A Great Quote

I heard this quote while I was working out yesterday morning and found it so valuable and so easily and so generally applicable that I thought I would share. :) 

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself and in no instance bypass the discriminations of reason? You have been given the principles that you ought to endorse, and you have endorsed them. What kind of teacher, then, are you still waiting for in order to refer your self-improvement to him? You are no longer a boy, but a full-grown man. If you are careless and lazy now and keep putting things off and always deferring the day after which you will attend to yourself, you will not notice that you are making no progress, but you will live and die as someone quite ordinary.

From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer, and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event.”  —Epictetus

Zechariah 8:9-17

9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not:

15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.

16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord. (Zechariah 8)

 

Several chapters in the book of Zechariah were part of my scripture study this morning, and these verses were especially beautiful to me.

The reasons why this passage is so beautiful to me are deeply rooted in my heart, and I find my thoughts on these verses to be a very nice follow-up to my recent blogpost on Ezekiel 8. In Hebrew, "Zechariah" means "the LORD remembers," and that sentiment permeates these verses. The Lord, knowing that Israel was rebellious, that they would reject his word at the outset of his dealings with them, and that they would degenerate into a nation that committed abominations before him, always had in mind to raise up and use a remnant of Israel for his purposes. These scriptures and the charges in them are very applicable to modern-day Israel.

 

Conversations at 3 AM

What great love the Lord has for each of his creations! In pondering all of the Lord’s creations, man is easily be overtaken by his own insignificance. A comprehension of the greatness of God, and all that he is and does, lends itself to that.

8 And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered.

9 And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth.

10 And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.

37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.

38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. (Moses 1)

And then, the Lord says:

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

What greater work can there be than making known the love of God to the children of men! 

Ezekiel 8 (cont.)

A couple of days ago, I posted the entirety of Ezekiel, chapter 8. It’s a chapter that kicks off a multi-chapter recounting of one of the Lord’s interactions with Ezekiel (passages definitely worthy of in-depth study) and whose theme and underlying message pops into my head from time to time. A coalescing of recent events in my life has caused that to happen quite frequently lately, but not for the same exact reasons it has in the past.

Without going into many of the finer details of chapter 8, I will just summarize the chapter by saying that Ezekiel is taken, in the spirit, to Jerusalem and shown a number of abominations happening in the temple there. Israel’s wickedness doesn’t seem to be new knowledge to Ezekiel. Much of the chapters previous to chapter 8 tell of Israel’s wickedness and its impending consequences. It is interesting, however, to think about what this information, specifically, might have meant to Ezekiel. Could he have ever imagined that the wickedness found in Israel would run so deep as to be found within inner rooms of the temple and that the people perpetrating that wickedness were the priests themselves? Is it possible that one of the reasons why this account is included in our canon of scripture is to warn us of something similar that might happen in our day?

I think it would be foolish to rule out the possibility.

God’s word isn’t limited to “religion,” and, as of late, I have been shown how God will, eventually, bring to light the darkness of any institution—even those deemed to be “secular”—that does not act in accordance with good, moral, and righteous principles. How much more so an institution charged to bear his gospel to the world?

To my LDS family and acquaintances, I have often said that, if the principle that the President and other leaders of the church can’t lead you astray was correct, we should all be Jewish. Actually, the idea would be as equally applicable to the time of the Patriarchs, but it still makes the point. How could God be an unchanging God and no respecter of persons, and yet privilege us with infallible church leadership when he has never done so with any other group of people in history? It is undeniably true that a significant portion of the teachings of Jesus during his mortal ministry is a testament to the fact that Israel had deviated from the teachings of Moses. He holds nothing back in speaking out against the wickedness of the priests of his day. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many of the passages in the Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament give the reader greater insight about the dangers of following “leaven of the Pharisees.” Why would that be? It is obviously too late for his translation to be a warning the the ancient Israelites. Perhaps Joseph knew that, because he was “a prophet like unto Moses,” the people who claimed to follow his teachings would do exactly as those who claimed to follow Moses’ teachings anciently and that the leadership of the church he established would do likewise—even priests performing abominations in the inner rooms of the temple.

Yesterday morning, my mind and heart were flooded with a great love for “the strength of [the Lord’s] house.” (D&C 101:55-59) The need for “the residue of [his] servants” and for his “warriors” is great. Just as Ezekiel was told to dig through a wall, the Lord’s warriors are told to break down the walls of his enemies by exposing all of their lies and falsehoods that they have erected to provide their presumed safety and secrecy. Where does this happen? In the nobleman’s own vineyard.

Did the abominations of the ancient Israelite priests somehow void what Moses taught? No. In fact, the law of Moses, being a schoolmaster, was an important stepping stone for those not yet prepared to receive Jesus and what he eventually taught.

Can the abominations of any modern-day priests somehow void what Joseph Smith taught? No. Joseph’s teachings were an important stepping stone for what was yet to come and for what is yet to come.

There is so much yet to come.

