A LAMP UNTO OUR FEET

 

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)

THE HARVEST

 

In my last post, I wrote about the harvest that followed the end of the Apostasy and began with the Restoration. I have been thinking about it ever since and even though there is great importance in being engaged in such a harvest of spreading the gospel throughout the world and in being profitable servants of God, an even greater harvest yet awaits us.

The gathering of the wheat is taking place in this dispensation in preparation for the last and final harvest that will occur at the Saviour’s coming. This will be the harvest of the righteous souls who will stand to inherit life eternal in God’s Kingdom. It will also be a harvest of another kind, that of destruction of the wicked at the Saviour’s triumphal return (D&C 101:63-68).

The Saviour spoke of this harvest in His parable called The Wheat And The Tares. We may think of it as an assessment of how well the gathered wheat in the first harvest fared by nourishing the seed that was planted in their hearts to withstand the lure of the world.

The Saviour compared the hearts of the men to different soil which received the seed, being His word, and emphasized how that soil should be tended to in order to let the seed grow. It is worth the study of this parable to understand the importance of the soil (Matthew 13:24-30).

In summary, the hearers of the word who have received the seed and nourished it in good soil are metaphorically, the wheat. The hearers of the word in whose hearts the seed does not grow are the tares.

 

The tares which are spoken of in Jesus' parable is the weed called 'bearded darnel' which is very similar in appearance to wheat with the roots of the two often intertwined. The darnel 'is easily distinguishable from the wheat and barley when headed out but when both are less developed, the closest scrutiny will often fail to detect it' (James E Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 301). For this reason, even the farmers do not attempt to separate the one from the other whilst it is developing and so the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest comes.

 

Joseph taught that this separation is applicable to the Church:

 

"Now we learn by this parable (the wheat and the tares) not only the setting up of the Kingdom in the days of the Saviour, which is represented by the good seed, which produced fruit, but also the corruptions of the Church, which are represented by the tares, which were sown by the enemy, which His disciples would fain have plucked up, or cleansed the Church of, if their views had been favoured by the Saviour.

 

“But He, knowing all things, says, Not So. As much as to say, your views are not correct, the Church is in its infancy, and if you take this rash step, you will destroy the wheat, or the Church, with the tares; therefore, it is better to let them grow together until the harvest, or the end of the world, which means the destruction of the wicked...." (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 97-98)

 

Now this is the interesting bit. Before the Saviour spoke of the harvests, He placed Himself at the head of His teachings, as the Sower of the good seed (Matt 13:37)….for this reason: To become golden grain of God we must look to and follow the Sower. Our hearts and our works must reflect the teachings of the Lord of the Harvest. It is not enough to just receive Christ's teachings, but to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus.

 

It behooves us not to allow the tares to choke the word within us lest we also be discarded at the last day. When Jesus came, He brought good tidings of salvation, to disperse the darkness of unbelief and to bring light to the world. He came to give every man as much of the truth as he was willing to receive but most of all He came to gather His own.  

 

He will come back and He will gather His wheat in the greatest harvest of all…..”Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

 

The day you ploughed the sacred ground of my heart

You scattered Your seeds of love,

Like golden stars along the deepest night.

I water and nurture them gently,

To sow joy in the harvest of my heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ready to Harvest, AI Generated by LeafyTreeCo)