TO PROVE US HEREWITH

I have always admired Father Abraham, not just for his infallible commitment to obedience but for his amazing righteousness.  I am terribly attracted to people who are strong enough to be righteous in this evil world.  I consider them people magnets.  My patriarchal blessing tells me that I am 'a true Israelite, being of the seed of Abraham'.  I therefore hope that in me lies Abraham's ability to follow God in whatever circumstances I find myself in this life. 

It is ironic to me that Abraham was the one who was shown the pre-existence with its' plan to "prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them". (Abraham 3:25)  Abraham was truly proved and tested and thus became the perfect example of this plan. Abraham longed for posterity and he longed for an heir to the blessings of the priesthood which he himself received.  This desire was foremost in his heart and it corresponded with a vision the Lord gave him of innumerable posterity that would be his.  Because he was so righteous and faithful and didn't give up on God's promises he was blessed with the desire of his heart in his old age.  The fulfilment of this desire was in and of itself a miracle since both Abraham and his wife were well stricken in years.  I always imagine that Abraham must have felt exceedingly loved by God because he gave him Isaac.  That feeling of love must have been questioned to a great degree when Abraham was asked to give up the son that all of his hopes rested upon and do that which he considered most heinous in his youth.  I cannot imagine with what heaviness of heart Abraham ascended Moriah's hill to offer his son as a human sacrifice.  Not only did the promise of posterity hang in balance but what Abraham was asked to do 'threatened to empty all the meaning from the story of his life'. (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming A Zion People, p 210).   He had laboured exceedingly to bring about Zion and had converted many people who he brought into his circle to live with him. 

"What would happen to his followers and those who admired him if he slaughtered Isaac and the world learned that Abraham's teachings had been violated in the grossest manner by the teacher himself?  His entire lifetime of achievement would have been nullified.  He would have been despised, vilified, ridiculed". (Hayden, Love of Abraham and Sarah, 46)

Abraham stood to lose everything by sacrificing Isaac, even perhaps his undaunting faith in God.  Would he have felt the same towards God after the sacrifice was accomplished?  The story of Abraham astounds me.  It is the greatest lesson of power that can be received through faith in God.

I believe every true follower of Christ stands to be tried and tested in likewise manner with whatever is at the centre of their heart.  When the test comes, you will be the deciding factor between power and weakness.  You will either be lost or found.  You will either turn away from God or turn to Him.  If you turn away, you will most likely abandon the truth you now have and if you turn to God you will gain the riches of eternity.  God knows what our response would be to any trial so why test us so?  Apostle George Q. Cannon offered this explanation regarding Abraham:

"Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham?  Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, He was determined to test him.  God did not do this for His own sake for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson and to enable him to attain unto knowledge that he could not obtain in any other way.  That is why God tries all of us.  It is not for his own knowledge for He knows all things beforehand.  he knows all your lives and everything you will do.  But He tries us for our own good that we may know ourselves; for it is most important that a man should know himself". 

So God tested Abraham so that Abraham would know Abraham and his true commitment to God.  Herein lies a great lesson for us.  And why didn't God test Abraham in another way, why ask of Him something almost impossible to give?  Because the test of faith has to equal the stature of the man.  For instance, not just any trial would have done for Job.  Job was an incredibly righteous man and the test of his faith had to equal the measure of his faith and righteousness. 

Everybody's test of faith is the heaviest one for them to bear.  What might seem not so great to one person could just about break another.  My test of faith was without doubt my divorce.  I had joined the Church primarily because I wanted an eternal marriage and an eternal family.  I believed I was led to the person who I thought I would have that with.  Eleven years later I was a single mother reeling from the most intense emotional pain I had ever experienced and I was hanging by a thread in the Church.  I was angry, bitter, upset, resentful and through it all I lost all trust in God.  The only thing that saved me from turning away from Him was my faith that only He could deliver me from the pain I was in, that no other power on earth could do it.  That pain was an incredible blessing to me.  Not only did it help me see how much I loved the Church and believed it was true, but it led me to study about the Atonement and to come to know God.  The good that came out of this darkest time of my life helped me survive the following years of hardship and pain as I struggled with single parenting. 

Like Abraham, I had an Isaac in the centre of my heart.  I wanted an eternal family as much as he wanted Isaac and despite my best efforts in being a good member of the Church, it was taken away from me.  What followed the biggest test of my life was years of living without any security, a lot of effort to regain my self-esteem and a necessity to redefine my standing in the Church.  All you who have been unfortunate enough to get divorced will know what I am saying here, especially the women.  On top of these great challenges,  my beautiful, sensitive and spiritual daughter was terribly affected by my struggles and went through adolescent depression which derailed her from the Church and stretched me almost beyond my capacity to endure.  But even this horrendous experience and all the consequences and repercussions of divorce have proved to be a blessing to my growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I could not have endured any of it had I not immersed myself into the scriptures and come to understand the power of the Atonement.  I came to know that nobody understood my life like the Saviour did because he experienced it for a few short moments in his greatest agony. 

It was during my study of the Atonement that I had my second dream of the Saviour.  This time I found myself in the Garden of Gethsemane and saw the Saviour writhing in excruciating pain on the ground.  Remembering my own pain and how severe it was, I knew the Saviour was experiencing the same, only multiplied by all the people who would ever live on this earth and I could not stand the thought of it.  I was beside myself and begged for someone to stop it.  Beside me was someone who was consoling me and reassuring me that it was needful for this to take place and that it would all end well.

 The Atonement became personal to me in two ways.  The first happened one Stake Conference when we were singing Redeemer of Israel and I had a vision of myself in pre-existence preaching the gospel to others less converted to the Saviour's plan.  The second came years later when during prayer one day as I expressed my remorse for all my weaknesses and struggles I remembered this vision. An instant understanding came to me that the Saviour had died for me because I was valiant in my testimony of Jesus in my pre-existence, that His Atonement was a gift to me because of my faith in Him before I was even born.  I understood that He knew I would struggle greatly in this life and that I would need His sacrifice and grace to get me home.  I am sure that this is true of all of us.  Our salvation was and is of utmost importance to Him who bled at every pore so we can have eternal life.

