A SALVATION ASSURED

 

“Over long eons of time in the premortal realm the Saviour proved faithful and dependable and honourable in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge……He never deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his word.

“He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with precision; he was ‘not slack concerning his promise’ (2 Peter 3:9). His promises were  ‘ immutable and unchangeable’ (D&C 104:2). As a result, his spiritual credit was rapidly escalating until it was pure gold, even infinite in value.”  (Tad R. Callister, “The Infinite Atonement, 80)

Elder Callister goes on to say that the laws of justice (meaning the Father) recognised the Saviour’s Atonement as a surety long before it became a reality. He recognised and accepted it because Christ’s pledge and covenant was one of perfect integrity. What’s more, we all knew it too. This is why we could with a surety sustain Him as the author of our salvation for “there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it” (Abraham 3:17)

The Saviour’s commitment and integrity is not the only thing we relied on. His perfect knowledge, wisdom and power was undeniable. A massive mission such as the salvation of the whole host of heaven had to be trusted to one no less than a god. Because of His perfect knowledge and foresight, our salvation was sure.

There are a couple of scriptural examples in the Doctrine and Covenants which demonstrate this clearly. The first is found in Section 1 which suggests that the Lord called Joseph Smith as the prophet of this last dispensation because He knew the difficulties we would face in these last days (v 17).

Another example which is rather startling involves the loss of the 116 pages of manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation involving Martin Harris. Even though this event occurred in 1828, the Saviour inspired Nephi in 570 B.C. to compile a small set of plates and instructed Mormon in 385 A.D. to include those small plates in his records. Neither Nephi nor Mormon knew why they should do this but they trusted Him who knew. The Restoration and the Book of Mormon were secured because of the work of Him who promised us our salvation cannot and WILL NOT be frustrated.

The Saviour has knowledge of the beginning to the end (Abraham 2:8). Without our understanding that He has all knowledge, we could not exercise faith in Him and be assured of our salvation.  He does not miscalculate, nor is he startled over the events of this life or our thoughts and actions. Rest assured…..He has it covered.

Is there anyone greater than this man we call our God…???

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Light of the World by Mindi Oaten)

A PROPHET'S BURDEN

 

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)

 

OUR MORTAL FOLLIES

 

I am certain that some of us have wondered how is it that Joseph went to the Lord three times to get permission to allow Martin Harris to take home the translated pages of the Book of Mormon. The lesson is twofold….be careful what you ask for and yield to God rather than to the persuasions of men. And not only persuasions but counsels also (D&C 3:6,7).

Lucky for Joseph, the Lord who was overseeing his calling was a God of mercy who forgives His servants in their weakened state of mortality (v 10).

Joseph was forgiven and called back to the work. The Book of Mormon was translated to the end, published and is flooding the earth, minus the Book of Lehi…for now. And all because of the Lord’s un-surpassing wisdom. What the Lord knew over 2,000 years earlier was that the larger plates which were essentially The Book of Lehi would become the 116 pages of the lost manuscript in 1828.

The smaller plates which Nephi was commanded to make, without knowing why, covered exactly the same period as the lost manuscript and basically summarised Lehi's prophecies. The story does not end there either. Mormon, under the inspiration of the spirit, included these smaller plates in his own abridgement. He must have wondered if he was repeating himself by doing so, having just abridged Lehi's account, but Mormon being obedient did as he was prompted to do admitting he did not know all things but like Nephi, he knew that the Lord knew (Words of Mormon 1:7).   

Both of these men were far more experienced spiritually than Joseph Smith was at 23 years of age. Besides the fact that he had the gospel his whole life, Nephi wrote his book 30 years after arriving in America, plenty of time to rise to his spiritual stature (2 Nephi 5:28). Mormon was spiritually endowed from the time he was 10 years of age (Mormon 1:2).  

Between the time of the First Vision and Moroni’s visit, Joseph recounts in his history that he was ‘left to all kinds of temptations and mingling with all kinds of society….which denotes a serious spiritual deficit (JSH 1:28). Martin Harris, being 23 years Joseph’s senior, who believed in Joseph’s calling, assisted him in the work and supported the endeavour financially, would have been of large influence in Joseph’s experience (D&C Student Manual, p 10)

As I re-visited this story I was reminded of many blunders I have made in my life. Some were made because I relied on my own wisdom, some because I turned to my friends for advice and received counsel based on their life experience and paltry wisdom and some because I disregarded my revelations unsure of their authenticity because of my lack of confidence in receiving such.

