We often speak of having the Spirit, or losing it. This can create the impression that the Spirit is like a light switch that only turns on or off, all or nothing.
The Holy Ghost is a personage, a member of the Godhead. But the scriptures speak of receiving “a portion” of the Spirit. While the Holy Ghost has an indivisible spirit body, the emanating influence of the Spirit is given by degrees. When we say “portion,” we are talking about how much we are getting at this moment of that radiating influence, light, power, glory, or whatever you want to call it, emanating from the presence of God.
“…Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”
“And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so” (2 Kings 2:9). Elisha did see him taken up into heaven in a whirlwind by a “chariot of fire,” so he got what he asked for. The Spirit is given to us by degrees, or in “portions,” that can become stronger or weaker.
Context in the scriptures helps us know whether we are reading about the personage of the Holy Spirit, or the influence of the Spirit.
Receive
At confirmation, each new member of the Church of Jesus Christ hears this instruction: “Receive the Holy Ghost.” This is not a passive statement; it is a commandment. Since the Spirit can be received in greater and greater portions, keeping this commandment describes a life-long pursuit.
It can be difficult to receive, hear, or feel the Holy Spirit. Forces inside and outside us can drive that sweet influence away. We are familiar with the list of things we should repent of in order to avoid offending the Spirit. What can we do besides omitting those bad things to receive the Spirit more fully?
Jesus told Nicodemus, “The wind (i.e. the Spirit) bloweth where it listeth…” (John 3:8). We cannot control the weather, or force the Spirit. If we want the Spirit, we need to go where it leads.
D&C 82:10 assures us, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say…” There are instructions of how to receive the Holy Ghost in the scriptures. If we follow these rules, He will bless us with it.
The Sunday School Answers
There is a list of Dos, standing opposite of the long list of Don’ts, that every Latter-day Saint can recite. “How can we _______?” the Sunday school teacher will ask. The class will immediately blurt out something like the following list: “Keep the commandments, attend church meetings, fulfill our callings, pay our tithes, attend the Temple, study the scriptures, pray…” and several other things. (Fasting never comes up for some reason.) We may smirk, but we also agree. What do these all-purpose “answers” to our spiritual problems all have in common?
My first mission president gave each of his missionaries a sticker to put in the front cover of our scriptures: “7 Ways to Invite The Spirit: -Prayer (D&C 136:29:32) -Use the Scriptures (Alma 31:5) -Testify (2 Nephi 33:1) -Use Music (D&C 25:12) -Express Love & Gratitude to God (Mor. 7:47) -Share Spiritual Experiences (Luke 10:25-37) -Perform Priesthood Ordinances (D&C 84:20).”
This list sounds a lot like the generic Sunday school answers. Everything on either list invites the Spirit to be with us. We do these things to feel the Spirit.
“What if I’m already doing them?”
“Do them even more” is the stock answer. These things are good, but we may be omitting some other important ways to keep the commandment to receive the Spirit.
The scriptures use superlatives and extreme language to describe some ways we can receive the Holy Ghost. Instead of simply “feeling” the Spirit, we read about intense “always,” “fire,” “fulness,” and being “filled.”
Always
Each week in sacrament meeting, we are told that if we are
1. Willing to take upon us the name of Christ
2. Willing to always remember Him
3. Willing to keep His commandments
then we may ALWAYS have His Spirit to be with us.
“Always” (permanently) having His Spirit with us is critical to keeping the commandment to “receive the Holy Ghost.” “Willing” describes the internal attitude required of us to have that great blessing. A heart and mind willing to do things God’s way is ready to receive the Spirit.
What was Jesus Christ’s special gift? He announced in the synagogue that He was the Messiah by reading Isaiah 61:1-2 and then interpreting it: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me…” He enjoyed a fullness of the Spirit.
“None ever were perfect but Jesus; and why was He perfect? Because He was the Son of God, and had the fullness of the Spirit…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 187-188). When we speak of trying to be like Jesus, what we are saying is that we also want to enjoy a fulness of the Holy Ghost, that radiating influence, in us. We take His name onto ourselves in order to claim a portion of the Spirit closer to what He enjoyed in mortality.
The promise is, with this constant memory of the Savior and being ready to try again when we fail, and being willing to take His name onto ourselves and obey Him, we will always have His Spirit to be with us.
