Lehi sees the attitude of heaven

Nephi describes what his father Lehi saw in his vision of heaven:

And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. (1 Nephi 1:8)

That phrase “in the attitude of singing and praising their God” has always interested me. It has an older sound to it, sort of like classic literature, as though it says, “in the pose of,” like a frozen tableau. But in modern parlance, we could also read this as saying the concourses of angels had a mental attitude of singing and praising God. I like that better.

What is our attitude? What is our outlook on life? Somehow, I think having an attitude of singing and praising our God will make life more beautiful, no matter what we face.

Let’s work on cultivating that attitude today.

Seeking the praise of the world

And let him repent of his sins, for he seeketh the praise of the world. (D&C 58:39)

This was written of Martin Harris about the time that Joseph Smith and other church leaders had arrived in Jackson county Missouri to have the land of Zion revealed.

I think it is worth it to ask some questions about this quality of seeking the praise of the world, which the Lord calls a sin.

Is seeking praise the problem, or is it seeking it from the wrong people—the world—that is wrong?

One thing I see is that seeking praise tends to cause us to confine our efforts to things that are the most visible, but the visible is very often not as important as the things that no one sees.  How many godly character traits are developed and practiced inside us where no one can see?  How much of prayer and repentance will be observed by others?  Should we neglect these things simply because we can’t get a pat on the back for them?

Another problem is that not everybody praises the same things, and it is a sad truth that the better a person becomes, the less his or her goodness is appreciated and praised by the masses.  So it matters very much the quality of people we accept praise from.  Joseph Smith was told in D&C 121:1-2 that the pure, wise, noble, and virtuous would seek blessings and counsel from him, while fools would deride him and hell would rage against him.  Could Joseph Smith expect the praise of the world?  No, he would not get it, and if he intended to do the Lord’s work, he could not expect any praise from the foolish or from those who sided with hell.

It is also worth thinking about what appeal praise from the world has and what we hope it will do.  From the perspective of economic survival, we hope that praise from the world (or at least a nice letter of recommendation) will encourage others to accept us, take a chance on us, trust us, give us jobs that will help us provide for ourselves, and increase our influence so we can do good in the world.

But sometimes we take it farther than that and want that praise to be a sign that we have worth, that we are good people, that we are adequate. But can the world really tell us the eternal truth about those things? No. Two of those things we can only really know from God. And as for signs that we are adequate, are we likely to reach out to God for help if we are convinced of our own adequacy?

What do you think? 

The brother of Jared makes his own good weather

I was reading about the long stormy time that the brother of Jared and his people spent crossing the sea and all the difficult conditions they endured for so long. I found myself wondering if I could endure 344 days of stormy sea crossing.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.

10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water. (Ether 6:5-11)

When I read about the brother of Jared praising and thanking the Lord continually and how they sang praises to the Lord, I wondered how they kept that up for so long. Wouldn’t they get tired of it? And with all that stormy weather, it was a really rough ride, so how could they keep up the gratitude and praise for so long?

Eventually I realized that the thanks and the praise and singing was actually their best weapon for keeping their spirits up during all the storm.

When you think about it, there was much they could have worried about.

--Why is this storm lasting so long?

--What if our barge never come to the top of the water again?

--What if those whales and sharks run into the barges and break them open?

--What if we never find land?

--What if the lights suddenly go out?

--What if the food and water runs out?

--What if we get swamped by a wave when the hatch is open?

There are lots of things they could worry about, and yet they were at the mercy of the wind and waves and the direction the wind would take them. They didn’t have control over their direction at all. All they could do was simply cope by means of the preparations they had previously made. (How do you and I deal with a loss of control?)

The brother of Jared knew he could do nothing about their surroundings except pray. So rather than give in to the natural doubts and fears and worries that would arise, he chose to take responsibility for his own attitude. He couldn’t control the weather, but he could control his attitude and response to it. By his continual prayers and thanks and praises to God and singing he made his own weather for himself and his people.

We also get a hint through Moroni’s abridgement of how the brother of Jared chose to look at the dangers they faced.  With each difficulty recorded there is also attached some sort of mitigating factor that helped.

Sure, there were mountain waves that broke upon them (and they had to see those waves to know they were mountain-sized), but no water hurt them.

Sure, they were buried in the sea (and they had to open the hatch and have water come in to realize that), but their vessels were tight like a dish and like the ark of Noah, so they didn’t leak.

Sure, the wind blew the entire time and raised great and terrible tempests, but it always blew in the same direction, which had to be toward the promised land, otherwise the Lord would not have had them go to sea where they did.