There have been times when I have received revelation to steer me in the right direction, I would get distracted by the pressing hardships around me and I would forget what I was told. Then I would circle back to the same problem wondering how it is that I am back there…and then the revelation would come to my mind as if the Lord was giving me a second chance.

The Lord knew we would make many blunders in this life due to our dulled spiritual senses and mortal understanding. Should you find yourself with a blunder at your feet, be kind to yourself, not all is lost. God still has faith in you. He can help you repair what is broken and correct your present course.

If you have missed the lessons you are meant to learn, He will return them to you. His mercy and long-suffering is unfathomable. His forgiveness even more so…..

The lessons of my life flowed like a river

Winding through days, months and years;

I rescued a few but missed so many

From the currents as I saw them passing;

They drowned in the daze of my ignorance,

Unwanted and ignored but yet abiding.

I fish them now from the pool of my memory

And give them life everlasting.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph by Liz Lemon Swindle) 

 

THE FAVOURED WEAK

 

 

“Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven….that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets: The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones…..” (D&C 1:17-19)

Surely the Lord could not have found anyone weaker than Joseph Smith. An uneducated boy from a poor family, a farmer no less…..yet obedient and  humble and brought up to be God fearing. One might ask why the Lord would choose ‘the weak things of the world’ to do such important work.

Herein is the wisdom of our God. The answer lies in the definition of ‘weak’ in this context. The ‘weak things of the world’ are lacking professional skills, prominence and means recognized by worldly standards.

The reason why God would use such men to accomplish His purpose lies in verse 19. Those who are esteemed by the world do not seek to honour God but seek the honour for themselves. The world would also, in turn, give them credit and honour instead of God. Many would be at risk of being deceived in this way by the persuasions of men and would learn to rely on ‘the arm of flesh’ rather than God.  

I am convinced that Joseph Smith was sent to a poor family so that he could not receive an education because it was imperative that an uneducated man translate the ancient record that became the Book of Mormon. How else could the Lord prove His partnership with him in bringing this book to light?

None other but a weak, uneducated man would admit to this partnership. An educated and qualified man recognized for his intellectual and academic abilities would claim credit for such a work.

This the Lord proved when he instructed Joseph to take some of the translated manuscript of the gold plates to a ‘learned man’ as per Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 29:11,12) outlined in great detail in chapter 27 of 2 Nephi.

The ‘learned’ and educated man was Professor Charles Anthon who certified the translation as being correct and true but when Martin Harris told him that Joseph was instructed by an angel to find the plates, the Professor tore up the certificate saying there was no such thing as ministering of angels and asked for the plates to be brought to him for translation, ‘because of the glory of the world and to get gain’ (2 Nephi 27:16). Imagine what claim to fame would Professor Anton obtain if he had got his hands on the golden plates? He most certainly would not have worked in collaboration with Moroni….

According to Nephi, the Lord said to the ‘unlearned man’ who had no skills to translate: “I am able to do my own work, I WILL GIVE YOU the words which you shall read” (2 Nephi 27:20). And He did. Because of it Joseph gave glory to God and he paid a heavy price for it too. The ‘weak’, yet willing and  favoured of God.  

The Lord still uses ‘the weak and the simple that the fulness of His gospel might be proclaimed unto the ends of the world’ (D&C 1:23). When I look back on my missionary days as a young convert I fully understand this scripture. Young, no secondary education, barely understanding the full significance of the Church, no prominence in anything except a burning testimony and a deep faith in God.

As a young missionary I carried my testimony from door to door as I proselyted for 18 months and  had success in leading people to acceptance of the truth. We were so young and inexperienced and imperfect yet people listened to us. I am so grateful for that experience because it taught me that I am nothing without Him. I was my greatest convert.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: I Will Go Before Your Face by Kenneth Turner)

DIVINE PRAYER

 

I am always deeply touched by the prayers that are recorded in the scriptures. I delight in reading such beautiful words of praise uttered by man. I am also saddened that our prayers today fall short somewhat of reverence and worship they used to be anciently and now tend to be mere one-way dialogues of thanks and petitions for help.

