A Thought-Provoking Article on Thoughts

Years ago, a friend of mine suggested that I start a YouTube channel. She made the suggestion after I had been removed from a teaching position. Having enjoyed my classes, and knowing how much I enjoyed sharing thoughts and ideas with others, she thought it might be something I should consider. I had considered it before she suggested it, but at the time I didn’t think that I could take on a project like that with the other responsibilities I had in my life. 

Recently, another friend made the same suggestion and the Lord has been giving me many reasons to consider why it might be a worthwhile endeavor. It’s been something that I’ve been seriously pondering and looking into—that or something like it. In considering this new venture, I have been thinking about thoughts, themselves. Self-improvement within the structure of the gospel of Jesus Christ has to affect the most basic parts of us in order to bring about the most permanent results. Actually, this is the reason why the widely-held and current view of repentance is ineffective in most cases. People today focus on their actions instead of on their actual constitution—what they are made of.

We are spiritual and so, in order to change, we have to change our spirit. Well, what is spirit? What, exactly, are we made of? How is it possible to bring about a change in what makes us us?

7 There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;

8 We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. (D&C 131)

It is going to take too much time to lay out all of my thoughts about this whole subject in one blog post—or even several. Maybe a video format would be best. I’m not sure. We’ll have to see. For now, I’m going to provide this link to an article on thoughts that I found very interesting and let the reader do some thinking on their own. If I do end up communicating my thoughts using some other platform, I’ll post a link here and in the sidebar. 

Job 42:1-6

1 Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42)

I love these scriptures because they underscore the fact that coming to know God results in deeper humility—a deeper understanding of our relationship to him, a deeper understanding of his love for us. While a deeper understanding of who he is helps us to see how much we lack, it also gives us confidence to approach him and to ask him to give us what we lack. 

Romans 1:26-32

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 

Speaking out against the practice of homosexuality can offend a lot of people. It shouldn’t, but it does because it is an obvious example of how far removed people are from God’s spirit. Everything about the natural sexual relationship between a man and a woman is intended to communicate the ideas of design and purpose—wisdom and proper use. Without the ability to see past the physical pleasure of sexual experience, mankind will focus on that pleasure and deviate from sexuality’s proper use to seek it out, even going so far as to engage in acts that are reasonably and obviously improper and without purpose, excepting the pleasure itself. These are “vile affections.” Homosexuality is not the only one, but it should be a stand-out example and has consequences that are fitting for such an aberration of what God has instituted.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

So, what happens when society embraces such an aberration? How much of God’s spirit are we without when such things are accepted? What more can God do to try to convince us that we have strayed from what was designed to edify us? That society that does not remember God will be left to their own “reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” Our modern definition of “convenient” tends toward “easy; involving little trouble or effort,” but its primary definition is “fit; suitable; proper.” In other words, at that point, God has no choice but to altogether withdraw from us and allow us to experience the full measure of suffering that comes with our stubborn disobedience. 

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Pretty self-explanatory—a sad commentary on our current society.  

It’s almost like Paul could see our day or something. Or perhaps he knew that this is the natural consequence of any society’s failure to repent and turn to God.

Romans 1:22-25

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

This idea is echoed by Jacob:

28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned, they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. (2 Nephi 9)

Once a person learns something, it is his disposition to believe that what he knows is all there is to know. Further, it is his disposition to believe that he knows how to best apply what he knows to any situation. God not only gives us truth, but also wisdom, which is the best application of truth in any given situation—what leads to life. Set his wisdom aside and you instantly become a fool because you will continuously make what is less than the best decision—what leads to death. This pattern is laid out in 2 Nephi 9 and in Romans 1.  It would be an interesting study to compare and contrast the two, but returning to Romans 1 for now: 

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

How can someone change God’s glory? Is that even possible? Isn’t it something that radiates from him?

