What do I Have to Inherit?

My study this week was spurred by three verses found in Doctrine and Covenants:

But verily I say unto you, I have decreed that your brethren which have been scattered shall return to the lands of their inheritances, and shall build up the waste places of Zion.

For after much tribulation, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing.

Behold, this is the blessing which I have promised after your tribulations, and the tribulations of your brethren—your redemption, and the redemption of your brethren, even their restoration to the land of Zion, to be established, no more to be thrown down.

Nevertheless, if they pollute their inheritances they shall be thrown down; for I will not spare them if they pollute their inheritances. (DyC 103:11-14)

This revelation was given in response to the trials and tribulations that the early Saints in Jackson County, Missouri were receiving. In it, the Lord outlines two types of trials: those that come in the name of future blessing and growth, an those that we receive because our own lack of obedience, here termed "pollut[ion of our] inheritances." This led me to wonder what we have to inherit, and how we go about polluting it. It is evident that the Lord in these verses referred to a land in which the Saints could peaceably worship; however, I believe there are even more things that are in store for us today. So, why don't we walk down that road?

What's In Store

The scriptures are replete with references to what we as children of God are to inherit. An inheritance is something that our progenitor has that he decides to bequeath unto us. Often, an inheritance is something that we receive in response to staying close to the benefactor through the years, holding true to his or her desires. An inheritance is always conferred upon children, grandchildren, or otherwise younger kin who can surely uphold the legacy that the benefactor has put into place.

God's inheritance is no different; if we are righteous, we may be considered his children (see Matt 5:9, 44-45, Moroni 7:19). So, what is our inheritance? What does Heavenly Father desire to bequeath upon us? It is really quite simple:

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)

Immortality and eternal life is our inheritance. This means living with God and Jesus Christ for eternity in the Celestial Kingdom. It means inheriting all that they have, able to make worlds of our own, able to build endless family chains, able to receive thrones and principalities (see DyC 132:19, 121:29).


How We Pollute

In my study this week I came up with some synonyms and correlates of 'pollution':

• Degradation
• Dirtiness/Filthiness
• Dammed
• Clogged
  
• Suffocation
• Contamination
• Jaded
• Depletion
• Dilution
• Lack of Clarity

All of these connote a loss or lack of purity, clarity, or strength. They connote being unable to move forward in the proper course of action. They conjure up images of slime, silt, gunk, and smog--all things that are undesirable. Yet, so often and easily, we give into spiritual entropy, and let our minds and hearts get polluted, and in essence , our inheritance, as no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God (see Ephesians 5:5).

What We Can Do About It

Elder Marion D. Hanks said:

• “Jesus taught his followers the parable of the sheep and the goats, representing the judgment to come, in which he clearly identified those who will inherit ‘life eternal’ and those who will ‘go away into everlasting punishment’ (Matthew 25:46). The key difference was that those who should inherit the kingdom with him had developed the habit of helping, had experienced the joy of giving and the satisfaction of serving. They had responded to the needs of the hungry, thirsty, homeless, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. …

• “Nothing would seem more clear than the high premium the Savior put upon selfless service to others as an indispensable element of Christian conduct and of salvation. Helping, giving, and sacrificing are, or should be, as natural as growing and breathing” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 10; or Ensign, May 1992, 9).

Friends, this is the answer in regards to our inheritance. Let us be there when called upon. Have a Great Week!

Next Week: Being vs. Doing: Creating Proactive and Reactive Strategies, and an Analysis of Christlike Attributes that Grant us Our Inheritance