I believe this personal understanding of the Atonement would not have come to me had I turned my back on God during my test of faith.  I would not have come to know God like I now know Him.  I would not have been blessed with many personal revelations I have had and my testimony would not now be on firm ground.  The blessings I have received have far outweighed the trial of my faith.  It is all worth it. I have seen many blessings in my life as a result of my continued faithfulness.  Blessings that seem to be missing from the lives of those I have seen who did not continue to walk in paths of righteousness because of their trials.  My greatest blessing has been my daughter who was saved from the clutches of the adversary and brought back into the fold.  She is now a returned missionary and has fulfilled the promise in my patriarchal blessing that my children would grow up to bless and honour my name.

If you are hanging by a thread, I testify the Saviour is your only hope.  He has cried your tears, suffered your sorrows, walked in your shoes.  Only He knows what it is like to be you.  He has the power to heal you and He has the power to rescue you.  The Atonement is not something, it is everything.

 

 

 

 

THE POWER OF YOU

 

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies"

Proverbs 31:10

 

"The colour of rubies varies from vermilion to red. The most desired colour is pure red with a hint of blue.  If the colour is too pink, the stone is a pink sapphire.  The same is true if it is too violet - it is a violet sapphire.  The best rubies and star rubies are bright red....The Mogok Valley in Upper Burma  was for centuries the world's main source for rubies.  That region has produced some of the finest rubies ever mined, but in the recent years very few good rubies have been found there....."(Wikipedia)

 

A virtuous woman, as valued as a bright red ruby, is fast becoming a rare possession in today's world.  The glare of the telestial world has blinded so many of us to the inherent spiritual nature we as women are born with.  In his last conference talk, Elder D. Todd Christofferson pointed out that 'women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift, that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy and refinement in relationships and in cultures'.  This statement suggests that women have been gifted in this way because they have a particular responsibility in this life to lift others to higher ground.  The adversary knows this and he also knows that if he works on women to dull their spiritual natures, they will not accomplish this divine responsibility.  He uses the world and its ideals to weaken and eliminate our influence to the great detriment of our families and the society at large.  Elder Christofferson mentions three ways as a caution and a warning:

 

1.  The devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career.  I remember some years ago I heard a woman of prominence discuss child care on the radio.  Her suggestion was that women use the cost of child care as an excuse to stay at home and 'do nothing'.  It saddened me greatly to hear a woman say such a thing.  The attitude that homemaking and rearing children is unimportant and demeaning to women is getting more and more prevalent in our society. 

 

 

 

2.  Sexual immorality which reinforces the lie that a woman's sexuality is what defines her worth.

I think that women have played a large part in the undermining of marriage by becoming sexually available to men.  Elder Christofferson says this:

 

"There has long been a cultural double standard that expected women to be sexually circumspect while excusing male immorality.  The unfairness of such a double standard is obvious, and it has been justifiably criticized and rejected.  In that rejection, one would have hoped that men would rise to the higher, single standard, but just the opposite has occurred - women and girls are now encouraged to be as promiscuous as the double standard expected men to be.  Where once women's higher standards demanded commitment and responsibility from men, we now have sexual relations without conscience, fatherless families, and growing poverty.  Equal-opportunity promiscuity simply robs women of their moral influence and degrades all of society.  In this hollow bargain, it is men who are 'liberated' and women and children who suffer most."

 

3.  Erasing of differences between the masculine and the feminine.  Lara Croft, as gorgeous, wealthy and adventurous as she is, has done much to push women to adopt more masculine traits.  Through the media's influence women are encouraged to be more aggressive, tough and confrontational.  It is so common now to see women in terribly violent roles, leaving dead bodies and mayhem in their wake.  Elder Christofferson goes on to say that it is "soul-numbing to see men in such roles and certainly no less when women are the ones perpetrating and suffering the violence".

 

 

Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld taught:  "The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.  There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.  There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.  We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.  We have enough greed; we need more goodness.  We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.  We have enough popularity; we need more purity".

 

 

 



The only source of our moral power is God the Father.  Elder Christofferson says that Jesus' power came through His single-minded devotion to the Father's will.  Submitting ourselves to Him in likewise manner can endow us with power also.  It is only through this relationship that we can continue to cultivate the spiritual divine nature we were born with.  The Father made us gentle, He made us kind and tender and loving.  These are all attributes that the Saviour possesses.  Nurturing our spiritual selves and putting aside the values of the telestial world will ensure that we sharpen these attributes and become powerful enough to lift others to higher ground.  This means our children, our spouses, our extended families, our friends, our co-workers, our communities.  We all know how to immerse ourselves in things of the spirit: prayer, scripture study, fasting, temple attendance, church attendance, service and living the commandments.  All this goes a long way towards enabling us to identify with our spiritual identities from day to day.  When we know who we are and don't allow the world to confuse us, we are being single minded, in other words, being at one with God.  Having our feet in two camps never works.  Being double minded often finds us sitting on the fence not being truly committed to either masters.  Know who you are and do everything you can to uphold that knowledge and you will be a power for good.


"Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels".
(D&C 101:3)

 

(RS lesson taught in Mortdale Ward 24 November 2013)

HOW'S YOUR ARMOUR?

Elder Carlos E. Asay had the following dream concerning the Lord's armour:

"As a small boy in grammar school, I had a teacher who made King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table come alive.  She caused me to become so obsessed with stories of knights that I played and dreamed that I was one.  One evening I dreamed that I was a white knight on a white horse riding over the greens of England.  Suddenly, without warning, a knight dressed in black armour and mounted on a black horse appeared at the edge of the forest.  We measured each other carefully, lowered our lances, and charged at full gallop.  The lances struck target and both of us were knocked off our steeds.

"I scrambled to my feet knowing that swords would be drawn and that hand-to-hand combat was imminent.  Fear gripped my heart as I saw my opponent rushing toward me flashing a long, gleaming sword.  Instinctively, I reached to my side and drew forth from the scabbard my weapon.  That is when the dream turned into a nightmare!  For in my hand was a small, dinky dagger - not a long, gleaming sword.  I woke up in a cold sweat screaming for help. 