As institutions crumble, remember that the Lord cannot put new wine into old bottles. Take his light for a guide and be renewed in him, that you may stand ready and willing to receive what he is giving.

Ezekiel 8

1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.

3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

16 And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. 

A Great Movie to Watch This Evening

I’m not big on Halloween, for many reasons. However, if you’re spending the evening at home tonight and you are wanting to watch a movie, may I suggest “Luther.” You can watch it for free on YouTube at this link.

October 31st is traditionally regarded as the day when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. That event kicked off the Protestant Reformation—a necessary precursor to the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to all of the end times events that have happened and that have yet to happen.

There are worse things you could do tonight, and why pick something worse? :)

Stones, New Names, and a Sea of Glass (Part IV)

6 The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;

7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.

9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;

11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word. (D&C 130)

Growing up in the LDS church, I was taught that the celestial kingdom was the highest kingdom a person could attain in the afterlife through our experiences in this life. I was taught the church’s version of how to get there, and I adopted a lot of beliefs that were vain and false, which I have had to go to great lengths to disabuse myself of.

Without going into details that are unnecessary for the purposes of this series of blogposts, I think that attaining the celestial kingdom looks a whole lot different than what most LDS people believe. Many of those details are included in other posts. And while I will say that the specifics of the verses above only apply to a very small number of people (see Matthew 7:13-14) at a certain stage of progression, I also believe that there are general principles we can learn from, regardless of where we are in our progression.

God gives us laws, and we have the ability to obey or disobey them. They are written in “stone,” and it is appropriate that the first of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness has similar imagery.

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4)

Words that proceed out of the mouth of God are written in stone. It is those laws that we live by, not physical bread, and we shouldn’t attempt to change them into something that is more palatable to us.

Our obedience to one law positions us in between that law and the next one that will draw us closer to God. As we progress towards him, we should be constantly putting laws “under our feet.” All those who have come to obey, understand, and appreciate a law clearly see the effects of that law, and when a set of laws that exist in one sphere is completely obeyed, those truths are circumscribed and the sphere becomes a fit and common habitation for those who are ready to receive things pertaining to a higher kingdom, which come individually and uniquely in the form of another stone. The sphere becomes a sea of glass, where things pertaining to a lower kingdom are easily seen and understood. 

The white stone has a new name on it. Again, this is specific to individuals who inherit the celestial kingdom. But in our own progress, each law that is given to us is meant to bring us closer to that new name, and each law that we receive sanctifies us and causes us to become someone that wasn’t proven before.

We should be constantly getting new and higher laws. As everything below us becomes something that we can understand through our obedience, we receive greater and greater portions of those things that are above us that we do not yet understand, but will through our obedience.

Stones, New Names, and a Sea of Glass (Part III)

6 The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;

7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.

9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;

11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word. (D&C 130)

We are told, in verse 10, that “…the white stone…will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one…” It will pass from one state to another. By contrast, we are told, in verse 9, that “…this earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon…”

These differences in tense are important. They correspond to the higher and lower kingdoms being referred to—the white stone being involved in an active, transitional process of revealing things that pertain to higher kingdoms and the earth in an already existing state of revealing things that pertain to lower kingdoms.

It is also important that the stone that makes known things of a higher kingdom is individual. Each individual receives one. Whereas the earth, on which all of the inhabitants dwell, becomes one Urim and Thummim given to many.

It is also interesting to note the imagery of inhabitants dwelling on this earth that will, then, be a Urim and Thummim. It conveys the idea that, as those inhabitants ascended, they subdued lower kingdoms—the ability to comprehend things of a lower kingdom being under their feet. Underscoring this idea is the fact that “this earth…will be made like unto crystal”—a very clear and transparent substance. It calls to mind imagery that this earth will be a window, of sorts, through which one can view the things of lower kingdoms that have been subdued and overcome.

A scripture from the book of Revelation conveys the same imagery:

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. (Revelation 15:2)

Verse 8 tells us that “the place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.” And verse 7 says that the angels “reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.”

So, there is a pattern here. The stone and the places where these beings reside are meant to convey information. They are the means of making manifest “lights” and “perfections”—understanding and truths of things pertaining to both higher and lower kingdoms. 

Stones, New Names, and a Sea of Glass (Part II)

6 The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;

7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.

9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;

11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word. (D&C 130)

The words “Urim” and “Thummim” translate to “lights” and “perfections,” respectively. They are two words that should be, at least, a little familiar to anyone who has studied the priestly robes Aaron was required to wear in the tabernacle.

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually. (Exodus 28:30)

These words are also found in LDS scripture. In the Book of Abraham, we learn that, by their use, Abraham learned of heavenly bodies.

1 And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees;

2 And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it; (Abraham 3)

In the Joseph Smith—History and Doctrine and Covenants, we discover that Joseph translated the 116 pages of lost manuscript by the means of the Urim and Thummim.

By this timely aid was I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father, in the month of December, and the February following. (JS—H 1:62) 

Now, behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those writings which you had power given unto you to translate by the means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them. (D&C 10:1)

These instruments were found deposited with the plates and other sacred artifacts, and in ancient times, their possession and use constituted seership.

Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book. (JS-H 1:35)

Several verses in the Old Testament indicate that the Urim and Thummim were instruments through which a righteous priest could discern truth and dispense judgment in holiness. Like all things sacred, they are to be used strictly for God’s purposes.

With regard to this series of blogposts, it is of special note that, in the Abraham account, Abraham learns of the relationships of heavenly bodies and intelligences. It is through the Urim and Thummim that Abraham sees things that are “greater” and things that are “lesser” and the reckonings of those things. Verses 9 & 10 of D&C mirror these ideas.

9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known; (D&C 130)

Concerning things pertaining to a higher kingdom, we see that the white stone becomes a personal Urim and Thummim. It is a means by which one comes to know of and understand things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms. This is exactly what happens when we are given new laws higher than the ones we have previously been given and to which which we have been obedient. It is a pattern that is seen as one ascends. The new laws help us understand the order of higher kingdoms.

 

 

Stones, New Names, and a Sea of Glass (Part I)

6 The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;

7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.

9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;

11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word. (D&C 130)

When I was growing up, one thing that I loved about the gospel was that it seemed never-ending. There was always more you could learn and incorporate. I loved scriptures like the one above because of the fact that I didn’t understand them. It meant that there was a discovery ahead, and I grew to love searching things out and then having the Lord reveal things to my understanding.

One can determine that there are specific meanings to the things talked about in these verses, because we are given clues as to how the things in these verses pertain to things of a celestial nature. But there are also patterns in everything that God does, and I see a fractal, of sorts, in what we read above—a description of a process that can help us understand what is required of us as we ascend towards God.  

This will probably be a series of posts.

Let’s start with stones and work backwards. There are many scriptures about stones that convey various concepts, but only a few will be quoted here, and some will be saved for future posts in the series.

The Law of Moses was given to Israel on tables of stone.

12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. (Exodus 24)

Interestingly, these laws were written by the finger of God.

We also read how receiving God’s laws on stone tablets is not the same as receiving God’s laws in your heart.

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

These laws are written “with the Spirit of the living God.”

Verse 10, above, refers to Revelation 2:17, which says:

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17)

Verse 10 goes on to explain that the “white stone” becomes a Urim and Thummim to the person who receives it, “whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known.”

When we receive laws from God, that are not yet written in our hearts, they are written “in stone.” We receive laws from God when we have obeyed the laws that he has previously given to us. These new laws will always be laws that help us ascend, from the point at which we are to a point that is closer to him. It is by obedience to these commands that we come to know “things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms.”

On the stone is written a “new name.” I wrote a blogpost about names a while back. In ancient times, names were more than just a means of identifying someone. Names told you something about the individual, and obedience to new laws that we receive is meant to change us into someone who did not exist before. Furthermore, you can only really know—or, in other words, comprehend—the new name—or the individual you become—by not only obeying the law that is given to you on the “stone,” but also by having it written on your heart—or on the seat of your desires.

All the Temples in the World…

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3)

33 For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;

34 And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy.

35 The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple. (D&C 93)

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23)

Last weekend, the LDS church held its semi-annual General Conference. In recent years, I’ve listened in on conference sessions, only to hear what some of my children who still attend are being taught, but the circumstances of last weekend made tuning-in fall very low on the priority list. I didn’t see or hear any of it, but, by way of social media, I encountered the announcement of plans to build several new temples.

Over the same weekend, a video was put up on YouTube. I got to watch it on a travel day last week, and I found it so sad that so many people were so excited to hear the news of temple construction, but were completely unaware of a video that shared such priceless information about (just a part of) what it’s like to become God’s temple. 

The most important “temple work” that can be done is internal to us. There is an enormous amount of symbolism to be found in the concept and practice of temple worship, but, to be quite honest, it is a lower form of worship than what God originally intended for mankind to have.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4)

Jesus says that true worshippers “shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” Engaging in this type of worship is effectual, and God has placed, is placing, and will place everything we need in our lives to engage in this type of worship.

The video I mentioned earlier in this post was published by Rob Smith on his YouTube channel, “upwardthought”, and can be found here. It’s a long video—the longest of any on his channel (though, not much longer than a general conference session and far more spiritually satisfying—just saying). If that particular video is too long, pick a shorter one. Every video is worth watching.

I’ve recommended his books on numerous occasions. The value of the principles in his books is many times the value of the time it takes to read one. If you find value in the videos, you should consider reading his books, several formats of which can be found on his blog.

The videos and (to a greater extent) the books are tools that shed greater light on God and his goodness and love towards us. They are instruments designed to help us do the “temple work” within ourselves that will cause us to become a fit habitation for God’s spirit.

For several reasons, currently and combined, all the LDS temples in the world cannot even come close to the capability of doing the same, and adding more to the existing number will not change that fact.

There are greater sources of light, and the Lord is making those sources more widely available. We should recognize these sources and benefit from them while they are available to us. 

