THE DESTINY OF ZION

 

When Elder Bruce C. Hafen was the Area President here in Australia he shared with me that the goal of the Church was at that time to prepare the members for Zion. That was some 25 years ago.

I learnt something important this year from Section 105 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I was reminded of Elder Hafen and I came to see how important the Church is as an organisation of the body of saints because of its leaders who are implementing this preparation.

We are told certain conditions need to be met before Zion can be established as ‘the bridge between the world as it is and the world as God designed it and meant it to be’ (Hugh Nibley, “Approaching Zion” p 4).

Firstly, the elders of the Church are to be endowed with power from on high that we the members might be taught more perfectly in order to develop more experience concerning our duties and what God requires of us (v 10,11).

There are some who believe they can be inactive in the Church and in the end show up at New Jerusalem’s gate expecting to live a Zion life. Imagine arriving to Zion without any experience behind you that would have taught you to be obedient to the leaders’ instructions and to be  united with other members of the Church community.

Zion can only be built ‘according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom’  (v 3-5). It is this law and this only that enables men to obey the law of consecration whereby they impart of their ‘substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and the afflicted’ (v 3). This was the success of the city of Enoch. Because they were of one heart and one mind they willingly met each other’s needs so there was no poor among them (Moses 7:18).

If God’s goal for the human family is unity, you can be assured that Satan’s is division. I don’t know how much progress we have made in the last 25 years since Elder Hafen was here. Right now the world is divided into left and right and contention and disunity is rife. President Nelson is constantly warning us against this because our destiny as the Church of Jesus Christ is great.

The celestial law that will get us to Zion is not just about obedience but also love. Love leads to unity. The Lord called the city of Enoch, Zion the Pure in Heart. The people of this city ‘walked’ with God (Moses 7:69) which means they were ‘true’ followers of Jesus Christ and as true followers of Jesus Christ they were endowed with the ‘pure’ love of Christ (Moroni 7:48).

This is the key: He leads and we follow. We follow His example of love, compassion, understanding, tolerance, respect, giving and ministering……today obedience, tomorrow Zion, the day after Celestial Kingdom. In Joseph’s words: “We are on the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory.” 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As I Have Loved You by B. Laura Wilson)

TO LIVE

 

 

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

In all our suffering and stumbling in the dark we tend to turn to the ways of the world to fill us. We seek for the corruptible things of this earth that have no lasting power to fill our cracks, heal our sorrows and make up for our lack. We think that this dismal telestial world has treasures to offer us that will somehow make us whole. The truth is that the lustre of this world can only be seen during the day. When the night falls, the emptiness is still there, the pain exposed, the suffering unbearable.

If we would but drink from the fountain of living water that the Saviour offers us, we would be filled with that which matters most, that which is lasting, that which will speak peace to the deepest recesses of our soul. Then the suffering will be bearable and even conquerable. Then the lack will not matter and the cracks will diminish and fade. Then we can look forward to the living water within us springing up into everlasting life.

 

Thou art the source of all my blessings,

Thou art the source of all my joys,

Thou art the living water

I drink with haste

And savour each and every drop

So careful of tragic waste.

Feed me Saviour ever more

The love that flows with every cup

Grant me my fill each day

That keeps me living and bears me up. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Jesus Living Water by Grok2)

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

 

We have the deepest and darkest nights in this earth life. If we endure them well, these nights teach us, give us a broader perspective and in the end heal us. And this is how the healing happens. After every deep and dark night comes the dawn.

Cast your mind on the death of the most prolific, important, significant and worshipped person who has ever lived on this earth. Thirty-four years after His birth, a huge, terrible storm swept over the land of America. The upheaval was of such proportion that the face of all the land was torn apart and deformed. Cities caught on fire and collapsed into the sea and mountains were upheaved (3 Nephi 9:5-22)

So great was the storm that a thick, frightening vapor of darkness covered the land. So dark, thick, suffocating and palpable was the darkness that the stars and the sun could not produce any light for three days (v 23). Imagine the chaos. Could people find their children and their loved ones? Did they know if anybody survived? Could they walk in any direction not knowing where they were? If they were hurt, could they get help?

Imagine such suffering that echoed across continents and caused the Spirit of God to exclaim: “The God of nature suffers” (1 Nephi 19:12). Such was the darkest night that brought about the light of dawn which proclaimed: “I am the light and the life of the world.” (3 Nephi 9:18).

