Where does wickedness start?, Alma 60:15

For were it not for the wickedness which first commenced at our head, we could have withstood our enemies that they could have gained no power over us. (Alma 60:15, emphasis added)

This verse comes in the middle of Captain Moroni’s chastening letter to Pahoran, and I realized recently that it has excellent spiritual application to each of us.  

In each of us, wickedness commences at our head, in our mind in the form of lies and half-truths that we give in to and then begin to act on.  Therefore, in order to prevent this wickedness, we must watch our thoughts carefully and watch the beliefs that we subscribe to because false beliefs can creep in as well as good ones.  Before our body gives in, our mind must give in first. 

What is the solution?  “…let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly” (D&C 121:45)

I was in the temple just last Saturday to do some initiatories and while I sat waiting for my turn, I wanted something to do.  Usually I read the scriptures, but this time I did something a little different.  I decided I would try to see how many scriptures I could remember and recite silently from memory.  I went through some scripture mastery scriptures and I went through some verses from Isaiah, and I found that with each scripture, the Spirit gave me that lovely warm feeling and filled me with joy.  It picked up my mood and when it was finally my turn to do initiatories, I was in a much more worshipful frame of mind.

Righteousness commences at our head too.

Have you ever tried this?  Try it and see for yourself!

When the Brother of Jared Notices Some Problems With the Barges, Ether 2:16-19

-->

Two Sundays ago our stake had stake conference, and Elder Roberts of the 70 shared a scripture insight about the brother of Jared that I hadn’t noticed before and which I thought it was definitely worth sharing.

16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.

17 And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.

18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.

19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. (Ether 2:16-19)

After the brother of Jared built the barges as the Lord told him, he went to the Lord to report.  “I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me,” he says, and then he points out there are some problems with the barges.  No light, no way to steer, and no air! 

Elder Roberts asked us all, “When do you think the brother of Jared figured out those problems existed?”  Of course, we all thought to ourselves, As he was building them.  Elder Roberts then made the point that even though the brother of Jared noticed the problems as he was building, he didn’t stop building.  He kept going, finishing the work he had been commanded to do.

I was very much impressed by this because I am far too likely to quit when I notice problems with a plan, on account of thinking there is no point in continuing if there are major flaws.  Instead, the brother of Jared built the barges as he was told, and then took the problems to the Lord for help.  He didn’t give up.  

On a lighter note...

Nothing save it was exceeding harshness, Enos 1:22-23

22 And there were exceedingly many prophets among us. And the people were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand.

 23 And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. And after this manner do I write concerning them. (Enos 1:22-23)

It seems that the spiritual condition of Enos’s people varied widely across the board.  They had the advantage of having “exceedingly many prophets,” perhaps coming close to fulfilling Moses’s wish that all the people would be prophets (Numbers 11:29), but they also had many stiffnecked people too, who were stubborn and set in their ways.  I guess in every age people get too comfortable doing what they are doing and have trouble making changes. 

The text says the people were “hard to understand,” which doesn’t make sense after the charge of stiffneckedness.  Part of me wonders if Enos meant “slow to understand,” since that better captures how stiffneckedness causes people to be slow to accept prophecy about the necessity of repentance.  But then, it also may be that the people also had very sophisticated rhetoric by then, full of doublespeak, flourishes, and smooth-talking that made it hard to understand what they really meant, since smooth-talking arises out of a wish to not offend with plain-speaking, which might remind the hearer of their imperfect state and need to repent. 

Enos points out that only harshness in preaching and prophesying and plainness could keep the people from destruction.  I’m intrigued by his calling this “harshness.”  I suppose that even back then people tried to blunt the calls to repentance so that it wouldn’t wound so much and wanted smooth things to tickle their ears.  Yet Enos could see that only the truth in its plainest form could do the trick.  What were these harsh truths that were so effective?

·      Prophesying of wars, contentions, and destructions

·      Reminding them of death

·      Reminding them of the duration of eternity

·      Reminding them of the judgments of God

·      Reminding them of the power of God

It is these same things that are still effective today.  We still need to be reminded of these things.  We may get the sense from Enos that it didn’t have to be this way and he was disappointed at having to always remind the people about these things.  Maybe he’s right and it is possible to get beyond needing it, but if so, it hasn’t happened often that we know of.