"Many times since that nightmarish experience, I have wondered about the serviceability of the Saints, particularly the young Latter-day Saints.  When God calls you to serve, are you positioned in the scabbard and ready to be drawn?  When the Lord draws you forth as his instrument in combating evil forces, what does he have in his hand - a long, gleaming sword or a dinky dagger?...The saving virtue of a sword is related to its strength, sharpness, cleanliness, and the hand which guides it.  Is it not the same with people?  I would pray that you would seek strength of character, sharpness of mind, and cleanliness of soul so as to become gleaming swords of righteousness.  By doing this, there will be no embarrassment, no disappointment, and no nightmare when He draws you out in battling the powers of darkness" (Elder Carlos E. Asay, "Instruments of Righteousness", New Era, June 1983)

"Wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armour, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.

"Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;

"Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen."
(D&C 27:15-18)

We are engaged in the mother of all battles.  Our enemy has been perfecting his craft for nearly 6,000 years.  He knows us both from our pre-mortal life and from observing us in our mortal state.  He knows what buttons to push when and he knows how to get into our cracks and inflict wounds that might never heal.  The message in the abovementioned scripture is that we take up the 'whole armour' of God upon us to prevent these wounds.  A section or two is not enough.  Almost all the armour will not do.  It needs to be complete armour for complete protection.

When Ahab, the king of Israel led his army against the forces of Syria, he took every precaution to avoid being injured, even disguising himself so that the Syrians would not recognise him and focus on his destruction.  The only thing he forgot was to wear enough armour.

"But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armour". (2K22:34, NIV) (Ted Gibbons, SS Lesson 43 - Take Upon You My Whole Armour)

The degree of protection we have from the adversary is directly proportional to the diligence and heed we give to the Lord's commandments.  How obedient we are here is an indication of how much we are willing to stand for the conviction that was ours in our pre-existence.  The extent of our armour is a good indication of how valiant in our testimony of Jesus we are being here and now.  We cannot afford to choose which commandment we will obey and which we will let slide.  This life is not a cafeteria. 

If you ever wanted to be a hero, this is the time and the place.  Examine the cracks in your armour and sharpen your sword of righteousness.  President Ezra Taft Benson said: "You will never have a better opportunity to be a greater hero in a more crucial battle than in the battle you will face today and in the immediate future. Be warned that some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.  David's battles in the field against the foe were not as critical as David's battles in the palace against a lustful eye.  We will each find our own battlefield". (Ezra Taft Benson, "In His Steps", 1979, Devotional Speeches of the Year, 60).

When the war is over and the battle won, whose side will you be found on?

ALL THAT MATTERS

Some years ago I read an article by Dallin H. Oaks in the Ensign where he said something like 'it doesn't matter if you are single or married or what your circumstances are, as hard as they may be, all that matters is that you are on the path to eternal life'.  I was outraged by this comment.  At the time I was a single mother struggling terribly and it mattered to me very much whether I had a husband or not to lighten the burdens I was carrying.  I thought Elder Oaks was not in sync with reality and the people who were living with hardship on daily basis.  However, the more spiritually refined I became over the years, the more I realised the truth of this statement.  

Sometimes we become very blinded by this telestial world and find it difficult to focus on the overall picture.  I think this is where Elder Oaks' statement came from.  He had risen above the telestial and had the celestial kingdom in his horizon.  I also think that he had made peace with the hardships of this life and had submitted his will fully to God.  Acceptance is the ultimate panacea for coping in this fallen world.  It eliminates unrealistic expectations and the frustration which comes from expecting a perfect life. 

God's main concern is our spiritual welfare.  When our mortal experience is providing spiritual growth, we are on the path He would have us be on.  When the choices we make complicate our lives and place us in bondage to sin, we are obviously not living according to His will.  When our worldly pursuits take us away from Him and endanger the spiritual welfare of our families, we can be assured we are not on the same page. Anything that takes us away from God would not include His will.

Submitting our will to God is crucial if we want to accomplish His plan for us, the individualised plan for us to become as He is.  We do not remember this plan which we were so familiar with before we came here, but He does.  He knows what we wanted to become and how we wanted our earthly experience to contribute to that goal.  To stay on the path that we had chosen so long ago, we need to have trust that His will for us will get us there.  And what did we want back then?  Eternal life and godhood. Eternal life meaning life with God.  We cannot have either without the experience of this mortal life.  It is a perfect schooling ground where we can develop God like characteristics.  Without those traits we cannot live as gods.  The Saviour can forgive us our sins and rescue us from the sting of death but it is up to us to develop god like natures through yielding our hearts to God. 

Neal A. Maxwell said "it is only by yielding to God that we can begin to realise His will for us".  He went on to say:  "we need to break free of our old selves - the provincial, constraining, and complaining selves - and become susceptible to the shaping of the Lord.  But the old self goes neither gladly nor quickly.  Even so, this subjection to God is really emancipation". (Neal A. Maxwell, "Willing to Submit", Ensign May 1985)

Consider King Benjamin's advice:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father".  (Mosiah 3:19)

Even if we stood at the judgment bar, ready for our eternal reward, and had the Lord forgive us totally of all our sins, we would not qualify for Celestial Kingdom if we had not developed the God like nature spoken of in this scripture.  Can you image to yourself an impatient god, or an intolerant god, or a complaining god, or a god lacking in love?  Only yielding our hearts to God and making His Atonement active in our lives can create a god within us.

When Christ visited the Americas he spoke a lot about the Father and that He was sent to do His will.  In fact, he made 147 references to the Father during His visit with them. I counted them all a few years ago when I suddenly noticed how frequent the references were even though I had read the Book of Mormon countless times before.   The Saviour perfectly exemplified total obedience to the Father's will, no matter how hard the task that was asked of Him, and He had the hardest task to accomplish out of all of us.  The whole act of Atonement pivots on Christ's submission to the Father's will. "...Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done". (Luke 22:42) There is something very important about this.  If the Atonement was performed out of submission, it goes to say that the Atonement can empower us, his disciples, to submit our will to the Father too.  This means using the Atonement in our daily efforts to overcome the natural man and to accept the hardships and adversity we are required to go through which will in the end refine and polish us.  Once again, verbal invocation of the Atonement comes into play.  As already suggested in my post on How to Use The Power of the Atonement, the wording should reflect our faith in Jesus Christ and should invoke the power we need to overcome the natural man or to endure the trials we are experiencing. If you are having a difficult time being submissive to God's will in general, your supplication should be: "Through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Atonement, I ask for the ability to submit my will to thine, to know thy will and to be empowered to live it" or even better, "Through my faith in Jesus Christ who so perfectly submitted His will to thine, I ask to be empowered through His Atonement to submit my will to thine in all things".  The wording can be more specific relative to the situation you are in. 