One definition of  “glory” that I find applicable here is “honorable representation.” Substituting that definition for “glory,” the scripture reads:

23 And changed the [honorable representation] of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

When we obtain and live by the spirit of God, we do what God would do. We are meant to be “honorable representations” of him. We are meant to learn his truth and apply his wisdom. But when we reject his truth or his wisdom, we relegate our actions to the foolishness of man or, ostensibly worse, the behavior of the animal kingdom. God will not impart his spirit by force. He can’t.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

God’s spirit withdraws from those who reject his instruction and we withdraw from its influence, too. It’s like trying to connect two magnets by using the ends with the same polarity. They repel each other. When we mistakenly believe that we have as much to give to God as he does to us, repulsion is the result. We don’t receive. We fail to make the connection to him and the life he desires to give us. We remain disconnected and separate and we are left to our own desires which are base and lustful. We choose to believe the lies that support those desires instead of the truths that God gave to us and our actions remains rooted in our own selfishness. We, the creature, become the focus of our worship and service instead of our Creator, who rightly deserves to be that focus.

 

Romans 1:18-21

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

What do you think of when you think of “the wrath of God?” Here are three definitions of “wrath” from Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary. See which definition comes closest to your current understanding.

1.  Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation. 

2.  The effects of anger.

3.  The just punishment of an offense or crime.

Satan will use anything he can to try to convince us to believe that God is untrustworthy and that we shouldn’t obey him in all things. One tactic he uses to accomplish this is he gets us to assign the bad behavior we see in others to God. Because we don’t know what God is like, we see what others are like and we ascribe those things to God—whether they are correctly ascribed to him or not. For example, if we know people who impulsively and violently discipline their children when they do something wrong, it would be that much easier to believe that “the wrath of God” is violent and angry, as in definitions 1 and 2 above, because that is what we would be most familiar with. But if we knew people that dealt justly with their children—who meted out punishment to their children in kindness to teach them the consequences of their own bad behavior, we would more easily believe that “the wrath of God” is not impulsive or arbitrary, but loving, fair, unfailing, and completely worthy of our trust.

We can read verse 18 and believe that God is an angry God who is just looking to take out his anger on anyone who doesn’t do what he says, or we can believe that God is completely fair and loving and that his “wrath” consists of the just consequences of our own actions which should give us every reason to obey him.

His “wrath” is “revealed from heaven.” How is this done? Well, to begin with, it is revealed directly to our spirits. Heaven deals in things of the spirit. To whom is his wrath revealed? It is to those “who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” It is to those who know the truth, but have not acted according to what they know. All of us know some measure of truth. When we act against what we know, God communicates to us, in various, plentiful, and increasingly obvious ways, to try to alert us to the fact that we have gone against what we know and that we need to seek out the additional truth he desires to give us. 

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

When we sin, God speaks to us. He just has to speak to us differently because we are naturally resistant to what he wants to tell us. But “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen.” What are those things? They are his “eternal power and Godhead.” They are him. They are everything that he is comprised of. They are his character, perfections, and attributes. They are his knowledge, wisdom, glory, honor, power, riches, and strength, which flow to him because he is worthy of them. While it is true that these things, in their fullness, are withheld from us, we are all given a portion to begin with that is clearly seen. He has given us a basic understanding and, to the degree of our understanding, we are left without excuse. 

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Once we have been given a certain degree of understanding, if we do not acknowledge God as its source and glorify him by acting according to that understanding, we lose that understanding. We are left to “vain imaginations” and our foolish hearts are darkened. Our desires become misplaced. What was once clear to us, we become blind to. It’s no wonder that what follows is what we find in verses 22-32. 

Rock Head

This is going to be a quick interruption to my blogposts on Romans 1 and a kind of follow-up post to the one on verses 16-17, if for no one but myself.

When I was growing up, there was an expression that my family would use when someone was being either stubborn or unteachable in some way. We would call them a 돌머리 (dol•meo•li), which means “rock head.” If any of us were in an argument that seemed to be going nowhere, one of us (whether or not we were actually participating in the argument) would assign the label of “rock head” to any person who was just not “getting it” in an attempt to bring the argument to a close. It was a light-hearted way to point out the fact that one (or more) of us had reached a point where we were not seeing the information that had been presented to us for what it really was and that any further discussion was pretty much pointless unless the “rock head” mentality was shed.

After a while, it turned into a term of endearment, at least to my mind—a funny way to point out how some people just have a difficult time coming to terms with what should be plain to them. We are all like that. It is pretty amazing at how much truth is all around us. We have such a difficult time putting it all together.

