When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know the Father is there
Ever
mindful of my needful care.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know the Saviour will rescue me
When
I am tempest tossed onto a troubled sea.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know angels are waiting to lift my heart
In
the still of the darkest night.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know You will bring me home
And
never abandon my care,
You
are the gift that will guide me there.
-
CATHRYNE
ALLEN
“I fear that some members of the Lord’s Church
live far beneath their privileges with regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Some are distracted by the things of the world that block out the influence of
the Holy Ghost, preventing them from recognizing spiritual promptings. This is
a noisy and busy world that we live in.
Remember that being busy is not necessarily being spiritual. If we are not
careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.
“Some are spiritually deadened and past feeling
because of their choices to commit sin. Others simply hover in spiritual
complacency with no desire to rise above themselves and commune with the
Infinite. If they would open their hearts to the refining influence of this
unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, a glorious new spiritual dimension would
come to light.
“Their eyes would gaze upon a vista scarcely
imaginable. They could know for themselves things of the Spirit that are
choice, precious, and capable of enlarging the soul, expanding the mind, and
filling the heart with inexpressible joy.”
-
Elder
Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008), The
Unspeakable Gift, GC April 2003
How silently, how diligently
You work for the salvation of men.
Your witness of my life
Written in your heart as with a holy pen.
When face to face one day we meet
I will kneel at your holy feet.
-
CATHRYNE
ALLEN
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know the Father is there
Ever
mindful of my needful care.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know the Saviour will rescue me
When
I am tempest tossed onto a troubled sea.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know angels are waiting to lift my heart
In
the still of the darkest night.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know You will bring me home
And
never abandon my care,
You
are the gift that will guide me there.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
- (Art: The Comforter by Danny Hahlbohm)
At the beginning of the year I wrote a post in
which I mentioned my history professor tell us that we should be careful how we
judge history because it is written by men from men’s perspective. That was a
few years ago but I have never forgotten it. I try to think of that even when I
am reading the scriptures.
The perspective of the author is not the only
thing that matters but also cultural differences of the time, manner of
speaking, changes in language and what Joseph Smith claimed were ‘certain
errors that had crept into the Bible through arrogant translators, careless
transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests’ (Joseph Smith Teachings, p 327)
The Old Testament is particularly susceptible
to incorrect text because it has been translated many times. We are fortunate
to have modern day revelation that makes a lot of doctrines simpler to
understand through corrections that are needed for further clarification. I am
particularly grateful for the JST and I always refer to it. Sometimes it’s just
a missing word that makes a whole verse make more sense.
Already this year I have come across three important
examples of what I am trying to say here:
1.
Exodus
6:3: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of
God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.” I ask, why would the forefathers not know His
name??? Well they did….JST says: “….and unto Jacob, I am the Lord God Almighty;
the Lord JEHOVAH. And was not my name known unto them?”
2.
Exodus
2:11-15: these verses say that Moses saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew and he ‘slew’
him. In King James English, the words ‘smote’ and ‘slew’ are both translated
from Hebrew word NAKHAH, meaning to ‘beat down’. Different ancient writings and
commentaries claim different things regarding this incident but the Church OT
student manual quotes Elder Mark E. Petersen as saying that there must have
been a good reason for Moses’ act as “most assuredly the Lord would not have
called a murderer to the high office of prophet and liberator for his people
Israel.” (Petersen, “Moses” p 42, Student Manual 1 p 105).
3.
Exodus
4, 7, 9, 11: In His instructions to Moses regarding the plagues of Egypt, the
Old Testament records the Lord saying He will harden the Pharaoh’s heart so he
will not let the Israelites go. The JST says in every instance that Pharaoh
will harden his heart which makes so much more sense. Why would the Lord try to
stop His own work to the point where He had to do something so dire as extinguishing
the lives of Egypt’s first born?