If you are blinded by the gloss of this telestial world and care too much about what you have in this life and find it difficult to let go, you are not on the path to eternal life.  The Father has so so much more to give you than this dismal telestial glory. This is not your true home.  You are here for a one off experience.  When that experience is ended and the earth is 'rolled together as a scroll' (Mormon 9:2) you will want to be walked through the pearly gates to receive the splendour of eternal life. So let go and do it now.

THE CHURCH FULFILLS PROPHECIES

"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (9th Article of Faith)

Continuing revelation is the lifeblood of this Church.  President Lee once shared this story:

"Elder John A. Widstoe of the Council of the Twelve once told of a discussion he had with a group of stake officers.  In the course of the discussion someone said to him, 'Brother Widstoe, how long has it been since the Church received a revelation?'  Brother Widstoe rubbed his chin thoroughly and said in reply, 'Oh, probably since last Thursday'." (Lee, Harold B., Stand Ye In Holy Places, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City: 1974, pp 132-33)

It is amazing to me to witness how revelation can bridge time in fulfilment of prophecies.  It strengthens my testimony to see how the Church is an instrument in God's hands to effect this fulfilment.  None of this would be possible if revelation had ceased between God and his children.  One such prophecy dates back to Ezekiel:

"The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 'Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all of the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand". (Ezek 37:15-17)

The obvious reference of the sticks is the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon.  The way they have been made into one stick, two historical accounts becoming one witness of Jesus Christ, is through the Church's own publication of the Bible, influenced by revelation, which incorporates references to all of the standard works.

Elder Boyd K. Packer expounded on the significance of the new editions of the scriptures back in 1982:

"The stick or record of Judah - the Old Testament and the New Testament - and the stick or record of Ephraim - The Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ - are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other, as you learn from one you are enlightened by the other.  They are indeed one in our hands.  Ezekiel's prophecy now stands fulfilled.

With the passing of years, these scriptures will produce successive generations of faithful Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are disposed to obey His will.

The older generation has been raised without them, but there is another generation growing up.  The revelations will be opened to them as to no other in the history of the world.  Into their hands now are placed the sticks of Joseph and of Judah.  They will develop a gospel scholarship beyond that which their forebears could achieve.  They will have the testimony that Jesus is the Christ and be competent to proclaim Him and to defend Him. (Boyd K. Packer, "Scriptures", Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 53)

We are privileged to be a part of the most important and powerful institution on this earth.  Powerful because at the helm of it is Jesus Christ who directs it through his living prophets.  Important because of the work that is being accomplished through revelation for the salvation of the human family.  This institution is the only place that will enable us to stand at the last day when the Saviour returns.  Whether we survive what is to take place before that great event, is up to us.  President Lee explained it in this way:

"This is what has been said, in effect, in this conference:  Unless every member of this Church gains for himself an unshakeable testimony of the divinity of this Church, he will be among those who will be deceived in this day when the 'elect according to the covenant' are going to be tried and tested.  Only those will survive who have gained for themselves that testimony." (President Harold B. Lee, October 1950)

PRIESTHOOD REVELATION BRINGS JOY

"For many years, I have watched the process of continuous revelation which emanates from God through the keys, authority, and under direction of the President of the Church.  I testify that this revelatory power has directed this work since April 6, 1830.  That confirmation is the source of the greatest knowledge I have.  I counsel and pray that all will heed the ongoing prophetic voice of this Church, revealing the word of God in our day. (James E. Faust, "The Prophetic Voice", Ensign, May 1997, 7)"

Studying this lesson has made me see the magnitude of what the Church is accomplishing in preparation of the Saviour's coming.  The Church is a well oiled machine, perfectly organised and run under the direction of the priesthood who continue to receive revelation relative to this preparation.  The scriptures speak of prophets as "watch(men) upon the tower" who see "the enemy while he (is) yet afar off" (D&C 101:54).  Because we have continuous revelation and living prophets,  the Church is always one step ahead to ensure this preparation is ever forging onward. 

One of the greatest examples of this is the revelation extending the blessings of the priesthood to every worthy male member of the Church.  This revelation was presented to the Church and the world on September 30, 1978, at the 148th Semiannual General Conference of the Church.  I stand in awe of President Kimball who had pondered, meditated and prayed much to invite this revelation and bring about such an important change for the Church and its' membership.  At the time I was only a new convert in the Church and did not fully grasp what this revelation would really mean to the membership of the Church and the world.  I think I was of the opinion that it was 'really nice' that this had happened.  The Lord however, doesn't do 'really nice'.  He always fulfils his purposes and he does it on a grand scale.  This revelation had great impact on accelerating the missionary efforts so the Church can fulfil its' destiny of growing and filling the world, as prophesied by Joseph Smith.

I read the following story about the priesthood revelation and was reminded of what it feels like to long to be in the Church:

"Joseph William Billy Johnson of Cape Coast, Ghana, first received literature about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1964.  He knew that the Church doctrines he read in it were true, and he immediately began teaching them to his family, friends and anyone else who would listen to him.  It was not until four years later that he was able to obtain a copy of the Book of Mormon, to carefully read and pray about it, and to receive a witness of its truth.  In letters to Salt Lake City, he had asked for more information about the Church and for missionaries to come to Africa to teach and baptize him.  President McKay sent him literature and told him it was not yet time for missionaries to come to his country but that he should continue to study and have faith.

For 14 years Billy Johnson devoted himself to teaching the everlasting gospel and meeting with informal groups of believers.  While strengthened by many spiritual experiences, he and members of these groups became discouraged when their pleadings for missionaries were not answered quickly.