YouTube Videos on the Topic of Womanhood

I officially became a YouTuber yesterday. I’ve been working on a six-part series of videos on the topic of womanhood for quite some time, and I posted the first four of the six videos yesterday. The two remaining videos should be up soon.

This has been a deeply meaningful project to work on—one that has taken a lot of time and that has taken me through many experiences to complete. There have been so many things that the Lord has taught me—about his love for us, about how we are to love others, and about the great lengths that he goes to in order to teach us those things.

These videos are an attempt to help young women experience the joy they were designed to experience as a consequence of their womanhood and its proper use. There is so much misery in what the world is currently teaching young women (and young men) about their reproductive design, and it is so unnecessary. The biological design of men and women itself is meant to steer us into the roles that God has so wisely decreed for us, through which we are meant to experience a fulness of joy.

I sincerely hope that the videos find their way into the lives of all those who would respond favorably to their message.

The playlist can be found at this link.

Teaching

I’ve spent, what some might consider, a rather inordinate amount of time organizing some ideas into a presentation recently, and as I was working on that again today, I was very much overcome with joy as many “off-topic” thoughts flooded my brain. I hope that I can capture all of them here.

A bit ago, while working on that same presentation, I recalled how, in my childhood, one of my favorite things to do was to pretend to be a teacher to my younger siblings. I loved coming home from school and sharing what I learned with them, and I was lucky in that, for the most part, they were agreeable to being my students. In our home, there was a small, green chalkboard that hung above an orange, wall-mounted telephone. I never minded struggling to reach that chalkboard as I wrote math problems on it, and I can remember writing out, by hand, math worksheets and spelling lists and other “assignments” to have my siblings work on. I’ve loved being a teacher for as long as I can remember.

This next part will feel choppy, I’m sure, because I don’t want to lose what is in my head right now.

I love truth. I love the potential good that it can bring to people who embrace it and live by it. I love the transformative power behind it. I love the discovery of truth. I love the excitement and wonder I feel when I recognize something as truth. Truth doesn’t come by itself. It comes with implications, and those implications broaden my understanding just enough to become the foundation for even more truth. I love communicating truth to other people. It is a bittersweet experience. Unfortunately, it is mostly bitter, but the quality of the sweet is exquisite.

I know that God honors the search for truth when it is done for the express benefit of other people. It’s like a key that unlocks and opens a floodgate of revelation. It’s amazing how, in praying and asking to simply be a conduit of truth to others, you become the unintended beneficiary of so much truth! And it has to be that way, too, in order for it to work. Any sense of benefit to self has to fall by the wayside before you can expect the greatest outpourings of truth. This was something I put into practice all the time when I taught Sunday School. When a lesson just wasn’t “coming together,” I would specifically pray and ask the Lord to teach me what he wanted the class to learn, and invariably, he always taught me more, with greater clarity, than what I was ever able to communicate to the class, even when what was communicated was amazing.

Today, I was also amazed at the variety of ways in which someone can teach someone. I was thinking about several related concepts, and the many different ways in which I could order those concepts flashed across my mind. That happens a lot, actually, causing me to be a lot slower in the organization of my thoughts as I would like, but I’m so grateful that God has that creativity at his disposal. I’m sure that he has had to get very creative, very often, in order to teach someone like me.

I know that the desire to teach truth is a natural result of the love one has for other people. It can be so great that it consumes every other desire you might have.

God is love, and love is truth. God’s sons and daughters are born out of an acceptance of truth. They become his heirs through both their adherence and submission to truth. God is a teacher of truth, and any who would grow into his likeness will become the same.

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. (Proverbs 4:1)

Truth is a Father, and if you would become a Father, you must live, and then teach, truth. 

Surface Area—The Need for a Broken Heart

I wrote this post a while back and posted it, but immediately felt to take it down and keep it in my drafts. At the time, I was pondering the concept of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” I’ve had many thoughts about this phrase over the years, but the Lord showed me something else.

He brought to my mind the image of a paper heart being torn into two halves. It was torn in a dimly lit room over a smooth, round table top. Then, he tore off smaller pieces that dropped onto the table. Each tear took me back to separate experiences that caused me a great deal of sorrow and grief. I relived them, and seeing all of those pieces there on the table would have been a terrible end to the vision had it ended there.

But then, a light penetrated the room from above the table. It was soft, but intense, and warm. It illuminated the table and the torn pieces of the heart, and I felt an inexpressible love and warmth within my own heart, too.

I understood that, in the past, had I not willingly allowed the Lord to tear my heart into pieces, I would not have been able to endure the intensity of that light. The resulting increased surface area made my heart not just able to bear his light and love, but to absorb it, and drink it in, and savor it—and that realization caused me to feel an immense amount of gratitude for all of the painful experiences that I had been through. Had I not yielded to those experiences, it would have been impossible for me to endure the light and love he was sending at that moment.