There was no more fitting way to proclaim the Saviour to be the light of the world, the dawn after the night, the power that brings life, the truth that says nothing in this life is lost. This is not the beginning and not the end. First the night and then the dawn….first the death and then the life…..first the emptiness and then the full cup….

I stand in awe of Your sacrifice

And Your soul’s pain;

The body freely given

For nothing of You to remain.

 

I ache, I ache,

Knowing the cost;

Then I remember where You are

And I am comforted

Knowing nothing is lost.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Fill My Cup Lord by Danny Hahlbohm)

LOVE UNFEIGNED

 

I reflected this week on the hardest commandment that Jesus gave us: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”  (Matthew 5:44). Then I was reminded that He was the greatest example of this.

Never has there been a man who has been persecuted and hated more and who suffered greater pain at the hands of His enemies and who died an unjust death.  And all this whilst He possessed the power to defend himself and cause the destruction of those who He suffered for. Imagine the God who created worlds submitting himself to being mocked, spit upon, whipped, smitten, and adorned with a crown of thorns (Luke 22:63-65; Mark 14:65; Matthew 27:26-31)

Over and over the Lord’s own testimony of His subjection to this treatment came into my mind: “I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”  (Isaiah 50:6)

Following this testimony, the Saviour seeks our attention by saying twice: “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord….the people in whose heart is my law” (Isaiah 51:1,7). He not only wants us to take note of the example He set but He then tells us that ‘the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads….” (v 11).

Why do you think the adversary is attacking America and causing so much division there right now? Because that’s where Zion is where ‘the redeemed of the Lord shall return’. We cannot be redeemed if we are not united, if hatred exists amongst us. Zion The Pure In Heart, cannot be pure if we are divided in purpose, in care of each other, in love.

The adversary is driving division amongst us in the best ways possible. He knows if he can divide us, he can destroy us. He doesn’t care who dies, bad or good, as long as it makes us hate one another. If you are posting about this week’s tragedy, even if it is something good, don’t. It just reminds others of the injustice and makes them more angry and more prone to hate. We are emissaries of Christ and not the enemy. Therefore, we are to spread love and not hate.

We are not asked to follow the Prince of Peace in times of peace but in times of turmoil. We the people in whose heart is Christ’s law of love unfeigned, unity and hope of joy, need to stand against the forces of evil that seek to plant hatred in us or we will never make it to Zion. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus Prince of Peace by Danny Hahlbohm)

THE POWER OF US

 

When I awoke yesterday morning I thought I would visit YouTube for any world news and was amazed at the mess our world has become. I saw an assassination, hatred, political protests, murders and drug addicted cities of America. Amidst all that chaos I saw one person so prominently that it had an incredible impact on me. I saw the enemy of all humanity.

Lately I have been reluctant to check out the world news because I have realised it has a downing effect on me but this morning it actually did the opposite. It awakened the warrior spirit in me that wants to defeat the enemy. I don’t know that I can change the world, but I can change me. And every soul that changes or remains faithful to God is one soul lost to the enemy.

I am of the opinion that the adversary is exerting his power now more than ever because the Millenium is drawing nigh and he knows this is the time when he will be powerless (D&C 101:28). And why will he be powerless? Because of the righteousness of the people who will be left to enjoy the Millenial era (1 Nephi 22:26).

The adversary has two goals: 1. To make all men miserable like himself (2 Nephi 2:27); and 2. To overthrow Christ who he rebelled against in pre-earth life (D&C 29:36-9). I once asked a friend of mine in Utah who is very well versed in scripture why Satan is called ‘the son of the morning’. Here is what he replied:

“My presumption is that the term ‘morning’ refers to the fact that he was born early on as a spirit offspring of the Father. Perhaps he might have even been second born vs his brother who was firstborn.

“We have so many fascinating stories among the great patriarchs of having two competing sons vying for the firstborn birthright and it almost seems as though these stories are a continuation of that which started in the pre-mortal life with the Saviour and Lucifer. You can even get that sense from a statement in D&C 88:115, about Lucifer having as his goal that of displacing his brother from his throne.” (Larry Keeler, 6 February 2023)

The adversary knows if he gets us, he gets Him….but that will never be. As I said in my recent post, it’s time to dust off our armour…..

There is a desire in my soul

That wants to conquer Goliath

And watch him fall….

