BY THE GRACE OF GOD PART 2

".....I will go before your face. 
I will be on your right hand and on your left, 
and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, 
and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." 
(D&C 84:88)

As disciples of Jesus Christ we have been given the mandate to become perfect. This perfection will be reached long after we pass on from this mortal life, nevertheless, whilst we are here we are to strive for excellence which will one day qualify us for godhood. Along this path however, we frequently, if not constantly, lack patience to cope with our sense of personal inadequacy. This impatience makes us prone to discouragement and a belief that because of our inadequacies perfection seems an unattainable goal. The gap between the ideal (perfection), and reality for some of us seems like a painful place to exist. In this gap we tend to encounter extreme guilt which makes many of us believe that we will never 'make it'. Women especially are susceptible to feelings of guilt to the point where some dread family-oriented lessons in Relief Society because emphasizing the ideals of motherhood makes them more aware of their own shortcomings and failure to live up to them. The truth is, all of us are falling short of the ideal for who among us could not relate to this family's scenario of the gap between reality and the ideal: "Then there are the family home evenings and scripture study sessions in our home. Somehow it has not been altogether natural for our children to glide reverently into their places all at once and all on time, prepared to ponder thoughtfully the wonders of eternity. More than likely, especially when they were young, they seemed to come swinging into the family room on the chandeliers like Tarzan on the vines, then would stand on their heads or flip themselves over the back of the couch during most of the lesson. During that stage of our family's history, our bishop lovingly referred to our children as curtain climbers, rug rats, and house apes. There were times in those days  when the gap yawned as wide as the Grand Canyon" (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p. 178). 

We live in a 'feel good' day and age. Modern day psychologists and spiritual gurus advise strongly against any negative feelings that have the potential to harm our self-esteem. One such therapist claims that being seriously religious "is significantly correlated with emotional disturbance" and goes on to say: "People largely disturb themselves by believing strongly in absolutistic shoulds, oughts, and musts, and most people who dogmatically believe in some religion believe in these health-sabotaging absolutes....The less religious people are, the more emotionally healthy they will tend to be" (Albert, Ellis, "Psychotherapy and Atheistic Values", Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (1980), p 635-7). The world's solution to coping with the gap between the reality and the ideal is to eliminate the ideal and make peace with your reality. By doing this, we are meant to be free from frustration, guilt and unhappiness. This solution is an appealing one to many who are encouraged to accept themselves as they are. Because not having to change is a more comfortable place to be, we convince ourselves that we are not 'celestial material' and fall out of the race. 

Our modern day pre-occupation with self-acceptance limits severely our possibilities for growth and change restricting the power of repentance. Many of us go so far as to believe that we cannot change human nature at all and that we are what we are. Those of us who are of that belief deny the power of the Atonement and are in effect saying to the Saviour, I don't need you, you have no power to do anything for me. When we come to that point we believe the world more than we believe Him. We then lose all faith that we can ever attain godhood because we know our own capabilities cannot get us there. The other choice we have in this matter is to focus on Him who overcame the world, resisted every temptation and avoided every sin. We must understand that the only way perfection is possible at all is through the grace of Him who has paved the way. Through His grace we too can overcome the world, resist every temptation and avoid every sin because His grace enlarges our capacities and turns our weaknesses into strengths but the most important gift of grace "along that path is the gift of hope, which is a source of comfort and strength for those who move courageously forward toward the perfecting ideal of the Saviour" (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p 183)

It astounds me to hear an active member of the Church exclaim "oh, I know I will never make it". This proclamation indicates a lack of understanding of the Atonement and a lack of acceptance of its' power. To me this belief is akin to sin. Contrast that mentality with active members of the Church in Jacob's time: "Wherefore, we search the prophets (scriptures), and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy (testimony); and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things" (Jacob 4:6-7). It is clear from this scripture that those who believe that they will never 'make it' are the ones who put their faith in their capacities alone rather than in the grace of God which is the only way we can ever make it. If we can by the grace of God command the trees, the mountains or the waves of the sea to obey us, surely we can by this same grace also change the human nature. 

The spiritual endowments of hope are perspective, patience, serenity, peace, insight and endurance. When we press forward with steadfastness in Christ (2 Nephi 31:20), we do so with a hope that we can make it for the one who has made it is before us, behind us and by us (D&C 88:84, 49:27). We desperately need these endowments of hope because they help us to see that development toward spiritual maturity and godhood "is a process and not an event....it is a distance race, not a sprint....it is thus no race for the short-winded. To develop toward a Christlike character is a process, not an event. There may one day be some crowning event, in which the final endowment of grace completes a process that may take longer than mortal life. But to qualify for such a conclusion requires patience and persistence more than it requires flawlessness. It is indeed, our own groping and reaching in the struggle for growth that qualifies us for divine help." (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p 184, 186)