With the amount of study material available to
us in the Church today, there really is no excuse for not understanding
anything. But most important of all, make an important friend…..him who
administers to all sincere seekers of truth……”and by the power of the Holy
Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5)
And now this promise: “I the Lord am merciful
and gracious unto those who fear me and delight to honour those who serve me in
righteousness and in truth unto the end….and to them will I reveal all
mysteries of my kingdom…for by my Spirit will I enlighten them…..(D&C
76:5-10)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Receiving the Spirit by Danny Hahlbohm)
“It
is the right of all members of the house of Israel to see their King and enjoy
His presence. This is a specific promise to those who will sanctify themselves
(D&C 50:45-46; 67:10; 93:1). Since the scriptures teach that no unclean
thing can dwell in His presence (see Moses 6:57), it is clear that the Saints
who are caught up to meet Him must be sanctified.” (Doctrine & Covenants Student Manual, p
336)
Sanctification
is the second step in our preparation for the Second Coming as per D&C
133:4. The purpose of sanctification is to have our minds become single to God,
through our repentance, so that we can be purified by the power of the Holy
Ghost (D&C 88:68). Without sanctification we cannot be in Christ’s presence
or the presence of the Father.
The
Book of Mormon states that we can be ‘sanctified in Christ by the grace of God’
and that sanctification comes as a result of yielding our hearts to God through
prayer, fasting and humility (see Helaman 3:35 and Moroni 10:33). However,
repentance plays a major part in this process because it leads to forgiveness which
leads to sanctification. But not just any repentance:
“To
every forgiveness there is a condition. The plaster must be as wide as the
sore. The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than
the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. There must be
‘sackcloth and ashes’. There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There
must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error
to properly constituted authorities of the Lord. There must be restitution and
a confirmed, determined change of pace, direction and destination.” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Miracle of
Forgiveness”, p 353)
A
broken heart and a contrite spirit means ‘godly sorrow’ and not just
abandonment of sin. It is going through godly sorrow that we lose the
inclination to sin (see Alma 13:12 and 2 Nephi 4:31). Not that temptation no
longer exists, because that is the nature of this fallen world, but we no
longer seek it or are attracted by it (D&C 20:33-34). Because our hearts
have been changed we have ‘no more disposition to do evil’ (Mosiah 5:2)
Imagine
living in your finest outfit for a long time without changing. Imagine the
collected dirt. Even though you realise where you’ve gone wrong and have made
that outfit dirty, and you now try all you can to avoid adding more dirt, you are
still dirty. The outfit needs to be washed to match your new life-style. This
is what sanctification does. It washes you clean so you can be the new you.
Grant
me the strength dear Saviour
To
embrace the grandeur of my eternal goal,
That
I might sin less and obey more.
Thou
who art the deliverer of my soul,
May
glory be Thine forever more.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Artist Unknown)
This
must be the most comforting doctrine to all the perfectionists in the Church:
“God
binds us to Him by covenant. However, it Is not just the physical process of
making covenants that brings salvation. As we promise to abide by his laws and
commandments, and keep the covenants, He commissions the Holy Ghost to endow us
with fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
and meekness (see Galatians 5:19-23).
“These
fruits are the very characteristics and attributes of God in which we have
trusted and which we long to have in ourselves.” (Jerry A. Wilson, “The Great
Plan of Happiness” p 5)
When
I joined the Church in my youth and learnt about the Plan of Salvation, I
gained one desire: to be a strong person. I am certain this was my goal in
pre-mortal life too. I am also certain that I was informed back then that
mortality is a state of weakness but somehow over the years of my life I lost
that perspective and expected perfection from myself.
I
took that “be ye perfect” mandate too literally and ignored the fact that nobody
can become perfect in this life and most importantly, without the Saviour’s
grace. I knew it theoretically but it’s like it didn’t apply to me so I kept perpetuating
high expectations of myself which made me feel I was never good enough.
Now fifty years after I made
covenants of obedience through baptism and the temple, I am starting to feel
the fruits of the spirit softening my edges and refining my spiritual skills
and attributes. I am beginning to see that my efforts are secondary to what God
can make of me. The godly attributes we seek to develop are gifts and not our
achievements. That, to every perfectionist is the greatest gift.