The fact is, we need to remember those things.  We need to be reminded that this life is not all there is, that our spirit continues to exist after death, that this life is a probationary period in which to prepare to meet God and receive reward or punishment according to our works, that the final judgment will set our state for the rest of eternity whether to be stopped in our progress or continue on toward godhood, and that we do not know when we will die.  We need to be reminded of the power God has to save us from sin and death.  These doctrines help us pull our vision out of the here and now, and I suppose if we kept our eyes on the eternities we wouldn’t need the reminders so much. 

How does the prophesying of wars, contentions, and destructions fit in with this?  Enos prophesied of these things to remind his people that they could not assume they could live a long life and the Lord could send them out of the world early if need be.  He had to say those things to remind them that it was important not to procrastinate repentance.  In Enos’s day it was wars and contentions and destructions that sent people to an early death.  Today it is accidents, natural disasters, sudden unexpected medical problems, acts of terrorism, and violent crime that bring early death, but the principle is the same; we don’t really know how much time we have or when we will die, and these things come to us—a matter of when, not if—so it is best to prepare and repent now.

Running after the Eunuch’s Chariot, Acts 8:26-39

-->

26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:26-39)

Usually when people visualize this story, they imagine the Eunuch sitting in a stopped chariot, reading Isaiah.  I’ve realized that actually, it all happened in a moving chariot. 

The first tipoff is Philip runs to join himself to the chariot.  Running seems like overkill with a stopped chariot, with a moving chariot, it makes perfect sense.

The second point is the eunuch invites Philip to “come up and sit” in the chariot (v31).  If the chariot was stopped, this seems like an oddly chummy “come sit by me,” and Philip could just as well sat down on the ground and taught.  But if the chariot was moving, it makes perfect sense to let Philip hop on the chariot and sit down so that he doesn’t have to continue the conversation while running and tire himself out.

Third point is the text says, “And as they went on their way” (v36), which makes perfect sense that they were still moving.  If they were stopped, what would cause them to start in the middle of such a conversation so interesting to both of them and why wouldn’t something be said about why they started?

The fourth point in the text that says “a man of Ethiopia….had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning” (v27-28).  Obviously the eunuch was traveling, not stopped at the side of the road. 

Now, it might seem odd that the eunuch could sit and read in the chariot while it was moving, but it seems that is just what he did, regardless of bumps and such.  (Maybe he wasn’t the type to get carsick … or chariot-sick while reading)  To me it is interesting that he read aloud.  I read somewhere (I forget where) that back in those days all reading was done aloud.  Reading silently may have been thought a difficult task, much as many people today might think it difficult to read music silently and know what it sounds like.

What does it really matter if the chariot was moving or not, though?  What do we gain from this bit of intelligence?  If the chariot was moving, then it shows us what Philip was willing to do to follow the directions of the Holy Ghost to join himself to that chariot.  (I suppose the modern equivalent would be running after a limo leaving a parking lot.)  We get a better sense of Philip’s meekness and confidence in those spiritual impressions.  He didn’t worry about looking stupid or worry that he wouldn’t make it; he exerted himself and ran to catch up with the chariot.  Only as he caught up did he hear the eunuch reading Isaiah and discover that there was a missionary opportunity for him to take.

For me, Philip’s example is a challenge to get closer to the Spirit so that when the impression comes to leave my comfort zone, I will be ready to trust and obey that it will be for my good and/or for the sake of a missionary opportunity within reach if I will exert myself.

A Just Spirit Coming in His Glory, D&C 129:6-7

-->

6 If he be the spirit of a just man made perfect he will come in his glory; for that is the only way he can appear—

7 Ask him to shake hands with you, but he will not move, because it is contrary to the order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will still deliver his message. (D&C 129:6-7)

Section 129 contains instructions from Joseph Smith making known three grand keys by which the nature of ministering angels and spirits can be distinguished. 

One thing that puzzled me about verse 6 was where it says “he will come in his glory; for that is the only way he can appear.”  I wasn’t sure what it meant.  Since then, I remembered that Joseph Smith has said elsewhere that spirit matter is finer than can be discerned by the natural eye (see D&C 131:7-8), so to our eyes light rays would go straight through without reflecting off these just spirits.  The only way they would be seen by us is if they were to emanate light themselves.

