Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
To
persevere firm and steadfast in the faith of Christ requires that the gospel of
Jesus Christ penetrate one’s heart and soul.
In Old Testament history, we read of successive periods when the
children of Israel honored their covenant with Jehovah and worshipped Him and
other times when they ignored that covenant and worshipped idols or Baalim.1
I believe this is called the pride
cycle– it seems once the people became very prosperous then they would become
prideful – thinking themselves better than others, thinking that they became
rich and prosperous on their own, rather than it being a blessing from their Father
in heaven, Do you ever catch yourselves doing this – if you ever do – stop!!! And
count your blessings – every single one, because Heavenly Father blesses each
one of us many times a day you know.
The
reign of Ahab was one of the periods of apostasy in the northern kingdom of
Israel. The prophet Elijah on one occasion told King Ahab to gather the people
of Israel as well as the prophets or priests of Baal at Mount Carmel. When the
people had come together, Elijah said unto them, “How long halt ye between two
opinions? [or in other words, “When will you decide once and for all?”] if the
Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered
him not a word.”2 So
Elijah directed that both he and Baal’s prophets cut up a young bull and place
it on a bed of wood on their respective altars but “put no fire under.”3 Then,
“Call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and
the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and
said, It is well spoken.”4
Do you recall this story from the
Old Testament you can read it here if you need a refresher: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/1-kgs/18.21?lang=eng#p21
Elijah knew that the Lord would be able to start the fire for him no matter
what he did as long as he was faithful. Elijah had a very strong faith in the Lord
and he trusted that the Lord would show his power to the people. Elijah knew
also that there was no way that nay human would be able to light the wood on
fire after it had been drenched with water.
You will recall that the priests of Baal clamored to their
nonexistent god for hours to send down fire, but “there was neither voice, nor
any to answer, nor any that regarded.”5 When
it was Elijah’s turn, he repaired the broken-down altar of the Lord, laid the
wood and the offering upon it, and then ordered that it all be doused with
water, not once but three times. There was no doubt that neither he nor any
other human power could light the fire.
“And
it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that
Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of
Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy
servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. …
Elijah called on the Lord with
great confidence that the Lord would answer his plea for help in lighting the
wood on fire. He also knew, I am sure, what would happen to him if the wood did
not start on fire as he said it would. Yet he still trusted in the Lord and
held onto his faith in the Lord. Not only
did the Lord’s fire consume the wood that had been soaked with water – not once,
not twice, but three times and it had water running off the after, the fire consumed
even the rock and the water as well.
“Then
the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and
the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
“And
when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord,
he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.”6
Today
Elijah might say:
·
Either God, our Heavenly Father, exists, or He does not, but if
He exists, worship Him.
·
Either Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the resurrected Redeemer
of mankind, or He is not, but if He is, follow Him.
·
Either the Book of Mormon is the word of God, or it is not, but
if it is, then “get nearer to God by [studying and] abiding by its precepts.”7
·
Either Joseph Smith saw and conversed with the Father and the
Son that spring day of 1820, or he did not, but if he did, then follow the
prophetic mantle, including the keys of sealing that I, Elijah, bestowed upon
him.
Well, that is pretty straight forward, don’t you
think? We can follow the words in Moroni 10:5 and receive our own personal
witness of these things directly from the Lord and know for a surety. We only need
to trust the Lord and listen when the Holy Ghost whispers to our heart that
these things are true. The Lord will answer our hearts sincerest desires,
i have no doubt in my mind about this😊
In the most recent general conference, President Russell M.
Nelson declared: “You don’t have to wonder about what is true [see Moroni 10:5]. You do not have to wonder whom
you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own
witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a
prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say
or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about
what is true.”8
When
James promised that God “giveth to all men liberally” who seek His wisdom,9 he
also cautioned:
“But
let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
“For
let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
“A
double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”10
Our
Savior, on the other hand, was the perfect example of stability. He said, “The
Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things
that please him.”11 Consider
these descriptions from the scriptures of men and women who, like the Savior,
were firm and steadfast:
They
“were converted unto the true faith; and they would not
depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable,
willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.”12
“Their
minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.”13
“And
behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of
them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth … are firm and
steadfast in the faith, and in the thing wherewith they have been made
free.”14
“And
they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and
in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”15
I take this to mean following the
counsel of our living prophet and his counselors. Attending church meetings and worthily taking the sacrament each week, accepting and fulfilling our callings in church as we are called to the very best of our ability.