The thing is that, when you are the rock head, you don’t think that you are being the rock head. That may be because you are downright stubborn or it may be because you are just ignorant of (and/or currently incapable of understanding) that truth that is all around you. You won’t know that you were the rock head until some piece of information finally gets through that previously impenetrable brain of yours and reveals to you what an absolute idiot you’ve been.

I found myself in that exact set of circumstances last night.

It makes me happy when the Lord calls me a “rock head.” He does it often, actually. I know that it is a term of endearment from him and I find great cause to rejoice when he uses that term to point out where my understanding has been lacking. He is kind and doesn’t crack my head open. He gives me just what I need, when I need it, and measured just enough to give me reason to believe what has been there all along.

1 Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.

2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

7 Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.

8 But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

9 Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape. (Psalm 141)

Romans 1:16-17

There is so much in Romans 1:16-32 and my mind is so flooded with thoughts as I study this that I decided to break it down into chunks.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

This is an oft-quoted scripture for an inherently good reason. We should not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. And yet, reading about Paul and the great lengths to which he went to preach that gospel can be very self-incriminating. It has been for me recently. What was it that motivated Paul to do what he did? What is it about us that prevents us from doing the same? And I’m not talking about the specifics of what he did. I’m talking about the amount of effort we exert in trying to share the gospel of Christ with others.

In the past, the Lord has taught me that, as we grow in our knowledge of and love for him, our desires and motivations change, but I will be honest and say that I didn’t know the extent to which that could happen. It was impossible for me to know. As I write this, I can’t help but roll my eyes at myself. This is such a “well, duh” moment, it’s embarrassing. When I had my first child, God gave me a tangible endowment of love that enabled me to care for that child in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to without it. I didn’t know that that level of love existed before I experienced it and it is difficult to explain that love to some of my children who are still at an age where they don’t yet know that that level of love exists.

Why did Paul do what he did? Because he knew that the gospel of Christ was “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Do you think that we understand these things like Paul did? Are we as motivated as he was? Even if you believe that you will never be like Christ in this life, what makes you think you have it in you to be like Paul or Moses or Nephi or any other person in the scriptures? I’ve had to ask myself what demonstrable things about my life lead me to believe such a thing. It’s a painful endeavor. Because he loves us, the Lord shows us what we lack and most people don’t like that. We think that an unabashed declaration of our belief is enough to save us. We think we know what belief is. We think that we know what salvation means and what it takes to obtain it. We think we know what we need to be saved from. We think that we know how his power operates. But we don’t, and even when he reveals portions of these things to you that you previously did not understand, very few people will recognize how much they still do not yet know. What he reveals to us can be so great in quantity that it is easy to fall into the trap of mistakenly thinking that he has revealed all there is to know on that particular subject.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

It is within the gospel of Christ that we have revealed to us the righteousness of God. How? “From faith to faith.” It’s progressive and it continues. A human lives as long as the heart is beating. The heart is continuously filled and refilled. This is how the just live. Those who are justified continuously receive truth and live according to it, in faith, always searching for and expecting more. This is the only way to “live.”

Romans 1:16-32

Scripture study this morning took me to this passage and there is so much here that I will definitely add to this post in the next couple of days. But if you have time to read and ponder, do. So many people read and quote verse 16 and then miss out on what the rest of the chapter is saying.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Systems Analysis

I love analyzing systems. I find myself doing it without even thinking.

Systems allow us to make finite those parts of the infinite that are bounded by the relationship between a system’s unique parts. But, in reality, relationships extend beyond those boundaries. Any system is just part of a bigger system and any part of one system is a system of its own. As mortals, we struggle to comprehend things that are as unbounded as that, but it is, nevertheless, reality. The degree to which we don’t understand how higher and lower order systems define and affect each other is the degree to which we are unable to address any problems or inefficiency that might exist in any of the related systems.

I had the very disheartening experience, recently, of talking to several people who thought that they could solve a problem without realizing that the system level they were analyzing was not the level at which the problem originated. It was all the more disheartening when the Lord revealed to me that if I (at that moment, anyway) told them what system level to address, they wouldn’t believe me. It caused me to feel a deep sorrow, and realizing that I probably do the same thing more often than I am aware of made me want to discover and analyze systems even more. 