Sure, there were sea monsters and whales gallivanting all over and battering into their barges on occasion, but no damage was done.

Sure, the barges were dark, but the Lord had prepared shining stones for them to have light all the time.  (And we can also realize that their stones didn’t need fuel and didn’t need to be tended and fed like a fire.  They weren’t dangerous to touch, and they didn’t make smoke in their  little enclosed barges.)

Hmm. I’m thinking I should take that as a example for writing in my journal. If I record a difficulty I’m having, I should also look for a blessing the Lord is giving me to help me with it.

Today let’s make our own weather in response to the difficulties we have to go through but can’t control. Let’s combat worries and fears with prayer, praise, thanks, and song and see if that makes a difference.

A lesson from the worshipping beasts and elders around the throne in Revelation 4

Revelation 4 is kind of an odd chapter because it doesn’t seem to have anything happen in it except the worship of God by twenty four elders and four beasts.

So I started to ask myself what I could learn from it. 

Then I realized that since all that worship was the most notable thing in the chapter, that was probably where the lesson is. 

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:8-11)

What does this tell us about what heaven is like?  It tells us that the inhabitants closest to God are absolutely enthralled with Heavenly Father’s holiness. Their gratitude and worship is insuppressible, and each time someone starts into praising the Lord, the others can’t help but go into fresh paroxysms of worship themselves.

I have thought these endless rounds of worship excessive, but this time when I was reading it the thought came to me that perhaps it is me who is out of step and that I need to learn much greater humility and gratitude than I now have or have ever had before.

And there’s another factor to consider: if we were to come into a court of a mortal ruler and it was full of people praising the mortal king endlessly, we would think the place was full of yes-men and flatterers. We would have doubts as to whether he fully deserved all that praise.

But the elders in this chapter here say to God “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.”  Heavenly Father really deserves all that praise and credit anyone gives Him here and forever because He lives up to it.  (When you think about it, just the way He can get His work done with imperfect people such as us, all while allowing us all our agency, is a miracle.)

If we are ever to achieve that heavenly worship and gratitude, I think we’re going to have to become much better at noticing and remembering what the Lord does for us. 

It is so much easier to glorify God when the things He has done for us are recent and when our memories stay fresh.  Now, I suppose the inhabitants of heaven have improved memories, having a perfect knowledge of their blessed and happy state, but we mortals need memory aids, so I suppose that the personal journal is an important tool for achieving this heavenly state of worship and gratitude.

Let’s see, wasn’t it Elder Eyring who counseled us several years ago to try to write daily in a journal what the Lord has done for us today?

Glory exclusive to God’s way

I am the Lord: that is my name:

and my glory will I not give to another,

neither my praise to graven images.

(Isaiah 42:8)

Isaiah told the Israelites of his day that God had said that those practicing idolatry would not feel the praise and glory enjoyed as blessings given to those who worship Jehovah.

This teaches an important principle for our day of pluralism.  While we allow others to practice their religion as they see fit, not all religions are equally profitable.

Religions and denominations that claim to have the truth and yet are not the true church will not have the blessings the true church has.  The blessing God gives is mentioned in this verse – “glory” and “praise.”  This isn’t external glory of architecture or something that can be bought or built, but a sense of life and salvation and light that is felt by individuals.  The praise is not spoken by man, but given by God alone as a feeling that God has approved of the work.

Elsewhere we are given the reason for this:

For mine own sake,

even for mine own sake, will I do it:

for how should my name be polluted?

and I will not give my glory unto another.

(Isaiah 48:11)

The Lord knows there are counterfeits out there (and there are many) and He refuses to give the glory (or sanction of His Spirit) to them as He gives to the true church.  He does this to prevent His name from being polluted, or to keep His reputation from being tarnished. 

The practical application of this principle for one seeking the truth is to seek for a church and while participating, seek for that glory and praise from God while among them.  If it is not found, go elsewhere and keep searching.  

I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church where that glory and praise from God can be felt.  Come and see!  Best thing everrrrrr!

Saul promotes, then hates David

5 ¶And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

(1 Samuel 18:5-9)

These verses tell how King Saul promoted David and then nearly as soon after began to hate him and throw javelins at him.

You’ve probably already talked about this story in Sunday school, but I want to bring up a few more points.

The impetus for this was the women of Israel singing that fateful line—“Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”  Saul is offended that more is ascribed to David than to him when David has only fought one battle and Saul had a whole career of fighting behind him. 

