where a shepherd boy like David could be anointed king - only 50 years earlier" (Great People of the Bible, pp 192-93, Old Testament Student Manual Vol 2., p 8).

 

Solomon’s riches were just the beginning. Where is the end for a man who has everything? Is everything ever enough? Such riches would turn you into believing you are limitless and invincible. In the end you would believe there is nothing that should be denied you and Solomon proved this to be true  For all his wisdom, Solomon became incredibly unwise for 'one was not wise, regardless of his vast learning, if his actions did not comply with his righteous beliefs' (Old Testament Student Manual, Vol. 2, p. 13).

 

Following the dedication of Solomon's temple, the Lord appeared to Solomon for the second time and acknowledging the dedicatory prayer, accepted the temple which Solomon dedicated to Him. At the same time, however, he issued a grave and serious warning to the king of Israel. He warned Solomon that if he and his children do not keep his commandments and if they go and serve other gods and worship them, that He will cut off Israel out of the land which He had given them, that He will destroy the temple which was built, and 'Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people' (1 Kings 9:1-9). 

 

Imagine the Lord himself appearing to you and warning you about a calamity that will befall you if you stray, and you go and do exactly that. The beginning of the end came for Solomon when he made a marriage alliance with Pharoah and took his daughter for his wife.  This marriage alliance was the greatest act of Solomon's foolishness. It was the beginning of him marrying many idolatrous women out of the covenant and his many political alliances which signalled that he had more faith in them than in God who was willing to fight and win Israel's battles. You might say he was beginning to lose the plot.

 

Marrying foreign women who led him and all Israel into idolatry aborted Solomon’s ability to endure to the end and changed the course of Israel's history. This is the damage that one king can do to a whole nation. By introducing idolatry to the children of Israel, the history of Israel became a losing battle fought by prophets against the forces of disloyalty to God.

 

The greatest mistake Solomon made was that he went to his grave unrepentant, unlike his father David. He who loved the Lord, and even saw Him twice (1 Kings 3:5; 9:2), forsook the integrity of his heart and came to worship false gods who had no power to give him any of the blessings he received from the God of Israel.  He who had the greatest wisdom ended up being the most foolish.

 

So it is sometimes with us. We overlook what the Lord has done for us and what He is capable of giving us if we stay the course so we become foolish and dabble in sin. And this is the outcome of sin:

 

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

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

WISDOM OF THE UNWISE PART 1

 

King Solomon by Pam Wenger

Solomon, the king who continued the golden age of Israel begun by his father David, was the third king who proved Jehovah right when he warned the people through Samuel that they should not be governed by kings. Solomon reigned over Israel in extravagance and grandeur which lasted for 40 years. This is all it took to destroy Israel's course forever.

 

Solomon, like his predecessors, loved the God of Israel and at the beginning of his reign covenanted with Him that he would walk in obedience throughout his administration but like his father, he lacked the tenacity that could enable him to endure to the end. Blessed with incredible wisdom that exceeded that of any man, he ended up being a man of foolishness. A man blessed with riches that far exceeded the riches of any man or king, sent Israel into temporal and spiritual bankruptcy. Within a year of his death, the land was divided into two kingdoms and the course of Israel's history was altered permanently (Old Testament Student Manual, Vol 2, p. 1)

 

Solomon excelled in two things: wisdom and riches. He ascended the throne at 20 years of age, reigning with his father as co-regent until David's death (1 Kings 1). His young age, inexperience and inherited responsibility weighed heavily on his mind as is evidenced in his conversation with the Lord at Gibeon where he went to offer sacrifices. The sacrifices which he offered to the God of Israel were excessive in number and are indicative of the great love he had for the Lord (1 Kings 3:3,4).

 

Even in the beginning Solomon did things in a big way, offering 1,000 burnt offerings upon Gibeon's sacrificial altar. It was in this place of his great devotion that the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him that whatever he wanted, the Lord would give it to him. This, more than anything, shows how much Jehovah was willing to help the kings of Israel succeed. Solomon remembering the great responsibility that rested on his shoulders asked for wisdom that he might judge Israel in righteousness (1 Kings 3:9).

