Psalm 113

In the past, I’ve quoted entire chapters of the Psalms because they were, very much, a reflection of what was in my heart.

But not today. Today Psalm 113 will just have to suffice.

This morning, the Lord gave me a key of understanding to something that I have asked him about for a very long time.

I cannot praise him enough!

Psalm 113 will have to do. 

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.

 4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

A Mirror and Light—Part III

There are a number of places in the scriptures where Jesus calls himself “the light of the world.” I’m not going to cover each of them here. That can serve as extra credit. But I highly recommend looking those up and studying the surrounding passages of scripture. What a treasure! And I’ll put in a plug for comparing and contrasting John, chapters 8 & 9, specifically. Lots of good stuff there.

For the purposes of this post, I’ll just quote part of verse 16 from 3 Nephi 18:

Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.

That verse hides a lot in its simplicity, but it serves its purpose here.

Jesus is a standard. He is the highest possible standard for us here on earth.

His light informs us of things that are internal to us—our desires, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and motivations—and as we spend time in the light, we learn things about ourselves that are both like and unlike him. Anything that is like him is light. Anything that is unlike him is darkness.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

And, going back to the previous blogpost, this is why the baptism of fire is so critical.

Repentance entails forsaking all of your sins. That doesn’t just mean that you give up the bad things you do. It also means that you give up the false beliefs that you hold and the false pretenses that you put on—both in public and in private. Is that something you really want? Are you sure? Have you really thought about all of them? There might be more than just the “big ones” that easily come to mind. Even if some sins are more serious than others, repentance requires you to give up the small stuff, too, and anyone who doesn’t will never receive a baptism of fire.

Truly forsaking your sins and the baptism of fire that inevitably follows are what take the backing off of the mirror and allow you to step, more fully, into the spirit realm, where God’s light can more fully show you the things in the spirit that you need to incorporate into yourself. And he can only do this when he knows that you are completely willing to do that with what he has already shown you. Until you do that, you are the darkness that doesn’t comprehend the light.

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. (D&C 6:21)

Some people think that “to comprehend” means “to understand,” but that’s not what it means. “To comprehend” means “to take in.” When the scriptures say that the darkness does not “comprehend” the light, they are saying that the darkness does not “take in” the light. The darkness may very well understand it. It may even recognize it as better. But it doesn’t receive it. And if the darkness inside of you is unwilling (and, therefore, unable) to receive the light that emanates from God, how will your physical form ever be a manifestation of his light within your spirit?

It can’t, and it won’t.

Our physical bodies can only endure the amount of light that we have taken in and incorporated into our spirits. Through that incorporation, our spirits and our bodies are sanctified. The baptism of fire starts us on that path and gives us the hope that that sanctification is possible.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3)

A Mirror and Light—Part II

As I said in yesterday׳s post, that experience with the mirror has been a source of many thoughts and ideas. I don’t share it casually. It means a great deal to me, and I hope that what I will say in this series of blogposts causes people to search their hearts deeply in order to better comprehend God’s love.

I have spoken with many people who tell me that they have tried to receive a baptism of fire and remission of sins, but it just hasn’t happened for them. Many, then, attempt to minimize the need for that rebirth.

And people don’t like to hear that (1) it’s still absolutely necessary and (2) if someone hasn’t received it, it’s 100% their fault.

That experience with the mirror came so forcefully to my recollection, yesterday, because of all of the recent posts on the gospel being something that is meant to affect our spirits. More importantly, the gospel can only have its desired affect on our spirits when our spirits first meet certain conditions.

The spirit realm has detail, depth, and dimension. The more time we spend in the spirit realm and the more familiar we are with the spirit realm, the more, and more easily, we sense this.

Most people do not spend a lot of time in the spirit realm, and, consequently, they often fail to realize the deep levels of contrition, humility, submissiveness, honesty, meekness, and commitment that must be attained before they receive a baptism of fire. They can relate to a surface-level guilt that resembles the shallow reflection of one’s physical form that one sees when looking in a mirror (and incorrectly think that should be enough), but they fail to let the glass be a window to their true self, which is separate and distinct from the body and which, when illuminated by God’s light, causes one to feel a richness of things of the spirit that cannot be attained without it.