This warrior within me never sleeps

And yearns to hear the angels’ call,

A call to battle to make the devil fall.

And when Christ comes in clouds so holy

He will conquer that enemy

And we will confess His glory.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Almost Time by Danny Hahlbohm)

A MEANINGFUL LIFE

 

“Adam and Eve must at times felt like lost sheep. They were originally in God’s presence, then left him through an act we sometimes call a sin, but which might also be called an ‘act of independence’. They were cast out of their garden of innocence into the lone and dreary world. They began to suffer pain as a consequence of their independent action.

“In humility and childlike faith they called upon God for help. They offered sacrifices as instructed by an angel….through the symbol of sacrifice they were taught about the Saviour and were shown how they could return to God’s presence through His Atonement.

“What did Adam and Eve know after they returned to God’s presence that they hadn’t known when they were originally with Him in the Garden? What can WE know after our own return to God that we didn’t know in our premortal life?

“The scriptures explain that God expected and desired that Adam and Eve’s children would have the same kind of mortal experiences as their first parents had, which suggests that the redemption of Adam and Eve was not just a convenient way to erase the effect of an unfortunate error.

“Rather, it was an intentional element in a course of instruction designed by God himself for the preparation, if they freely chose to accept it. Without that course of instruction, they could not have developed the capacity to live a ‘meaningful’ celestial life.

“So it is with our experience as their children. Mortality is not mere estrangement from God – it is the crucible through which the possibility of truly meaningful life becomes real.”

-          Bruce C. Hafen, “The Broken Heart” p 38-9

 

You tell me I must stay and conquer

Like You conquered Your turbulent sea;

I understand, but oh how I long to see

The shore of eternity!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Deep Calls to Deep by Aeron Brown)

THE AGE OF THE WARRIOR

 

I am pretty sure that I was very converted to the Plan of Salvation in my pre-mortal life. In fact, I suspect I thought the warrior spirit within me was going to come here and set the world on fire. Instead, life brought me down to the depths of humility. It was something I needed to break through the brick veneer of my idealistic nature.

Pre-earth life and mortality is very much like pregnancy and the baby….when you’re pregnant you believe you will be the ideal mother skipping through the tulips of an ideal life with your perfect children but then the baby comes and shocks you into reality.

Lehi claimed that if Adam and Eve had stayed in the Garden of Eden and had had no children  ‘they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery’ (2 Nephi 2:23). Notice he said that having children gives you knowledge of misery. Sometimes, I think I missed the memo about the misery part and focused only on the joy that mortality would eventually bring. That’s the idealist that I am.

Sister Marie Hafen explained this well: “As I lay there in my hospital bed holding that beautiful little boy in my arms, his reddish hair already hinting at his temperament, I thought, “Nothing could be more wonderful than this”…..

“The day after the baby was born, I was cuddling him happily in my hospital room when my doctor came in. He was my uncle and quite a salty character. He looked at us and said cheerily, “How does it feel to have the easiest part over with?”  “Easiest part?” I asked. “Why sure”, he replied, “It’s the next twenty years that are going to be tough.” (Bruce C. Hafen, “The Broken Heart” p 69)

We are going through the twenty years of bringing up the baby. Sometimes the challenges and trials are overwhelming. We are not just charged with responsibility of survival and our salvation but the survival of the entire entity of the House of Israel. We are the builders of the Millenial future of this earth.

Now more than ever the Saviour needs warriors to combat the subtle and not so subtle evil that is striving to envelop the entire human family. I see many people in the Church here in Australia leaving, Wards and Stakes being lost. We are being lulled into believing that all is well in Zion (2 Nephi 28:21). Satan’s greatest propaganda of this dispensation….

It is time to put the baby down for a nap and dust off that armour……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Put On the Armour of God by Celestial Heritage)

THE PROMISE OF ZION

 

When the early saints were driven from their homes in Jackson Country, Missouri, in November 1833, they were reduced to the lowest poverty and they were grief stricken because they had lost their homes in Zion.

The failed protection by the Lord against the mobs was the result of one reason: they did not ‘hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments’ which He had given them (D&C 103:4).

Even though the establishment of Zion failed in the early Church history, the promise of its inheritance stands and Zion’s restoration is still to come.  The Lord has promised this will happen ‘in time’ (v 20) and it will happen under one condition:

“….that day will not come until the members of the Church are willing to keep their covenants and walk unitedly, for until the members of the Church learn to walk in full accord and in obedience with all of the commandments, this day cannot come.