"The Glory of God is Intelligence" by Robert Smith

At this writing, about a third of the United States is under either a winter storm warning or a wind chill warning. These are times that naturally lend themselves to curling up under a blanket and reading a good book, so allow me to make a recommendation—The Glory of God Is Intelligence by Robert Smith. It can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or in Kindle formats and can also be viewed/downloaded as a free PDF or listened to as an audiobook on your mobile or non-mobile device.

Nowadays, truth is a priceless commodity. Obtaining it is a task that requires great effort and we are, largely, a very lazy society. Even if you are one of the few people who makes the effort to acquire truth, as you attempt to share it with others, you will quickly find that most people don’t naturally desire truth until they are given a reason to. This is as true in religious matters as it is in politics, economics, science, interpersonal relationships, health practices or any other subject one might take an interest in. That’s because truth is a spiritual matter. Truth speaks to that part of us that is not physical. While all subjects affect our physical world, truth, within the bounds of any subject, is spiritual.

Life is going to give people reasons to desire truth. That is what it is designed to do. As every aspect of our society degenerates (and it will do so at an increasing pace), the only hope that individuals will have will be found in seeking out God and his truth. When it comes right down to it, hope is a consequence of faith, and you can’t have faith in what is not true.

As individuals learn to access God and his truth, they will need tools to enable them to navigate the difficult process of sharing that truth with others. More than that, they will need to teach others how to access God and his truth themselves. Borrowed light will be insufficient.

In The Glory of God Is Intelligence, the reader will find the tools he needs to acquire truth, himself, and then more effectively share that truth with others.

I will pause here to say that this book has an obvious LDS tone to it. Many quotes are from the canon of Mormon scripture. But the book’s purpose is not to convert anyone to Mormonism. It is (as its subtitle suggests) meant to help people acquire and disseminate light and truth. Hopefully, the LDS slant won’t dissuade anyone from reading it. If it does, I can only implore you to have a crack at it anyway and judge it by its contents.

Speaking from my own personal experience now, I have found this book to be invaluable in my life’s journey. Like scripture, the more I read, and the more deeply I read, the more God teaches me. I have recommended this book on a number of occasions to many people, knowing that it would be the catalyst for their obtaining more truth and happiness in their lives as it has been in mine, and I happily make the recommendation here for any honest person to examine The Glory of God Is Intelligence for themselves and to query God as to the value of its application in their lives. 

Your Hands Are Full of Blood

I find it amusing how some children react to the sight of blood. They can have a significant injury and be completely oblivious to it, but as soon as they see a speck of blood on themselves, they go into panic mode.

Children have a natural aversion to blood, especially their own. Something inside of them knows that that stuff should be on the inside of a body and that, if it isn’t, something is wrong. The more blood they see, the more they realize that something horribly wrong.

10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. (Isaiah 1)

These verses are very telling. The Lord’s reference to Sodom and Gomorrah is, by itself, a harsh reprimand and is indicative of the destruction that awaited ancient Israel and that awaits us today. God isn’t talking to heathens. God is talking to people who should know his laws, but don’t. They go through the motions of doing what they think is his will, but there is no purpose to what they are doing. The Lord does not delight in them. In doing these things, the people tread his courts. He asks them to stop doing these things in vain and calls it iniquity. He hates their empty observances, calls them a trouble, and states that they weary him.

God doesn’t ask us to obey commandments that lack substance. There is purpose to everything he gives us and he is displeased when we don’t understand his purposes because, to the degree that we don’t understand, his efforts are wasted. The last verse quoted above clues us in to the degree to which we don’t understand.

Were we to look at our hands and see them the way God sees them, we would see them “full of blood.” We should sense, like a little child would, that something is terribly wrong. What’s more is that the blood is on our hands. It’s not on our clothes, or our arms or legs, or our faces. It’s on those parts of our bodies that symbolize action and participation—intentional or not. 

