LOVE NOTES

 

That I May Heal You by B. Laura Wilson

I wish I could be grateful

For every fallen tear

And accept my trials

Without a trace of fear.

But what would life be

Without the love notes sent

From heaven’s gilded gates

And written by His pen.

 

-     Cathryne Allen 

STEWARDSHIP

Worlds Without Number by Greg Olsen

I was born and raised in Croatia. I come from generations of poor peasants who lived under the feudal system and socialism. They never owned the land that they worked and produced on. Under both regimes, the land belonged to either the local aristocracy or the government. They worked for their survival and not for riches. They were not owners but stewards.

Today we, in the free world, get possessive of everything we produce through the workmanship of our hands and the sweat of our brows and we fail to recognise that we do so on borrowed land and borrowed time. In doing this we fail to acknowledge a greater power than us and pride fills us with misguided self-importance and wrongful ownership.  Isaiah put this in proper perspective when he reminded us who the real owner is of everything we produce here:

“I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” (Isaiah 45:12).

When we recognise and acknowledge the Creator of this earth, what we once considered ownership becomes our ‘stewardship’. We come to see the rightful owner. Consider the confirmation of this truth through modern day revelation:

“For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures. I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine.” (D&C 104:13,14). And then the warning: “And let not any among you say that it is his own; for it shall not be called his, nor any part of it.” (v 70)

It astounds me how much crime and fraud is rampant in our society because of selfishness, greed and obsession over property that is not even ours. Another crime being committed is the exploitation of the planet earth we live on. When one day we come to understand that all we have here belongs to God, these sins will cease. This will be the condition we will live in during the Millenium.

In April 1982, the LDS scholar and professor of BYU, Hugh Nibley, gave an excellent talk entitled “Work We Must, but the Lunch is Free”. It highlights perfectly how our attitude of ‘ownership’ as opposed to ‘stewardship’ derails us from our true purpose for which we have been sent here:

“We have been permitted to come here to go to school, to acquire certain knowledge and take a number of tests to prepare us for greater things hereafter. This whole life, in fact, is a “state of probation” (2 Nephi 2:21). While we are at school our generous patron has provided us with all the necessities of living that we will need to carry us through. Imagine, then, that at the end of the first school year your kind benefactor pays the school a visit. He meets you and asks you how you are doing. “Oh,” you say, “I am doing very well, thanks to your bounty.”

“Are you studying a lot?” “Yes, I am making good progress.” “What subjects are you studying?” “Oh, I am studying courses in how to get more lunch.” “You study that? All the time?” “Yes. I thought of studying some other subjects. Indeed I would love to study them – some of them are so fascinating! – but after all it’s the bread-and-butter courses that count. This is the real world, you know. There is no free lunch.” “But my dear boy, I’m providing you with that right now.” “Yes, for the time being, and I am grateful – but my purpose in life is to get more and better lunches; I want to go right to the top – the executive suite, the Marriott lunch.” (Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p 211)

Now consider the imposter who derails us from our purpose and convinces us that the toil of our hands to procure more lunch is our primary purpose. This imposter has been playing at being an employer since the days of Adam and Eve and in turn us, their posterity, by trying to convince us to work for him:

“The first employer offers us lunch, and since lunch is something everybody must have, he is in a powerful position to bargain. He explains [to Adam and Eve] that this glorious earth is his private estate, that it all belongs to him to the ends thereof, in particular he owns the mineral rights and the media of exchange, by the control of which he enjoys the willing co-operation of the military, ecclesiastical, and political establishments, and rules with magnificent uproar.

“He keeps everything under tight control, though, for all the blood and horror – nobody makes any trouble in his world from the rivers to the ends thereof….. for he claims to be the God of this world, and the Lord himself grants him the title of Prince of this World. All who are not working for him on his estate he charges with trespassing…..

“To have merely sufficient for your needs, however, is not what he has in mind – that would be the equivalent of the free lunch, lamely ignoring the endless possibilities for acquiring power and gain that the place offers; this developer has a vision of unlimited sweep and power – “You can have anything in this world for money!” Beginning, of course, with lunch. Because money is the only thing that will get you lunch – and since everybody must have lunch, that is the secret of his control.”  (ibid p 209)

If we do not allow the God of heaven and earth to direct our course in this life, His enemy will. The adversary will do anything he can to convince us that this is his world and while we are in it, we belong to him and his values. He is not the creator, nor the owner, he is the steward of deception.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

 

 

TEARS AND FEATHERS

 

In the Shadow of His Wings by Daniel Gerhartz

Before I left the realms of heaven

You tried to tell me

Of the tears I would spill,

But when I see a flying feather

I should surrender and be very still.

 

Now when a tear falls, I remember You,

My God and my King,

And I find Your loving comfort

In the shadow of Your wings.