During a particularly difficult period, Billy returned home one day much discouraged.  As he struggled to obtain comfort and counsel from the Lord, he felt impressed to turn on his shortwave radio and find the BBC news broadcast.  He was finally able to tune in the BBC at midnight.  He recalls:

          "I heard the message of President Kimball's prophecy concerning the priesthood, that all
           worthy males in all of the world could receive the priesthood.  I burst into tears of joy,
           because I knew the priesthood would come to Africa, and if we did the right things, we
           would all receive the priesthood".

What joy spread through his heart as he heard the BBC news commentator announce the long-await revelation! (Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, "The Incomparable Blessings of the Priesthood", Ensign Oct. 1997, p. 50)

Why did Billy Johnson have to wait so long to be baptised?  Because the Church cannot exist anywhere without the administration of the priesthood. This man felt constrained to preach the Gospel in Ghana and converted so many people to it that he organised several branches and all with just one copy of the Book of Mormon.  Members of his branch were allowed just a few moments each to read from it.   There is another amazing story of Nigerian saints who had also organised themselves into a branch under the direction of one man, Anthony Obinna, and waited for the priesthood revelation to bring the saving ordinance and missionary work to Africa. Both of these stories can be found in full in the Church History section of the Church site, www.lds.org . It will make you weep and make you reflect on how much you value your Church membership.  It is astounding to me how the Lord prepared these people on one side of the world and put in place a prophet on the other side of the world who would consider the constant pleading of the African saints important enough to seek a revelation that would bring salvation to so many souls.  Such is the power of continuing revelation to latter-day prophets.



 



HOW TO USE THE POWER OF THE ATONEMENT

I adore words.  I am a firm believer in their power.  I constantly pray that I will be blessed with 'the tongue of angels' so I can expound the words of Christ in my speaking, teaching and writing.  There are no more powerful words to me than the name of Jesus Christ.  I always delight to read stories in the scriptures where the ancients have invoked the blessings of heaven by using the Saviour's name.  One such example is Alma who delivered himself and Amulek from prison by pleading for strength according to their faith which was in Christ (Alma 14:26). 

To make the Atonement active in our lives, we need to call upon its' power in such a manner that it would affirm our faith in Jesus Christ.  If we do not believe in Him, we have no claim on His power.  When working on something as serious as overcoming addictions, we might need to do this several times a day.  The Atonement is the source by which power will come to us that has been taken away.  The Saviour has overcome the world and we can overcome it too through the power He gives us. 

I learnt about this power and how to use it at the time of my divorce when I felt that nothing else would be able to heal the crippling emotional pain I was experiencing.  I invoked the power of the Atonement on daily basis, several times a day, and through it achieved the very result I wanted.  Knowing how powerful words are, I carefully worded my daily petition: 
"Through my faith in Jesus Christ I ask for the power of the Atonement to heal my broken heart, to replace resentment, anger and the sense of injustice with love, peace and forgiveness". 
This phrase became my mantra. I used it every time I felt a wave of pain wash over me. It didn't happen overnight but it happened just like I asked and in good time.  I was healed and survived incredibly well.  Thereafter, I preached about the Atonement and its' healing power many times.  I came to understand it was the greatest tool that was given to us to survive this life.  It was the tool we voted for before this world began.  It was the tool that I think we understood very well in our pre-existence, the only tool through which we could obtain godhood.

When praying for the power of the Atonement to overcome an addiction, I suggest the following wording:

"Through my faith in Jesus Christ I ask for the power of the Atonement to strengthen me in my time of weakness, to give me power over my addiction even unto deliverance."

If you want to be more specific, you could say:

"Through my faith in Jesus Christ I ask for the power of the Atonement to strengthen me in my time of weakness and to free me from my addiction to _______________."

You can use this formula whenever you need to call upon the power of the Atonement for anything you deem is worthy of its assistance.  I testify that it works.  The Saviour is real and so is His power. He suffered indescribable pain so you and I can have eternal life.  And He has provided the way so we can get there.  This is grace.  He cannot live our lives for us so it is up to us to access His grace to lift us to higher ground.  We cannot say that we can't make it, because we can.  Through the grace of God we can do all things.  And if we believe that we can't, we are not His disciples.

ADDICTIONS AND THE ATONEMENT

So many of us have addictive natures and just about all of us can become addicted to something at some point in our lives.  Addictions range from eating chocolate, to compulsive shopping to pornography.  Some are not so destructive and some can destroy us and keep us in chains for years.  What is the worst addiction?  The one that plagues you.  What is the worst aspect of an addiction?  Being stripped of one's power.  An addiction is inverted faith in something outside of ourselves which takes us away from God and his power to save.  If you have been using an addiction as a way of coping with your life, you have more faith in your addiction to get you by than you do in  the Saviour of the world and His power to succor you from day to day. And if you believe that it is impossible for you to overcome your addiction, you are denying the power of the Atonement.

Addictions are so prevalent in our society that they have become one of the greatest tools the adversary has to disempower us.  He wants us to believe that our addictions are who we are, that they are our true nature.  This is a craft very easily accomplished by the world which convinces us that we are what our behaviour labels us to be.  The world tells you that you are an alcoholic, a sex addict, a compulsive eater, a drug addict, a gambler.  The world uses labels and Satan uses the world. 

Satan seeks to confuse us as to our identity by undermining our spiritual origin.  Consider the encounter that Moses had with both God and Satan.  When God the Father appeared to Moses he proclaimed Himself to be "the Lord God Almighty" and he reiterated to him a number of times that He was His father by calling him "Moses, my son".  This stands out in stark contrast to Lucifer who appeared immediately after the Father withdrew and addressed him as "Moses, son of man".  (Moses 1:4,6,12)  When we label ourselves with worldly labels we forget that we are a son or daughter of God.