People think that God mends hearts, and I suppose that in some way it feels as though he does. But in reality, he tears your heart, and it is so unbelievably painful. He does this so that you can better receive the light and love that he so mercifully and abundantly pours out to you. It comes so privately and intimately. It is unspeakable. It comes in moments where anyone else who might be observing the situation you are in will only see the pieces of your heart on the table, if they see anything at all. But it is that greater surface area of your broken heart—that greater capacity to take up his wisdom and love into your heart—that makes that wonderous experience possible. 

2 Nephi 33:1-12

My study time this morning has my heart and mind drawn to this passage in 2 Nephi.

1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught. 

3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.

5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.

6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat.

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

“My Commandments Are Spiritual”

One thing that I love about truth is that it can be approached from many angles. You can be shown a concept that you previously understood from a new vantage point, and it can cause you to gain a deeper understanding of what you already knew or give you keys to understand things you didn’t. 

34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.

35 Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual. (D&C 29)

Ahh, Section 29! (sigh) I love it!

However, I can remember being pretty confused about these two scriptures while I was growing up. I can recall thinking, “Wait! No temporal commandments? That’s crazy! There are temporal commandments all over the place—tithing, modesty, word of wisdom, food storage, etc. Aren’t those all temporal commandments?”

Nope.

I’ve come to know why they aren’t, and there are probably others who are light-years ahead of me who have, too, but I hope that this post and others that I intend to make find their way to those who might have likewise misunderstood this scripture. Coming to correctly understand this scripture has been very empowering—life-changing, even. And that’s probably one of the biggest understatements I have ever made. :)

Because we live in a temporal world, it’s in our nature to think in terms of what is temporal. Many of the commandments that God gives us have temporal outcomes, but in order to understand this scripture properly, you have to stop thinking in terms of outcomes and start thinking in terms of input—of where we receive and process the information that determines those outcomes—and that is always spiritual, 100% of the time.

We rarely, if ever, pay any attention to what is going on “in the spirit.” Do we even know what that means? What is your spirit? Where is it? What does it do? What is it intended to do? How do your body and your spirit interact with each other? Do you pay attention to that? Are they interacting with each other in the way God intended? If not, what needs to happen in order to change that?

God’s commandments are always spiritual—not because they never have a temporal outcome, but because they are always received, analyzed, and committed to (or not) in our conscious mind. And while there may or may not be a temporal result of obedience or disobedience to his commandments (meaning there may or may not be any physical action commanded or forbidden), there is always a spiritual result because the idea to either obey or disobey will always pass through your spirit first and because the conscious decision to either obey or disobey will always have the relative positive or negative effect on your spirit.

 

Psalm 97

1 The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

8 Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord.

9 For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

“Repentance” by Robert Smith

A little more than two years ago, I wrote a blogpost about words and their definitions. In it, I said that we take words for granted. We really do. Language is quite an extraordinary gift when used properly, and it is an extraordinary stumblingblock when it is not.

I recommend clicking on the link in the above paragraph to read that blogpost, mainly because what follows, in many ways, will be a specific extension of my thoughts there. 

A serious study of scripture led me to realize that “repentance” was a word that had been ill-defined by my religious organization and, consequently, believed by those around me who belonged to it. Not only did their definition of “repentance” contradict the definition found in scripture, but its application as prescribed by that organization failed to yield the same outcomes of which scripture bears testimony. Those two witnesses were enough to get me to realize that what my church was offering was a fake bill of goods. (Here’s another blogpost that dives into that a little more.)

Sometimes we brush aside contradictions like this, thinking that it’s not a big deal to have minor discrepancies in our definitions, but when God is the one who is trying to communicate to us, it is a really big deal. Everything that he does is for our benefit, and the words that he uses to communicate ideas and concepts to our minds that are for our benefit are specific and intentional, limitations in our finite, mortal language notwithstanding.

An accurate understanding of the word “repentance,” then, is extremely, even critically, important. Repentance is what reconciles us to God when we would otherwise be enemies to him. Is it any wonder why the earth is in the hellish state it is right now? There isn’t an organized religion on the planet that preaches “repentance” as found in scripture. Within the ranks of those who ideologically belong to these “Christian” organizations alone, how many enemies to God do you figure that makes?

That needs to change. It is prophesied to change. And having said all of that, I come to my recommendation of the book mentioned in the title of this blogpost. :)

“Repentance” by Robert Smith is a concise, conversational, matter-of-fact, and true-to-scripture exposition on the topic of repentance. The first sentence of the book kicks off 129 pages of clarification on the subject:

To repent means to fully reconcile your ideas, desires, and actions to your sincere understanding of what is best. (pg. 1)

I’ve written about how I believe that repentance involves a commitment to be perfectly obedient—in this life—to everything that God tells you. It’s an idea that I have found to be unbelievably unpopular, even though it is the source of the greatest hope to my mind. This book takes this idea even further in making the case that what God tells you is communicated to you through your conscience—your model of the ideal human being, which is also your current understanding of God. It is something that is in the possession of every single person, regardless of whether they claim an explicit belief in God or not.