Because the valleys do not
Lead to where I need to be,
You give me mountains to climb
To discover Your divinity.
You are so high
And my reach is so low.
To come to Your arms
I accept the mountains
That show me which way to go.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Come Unto Me by Danny Hahlbohm)
There
are several important scriptures which confirm the latter-day doctrine that the
Godhead we worship is one: 2 Nephi 31:21; Alma 11:44; 3 Nephi 11:27; 3 Nephi 11:36;
Mormon 7:7; D&C 20:28.
When
we, in the Church, are asked how they are one, we inevitably answer: they are
one in purpose. Whereas this is true, there is so much more to this. According
to Lecture 5 of the Lectures on Faith, the oneness of the Godhead is symbolic
of our salvation because they have the same godly nature (see Jerry A. Wilson, “The
Great Plan of Happiness – Insights From the Lectures on Faith” p 53).
They
could not be one in purpose without it. This means they have the same
characteristics and attributes in perfection and hence they work in harmony as
the Plan of Salvation unfolds for all of God’s children. This is a comforting
doctrine because it means there is no inconsistency in their influence or the
execution of their individual responsibilities.
Imagine
if they were all different with varying ideas and attributes and were not in
agreement with some things. We would never know where we stand. This is also
why we can have assurance that what the Holy Ghost tells us is the same as what
Heavenly Father would tell us and that is exactly what we would want to hear
and know. We pray to the Father in the name of His Son and receive answers
through the Holy Ghost. This is why we can rightly refer to all three of them
as ‘God’.
Consider
this important role that the Saviour has as He guides His Church. It is the
authority given Him by the Father to speak and act in the first person of the
Godhead, as though he were the Father. This is called ‘divine investiture of
authority’. (“The Father and the Son: A
Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency”, in Talmage, Articles of
Faith, pp 465-73)
Often it
can be confusing to read: “Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ” and shortly
thereafter to come across a reference to “mine Only Begotten Son” (D&C
29:1, 41-46). Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains it this way: “Since Christ is
one with the Father in all of the attributes of perfection, and since he
exercises power and authority of the Father, it follows that everything He says
or does is and would be exactly and precisely what the Father would say and do
under the same circumstances” (Mormon Doctrine, p 130)
There
should be no confusion when we are directed by either or any one of the Godhead.
When the Saviour speaks by the divine investiture of authority He is saying: whether
it is me speaking or the Father, it is the same because I am my Father’s Son. I
look like Him, I am like Him, I am made by Him in the flesh, therefore, I AM
Him. Both the Comforter and I are one with the Father and we will do everything
in our power to save you from the jaws of hell. You are our purpose, our desire
and our ultimate work. We are your hope and your salvation. We are the anchor
for your soul. We are one.
After 50
years of Church membership and Gospel study, I am beginning to understand the Godhead
at a deeper level. Whether it is the stirring of my pre-mortal knowledge within
me, or the fact that I am more teachable and ready for greater understanding, I
bear witness of the powerful, wonderful, incomparable God we worship: the
Father (the Planner), the Son (the Executor), the Holy Ghost (the Finisher).
I wrote
recently about the Holy Ghost being the Holy Spirit of Promise who places the
seal on our worthiness to receive eternal life hence my title of the Finisher
for him. I could write volumes about him who I once thought was the most
mysterious of the three.
I don’t
know how it can be but I am beginning to know all three separately who are ONE……how
merciful and how gracious is MY God!!!! When I come home and I approach the
throne of God, I will kneel and I will weep.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: As One by Danny Hahlbohm)
Perhaps the
most known name for the Holy Ghost is The Comforter. He testifies and he
comforts but did you know that he has another name that is perhaps the most
important? This name is the Holy Spirit of Promise.
The Holy
Ghost plays a more crucial part in our lives than we think. His role as the
Holy Spirit of Promise means that we do not bypass him on our way to eternal
glory…..Without his approval we, the covenant people, do not walk into
celestial kingdom. His report to the Father of our individual obedience to the
saving ordinances we have had performed for us is crucial. It makes me think of
how Heavenly Father’s house is a house of order. All things are done to
perfection and complete accuracy.