How Converts Reinvigorate the Church, Jacob 5:17-18

-->

In Zenos’s allegory of the olive tree, the Lord of the vineyard notices the main tree is beginning to die, and he first takes contingency measures to preserve the strain by taking tender branches and grafting them elsewhere, but he also takes steps to try to save the main root that is decaying.  Here we see a lovely analysis of how converts reinvigorate the church.

17 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard looked

and beheld the tree in the which the wild olive branches had been grafted;

and it had sprung forth and begun to bear fruit.

And he beheld that it was good;

and the fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit.

18 And he said unto the servant:

Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength;

and because of the much strength of the root thereof

the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit.

Now, if we had not grafted in these branches,

the tree thereof would have perished.

And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit,

which the tree thereof hath brought forth;

and the fruit thereof I shall lay up against the season, unto mine own self.

(Jacob 5:17-18)

So here’s what the process looks like in real life.  New converts with their burning enthusiasm for the gospel express their eagerness to learn.  They see how strong the long-time members really are, and they see how much they really know, and they ask questions.  They frequently say how they wish they could have grown up in the church knowing what long-time members know.  This is like the branches of the wild tree taking hold of the moisture of the root.  (Though the wild branches represent Gentiles in old times converting to the gospel with the house of Israel, it can also represent the process with converts today.)

Anyway, when the converts take hold of the strength of the members, this awakes long-time members to see anew their blessings, remember how privileged their position is, and awakens an interest in helping and teaching the convert what the life of a Saint is.  This is like the root bringing forth its strength.  In doing so, the long-time members are reinvigorated, and all bring forth good fruit of good works.

What this shows us is that if we are feeling weak in the gospel, we need someone to teach who will really appreciate what we have to share, who will remind us by their enthusiasm and faith just what blessings we have.

In the early days of the church, when there was a growing apostasy in Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith received revelation to send missionaries to England.  Those missionaries brought new converts back to the States, and the converts’ enthusiasm reinvigorated the church.  It may have seemed like an odd thing to do, but it was just what the church needed, and it was perfectly in line with the principles in the allegory of Zenos.

Nephi as “king”?: 2 Nephi 5:18

-->

And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power. (2 Nephi 5:18)

This is kind of a strange verse in that we see that Nephi doesn’t want to be king, but concedes in some way, but not fully, as it says he did for them what was in his power.  So I asked myself, “Okay, what did ‘what was in my power’ look like?  How much did he give in?  Did he give in completely and he doesn’t want to say so, or partially, and if so, why doesn’t he say how much?”

I looked at the footnotes and there were quite a few that talked about it.  First, we get Jacob’s view in 2 Nephi 6:2:

Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things.

So it seems as if Nephi was considered a king by his people, even if he repudiated the title.  It also seems as if the portion of the role he was comfortable with was “protector.”  He probably felt there was no need for a king except as a leader to organize the society for defense.

We get another interesting detail in Jacob:

9 Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings.

10 The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare—(Jacob 1:9-10)

Nephi was uncomfortable with being king himself, but he was able to anoint someone else to be king.  And we see again that Nephi is called a “great protector” and the added detail that he labored all his days for their welfare.  It sounds like he was a good servant-leader, which would be why they’d want to remember his name.  (Interestingly enough, the tradition of calling their kings Nephi dies out by the time Mosiah₍₁₎ takes the group to leave the land of Nephi. ) It is also interesting that the man Nephi anointed as king is never identified in the text, almost as if it isn’t important.  We don’t know if he was a son of Nephi or a nephew or a Zoramite or someone completely outside the Lehite group.

In the final analysis, it is rather ironic that Nephi’s name was considered synonymous with “king” such that his name was used as an honorary title for future Nephite kings even though he didn’t want to be a king to his people.  He didn’t seem to mind noting that he had been a “ruler and teacher” over his elder brothers, but he didn’t care for it with reference to those willing to follow him.  It is possible that he had some closet ambition for ascendency over his older brothers, and that was as far as it went.