In our quest for the ideal, we are like a toddler just learning to walk. The closer we get to the ideal, the more that ideal expands and creates new aspirations and a new gap, until we finally reach godhood: "When our capacities are small, God's expectations are not very demanding.......but just as we master these elementary demands, we discover greater expectations that we didn't quite see before. Gradually our capacity grows, but so does our understanding of what more we must become, 'For of him unto whom much is given much is required' (D&C 82:3). The Lord would have us stretch - but not out of shape.....in the midst of this process, the blessing of hope keeps the gap at a manageable distance. Our perceptions and attitudes really can be shaped and lifted by a gift of divinely given insight that lets us feel, even with some anticipation and optimism, that we can do it.....Hope, a divinely given blessing of atoning grace for those who seek it, after all they can do on their own, establishes in the way our mind sees things just the right distance between where we are and where we strive to be. It also reassures us, somehow, that the ever-receding ideal is not a trick, but part of a growth process that can be not only acceptable but exhilarating" (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p 187,188)

We need only search the scriptures in order to know the God we speak of; to know that to Him man is the underlying and over-riding purpose of all His works, that to Him we are everything (Moses 1:39); that it is for our sakes' He willingly laid Himself on the cross; that beside Him there is no Saviour; that the extent of His doings none can find out; that there are none who can stay His hand; that great is His wisdom and marvelous are His ways; that He is gracious and merciful unto those who fear Him and that He delights to honour those who serve Him in righteousness and in truth unto the end (D&C 76:1-5). This is the God we worship, this is the God we serve and this is the God we should believe.

"Behold, I have graven thee 

upon the palms of my hands;

thy walls are continually before me.......

come unto me thy Saviour"

(Isaiah 49:16, D&C 19:41))

BY THE GRACE OF GOD PART I

"A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

So this the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. 

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved". Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. The Adversary said: "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough".

So that's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord", he said, "I have laboured long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately: "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed but is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock but your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. That you have done. Now, I, my friend, will move the rock".

- Author unknown

Sometimes on our life's journey we come to think that everything depends on us: enduring, serving, overcoming, accomplishing, obeying. Considering the many responsibilities placed on our shoulders day in and day out, this seems like a logical conclusion for many of us. We tend to forget that in this mortal sphere, we are intended to walk by faith and not by capacity. In other words, we are not meant to 'do' this life alone. We of ourselves can do nothing. Even the Saviour of the world admitted this to be true of Himself: "I can of mine own self do nothing, as I hear I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of the Father who sent me" (John 5:30). The scriptures tell us that our faith can be so powerful that it can move mountains but in our exerted efforts of pushing and straining we tend to overlook who is at the other end of our faith. By all means, we should exercise the faith that moves mountains but  we must remember that it is still God who moves them.

All God asks of us is willingness and obedience. We, by our own weak efforts and finite wisdom could never make of ourselves what He has intended for us to be. It was His purpose from the beginning that we become co-heirs with Christ in His kingdom. To become those heirs, we have been given saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ and commandments to live by. The interesting thing here is that none of us can live up to these commandments of ourselves. If we could, we would not need the saving ordinances to save us, or the Saviour to die for us. President Lorenzo Snow said that the gospel was so designed that it would be too hard for us to live it without God's help. Perhaps if it was designed so that we could live it without divine help we would lose focus of our eternal home. Perhaps if we had the power to save ourselves we would become as the Son of the Morning who fell because of self-righteous pride. President Snow's theory should give hope to many of us who are struggling to live the Gospel and feeling sharply our shortcomings:

"The character of the religion that we have espoused demands a certain course of conduct that no other religion that we know of requires of its adherents; and the nature of those demands upon us [is] such that no person can comply with them, unless by assistance from the Almighty. It is necessary that we comprehend, at least, in part, the great and important blessings that we are to derive, eventually by complying with the requirements of the religion or gospel that we have received. The sacrifices that are required of us are of that nature that no man or woman could make them, unless aided by a supernatural power; and the Lord, in proposing these conditions, never intended that his people should ever be required to comply with them unless by supernatural aid, and of that kind that is not professed by any other class of religious people. He has promised this aid...." (Lorenzo Snow, Teachings of Presidents of the Church, With God All Things Are Possible, p 178-9)

This aid that God has promised to all His children so they could live the Celestial law in the telestial world is called grace. Grace is both God's good will and a divine power that we can access here and now for our personal perfection. Grace is twofold. Our part is the willingness to obey and the Lord's is to empower us beyond our natural capacity. In other words, all we need is to be willing to push whatever rock the Lord requires of us, but He in the end removes the rock: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27). The Saviour would not ask of us anything that He himself has not done. The amazing thing is that He subjected himself to the temptations and weaknesses of mortality not because He needed them but so that He could, through overcoming, gain compassion and power to succor us and perfect us. To 'succor' means to come to one's aid, help or relief. Because He himself has overcome the world, He has gained the power He can give us to overcome also: "Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me" (D&C 50:41).