Here is the
doctrinal role of the Holy Spirit of Promise:
“The Holy
Ghost is the Holy Spirit of Promise (Acts 2:33). He confirms as acceptable to
God the righteous acts, ordinances, and covenants of men. The Holy Spirit of
Promise witnesses to the Father than the saving ordinances have been performed
properly and that the covenants associated with them have been kept.
“They who
are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise receive all that the Father has
(D&C 76:51-60; Eph. 1:13-14). All covenants and performances must be sealed
by the Holy Spirit of Promise to have force after this life (D&C 132:7,18-19,26)”
(Guide to the Scriptures, Gospel
Library)
And this is
something that should interest us greatly:
“When Paul
wrote that the Saints had been “sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise”
(Ephesians 1:13), he meant that they had been promised eternal life even though
they were still living in mortality. When people are sealed by the Holy Spirit
of Promise, the Holy Ghost ratifies (approves) them as celestial inheritors
even though they are mortal.
“This
doctrine is sometimes referred to as having one’s calling and election made
sure or receiving the Second Comforter (see 2 Peter 1:4-19; D&C 132:6-7).
(Bruce R. McConkie, “Doctrinal New Testament Commentary” 2:493-95; “History of
the Church” 3:379-80)
The Godhead
works in complete harmony to ensure the success of the Plan of Salvation and
exaltation of the Father’s children. No mistakes can be made and justice is
carried out perfectly. How incredibly reassuring it is to have the Holy Ghost
as a witness of our good deeds and our righteousness. I am amazed how valuable
he is and how undervalued to some of us. We should want him for our best
friend: to enlighten us, to guide us, to comfort us and to lead us to life
eternal.
ODE TO THE
HOLY GHOST:
How silently,
how diligently
You work for
the salvation of men.
Your witness
of my life
Written in
your heart as with a holy pen.
When face to
face one day we meet
I will kneel
at your holy feet.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Beloved Son by Danny Hahlbohm)
Hymn 145 in
our Hymnal tells us that prayer is the soul’s sincere desire.
Our prayers
reveal so much about us: our humility or our pride, our submissiveness or our
possessiveness, our progression or our regression, but most especially they
reveal where we are in life in regards to our overall desire. Consider the
following scripture:
“Draw near
unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me;
ask, and ye shall receive, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Whatsoever
ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for
you.” (D&C 88:63,64)
There is a
word in this scripture that is of vital importance for us to understand and
that word is ‘expedient’. The dictionary defines this word as ‘tending to
promote a desired objective or a means of attaining an end’. In considering the
importance of prayer as a communication with the Divine, this means that God is giving us help through
prayer with immediate situations in this life that will be advantageous for our
ultimate desired objective and that is to become as God is. Therefore, it
reveals His will for us and it affirms our purpose for being here.
Prayer
itself is a process of progression. On one end of the spectrum is a prayer of a
child through which the child is taught about faith: you pray to Heavenly
Father and you have faith that He will hear you and answer your prayer. On the other
end of that spectrum is a prayer of a spiritually evolved adult who prays with
the ‘true order of prayer’:
“We pray to
our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy
Ghost. This is the true order of prayer.”
(Russell M. Nelson, CR April 2003, Ensign May 2003, p 7)
“When we
pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus for specific personal things, we
should feel in the very depths of our souls that we are willing to subject our
petitions to the will of our Father in heaven….The time will come when we shall
know the will of God before we ask. Then everything for which we pray will be ‘expedient’.