 

-      Cathryne Allen 

TRUSTING HIM

 

Portrait of Christ by Walter Rane

Besides His repeated declaration to Israel that He is God and that there is ‘none else’, the Saviour spoke a lot about himself and what He is like. The scriptures are replete with statements like: “I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right” (Isaiah 45:19). He also often speaks, throughout the scriptures, of His power, and the wonderful works He has done such as: “I have made the earth, and crated man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded” (Isaiah 45:12).

When He came to earth, He proclaimed Himself as the ‘seven I AM’s, as in the Gospel of John: I am the bread of life (6:31,51); I am the light of the world (8:12); I am the door of the sheep (10:7,9); I am the good shepherd (10:11,14); I am the resurrection and life (11:25); I am the way, the truth and the life (14:6); I am the true vine (15:1-5).

And there is more. He is: THE CREATOR (Helaman 14:12; Moses 1:33; 2:1); THE MEDIATOR (2 Nephi 2:9; D&C 76:69; JST 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Timothy 2:5); THE ADVOCATE (1 John 2:1; D&C 45:3; 110:4); THE REDEEMER (2 Nephi 2:26); THE GATEKEEPER (2 Nephi 9:41; Mormon 6:17); THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH (Moroni 6:4); MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT (3 Nephi 15:23); THE SAVIOUR (Isaiah 45:15, 20);  THE JUDGE (John 5:22, 30).

Sometimes I think we get rather indifferent by repeatedly reading the scriptures without giving a thought to their deeper meaning and we miss the almost frantic way He is trying to teach us who He is and why we should have no other gods beside Him. Do we really understand His character by these definitions and the bigger question is, do we trust Him?

I once had an experience where, despite all my diligent study of the scriptures for many years,  I was finding it difficult to trust the Saviour concerning a particular matter. I revised all the particulars I had collected over the years about His character as cited above but what stood out to me was one very basic truth….I remembered that He being a God, could not lie. Being a God of truth, it is not in Him to ever utter a lie. I went searching for scriptures that said this directly and had some results: Titus 1:2 says, “God that cannot lie”; Hebrews 6:18 says, “it was impossible for God to lie”; Ether 3:12 says, “Thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie”; and Enos 1:6 says, “God could not lie”.

Why is His integrity important for us to know? Because God cannot lie, He can make promises that challenge our trust in Him:  “who am I saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled (D&C 58:31). This means, if a promise was made and not fulfilled, we should be very careful when we assess the reason why.

I often hear members of the Church who pay tithing casually say: “there is never enough money, we can’t afford it, we are just scraping by.” When we say things like this, we are affirming that tithing is just another bill. Our negative talk negates the faith and trust that we should be expressing first and foremost in the principle which brings returns.

Another common saying I have noticed among faithful saints is this:  ’I’ll never make it. I am just not good enough.”  This is, in my opinion, a sin. It denies the power of the Atonement and the Saviour’ s ability to redeem us and forgive us of our humanity. If we are faithful and devoted to Him and His laws, doing our best and striving for repentance, we are good enough to qualify for His saving grace. The Lord looks at the total and complete person including the desires and goodness of our hearts as well as our deeds. There is no sin bigger than the Atonement except the denial of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 12:31,32)

One last thing. The biggest proof we have that Christ the Saviour, our God, is a man of infallible integrity and can be trusted beyond reason, is His Atonement. The Atonement performed in mortality was in actuality just a formality. We could draw upon its blessings and power in pre-existence as if it had already happened. Hence, we could be born innocent as it covered our pre-mortal sins:

“Over long eons of time in the premortal realm he proved faithful and dependable and honourable in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge. The scriptures tell us that “from eternity to eternity he is the same (D&C 76:4). He never deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his word. He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with precision; he was “not slack concerning his promise” (2 Peter 3:9).

“His promises were “immutable and unchangeable” (D&C 104:2). As a result, his spiritual credit was rapidly escalating until it was pure gold, even infinite in value. That is why the laws of justice could recognize the benefits of the Atonement before the purchase price was ever paid, because his promise, his pledge, his credit was “good for it”, and everyone who honoured their first estate knew it.

“It was not only when he appeared that he voluntarily laid down his life, but he voluntarily laid down his life from the very day the world came into being. Then he came forth in order to take it, since it had been given as a pledge. Based on that pledge or covenant we had faith in him. Based on that covenant the Father could promise remission of sins prior to the atoning sacrifice because he ‘knew’ his Son would not fail. The issue was not that he could not break his covenant, but rather, that he would not.”   

(Tad. R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p 80) 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

IN COMMUNION

 

Deep Calls to Deep by Aeron Brown

Like the dying sun that melts into the sea,

Like the night that kisses early dawn,

Like the river that meets the shore;

You bid me come to Thee

In sweet communion forever more.