To
persevere firm and steadfast in the faith of Christ requires that the gospel of
Jesus Christ penetrate one’s heart and soul, meaning that the gospel becomes
not just one of many influences in a person’s life but the defining focus of
his or her life and character. The Lord says:
“A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an
heart of flesh.
“And I
will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes,
and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. I believe that once we repent of our sins and poor
choices, we are baptized by proper authority and our heart is changed. It is
then that we willingly strive to keep His commandments and follow His chosen
living prophets, seers, and revelators.
“And
… ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.”16
This
is the covenant we make by our baptism and in temple ordinances. But some have
not yet fully received the gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives. Although,
as Paul says, they were “buried with [Christ] by baptism,” they are still
missing the part that “like as Christ was raised up from the dead … , even
so we … should walk in [a] newness of life.”17 The
gospel does not yet define them. They are not yet centered in Christ. They are
selective about the doctrines and commandments they will follow and where and
when they will serve in the Church. By contrast, it is in keeping their
covenants with exactness that those “who are the elect according to the
covenant”18 avoid
deception and remain firm in the faith of Christ.
Most
of us find ourselves at this moment on a continuum between a socially motivated
participation in gospel rituals on the one hand and a fully developed,
Christlike commitment to the will of God on the other. Somewhere along that
continuum, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ enters into our heart
and takes possession of our soul. It may not happen in an instant, but we
should all be moving toward that blessed state.
It is
challenging but vital to remain firm and steadfast when we find ourselves being
refined “in the furnace of affliction,”19 something
that comes soon or late to all of us in mortality. Without God, these dark
experiences tend to despondency, despair, and even bitterness. With God,
comfort replaces pain, peace replaces turmoil, and hope replaces sorrow.
Remaining firm in the faith of Christ will bring His sustaining grace and
support.20 He
will convert trial into blessing and, in Isaiah’s words, “give … beauty for
ashes.”21
I have had many instances in my
life when I have felt this peace and hope – actually more often than not –
since becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a life-changing
decision I have never regretted. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I am so grateful that I have His gospel in my live -- it has been such a blessing! I am still learning and my testimony is still growing little by little. it is not something that has happened overnight -- it is a process and it takes a life-time, you just keep working on it and keep learning and trying to align your will with that f your Heavenly Father and your Savior, Jesus Christ.
May I
mention three examples of which I have personal knowledge:
There
is a woman who suffers with a debilitating, chronic illness that persists
despite medical attention, priesthood blessings, and fasting and prayers.
Nevertheless, her faith in the power of prayer and the reality of God’s love
for her is undiminished. She presses ahead day by day (and sometimes hour by
hour) serving as called in the Church and, together with her husband, looking
after her young family, smiling as much as she can. Her compassion for others
runs deep, refined by her own suffering, and she often loses herself in
ministering to others. She continues steadfast, and people feel happy being
around her.
A man
who grew up in the Church, served as a full-time missionary, and married a
lovely woman was surprised when some of his siblings began speaking critically
of the Church and the Prophet Joseph Smith. After a time they left the Church
and tried to persuade him to follow. As often happens in such cases, they
bombarded him with essays, podcasts, and videos produced by critics, most of
whom were themselves disaffected former members of the Church. His siblings
mocked his faith, telling him he was gullible and misled. He didn’t have answers
for all their assertions, and his faith began to waver under the relentless
opposition. He wondered if he should stop attending church. He talked with his
wife. He talked with people he trusted. He prayed. As he meditated in this
troubled state of mind, he recalled occasions when he had felt the Holy Spirit
and had received a witness of truth by the Spirit. He concluded, “If I am
honest with myself, I must admit that the Spirit has touched me more than once
and the testimony of the Spirit is real.” He has a renewed sense of happiness
and peace that is shared by his wife and children.
