THE GIVERS

 

Unless I Wash You by Mindi Oaten

“Conversion means consecrating your life to caring for and serving others who need your help and sharing your gits and blessings….Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality.

“God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships – in how you treat others…… The person who does only those things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the Gospel and exalted life are all about.”  (Elder Robert J. Whetten, Strengthen Thy Brethren, in CR April 2005, p 96, Ensign May 2005, p 91)

There was a king in the Book of Mormon who lived in ancient Americas by the name of King Benjamin who delivered a powerful sermon about service to his people. The premise of his sermon has several elements:

1.      His first reasoning is simple gratitude for the life that God has granted us to live and his preservation of us from day to day (Mosiah 2:20,21,23);

2.      God asks service of us in return for the debt we owe for our lives so he can bless us (Mosiah 2:24);

3.      Through serving one another we come to know God (Mosiah 5:13);

4.      By going above and beyond to serve those we do not deem worthy, we overcome the human inclination to judge and we grow in humility recognizing that we are all beggars before God, that all we have has been granted us by Him and not our own ability (Mosiah 4:19);

5.      All that we have belongs to God, therefore none of our possessions are ours to keep hence we have an obligation to impart of our substance to the needy among us (Mosiah 4:22);

6.      We measure the state of our hearts by our willingness to serve and help others. Even when we cannot help, the desire to do so should be in our hearts. It is the desires of our hearts that will one day be judged as much as our acts (Mosiah 4:24);

7.      By giving of ourselves and our substance we break our attachment to the things of the world. All that we are attached to in this life will one day perish when we leave, nothing is ours to keep (Mosiah 4:23);

These seven elements are sound reasoning for our obligation to care for each other. But besides all these reasons, the greatest reason is this…..by serving our fellowmen, we become like the greatest servant of all. King Benjamin assured his people that if they are ‘steadfast and immovable, and always abounding in good works’, that they will be called by the ‘name of Christ’ (Mosiah 5:9). In fact he mentions the importance of this 10 times in his sermon (Mosiah 5:7-12).

Why is this important? Because it guarantees that we shall in the end be found on the right hand of God (Mosiah 5:9). To be found in such a prestigious place for eternity means that we have to become like the man whose name we bear…..the Greatest Servant of all, the Christ. We can only become like Him, if we act like Him and do the works that He did. We are nothing without His example and His power to enable us to reach such heights.

I have always thought I would be on the giving side of service. I considered the giving part ‘noble’ but the receiving part ‘weak’…..until two years ago. I have an aversion to feeling weak but God thought He would show me otherwise. Since I have been sick and have become more and more dependent on others, I have realized one thing. Service cannot be noble in any way, if there is no one to receive. And if there is no one to receive, the givers miss out on becoming like the Greatest Servant.

Now when someone helps me achieve the smallest task I cannot do myself, I cry…..when strangers at the supermarket assist me with my groceries, I cry…..when someone makes me feel good about myself despite my incapacities, I cry….I cry all the time these days, from gratitude. I cry because of the givers.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

LOWLY IN HEART

 

I viewed recently some documentaries of past ruling monarchs of Europe and England. I was amazed at what devastation privileged birth can achieve. These men were out of control, spoilt, immoral and some died excruciating deaths. I could see one fiend of hell that was behind it all and that was PRIDE.

For a while now I have been pondering about the lowliness of mortality, compared to our pre mortal home. These documentaries contributed to my understanding how bringing us down to the lowliest plane of existence guarantees that we develop a ‘lowly heart’, an antidote to pride, an emotion most destructive to godliness. How Lucifer could not see that this is what robbed him of glory is beyond me. One thing he can see though: that he can destroy others by it.

I think of the Saviour’s condescension from His godly throne to the lowly, dusty roads of Galilee, devoid of riches, prestige and luxury, and I can see why ‘none is acceptable before God save the meek and lowly in heart’ (Moroni 7:44). If He can come down from His throne to the lowliest station of life, beginning with His birth, He certainly has a right to tell us: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly….” (Matthew 11:29). You cannot have a more-lowly birth than one in the stench of a stable. That’s a triumph over pride if ever I saw one.