Everything for which we ask will be ‘right’. That will be when as a result of
righteous living, we shall so enjoy the companionship of the spirit that he
will dictate what we ask.” (President Marion G. Romney, in CR Oct 1944, 55-56)
So often I
am reminded of President Nelson’s advice that we will not be able to survive
these last days without the guidance of the Holy Ghost. He is crucial in all
the guidance we get as a result of our petitions to God. The prayer circle in
the Temple teaches us the role the Holy Ghost plays in our communication with
the Divine. The officiator represents the Holy Ghost in telling those gathered
what to say, they in turn repeat the words of the prayer directing them to
Heavenly Father in the name of His Son.
If you pray
this way, you are well and truly on your way to achieving the purpose of your
mortal probation. If the purpose of your journey is to become like God, prayer
is the path to know how to travel it. May you receive your heart’s sincere
desire and may we in the end meet at Jesus’ feet.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: My Prayer by Danny Hahlbohm)
I wish to
pay homage to the member of the Godhead who stands as a witness of the Father’s
love and care, of the Saviour’s power to save and of His own ministry without which
we could not function as spiritual beings in a physical world. I speak, of
course, of the Holy Ghost.
The power
of this third member of the Godhead cannot be understated, undervalued and
underappreciated. Without Him we could not understand spiritual truths, know that
God exists or have guidance to live according to the Plan of Salvation here on
earth. Without his influence we would truly be lost.
This is a
personal testimony so I will not be delving into the doctrinal features of this
member of the Godhead. What I will say is that I am seeing these days the power
of the Godhead as it is playing out in my life. The days I feel of ‘God’s’
closeness is becoming somewhat of a fascination to me because I am starting to
identify them separately. So much so that when I speak to the Father, I ask Him
to thank the Holy Ghost for his ministry to me…..something I pray for regularly
and get given without fail.
Since this
is a personal account of my experience with the Holy Ghost, I will use my writing
as an example of my conviction. As much as it is appreciated to get praise
worthy comments, I wish to testify of the Holy Ghost’s overwhelming
contribution to this gift that God has given me through which I seek to serve
His children.
My usual
practice is to prepare a draft for next day’s post but when the next day comes,
I ask for the Holy Ghost to be with me as I start to write, and very often my
writing will take a turn to a different subject. Some days I will not know what
I will write about but by the time I am up and ready to start my day, I know
exactly what it is.
On some
occasions I have had to look back at my old posts and have been surprised at
bits of wisdom that I do not remember writing and is new to me. Then I will
look at the comments of the readers and invariably someone would have commented
that they needed to hear what I had written. I know then that what I had
written was not from me.
My point is
this. The Holy Ghost has many functions; to comfort, to guide, to enlighten, to
warn, to prepare, to testify, to sanctify, to protect, and they all converge to make the success of YOU.
Perhaps his greatest work is to magnify the individuality in each of us, to
bring to the forefront our gifts and our purpose. We are all links in the chain
of this human family that is ensuring the success of the Plan of Salvation. It
could not work without YOU and your greatest ally…..the Holy Ghost.
ODE TO THE
HOLY GHOST
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know the Father is there
Ever
mindful of my needful care.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know the Saviour will rescue me
When
I am tempest tossed onto a troubled sea.
When
you softly whisper to my soul
I
know You will bring me home
And
never abandon my care,
You
are the gift that will guide me there.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: The Comforter by Danny Hahlbohm)
There are
two valuable privileges that we have in the Church that go together as well as bacon
and eggs. I speak of the scriptures and revelation. This is my favourite
subject and this is why, they both involve the heart to be understood. I have a
personal testimony of this because I understand the scriptures more emotionally
than intellectually.
I always
thought we are all wired differently so my understanding comes differently to
others but it would seem the operative word in the scriptures and revelation is
‘the heart’, which we all have:
“Revelation
comes as words we FEEL more than HEAR. Nephi told his wayward brothers, who
were visited by an angel, “Ye were past feeling, that ye could not FEEL his
words” (1 Nephi 17:45). The scriptures are full of such expressions as: “I will
tell you in your mind and in your heart” (D&C 8:2), or “Speak the thoughts
that I shall put into your hearts” (D&C 100:5). There are hundreds of
verses which teach thus of revelation.”