The power of the concept of ideal transcends all differences among all people. No matter the individual or their circumstances, or how often it changes, at any moment, each and every person has a concept of ideal.

A person’s ideal is not going to be an actual person they know. Every person they know will have some or many flaws—deviations from their ideal. Instead, their ideal is the synthesis of their experiences, their culture, and their capabilities into a hypothetical person. A person’s ideal is the composite of the best aspects of human character and action that they’ve witnessed or imagined. Though this ideal person exists only in their mind, as far as they know, their idea of him or her is so vivid that they can imagine what that person would do in every circumstance in which they find themselves.

This ideal that you, me, and everyone else has is one and the same as our idea of what God is like. This is just as true whether a person believes in God or not. God is the embodiment of the actual ideal. Your idea of God is your estimate of the ideal. Everyone, whether they believe in God or not, has an idea of what they imagine him to be like, and that is their model of the ideal human.

This idea is sure to be equally offensive to both the religious and the secular, and yet of vast value and importance to both. The religious would argue that it is blasphemous to relegate the unknowable infinity of God to the limited embodiment of a human. This is one of the many ideas that Jesus was killed for. Secularists will bristle at the fact that, in spite of claiming not to believe in God, they nevertheless judge themselves daily according to their idea of him. All the guilt they feel is actually as a result of their knowing failure to live up to a God they claim not to believe in. Offensive, indeed, yet true in both cases. (pp. 8-9)

The implications of what is being said in these paragraphs are numerous and far-reaching, and some of them are found in the book, but are far less important than the ways in which the book explains how we can best understand and apply this important principle of salvation.

The move from being enemies to God to being reconciled to him hinges upon our ability to clearly understand and willingly apply the principle of repentance. With the publication of this book, the former will not be wanting. Only the latter can remain undone.

Those who deeply study and practice repentance as set forth in this book, who willingly and completely submit to the ideal that God is communicating to them, will find themselves and the world around them greatly benefited.

Print version (sold at cost) can be found here.

Free Ebook download can be found here.

Other books by the author can be found in multiple formats on the sidebar of his blog, UpwardThought.

Hebrews 12:18-29

Human beings are taught to extract lessons on morals, ethics, and proper behavior from both real and fictional situations from a very young age. Cultures all across the world have traditions and stories that try to convey, to their youngest and oldest constituents alike, principles and practices they believe will yield the best outcomes in the lives of individuals and in society at large. The story of the Lord’s dealings with Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai afforded the Hebrews one of the best such stories:

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

For millennia, believers of the Old Testament have been able to study the account of the children of Israel in Exodus 19. Moses was tasked to prepare them for an ascent of Mount Sinai to enter the Lord’s presence. To ensure the people were not destroyed, bounds were set, and the people were told not to touch the mount. Moses was also commanded to sanctify the people for three days. When the Lord’s presence descended upon the mountain, the attending fire, darkness, and tempest, posed a great threat—enough to cause Moses to fear. Because things of the spirit are eternal in nature and govern things that are physical, a spiritual sanctification was necessary before a physical ascension could take place. The account has always been intended to teach people what should happen in the Spirit in order to enjoy heavenly associations.

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

The wording here is reminiscent of several passages of scripture, most notably D&C 76 and its description of things that are celestial. Those heavenly associations sound very nice and, to most, probably conjure up thoughts of bliss and eternal felicity. But the inevitable conclusion one must draw from the comparison made here to the events at Mount Sinai is as unmistakable as it is undeniable—“coming unto” those things that are celestial is exacting and stringent, demanding and even onerous, to the point of death.

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

Again, the predominance of things of the spirit over things of the physical world is key here. The superiority and eternal nature of things of the spirit make consequences for disobedience to commandments given by the spirit much greater than those of disobedience to commandments not given by the spirit. This principle must be understood and applied by those who would “receiv[e] a kingdom which cannot be moved.”

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:17

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

I was going to include this scripture in my last post, but that didn’t feel right, and when I thought that I would include it in a post on the remainder of chapter 12, that didn’t feel right either. So, it gets a post of its very own. :)

The “he” in verse 17 is Esau. Verse 16 uses Esau as an example of a “profane person.” Noah Webster defines “profane” as “irreverent to anything sacred;” “irreverent; proceeding from a contempt of sacred things, or implying it.” That’s not a comprehensive list of definitions, but it will do for our purposes here.

Genesis 25:29-34 describes the account of Esau selling his birthright to his brother, Jacob.

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau, seeing no value in the blessings that were available to him by right of his birth, sells them to Jacob for a bowl of pottage. Those blessings were sacred and worth much more than the bowl of pottage he received in exchange. The fact that he sold them for such a cheap price demonstrated his irreverence for those sacred things, and the writer of Hebrews is absolutely correct in using him as an example of a “profane person.” He knowingly gave those blessings up for what was expedient in the moment.