Strictly speaking, Saul does have a point.  He has done more over his life than David.  But then public acclaim is a fitful thing and doesn’t distribute itself fairly, so it can’t be depended upon, and it seems Saul had come to depend upon it. 

But then looking at it another way, often acclaim has to do with expectations and whether someone has exceeded expectations or not.  Saul, having been king for quite some time and having a spotty record of exhibiting bravery and courage, will have a hard time meeting expectations.  But David—a nobody at this stage—went FAR above expectations, so there is going to be a lot more excitement over his achievement.  (Question: Do people only deserve praise when they exceed expectations?)

Now, looking at it from yet another angle, we often assume that the women singing this line were singing out of simple joy for what David had done.  But what if the song was meant to wound Saul, like a political cartoon?  What if it was an indirect expression of discontent with Saul’s leadership record? 

Whatever it was, it hurt.  We have to understand what Saul felt in order to really grasp what kind of choices Saul had.  It would be like discovering someone had made a music video making fun of you and saying someone else is better than you and then video goes viral on the internet. It is one thing to feel one has been eclipsed by another, but it is another thing entirely to feel that everyone else might be thinking the same thing and thinking less of you because of it.  The question is, what do you do when something like that happens?    Who do you turn to?  

You have to turn to the Lord and rely on Him.  But Saul had rejected the Lord a long time ago, so he was bereft of any support. 

Saul also remembered the huge acclaim that came after his own first battle success and he saw this as the same sort of thing coming to David and he begins to think of David as a rival for the throne.  (To give him credit, he was right that David would replace him on the throne, but he was wrong about David being a direct threat to him.)  This must have been when Samuel’s words came back to him about how the Lord would rend the kingdom from him and give it to a neighbor who was better than him.  Saul had been collecting valiant men for his army for a while, but this is the first time he begins to connect that prophetic pronouncement with anyone he has gathered and promoted.

Saul says David has the praise of the people “and what can he have more but the kingdom?”  Somehow you get the idea that he thinks the kingdom is easily transferred or easily acquired.  Perhaps that’s because for him it was.  But it never seems as easily transferred between dynasties again.  You also get the sense that Saul things the praise and credit is the best and most important part of being king.  And I imagine it isn’t necessarily that way.

Another problem was that the praise to David was exaggerated.  Sure David had killed Goliath, but it isn’t known how many others he killed in the same battle.  Would it be smart for David to believe his own press (if we can call it that)? No.  Opinion can change quickly. 

This makes me think about basis on which I admire or praise people.  Is it because they follow good principles?  Is it because they are effective?  Do I only praise people when they exceed my expectations, or do they merit appreciation for meeting them?  Am I noticing the best things or am I caught up by less important factors?  It also makes me think about the praise I receive.  Is it merited or is it exaggerated?  Can I depend on it?  Not really.  I have to depend on the Lord.

Think what it was like for David, to be promoted so quickly and then suddenly have his own king throwing javelins at him.  I think David is a good example of acting consistently no matter what people thought of him.  He endured the hazards of both good and bad pubic opinion.  He endured through both public acclaim and being the subject of a national manhunt led by the king himself.

Also compare Saul’s reaction about the rise of David to the prophet Samuel’s reaction about the rise of Saul.  In a way, both Samuel and Saul were in similar positions.  They both were rejected, though Samuel was rejected by the people as judge in their desire for a king, and Saul was rejected by God.  Saul was jealous of David, but we do not detect any jealousy from Samuel.  Samuel’s only concern was that Saul keep the commandments of God. 

From here on, we begin to see that Samuel’s prophesy to Saul that the Lord would rend the kingdom from him was perfectly true (1 Sam 15:26-28).  If you recall, Samuel told Saul the Lord had rejected him from being king and as Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed Samuel’s robe and held on so hard it tore, which became the impetus for Samuel saying the Lord would rend the kingdom away from Saul.

Samuel perceived that if Saul was going to be so grasping and desperate over Samuel simply leaving, that would surely manifest itself again when it became clear the Lord was taking the kingdom away.  Saul would grasp at anything and try anything to keep the kingdom, and it would tear the kingdom apart just as Saul had torn Samuel’s robe.  (You have to marvel at the depth of Samuel’s discernment and how he was able to perceive the final fruits of relatively simple acts sown.)

So because Saul suddenly suspects David will take the kingdom away from him, he begins to hold the kingdom tighter and tighter, employing desperate measures to try to eliminate the imagined threat, even though David never actually challenges him for power.  Instead, Saul alienates more and more people and may have even been the means of bringing his own demise. 

