Doctrine and Covenants Tuesday

Scripture of the Day:

Doctrine and Covenants 4

1 NOW behold, a ^amarvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.

2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the ^aservice of God, see that ye ^bserve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand ^cblameless before God at the last day.

3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are ^acalled to the work;

4 For behold the ^afield is white already to ^bharvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in ^cstore that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

5 And ^afaith, ^bhope, ^ccharity and ^dlove, with an ^eeye single to the ^fglory of God, ^gqualify him for the work.

6 Remember faith, ^avirtue, knowledge, ^btemperance, ^cpatience, ^dbrotherly ^ekindness, ^fgodliness, charity, ^ghumility, ^hdiligence.

7 ^aAsk, and ye shall receive; ^bknock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

Historical Background:

This is a revelation given through Joseph Smith to his father. Here is a background from the Doctrine and Covenants Institute Manual:

The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote:

“After I had obtained the above revelation [D&C 3], both the plates and the Urim and Thummim were taken from me again; but in a few days they were returned to me, when I inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said thus unto me: [D&C 10].

“I did not, however, go immediately to translating, but went to laboring with my hands upon a small farm which I had purchased of my wife’s father, in order to provide for my family. In the month of February, 1829, my father came to visit us, at which time I received the following revelation for him: [D&C 4].” (History of the Church, 1:23, 28.)

Even though this revelation was given for the Prophet’s father, it is addressed to all people who would serve God. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith pointed out that while only seven verses long, “it contains sufficient counsel and instruction for a lifetime of study. No one has yet mastered it. It was not intended as a personal revelation to Joseph Smith, but to be of benefit to all who desire to embark in the service of God. It is a revelation to each member of the Church, especially to all who hold the Priesthood. Perhaps there is no other revelation in all our scriptures that embodies greater instruction pertaining to the manner of qualification of members of the Church for the service of God, and in such condensed form than this revelation. It is as broad, as high and as deep as eternity. No elder of the Church is qualified to teach in the Church, or carry the message of Salvation to the world, until he has absorbed, in part at least, this heaven-sent instruction.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:35.)

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) The blessings that come from missionary work and sharing the gospel are available to all.

2) In order to be able to properly share the gospel, we must take the time to develop Christ-like qualities.

3) The Lord is always willing to answer any questions and concerns that we may have.

4) Missionary work helps us obtain forgiveness.

5) When we do missionary work, we will be endowed with power from on high.

What I Learned Today:

In order for us to be able to receive a full measure of the guidance and spirit that we need in our lives, we must become more engaged in sharing the gospel with others. I was reminded of a devotional that I read in the past by Clayton Christensen regarding the decisions that we make in our lives and how they impact our direction and success in our lives. ("Decisions for Which I've Been Grateful") Because of the importance of sharing the gospel with others, the Lord promises to give us an increased measure of the Spirit in order to accomplish that task. If there ever were a time that we needed to receive an added measure of the Spirit, it would be now. Will all the sorrow, misunderstand and manipulation of truth that we see in the world it is critical that we seek his guidance. It is therefore critical that we seek to share the gospel.

Things I Will Implement:

I will follow Brother Christensen's counsel and "call myself on a mission." In order to better achieve this, I will put together a personal mission plan and pray and ponder about the opportunities that I have to share my testimony with others. I will create goals and checks in order to allow myself the chance to learn more about how I can improve as a missionary. By developing an inspired vision for what I can accomplish, I will be able to better serve in the Lords' kingdom and help others come to feel the joy that I feel.

Book of Mormon Monday

Scripture of the Day:

Alma 36:17-21

17 And it came to pass that as I was thus ^aracked with torment, while I was ^bharrowed up by the ^cmemory of my many sins, behold, I ^dremembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, ^ahave mercy on me, who am ^bin the ^cgall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting ^dchains of ^edeath.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my ^apains ^bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what ^ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

Historical Background:

This scripture is an excerpt of a conversation between Alma and his son Helaman at the later end of Alma's life. Alma had grown up as a son of the prophet of the church of Christ in that time period. As a young man, he decided to go against the beliefs and teachings of the gospel and seek to destroy the church that his father had been working so hard to guide. Because of a major spiritual experience, Alma changed his life around and became dedicated to serving in the Church and following the Savior. At the latter end of his life, Alma sits each of his sons down and has a conversation with them in order to give them counsel. Because of the responsibilities that Helaman was to be given, Alma felt it necessary to discuss with him this conversion experience that he had.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) The Atonement of Jesus Christ is mighty to save.

2) When we have faith in the Savior, He can and will always help us overcome.

3) Forgiveness comes when we remember our Savior and turn to him in repentance.

4) Repentance brings peace and joy.

5) Always share your testimony of the Savior with others. You never know when they might use it to change their lives.

What I Learned Today:

Sometimes when things feel their darkest is the exact moment that the light of the Savior can come penetrate our lives. Joseph Smith had a similar experience in the Sacred Grove. Right before his experience with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith was surrounded by thick darkness and felt "doomed to sudden destruction" (Joseph Smith- History 1:15). Often we go through experiences in our lives when we feel surrounded by the darkness. We may be caught in a vicious habit that tempts us to our sorrow and destruction. We may feel the darkness of having lost someone that we love. We may even be battling with physical, emotional or spiritual ailments that seem to shake our whole strength. Our Savior knows EXACTLY what we are going through. He knows EXACTLY how we are feeling. If we "remember" the Savior in those moments, just as Alma and Joseph Smith did, we will receive the peace and comfort that we need. It is important to note that in both situations, adversity was not removed from their lives; instead they were given the strength to meet those challenges with faith and trust. We can experience the same thing with our adversities.

Things I Will Implement:

Today, I feel a strong desire to "trust patiently." (For examples see this talk by President Uchtdorf) I know of the great blessings and opportunities that they Lord has placed before me and I know that some of the promises will take time and work. I resolve to be more committed to the work that I have before me so that I can achieve the other things He is preparing for me. Today, I will continue to learn and do my stewardship before the Lord.

Improving My Understanding of the Gospel

I have been thinking a lot recently about various things that I can do to improve my understanding of the scriptures and develop more faith and trust in God as I improve how I live the gospel. After much pondering and prayer, I have decided to take a scripture each day and review some thing things that I have learned from the scripture as well as discuss more specific ways to apply gospel principles in my life. The primary purpose of starting this blog is to allow me to improve in my own stewardships but I also hope that it can be a blessing to others. I do want to emphasize that these opinions expressed are my own and should not be construed as the official position of the Church of which I am a member, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This is a breakdown of what my schedule will look like:

Monday- A Book of Mormon Scripture

Tuesday- A Doctrine and Covenants Scripture

Wednesday- An Old Testament Scripture

Thursday- A New Testament Scripture

Friday- A Pearl of Great Price Scripture

Saturday- Learning from the Savior

Sunday- Stories to Live By