Thinking that he could still obtain what he had expressly given away, Esau prepares meat for his father in anticipation of receiving his birthright blessing, only to discover that Isaac has given it to Jacob instead. Between these two accounts, we know of nothing Esau did to redeem what he had sold, further illustrating his irreverence for the birthright. In fact, he marries Hittite wives, “which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.” When the time comes to finally and fully receive what should have been his, there is no longer a way in which to reclaim it. Esau receives a lesser blessing, mourns his loss with weeping and bitter tears, and sets his mind to kill Jacob once his father is dead.

 

Hebrews 12:14-16

You know, I have a mind to go back and create blogposts on the whole book of Hebrews. What an absolute treasure!!

I have a draft of a blogpost that I entitled “Israel 2.0.”  In it, I intended to make a comparison of ancient Israel and the LDS church, highlighting the fact that, while God was willing to work with them to begin with, they both eventually fell out of God’s favor. There are, quite frankly, so many similarities, that it would undoubtedly end up a series of blogposts.

And in that same vein, Hebrews is such a great treasure to those coming out of a belief system that God, at one time, had a hand in—any belief system, not necessarily that put forth by a religious institution, though I believe that God has, at least twice, setup temporal institutions with religious rites and rituals that were only meant to draw our thoughts and devotions to something better.

The fact of the matter is that we grow in truth incrementally (the rate at which that happens being a separate matter), and it is always terribly unwise to find reasons to adhere to a level of truth we have already accepted when God wills to give us greater truth.

So, continuing on from the topic of the last blogpost...

Why does God chasten us? Because we are meant to become better than what we are and because, if we do not leave behind what we presently are, even if it was, at one time, an appropriate advancement from what we once were (but especially if not), we cannot become what he intends us to be.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Gah! This verse!! This verse has allusions to the two great commandments. It actually admonishes us to pursue the natural consequences of keeping those commandments—love for our neighbor yields peace with all men and love of God yields holiness. It goes further to state that, without holiness, one is incapable of seeing the Lord—an experience that (anyone who has thoroughly read my blog should know) is a multi-faceted topic that is inexpressibly dear to my heart.

We know that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:40)

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Verses 15 and 16 go hand in hand with verse 14 and set up, very well, the discussion found in later verses. But without jumping too far ahead, I will just say that “peace with all men” and “seeing the Lord” go hand in hand as a necessary step in our progression towards becoming like him. Verses 15 and 16 mention a few specific things that would prevent this progression from happening: failing of God’s grace, bitterness, sexual immorality, and profaneness—things that you will likely encounter and must overcome if you are to enjoy the blessing of associations that are higher and holier than those you presently enjoy.

Hebrews 12:5-13

Two nights ago, I had a conversation with someone I love very much. That’s what sparked this whole series of blogposts on Hebrews 12, actually, and verses 5-13 played a prominent part in our discussion. These verses focus on the subject of chastening.

Being able to endure chastening is a tight-rope walk in many respects. We easily misunderstand God’s purpose in sending it to us; we often don’t recognize it for what it is when it comes; even if we do recognize it, we are more than likely to be ungrateful for it; and for all of these reasons, we tend to react very poorly to it. Were we to understand, recognize, appreciate, and react positively to chastening, we would be greatly benefited.

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

We are exhorted to “despise not...the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when...rebuked of him.”

So, let’s look up a few definitions.

DESPISE, v.t.

1.  To contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have the lowest opinion of.

2.  To abhor.  

CHASTENING, n. Correction, punishment for the purpose of reclaiming.

“Despise” is a pretty strong word. We don’t really despise chastening, do we? Oh, yes we do! We don’t just undervalue chastening. We abhor it. It is our natural reaction to treat it with scorn and disdain. Why? Because it forces us to admit that we presently fight against God. Were that not so, we wouldn’t need correction and we wouldn’t need to be reclaimed, now, would we? And punishment? Some might be able to tolerate the idea of correction, but punishment? Not many people like the sound of that. But it is important to understand that there is a reason why the punishment is given—why he chastens us. It is to reclaim us. The fact is that, because of the role of man’s agency in salvation, he cannot reclaim us without chastening us.

Let’s look up a couple of more definitions before we leave verse 5:

FAINT, v.i.

2.  To become feeble; to decline or fail in strength and vigor; to be weak.

3.  To sink into dejection; to lose courage or spirit.

REBUKE, v.t.

3.  To chasten; to punish; to afflict for correction.

I only quoted the definitions that I thought were the most appropriate here. “Rebuke” is synonymous with “chastening,” but “faint” adds another dimension to the admonition in verse five. It introduces another way in which we might incorrectly respond to the Lord’s chastening. Even when, and perhaps especially when, we appropriately value the chastening of the Lord, it is easy to feel weak and feeble. It is terribly easy to sink into dejection and lose courage and spirit. You have to guard against that when you encounter the Lord’s chastening, and you have to muster a great measure of strength to correct whatever the Lord tells you needs correcting. Because of the role of man’s agency in salvation, you can’t afford to faint.

The Lord’s chastening is a natural consequence of his love for us, and those who want to be received by him should expect a scourging.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

The parent-child relationship is drawn upon throughout scripture as a likeness of the relationship God has with us. One property of a correct relationship we should have with God is our ability to endure his chastening.