“It may be necessary in order to bring this to pass for the Lord to use drastic measures and cleanse the Church from everything that offends. This he has promised to do when He is ready to redeem Zion (See Matt 13:41).” (President Joseph Fielding Smith, “Church History and Modern Revelation”, 1:484; Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual p 251)

This I believe, is the crowning glory of Zion’s redemption:

“….when we go back there will be a very large organization consisting of thousands, and tens of thousands, that will march forward and the glory of God overshadowing their camp by day in the form of a cloud, and a pillar of flaming fire by night, the Lord’s voice being uttered forth before His army…..and His people will go forth and build up Zion according to celestial law.

“The Lord says the banners of Zion shall be terrible….When the Lord’s presence is there…and the Lord’s angels go before the camp, it will be telegraphed to the uttermost parts of the earth and the fear will seize all people…..” (Elder Orson Pratt, “Journal of Discourses, 15:364)…..but the armies of heaven will be protecting the Saints in their return to Zion.”  (“History of the Church”, 2:381; Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual P 250). Can you imagine it?

This return to Missouri to build Zion will be akin to Moses leading the children of Israel to their promised land (v 16). This will be an amazing sight to see but unlike Moses’ expedition which was not selective, the group returning to Missouri will be only those who live the law of the celestial kingdom because only they will be prepared to be led by the presence of the Lord (D&C 105:5)…..because how can you abide the presence of a celestial being if you are not one yourself?

He is our Shepherd of Israel

Who would not see us lost,

Who rescued our souls

Never counting the cost.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In His Keeping by Yongsung Kim)

WATCHMEN ON THE TOWER

 

“In ancient Israel walls were built around cities, and towers were erected in key places along the walls. Watchmen, or lookouts, kept watch in these towers day and night to warn the people if an enemy came. A watchman’s responsibility was great, because if he was negligent, his sloth could cost the lives of others.

“The Church today stands in a position to see the enemy and how he works, because they have living prophets who speak for God. They are therefore called by the Saviour both to warn the wicked and to protect Zion. Thus the Lord refers to His authorized servants today as watchmen upon the towers (see Isiah 62:6; Ezekiel 33:2-9; D&C Student Manual p 239-240)

One of my favourite Old Testament prophets was Ezekiel. He was called to be ‘the watchman upon the tower unto the House of Israel’ who were the exiles in Babylonia for a period of twenty-two years, from 592 to 570 B.C. I won’t expound on his life and calling today, I will leave that for next year when we study the Old Testament. What I will say is that knowing Ezekiel will reduce you to tears.

What I do want to point out is that Ezekiel was called to preach repentance to backsliding Israel who did not deserve mercy and yet Jehovah, through him, extended the promise of forgiveness and restoration of all former blessings to Israel.

In Section 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord extends a warning of destruction that will come upon all nations in our dispensation but ‘all who are found upon the watch-tower shall be saved’ (v 12). The reference is to His beloved House of Israel.

 In verses 43 to 67, we are given the parable of the wheat and the tares relative to the latter-day redemption of Zion. The desperation shown therein to save the vineyard of twelve olive trees because the vineyard was ‘bought with money’, makes you want to weep (v 56). This money is the price that only the Saviour could pay and pay He did.

Anyone studying the scriptures has got to see the beloved House of Israel in the centre of the Saviour’s heart. Because that is where we are, we are given special privileges like the watchmen upon our tower in the role of prophets to warn us, guide us, prepare us to ‘possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory, when He shall come, in the kingdom of His Father’ (v 65). It is time we give heed.

There is no end of mercy the Saviour will show to save His people Israel. We have got to know our part in this incredible undertaking. The King is coming, we must dust off our wedding garments and prepare for a wedding feast of a lifetime. We must be the most beautiful bride the world has ever seen. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

BEING STILL

 

“Some of us have been tried and have been tested until our very heart strings would seem to break. I have heard of persons dying with a broken heart, and I thought that was just a sort of a poetic expression, but I learned that it could be a very real experience.