Fire
The voice of Jesus came to the Nephites in the darkness after the great destruction in the Book of Mormon, imploring: “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” (3Ne. 9:13). He then began to explain their role in that process.
“And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost…” (3Ne. 9:20).
This is intense language—“baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost.” Baptized means immersed, completely covered. He tells them this happened to “the Lamanites, because of their faith in [Him] at the time of their conversion…and they knew it not.”
We often associate the Holy Ghost with extreme feelings and emotionalism, but these people were spiritually born again, experiencing the mighty change of heart, without even knowing it. Perhaps we need sensitivity to it the Spirit as much as we need an increased portion of it.
This combination of coming to Jesus, with faith in Him, and deep humility (a “broken heart and a contrite spirit”) is a prerequisite for receiving the Spirit to the degree that we are born again. Our portion of the Spirit is proportional to the depth of our humility.
Fullness
Attending the Temple is on the list we spontaneously recite in Sunday school, but it also belongs to the extreme-description category.
D&C 109 was received by revelation and read by Joseph Smith as the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple. It lists some of the purposes of the House of the Lord, including the following: “…that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost…” (v. 15).
The Temple is a place to serve selflessly, but there are rewards. We get to soak in the Spirit (to borrow Elder Bednar’s pickle imagery). There is great spiritual power and protection that comes to us as we participate in all aspects of Temple work.
D&C 109 also says “…that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness” (v. 13). The visual impact of the elegant décor is small compared with the sublime spiritual feelings we can experience there. Entering the Temple is like moving from the tepid shallows on the riverbank to the center of the river—all things spiritual are accelerated there.
The Light of the Body
Our physical bodies allow us to receive a greater portion of the Spirit. Jesus Christ is “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). Everyone with a body has something extra—the light of Christ—during their mortal journey.
Keeping the Word of Wisdom helps us to receive revelation because our bodies, when healthy and free from sin, allow our spirits to enjoy a greater portion of light. “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matt: 6:22). We learn in D&C 88 that our bodies are currently being quickened by a portion (a part) of the full glory we will enjoy in the resurrection:
“They who are of a celestial spirit (right now) shall receive the same body which was a natural body (during the resurrection); even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are (currently) quickened” (v. 27-28).
Our bodies gather that light that emanates from God. The more obedient we are, the more light our bodies receive and communicate to our spirits.
“All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not,” and, “The great principle of happiness consists in having a body” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 181). A body does more than we can understand now, in terms of accelerating our happiness. Those in the spirit world look “upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage” (D&C 138:50, D&C 45:17).
If our behavior is not celestial, then we receive a lesser portion.
“Ye who are (now) quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness” (D&C 88:29).
But there is more to it than being healthy.
Section 88 compares us mortals and our trajectory through eternity with the earth’s past, present, and future:
“For after [the earth] hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory…”
“…the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation…
“Wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is (currently) quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it” (D&C 88:19, 25-26).
What is true of the earth also applies to us:
“For notwithstanding they die, they also shall rise again, a spiritual body.
“They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.
“Ye who are (now) quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness” (D&C 88:27-30). When we use our bodies to accomplish God’s intended ends (whatever they are for us individually) we get an increased portion of celestial glory here and now.
The earth is fulfilling the measure of its creation by bringing forth life; our physical bodies have the capacity to bring forth life also. As Spirits, we could do anything we can do now, as far as talents and abilities go, but we could not beget children of our own. We now have that capacity in this life. When we create and nurture families we are given a greater portion of the Spirit.
Fulfilling the measure of our creation might also include individual assignments, things that apply to us and no one else.
Filled
We are meant to be in the world, but not of it: “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). I still sympathize with monks and nuns who retreat from the world to seek pure simplicity.
Jesus said, “Blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” (3Ne. 12:6). “Filled” is another superlative—you cannot be more than full.
Esau was hungry, and sold his birthright (the claim to his priesthood) for a bowl of soup. It is easy to trade eternal for temporal in a moment of weakness. Yet we can be miserable and wealthy simultaneously. Hearts set on the things of this world experience disappointment sooner or later.