The Lord says that, because of this, he hides his eyes from us and will not hear our prayers. When we approach him, we are unaware of just how sinful we are and how much we actively participate in things that are abominable before him. But he is not without mercy. He has made a way for us to approach him and it takes a considerable amount of effort on our part.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 1)

The Lord commands us to be clean. He commands us to put away evil doings. He says that we must “learn to do well,” which implies that doing well is something that must be learned. He tells us that doing well means to “reason”—to understand—and then practically apply principles to our actions instead of just going through the motions of outward ordinances that are designed to teach us those principles. He invites us to communicate with him so that he can help us understand and, through that understanding and our subsequent abandonment of our sins, we are made as white as snow.

This is the only way to obtain the promises that God covenants to the faithful. Eating of the good of the land comes to those who are both willing to be put through and obedient to this process, and being devoured by the sword comes to those who refuse and rebel. “The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

Then With That Enmity...

I don’t watch a lot of movies. Not anymore, anyway. My life has been such that I have found it increasingly difficult to make time for movie-watching. But I have seen some, and in order to further the topic of this blogpost, I’ll reference one—The Incredibles.

The Incredibles gave a name (to my mind, anyway) to something you see in many tales of good versus evil. They called it “monologuing” and, when it was first mentioned in the movie, I laughed at the fact that there was now a name for this seemingly absurd, critically informative, story-telling device.

Basically, “monologuing” happens when a villain openly details his diabolical scheme to his opponent—the story’s hero. And what makes monologuing appear absurd is the fact that this happens, most often, when the hero could be easily eliminated. Instead, the villain decides to talk. Thinking that he holds an upper hand, the villain takes the time to lay before his audience (both the hero and the story’s actual audience) his intents and plans that he is sure will bring about the outcomes he desires.

Now, if you have read some of my other blogposts, you can probably draw the conclusion that I am no longer a temple-attending Latter-day Saint. But back in my temple attending days, I spotted the use of monologuing in the endowment presentation. Actually, it’s used in a few places in that presentation, but let’s just take a look at one monologue, specifically. It comes after God has cursed Lucifer for tempting Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit and Lucifer threatens to have the spirits that follow him possess the bodies of Adam and Eve. That is one little glimpse into Lucifer’s plans, but God counters by saying that he will place enmity between Lucifer and the seed of the woman.

So, what is enmity?

The quality of being an enemy; the opposite of friendship; ill will; hatred; unfriendly dispositions; malevolence. It expresses more than aversion and less than malice, and differs from displeasure in denoting a fixed or rooted hatred, whereas displeasure is more transient.

Well, that should give mankind a handicap, right? Having a natural dislike for Lucifer and the things that he would tempt us with should give mankind an advantage, right? 

That would be nice, but then Lucifer says:

Then with that enmity, I will take the treasures of the earth, and with gold and silver I will buy up armies and navies, false priests who oppress, and tyrants who reign with blood and horror on this earth!

I’m not sure if this part has been changed since I was last at the temple or not, but this is what I recall and it taught me something very valuable about how our enemy works. He takes the enmity that God places within us and uses it against us to accomplish his purposes.

He takes the wealth of resources on this earth and purchases military might, religious oppressors, and tyrannical governments to reign in a most horrific manner. We don’t see it as such because he uses deception and misdirection to get us to believe that the employment of these things will help us get rid of whatever else he might tell us is bad. But it is the improper use of these things that is bad—so bad, in fact that we have records of civilizations whose downfall can be attributed to their improper use. Our own civilization's downfall will be for the same reasons.

When faced with the terrible things of this earth, do we turn to God? Or do we go right along with Lucifer’s plan and turn to those organizations that he has convinced us will save us? Do we use those things in a principled manner—in a way that God ordains—or do we trust in them even when they clearly demonstrate that they are unprincipled? 

God will do a great work in the days ahead, but it won’t be before he convinces at least some that the only things that will withstand his judgments will be what he, alone, builds up. Lucifer can monologue all he wants, but his plan is flawed from the beginning. Those who can be bought by anything in this world, and those who are deceived by them, will perish along it.

Psalm 19:7-11

Here are a few verses from Psalms that I love, written in such a way as to suggest how one might go about gaining a deeper understanding of the scriptures. Definitions are so important. Words have so many nuances and they can be so stimulating to the intellect and to the soul. Try replacing the underlined words with their definitions below and see what thoughts are brought to your mind. Another strategy that can be applied to scripture study is looking up different translations and substituting those, too. And, obviously, the most important strategy to employ is developing and maintaining a strong connection to the spirit of God.