 

He acknowledged the true King of Israel and lowered himself down to be nothing more than His servant by saying: "And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude" (1 Kings 3:8). He never referred to Israel as his people or his subjects. In one fell swoop he showed humility and acknowledged the God of Israel as his sovereign. This was a great beginning indeed.

 

Following such a demonstration of humility, God granted Solomon his wish making him the wisest man that has ever lived and also promised him riches and honour which would make him a king with no equal (1 Kings 3:12,13). All God's promises to Solomon were realised. He became a man unrivalled by any upon the face of the earth and for many years Solomon blessed the lives of his people. He successfully arbitrated difficult issues (1 Kings 3), built up peaceful relations with surrounding nations (1 Kings 5), attended to the thronging guests from every quarter of the earth who sought out his wisdom (1 Kings 4:10) and oversaw the establishment of Israel's first permanent temple (1 Kings 5:8). Not only was Israel great in the eyes of other nations during Solomon's reign, it stood as a monument to the power of the true and living God as was expressed by the Queen of Sheba who came to witness its' fame and the fame of its' king (1 Kings 10:9).

 

Solomon judged Israel in righteousness and with exceeding wisdom. He is credited with 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32). The fame of his wisdom reached so far and wide that 'there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth....' (1Kings 4:34)

 

Of all Solomon's achievements, the greatest was the building of the temple which the Lord promised David would be built by his son after him and to whom He gave explicit instructions, through revelation, for its' construction. Solomon built a splendid temple with the finest materials and dedicated it himself through an amazing dedicatory prayer once again affirming his devotion to the God of Israel (1 Kings 8:23-53).

 

The temple was indeed magnificent, adorned with fine materials such as gold which was worth 108,000 talents, estimated to be millions of dollars in today’s currency but in reality it was about the same size as the modern mini-temples of our day (1 Kings 6). It took 7 years to build but Solomon’s house took 13 years (1 Kings 6:38; 7:1)…..and so the cracks began to appear…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

REFLECTION IN MY SOUL

 

Divine Redeemer by Simon Dewey

The day You climbed that fateful hill

And embraced the pain of Calvary

You freed us from this world of sin

And from every agony.

 

How noble, how enduring

How strong You must have been

To fight my soul’s enemy

In the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

I give You my heart

I give You my all

To one day see Your

Reflection in my soul.

 

-       CATHRYNE ALLEN

ARMIES OF HEAVEN

 

“If evil spirits could come to me, cannot ministering spirits and angels also come from God? Of course they can, and…they can rush as an army going to battle…That is the God whom I serve, one who has millions of angels at His command…We do not see them, but they are here watching us….The Lord has hosts of angels who are qualified to defend us, and they have information enough to march armies and to select leaders to lead them against the enemy of the Saints.” (Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, 3:229-30)

President Heber C. Kimball and his wife Vilate Kimball were awakened by their neighbor on the night of September 22, 1827, to witness such an army in the sky:

“It was one of the most beautiful starlight nights, so clear we could see to pick up a pin. We saw a bow form in the sky and it grew wide enough to contain twelve men abreast. In this bow an army moved, commencing from the east and marching to the west. They continued marching until they reached the western horizon. They moved in platoons and walked so close that the rear ranks trod in the steps of their file leaders, until the whole bow was literally crowded with soldiers…..

“We….could discern the form and features of the men. The most profound order existed throughout the entire army. When the foremost man stepped, every man stepped at the same time. I could hear their steps. When the front rank reached the western horizon, a battle ensued, as we could hear the report of the arms, and the rush.

“No man could judge of my feelings when I beheld that army of men, as plainly as ever I saw armies of men in the flesh; it seemed as though every hair of my head was alive. This scenery we gazed upon for hours, until it began to disappear.