 

-      Cathryne Allen

SPIRITUAL ALIGNMENT

 

Brigham City Temple by Brent Borup

There would have to be no greater sorrow for Jehovah, the God of Israel, than to see His people whom He had chosen turn to idolatry and this after He had delivered them from bondage, cared for them, watched over them, blessed them with a land of their own and given them the grandeur of Jerusalem. To replace the one and only true God who could do all that with gods of metal and wood was unconscionable.

“With great irony, Isaiah brought out the inconsistency of those who work wood and metal, use it for firewood and other mundane things, but fashion idols from the same material and then expect those idols to show forth great power and answer their prayers. Such idolatry precipitates in man “a deceived heart” that has turned him aside” (Isaiah 44:20), or in other words, that has such a negative effect as to cause him to lose his soul.” (Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings – Malachi, 185)

Yet despite such ludicrous practice and departure from worship of the one true God, Jehovah showed utmost mercy to the undeserving people He called ‘his witnesses’:

“Fear not, O Jacob, my servant whom I have chosen….I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring….Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God….Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any”  (Isaiah 44:2-8)

It makes you want to weep, does it not???? And then, even forgiveness:

“Remember O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions; and, as a cloud, thy sins; return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” (Isaiah 44: 21, 22)

And then redemption and spiritual re-alignment….in the name of Cyrus, the Great…. Who Isaiah prophesied of 140 years before his birth, and whose coming to release the Jews from Babylon after 70 years of bondage that was  prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10,14).

Cyrus, the King of Persia, conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., and inherited the exiled Jews. He was raised for such a purpose by Jehovah himself, who called him ‘my shepherd’ and ‘my anointed’ (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-4).

The military conquests of Cyrus were nothing short of remarkable. Empires virtually fell into his hands and by the time he reached Babylon, he was considered a liberator and not a conqueror. The citizens of Babylon welcomed him with open arms because of his intended reforms that would make life better and easier for the common man. Babylon that was a fortress to be reckoned with was overthrown in one night as the city opened its gates to him without a battle and this is why:

“Cyrus was a born ruler of men. He inaugurated a new policy in the treatment of conquered peoples. Instead of tyrannizing over them and holding them in subjection by brute force, he treated his subjects with consideration and won them as his friends. He was particularly considerate of the religions of conquered peoples. The effect of this policy was to weld his subjects to him in a loyalty which made his reign an era of peace.” (Elmer W.K. Mould, Essentials of Bible History, pp 348-49)

Numerous commentators have denied that Isaiah named Cyrus as the liberator of the Jews so many years before he appeared. They have argued that his name was added to Isaiah’s prophecy after his conquest of Babylon and the help he gave to the Jewish nation. Josephus, the Jewish historian, recognized Isaiah’s prophecy to be valid by quoting letters from Cyrus confirming the prophet’s predictions (see Josephus, Antiquities, XI, 1,2).

Cyrus not only had respect for the people he governed but he had respect for God whom he acknowledged as the fountain of his success declaring, HE IS THE GOD (Ezra 1:2,3). Rather sobering isn’t it, for a non-Israelite to acknowledge the God of Israel as the God of heaven and earth.  

The God of Israel worked with this man to ensure he fulfilled his purpose and this was it….not to free the captive Israel for the sake of freedom but to send them back to Jerusalem to build His temple (Isaiah 44:28).  Jehovah was calling His people to return to Him….it is in the temple that they would once again raise their right hand to the covenant they had forsaken (Isaiah 44:20). It is in the temple they would find their God again and forsake their idolatry. It is in the temple they would be re-aligned spiritually with the God they had forsaken. It is in the temple they would receive a second chance.

Today latter-day temples dot the earth. There are 214 dedicated operational temples and a total of 383 including announced temples, temples in planning and under construction. We, the House of Israel, are a favoured people and blessed above all the nations of the earth. It is in the temple we are re-aligned with our covenants, convictions and our God to give us strength to forsake modern day idolatry of materialism, technology, prestige, power, entertainment, career, status, or “whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god…” (President Spencer W. Kimball, “The False Gods We Worship”, Ensign June 1976).

O Israel, I saw your sins

that you tried in vain to hide,

And the years you lived in futile pride.

I bore your life with crimson drops

And sought forgiveness on your behalf;

To pay the price of justice

And mend your broken heart.

 

I wait for you to come

Into the shadow of my wings;

I have paid the price: come unto Me,

Your God and Your King.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

PRAYER OF MY HEART

 

He Hears Me by Greg Collins

Each day I seek Thee

Through the prayer of my heart;

I kneel at Thy feet and speak of my love.

You are so far and so high,

Yet I see Thee Father

Forever in my heart.

 

-      Cathryne Allen