(Boyd K. Packer, in CR Oct 1994, p 77, Ensign Nov 1994, p 60)
But this is
not all, something is needed of us who are listening: “Nephi teaches us, “When
a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Ghost
carrieth [the message] unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1).
Please notice how the power of the spirit carries the message UNTO but not
necessarily INTO the heart.
“A teacher can
explain, demonstrate, persuade, and testify, and do so with great spiritual
power and effectiveness. Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the
witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if the receiver allows
them to enter. (Elder David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith” [An Evening
with Elder David A. Bednar], Feb 3, 2006] www.ldsces.org
It is
obvious from these two quotes that we ultimately receive the most knowledge and
understanding from the scriptures and revelation combined together with our
willingness to receive and incorporate into our lives the truth that is given.
When Jesus taught
the people of Capernaum, He taught them in parables. The Gospel of Mark says: “And
with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear
it.” (Mark 4:33) Joseph Smith changed the word ‘hear’ in the Inspired Version
to “bear’ ( v 33a). To bear something involves the mind and the heart.
What we are
given in the scriptures is meant for all of us. In fact the Lord confirms this
several times in the Doctrine and Covenants by saying: “This is my voice unto
all” (25:16) and “I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say
unto all” (D&C 61:18; 82:5; 92:1; 93:49. The revelation that we receive
though whilst hearing what He tells us adapts the needful application to each
of us as we need it and tells us how we can utilize it. Unless we are open to
the revelation that follows, we are missing out on the real purpose of the
scriptures.
I
see your eternal flame
in
the deepest caverns of my heart.
Your
words are a lamp unto my feet;
The
pillar of fire that keeps me warm
The
beacon of light that will lead me home.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Light of the World by Douglas Bentley)
“I fear
that some members of the Lord’s Church ‘live far beneath our privileges’ with
regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some are distracted by the things of the
world that block out his influence, preventing them from recognizing spiritual
promptings. This is a noisy and busy world that we live in. If we are not
careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.
“Some are
spiritually deadened and past feeling because of their choices to commit sin.
Others simply hover in spiritual complacency with no desire to rise above
themselves and commune with the Infinite. If they would open their hearts to
the refining influence of this unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, a glorious
new spiritual dimension would come to light.
“Their eyes
would gaze upon a vista scarcely imaginable. They could know for themselves
things of the Spirit that are choice, precious, and capable of enlarging the
soul, expanding the mind, and filling the heart with inexpressible joy.”
-
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Unspeakable Gift” GC
April 2003
From time
to time, I get amazed at how many of us in the Church really do live far
beneath our privileges. The wealth of knowledge we are given is endless, the
opportunities to spiritually advance ourselves equally so. In our busy day and
age spiritual complacency is alive and well and things of greater worth are
slipping through our fingers.
A lot of us
expect the Church to spiritually feed us. Perhaps it used to more in the past
than it does now that attendance has been narrowed down significantly. The onus
now is on individual testimony building. The “Come Follow Me” programme was
introduced for this reason.
I cannot
help but think of the incredible promise the Lord made to us in Doctrine and
Covenants that would elevate us to the ‘vista of a glorious new spiritual
dimension’ that Elder Wirthlin spoke of. We are told in Section 76 that the
Lord honours those who serve Him in righteousness and truth and that to them He
will reveal all the hidden mysteries of His kingdom:
”Even the
wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them….And
their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven, and
before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish……for by my Spirit will I enlighten
them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will – yea,
even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into
the heart of man” (D&C 76:5-10)
Do you know
of any other group of people on this earth who have been given such a
privilege????
I
cannot fathom
The
greatness of Thy Godhood.
I
can scarce contain who You are
In
the hollow of my lacking heart.
I
am so small
And You are so vast;
Endow
me with wisdom,
Endow
me with might,
Help
me to comprehend
Beyond
the ages of the wise.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)
“Years ago
as a missionary, I taught investigators that faith was a belief strong enough
to cause one to act. In other words, one could define faith as “belief” plus “witness”.