We mostly tend to speak to God in all too familiar and common way as if He is our friend and so godly respect gets somewhat lost. I struggle with this trying to find more ennobling words that would be fitting to be heard by the God of heaven and earth and all of creation.

I am reminded of Nephi who praised God ‘all day long’ as he was tied and suffering affliction at the hands of his brothers while they sailed to America (1 Nephi 18:16). I think of the Jaredites who sang praises to the Lord unceasingly for nearly a year as they were tossed upon the waves of the sea sailing to the same destination (Ether 6:9).

Do we know God well enough to be able to praise him? You cannot praise someone you do not know.

Some years ago I read about the prayer of King Manasseh who reigned for 50 years from 671 B.C. This king was the most loathed and cursed king in the history of Judah, the most idolatrous king who sacrificed his own son to a heathen god, added devotion of heavenly bodies and constellations to idol worship, who shed innocent blood of prophets and all the righteous men among Hebrews every day until he had filled Jerusalem with blood from one end to the other (2 Kings 21).

But something unexpected happened….Manasseh repented. When the Assyrians carried him off to Babylon he saw the error of his ways and went to the Lord with the most profound prayer that is today known as The Prayer of Manasseh. A reference to the prayer, but not the prayer itself, is made in 2 Chronicles 33:18-9. The prayer is deemed to be Apocryphal by the Jews and Christians alike and is used by some Christian Churches today. These are the words that touched my heart the most because they were uttered from the very depth of Manasseh’s heart:

“O Lord, God of our fathers…unending and immeasurable are your promised mercies….O Lord I am justly afflicted because I did evil things before you….And now behold I AM BENDING THE KNEES OF MY HEART…” 

Have you ever heard a prayer of repentance as touching as this??? How endearing do you think this was to God?

Manasseh’s prayer is today considered as one that pays tribute to the merciful heart of God. Praying to God acknowledging His providence, mercy, grace, kindness, love and all the perfect attributes He possesses will bring us nearer to His throne because of the humility which will grow in our hearts and which will endear us to the God of heaven. Therein we will find God’s listening ear, His mercy and deliverance and most importantly we will bring joy to His heart and be a delight to Him forever.

 

I long to praise Thee

With magnitude of words I cannot find

That tell the glory that is Thine.

As I can do so little this desire to meet,

I place my loyal love at Thy holy feet.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Light by Annie Henrie Nader) 

SERVANTS OF LOVE

 

I have a list of the scriptural greats that I admire. It started with five of my favourites and has grown over the years as they became my teachers and sources of inspiration. Here they are:

• ABRAHAM for his righteousness, his care of his fellowmen and unfathomable trust in God;
• -       ENOCH for his power of the word and his passionate soul;
• -      ISAIAH for his poetic rhetoric and revelatory insight of promised Messiah;
• -     MOSES for choosing slavery over the splendour of Egypt; for believing in his mission and undertaking such a mammoth task;
• -      JOSEPH of EGYPT for his uprightness in a heathen land and his ultimate success against all odds;
• -      JEREMIAH for his unrelenting ministry despite his sufferings;
• -     ELIJAH for his humanity by wishing he could die to end his aloneness and seemingly fruitless labours and for his power born out of his love and obedience for the one true and living God;
• -      EZEKIEL for the exactness of his missionary tasks in the heathen Babylon despite his people’s mockery and disregard of him;
• -    JOHN THE BELOVED for being the Beloved…and his unfailing devotion to Christ and his work that spans eons of time….I want to see him…..desperately….
• -   PAUL for having forsaken ALL for ‘the excellence of the knowledge of Christ’ and his unrelenting missionary labours;
• -       LEHI for being a revelatory dreamer and choosing hardship by obedience over his prosperity;
• -      ALMA THE YOUNGER for his personal journey, for progressing from being one of the vilest of sinners to sorrowing over the sins of his people;
• -       MORMON for his steadfastness in the most evil society by proclaiming himself to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and his impeccable care and compilation of ancient records for our benefit;

