JOY

 

 

“We were created to have joy. It is our intended destiny as children of a loving Heavenly Father. He wants to share His joy with us…..joy typically means much more than passing moments of contentment or even feelings of happiness. Joy in this context is a godly attribute, found in its fulness when we return to dwell in the presence of God (Psalm 16:11). It is more profound, elevating, enduring, and life-changing than any pleasure of comfort this world can offer.” (Elder Craig C. Christensen, “There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy”, General Conference April 2023)

 

Imagine being elated with consistent feelings of joy throughout eternity. But this is the destiny and blessed state of the faithful. In this world of sorrow and ups and downs it is hard to imagine this state of being. Maintaining expectancy of the fulness of joy whilst ploughing through the tears of mortality can be achieved through something we often hear about in the Church and that is, eternal perspective. Eternal perspective is the path of trust and faith that motivates us to repentance, but the greatest motivator should be this: When the Saviour taught the Nephites, He told them that the FATHER rejoiced because of them….because none of them were lost (3 Nephi 27:30-31).

 

In this too, our beloved Saviour was the perfect example who ‘for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross’ (Hebrews 12:1-2). For whose joy did the Saviour endure the cross? For ours, for His, for the Father’s. It takes the eternal perspective to the new level, does it not? If He could give so much for the eternal joy of us all, should we not be able to give so little that is asked of us in comparison? With so many of His children on the path to destruction in the world today, should we, who have the truth, not strive to bring joy to our beloved Father in every way and every day? Should we not ensure that none of us are lost? 

 

I yearn to feel the closeness of 

Thy presence

And once again feel the warmth of 

Thy embrace.

I come to You, Father,

Through the gift of 

Thy Son’s benevolent grace.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Arms of Faith by Yongsung Kim)

THE PRODIGALS

 

I see an important simile in the parable of the Prodigal Son. I see in it Christ’s redemptive power. I will not rehash the parable itself as I am presuming that most of us know it so I will outline what it is that I see.

 

The father of this parable is in every way symbolic of our Father in Heaven who respects our free agency and yet welcomes back, with compassion, forgiveness and immense joy, anyone who returns to Him. We, like the younger son, are the prodigals, who have gone out into the world and are spending more than what our part of the inheritance would have been worth. The First Born of the Father, the Saviour himself, can be compared to the good son in the parable, but with a huge difference. The parable's good son never sought him who was lost, despite the kinship, despite the brotherhood, despite the Father's sorrow over his loss. And when his brother returned, he was reluctant and fearful he would have to share his inheritance with him.  The Saviour, on the other hand, knowing from the beginning that He alone would inherit all the Father has, propagated and promoted His willingness to share the inheritance with his younger siblings. But the loving kindness did not end there. Because of His perfect nature and the purity of His love, He was able to say: ‘I will not only share with them all that I have but I will make it possible for them to return. If they come to Me, none will stay in deficit’.

 

I have been faithful to God all my life, carefully avoiding sin, and whilst recognising that I, like everybody else am not sinless, I had not fully resonated with the prodigal son until I realised one day that I, like him have made unwise decisions in my life, not exercising the power of foresight when I made them. Because like sin, every decision carries with it consequences and repercussions, I have suffered much over the years because of them. But the Saviour’s Atonement covers all sin and all foibles of mortality and its ensuing suffering, and even that of bad decisions. The Atonement is not only cleansing but also consoling. Like a salve to a wound, it relieves the pain and heals the once broken, the once torn, the once damaged, the once suffering. Its' restorative power makes us whole and once again aligned with God. It means all our sins, our bad choices and our unwise decisions can be swept away. 

 

I sometimes hear such merciless comments as: they deserved what they got, or they made their bed, they have to lie in it now. The thing to remember is that some of us will have more to be forgiven of than others, because we are not all equally strong. Some of us are good sons and some are the foolish ones. Some are strong and some, for whatever reason, are weak. Where would we be if the Saviour had said: If I can be sinless, so can you! I know, for one, I would be lost. Because of Him, I, the prodigal, can return. It means I can once again be safe, be loved and never be lost again….and I can still have it all.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Lost Is Now Found by Greg Collins)

THAT WHICH IS GOD'S

 

When Jesus was questioned by the conniving Pharisees and Herodians if it is lawful to give tribute to Caesar, Jesus answered the question in two parts, one more significant than the other (Matthew 22:17-21). In summation, He asked for them to produce a coin and asked them whose image was on the coin that was accepted as legal currency by all the Jews. They answered it was Caesar’s. Jesus then replied since Caesar’s image was on the coin, the coin was his as was the Empire he ruled and therefore taxes needed to be paid to him in tribute. And then this: “…and unto God the things that are God’s (v 21). And what is God’s? We are.

 

If God created man in His own image, and imprinted that image upon him then it becomes obvious that every living soul belongs to God and the Universe that He rules. We are, as it were, of divine mintage….We are not our own. God the Father is our ruler and our sovereign, as Caesar was to the Roman Empire….but with a vast difference. Whereas Caesar conquered against will,  the Father of our souls employs tactics of salvation to make us His own forever. Whereas Caesar was motivated by power and control, the Father is motivated by love and a desire to give us His all. It should be our life’s work to return to Him to whom we rightly belong. This is our homage, this is our tribute to the King of Heaven. The way has been provided. The price for the journey has been paid.