The Prophet Joseph Smith changed one word when translating Paul’s definition of
faith found in Hebrews 11:1. The king James Version says, “Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
“Joseph
Smith changed the word substance to assurance (see JST, Hebrews 11:1).
Substance means something tangible, something that one can hold, whereas
assurance refers to an inner conviction or witness that comes from the Holy
Ghost. Thus, faith is belief plus action plus a spiritual witness.”
-
Elder Merrill J. Bateman, “Living a Christ-Centered
Life, Ensign January 1999
Faith
without the witness of the Holy Ghost that gives us an assurance of the truth,
is simply just a pragmatic belief. It is the assurance of the spiritual witness
that moves one to action and to keep acting. Without the inner conviction
endowed by the Holy Ghost, this Church would not exist. Indeed, some of us
struggle to stay in the Church because the ‘assurance’ of our faith is lacking making
it impossible to adhere to the commitment and this is why:
“There is…..a
difference between the gift of the Holy Ghost and the enjoyment of the gift.
All saints after baptism receive the gift or right to the sanctifying power of
the Spirit, but only those who are worthy and who keep the commandments
actually enjoy the promised reward.” (Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Witness for the
Articles of Faith” [1985] p 257).
Before His
death, Jesus told the Twelve: “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send
him unto you.” (John 16:7). Thus the Holy Ghost comforts, guides, purifies,
testifies and makes known the things of God (see Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal
Messiah 2, p 66).
The
greatest promised reward we have is that of eternal life so the greatest role of
the Holy Ghost is his guidance to assist us in adhering to our commitment to
arrive at that destination. When we have the presence of the Holy Ghost with
us, we are assured we are on the right path to that goal:
“The actual
enjoyment of the gift of the Holy Ghost is a supernal gift that a man can
receive in mortality. The fact of its receipt is a witness that the saints so
blessed are reconciled to God and are doing the things that will assure them of
eternal life in the realms ahead.” (ibid)
President
Nelson has warned us that “it will not be possible to survive spiritually
without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy
Ghost” in the days to come (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our
Lives” GC April 2018).
The prophesied
calamities of the last days are frightening. Some of us will not be able to
press forward to the reward of eternal life if we do not have the assurance of
the Holy Ghost that we are safe and secure on the Gospel path.
ODE TO THE HOLY GHOST
The days you embrace my heart,
I can scarcely contain my
tears.
The truths of heaven distil
upon me
And lifts me higher than all
my fears.
Take my hand, take my soul,
Take me home beyond it all.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Outpouring of the Spirit by Danny Hahlbohm)
“Did not our hearts burn within us…….while he opened to us the scriptures?” was the heartfelt reflection of two believers who enjoyed the company of the resurrected Christ on the road to a village called Emmaus (Luke 24:32). Some historians believe one of these travelers was Luke himself who recounted the story in such amazing detail.
The story goes that the Saviour joined two men, post resurrection, travelling to Emmaus, who were discussing the hottest topic of the day, His possible resurrection. The travelers told Him they ‘trusted’ the Galilean was the Messiah who would redeem Israel but were now sceptical because He had died (v 21). It would seem that nobody besides Isaiah understood the necessity of His death.
The
Saviour was gracious even though He chided them for their disbelief (v 25). He
then expounded to them all that was prophesied of Him ‘beginning at Moses and
all the prophets’ (v27). His point was, ‘how is it that you know the scriptures
but you don’t believe them’???
Perhaps the disbelief came from the lack of understanding that the Messiah would be a ‘suffering servant’ before He is the King of Glory (Isaiah 53; 9:6,7)
This lack of understanding and ensuing confusion about His death would explain why their eyes were restrained from recognising the resurrected Christ (Luke 24:16a). It was not until the Saviour administered the sacrament to them that they fully understood who He was (v 35). It was then that they reflected on their burning hearts as they listened to Him expound the scriptures. The lesson is this: the ‘burn’ comes from only one place: The Holy Ghost.