Our spirits get homesick, yearning for our heavenly home. We can smother this feeling with noise and sin, if we choose. But flashy technological gizmos cannot cover it completely. But those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled with the Holy Ghost.
The things we cannot touch or buy are the things we need most. The fruits of the Spirit are peace, love, joy, and knowledge, the abundant life. The Lord tells us, through strong language in the scriptures, the way to receive what Elisha asked for—a greater portion of His Spirit.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Holy
Examining the origin of a scriptural term can shed light on the gospel, on what we are supposed to be feeling and thinking and doing.
We Latter-day Saints usually understand “holy” to mean “without spot.” (This can also lead us to think in terms of comparison, “holier than,” which can be unpleasant.) Moral or ritual cleanliness is part of its meaning, but there is more.
The word translated as “holy” in English is usually the Hebrew word ka-DOSH. It does refer to purity, but it also means “set apart.”
We Latter-day Saints usually understand “holy” to mean “without spot.” (This can also lead us to think in terms of comparison, “holier than,” which can be unpleasant.) Moral or ritual cleanliness is part of its meaning, but there is more.
The word translated as “holy” in English is usually the Hebrew word ka-DOSH. It does refer to purity, but it also means “set apart.”
Some analogies can help illustrate the other meaning of the word we miss out on in common usage:
When do we pull out the genuine silver and expensive China for a meal? When there are important visitors or events. Those dishes are set apart, designated for special use only. A child digging in the garden with a regular fork or spoon may get leniency; to find the same child using Grandma’s silver ladle to dig up dirt is a capital offense. Those dishes are kept under lock and key; they are designated for certain important occasions, and nothing else.
A bullet might roll around in the back of a truck, or sit in a pocket, or gather dust on a shelf; it might spend a week quietly waiting inside a gun. But once the gun is aimed and fired, that bullet is committed to its target, a two-inch circle hundreds of yards down the firing range. It is thoroughly dedicated to that target, and nothing else. Before the bullet is fired, it has many possible targets; after the bullet is fired, it is committed, dedicated, to one specific purpose.
The limited, selective use of those special dishes, or the trajectory of the bullet, parallels the fuller meaning of the word “holy.” Something holy is committed, designated, devoted, or dedicated for specific use or special purposes, and to nothing else.
Holiest of All
In Isaiah 6:3, we read of Isaiah seeing heavenly beings, seraphs, flying around the throne of God and chanting: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts…” In Hebrew, using an adjective more than once intensifies it. But to use a word three times in a row turns it into a superlative: “holiest.” God is holiest, they are saying—more so than all others.
Though it does not use the word, 2Ne. 26:24 is telling us about His commitment, or holiness: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” This implies great focus. We and our salvation are His targets, what He is committed to: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Can we comprehend just how committed the Lord is to our salvation? If He merely liked us, our immediate comfort and convenience would be the extent of His actions towards us. But He loves us and is committed to making us like Him, and therefore the circumstances He will put us through can become extreme.
Jesus was not spared the extremes during His mortal probation, either. “The Son of Man hath descended below them all” (D&C 122:8). But He did not balk: “…for I do always those things that please [the Father]” (John 8:29). He wanted to always do God’s will. “Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). He rejoiced in obedience the way we do in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“…God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary…therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2). How can His course be straight AND round? If you walk in a straight line on the surface of a globe long enough, you eventually get back to where you started. The Lord probably works in cycles and periods and eons that repeat. Seen from above, a hoop looks like a circle; seen from its edge, it is a straight line.
The Lord’s consistency and reliability take some uncertainty out of life. Nephi explains, “For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well as in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round” (1Ne. 10:18-19).
Nephi describes the dedicated-style holiness of the Savior: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” (2Ne. 26:24). What, no hobbies? It can be hard to imagine God loving what He has committed to do when our lives often consist of fulfilling unpleasant commitments while longing to go out and play. (Is merging “have to” with “want to” true success?) In any case, the opposite of holy is not just dirty; the opposite of holy is distracted, ambivalent, hesitating, scatter-brained, lacking focus, or “For Generic Use.”
Like Jesus
We talk about becoming like our Savior; that does not just mean clean, free from sin; it also includes being fully committed to doing what we can of the Father’s work. One of the happiest verses in all scripture is D&C 60:7. The Lord tells us, “For I am able to make you holy…” Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are great examples of this. They were the “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4), but the Lord made them into the greatest of missionaries.