 

I have no life but this,

To follow the path to Thy throne;

To be greeted with a holy kiss,

And know the reality of such bliss.

 

 

(For further understanding of Christ’s interchange with the Herodians regarding this question, see Jesus the Christ by James Talmage, p 544-7)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(ART: As One by Danny Hahlbohm)

I HAVE COME TO SAVE

 

The three years of the Saviour’s ministry would have been the most physically taxing years of His life. Imagine traversing the vast area of Galilee and Judea on foot and such primitive transport as donkeys. Add to that, being continuously thronged by people so that He was hard pressed for time to eat and sleep.

 

A week prior to His death, Jesus communed daily between the town of Bethany, where He lodged, and the temple in Jerusalem. On one such day, He passed with His apostles a village near the Mount of Olives, called Bethphage (Matthew 21:1), which means ‘house of figs’ (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p 526). Being hungry, Jesus approached a fig tree full of leafage but found no fruit on it. The tree, with all its showy leaves, was deceptively barren, much like the religion of Israel that had degenerated into pretentious show and hypocrisy yielding no fruit. Jesus cursed the tree and it withered immediately (Matthew 21:19). To the astonishment of the Twelve, He delivered a lesson on faith, the medium of all miracles (v 21,22). 

 

Here is something very interesting about the barren fig tree. Up to this moment, the Saviour’s power was only used to heal, restore, and build up but now He demonstrated His power to smite and destroy. Imagine how the Twelve felt when just a few days later they saw Him in the hands of His blood thirsty enemies. If He could smite the fig tree, how much more could He have done to them? Instead Jesus chose to climb the hill of Calvary and submitted to the gruesome treatment of Golgotha’s atrocities. And here is a little story that says why. Whilst traveling toward Jerusalem from Galilee, Jesus and the Twelve passed through Samaria and requested hospitality from one village, which was denied. The zealous ‘Sons of Thunder’ (John and James) asked Jesus if they should call fire down from heaven to consume the offenders. Jesus forbade them by saying: “For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:56). And this He would do at any cost, with heart, body and soul, surrendering His power, and voluntarily laying down His life that He might save every one of us, in every way.

 

You did not falter

As you carried me up Calvary’s hill,

Golgotha had no claim on Thee.

I sit now, light upon Thy shoulders,

As you carry me into eternity. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Light Upon His Shoulders by Yongsung Kim)

THE WORTH OF A SOUL

  

 

When God the Father showed Enoch His corrupted children that would be swept away in the flood, He wept at the loss (Moses 7:28). Enoch was beyond perplexed when he considered that God would sorrow over a ‘handful’ of His children compared to the immensity of His creations (v 29-31). The Father simply answered that these His children were ‘the workmanship” of His own hands (v 32). The dictionary defines ‘workmanship’ as ‘the product or result of labour and skill, or work executed’. 

 

When I was bringing up my two children some 20 years ago, it was estimated by the Australian Government, that it cost $180,000 to raise a child to the age of 18. When you consider the cost of food, clothing, housing, medication and all living expenses, it seems plausible. But what of the mental and emotional expenditure? How can we put a price to worry, protection, care during sickness, guidance, teaching moments….??? 

 

We are told the worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God (D&C 17:10). What does that exactly mean? Does it mean our worth is great simply because we are the offspring of Deity who loves us? Well, it would seem there is more to it than that. If ‘workmanship’ insinuates investment of labour and skill, the worth cannot be purely in the birth alone. To arrive at the estimate of the worth, consider all the ‘work’ that went into the making of YOU: 1. Your spiritual creation which depended on the Father’s rise to Godhood; 2. Your spiritual tutoring for eons of time; 3. The creation of the earth for your mortality; 4. Overseeing of your earthly tutoring; 5. Preparation of kingdoms for your eternal destination; 6. The redemption of your soul through sacrifice of another. Now think of the scale of guidance, protection, care, overseeing, anguish and sorrow of your Heavenly Parents, the Holy Ghost, your guardian angels, your ancestors, your departed loved ones and all the hosts of heaven who know you….what price would you put to all that??? I know two things:  the price would be higher than we can possibly imagine;  and I know who paid it. 

