Our True Identity
Awesome stuff!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Knowing It's Real
What a joy it is to know the simple statement that Moroni gave after telling us how we might gain a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. How do we know what's real? It's through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Many people in the world for ages have confused their concept of reality, attributing things veridical to only those things that lay within the measurable realm of the five senses; they have claimed that nature and its laws are the governing body, and that our physical bodies are the barometers of nature's phenomena. I personally believe that the natural laws are in force, and what we can see, feel, smell, taste and hear are real; however, this only a half-truth. Many of the philosophers, scientists, and other brains in their primes mistook the other half for farce, and a pity it is because it is the most powerful testator of truth in existence. This witness, of course, is the Holy Ghost, which pierces into the depths of our hearts, achieving an uncanny balance between "great force" (JS--H 1: 12) and "perfect mildness" (Hel. 5:30).
I personally know this witness is real because it leads me to do good, which I somehow know in my heart of hearts is what will make me happy. I know the Spirit is real because it reveals to me things I would otherwise not have the occasion to learn. I know the Spirit is real because through its promptings I am led to believe things that I cannot perceive physically; in other words, through the Spirit I am capable of so much more than I would be if I were not in tune.
The great theme of the Spirit is that Jesus is the Christ, and that His Church has been established again in these latter-days in preparation of His Second Coming. I gained a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the face of the earth by first gaining a testimony that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that through the power of God he restored Christ's Church, as personally directed by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. One "linchpin" experience that led me to this knowledge was personally asking God for this witness in a grove of pines in the Sierra Nevada, a peaceful place much like the grove where Joseph knelt to ask a similar question.
Some seven years later, I finally had the occasion to visit the Sacred Grove, where I know Joseph Smith received the First Vision, in which God and Jesus Christ appeared to him, telling him that none of the churches of the day had God's authority, and that Joseph was to be the means by which it would be restored. I walked through the peaceful canopy, and was truly happy to be there; but make no mistake, this was no pilgrimage. The greatest thing I learned from being in the Grove was that I did not have to be there to know that what happened there truly happened. At that very point, my natural senses were useless, but the Spirit gladly compensated, reaffirming to me that the things I had been taught since childhood were in fact real.
For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.
2 Nephi 32: 5-6
2 Nephi 32: 5-6
How grateful am I for the above truth expressed by the prophet Nephi in ancient times, ever so applicable today. I am grateful for the Spirit, which bears testimony to my Spirit, that I am a child of God (see Romans 8:16). I am grateful to know that I have a divine nature, and a divine potential (see the nature of man), for these things are real.
Have a great week!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Why We Forget
And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?
How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?
Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?
Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.
--1 Nephi 7: 8-12--
The affliction that plagued Laman and Lemuel was an extreme version of something that plagues each and every one of us. It is a natural part of our existence, the result of the inability of an imperfect body to yield to its spirit. This affliction is the affliction of forgetting--forgetting from whence our blessings flow, forgetting why it is essential to strive, forgetting what blessings the Lord has in store for us.
I have always been curious about why this occurs. My thought is that those who willfully rebel (as in the case of Laman and Lemuel) at one point forgot why they should strive to keep the commandments, slowly turning toward the "past feeling" stage as described by Paul, Nephi, and Mormon (see Eph. 4: 19, 1 Ne. 17: 45, & Moro. 9: 20). They gradually lose track of the subtleties of the Spirit as manifest in their lives in divers manners. Like a vile ooze, pride seeps in, overtaking the efforts of the unnatural man. All of us reach this oozy stage in one form or another; I believe the goal should be to recognize when it happens, and more importantly, what factors played into its occurrence.
I could at this point divulge into hoards of behavioral theories that might help one to conquer this ailment, but I am constrained, as "the study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than talking about behavior will improve behavior" (see President Boyd K. Packer's April 1997 General Conference address). So, what doctrine sheds light on our inability to follow the Savior's example in all things?
'Forgetting' has been around since the beginning, as we read in Moses 4:23-25:
As our first parents partook of the forbidden fruit, we were permitted to come to earth, but on the condition that we would have opposition--we would have to sweat for our subsistence. Our bodies, made in this life to be imperfect, would in their season die, and we would return to the dust from whence we came. This includes our minds and the brains that house them, which through their imperfect (yet still very sophisticated) neural pathways only grasp things that are recorded and reinforced. Reason #1 why we forget: As humans we are by nature imperfect beings.