How can Saul’s story help us today? 

Because of the internet and the longevity of things that are posted, any of us at one time or another might find ourselves in Saul’s position, faced with a recitation of our inadequacies in comparison to someone else’s excellence seemingly announced everywhere under heaven.    We have a choice.  We can become angry, suspicious, and jealous people, or we can turn to God for support and strength.

Further, Christ has said that wo is unto us when all men speak well of us, because they spoke similarly well of the false prophets, so we must expect to endure being bad-mouthed. 

We also learn about how exaggeration causes problems and how indulging in jealousy ruins our peace.

Do you get anything more from this story?

The new priestcraft

5 And it came to pass that he [Nehor] did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money.

6 And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching. (Alma 1:5-6)

We in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often pat ourselves on the back when we read the story of Nehor and his priestcraft. We think that because our church has lay leadership that means that we are safe from priestcraft. It is true that the way the church is organized makes priestcraft much more difficult, but we are not out of the woods yet.

I have begun to see that we are coming to a time when the temptation of priestcraft is exploding from an unexpected direction—blogging. (Other internet communication can be included, but I want to focus on blogging because that is what I am involved in, and I need this message as much as anyone.)

And I don’t just mean religious blogging, I mean ALL blogging. We live in an age when distance is no longer an obstacle to disseminating a message. Technology level and language are still barriers, but if they aren’t, a message can go around the world and bloggers can gain followers from far beyond their physical range of influence. Bloggers are very susceptible to the temptation of priestcraft. See how these verses might apply to bloggers:

…priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world,

that they may get gain and praise of the world;

but they seek not the welfare of Zion. (2 Nephi 26:30)

Bloggers may start writing to get something off their chest, but bloggers continue to write in hopes of being read. Our human need for validation causes the hope of being read to become the hope of being appreciated. Hope for appreciation becomes desire for praise. Considering how our world values fame and celebrity, it is easy for the hope of receiving praise to transform into a hope for popularity. And considering how much our culture values creative enterprise and money-making, hope of popularity easily develops into the hope of someday making a living with one’s blog.

Many people start blogging because they feel they have something important and valuable to say to the rest of the world. We have a light we want to shine. As long as letting our light shine brings others to glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 6:16), all is as it should be, but if becomes setting ourselves up as THE light to get glory for ourselves, then we get into dangerous ground.

Further, Nephi notes that the motives for setting oneself up as a light are the main thing to watch out for.

Priestcraft motive #1: That they may get…praise of the world

This is such a real danger in blogging. What blogger doesn’t love positive comments on what they’ve written? There are little blogging awards that get passed around, contests of popularity as to the best posts or comments, etc.

I am not immune from this. I feel the pull of the desire for honors too; I get fixated on positive comments and I sometimes feel the urge to self-censor or post more of what people seem to like when my goal should be always to inspire, motivate, and edify.

And let’s be honest; it is hard to keep writing without some sense that what you are doing is appreciated by somebody. Receiving praise from other people is one way to tell your writing is appreciated. Luckily, it isn’t the only way. The Lord is able to give us revelation about our effectiveness when no one else says anything. (I just wish I didn’t forget this so often!)

The best kind of comments though, are ones in which someone says that they learned something or they changed for the better because of what was shared; that gives writers true joy. (Those comments are part of what keep me going on this blog and help me feel like all the time and effort I put in has been worth it.) And when someone comments and shares an experience from their life that illustrates what I’ve written about, I am edified and very VERY grateful. Those comments strengthen my faith in the Lord and they teach me. (I love to learn from comments!)

But back to seeking for praise. Seeking for praise can occur in more insidious forms because of blogging tools that allow bloggers to analyze what posts are getting the most traffic and what gets the most comments, what posts cause people to exit their site, and so on. The ability to quantify popularity makes the quest for popularity alarmingly more scientific and calculating. On one hand, these tools can help a blogger hone their writing to become more engaging, which is good, but on the other hand, there is that subtle pressure to write more of what’s popular and less of what isn’t in order to expand and keep readers. (Just as an example of how bloggers value their popular messages and use them, many blogs have widgets on their sidebars that have a list of popular posts. What if we also had lists of unpopular and neglected posts in our sidebars?)