And last but certainly not the least, NEPHI, for always giving credit to God and for his tenacious, inexhaustible faith, but most of all for the exactness of his unfailing obedience. What a delight this man must have been to his parents. Imagine having a son who never questions your wisdom and follows your counsel and guidance with exactness, never wavering. Imagine having a son who does not think your ideas are outdated and your dreams foolishness. A son who is willing to follow you to the ends of the earth and who respects your patriarchal leadership within the family. Imagine a son who never shirks from what you ask of him no matter how hard the task; one who has complete trust in God and never deviates from his commitment to Him. A son who knows his limitations and strengths yet never allows pride to lift him higher than his fellow beings. This was Nephi.

Nephi modelled himself after another obedient son, whom he knew through close association (2 N 11:3) and whom He followed diligently. The more he followed, the more like the Master he became.  What a legacy of obedience Nephi left to all who would see the man behind all he endured, even as did the Son of Man. Nephi, the greatest start to a record that qualifies so valiantly as the second witness of Jesus Christ. Nephi, who fittingly ended his record by summing up the integrity of his character in three most profound words found in scripture: 'I must obey'  (2 Nephi 33:15).

How much you must love those

Who bear witness of Thy holy name.

Thy prophets, Thine everlasting friends,

Thine angels who herald

Thy gospel and Thy name;

To the ends of the earth they speak

And their words forever remain.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)

IN PRAISE OF GOD

 

Here is what I admire the most about Nephi. Cast your mind on the journey to America when his brothers bound him with bands that caused terrible swelling of joints and caused Nephi unbearable pain (1 Nephi 18:12-15) . I am sure most of us would at this point wonder why God was not protecting us from our adversaries if we were obeying all of His commands. But not Nephi. He knew God had a purpose (1 Nephi 18:11) so there was only one solution to this in his mind and that was to praise God. And not just once. He records that he praised God all day long, despite the pain which would have had the power to discourage the strongest among us (1 Nephi 18:16).

Praising God in the midst of one’s pain and suffering would have to be the next level of gratitude, and the next level of acceptance, and the next level of endurance. Nephi rose to the challenge well and showed just how strong was his commitment to God and his conviction that the life he was pursuing was aligned with His will. According to Joseph Smith, this is called true faith in God (Lecture 3, Lectures on Faith). And who can better testify to this fact than Joseph Smith??? Well, there is one person….and we all know who that is. Had the Saviour not been willing to live His life in alignment with the Father’s will, all would now be lost. I do not see anywhere in the scriptures that there were more than two volunteers to bring us back….the other one does not bear thinking.

One interesting point about this alignment….it comes with an attachment called ‘opposition’. Nephi’s brothers opposed him at every turn to the point where they sought his life. Joseph endured persecution from the time Moroni visited him at age 14 until he was killed. And what of Christ? For the three years of His ministry, the Jewish Council was calling for His blood until in the end they succeeded.

The sincere followers of truth who are seeking to align themselves with God’s will in every possible way will have the jaws of hell at their heels. Like Nephi, we have bands that bind us today. They are threatening our way of life and our happiness. Not until the Millennial peace, will this life ever be without its' opposing threats to our spiritual and physical well-being. What would happen if instead of whining and constant demands we are making to God, we just praised Him during prayer? Would we come to the point where like Nephi, we could praise Him all day long? Would hopelessness not lose its' grip on us as our thoughts are continually focused on the Prince of Peace rather than the turmoil that surrounds us?

When you have nothing to say to God, praise instead. When your heart is heavy, praise. When you are doubting, praise. When you cannot see clearly, praise. When you don’t understand, praise. When you are hurting, praise. When you are waiting, praise. When your cup is full, praise. When gratitude overwhelms you, praise. When in mercy you see His hand, praise. Practice, for one day you surely will kneel at His feet and the words of praise will spill from your tongue like a holy flame. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Peace Is Coming by Jon McNaughton)

BLIND TRUST

 

Lehi’s sons’ return to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass from Laban reads like ‘Arabian Nights’ does it not??? Perhaps no other story about Nephi brings to light his obedient character and blind trust he had in God. Much has been expounded upon regarding his immortalized words: “I will go and I will do as the Lord commands….”(1 Nephi 3:7). I would like to add to all the worthy comments about it, what I see in Nephi’s readiness to accept the assignment given:

1. Nephi had just come from ‘speaking with the Lord’ when his father approached him regarding the task of obtaining the brass plates (v 1,2). Would someone fresh from communion of prayer really turn around and say, no, I’m not doing that, even if God commands it!? The fact that Nephi communed with God, I would imagine, constantly, means that he had a relationship with God and was set up for obedience.