There is another reason why labelling ourselves is dangerous. If you believe that you are for instance an alcoholic, you will act as an alcoholic because what does an alcoholic do?  He drinks.  If you believe you are an alcoholic and will always be an alcoholic, even if you are on the wagon, you will eventually return to drink to confirm that inner belief, the belief that says that's who you are.  A good example of this is Robin Williams who after 23 years of being sober went back to drinking.  If you are constantly attending meetings that are constantly telling you you are an alcoholic, you will feel there is never escaping this addiction. This can be incredibly discouraging, disheartening and disempowering.  As you can tell, I do not agree with AA.  I am not undermining the seriousness of alcohol addiction but am rather trying to give you hope that there is a better way if you want it.  You are not an alcoholic but a son or daughter or God.  Alcoholism is an addiction, it is not a definition of who you are or of your self worth.  Therefore, it is better to say "I am a son or daughter of God with an addiction to alcohol".  It is not who you are, but what you are when you are drinking. You might want to contend with me here and say that going to meetings and being told that you are an alcoholic all the time keeps you in remembrance of your addiction and thus ensures success in abstinence.  I am of the opinion that suffering the consequences of our addictions keeps us in remembrance better. And there are always consequences.  I have been a witness to this through someone close to me. 

We should be extremely careful when we speak the words "I am" because what you say you are, you will believe and you will act according to that belief.  When we say "I am", we own that definition.  This is why it is important for us to understand our spiritual origin, to know ourselves, our gifts, talents, our character, our weaknesses and our strengths.  It is also important to understand our purpose and our destiny.  And what is our destiny?  We are destined to become gods.  It also goes without saying that we need to have a relationship with God and know Him as our Father.

Consider the Saviour and how well He knows Himself.   In several instances in the scriptures He calls himself "The Great I Am".  What He is saying is, this is who I am:

"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 also the last" (Isaiah 44:6)

No wonder He is The Great I Am! How many of us speak so positively of ourselves?  How many of us proclaim ourselves to be scriptoreans, servants, forgivers, hard workers, believers, healers, people lovers, helpers, peacemakers, good mothers?  We are more likely to hear such negatives as:

I am a procrastinator
I am a glutton
I am an addict
I am uncaring
I am unthoughtful
I am dumb
I am stupid
I am weak
I am fat
I am unlovable

The scriptures say that our words and our thoughts will condemn us (Alma 12:14).  This does not mean only the bad things we say about and to others.  This also means that what we think and say about ourselves corrodes our spirits, damages our self-esteem and distances us from our spiritual identity. 

I believe God who says He can change the inner man and make out of us new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16a(footnote),17).  Once you allow Him to change you through the power of the Atonement,  you will turn to Him to help you handle life's difficulties rather than your addictive behaviour.  Such is the power of the Atonement.  It can purify us and refine us and cause all imperfections to fall away as dross.  Our addictions can then become something positive, a vehicle which has enabled us to come unto Christ. And this is where we want to be, in His safety and in His care.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY

The mission of the Church is threefold:

1.  Proclaim the Gospel
2.  Perfect the Saints
3.  Redeem the dead

It is interesting  to note that all three of these directives have one thing in common.  Proclaiming the Gospel is obviously missionary work.  Perfecting the saints very much includes fellowshipping the new members and ensuring they stay in the Church and progress.  Redeeming the dead is performing the physical work for those who are being preached to in the spirit world.  All three are about missionary work.  Therefore, we can safely conclude that the Church is a missionary church. 

The saints of this dispensation have been commanded to take the gospel to all the world.  We can achieve this through two ways:

1.  Influence

President Gordon B Hinckley shed some light on this when he said the following:

"If we will go forward, never losing sight of our goal, speaking ill of no one, living the great principles we know to be true, this cause will roll on in majesty and power to fill the earth.  Doors now closed to the preaching of the gospel will be opened.  The Almighty, if necessary, may have to shake the nations to humble them and cause them to listen to the servants of the living God.  Whatever is needed will come to pass.  The key to the great challenges facing us and to the success of the work will be the faith of all who call themselves Latter-day Saints". (Ensign Nov. 1997, 68)

According to this statement, how faithfully we live the gospel will have a great impact on the success of missionary work in the world. Not only do we influence people individually through being an example but the more righteous the saints collectively, the greater the spirit and where the spirit is strong, missionary work yields success. Our faith also plays a very crucial part in this success. I remember some years ago Australia was going through a terrible draught.  The Area President residing here at the time promised the saints that if they paid their tithing faithfully that the draught would break.  It was such a responsibility knowing that the fate of the whole country depended on the minority and their faithfulness.  I think it is the same with missionary work. 

Another way our influence can be felt is through the greatest window to the world we have been given in this dispensation, that of the internet.  Here again, you don't even have to step out of your house to spread our influence far and wide.  Ask yourself if you are a righteous influence on all the forums and networks you belong to.  Do people know you are a member of the Church?  Do they know how much you love the Church?  Are you telling them what your life is like because of the Church?  Are you sharing your knowledge about God with your internet friends? Just something as simple as sharing a quote from a general authority could spark someone's interest in the Church.  As I stated in my last blog on missionary work, our message should be one of love, but it is often curiosity about the Church that will bring someone to the knowledge of the Saviour.   

2.  Physical Effort

If you feel that finding someone to lead to the baptismal font is beyond you, find one thing that you are good at when it comes to missionary work.  Perhaps you have a strong testimony of The Book of Mormon that you want to share.  Ask the missionaries in your ward if you could write your testimony in the Books of Mormon that they intend to pass out.  Or you can make a goal to give out one copy of The Book of Mormon in a certain period of time and then pray that you can find someone to give it to.  If you love to bear your testimony in person, ask the missionaries in your ward if you can accompany them when they teach discussions to their investigators.  If fellowshipping is something you highly enjoy, ask the missionaries to make you aware who they are bringing to Church so you can make yourself available to sit with them and make them feel welcome.  There is at least one thing each one of us can excel in and it's up to us to find what that is and do it.  We are not required to do everything, as long as we do something.  Whatever it is, we should be endeavouring to bring someone to Christ in some way.  That is our mission, that is our purpose, that is our goal.