And imagine a God who created this earth willing to sit on a donkey to fulfil the Messianic prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.  (Zechariah 9:9)

What other more spectacular proof could the creator of worlds without number have given to the unbelieving? Think about all the proof He did give them such as His miracles which failed to convince the powerful and mighty.  His lowliness, however, should have been a sure sign that He fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would be a king who arrives humbly and peacefully, a king who is the servant of all.

This is meekness, this is greatness, that the Saviour of mankind would subject Himself to God’s requirement that ‘none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart’, including Him (Moroni 7:42-44).

I stood in the shadow

of Your heart today

And saw obedience to the

Father there;

I saw the Son You are and more

I saw the God that I adore

And I stand in awe…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Living Water by LDS Book Store)

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)

THE EXAMPLER

 

The more I learn about the Saviour, the more amazed I become. This is what amazes me the most. It is His greatness that began long before His astounding power to withstand the crucible of the cross.

Consider the beginning…. When He appeared to Abraham, the pre-mortal Saviour introduced himself thus: “I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven; the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea and it obeys my voice; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains – Depart hence – and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind……My name is Jehovah… (Abraham 2:7,8).

As Abraham was shown ‘the intelligences that were organised before the world was’, he saw many of the ‘noble and great ones’ and was told that he was one of them (Abraham 3:22,23). Once again, the Saviour affirmed who He was: “I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all…my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning….” (Abraham 3:19,21)

We read the interaction between Enoch and God along the same lines. After showing him all the workmanship of His hands, He declares Himself to Enoch in the most powerful manner: “I am Messiah the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven…” (Moses 7:53).

The perfection level of His obedience in pre-mortal life is astounding. It is through this obedience He gained the power to rise to the Godhead where He could create worlds without number (Moses 1:33). Is it any wonder He could endure this:

“This sacrifice…took place in Gethsemane when He sweat great gouts of blood from every pore….And it also took place as He hung on the cruel cross of Calvary. During the last three hours of that agonising ordeal, while darkness overspread the land, all the pains and suffering of Gethsemane returned.”  (Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Witness for the Articles of Faith”, p 109)

My point is this. The Saviour of this world was the firstborn of the Father. He was the perfect Son and therefore the perfect Brother. The Exampler who paved the way to obedience, who lifted us to heights we could not reach on our own even back then. He was the Shepherd long before we became the sheep, the Shepherd we followed and believed and chose to be our God.  We became great in our pre-existent state because of the perfect example we followed. The influence He has over us now would have been double-fold back then when we were in His presence.

I testify of this because I was told once during a prayer: “My Atonement is my gift to you because you were so valiant in your testimony of Me long before you were born.”  You, me, Abraham……..(D&C 138:11-24).

How can I contain the magnitude of You

In the meagre chambers of my heart?

How can I absorb the brightness

Of Your light that outshines the rays

Of the brightest sun?

How can I explain the lightness of my being

When You lift me up on wings of faith

Making real the wonder of You?

My love knows no limits

My honour of You, no bounds;

My needy reach for heaven’s door,

To concede, without You,

I am in spirit forever poor.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Like A Dove by Chris Brazelton) 

 

 

DIVINE HUMILITY

 

 

One of the greatest lessons the Saviour taught when He established His Church in the meridian of time was one of humility. This is something we need to take note of especially in the Church.

There was something of a hierarchy in my mission field. It was like a ladder of progression which was deemed by us as success. We all felt important when we were elevated to higher positions. The progression of success went like this: becoming a senior companion, district leader, zone leader, assistant to the President, a member of the ‘power team’.

It makes us feel good when we are recognized and utilized for our abilities. Sometimes too good. The downside of the hierarchy is that it makes others that don’t make it to these stations feel like they are less.