He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28, 30).
The Lord can change our hearts to be more like His. The more committed-holy we choose to make our hearts, the more spotless-holy He will make us.
“…thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). The things of a better world also require work and seeking to obtain, but testimony and knowledge and covenants are much more portable and durable than the treasures of the earth. We can even carry them into the next world.
It is easy to confuse frantic “multitasking,” scurrying from one chore to the next, with virtue. But being busy is not necessarily the same as being holy.
“…sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
“Is it?
“I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things done.
“I can’t see it.
“Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Regrets and Resolutions, October 2012 General Conference).
Our time on earth is short. We have an infinite number of options in this life; the biggest limiting factor is time. Everything is available to us, but we only have time to pursue a few things effectively. Our choices in this life expose our true character, where our hearts really are.
God told Moses, in essence, “I AM God, YOU ARE Moses—this is what I do; here is your assignment.” He then explained part of Moses’ purposes and mission on earth: “…and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God” (Moses 1:25).
Each of us has unique combinations of gifts, and a unique mission to fulfill here on earth. Not all talents are glamorous. We may have agreed premortally to deploy talents here that we have not yet even considered. We should make certain we are not like that precious silver ladle that gets used as a shovel in the garden. We should find out how the Lord prefers us to use our gifts.
Like Jehovah
The Ten Commandments still get modern respect as the foundation to our faith (and stable civilizations), but how often do we notice the thesis statement, the reason for the rules the Lord hands to Moses? “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me…
“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:5-6). Prudery is not the reason behind the Law of Moses. Israel was meant to be set apart, peculiar, different from the rest of the world.
The rules do not just focus on outward behaviors. The Lord wanted to make Israel like Him in feeling, too:
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
“Speak unto all…say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:1-2). In other words, everyone needs to be like God.
“…if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings…ye shall offer it at your own will” (v. 5). We are to be sincere, authentic, and genuine in worship. God’s love for us is real; we should return real love, “without compulsory means.” Gifts given grudgingly are counted evil.
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest” (v. 9). Why are they to be inefficient, and leave some fruits and grains behind in the field?
“…thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God” (v. 10). Ancient Israelites were supposed to leave something behind for anyone who wanted it, especially the poor. And the Lord reminds us that this is who He is by signing the verse: “I am the Lord your God.” He is generous with us; we should be generous to others.
“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord” (v. 14). We are not to take advantage of the disadvantaged, for sport or otherwise. We are to respect others’ handicaps as God respects our weaknesses.
“…thou shalt not respect (show favoritism to) the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor” (v. 15). Money or social status or outward beauty (or their lack) should not dictate our respect towards others; we should base our opinions on a person’s character.
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge…but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord” (v.17, 18). We can reprove another’s behavior when prompted by the Spirit, but we are not to harbor silent bad feelings or contempt towards anyone—this makes us more holy, more like God.
This is all part of the Law of Moses. God has treated us, His begging children, well; we are to treat others the way He has treated us, with the same indulgent, fatherly patience, kindness, mercy, and generosity. Compulsion and “holy” are incompatible.
Holiness
The fuller meaning of “holy” expands our understanding of another word—“holiness.”
The High Priest of the Old Temple and the Tabernacle wore a gold crown inscribed with the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD. This phrase is displayed prominently today on each new Temple.
What does it mean?
“Holy” means “committed;” “holiness” is a verb—“consecrated to the Lord.” The fullest expression of holiness is keeping the Law of Consecration, devoting everything we are, have, or will yet own or be, to the Lord.
The Lord has devoted all His resources and time to us and our salvation; it is symmetrical for Him to expect similar total devotion from us.
Whatever we offer to God—a temple or ourselves—receives a greater portion of His Spirit, and His glory. He improves whatever we consecrate to Him. “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 361). An entire community that lives and thinks and feels this way, and receives that improvement from the Lord, is referred to as “Zion.”
To be holy is to be as committed to the Lord and His work as He is to us—it is reciprocal. Holiness is the action that flows from that commitment, the act of giving it all to Him. Instead of substituting the appearance of moral and physical cleanliness for “holy,” we should give it all to God so that He can purify us, inside and out. Then we will be clean, and committed—completely holy.