Elder Oaks gave a warning that can be applied to blogging about gospel topics in an address entitled, "Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall," Ensign, Oct. 1994. This is from an address previously given at BYU:

Another illustration of a strength that can become our downfall concerns charismatic teachers. With a trained mind and a skillful manner of presentation, teachers can become unusually popular and effective in teaching. But Satan will try to use that strength to corrupt teachers by encouraging them to gather a following of disciples. . . .Teachers who are most popular, and therefore most effective, have a special susceptibility to priestcraft. If they are not careful, their strength can become their spiritual downfall. They can become like Almon Babbitt, with whom the Lord was not pleased, because "he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people" (D&C 124:84). (http://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/10/our-strengths-can-become-our-downfall?lang=eng)

So, one error that we can fall into as religious bloggers is thinking that readers should listen to us and ignore the prophet and apostles the Lord has put in place to lead us. This is an obvious prideful wish like Almon Babbitt’s wish to supplant those the Lord set in leadership,

Another error is seek to gather a following. Satan does tempt bloggers to gather a following, and those “Follow Me” blog widgets can contribute greatly to it. I have a love-hate relationship with my own Followers widget on my blog. I appreciate it because it reminds me that I have an audience. But I have to continually remind myself when looking at all your pictures that you are looking to the Lord, to the prophets, to the scriptures, and to your local leaders, and my words are simply my personal, though well-considered opinion, which is not binding on anybody.

A different type of error we might make is when/if we find conference messages that repeat even vaguely something we have written about, and we may be tempted to think those speakers learned it from us. (Ohhhh, the insidious ego-ness thereof! Gag! Spit! Shun!) In actuality, the same heavenly source that teaches us, teaches the leaders. Our leaders learn through the Holy Ghost, independent of us, and if anything, the Lord may have actually been working on us to prepare us to heed the words of our leaders.

Blog popularity is double-edged. Lots of readers mean a message can be spread to a lot of people easily, assuming we have something worthwhile to say. But it also brings the high risk of pride, and the risk that we are pleasing people with a message that pleases the carnal mind. (Side note: I do not consider my blog to be popular, But believe me, pride can strike whether there are millions of hits or whether there are five.)

Elder David A. Bednar said in an address originally given to Seminary and Institute instructors:

[W]e must be careful to remember in our service that we are conduits and channels; we are not the light. “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you” (Matthew 10:20). It is never about me and it is never about you. In fact, anything you or I do as an instructor that knowingly and intentionally draws attention to self—in the messages we present, in the methods we use, or in our personal demeanor—is a form of priestcraft that inhibits the teaching effectiveness of the Holy Ghost. “Doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? And if it be by some other way it is not of God” (D&C 50:17–18). David A. Bednar, "Seek Learning by Faith," February 3, 2006, Address to CES Religious Educators, Jordan Institute of Religion.

(http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,5344-1-2783-5,00.html)

This scripture has some great perspective:

…the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength. (Alma 1:26)

That verse holds a principle that has always been helpful for me to remember when I am about to puff myself up with pride. Just because I blog about the scriptures does not make me a more of a worthwhile person than someone who comments or someone who lurks or someone who doesn’t read blogs at all. We’re all equal. This is another reason why I love it when you comment and share inspiring stories from your lives about living the principles; it reminds me that the blogger and the commenter are equal.

If it sounds like I’m talking too much about myself, it is to show you that I am not immune from problems with this. I have to remind myself because I forget.

Priestcraft motive #2: That they may get gain

Popularity usually begins to bring on the next tempting aspect of priestcraft—seeking gain. There are all kinds of ways that people have discovered they can use to make money off their blogs—reviewing products, sponsorships, embedded ads, banners, affiliate links, etc. There are whole industries devoted to increasing online popularity, blogs and otherwise.

I’ve been tempted by this too. I go through stages where I wish I could find some way to “monetize” my blog, and then I have to slap myself out of that. I used to wish that I could make a living as a scripture blogger, but I’ve never been paid one cent for it, and I suppose that I probably never will.

Actually, I wrote the above paragraph a few months ago and then interestingly enough, someone commented on one of my posts, inviting me to become an affiliate so I could earn money with my blog. My first reaction was, “Wow, they think I have snagged enough eyeballs to make them money! I’ve arrived!” But my second reaction was “Priestcraft! Stay away!” I thought it through carefully, and I could see that if I became an affiliate site, my focus would change, and I would become more interested in what money I was making than in my labor of love of blogging about the scriptures, which I consider laboring for Zion.

Why is priestcraft such a big deal? Because the consequences are dire. Here’s Nephi’s warning for all those who engage in priestcraft:

For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet. (1 Nephi 22:23, emphasis added)

Consumed as stubble. That’s a heavy consequence for priestcraft.