“Don’t be afraid of the testing and trials of life. Sometimes when you are going through the most severe tests, you will be nearer to God than you have any idea, for like the experience of the Master himself…….’angels came and ministered unto Him’  (Matthew 4:11)”  (President Harold B. Lee, In CR, Munich Germany Area Conference 1973, p 114)

During the most intense persecution of the early saints in Missouri the Saviour gave them the most powerful advice: “Be still and know that I am God” (D&C101:16). In other words, you can do nothing, just trust that I have it in hand.

Being still means you are not being shaken or distressed by anything around you. Being still means being at peace, unperturbed by the world. Some of our trials, however, are very much like an earthquake which has immense power to disturb our stillness.

We often find out how very powerless we are to handle some trials in life. When no solutions come to us and it becomes obvious that we have no capacity to solve the problem or prevent the disaster, there is only one option available: to be still and allow God to take over.

In the advice given by the Saviour, He tells us that stillness can be possible by knowing Him, that He is God with all power, and because of it we are in His hands (v 16). A God who creates worlds without number has the power to steady us in the midst of our trials that threaten us, therefore allow God to take over.

One of the Saviour’s names is The Rock of Heaven (Moses 7:53). Helaman referred to this Rock by teaching his sons that if they would build their foundation upon ‘the rock of our Redeemer’, they could not fall (Helaman 5:12). A foundation in Christ is built by faith, trust and obedience (see Elder Bednar’s instructive explanation of foundation in his conference talk “Be Still, and Know That I am God of April 2024).

My greatest strategy for acquiring stillness when I need it is ‘remembrance’. Helaman began his advice with ‘remember, remember’…..remembering what the Saviour has done for me in my life, the revelations I have had, the understanding I have of Him, all my prayers that have been answered, all my spiritual moments with Him…. all goes towards my trust in His control over my life and the path I am on. It wasn’t always like this, but it is now that I know Him….and over and over again He brings me back to stillness and endurance.

My heart overflows with gratitude

For my darkest nights

Because they bring You to me

Flowing like a river with its strongest might.

I bask in Your presence,

I surrender my soul,

I am grounded in Your strength

I am strong enough to carry on.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Be Still My Soul by Mark Missman)

THE POWER WITHIN HIM

 

“While the enemies in Missouri were gathering their lawless forces for an assault upon the Church there, the Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph to go on a mission and proclaim the gospel message. He was not to mind the enemies. His calling was to testify to the world. And he went on this mission as far as Canada, as full of faith and hope as if there had been no storm clouds in the sky.” (Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary p 630 – as quoted in the Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual p 236)

If there is anyone who is qualified to say that “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation” it is Joseph Smith (Lecture 6:7, “Lectures on Faith”). Following this call he wrote in his journal: “I feel very well in my mind. The Lord is with us, but have much anxiety about my family.” (“History of the Church”, 1:419n)

Section 100 of the Doctrine and Covenants is only small and seems rather insignificant compared to the rest of this book. It mainly deals with this mission call but there is something so powerful in it.

The Lord assured Joseph and his companion Sidney Rigdon that their families were in His hands and then He added something that makes this mission call more significant than it appears. He said: “In me there is all power” (v1).  

And this is how that power was manifest. Sidney Rigdon had great gifts as an orator and student of scriptures. The Lord called him as a spokesman to Joseph and promised him “power to be mighty in testimony” (v 10). Sidney declared the word of God with wonderful eloquence and was a mighty man in the hands of God.

What is significant about Sidney is that Joseph of Egypt was told about him by the Saviour himself 1,700 years before his birth and recounted by Lehi 600 years before the same (2 Nephi 3:18). Thus we see Sidney was prepared in pre-existence by the Lord himself for his calling as Joseph’s spokesman to Canada and according to President George Q. Cannon, even until Joseph’s death (see “Journal of Discourses” 25:126).

What a God we worship!!! A God of impeccable wisdom, might and power. When you make the salvation of others your work and your glory, you employ all your perfect faculties in ensuring success. This is who He is. A God of perfection, a God of all knowledge, wisdom and power, a God that can be trusted and relied upon. A God who will ensure our salvation. In Joseph’s words:

“We are on the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory”…….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith at Saviour's Feet by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

 

A PATH TO HEAVEN

 

I walked a mile with pleasure

She chatted all the way;

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with sorrow

And ne’er a word said she;

But oh! The things I learnt from her

When sorrow walked with me.

-     Robert Browning Hamilton

 

I know not of any greater godly attribute than that of humility that this world of sorrow affords all those who travel its paths.