My Mission President realized he needed to teach us young kids in the Church the danger of authority that was placed on us. He often referred us to D&C 121:39 which points out that authority can lead to ‘unrighteous dominion’. Such is the danger of pride.

Over the years I have witnessed some pretty prideful priesthood leaders in the Church and some very humble ones too. Authority comes with danger and an opportunity. Pride is he danger and humility is the opportunity.

The Saviour said in that scripture that it is ‘the nature and disposition of every man’ to get carried away with authority so He endeavoured to give us a lesson in humility that we should never forget.

At the last supper, the Saviour washed the feet of the apostles. I believe it is a priesthood ordinance practiced by the Twelve of the Church to this day. No doubt it is meant to remind them that they are servants and of humility the Saviour exercised when He did so. The lesson is that he who is the master is the servant of all.

This, however, is the greatest lesson the Saviour taught by washing of the feet. When He explained the ordinance to His disciples and said, “the servant is not greater than his lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him”, He was speaking about himself (John 13:16). He that was sent was Jesus and He that sent Him was God the Father.

Such was the humility of Christ who sought the honour and glory of His Father. Never at any time did He seek to elevate himself above the God who was above Him. Think about this and compare it to Lucifer who was once in authority in the presence of God, and who sought to dethrone them both (D&C 76:25-26; Isaiah 14:12-20).

Is there a greater humility than the Saviour of the world? Think of the power within His grasp that was never used for self when He walked upon this earth. Think of the power He had to walk off that cross and save himself. Think of the pride He never succumbed to. This is the God we worship, this is the God we love, this is the God we follow……and follow we should to the ends of the earth.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Greatest Among You by Yongsung Kim)

THE WILL OF GOD

 

I am certain we are all in awe of the Saviour’s submission to God’s will in the face of unfathomable agony of the Garden. Even though He foresaw more agony yet to come, He was willing to see it to the end.

What is, in reality, God's will? If God's work and His glory, meaning His entire purpose, is to bring to pass ‘the immortality and eternal life’ of His children, then this becomes His will. Whereas immortality means resurrection for all, eternal life means a life with God the Father, forever, because Eternal is His name (D&C 19:10-12). It means to be exalted to the status of gods. In our pre-existence, we chose to accept this will of God. Our lives were planned and shown to us and we gave our consent. My dearest friend reminded me recently that even the Saviour was shown His life to which He consented but even He didn’t anticipate how incredibly hard it was going to be (Mark 14:33). And so it is for us. Now that we are here, we see the reality of it, and some of us are no longer on board with God’s will and choose not to follow through to the end.

When the Saviour said to the Father before the earth was formed, ‘Thy will be done and glory be Thine forever’ (Moses 4:2), He gave up His own will and He affirmed that choice throughout His mortal life. The same is asked of us. Our mortal lives are a continual round of trials and ups and downs and so it also becomes a continual round of acceptance of God’s will. It is a choice we are faced with over and over again. It is seldom a one off choice which sees us through every rough spot in our mortality.

That Christ wanted to atone for us due to His love for us cannot be disputed (John 15:13). However, as He descended into the bottomless pit of human agony in the Garden, it was His love and commitment to the Father that made Him accept the bitter cup (Matthew 26:39). Our telestial telescope does not give us a clear view of eternal life. It is our love for the Father which has the power to enable us to accept His will for our immortality and eternal life. When that love is strong enough then we can say as the Saviour said, “I always do those things which please Him” (John 8:29). That’s acceptance. That’s love. That’s life eternal.

I long for God’s acceptance

Of the paltry offerings of my heart;

Hardly seeing His approval

Through my earthly inept sight.

Yet crafted with the heaven’s pen,

Sealed and sent through heaven’s door,

Ever constant, ever present,

From loving God that I adore.

• CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: He Lifts Me Up by Danny Hahlbohm)