 

Surely for a God to be impaled upon a cross to suffer the agonies of humanity is the crescendo of all the work invested in our souls. The Atonement is the crowning glory of the work that has gone into you and me. All the  prior work that had been put into us would be in vain if there was no Atonement, and even more importantly, there would be no future for any of us, and the future is what counts, because it ensures our rightful place in the eternal scheme of things. It completes the Plan, it ensures the success of the Plan, it validates the ‘workmanship’ and preserves its value. So with all the labour, material, and struggle that has gone into your creation and development, how much do you think your soul is worth?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Though Your Sins Be As Scarlet by Greg Collins)

(For further understanding of this concept, see The Mortal Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie, p 49)

PERFECTION PERSONIFIED

 

There lived in the town of Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem, two sisters by the name of Martha and Mary. They and their brother Lazarus were three of the most intimate friends Jesus had on earth. Because of them, Bethany was a place of refuge for one so widely misunderstood, unaccepted and ultimately rejected. Imagine what restraint Jesus had to exercise not to rush to this town after He received this devastating news from the two sisters: “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3). The restraint would have been difficult knowing He could spare the sorrow and anguish of the sisters He loved by healing their brother. Nevertheless, it was exercised because Lazarus was destined to be a part of the Saviour’s ultimate miracle which would glorify Him and solidify the testimony of His divinity in the hearts of the believers. The miracle of bringing Lazarus back from death was one through which Jesus would prove that He was ‘the resurrection and the life’ (v 23). 

 

Now consider this….. He, who knew that Lazarus was dead without receiving news of his death (v 11-14) could have known also where he was laid, yet when He arrived in Bethany, He enquired as to the location (v 34); He who calmed the sea of Galilee could have easily by His word removed the stone of the sepulchre but instead He asked others to do it (v 39); He who could reunite spirit and body could also have freed bound Lazarus from the graveclothes by His word but instead He requested those present to do so (v 44). The Saviour was never about showmanship because He was devoid of pride. In no instance of His life, did He unnecessarily use the superhuman powers He possessed. His divine energy was only ever used as a testament of His divinity and for the benefit of others. The balance between His divine Sonship with all its inherent powers and His humility is beyond admiration. The perfection of His character is transparent in all holy writ but most obvious in the New Testament through which we get but a fraction of His mortal life (John 21:25). Through this most spiritually charged record we see: the man, the dedicated Son, the Saviour, the Redeemer, the God….we see perfection personified. 

 

The raising of Lazarus from death was a nail in the Saviour’s coffin. From then on He was destined for the cross (John 11:53). The cross that would herald to the world, and not just the plains of Judea: “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (v 25). 

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: I Am the Resurrection by Liz Lemon Swindle)

UNITY OF FAITH

 

 

She was a Greek woman from Tyre. A Canaanite of pagan birth held in derision by the Jews. She came seeking Jesus, a man of many miracles who had the power to heal. And so she came and begged the Master whose reputation of compassion spread through all of Galilee and the coasts of Tyre. Her relentless pleading pressed upon Jesus to heal her daughter who was ‘vexed with a devil’ (Matthew 15:22). And then this: she called Him ‘the son of David’. She, with not a drop of Jewish blood in her veins, a pure Gentile, knew what that meant….He was the Messiah of Israel. She, however, was ‘the dog that ate the crumbs off the children’s tables’ (Matthew 15:22-28). And this she humbly accepted because she was not of the ‘chosen race’. And so because of Her humility and her undaunted faith, the great Lord of Israel granted her heart’s desire and her daughter was healed ‘from that very hour’ (Matthew 15:28).

 

I was born and raised in Croatia. When I was a youth I moved with my family to Australia where I joined the Church some 40 years ago. For most of these years I felt disadvantaged because I had not been born as a child of the covenant, in Utah, to goodly parents. I felt I was not, so to speak, of a ‘chosen race’. I wondered why I did not qualify for that privilege. In time, however, that became less important and belonging to the household of faith came to mean so much more. As I have yielded my heart to God these 40 years, I have been given a  remembrance of my eternal identity. I carry with me every day a strong sense of who I really am and have always been. I have no words to explain it. With this awareness has come a strong understanding of myself as a woman of faith. Now it matters less where I was place in this life and more that I am like the woman from Tyre who became, through her faith, a part of the ‘chosen race’. 

 

The Saviour unites us from the four corners of the earth through our faith in Him and His saving power. Because of Him all races, nationalities and cultures are one through salvation in His name. He is the validator of all souls, the lifter of all hearts, the succor of the weak, the rewarder of the strong, the unifier of us all. 

 

Thy love burns within us ever so bright

We bear Thy holy name

And in Thee unite

through Gospel’s everlasting light.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Hope of the World by Greg Collins)

 

THE WILLING HEART OF THE SHEPHERD

 

How dear to the heart of the Shepherd

Is the flock of His sheep!

With tenderness and love

He watches over those in His keep.

How much do they love their Shepherd!

How closely they stay by His side,

With every footstep they follow

To forever with Him abide.

“….I lay down my life for the sheep…..No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of myself…” John 10:15, 18). How deeply significant is the operative word here which is ‘lay’. From God the Father, Jesus inherited the power of immortality, the power to live forever. An immortal being cannot die a natural death and neither can someone else take his life from him. As an immortal being Jesus was immune to death with the exception that He willed it and allowed it. How much this says about the Saviour who never had to experience death but willed Himself to die for the eternal welfare of us, His sheep!!! It takes the willingness to die to another level, does it not??? Cherish your beating heart, you were worth it…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by Yongsung Kim)

(For further understanding of this concept see “Jesus the Christ” by James Talmage, p 418 and “The Mortal Messiah Book 3” by Bruce R McConkie, p 216-217)