For a long time I have tried to unravel the enigma of the severity of this life’s suffering and the purpose thereof. I couldn’t understand why suffering affords godhood. Surely, there would have to be another way. I know, I have written about this more than once recently but I have finally received understanding that makes sense to me more than any other explanation and insight I have received concerning this subject.

I believe in this poem. My eyes have been opened to it. As I contemplated this morning I could plainly see that sorrow has taught me lessons that happiness never has. Sorrow has the power to induce humility which makes us teachable. I understood that the opposite would be the detrimental and spirit corroding attribute of pride.

A god could never be an entity full of pride. Pride seeks to elevate self at the expense of demeaning others. Pride is grounded in control. Control denies free will and seeks only self interest and elevation of one above the rest.

The Saviour excelled in humility when He sought the salvation of others to bring them to the station that He himself has. There was not an ounce of pride inside Him when He volunteered to be the way to the elevation of all the host of heaven, at His excruciating expense. The path has been provided but the price of learning has still to be paid, by each one of us.

Humility is crucial in our rise to exaltation. A god in the making needs its teaching power. King Benjamin defined this process in his address by saying that if we ‘humble ourselves in the depths of humility’ we will be: 1. filled with the love of God; 2. retain a remission of our sins; 3. grow in the knowledge of the glory of God; and 4. we will love our fellowman (Mosiah 4:10-12). Which one of these would not be needed in our rise to godhood?

If humility leads us to godhood, we can only imagine where pride leads…..we have a good example of that…..let us not follow there…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Divine Faith by Greg Collins)

PURE LOVE

 

“The greater definition of ‘the pure love of Christ is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. TRUE charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely In Christ’s unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us.

“It is that charity – his pure love for us – without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of His love at the last day – the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise – surely it shall be well with them….Life has its share of fears and failures…but one thing in time or eternity does not fail us – the pure love of Christ.”

-          Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Christ and the New Covenant” [1997], 336-37

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   (Romans 8:38,39)

As the stars in heaven

That burn with everlasting light

So is my love that burns for Thee

On the altar of my godly heart.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: God of Wonders by Yongsung Kim)

THE SACRIFICE OF YOU

 

A few posts back I wrote about my belief that we are not here for our salvation alone but for the salvation of the whole human family. Here is a more detailed account of that belief.

Some months ago it was revealed to me that I was a ‘sacrificial lamb’ of sorts for someone in my life some thirty years ago. This someone had derailed me from what I expected to become a picture-perfect life to something that became a total opposite and what I had never expected.

For thirty years, every once in a while, I was reminded that my life was unfair. I had done all the right things and my assessment was that I did not deserve what I got. This revelation, however, taught me something of far more importance than the value of my life. It taught me the unfairness and the value of the Saviour’s life.

Elder Dale G. Renlund spoke of this in his April 2021 General Conference talk, “Infuriating Unfairness”:

“I declare with all my aching heart that Jesus Christ both understands unfairness and has the power to provide a remedy. Nothing compared to the unfairness He endured. It was not fair that He experienced all the pains and afflictions of mankind. It was not fair that He suffered for my sins and mistakes and for yours……He understands perfectly what we are experiencing.

“….all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ overcame the world and ‘absorbed’ all unfairness. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.”

We may well ask how He will use the unfairness for our benefit.  When I look back over my life, I can see that it has afforded me growth and learning that I would never have had if my life was picture perfect. The person I am today is because God asked me to be the ‘sacrificial lamb’ thirty years ago. In gratitude for this sacrifice I testify of what Joseph Smith said on the subject:

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation…..those who have this testimony will have faith to lay hold on eternal life, and will be enabled, through faith, to endure unto the end, and receive the crown that is laid up for them…..” (Lecture 6:7, “Lectures on Faith”)

There is no greater sacrifice you can give than the sacrifice of self. There is one man who proved that succinctly and irrefutably……

 

I carried my cross to the foot of Calvary,

While you carried yours to the top.

I cried bitter tears over the injustices of my life,

While you bled valiantly for all that was lost.

I carried my hurts like a badge

So scornfully proud and spiritually poor,

While you rose to the heights of your exalted throne:

Perfected, ennobled and infinitely more.