2. The next thing to consider is his reply to his father where he said, “I KNOW” that God wouldn’t command us to do anything without providing the way for us to do it (v 7). Knowing is more than believing. Knowing suggests experience. This tells me Nephi was proficient in his faith and trust in God before they even left Jerusalem.

This is, however, what impresses me most about Nephi’s success in obtaining the brass plates.  After a failed attempt and losing all their precious things to treacherous Laban, Nephi's brothers were more than ready to abandon the mission. But not Nephi. In his final attempt to rustle up some enthusiasm, Nephi used a surprisingly high standard of achievement to motivate his brothers to press on. He reminded them of the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, and asked them to 'be strong like unto Moses'. He then assured them that the Lord is able to deliver them as He did the Israelites of old and to destroy Laban like He destroyed the Egyptians (1 Nephi 4:1-3). But his brothers were not convinced, in fact, they were even more discouraged (1 Nephi 4:4). You can just hear them saying: "This is ridiculous! How can you compare Moses leading 2 million Israelites out of Egypt to this dinky, arduous task we have received from our father?" But it wasn't ridiculous to Nephi. For Nephi getting the plates from Laban was akin to Moses crossing the Red Sea with 2 million people. Why? Because it was beyond his capacity but not beyond God's. And he knew if he couldn't achieve it, that meant that God would. Unlike his brothers who believed that parting the Red Sea was possible for God to do but not possible to deliver into their hands Laban and his fifty (1 Nephi 3:31). Quite a paradox.  Nephi didn't know how he was going to get those plates but he went anyway. The rest of the story we know.

When you are standing on some precipice of life facing something you have to do that is beyond your capacity to achieve, do not back down, only believe. Do not look to your left or to your right but forge straight ahead expecting the God of all might to intervene on your behalf. Nephi moved forward wading waist deep into his Red Sea until it parted. I am certain he never expected Laban to be dished up to him on a silver platter (1 Nephi 4:7,8). All he did was trust the spirit by which he was led (1 Nephi 4:6). The God of miracles did the rest. The God who cares, the God who wants to help us, at every turn, at every corner, on every bank of the Red Sea. To him no challenge is too big or too small. All that matters to you, matters to Him. He is at our front and at our back. When we call, shall He not answer and say, "Here I am" (Isaiah 58:9)? He is our forerunner who prepares the way and our rearward in case we should fall (D&C 49:27; Isaiah 52:12; 3 Nephi 21:29). Can you not rejoice and have hope when you hear:

"Fear thou not, I will help thee, for I am with thee…..I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight....for the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee…."   (Isaiah 41:10,13; 45:2; 54:10).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Trust In Jesus by Yongsung Kim)

GOODLY PARENTS

 

The most famous scripture in the Book of Mormon would have to be the very first verse and the most famous words would have to be this: “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents….” (1 Nephi 1:1). This phrase has become the standard of parental excellence in the Church because it suggests to us that the greatness of Nephi was due to his parents’ parenting skills. This is, however, not entirely true.

As we read further, we come to read the entire truth….”therefore, I was taught SOMEWHAT in all the learning of my father……” (1 Nephi 1:1).  It is clear by this word that Nephi did not give his parents all the credit for who he became. The dictionary defines ‘somewhat’ as: to some extent or in some measure or degree. What Nephi is clearly saying here is that his ‘great knowledge of the goodness and mysteries of God’ (v 1) was as much, if not more, a product of his own effort than that of his parents. This is evident early on in his record through the cited personal and extensive tutoring he received from an angel when he inquired about the meaning of his father’s dream of the tree of life (1 Nephi 11-14). In fact, it can be seen throughout Nephi’s entire life as he demonstrated how willingly and conscientiously he took responsibility for his own salvation.