Our willingness to obey and to overcome the weaknesses and trials of mortality, through God's grace, brings us greater rewards than the reward of salvation. The Lord tells us of this significant reward in Revelation: "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God..." (Rev 3:12); "A pillar in the temple of my God" means "a person of stature and eminence in the Celestial Kingdom of God. Heaven itself, the house and abode of God, is a temple, the chief and supreme temple of eternity" (Bruce R. McConkie). Christianity at large focuses only on salvation and the role of grace pertaining to that doctrine as outlined by Paul who said: "For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Well did Paul say that salvation is free and none of us are to boast that we have in any way earned it. Through the infinite sacrifice of Jesus Christ all men will be saved and resurrected through no effort of their own. Exaltation, however, is a different matter. Exaltation must be earned: "Salvation in all its forms, kinds, and degrees comes by the grace of God....Men are saved by grace alone in the sense of being resurrected; they are saved by grace coupled with obedience, in the sense of gaining eternal life..." (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Volume II, Acts-Phillipians, p 492-3).

Eternal life does not only mean 'life with God' but 'life as gods'. As Revelation points out, he that overcomes will not only be a pillar in the temple of God but shall have God's name written on him: "God's name is God. To have his name written on a person is to identify that person as a god. How can it be said more plainly? Those who gain eternal life become gods! Their inheritance is both a fullness of the glory of the Father and a continuation of the seed forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them" (D&C 132:19-20) (McConkie, DNTC, 3:458, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p 453).

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things:

and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment:

and I will not blog out his name out of the book of life,

but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, 

even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

(Rev 21:7, 3:5,21)

".....and a book of remembrance was written before him

for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, 

in that day when I make up my jewels......

(Malachi 3:16,17)

IN HEAVEN'S CARE

 

".....be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God , that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." 

(Ephesians 6:10-13)

There was a king in ancient Israel by the name of Ahab who was the most wicked and most powerful of the kings of northern Israel. He married Jezebel, a Sidonian princess, through whose influence the worship of Baal and Asherah was established and an attempt was made to exterminate the prophets and the worship of Jehovah (1 Kings 16, 18). Due to Ahab's political prowess, the kingdom of Israel was strong. When Ahab led his army against the forces of Syria, he took every precaution to come out of the battle alive, even disguising himself so that the Syrians would not recognise him.  The only thing he failed do was wear enough armour. It took one bow drawn by one man to hit the King of Israel between the section of his armour and cause a fatal blow. Ahab stayed out the battle in his chariot bleeding slowly to death and by night time he was dead (1 Kings 22:34,35).

The concept of battle armour is a foreign concept to us in this dispensation of times. The protective battle gear and weapons have somewhat changed since ancient times. Many of us cannot relate to fighting a battle in the physical sense, especially those of us living in the peaceful western world. There is, however, a battle we are all engaged in with the enemy that cannot be seen. This enemy is cleverly disguised in many evils of mortality who carefully draws his bow and fires his darts and arrows aiming to wound so we would, like Ahab, slowly bleed to death. Since the battle is directed at the destruction of our souls, meaning both body and spirit (D&C 88:15), it stands to reason that our armour should be spiritually strong.

When Nephi's brothers asked him the meaning of the rod of iron that their father dreamt of, Nephi replied that it was the word of God, which if they would hearken to, would protect them from the fiery darts of the adversary which could prove to their destruction (1 Nephi 15:23,24). The degree of protection we receive to combat the adversary is directly proportional to the diligence and heed we give to God's word, meaning obedience to His commandments.  How obedient we are here is an indication of how much we are willing to stand for the conviction that was ours in 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.  Since the battle for our souls is fierce, we cannot afford to choose which commandment we will obey and which we will let slide. Every act of disobedience creates cracks in the armour that is supposed to protect us. And it is just such cracks that the adversary targets. Many cracks make a loose armour. A cracked and loose armour is sufficient to cause discomfort leading to conviction that the armour is useless and not needed after all.

Paul's answer to combat the forces of evil is one of brilliance. The full armour of God that he admonishes the Ephesians to wear addresses all the vulnerabilities of mortality:

• Loins (reproductive organs): typifying virtue and chastity
• Heart: in the scriptures the heart is always used to typify our conduct
• Feet: typify objectives and goals in life which would take us to perfection, armour would protect us from getting off 'on the wrong foot'
• Head: a place the thoughts are stored which lead to actions

"Well, now, the apostle Paul went one step further. He didn't leave the man just with the armour on and expect him to cope against an army, seen or unseen. He had his armoured man holding in his hand a shield and in his other hand a sword, which were the weapons of those days. That shield was the shield of faith, and the sword was the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. I can't think of any more powerful weapons than faith and a knowledge of the scriptures in the which are contained the Word of God. One so armoured and one so prepared with those weapons is prepared to go out against the enemy [and] is more to be feared than the enemies of the light" (Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace", Speeches of the Year, 1954, pp 2-4, 6-7).

If you ever wanted to be a hero, this is the time and 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).

"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)