"The day will come the Lord will unveil the heavens and invite each of his disciples to come forward - one by one - and greet and embrace Him.  On that day, we will want to be surrounded by as many as possible of our brothers and sisters, surrounded by those we have influenced in some way to come unto Him - our children, our family members, our ward or branch members, our friends, our neighbours - as many as we have touched with the power of our testimonies.  If we do so, He will take us into His loving embrace and whisper to us, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant".
(Breck England, Lesson 41 "Every Member a Missionary", Meridian Magazine)

MY CONVERSION STORY

I was born and raised in Croatia.  I immigrated to Australia when I was nearly 14 years old together with my parents and an older sister.  Upon our arrival here I was enrolled in a Catholic high school in line with my Catholic upbringing.  We were not a church going family as such but I had been tutored in my religion during my upbringing years and fondly remember the Christian celebrations from my youth of Easter and Christmas which were highly spiritual events for me. Whilst in St Bridges Girls' High, I attended mass every week and had further religious instruction from the nuns that lectured at the school.  By the time I was 16 I was out of school, working and beginning to wonder what this life was all about. Because of my faith in God I concluded that the answer to my question should come from Him.  Realising that the Catholic church offered no such answers for me I decided I would look into other religions.  My first step was to visit the library to see what other religions had to offer.  I had heard about the Mormon church through the Osmond Brothers who were highly popular in the 70's and who were very vocal about their family oriented church.  That appealed to my senses in a big way so I decided that the Mormon church would also be one I would invstigate. 

Amongst the library books I borrowed was The Book of Mormon and another book entitled "What of the Mormons?".   It was when I read the latter that I knew The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was for me.  I wanted eternal marriage, I wanted eternal family, I wanted God in my life, I wanted everything the Church had to offer.  It also had answers to all my questions through the Plan of Salvation.  I knew I belonged in this Church. I also knew, however, my parents would never approve, especially my father who was very strict and was not interested in anybody else's way of doing things. I tried to approach him about the issue but he didn't want to discuss it much and said under no circumstances was I to even consider being interested in another religion. This caused me much anguish but I felt driven.  I longed to be baptised and I longed to go to Church every Sunday and be gathered with the saints. I would often go to the telephone book looking for meetinghouses closest to where I lived.  When I could stand it no longer I decided that I would go and see a Mormon chapel for myself one Sunday.  I didn't drive in those days so I determined to catch a train and walk to the chapel from the station.  Sunday came and I nervously and secretly caught a train to the suburb of Allawah.  I found the chapel and walked up and down the street several times looking at it longingly believing I was not allowed in because I wasn't a member.  As I stood there on the outside looking in, the principle of tithing practiced by the Church came into my mind and I thought to myself:  "I would gladly give my entire earnings to the Church if I could just sit inside that building." 

I went home that Sunday and returned to the phone book to find someone in the Church I could write to.  I found a Stake President, Ian Mackie, and wrote to him asking to be baptised.  After a week I had not received an answer and could not wait any longer so I called him and he promised he would arrange for the missionaries to get in touch with me.  That same afternoon, an Elder Keeler called me and we arranged to meet the next day, being Sunday, at the Bankstown chapel for my first discussion. He asked what I knew about the Church and when I answered all his questions he remarked: "Wow, you are golden!".  I had no idea what that meant.

Once again I secretly caught a train and found my way to Bankstown chapel.  I was met by Elder Keeler who was waiting outside and who asked me if I was the investigator they were waiting for.  I didn't know what an investigator was so I replied: "I must be".  After my first discussion I attended the sacrament meeting.  The elders couldn't tell me anything more than I had already read about the Church.  I knew it all and wanted to be a member but my family stood in the way.  I was not quite 18 years old and would need their permission.  As my 18th birthday was fast approaching I decided that I needed to leave home in order to be baptized.  An older single lady, Elaine White, who was fellowshipping me during my discussions in Bankstown Ward approached a single mother in Sutherland Ward, Heather Davidson, and arranged for me to live with her. 

I could not risk being stopped in my tracks so I told my parents nothing about my plans to leave home.  My mother worked night shift at the time and came home at 7 am and my father left for work at 6 am.  In that one hour I packed all my belongings on the appointed day and left them in Elaine's car while I went to work.  It was the most nerve wrecking day of my life thus far.  I had left home and all my belongings were in the car of someone I had only met a few weeks ago. I knew there was no going back. While I was at work my sister called me to ask me what it was that I was doing while my mother was sobbing in the background.  My first night in a home of strangers, away from home for the first time, was heart wrenching.  I sat on my bed and cried for a long time. 

I was baptised on 19 April 1975 at South Harbour chapel in Sydney by Elder Brad Keeler.  When I came up out of the water, I was overcome with the spirit which reduced me to tears.  I knew I had done the right thing and that I was home.  My parents would have nothing to do with me for a full year despite the cards and flowers I sent home to my mother which were promptly discarded.  I sorrowed that they could not understand that I had to travel my own path but now I can see how frightening it would have been to them, strangers in a foreign land with their daughter joining what seemed to them some kind of a cult.  In time they came to understand and when they saw the good values I was living by they became very supportive.  Whilst I was on my mission, my mother wrote me most encouraging letters.  When I visited them in Croatia at the completion of it and happened to go out with some of my peers who were all drinking and smoking, my mother waved me off with an admonition: "Remember who you are". 

Shortly after I was baptised I was given a remarkable dream about the Saviour.  I dreamt that I was in a building with my parents when there arose some commotion on the street.  As we exited the building to find out the cause of this commotion, a strange white matter akin to snow fell on top of us.  My parents and I started digging our way up but when I emerged on top I never saw them again.  Instead I saw immense whiteness everywhere and when I looked to my right, I saw the Saviour in white walking towards me with outstretched arms saying: "Where are my children?".  This dream made me feel accepted by Him as I considered myself one of His children now that I was baptised in His name by proper authority. I was certain that the whiteness in my dream represented baptism and I knew I had done the right thing.

Since my baptism the Lord has blessed me immensely.  He has made up for my lack of family in numerous ways with lasting friendships, friends that I now consider family.  I have been looked after, supported and carried by these friends and I have lacked for nothing.  Through studying the scriptures and staying active in the Church I have endured some terrible storms in life and grown closer to my Father in Heaven and His Son who has atoned for my sins and suffered my sorrows.  I know He lives.  I want to serve Him all the days of my life to in some way repay the debt I owe Him for the incredible suffering He has borne on my behalf.  He is the light, the truth, the way; the only way we can overcome this world and return home triumphant.  He is the balm of Gilead who can heal us and dry all our tears and encircle us in the arms of His love.