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7 The law¹of the Lord is perfect,² converting³ the soul;⁴ the testimony⁵ of the Lord is sure,⁶ making wise⁷ the simple.⁸

8 The statutes⁹ of the Lord are right,¹⁰ rejoicing¹¹ the heart:¹² the commandment¹³ of the Lord is pure,¹⁴ enlightening¹⁵ the eyes.¹⁶

9 The fear¹⁷ of the Lord is clean,¹⁸ enduring¹⁹ for ever: the judgments²⁰ of the Lord are true²¹ and righteous²² altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

 

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1. The word of God; the doctrines and precepts of God, or his revealed will.

2. Complete in moral excellencies.

3. Changing from one state to another.

4. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government.

5. The word of God.

6. Certain, unfailing, infallible.

7. Properly, having knowledge; hence, having the power of discerning and judging correctly, or of discriminating between what is true and what is false; between what is fit and proper, and what is improper; as a wise prince; a wise magistrate.

8. Weak in intellect.

9. A special act of the supreme power, of a private nature, or intended to operate only on an individual or company.

10. In morals and religion, just; equitable; accordant to the standard of truth and justice or the will of God. That alone is right in the sight of God, which is consonant to his will or law; this being the only perfect standard of truth and justice.

11. Animating with gladness; exhilarating; feeling joy.

12. The seat of the understanding. 

13. A command; a mandate; an order or injunction given by authority; charge; precept.

14. Genuine; real; true; incorrupt; unadulterated; as pure religion.

15. Illuminating; giving light to; instructing.

16. View of the mind; opinion formed by observation or contemplation.

17. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience.

18. Free from guilt; sanctified; holy.

19. Lasting; continuing without perishing; bearing; sustaining; supporting with patience, or without opposition or yielding.

20. The determination of the mind, formed from comparing the relations of ideas, or the comparison of facts and arguments.

21. Conformable to fact; being in accordance with the actual state of things.

23. Just; accordant to the divine law. 

Report Card

The scriptures aren’t kidding when they talk about a gulf of misery separating the wicked from the righteous. You can drown in it or you can be carried across it. And I’m not going to go into detail about what the scriptures say about either option. I’ve done that in other posts. This post is just to share a few thoughts about an experience that I had a couple of days ago.

It’s nice that the Lord gives me report cards—certain experiences where he details how much progress (or lack of progress) I am making towards him. When crossing a gulf, it’s a good thing to frequently assess your location and direction and, knowing that it can be a dangerous journey, I ask the Lord to do this for me often.

Report cards are intended to make someone aware of their location—where they are at in some journey of improvement. It highlights the progress the student is making and also what needs improvement. A few months ago, the Lord gave me a report card and it was a little discouraging because, while I could honestly say that I was doing my absolute best in regards to the information he had given to me thus far, I wasn’t able to advance to the place I wanted to be—to have the experiences that I wanted to have—because there were things that I needed to understand first. That felt like a serious punch to the gut, but I’ve learned that the Lord is never wrong when he hands you that report card, even if you think you have reasons to disagree with his assessment.

Over the course of the last few months, he has taught me so many things, using so many people and things that he has placed in my life, that I couldn’t possibly begin to make an account of them all. And then, a couple of mornings ago, he showed me something about himself that I never could have understood without learning the things he taught me. More than that, he gave me a clear understanding of the degree to which I had acquired the characteristics that he had shown me about himself and how I would not have been able to get to that point without first submitting to the instruction he knew I needed.

I don’t know how to convey in words what it is like to be handed a report card like that. You might think that it would give someone a big head, but it doesn’t. It is very humbling. You are immediately aware of his love for you, you love him in return, and you are forced to admit that you never could have progressed to that point without him.

Anyone who tells you that you cannot become like God is a liar. There is a way to do that. He is the way. He shows it to you. And when he hands you that report card (even the “bad” ones)—when he shows you where you are on that journey—you don’t feel so disoriented in the middle of that gulf. You instantly feel his guidance and direction and love in ever-increasing degrees. The only thing better than that report card is the next one.