You are so high

And I am so low;

I consent to climb to Calvary’s top,

I consent to be lifted to Thy throne.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus is Lord by kBrake)

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

 

“One of the Hebraic meanings of the word “Israel” is ‘ let God prevail’…..The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives…. those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives…As an essential prelude to the Second Coming of the Lord, it is the most important work in the world.”  (President Russell M. Nelson, CR October 2020)

I have come to understand one important aspect of ‘letting God prevail’ in our lives….the one of God’s influence through which He teaches us what we need to know, not to educate us but to make us His own.

I have shared before that I have entered into a period of physical suffering which is new to me. For over a year now I have tried to understand its reason. Setting aside the varied explanations that the Gospel offers, I have come to understand and accept the most important one, what Apostle Paul meant when he said he had lost everything for Christ’s sake that he might ‘know him..and the fellowship of his suferings’ (Philippians 3:10).

Through my own minute experience of suffering, feelings of isolation and loss of hope, spiritual understanding was recently given to me to comprehend as much as a human can do so, the Saviour’s descent into the ‘darkness of hell’ and the loss of hope for support and endurance He encountered when the Father withdrew His presence on the hill of Calvary.  This is now what I somewhat understand in the depths of my heart:

“His descent into the darkness of hell gave the innocent Christ the power to carry the lowest of the lowly back up into the light of salvation. Christ placed himself in darkness, not only below the most disobedient of mortals, but below the accumulated darkness of all sins committed throughout the history of time.

“In drinking the cup of gall, Christ gave up all that was native to him, causing him to cry out from its darkness, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Nothing could have been more foreign, or more terrifying, than being isolated from his Father’s glory.” (B. Grant Bishop, M.D., “The LDS Gospel of Light”, p 96)

That we might know Him, the ‘fellowship of his sufferings’ is immutable, because only then can we truly belong to Him….

Oh the pain that You suffered

As all hope fled and

Darkness embraced You willingly!

But Your light that lifted You

To become a beacon of hope

For all who sample Your sufferings

Is the crowning glory of eternity.

 

My pain, so minute,

Yet my understanding more vast,

With eternal gratitude

I accept the price. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Light of Christ by Land of Dreams)

TO WORSHIP

 

“I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.”  (D&C 93:1)

Elder James E. Talmage said that our worship depends upon our comprehension of worthiness of the person we worship and therefore our capacity to worship God is a measure of our comprehension of His being. (“Articles of Faith”, pp 395-96).

For years now as I have studied the scriptures, I have been on the lookout for the Saviour’s characteristics. So far I have 18 on my list. One year I noticed a virtue in Doctrine and Covenants that I had overlooked before. It was the virtue of humility. This is the scripture that opened my eyes to a greater understanding of who the Saviour is:

“Therefore, I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may WORSHIP ME” (D&C 115:8). Can you imagine the amount of humility it would take to say such a thing for a God of perfect attributes and totally devoid of pride? It would have to be someone who knows perfectly well who he is, is confident in that knowledge and most of all, has a purity of spirit and heart. Compare this to Lucifer’s desire to be worshipped (Moses 4:1-4; 1:16-19).

It amazes me that someone so powerful who calls himself ‘the king of heaven’ (2 N 10:14), who can create worlds and annihilate them by the power of His word (Helaman 12:9-17; D&C 63:4; Isaiah 11:4) can also be so humble. This is the perfection of God, the balance is indisputable. Whenever I discover something new about Him, it’s like I don’t really know Him and I ask in awe, “who are You????” I stand amazed.

In his Conference Report of 1971, Elder Bruce R. McConkie listed 17 ways of being able to worship God, overwhelming I know…. Even he admitted that as he said: “It is ten thousand times ten thousand things….” (Ensign Dec 1971, p 130)

I have never read anything written by Elder McConkie that made me think he didn’t know Christ. The love he had for him is unmistakable. I am sure he observed the whole 17 ways of worship he mentioned.

I don’t know that I am that valiant but when I come face to face with the Saviour, I know I will fall at His feet and I will know Him…..I will know His love and His mercy and I will acknowledge Him to be my Saviour, my God and my King.

My heart is full of thoughts of Thee

As I stand in awe of Thy majesty.

The magnitude of worlds

And the stars of heaven

That roll upon their wings praising Thee;

But none greater than this,

The creation of man, a crowning glory

To Thy priesthood and Thy throne

In endless worship of Thy name

In the splendour of Thy celestial home.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Creation by Yongsung Kim)