Joseph Smith spoke of 'the believing blood of Israel', those who seek the truth and recognise it the moment they hear it. I think I have such blood.  I think I am one of the sheep of which the Saviour spoke when He said:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me" (John 10:27

A LABOUR OF LOVE

When Lehi had a dream of his vision of the Tree of Life he found himself in a dark and dreary wilderness.  After he had been in this dark wilderness for many hours he began to pray to the Lord that He would have mercy on him 'according to the multitude of His tender mercies' (1 Nephi 8:8)  Immediately following his request he was shown a spacious field with a tree that bore fruit which was exceptionally desirable and not only the sweetest fruit he had ever tasted but it had extraordinary power to provide exceeding joy.  Unlike his brothers, Nephi sought explanation of his father's dream and was given to know that the Tree of Life was a representation of the love of God (1 Nephi 11:25).  A love that is the most desirable above all things and the most joyous to the soul (1 Nephi 11:23).  Immediately following the description of this love, Nephi was given the vision of the Son of God during his earthly ministry.  Why?  Because the ultimate love that God the Father can give us is His son, Jesus Christ.  He is the chosen vessel through which we receive godly love. The proof of God's great love for us lies in His sacrifice of His only begotten son. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).  Everlasting life is the greatest blessing the Father can bestow upon us, this blessing being proportionate to His love for His children. This godly love is amplified by the Saviour's love for us which was demonstrated through the Atonement.  "Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Our ultimate goal in life should be to prepare to meet Christ and to be "encircled eternally in the arms of his love" (2 Nephi 1:15)  To bring ourselves back into God's presence is wonderful, but to bring someone back with us, that's powerful.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, it is our duty to make this happen.  This is what missionary work is.

The purpose of missionary work is not to bring people into the Church but to bring souls to Jesus Christ.  The Church is merely a vehicle to accomplish this purpose.  Our goal whilst accomplishing this purpose is to be messengers of God's love for his children through His Son, Jesus Christ. With so many people in the world languishing for the want of love and spiritual comfort and not knowing where to find it or what it exactly is that is missing in their lives, missionary work becomes an easier task.  Too often we think we need to be heavily invested in the doctrines of the Church to be able to do missionary work properly but what most people need is the spirit of our testimony rather than the doctrine. 

You are not in this Church by chance.  You have been called out of the world to save the world. The Lord has said, "The voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days" (D&C 1:4).  Who are these disciples? You and I. Whether you have been born in the Church or you are a convert, you are His disciple and you have been chosen long before this world began.  Consider Joseph F. Smith's vision of us in pre-mortal world as outlined in D&C 138:55, 56:

"55. I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.
56. Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men."

If you do not consider yourself a ruler in the Church of God, then you are one of the 'many others'.  Either way, you are a labourer in His vineyard saving the souls of men. You are unique and there are people in the world who need this uniqueness.  There are some people that only you can touch.  Some who will believe only your words, be impressed with only your example, feel only the spirit of your testimony. You are endowed with the truth and your companion is the Holy Ghost.  You have been prepared, you need not fear.

IN HIS PRESENCE

The following is an account of Apostle Melvin J. Ballard's open vision of Jesus Christ which transpired in the Salt Lake Temple:

When I was doing missionary work with some of our brethren, labouring among the Indians, seeking the Lord for light to decide certain matters pertaining to our work there, and receiving a witness from Him that we were doing things according to His will, I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the Temple.  After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious Personage, and as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I even conceived existed in all the eternal worlds.  As I approached to be introduced, he arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and he smiled as he softly spoke my name.  If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile.  He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt!  When he had finished, I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world.  The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessings was such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I hope to be, to feel what I then felt!

"Temple Manifestations" page 152

WHEN WE LOSE A LOVED ONE

While delivering an inspired discourse at the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Sunday, October 4, 1896, President Wilford Woodruff stated that while labouring in the St. George Temple, he had learned a new principle of the gospel pertaining to the redemption of the dead:

While in the St. George Temple I had a son, who was in the north country, drowned.  He was 21 years of age, and was a faithful young man.  He had a warning of this.  In a dream he was notified how he would die.  We had a testimony of that after his death.  I asked the Lord why he was taken from me.  The answer to me was, "You are doing a great deal for the redemption of your dead; but the law of redemption requires some of your own seed in the spirit world to attend to work connected with this".  That was a new principle to me; but it satisfied me why he was taken away.  I name this, because there are a great many instances like it among the Latter-day Saints.

Marriner Wood Merrill was a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles from 1889 and Logan Temple President from 1884 to 1906.  Often his excessive temple labours fatigued him, which was later compounded by the death of one son, whose sudden passing Apostle Merrill could not reconcile.  Finally, on one evening following his exhaustive temple work, the Logan Temple President received a visit from his deceased son from the spirit world as recounted by President Heber J Grant:

He once told me that he could not reconcile himself to the death of his son Marriner, who had had charge of practically all his financial affairs, as he gave so much of his time to the Temple, until he received a manifestation in which Marriner seemed to be in the room with him, although not seen, and spoke to his father and said: "Pa, I am where the Lord wants me to be.  I am doing work of more importance than I would be on earth, and it is not pleasing to the Lord for you to grieve as you are doing over my death".  He said this reconciled him to the loss.

In a Church general conference Rudger Clawson of the Quorum of the Twelve related a marvellous manifestation received by one faithful Salt Lake Temple worker in which the status of married couples in the spirit prison who have not been sealed for eternity in a temple was revealed:

Upon one occasion I saw in vision my father and mother who were not members of the Church, who had not received the gospel in life, and I discovered that they were living separate and apart in the spirit world, and when I asked them how it was that they were so, my father said, "This is an enforced separation, and you are the only individual who can bring us together.  You can do this work.  Will you do it? - meaning that he should go to the House of the Lord and there officiate for his parents who were dead, and by the ordinance of sealing bring them together and unite them in the family relation beyond the veil.

"Temple Manifestations"  p. 77, 89, 131