A
husband and wife who have consistently and happily followed the counsel of the
Brethren in their lives were grieved by the difficulty they experienced in
having children. They expended substantial funds working with competent medical
professionals, and, after a time, they were blessed with a son. Tragically,
however, after only about a year, the baby was the victim of an accident that
was no one’s fault but that left him semicomatose, with significant brain
damage. He has received the best of care, but doctors cannot predict how things
will unfold going forward. The child this couple worked and prayed so hard to
bring into the world has in a sense been taken away, and they don’t know if he
will be returned to them. They struggle now to care for their baby’s critical
needs while meeting their other responsibilities. In this supremely difficult
moment, they have turned to the Lord. They rely on the “daily bread” they
receive from Him. They are aided by compassionate friends and family and
strengthened by priesthood blessings. They have drawn closer to one another,
their union perhaps now deeper and more complete than might otherwise have been
possible.
On
July 23, 1837, the Lord directed a revelation to the then-President of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Thomas B. Marsh. It included the following:
“And
pray for thy brethren of the Twelve. Admonish them sharply for my name’s sake,
and let them be admonished for all their sins, and be ye faithful before me
unto my name.
“And
after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel
after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks
against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.”22
I
believe the principles expressed in these verses apply to all of us. The
temptations and tribulations we experience, plus any testing that the Lord sees
fit to impose, can lead to our full conversion and healing. But this happens
if, and only if, we do not harden our hearts or stiffen our necks against Him.
If we remain firm and steadfast, come what may, we achieve the conversion the
Savior intended when He said to Peter, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy
brethren,”23 a
conversion so complete that it cannot be undone. The promised healing is the
cleansing and sanctification of our sin-wounded souls, making us holy.
I am
reminded of our mothers’ counsel: “Eat your vegetables; it will do you good.”
Our mothers are right, and in the context of steadfastness in the faith,
“eating your vegetables” is to pray constantly, to feast on the
scriptures daily, to serve and worship in the Church, to worthily
take the sacrament each week, to love your neighbor, and to take
up your cross in obedience to God each day.24
Always
remember the promise of good things to come, both now and
hereafter, for those who are firm and steadfast in the faith of Christ.
Remember “eternal life, and the joy of the saints.”25 “O
all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word
of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.”26 In
the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
These are the promises that I hope
for as I strive to align my will with the will of the Father. I am so grateful
that our Heavenly Father is loving, merciful, and forgiving. I know that He has
given me forgiveness many times when I have misplaced my steps and made choices
that were not the best. I just keep trying to do better each day than the day
before. When I slip, slide, or even fall, He is there for me with His
outstretched arms to forgive me, to show mercy to me, and always to love me. I promise
each of you that He is there for you as well. I believe that we cannot fall too
far, that with His help and possibly the help of His earthly servants, we can
become a better person. A person that He will help us become – if we will take
His hand and follow Him.
Remember his comparison of your mother's words growing up. "Eat your vegetables! The are good for you. and do you remember how he explained what it was to "eat our vegetables" in relation to being steadfast in or faith? He said that we needed to pray constantly ( I always have a prayer in my heart); not just to read our scriptures, but to feast on our scriptures daily ( when i think if feasting -- it is Thanksgiving dinner, when you have to have just a little bit of everything on your plate and you eat a little slower and savor the flavor. then you come back later for more, and then there's dessert! most of the time for me the dessert waits until the next day -- and then there are all of the leftovers, yummy:))
So feasting on the scriptures means more than just reading them. It means searching them for answers to your questions. searching for a specific topic. becoming familiar with the words of the Lord so that the Holy Ghost can bring them to your mind in your time of need. I am still trying to get better with my feasting on the scriptures, some times I will do really god for a while and then life distracts me for a while, but then i begin again, and again, i keep trying to do better with each try to feast on my scriptures,
I guess I am at the end of my
ramblings for today. I hope and pray that at least one of you our there were uplifted with me through my sharing this talk with you.I will be sharing more conference talks with each of you
in future posts. Please feel free to let me know if you would like to see a
post on a specific subject and I will do my best to find it for you all. well guys,
as always until my next post – please make it a grand week!
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