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Showing posts with the label Doctrine and Covenants

The Light of Christ (D&C 84:46; Brigham Young)

 D&C 84:46:  " And the  Spirit  giveth  light  to  every man  that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit." “I do not believe for one moment that there has been a man or woman upon the face of the earth, from the days of Adam to this day, who has not been enlightened, instructed, and taught by the revelations of Jesus Christ. ‘What! the ignorant heathen?’ Yes, every human being who has possessed a sane mind. I am far from believing that the children of men have been deprived of the privilege of receiving the Spirit of the Lord to teach them right from wrong.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses  2:139

"...what is property unto me?" (D&C 117)

"Let them repent of all of their sins, and their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me, saith the Lord...Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth? " (emphasis added) Doctrine and Covenants 117:4, 6

Lessons from Jonah and the great fish, the omniscience and omnipotence of God (Jonah; D&C 3; Joseph Smith; Maxwell)

15  So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.   17  Now the  Lord  had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish  a three  days and three nights. Jonah 1:15, 17 Consider what this incident from the life of Jonah teaches us about the Lord, about His omniscience and His power to accomplish His purposes.  The great fish that swallowed Jonah would have been "prepared" many, many years previously by the Lord, whether through His use of evolution, genetics, etc. or otherwise.  In other words, we may safely assume that this fish was NOT just magically "poofed" out of nowhere just prior to its appearance in the water at the moment it swallowed Jonah.  Rather, it was born and grew to maturity, over the course of many years... In addition, consider the fact that this "great fish" was in the exact place and at exactly the right time to be able to swallow Jonah, save Jon

words of eternal life, light and truth (D&C 84:43-47)

  43  And  I  now  give  unto  you  a  commandment  to  beware  concerning  yourselves,  to  give  diligent   heed  to  the  words  of  eternal  life.   44  For  you  shall  live  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  forth  from  the  mouth  of  God.   45  For  the  word  of  the  Lord  is  truth,  and  whatsoever  is  truth  is   light ,  and  whatsoever  is  light  is  Spirit ,  even  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ.   46  And  the  Spirit  giveth  light  to  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world;  and  the  Spirit  enlighteneth  every  man  through  the  world, that  hearkeneth  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit.   47  And  every  one  that  hearkeneth  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit   cometh  unto  God,  even  the  Father. D&C 84:43-47

That which is of God is light (D&C 50)

  24  That  which  is  of  God  is  a light ;  and  he  that  b receiveth   c light ,  and  d continueth  in  God,  receiveth  more  e light ;  and  that  light  groweth  brighter  and  brighter  until  the  perfect  day.   25  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  and  I  say  it  that  you  may  know  the  a truth ,  that  you  may  chase  darkness  from  among  you; Doctrine and Covenants 50:24-25

the trials are real (Maxwell)

“God knows even now what the future holds for each of us. In one of His revelations these startling words appear, as with so many revelations that are too big, I suppose, for us to manage fully: 'In the presence of God, . . . all things . . . are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord' (D&C 130:7).  The future 'you' is before him now.  He knows what it is He wishes to bring to pass in your life.  He knows the kind of remodeling in your life and in mine that He wishes to achieve.  Now, this will require us to believe in that divine design and at times to accept the truth which came to Joseph Smith wherein he was reminded that his suffering would be 'but a small moment' (D&C 121:7).  I’d like to talk to you about some of those small moments that will come your way in life and that come to each of us... we so blithely say in the Church that life is a school, a testing ground.  It is true, even though it is trite.  What we d

"I have trodden the wine-press alone...and none were with me" (D&C 133:50; Talmage)

At the ninth hour, or about three in the afternoon, a loud voice, surpassing the most anguished cry of physical suffering issued from the cross, rending the dreadful darkness.  It was the voice of Christ: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  What mind of man can fathom the significance of that awful cry?  It seems that in addition to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of Gethsemane had recurred, intensified beyond human power to endure.  In that bitterest hour the dying Christ was left alone, alone in most terrible reality.  That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fullness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death .  Elder James E. Talmage, Jesus The Christ p. 661 (emphasis added) See also D&C 133:50

Jesus, our Perfect Examplar (Maxwell)

Jesus, our Perfect Exemplar, was astonishingly exemplary even in the hours surrounding the awful but glorious Atonement. The intrigue of Pilate and Herod, for instance, who had earlier been "at enmity" but who "made friends together" because of Jesus, presented opportunities for Jesus to "shrink" from going through with the Atonement (Luke 23:12; D&C 19:18). Herod, who had been desirous "to see [Jesus] of a long season," "hoped to have seen some miracle done by him" (Luke 23:8). Yet Jesus, under heavy questioning from Herod, "answered him nothing" (Luke 23:9; see also Mosiah 14:7). Jesus' integrity and intellect were not for sale! Amid temptation, he maintained his integrity--even in the midst of an opportunity that a lesser individual would have seized to reduce his suffering and to increase the praise of men. Ironically, when Jesus' enemies came for him, the Light of the World, they came with lanterns and t

He comprehendeth all things...(D&C 88:41)

He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before Him, and all things are round about Him; and He is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by Him, and of Him, even God, forever and ever. D&C 88:41 And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more  intelligent than they all. Abraham 3:19

Incredible aloneness lay at the heart of the Great Atonement (Maxwell)

When  Jesus comes  again  in  rem inding  red attire, there will b e  a spectacular solar display a nd  stars will fall from their  places  in  the heavens. What wil l  then be evoked will not be an   exclamation over the solar di splay. Rather,  from human lips  praise will flow for Jesus' lov ing-kindness,  for His perfect  goodness. Then, the scriptures a ssure us  and tell us how long w e  will go on praising Jesus fo r  that Atonement: "forever  and  ever." (Mosiah 2:24; D&C 128: 23.)  The one thing He will men tion  when He comes again in maj esty  and power will have nothin g  to do with how He suffered in   the scourging, nothing to do  with the vinegar and gall or an y  of those things. Instead, His   voice will be heard to say, " I  have trodden the winepress al one,  and none was with me" ( Isa.  63:3).  Incredible alonene ss  lay at the heart of the Grea t  Atonement, and Jesus endured  it, because He let His will be swallowed up in the will of 

marvelous meekness of Jesus (Maxwell)

Jesus' marvelous meekness pre vented  any "root of bitterness"   from "springing up" in Him ( Heb.  12:15). Ponder the Savior 's  precious words about the Ato nement  after He passed through  it. There is no mention of the  vinegar. No mention of the sco urging.  No mention of having be en  struck. No mention of having   been spat upon. He does decla re  that He "suffer[ed] both bod y  and spirit" in an exquisitene ss  which we simply cannot compr ehend.    (D&C 19:18; see also v.   15.) Neal A. Maxwell (Ensign, May 1989, p.  64. )

...the gates of hell shall not prevail against you (Harold B. Lee)

 You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church.  It may contradict your political views.  It may contradict your social views.  It may interfere with some of your social life.  But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yeah, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and His name’s glory.’ (D&C 21:6) President Harold B. Lee, General Conference, October 1970