When do we pull out the genuine silver and expensive China for a meal? When there are important visitors or events. Those dishes are set apart, designated for special use only. A child digging in the garden with a regular fork or spoon may get leniency; to find the same child using Grandma’s silver ladle to dig up dirt is a capital offense. Those dishes are kept under lock and key; they are designated for certain important occasions, and nothing else.
A bullet might roll around in the back of a truck, or sit in a pocket, or gather dust on a shelf; it might spend a week quietly waiting inside a gun. But once the gun is aimed and fired, that bullet is committed to its target, a two-inch circle hundreds of yards down the firing range. It is thoroughly dedicated to that target, and nothing else. Before the bullet is fired, it has many possible targets; after the bullet is fired, it is committed, dedicated, to one specific purpose.
The limited, selective use of those special dishes, or the trajectory of the bullet, parallels the fuller meaning of the word “holy.” Something holy is committed, designated, devoted, or dedicated for specific use or special purposes, and to nothing else.
Holiest of All
In Isaiah 6:3, we read of Isaiah seeing heavenly beings, seraphs, flying around the throne of God and chanting: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts…” In Hebrew, using an adjective more than once intensifies it. But to use a word three times in a row turns it into a superlative: “holiest.” God is holiest, they are saying—more so than all others.
Though it does not use the word, 2Ne. 26:24 is telling us about His commitment, or holiness: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” This implies great focus. We and our salvation are His targets, what He is committed to: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Can we comprehend just how committed the Lord is to our salvation? If He merely liked us, our immediate comfort and convenience would be the extent of His actions towards us. But He loves us and is committed to making us like Him, and therefore the circumstances He will put us through can become extreme.
Jesus was not spared the extremes during His mortal probation, either. “The Son of Man hath descended below them all” (D&C 122:8). But He did not balk: “…for I do always those things that please [the Father]” (John 8:29). He wanted to always do God’s will. “Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). He rejoiced in obedience the way we do in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“…God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary…therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2). How can His course be straight AND round? If you walk in a straight line on the surface of a globe long enough, you eventually get back to where you started. The Lord probably works in cycles and periods and eons that repeat. Seen from above, a hoop looks like a circle; seen from its edge, it is a straight line.
The Lord’s consistency and reliability take some uncertainty out of life. Nephi explains, “For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well as in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round” (1Ne. 10:18-19).
Nephi describes the dedicated-style holiness of the Savior: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” (2Ne. 26:24). What, no hobbies? It can be hard to imagine God loving what He has committed to do when our lives often consist of fulfilling unpleasant commitments while longing to go out and play. (Is merging “have to” with “want to” true success?) In any case, the opposite of holy is not just dirty; the opposite of holy is distracted, ambivalent, hesitating, scatter-brained, lacking focus, or “For Generic Use.”
Like Jesus
We talk about becoming like our Savior; that does not just mean clean, free from sin; it also includes being fully committed to doing what we can of the Father’s work. One of the happiest verses in all scripture is D&C 60:7. The Lord tells us, “For I am able to make you holy…” Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are great examples of this. They were the “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4), but the Lord made them into the greatest of missionaries.
He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28, 30).
The Lord can change our hearts to be more like His. The more committed-holy we choose to make our hearts, the more spotless-holy He will make us.
“…thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). The things of a better world also require work and seeking to obtain, but testimony and knowledge and covenants are much more portable and durable than the treasures of the earth. We can even carry them into the next world.
It is easy to confuse frantic “multitasking,” scurrying from one chore to the next, with virtue. But being busy is not necessarily the same as being holy.
“…sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
“Is it?
“I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things done.
“I can’t see it.
“Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Regrets and Resolutions, October 2012 General Conference).
Our time on earth is short. We have an infinite number of options in this life; the biggest limiting factor is time. Everything is available to us, but we only have time to pursue a few things effectively. Our choices in this life expose our true character, where our hearts really are.
God told Moses, in essence, “I AM God, YOU ARE Moses—this is what I do; here is your assignment.” He then explained part of Moses’ purposes and mission on earth: “…and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God” (Moses 1:25).