Nephi observed priestcraft causing great problems in gentile society:

And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor. (2 Nephi 26:20)

These days churches aren’t just brick and mortar; they can be virtual as well. Nephi notes that spiritual hazards that go with priestcraft are denying miracles and preaching up one’s own wisdom (which may include scientific atheism), and neglect of (and even abuse of) the poor.

Seek the welfare of Zion

Seeking the welfare of Zion should be the motive of any blogging or preaching. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? It’s about wanting to make the reader’s lives better, wanting to say something that will be of benefit, that may bring positive change, something that may help unravel difficulties and make the right way clear. It’s not saying something just to keep posting on schedule, but to edify and enlighten. It requires charity.

The goal is to not put oneself above others, but to show others how to rise to a higher level. The goal is not to champion our own view, but to increase perspective so the truth can be seen more clearly.

I’ve written about the different aspects of priestcraft that can enter blogging because I’ve had to struggle with it myself in all kinds of different ways. My hope is that sharing these things will help you to find and conquer priestcraft in yourself, and your desire to strengthen Zion with sound words and pure motives will be increased. We need as much of that as we can get.

The goal we are all striving for is this:

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34, emphasis added)

The day will come when teaching will be over because ALL will know. It will be a day of kings and queens, priests and priestesses, everyone at the pinnacle of knowledge and development. There is no room for pride and priestcraft in that future.

What are walls of salvation and gates of praise?

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land,
wasting nor destruction within thy borders;
but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation,
and thy gates Praise.
(Isaiah 60:18)

Here Isaiah compares salvation to a defensive wall that keeps out everything evil – sin, violence, waste, destruction, and so on. Why is salvation like a wall? It’s because when we repent and are saved from our sins and forgiven, Christ also gives us a new heart and mind that abhors sin. It’s way easier to resist something if you hate it. Hating sin is a better defense against it than any physical barrier ever constructed. (However, we have to be careful that we don’t go too far and hate the sinners as well. That is how Satan uses churches to perpetrate his greatest atrocities, by getting them to hate and persecute the person who sins.)

If we have a salvation-born hatred towards sin that defends us from it, how do we know when to let something in to our lives? The answer is in the next line.

[T]hou shalt call. . . thy gates Praise - Why does Isaiah say we will call our gates praise? We can figure this out if we think about what gates are meant to do. Two of the three functions of a city gate are to let things into a city and keep things out. How does a city know to let something in? When someone good who already knows about it praises it as a good thing. The same thing happens with us individually. When we are trying to decide whether to let something into our lives, we check to see if someone we trust praises it. (As the thirteenth article of faith says, we seek after things that are praiseworthy.) If righteous people praise it, we are willing to look into it, and if they don’t, we avoid it.

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah;
We have a strong city;
salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Open ye the gates,
that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the LORD for ever:
for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.
(Isaiah 26:1-4)

Here the idea is repeated that salvation and the attendant change of heart is our defense against sin. And it starts to mention gates again, just like the other scripture did, so we can instantly associate praise with them. And then Isaiah adds something more.

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in – We are advised to welcome nations and peoples that keep to true principles. We can welcome Muslims for their refreshing standards of sexual purity and modesty. (After browsing some Muslim women clothing websites to check out their fashions, I decided that their evening dresses are the coolest ever—exotic, attractive, and well-covered all at once!) We can welcome Indians and Asians for their commitment to family and education. We can welcome Hispanic warmth and friendliness. There is something good about each culture.

We tend to become suspicious of other cultures when they don’t do things like we do and emphasis the same values. It startles us when we find we can’t take it for granted that that someone knows something we’ve known a long time. However, it is clear to me that just as one person is different from one another, cultures are too. Just like people have different ways of doing things, cultures do too. Just like every person is needed, so is every culture. But just like no person is perfect unless they are like Christ, no culture is perfect, unless it is like Zion. As different cultures have different strengths that are part of the gospel, they also have different weaknesses and need other cultures around as examples to help overcome those weaknesses. When a person embraces the gospel of Christ, it purifies and perfects them toward the ideal—Christ. When whole cultures embrace the gospel of Christ, it purifies them and perfects them toward the ideal society—Zion.

This isn’t the only thing that this line could be referring to. It could also be referring to the return of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Isaiah could be telling us to accept them and welcome them for their righteousness, instead of being suspicious, as many nations are when there is a sudden influx of unfamiliar people.