The lesson is also this: the Holy Ghost is with us still. It is he who can open our eyes and our hearts so that we will not only believe but KNOW Christ. And where is Christ most if not in the scriptures? If we study the scriptures without the presence of the Holy Ghost we are just building upon our knowledge and not our testimony. We need to feel ‘the burn’ to know.
As you travel on your personal road to Emmaus may the scriptures be burnt upon the tablets of your heart and may you know, and not just believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. He is the Resurrection and the life. He is the Redeemer of your soul. He is the sacred road to your burning heart…..
I
gave you My all:
My
heart, my body, my soul.
I
paved the way
And
conquered death.
I
am in your midst;
I
am the only,
I
am the last,
And
I am the first.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: The Road to Emmaus by Liz Lemon Swindle)
God has
always spoken through prophets. They have always been on the earth to cry
repentance, to direct the work of God and to lead people to Christ. They have
been listened to, followed, rejected, and even stoned and killed (Matthew
23:37).
Generally,
when the world looks back on the prophets of old, they do not remember them as humans
with flaws and imperfections. They revere them because they were rejected,
reviled and killed and because they are
canonized in the scriptures……except for Joseph.
It would
seem that the jaws of hell opened when Joseph was called to be the prophet of
this dispensation but what a witness he became of the burden these men carry
that even leads them to death!
Dispensations
have come and gone and with them the prophets at their head that we now revere:
Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter but this ‘dispensation of the fulness
of times’ in which the Lord will ‘gather together in one all things in Christ’ (Eph
1:10) is still here with Joseph at its head, but not revered yet. Nevertheless,
this the Lord proclaimed himself: “This generation shall have my word through
you” (D&C 5:10).
It would
seem that Joseph’s greatest fault, according to the world, was the
non-disclosure of the golden plates. Even now, as in Joseph’s time, some people
demand to see the plates for themselves as proof of the Book of Mormon
authenticity. They ask if the Church still has the plates or if they are at
some museum. When told that Moroni took them back, this automatically becomes
proof for them that the Book of Mormon was made up by the pen of Joseph Smith.
“We have
learned that people are not converted by miracles or by examining records. If
the Lord had placed the plates where the scholars could examine them, they
would have scoffed at them just as much as they do today…..
“The Jews
witnessed the miracles of our Lord, but this did not prevent them from crying
out against Him and having Him crucified”. (President Joseph Fielding Smith, Church
History and Modern Revelation, 1:39-40).
President
Smith went on to say that people are only converted by their hearts ‘being
penetrated by the Spirit of the Lord’. Whether it is because of disbelief or
lack of motivation to seek the witness of the spirit, people prefer tangible
proof of spiritual matters. However, the fact remains that seeing proof of something
can be forgotten but spiritual conversion lasts forever.
I have
noticed when someone criticizes what I have written, I ask them to look up the
scriptures I have quoted which support my point but they never do. It just
seems like too much effort.
To get the
conviction of the Spirit though, effort is very much needed. Even the Holy
Ghost cannot bear witness if the individual does not allow Him to penetrate his
heart:
“The power
of the Spirit carries the message UNTO but not necessarily INTO the heart. A
teacher can explain, demonstrate, persuade, and testify, and do so with great
spiritual power and effectiveness.”
“Ultimately,
however, the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate
into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter. Learning by faith opens
the pathway into the heart.”
-
Elder David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning By Faith”, Ensign
Sept 2007, 61-68)
Nephi
proved this to be true when he said he wasn’t mighty in writing like he was in
speaking because when he spoke, the Holy Ghost was with him but the Holy Ghost
could only carry his words UNTO ‘the hearts of the children of men’ but because
there are many who harden their hearts’ they never receive the witness (2 Nephi
33:1).
I look
forward to the day when Joseph will be revered as much as the prophets of the earlier
dispensations, when people will have a witness of his divine calling. Sometimes I feel so sorry for him that I want
to shout loud enough for him to hear in the spirit world: “I believe you!!!”
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Revelation Given to Joseph Smith at the Organisation of the Church by Judith A. Mehr)