Each of us has unique combinations of gifts, and a unique mission to fulfill here on earth. Not all talents are glamorous. We may have agreed premortally to deploy talents here that we have not yet even considered. We should make certain we are not like that precious silver ladle that gets used as a shovel in the garden. We should find out how the Lord prefers us to use our gifts.
Like Jehovah
The Ten Commandments still get modern respect as the foundation to our faith (and stable civilizations), but how often do we notice the thesis statement, the reason for the rules the Lord hands to Moses? “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me…
“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:5-6). Prudery is not the reason behind the Law of Moses. Israel was meant to be set apart, peculiar, different from the rest of the world.
The rules do not just focus on outward behaviors. The Lord wanted to make Israel like Him in feeling, too:
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
“Speak unto all…say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:1-2). In other words, everyone needs to be like God.
“…if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings…ye shall offer it at your own will” (v. 5). We are to be sincere, authentic, and genuine in worship. God’s love for us is real; we should return real love, “without compulsory means.” Gifts given grudgingly are counted evil.
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest” (v. 9). Why are they to be inefficient, and leave some fruits and grains behind in the field?
“…thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God” (v. 10). Ancient Israelites were supposed to leave something behind for anyone who wanted it, especially the poor. And the Lord reminds us that this is who He is by signing the verse: “I am the Lord your God.” He is generous with us; we should be generous to others.
“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord” (v. 14). We are not to take advantage of the disadvantaged, for sport or otherwise. We are to respect others’ handicaps as God respects our weaknesses.
“…thou shalt not respect (show favoritism to) the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor” (v. 15). Money or social status or outward beauty (or their lack) should not dictate our respect towards others; we should base our opinions on a person’s character.
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge…but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord” (v.17, 18). We can reprove another’s behavior when prompted by the Spirit, but we are not to harbor silent bad feelings or contempt towards anyone—this makes us more holy, more like God.
This is all part of the Law of Moses. God has treated us, His begging children, well; we are to treat others the way He has treated us, with the same indulgent, fatherly patience, kindness, mercy, and generosity. Compulsion and “holy” are incompatible.
Holiness
The fuller meaning of “holy” expands our understanding of another word—“holiness.”
The High Priest of the Old Temple and the Tabernacle wore a gold crown inscribed with the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD. This phrase is displayed prominently today on each new Temple.
What does it mean?
“Holy” means “committed;” “holiness” is a verb—“consecrated to the Lord.” The fullest expression of holiness is keeping the Law of Consecration, devoting everything we are, have, or will yet own or be, to the Lord.
The Lord has devoted all His resources and time to us and our salvation; it is symmetrical for Him to expect similar total devotion from us.
Whatever we offer to God—a temple or ourselves—receives a greater portion of His Spirit, and His glory. He improves whatever we consecrate to Him. “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 361). An entire community that lives and thinks and feels this way, and receives that improvement from the Lord, is referred to as “Zion.”
To be holy is to be as committed to the Lord and His work as He is to us—it is reciprocal. Holiness is the action that flows from that commitment, the act of giving it all to Him. Instead of substituting the appearance of moral and physical cleanliness for “holy,” we should give it all to God so that He can purify us, inside and out. Then we will be clean, and committed—completely holy.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
"NO!" Is Nothing New
When the Conference Center was first constructed and used for General Conference, the first speaker to offer a talk, President Packer, expressed concern that the beauty of the box might distract from the gem it contained. The grandeur of the building, or anything else, should not be the main focus when we gather to hear Church leaders speak.
Years ago, I watched another general authority speak in the Marriot Center at BYU. It is a sports arena, and seats 25,000 people. Perhaps the fact of its being a sports arena had something to do with a technical gaff that disrupted his talk. Even though the sound of his voice continued, the jumbo-tron screens above his head suddenly began showing a hockey game. I assume a technician bumped the wrong button or something. Those who left the Marriot Center that Sunday were talking about hockey, instead of what the leader talked about.
Today in General Conference, some people in the audience shouted "NO!" as the names of the First Presidency and Twelve were read for sustaining. I wonder if they understand the meaning of the phrase, "by the same sign." If we want to show a sustaining vote for the leaders, we raise our hands. If we want to register a "no" vote, we also raise our hands at the appropriate time. Shouting is not part of the invitation for group participation.