KJV vs. JST: The Second and Third Comings of Christ, Luke 12:37-38

-->

KJV:

37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:

verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself,

and make them to sit down to meat,

and will come forth and serve them.

38 And if he shall come in the second watch,

or come in the third watch,

and find them so,

blessed are those servants.

(Luke 12:37-38)

JST:

41 For, behold, he cometh in the first watch of the night,

and he shall also come in the second watch,

and again he shall come in the third watch.

42 And verily I say unto you, He hath already come, as it is written of him;

and again when he shall come in the second watch,

or come in the third watch,

blessed are those servants when he cometh,

that he shall find so doing;

(JST Luke 12:41-42)

In the KJV, the second and third watches are spoken of as a range of possible times that Christ could appear in the sense that if He comes in one, He won’t come in the other.  If you notice, it is the “or” that makes us think this.

However, the JST shows us pretty plainly that the second and third watches are both times when the Savior will return.  We are shown that Jesus’ mortal ministry is the first watch.  The second watch must then be the second coming of Christ.. and then what is the third watch?  It is a third coming of Christ.  When?  It is the post-Millennial visit of Christ to cleanse the earth once again of the evil that springs up at the end of the Millennium, which evil is written of in Revelation 20:1-4, 7-10.

One might argue that the second watch is the visit the Lord made to the earth when the gospel was restored, but I don’t think that can be it because Christ speaks of certain blessed servants who will be watching for that visit, implying that there must be full priesthood authority on the earth at the time of those second and third watches.

If we read as it is to be understood, we can extrapolate that when Christ comes again, He will teach and set all in order and reign, but at some point He will ascend again and depart.  Oh, He will still continue to reign, for if He is obeyed by everyone even when He is absent, He is definitely King.  And for a long time Satan will be bound, as all resist temptation.  But when the time comes again that people begin to yield to temptation, Satan will be loosed and then we will see the tragedy of 4 Nephi played out again until Christ comes again to make everything right.  Then will all the dead be resurrected and judged, the earth will be celestialized, and Heavenly Father will live with us!

Knowing there is a third coming of Christ means that we must read the scriptures carefully to try to discern which promises of Christ’s coming refer to His second coming and which apply to His third.  The Jews were confused by Christ’s mortal coming because they were panting for His second and overlooked the scriptures about His first coming.  This leads me to wonder if maybe we might get into trouble if we think the scriptures about Christ’s third coming are about his second.  For instance, Revelation 20 says Gog and Magog are dangers before the third coming, so we shouldn’t look for them before the second.  But there may also be elements that are similar across both second and third comings, so we have to notice these too.

Jesus Raises the Bar on Loving, John 13:34-35

-->

http://wallpoper.com/wallpaper/hands-making-a-heart-in-the-sunset-450550

I recently realized that Jesus raised the bar on love just like everything else during his ministry when He taught the higher law. 

First, here’s the commandment that the Israelites had from Moses:

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people,

but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord. (Lev. 19:18)

The commandment is to not bear any grudge (to forgive), and it is also that one should show the same affection and care for others as one has for one’s self.  The assumption is that one cares for one’s self pretty well, right?  But there’s a weakness to it in that it doesn’t take into account that there are some people who, for whatever reason, do NOT love themselves and have a hard time doing so.  They may treat others as badly as they treat themselves, or they may treat others far better, while shortchanging themselves.

The cool thing is, Jesus gave a better commandment:

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35, emphasis added)

Instead of loving others as we love ourselves, we are to love others the same way that Jesus loves us.  That means a new challenge presents itself—somehow we must discover for ourselves just how Jesus loves us.  I don’t think that is an all-at-once discovery, nor is it solely an intellectual concept; I think it comes line upon line through experiences with repentance, answered prayers offered in His name, finding answers we seek, even serving others.  We learn it through miracles, we learn it through the peace of the Spirit.  It’s also a gift that we can ask God for directly, as Mormon told the Nephites:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God… (Moroni 7:48)

I love that.  We can go straight to the source for that love we need for ourselves and for others.

One big way recently that I’ve felt the love Jesus has for me has been as I’ve received encouragement from people just as I was becoming discouraged in my writing and one of my callings.  They had no idea that I needed encouragement, but somehow the Lord moved them to say the things I needed to hear.  It came right when I desperately needed it, and it reminded me that Jesus knew what my struggles were, knew how to help, and did it. 