“After I became acquainted with Mormonism, I learned that this took place the same evening that Joseph Smith received the records of the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni, who had held those records in his possession. “There were other witnesses to this event, and “the next night similar scenery was beheld in the west, by the neighbors, representing armies of men who were engaged in battle.”   (Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 15-17; see also McConkie, Angels, 100; Tullidge, Women of Mormondom, 107-9)

 

Angels, are you near me

To catch me if I fall?

Do you stand guard at the entrance

Of my heart

On God’s errand and sentinel’s call?

 

Do you pave the way

And steady my feet,

And ensure my enemy’s defeat?

 

You are unsung heroes

Of every journey’s flight

You are phantoms of love

Concealed from mortal sight.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

FAMILY TREE OF LOVE

 

We have spread our wings

Like birds in flight

In this world far and wide;

Yet our hearts will nest

In branches seeking the sky above

Forever and ever

United together on the family tree of love.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art Unknown)

OF GENERATIONS

 

I remember hearing a story years ago about a woman who had the habit of cutting off the end of the leg of lamb before baking. When she was asked why she did that she said her mother always did it so she thought that was the right way to bake lamb. When the mother was questioned she said her mother always did it so she thought that it should be done. When the grandmother was questioned she said she didn’t have a roasting pan big enough so she had to cut off the end of the leg. The things we pass on stays in us…..

I have many times recognized things about me that were intergenerational beliefs, attitudes and programming. Many of my European inclinations and characteristics became quite obvious in contrast to the western society norm when my family moved to Australia. I had to change some things about myself to fit into my new environment.

While I was growing up in Croatia, I was very aware of the animosity that existed between the Croats and Serbs. I am sure it went back to the land somehow but nobody of my generation or even my parents’ generation understood why exactly we weren’t supposed to like each other. Even though my parents didn’t fully understand, they were, nevertheless, quick to promote their disdain because it was expected.

We are very much the sum of those who went before us…..the generations whose blood runs in our veins. We are the inheritors of their personalities and characteristics, good or bad. On a personal level, I remember seeing my mother more than once in tears saying: “God created me to suffer.”  And yes I have focused on a lot of my suffering in life because of that. Like mother, like daughter. I also picked up her propensity to criticize others. To this day I am vigilant about this flaw.

I come from generations of poor peasants who lived under the feudal system and then under socialism. My paternal grandmother had six children. When one of them died in infancy she said: “Well, that’s one less mouth to feed.” I never saw this grandmother smile in my whole life. The generations of poverty mentality, likewise, has followed me around for most of my life. Not that I am rich now, but I no longer care.

There are a number of places in the scriptures where God says: “I will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (see Deut 5:9,10; Exodus 20:5,6). It puzzled me why the children would have to be punished because of the sins of their fathers. I came to realise with time that hate very much gets passed down from generation to generation. It begins with someone but never ends with them and it evolves into a serious sin. A classical example is the Middle East.

Generational flaws and sins can end with any generation and this is how. When we are born into this world, we take upon ourselves our father’s name. When we are spiritually born through baptism, we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We become CHRISTians. King Benjamin explained this means that we become ‘the children of Christ’. He mentions the importance of having Christ’s name 11 times in 6 verses of Mosiah 5 (V 7-12). Why is this important? Because, just as we are genetically predisposed to inherit physical and mental traits of our earthly fathers, so we, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and live his teachings, inherit His spiritual qualities. In other words, we become like Him by the virtue of our newly acquired parental bond (Moroni 7:48). This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘you’re just like your father’, does it not???

I know love existed in the generations of my family. Europeans are passionate people. I have inherited that quality from them. I think deeply and I feel deeply. The memory of them ties me to my homeland. I look forward to meeting those whose names I only know on paper, when I pass on to next life. I want to shower them with love and bring them to God who has given me meaning and understanding of my humanity. I want to resolve their long-held prejudices that have robbed them of their potential. I want to tell them they were not born to suffer.

 

Your life has come and gone

But your footprints remain

And your blood courses through my veins.

I know your smile and your frown

Though we have never met.

They are worn by my children

As gems in family diadem;

You are the root

That reaches the branches,

I am the stem that paves the way.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art Unknown)