PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

 

There is something exquisite about the Book of Mormon and it is this: The Saviour can be seen on every page. Whether it is through His recorded dealings with people of the Americas or what others have said about Him, or revelations He has given to other people, this book of scripture makes the Saviour real and provides a wealth of knowledge about His character. Reading chapter 3 of 2 Nephi that deals with the prophecies of Joseph of Egypt has left me in awe of this fact.  Such detailed outline of something that would happen centuries later proves a remarkable truth: the Christ that we worship is a god who has the past, the present, and the future before Him at all times and is therefore in perfect control of the outcome of the Plan of Salvation (D&C 130:7).

To me this chapter is a wealth of knowledge. Here’s one: In latter-day prophecy regarding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the Saviour told Joseph of Egypt that the voices of those who would write the records would ‘cry from the dust……after many generations have gone by them…because of their faith (2 Nephi 3:20,21). Who’s faith? Enos, for one, comes to mind. Enos pleaded with the Lord that He would preserve the records of his people and bring them forth unto the Lamanites that ‘they might be brought unto salvation’ (Enos 1:13). And take note of this: ‘Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask IN FAITH, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it and I had faith…..’ (Enos 1 :15,16). Is this not a voice from the dust? Have the records not been preserved? Have they not come forth to bring salvation to the Lamanites and indeed the whole of the House of Israel?

This is what captures my heart. Enos was in pre-existence, with the rest of those who would record the history of ancient America, when the Lord gave that detailed prophecy of the Nephites to Joseph of Egypt. Why is this so relevant to us? Because it should give us courage knowing that if we place our trust in the Lord, He will bring us in the end where we are meant to be…. because He knows what that end is. He knew it before you were even born. All you have to do is walk the path he sets before you and you will arrive at your ultimate destination. He will give you your ultimate end. Trust in the process and stay aligned with Him every day of your life. He knows where you have been, He knows where you are now, and He knows where you will end up. Because He knows your end, He will guide you to avoid the pitfalls, remove your stumbling blocks and protect you from forces that are working to tear you down. All He asks is that you let Him be your God.

I marvel as You lead me

Over mountains and over vales.

And when I fall,

You soothe away my pains.

I marvel at Thy patience,

I marvel at Thy love,

I marvel at Thy faith in me

And what I will become.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Light by Annie Henrie Nader)

TO SUFFER THE BLOW

 

I have heard it said by some that the Saviour pressed on and performed the Atonement because of His love for us. There is no denying the love but the main reason He did so was because of His submission to do the will of the Father. Consider these scriptures among many that attest to this truth: “I have suffered the will of the Father in all things….” (3 Nephi 11:11); I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will” (D&C 19:24). 

 

Remember King Benjamin’s discourse on overcoming the natural man, part of which states that we need to be willing ‘to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict’ upon us (Mosiah 3:19)? “Inflict” is a hard word. The dictionary defines it as: to impose as something that must be borne or suffered; to impose anything unwelcome; to deal or deliver as a blow. 

 

What stands out to me the most about the Atonement is the Saviour’s complete willingness to suffer ‘the blow’. Before facing the agony of Gethsemane, Jesus said to His disciples that the hour was coming when they would be scattered and go their own way leaving Him alone and then He said: “….yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). On another occasion He clarified this by saying: “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). These statements indicate that He had confidence in Father’s assistance for the duration of His upcoming crucible because He was willing to do His will. Imagine His surprise when that assistance was withdrawn; when He became ‘sore amazed’ (Mark 14:33) to the point of asking: “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Did He have the power to come down from the cross when that question crossed His lips? Yes He did. But even when He felt abandoned, He pressed on submitting to Father’s will, no matter how gruesome the inflicted ‘blow. And then He was able to say prior to His last moment: “….Father it is finished, thy will is done….” (JST Matthew 27:50a)

 

We might have to suffer some blows in this life. And we might have to suffer them alone. But fortunate for us Christ has suffered the greatest blow of all. By virtue of our discipleship, we have access to His  reservoir of endurance, strength and power that is offered to all the faithful. May we be able to say, without trepidation and fear: “I do always those things that please Him”, following the example of Him who submitted to it all that He might overcome all and make it possible for us to bear it all.

 

I marvel at Thy willingness

To descend from the regions of bliss

That was Thy heavenly abode

To become a refuge from the billowing storm,

To pay the ransom for my soul.

 

You lift me up and carry me

Upon Thy wings of hope;

You wipe the tears from my face

And tell me I am strong enough to cope.

 

You are my treasure

My love and my all,

I bow in reverence 

before the foot of Thy throne.

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

ART: Behold the Man by Christopher Young

THE LAMB OF GOD

 

The year I studied animal sacrifice in depth, I came to understand the Atonement at a deeper level. I was absolutely mesmerised by this practice and longed to witness it in the flesh because I am a highly visual person and I love symbolism. Understanding animal sacrifice has made me see the necessity of the principle of consecration in my life. 

 

This is what touched me the most: A part of the animal sacrifice ceremony included the priest applying a small amount of animal’s blood to the tip of the right ear, the right thumb and the great toe of the right foot of the person to be consecrated.  This is what it meant:

 

·      On the tip of the ear: sanctifying the organ of hearing God’s word;

·      On the thumb of right hand: sanctifying the organ of action; 

·      On the great toe of right foot: sanctifying the organ of walking and following God.

 

I tremble at the thought of having such highly significant symbol of Christ’s sacrificial blood being applied to me. When I read this I wondered how I could apply this symbolism to my personal consecration and it came to me that just as Christ sacrificed Himself totally and completely for my sake, my sacrifice to Him must be through: my thoughts, my speech, my attitudes, my beliefs, my desires, my intents, my actions. My mind is taken back to His sacrifice in my daily prayers as I promise to consecrate myself to the Father in thought, word and deed and promise to walk in paths of righteousness. I cannot utter these words without the image of the priest applying sacrificial blood to my ear, thumb and toe.

 

The Saviour expects nothing of us that He himself did not do. Consider His total consecration to the Father which made Him ‘the lamb without blemish’ (1 Peter 1:19): “Had there been one thought in the mind of Jesus which was not perfectly given to God; had there been but one affection in the heart of Jesus which was not yielded to His Father’s will; had there been one step in the walk of Jesus which was taken not for God, but for His own pleasure; then He could not have offered Himself or been accepted as a ‘whole burnt- offering….but Jesus gave up all: He reserved nothing. All was burnt, all consumed, upon the altar.” (Jukes, Law of the Offerings, pp 63-64).

 

This Easter as we contemplate His total consecration to God on our behalf, may we commit to consecrate ourselves each day to walk in His footsteps and be deserving of every drop so precious and pure that paved the way to Calvary.

 

Thy infinite mercy

Thy limitless goodness

Thy bountiful compassion,

A gift to him who loveth Thee;

Trailing from the cross of Calvary,

Sealed with Your hour of agony.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist unknown)

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