My second reason for forgetting is because it is part of Heavenly Father's plan. It was decided from eternity that we should have a veil of forgetfulness placed over our minds, that we might live out this life in faith. I know this to be true. This life is a time to prepare to meet God, which involves learning to create a harmony between our bodies and our spirits, as Heavenly Father has. The things of the spirit are spiritual, and the natural man is an enemy to God (see Mosiah 3:19). Therefore, to understand, record, and retain spiritual things, we must use the spirit, which will bring "all things" to our remembrance (John 14:26).
In sum, we should not beat ourselves up over our spiritual forgetfulness, but should strive to be better when we've realized we've forgotten. What we do at this hinge point will dictate future events in our lives; if we choose to apply the Atonement, we will move a little closer to God; if we decide that it is too difficult to be just a little better, appealing to any of a host of rationalizations, we will move a little further away from God.
Now, I do not mean to trivialize the true complexity that accompanies that hinge point. As imperfect beings, it also takes many tries to learn. I am comforted by the realization that Heavenly Father has given me my whole life to improve my station. However, that does not mean that I can let off the gas; such constitutes a lack of humility and faith, as well as an influx of pride.
May we all use our agency in righteous ways. May we all desire to be more sensitive to the Spirit that, when he leaves us, we can feel it, and have the courage to seek out the why, as well as the how to move forward. I know that this "moving forward" is grounded in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every day I am grateful to my elder brother, and his willingness to suffer, bleed, and die for me. Let us all seek His gift early and often.
Have a great week!
--1 Nephi 7: 8-12--
The affliction that plagued Laman and Lemuel was an extreme version of something that plagues each and every one of us. It is a natural part of our existence, the result of the inability of an imperfect body to yield to its spirit. This affliction is the affliction of forgetting--forgetting from whence our blessings flow, forgetting why it is essential to strive, forgetting what blessings the Lord has in store for us.
I have always been curious about why this occurs. My thought is that those who willfully rebel (as in the case of Laman and Lemuel) at one point forgot why they should strive to keep the commandments, slowly turning toward the "past feeling" stage as described by Paul, Nephi, and Mormon (see Eph. 4: 19, 1 Ne. 17: 45, & Moro. 9: 20). They gradually lose track of the subtleties of the Spirit as manifest in their lives in divers manners. Like a vile ooze, pride seeps in, overtaking the efforts of the unnatural man. All of us reach this oozy stage in one form or another; I believe the goal should be to recognize when it happens, and more importantly, what factors played into its occurrence.
I could at this point divulge into hoards of behavioral theories that might help one to conquer this ailment, but I am constrained, as "the study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than talking about behavior will improve behavior" (see President Boyd K. Packer's April 1997 General Conference address). So, what doctrine sheds light on our inability to follow the Savior's example in all things?
'Forgetting' has been around since the beginning, as we read in Moses 4:23-25:
And unto Adam, I, the Lord God, said: Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the fruit of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying—Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground—for thou shalt surely die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return.
As our first parents partook of the forbidden fruit, we were permitted to come to earth, but on the condition that we would have opposition--we would have to sweat for our subsistence. Our bodies, made in this life to be imperfect, would in their season die, and we would return to the dust from whence we came. This includes our minds and the brains that house them, which through their imperfect (yet still very sophisticated) neural pathways only grasp things that are recorded and reinforced. Reason #1 why we forget: As humans we are by nature imperfect beings.
My second reason for forgetting is because it is part of Heavenly Father's plan. It was decided from eternity that we should have a veil of forgetfulness placed over our minds, that we might live out this life in faith. I know this to be true. This life is a time to prepare to meet God, which involves learning to create a harmony between our bodies and our spirits, as Heavenly Father has. The things of the spirit are spiritual, and the natural man is an enemy to God (see Mosiah 3:19). Therefore, to understand, record, and retain spiritual things, we must use the spirit, which will bring "all things" to our remembrance (John 14:26).
In sum, we should not beat ourselves up over our spiritual forgetfulness, but should strive to be better when we've realized we've forgotten. What we do at this hinge point will dictate future events in our lives; if we choose to apply the Atonement, we will move a little closer to God; if we decide that it is too difficult to be just a little better, appealing to any of a host of rationalizations, we will move a little further away from God.
Now, I do not mean to trivialize the true complexity that accompanies that hinge point. As imperfect beings, it also takes many tries to learn. I am comforted by the realization that Heavenly Father has given me my whole life to improve my station. However, that does not mean that I can let off the gas; such constitutes a lack of humility and faith, as well as an influx of pride.
May we all use our agency in righteous ways. May we all desire to be more sensitive to the Spirit that, when he leaves us, we can feel it, and have the courage to seek out the why, as well as the how to move forward. I know that this "moving forward" is grounded in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every day I am grateful to my elder brother, and his willingness to suffer, bleed, and die for me. Let us all seek His gift early and often.
Have a great week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)