It is human nature that we as parents beat ourselves up when we have wayward children feeling that we have somehow failed. I have been there myself. When my daughter chose a different path in life to the one that she was reared to follow, a friend said to me: “You are being trained for godhood.” And I think he was right. I am certain of it when I reflect on Heavenly Father’s respect for our free agency, and His mercy and His grace. These traits can most certainly be acquired during our role as parents and they are essential for those who would be gods. There are no more perfect parents than our heavenly parents and yet they have lost a third of their children due to the principle of free agency. Consider a lesson closer to home. Try as they may, Lehi and Sariah did not succeed in keeping all of their children on the straight and narrow. This means that, if you are a parent, no matter how many parenting courses you take, how much patience you exercise, how many tears you shed, how much love you give, you are at a risk of losing a child.

I will not elaborate on parents’ responsibility in parenting here. My intent is to make parents of wayward children know that there is hope through the mercies of the God that we love and worship; a God who honours righteous parents and holds their fragile hearts in the palm of His hands;  a God who sorrows over our wayward children as much as we do; a God who has suffered for their disobedience and destructive choices; a God who desires to save each and every one of us; a God who will not forsake those whom we love and yearn to have back in the fold; a God of mercy; a God of forgiveness; a God of love. This is the assurance: “Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold….Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold onto them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.” (Joseph Smith, as quoted by Orson F. Whitney, “Hope for Parents of Wayward Children”, in Conference Report, April 1929, p 110.

One day when Your tears cease to fall

For the ones that go astray

And You reach for them from Your throne

Your power to display;

I will praise

I will rejoice

I will join the heavenly throng in song

For the return of the lost

For whom You suffered for so long. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Nephi And the Tree of Life by Katie Payne)

THE TREE OF LOVE

 

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but here in Australia, Easter goodies start appearing in stores as soon as the Christmas fare has been cleared away. I used to view this as greedy commercialism but this year I have begun to think differently. Greedy commercialism or not, the world’s focus on Christ diminishes post-Christmas and the Easter goodies now in our stores can somehow keep us in remembrance of Him as we near an even more significant event than His birth. 

 

It is my hope that before Easter, we will as members of His Church, reflect upon a set of enormously significant scriptures found in 2 Nephi. When Nephi, being the dutiful son that he was, inquired of God the meaning of the tree of life that his father had seen in a dream, an angel appeared to him to tutor him.  When the angel asked Nephi if he knew what the tree represented,  Nephi answered that it is the love of God, most desirable above all (2 Nephi 11:22,23).  Immediately following his answer he was shown a vision of the Savior during His mortal ministry.  It becomes very clear through Nephi's vision that the love of God is manifest to his children through the gift of His only begotten son.

 

Living on this side of the veil and experiencing the harshness of mortal life, it is easy at times to feel unloved by God because he allows misfortune to befall us or we don't get in life what we want.  We wonder how He could possibly love us when we are in the depths of despair and need so much that we don't have.  All the while we are wondering where the love of God is for us, He is hoping against all hope that we would open our eyes and see that He could not give us greater proof of His love than He has already done so through His son.  Why would Jesus be the ultimate expression of God's love for us?  Because through him God is offering us the greatest gift he could possibly give us, the gift of eternal life.  This life is but a moment, a few years of school so to speak but eternity is forever.  For this reason God's greatest desire is not that we have everything in this life but in the next and there is only one person who can make that happen.

 

Now that the celebration of His birth is over, let us prepare for the reminder of one event that we should never forget…..

 

The fruit, so precious and sweet,

The Father laid at our feet.

No greater gift He had to offer

The broken, the lost and the weary

Than the tree of life,

Yielding fruit with endless supply.

He gathers the fruit spilt on the ground

That multiplies with each harvest of

Penitent hearts.

The fruit, so precious and sweet,

Grows on the cross at the Father’s feet.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

Art: The Tree of Life by Annie Henrie Nader

 

ENDURING WELL

I have become convinced there is no greater human example of valiancy in this life than that of Nephi.