In any case, this kind of thing is nothing new.
Below is a letter I wrote for one of my home teaching families this last Tuesday, 31 March 2015, in case they were not home. Realizing it was the last day of the month (it can creep up so stealthily), I improvised, planning to drop off a letter and not interrupt their evening together. (This is a bad way to do home teaching, but something is better than nothing). They were home, and invited me in graciously, even without any appointment. After they turned off the TV, we read the letter together. It is applicable to the subject at hand. Aside from a few typo corrections and removing their names, here is the letter:
****************************************
Instead of home teaching this month, invading your home at the last minute without my companion (again), I thought I’d just write up some brief thoughts and leave them with you to think about.
General Conference is coming up—yet another meeting.
Why are there so many meetings in the Church? Three hours of meetings on Sunday, divided up by age and gender for two of them. Ward and Stake conference are semi-annual; we are to meet as families for FHE once a week. Our callings may require even more meetings throughout the week. That’s roughly 2 million meetings per year. (I got a D in high school algebra; my calculations might be wrong.)
The oldest history we have of any event is the Grand Council, a meeting called by God to announce His plan for our happiness. It resembles General Conference in some important ways.
Everyone was invited to this comprehensive meeting. The whole world can come to General Conference if they want. All sessions are made available to the public, even priesthood session (online).
God asked, “Whom shall I send?” when the Savior was chosen. The majority of His children accepted the Savior (2/3). There were voices of dissent, but those who accepted Jesus overcame that opposition by faith in Him (see Rev. 12:11). The opposition was cast out for violent rebellion. General Conference gives us the chance to sustain those whom God has chosen in our day. We learn from Him through them about the plan, what we should do next. The building is hemmed in by hecklers and protesters and loud apostates. Stories of rudeness abound. Choirs of Single Adult and Young Single Adult stakes surround the Conference Center in long lines, spaced regularly every few feet to make it illegal for hecklers to get too close.
Satan and his followers were cast out into the earth. The temptation during Conference is to cast ourselves out into the world—and play. Boating, camping, or wandering, anything but sitting through another meeting. We should remember that Sunday is still the Sabbath, even if the sacrament is not passed.
“And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days” (D&C 1:4). We have a chance to sustain these men and women, just as we had a chance to choose or reject Jesus premortally. “And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith. Amen” (D&C 26:2). A majority vote is not enough in the Lord’s plans—harmony and agreement are necessary before we can move forward effectively.
“And if ye desire the glories of the kingdom, appoint ye my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. (or whoever the living prophet is), and uphold him before me by the prayer of faith” (D&C 43:12). There is something special about the prayers of the Saints for the Brethren and the Prophets, and theirs for us. They pray for us; we should pray for them.
I suppose if God’s course is one eternal round, then there were heavenly councils before the one we know about, and there will be other councils in the future when we get to heaven. Heaven is described as an “innumerable company of angels” (D&C 76:67), and if we want to prepare to live there, then we need to learn how to be part of a team, a family, even. Maybe that’s why there are so many meetings in the Church: “I say unto you, be one: and if ye are not one, ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27).
I hope you enjoy General Conference this weekend, and make time to listen for what you each need to hear.
Years ago, I watched another general authority speak in the Marriot Center at BYU. It is a sports arena, and seats 25,000 people. Perhaps the fact of its being a sports arena had something to do with a technical gaff that disrupted his talk. Even though the sound of his voice continued, the jumbo-tron screens above his head suddenly began showing a hockey game. I assume a technician bumped the wrong button or something. Those who left the Marriot Center that Sunday were talking about hockey, instead of what the leader talked about.
Today in General Conference, some people in the audience shouted "NO!" as the names of the First Presidency and Twelve were read for sustaining. I wonder if they understand the meaning of the phrase, "by the same sign." If we want to show a sustaining vote for the leaders, we raise our hands. If we want to register a "no" vote, we also raise our hands at the appropriate time. Shouting is not part of the invitation for group participation.
In any case, this kind of thing is nothing new.
