HE WHO HAS WISDOM

 

Son of Man by Joseph Brickey

 

I wrote my 350^th poem the other day. I was quite stunned at that number because I have been writing them for a relatively short time. They are expressions of my heart and soul so they come easy. According to the scriptural record, Solomon spoke or compiled 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs (see 1 Kings 4:32). I am so grateful he did that because his wisdom was a gift from God so the spiritual substance in them is something I value.

 

When I was doing my degree some years ago I was really excited to take a subject on philosophy because I thought studying the ‘wisdom’ of the ancient Greek philosophers would make me wise. After all, their words are recognised and revered the world over.  It was my worst subject. So much so that my professor called me up and asked me if I had trouble understanding the course.

 

Frankly, I found the theories of the meaning of life by these philosophers incomprehensible. They stood in stark contrast to the plain and simple truth of the Plan of Salvation as per the LDS theology that I lived by. It taught me something valuable. Never trust in the theories of the world. Now when I hear something ‘meaningful’ I have to find it in the scriptures to verify it before I believe it is true.

 

If you want wisdom, you will find it in the scriptures because true wisdom must encompass knowledge, understanding and moral conduct. The wisdom you follow must comply with your inner spiritual compass and religious beliefs. It must produce a positive outcome, protect you from the negative and be in alignment with the witness of the spirit. This to me is true wisdom. (see also Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings – Malachi, p 13)

It is impossible to come away from the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes with one major or common theme for they deal with application of wisdom in so many different facets of life, as per Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which so aptly teaches ‘to everything there is a season’. One can, however, always walk away from them having found something of vast importance particular to them to correspond with their 'time and season'. Wisdom is not wisdom if it lacks application and application of all things cannot happen all at once. Progression is a journey which requires patience and repentance when the heart is ready.

 

The greatest wisdom of Solomon is found in chapter 3 of Proverbs. The advice it gives is invaluable: to have peace in this life means to know and trust God, to keep His commandments, to hold onto His mercy and truth, and to write it on the tables of one’s heart (vs 1-6).

 

God's wisdom would tell us that the sacrifice of the moment is worth the blessings of eternity. Trusting in God means trusting in our eternal destiny to which we were committed from the beginning. It means knowing who we are and using wisdom to honour that spiritual identity. It means standing firm in our convictions at all cost.

 

I knelt before Thy throne today

Asking for the words of wisdom

You had to say.

They fell with ease from Thy tongue

Coated gently with holy love.

My heart was opened

The heavens wept

Our union, a divine sacrament. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A TREASURE ABOVE GOLD

 

I love the standard works of scripture because in each of them I see the Christ.

In the Old Testament I see the merciful Jehovah. His long suffering towards His people Israel, despite their backsliding, is beyond my ability to understand. In the Old Testament I see the roots of His covenant with us, His people. I see His devotion, His mercy, and His commitment that will never be broken by Him.

In the New Testament I see Isaiah’s ‘suffering servant’ (Isaiah 53). I see Christ’s descent from His throne, I see the man of sorrows, the sacrificial lamb, the Saviour of all, and I see the hope of eternal life, the triumph over humanity’s foe.

In the Book of Mormon I see the manifested promised Messiah. I see the God of Israel who fulfils all prophecies and all His promises. And again, I see mercy……on every page.

In the Pearl of Great Price I see the brilliance and godship of a son of God who created worlds without number and who was willing to sink into the bottomless pit of human suffering nailing himself to the cross 'from the foundation of the world'. I see His integrity which earned Him my vote and devotion for all time and eternity.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, I see the majestic, exalted God. I see His inexhaustible work in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man through the restoration of His priesthood, the portal to life everlasting to all who will come into His Kingdom. And I see the King of Glory who will come to reign on this earth and subdue all enemies under His feet (Isaiah 9:6,7).

President Joseph Fielding Smith has said that the Doctrine and Covenants is our book. It stands above the Bible, The Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price. Whereas these books of scripture are vital, they belong to another time. Doctrine and Covenants belongs to the Latter-Day Saints in this dispensation. He said we should ‘treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth’ (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:198-99).

And this is why. On another occasion, President Smith said that if we put into practice the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, “we will know the truth and there shall be no weapon formed against us that shall prosper (see D&C 71:9-11). There shall be no false doctrines and no teachings of men that will deceive us” (In Conference Report, Oct 1931, p 17).

There is only one thing that the Doctrine and Covenants lacks. On the very first page should be Moroni’s admonition to us and to the whole world, to ‘ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ’ if the revelations contained therein are true…..and if we shall ask, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto us, by the power of the Holy Ghost……for by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things (Moroni 9:3,4)

The dynamics of the fulness of the truth given to us in this the last hour of this dispensation with the priceless gift of the Holy Ghost to prepare us for the coming of the Son of Man in this the mire of corruption, evil and Satan’s desperate attempt to destroy us, is beyond God’s mercy. The combined truth with the guidance of the Holy Ghost is more precious than gold. It will bring us to Zion and to our God.

It is time to heed President Nelson’s voice: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost”.

We are the House of Israel. We are the covenant people. We are His peculiar treasure above all people (Exodus 19:5). We are ‘the apple of His eye’ (Det 32:9,10; Zech 2:8), hidden under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8), we are His people and He is our God.

This is our Doctrine and these are our Covenants…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Book of Life by Chris Brazelton)

THE LION OF JUDAH

 

 

One of the most endearing titles the Saviour has is ‘the Lion of Judah’. It denotes strength and power that balances the picture of the meek and sacrificial Lamb mentioned in Revelation 5:6. The two instances in the scriptures where He is spoken of as the lion are both relative to His protectiveness of the House of Israel (Isaiah 31:4; Hosea 11:9,10). In Hosea, the Saviour laments over Ephraim who has forsaken Him and exclaims, ‘mine heart is turned toward thee, and my mercies are extended to gather thee’ (v 8aJST). Hosea then says ‘He shall roar like a lion and the children shall tremble from the west’ (v10). We Ephraim, in the western hemisphere, have certainly trembled at the sound of His voice as we have been gathered to His earthly kingdom. 

 

On his final visit to the Temple, prior to His crucifixion, the Saviour once again proclaimed His divine Sonship.  For the last time He cried out loud that He who believes Him, believes Him who sent Him (John 12:44). I think of the lion of Judah in Him when I picture this scene. This was the last call to the Jewish nation to believe on Him as the Son of God but instead of belief, the people questioned, ‘who is this Son of Man’ that you say must be lifted up? (v34). 

 

Who is the Son of Man? He is the Son of Man of Holiness, who is God the Father, for Man of Holiness is His name (Moses 5:57); He is the light of the world and whosoever believes in Him will not abide in darkness (John 12:46); He is the Son of God under whose command He came to preach all righteousness and that salvation is through Him and of Him (v49); He is the Father’s servant who came to offer life everlasting to all who believe on His name (v50). He is the bread of life (John 6:35,41,48,51); He is the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5); He is the good shepherd (John 10:11,14); He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); He is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).......can you hear the roar???

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Lion of Judah by Greg Collins)