Have you ever wondered what made him so highly favoured of the Lord (1 Nephi 1:1)? Was it his righteousness or his willingness to undertake what might to some seem like insurmountable tasks? This is a man who was willing to obey any commandment that was given him such as obtaining the brass plates from a ruthless man not knowing how he was going to do it (1 N 4:6); build a ship he has never built before believing it will be good enough not to drown his family (1 N 17:49-51); and built a temple 'after the [elaborate] manner of Solomon' (2 N 5:16), among other things.....Was Nephi a warrior, an engineer or an architect? No, but he was willing to be, because he believed that God could give him power to do anything He commanded him to do (1 N 17:50).

All these things are highly impressive but this is what I feel elevated Nephi's valiancy to the highest level where he could say the Lord had filled him with His love 'even unto the consuming of my flesh' (2 N 4:21). Can you imagine feeling the Saviour's love to the extent that you feel you cannot contain it? Would not any of us desire this? I have not read or heard any other prophet say such a thing and this is, I believe, why: "Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long, and I DID NOT MURMUR against the Lord because of mine afflictions." (1 N 18:16). I encourage you to read what preceded this scripture.

Both Elijah and Jeremiah wished at one stage of their lives that they had never been born (1 Kings 19:4; Jeremiah 20:14-18) because of their afflictions. That would be my response if I was tied up in a ship with swollen joints with my brothers seeking to kill me. In fact, this has been my wish in life more than once when the trials of my life had thrown me into depths of despair.

Is your life sometimes hard to bear? Are you disappointed it in no way reflects what you always thought it would and should be? Do not be dismayed because in this imperfect life, there is no perfection to be found. The only choice that remains for the valiant is to endure it well, without murmuring, with utmost faith in Him who will one day make all things right. Look upward until the day that you are filled with love 'unto the consuming of your flesh'....

My soul is rent with anguish

In this vale of sorrow and tears;

I dim, I dim

Like a candle in the wind.

My pleas ascend to Thee;

Rising from the ashes of mortality

They seek Thy love to set them free.

• Cathryne Allen

(Art: I Will Give You Rest by Yongsung Kim)

 

THE CASE OF A REPUTATION

 

The return of Nephi and his brothers to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates reads like "Arabian Nights". If you study the historical background of Jerusalem’s life 600 BC and the details of these boys’ undertaking, you cannot help but feel this.

There is something that stands out to me with great significance in this story. It’s the concept of character. When the lot fell to Laman to approach Laban about the records, he failed miserably. I wonder with what conviction Laman requested the records. Did he feel they were sacred and important enough to obtain? I doubt it as he and his brother Lemuel made it clear to their father they didn’t even want to make the journey (1 N 3:5). I wonder if Laman’s approach is what made Laban angry (1 N 3:13). He accused him of being a robber. Was it just Laman’s botched up request or did he have a bit of a bad reputation in Jerusalem that Laban knew about and felt that Laman couldn’t be trusted. One thing is certain, Laman did not have the right spirit to carry out this important task.

Now consider Nephi. Straight after the first attempt, his brothers were ready to leave the task undone. Nephi however remained true to his testimony that the Lord doesn’t give us a command for which he has not prepared a way for us to accomplish it (1 N 3:7). He immediately proved this to be true by pointing out that their father had left all their riches behind in Jerusalem which they could use as payment for the plates (1 N 3:16). So convinced he was that his father was being led by the spirit of God that he considered the possibility that Lehi was inspired to leave all their worldly goods intact for this very purpose.

Nephi knew the command to obtain the plates was from God and not his father. He also knew that God never fails and so it was out of the question for the plates not to be obtained (1 N 4:1,2). This speaks volumes of Nephi’s conviction of God’s power. The mission could not fail and the plates had to be secured even to the point of death and this proved to be true as he slew Laban in the process (1 N 4:18).

My point is this. In our dealings with our fellowmen, do they recognise the divine in us? Do we have a trustworthy reputation? Is our character godly enough that it overshadows our mortal selves? When we speak of spiritual things, do people believe that we are led by the spirit of revelation? When we consider our mandate to bring people unto Christ, all these things come into play. We cannot bring others to the foot of the cross if we are not there ourselves.

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  Cathryne Allen

(Art: He Is The Way by Danny Hahlbohm)