I’ve learned over time to feel the love of the Lord encouraging me towards repentance.. though it can be a bit uncomfortable.  I’ve learned that the love of the Lord is in the special peace that comes as I’ve repented.  I’ve had to learn that the Lord doesn’t give up on me because of my weaknesses and that He loves me anyway.  That encourages me to turn to Him in my weaknesses, and it also helps me see how to give that love to people around me in their weaknesses.  Of course, I still have so much learn and practice.

Tell me a few ways you’ve discovered Jesus’s love for you.  How have you then passed that love on to others?

The First Presidency’s Business, D&C 70:3-8

-->

3 I, the Lord, have appointed them, and ordained them to be stewards over the revelations and commandments which I have given unto them, and which I shall hereafter give unto them;
4 And an account of this stewardship will I require of them in the day of judgment.
5 Wherefore, I have appointed unto them, and this is their business in the church of God, to manage them and the concerns thereof, yea, the benefits thereof.

6 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto them, that they shall not give these things unto the church, neither unto the world;
7 Nevertheless, inasmuch as they receive more than is needful for their necessities and their wants, it shall be given into my storehouse;
8 And the benefits shall be consecrated unto the inhabitants of Zion, and unto their generations, inasmuch as they become heirs according to the laws of the kingdom. (D&C 70:3-8)

In this block of verses, the Lord appointed Joseph Smith Jr., Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, Sidney Rigdon, and William W. Phelps to be stewards over the revelations and commandments already given and for those yet to be given.  Their business was to:

·      Manage them (compilation, editing, and arrangement)

·      Manage the concerns thereof  (publication and distribution)

·      Manage the benefits thereof  (managing any moneys from sales)

They were not to give the revelations to the church or the world, which I suppose means that they were not to relinquish responsibility for perpetuating publication, and they were to be aware that this responsibility was their stewardship and the Lord would require an accounting of it in the day of judgment.  Any temporal benefits received from managing the publishing and distribution of those sacred texts were to be used for their “necessities and wants”—“wants” is an old word meaning “needs”—and any surplus above that was to be given into the Lord’s storehouse.

For me this was a fascinating chapter because it revealed to me how the Lord designed to support his prophet and apostles in their callings as they gave their whole lives to serving and ministering to the church.  They weren’t to live off the members; they were to have a business to support them, and it so happened that business was to be managing the publications and distribution of the revelations and commandments and other sacred texts.  They weren’t supposed to be in it for personal gain because the surplus was to go to the Lord’s storehouse.

Now, as far as I know, there were some obstacles to making this work. One I know of was that Phelp’s printing press in Missouri got destroyed by the mob in the middle of printing copies of the Book of Commandments, and that would represent a major loss of capital.  But I suppose it is fully implemented today.

So far, I think the First Presidency and apostles have done a great job, considering all the scripture helps that have been added—the footnotes, the Topical Guide, the maps, the Bible Dictionary, the scripture apps, the online access, and so on.  They try to make access for all of us as easy as possible.   And too, they are careful as they add enhancements not to make them so often as to make it a financial burden to the members to keep scriptures updated; I notice that with the latest adjustments that were made, they told us that we are not required to buy a new set of scriptures even when the new sets come out in August.  They made the adjustments available for free online.  In this world of forced fee-upgrades (cough.. Apple.. cough), our leaders’ generosity is wonderful.  (Even so, I still plan on buying a new set!)

What does this mean for us today?  Well, it so happens that the next verses make that clear:

9 Behold, this is what the Lord requires of every man in his stewardship, even as I, the Lord, have appointed or shall hereafter appoint unto any man.

10 And behold, none are exempt from this law who belong to the church of the living God; (D&C 70:9-10)

It means that just like the First Presidency has their business, we each have ours, which the Lord calls our stewardship and for which we will be held accountable.  It also seems that we are asked to consecrate the benefits of our stewardships to the church that are more than we need.  That implies that we need to learn budgeting skills so we can become better at learning what we need for the different concerns of our stewardships, and we need to learn unselfishness through sacrifice.