Good fathers chasten their children. It is obvious that children need discipline, correction, and even punishment. A father’s withholding of these things when the child is in need of them is detrimental to the child. Likewise, the child’s rejection of the correction is also detrimental. Verse 8 even goes so far as to say it is so true that all sons partake of chastening that, if the relationship is without chastisement, it is illegitimate.

God’s goodness far exceeds that of any earthly father, so it should be easy to subject ourselves to his correction and discipline. Earthly fathers are capable of making unintentional errors in judgment, at best, and of extending correction to their children for their own benefit, not necessarily for that of their children, at worst. God doesn’t do that. He is only ever interested in our betterment—our sanctification. For this reason, he is that much more worthy of much more of the honor we are commanded to give our earthly fathers. We shouldn’t need a commandment to honor God. Anyone who catches a glimpse of God’s goodness in offering to us what is always in our best interest and what comes at great cost to himself ought to forever honor and praise God for doing so and should eagerly subject themselves to him.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

There is a magnificent key to both avoiding unnecessary and unending grief and obtaining lasting happiness and joy in this verse. I know so many people who live their lives with grief running in the background. They make the “present...grievous” because they never move to “afterward.” The only way to get to “afterward” is to be “exercised” by the chastening.

People make the grievous present last way longer than it needs to by failing to fully employ the chastening that God has given them. God’s desire is not to make us miserable. That’s Satan’s desire, and he does that by causing us to despise or faint at God’s chastening. God wants us to appropriately value and quickly employ his correction so that the present becomes joyous, yielding “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” that can only be had when you submit yourself to his chastening. 

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

In the Greek, “turned out of the way” is translated as “put out of joint.” In other words, if you don’t respond appropriately to God’s chastening, things get worse. You don’t start reading Genesis and make it past the story of Cain’s rejection of God’s correction before you realize that. God would have us take what is weak in us and make it stronger. He desires for those things to be healed in us. He desires for us to be perfected and whole. 

Hebrews 12:3-4

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

For anyone who is not a true disciple of Christ, I think that one could easily minimize this type of argument to a “you-need-to-eat-everything-on-your-plate-because-there-are-starving-children-in-China” line of reasoning and lose out on much wisdom, insight, and potential growth in the process. Many who claim to be disciples of Jesus like to keep themselves far removed from the works of Jesus, just as a child likes to look for the many ways in which their situation is different from that of a starving child in China. But a true disciple doesn’t keep himself far removed from the Master; he seeks to draw near to him and to emulate him in all things. A true disciple understands that true discipleship requires one to apply Jesus’ teachings in every action, following in the very footsteps of the Master. True disciples absolutely draw comparisons between themselves and their masters, and differences discovered are seen as signals for improvement in their discipleship.

True disciples know that because the Master has done something before them, they are capable of doing the same. The example of their Master gives them the reason to marshal the courage and inner strength to run that “race” mentioned back in verse two—one that the Master has run before. One realizes that he has to marshal that within himself, because development comes incrementally and because the challenges faced now are nothing compared to what lies ahead. There is a strange and only temporary solace in verse 4—“Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

I get so excited about things that I learn. Honestly, I think that I am totally weird in that respect. I am never happier than when I am taught by the Spirit—or perhaps I should say that I am never happier than when I see God’s purposes being brought to pass, and I don’t know of many things that are greater in doing that than his influence on a person when he gives them unadulterated information in the Spirit. And I’ve never seen another person react the same way I do when taught by the Spirit. I am normally a pretty serious and sober-minded person, but when I learn things that bring me or anyone else closer to God, I feel very child-like—like when you see a child laughing at the newness of seeing bubbles, or riding a bike, or frolicking through an open field for the first time.

Hebrews 12 is such a wonderful passage of scripture!

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 11 is one of the greatest chapters on the topic of faith in all of scripture. In it are listed several well-known biblical personalities, as well as brief recountings of ways in which each them exercised great faith.

It is on the heels of that chapter that we read verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12. The “cloud of witnesses” mentioned in verse one are those individuals listed in chapter 11. They are witnesses to the fact that one must live a life of faith if they are to find favor with God, and if filled with faith, we should be able to reasonably expect ourselves to be able to set aside those things that “so easily beset us.” So many people don’t believe this! And yet, in order for the gospel to be efficacious in our lives, we have to believe this! We have to believe that every weight and every sin can be laid aside. Who does the “laying aside?” We do. We do this when we completely repent and agree to keep his commandments, at which point “the race” we are to “run with patience” starts. The resulting spiritual rebirth marks the beginning of that race, and the language used in verse 1 to describe the race, as well as that which moves into verse two, is reminiscent of Nephi’s admonition to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ” in 2 Nephi 31—to steadily move forward along a course of improvement, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” His place “at the right hand of the throne of God” is a consequence of his enduring the cross and the shame that comes with it—something that he willingly chose to do “for the joy that was set before him.”