Below is a letter I wrote for one of my home teaching families this last Tuesday, 31 March 2015, in case they were not home. Realizing it was the last day of the month (it can creep up so stealthily), I improvised, planning to drop off a letter and not interrupt their evening together. (This is a bad way to do home teaching, but something is better than nothing). They were home, and invited me in graciously, even without any appointment. After they turned off the TV, we read the letter together. It is applicable to the subject at hand. Aside from a few typo corrections and removing their names, here is the letter:
****************************************
Instead of home teaching this month, invading your home at the last minute without my companion (again), I thought I’d just write up some brief thoughts and leave them with you to think about.
General Conference is coming up—yet another meeting.
Why are there so many meetings in the Church? Three hours of meetings on Sunday, divided up by age and gender for two of them. Ward and Stake conference are semi-annual; we are to meet as families for FHE once a week. Our callings may require even more meetings throughout the week. That’s roughly 2 million meetings per year. (I got a D in high school algebra; my calculations might be wrong.)
The oldest history we have of any event is the Grand Council, a meeting called by God to announce His plan for our happiness. It resembles General Conference in some important ways.
Everyone was invited to this comprehensive meeting. The whole world can come to General Conference if they want. All sessions are made available to the public, even priesthood session (online).
God asked, “Whom shall I send?” when the Savior was chosen. The majority of His children accepted the Savior (2/3). There were voices of dissent, but those who accepted Jesus overcame that opposition by faith in Him (see Rev. 12:11). The opposition was cast out for violent rebellion. General Conference gives us the chance to sustain those whom God has chosen in our day. We learn from Him through them about the plan, what we should do next. The building is hemmed in by hecklers and protesters and loud apostates. Stories of rudeness abound. Choirs of Single Adult and Young Single Adult stakes surround the Conference Center in long lines, spaced regularly every few feet to make it illegal for hecklers to get too close.
Satan and his followers were cast out into the earth. The temptation during Conference is to cast ourselves out into the world—and play. Boating, camping, or wandering, anything but sitting through another meeting. We should remember that Sunday is still the Sabbath, even if the sacrament is not passed.
“And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days” (D&C 1:4). We have a chance to sustain these men and women, just as we had a chance to choose or reject Jesus premortally. “And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith. Amen” (D&C 26:2). A majority vote is not enough in the Lord’s plans—harmony and agreement are necessary before we can move forward effectively.
“And if ye desire the glories of the kingdom, appoint ye my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. (or whoever the living prophet is), and uphold him before me by the prayer of faith” (D&C 43:12). There is something special about the prayers of the Saints for the Brethren and the Prophets, and theirs for us. They pray for us; we should pray for them.
I suppose if God’s course is one eternal round, then there were heavenly councils before the one we know about, and there will be other councils in the future when we get to heaven. Heaven is described as an “innumerable company of angels” (D&C 76:67), and if we want to prepare to live there, then we need to learn how to be part of a team, a family, even. Maybe that’s why there are so many meetings in the Church: “I say unto you, be one: and if ye are not one, ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27).
I hope you enjoy General Conference this weekend, and make time to listen for what you each need to hear.
*************************************
I then felt I should tell this young married couple that even where two or three are gathered together, there will be Jesus also. I said that, in my opinion, the Lord honors decisions made in councils far more than those made by individuals in their own heads, and will be more likely to support those decisions—even if it is just a husband and wife meeting to discuss some issue.
Thinking of ways to suppress others or deny them their agency, even when they are doing the wrong thing for themselves or others, will cost us the companionship of the Spirit. We should allow them their freedom in our hearts. I pity those ecclesiastical leaders who must deal with members in open rebellion and apostasy; I trust they will balance what is best for them, and for the rest of the Church.
It is funny that I was considering skipping the sustainings section of the Conference to do a little more exercise; it is always the same, I thought. Now I worry that people will be so distracted by the dissenting voices during the sustainings that they will forget to talk about the fact that this has been an astonishing spiritual feast thus far, and we are only two sessions in.
I had my major concerns and questions addressed so forcefully within the first thirty minutes of the first session, it was like a tender mercy to me. Gossiping about a little rudeness is not the main point of General Conference; let's not be distracted. I hope that neither the beauty of a building, nor a game of hockey, nor the inappropriate shouts of dissent will cause us to lose our focus, or become angry and lose the Spirit. This has been great so far, and I am excited to hear the next six hours of talks.
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