Can you be baptized by immersion in waters that are shallow? If you can’t in the physical world, why would you assume that you can in the spiritual? The rebirth of the spirit comes only with a depth of sincerity regarding spiritual things, which can only come when you cease to wade in shallow and superficial waters and begin to venture into the depths of your own soul.

A Mirror and Light—Part I

(Originally published on January 7, 2021)

I don’t remember when this happened, exactly. It was in the temple, and I don’t remember which temple it was, but it was in one of the sealing rooms after a sealing ceremony. Following the ceremony, my husband and I stood together while he spoke with the officiating temple worker and the participants in the ceremony. I looked into a mirror that was just to my left and had a most interesting experience. 

I don’t know how to best describe this experience. It was as if my consciousness was pulled into the mirror. It felt as though, within the mirror, there existed another room—another world. I could feel the dimensions of the room. It wasn’t a two-dimensional image hanging on a wall anymore. It was a three-dimensional space and my spirit was in it. While I was aware of my physical body in the physical sealing room, my spirit had more spatial awareness within the mirror—the environment there was more real to me.

That experience lasted less than a minute, but it made an indelible impression upon me and has been incredibly significant to me. It has been something that I ponder about fairly often. It was unlike anything that I had ever experienced while awake up to that point.

The Lord has used that experience to teach me many things on many occasions. A couple of mornings ago, in prayer, he taught me again. I was asking the Lord a lot of questions and bringing up topics that I feel like I don’t understand as well as I need to. I asked Him about how my physical body can be purified and refined so that I can endure more of the information that He desires to send to me. He reminded me about the experience with the mirror. He taught me that images in a mirror are a consequence of light. If I wanted to have my body purified and obtain the knowledge and experiences I desired, I needed to brave, enter into, and dwell in the light to a greater degree than I do already. The environment of the light had to become more real and tangible to me—an environment that was more familiar to me—than my immediate physical environment, even while my body exists in this physical environment. He taught me that as my consistent time in the light approaches constant, the light will have a purging effect on all of the ideas and opinions I hold that are false and that it will have an edifying effect on those ideas that are based in truth and righteousness. 

Purchase An Inheritance

My studies took me to D&C 45 this morning. So good! Here is one verse I feel impressed to share this morning, along with some questions to think about.

And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you. (D&C 45:65)

What are your riches? What is the process of gathering them up? How would they be used to purchase an inheritance? What inheritance are you trying to purchase? What will those riches cost you in gathering them up? How would an inheritance be appointed unto you? Why are one heart and one mind a requirement for gathering up riches?

Extra credit: verses 64 and 66-67 of the same section, Matthew 6:19-20, and Jacob 2:18-19, for starters ;)

Nehemiah 1 (cont.)

I spent much of my morning study time the other day on the topic of fasting. Great topic—the discussion of which, however, will have to be saved for another day.

While going through different scriptural passages, I came across Nehemiah 1. As he is residing within the Persian empire, Nehemiah receives a report of the state of Jerusalem and of those Jews who escaped the Babylonian siege. He mourns for the children of Israel, and calls upon God to be attentive to the prayers of those “who desire to fear [his] name.” (v. 11)

The tone of the chapter resonated deeply with feelings I’ve had for the last several weeks. There have been several things happening in my life and in the world that have caused me to mourn much like Nehemiah—not the least of which were the recent changes to the LDS temple ordinances. I hold many strong opinions about the temple endowment. I have reason to believe that Joseph Smith gave the early members what they desired to receive—something that had the potential to help them understand the doctrine of Christ and the fulness of the gospel, but also something that would lead them to destruction if they did not seek the Spirit for that understanding. Any truths contained in the endowment when I last attended the temple were difficult enough to discover as the endowment was, and if what I have heard about recent changes is true, those truths are even more difficult to discover now.

Truly, Jerusalem lies in ruin.

As if the splintering of groups at the time of Joseph Smith’s death wasn’t enough, the largest of those splinter groups is breaking up like never before. To be honest, it was bound to happen to all of the groups because so much was rejected.

So many differing opinions. So many points of disagreement.

And yet, there is an undercurrent with so much potential—both in and out of groups that have a shred of Joseph’s legacy. It is faint, but I can see it—the strength of the Lord’s house being gathered.

Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

5 And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.

7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer. (Nehemiah 1)

Conversion

A little over a week ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to a recent article put out by the LDS church newsroom. In it, there was a lot of talk about “conversion.” “Conversion to Jesus Christ” was a particular phrase that was used throughout the article, and I would have thought it was quite a beautiful expression if I didn’t know what it was being co-opted to mean instead. I decided to write this post because, even though I have about 150 blogposts in draft form, it dovetails quite nicely with the whole series on “Two Churches,” and what follows is true of any earthly church today.

There are so many words that are being redefined in our society right now, and words commonly used in the LDS church and culture are not exempt. There are relatively few people who realize this and even fewer who care to take an honest look at the consequences. And a word doesn’t even need to be completely redefined in order for it to lead a person’s thoughts to an inaccurate idea or concept. All that needs to happen is to give the word a little nuance.

Because we talk about “converts to a church,” “convert” (both the noun and the verb), “conversion,” and “being converted” are expressions that get our minds thinking about “conversion” in relation to an earthly institution. Worse, and as a consequence, it has become almost synonymous with “commitment to an earthly organization.”

But “conversion” means “a turning or change from one state to another.” We should know this, really. We convert kilometers to miles, Fahrenheit to Celsius, and dollars to euros. We convert acids and bases to salts and water. And conversion, in a spiritual context, should mean more than just joining a temporal “church.” It’s more than just denomination hopping. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to change us internally.  

25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 27)

“Nowise” means “not in any manner or degree.” That’s important, too, because, while we do become new creatures when we meet the conditions of repentance, we won’t realize the full potential of that creation at that time. God intends for us to become as he is, and that doesn’t happen in an instant. Development into “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” takes quite a while, but won’t happen at all unless you begin with that preliminary change.

There Are Save Two Churches Only—Part III

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. (D&C 93)

The scriptures are full of verses that teach us about a spiritual existence, as well as a temporal existence. (Research “temporal/temporally” and “spiritual/spiritually” in the scriptures for extra credit.)

Each of us is dual in nature—there is a “physical” part of us and a “spiritual” part of us. And while some people may bristle at calling anything “spiritual” because of “religious” connotations, there can be no doubt, upon self-examination, that one’s physical body is not the limit of one’s existence and individuality. Something else quickens us, and you can call it what you want, but since it’s nice to have a word that is common to parties in any discussion, I will use the word “spirit,” even if a precise definition of that word isn’t as common as the word itself.

Our spirits interact with other things in a spiritual realm, just like our physical bodies interact with other things in the physical world. Just as there are things that are physically wholesome, nourishing, and beneficial, there are things that are spiritually so. And just as there are things that are physically corrupt, degrading, and destructive, there are things that are spiritually so. The former are things associated with the spirit of God, and the latter are things associated with the spirit of the devil.

We encounter all of these things on a daily basis, whether we recognize it or not.

The spirit part of us governs the physical part of us, and for this reason, everything God does, has done, and will do has everything to do with affecting lasting changes to our spirit, which, in turn, affects changes to the physical world. This is an interactive process. God cannot affect those changes against our will, and we cannot bring about those changes when left to ourselves.

Consequently, any “true church” will be spiritual. God’s church” will be a “gathering” of people who have effectual interactions with things associated with the spirit of God, that “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man,” and that ultimately result in an inseparable connection of spirit and element, through which man receives a fulness of joy.

There is dimension to the spirit realm. Joseph Smith said:

“…the things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God than the vain imaginations of the human heart.”

Does God lead souls to salvation? Do you want to be like God? What does it look like for a mind to “stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity”?Such is described as communion with God, and it has everything to do with “spirit” part of us—the “inner man.”

64 And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.

65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. (Moses 6)

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3)

In order to become like God, we must be quickened and strengthened in the “inner man.”

Some other scriptures are interesting to contemplate:

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19)

 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. (2 Nephi 31:13)

9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. (Mosiah 4)

Read those verses again and notice how much of the language deals with things of the spirit—the inner man—as opposed to things in the physical world.

Any “church”—any organization in the physical world—that places the importance of physical rites, ordinances, and actions over the quickening and strengthening of the inner man is not God’s church. This is why Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount. It is why he rebuked the Pharisees:

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

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)

When individuals and churches do not work in the spirit, they cannot have authority, have priesthood, or administer ordinances unto salvation, because all of those things, in order to have any efficacy, are, and will always be, spiritual first.