Pearl of Great Price Friday

Scripture of the Day:

Moses 1:11-22

11 But now mine own eyes have ^abeheld God; but not my ^bnatural, but my ^cspiritual eyes, for my ^dnatural eyes could not have ^ebeheld; for I should have ^fwithered and ^gdied in his presence; but his ^hglory was upon me; and I beheld his ⁱface, for I was^jtransfigured before him.

12 And it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, ^aSatan came ^btempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me.

13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a ^ason of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy ^bglory, that I should worship thee?

14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his ^aglory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I ^bcan look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?

15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his ^aSpirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: ^bWorship God, for him only shalt thou^cserve.

16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the ^asimilitude of mine Only Begotten.

17 And he also gave me commandments when he ^acalled unto me out of the burning ^bbush, saying: ^cCall upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me.

18 And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his ^aglory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. ^bDepart hence, Satan.

19 And now, when Moses had said these words, ^aSatan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the ^bOnly Begotten, worship me.

20 And it came to pass that Moses began to ^afear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of ^bhell. Nevertheless, ^ccalling upon God, he received ^dstrength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of ^eglory.

21 And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, ^adepart hence, ^bSatan.

22 And it came to pass that Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and ^agnashing of teeth; and he departed hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.

Historical Background:

The book of Moses begins with the discussion of a vision that Moses has of the history of the world and the role of the gospel plan in the lives of all of God's children. This is a powerful vision that causes Moses to reflect on the greatness of God. In that moment of reflection and gratitude, Moses is assaulted by the adversary in an attempt to bring him down and cause him to doubt the revelation that he just received. These verses outline the experience with the adversary.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) The influence of our Father in Heaven will allow us to see and experience great things.

2) The adversary will always try to diminish the direct guidance that we receive from the Lord.

3) We can always receive the comfort and guidance that we need from the Lord when we are being attacked by the adversary.

4) The Lord has provided us with the Light of Christ and the Spirit so that we can be able to distinguish between good and evil.

5) The adversary seeks power in mimicry. God's power is genuine.

What I Learned Today:

One of the main things that Satan tries to do in order to discourage us from living the gospel and receiving the happiness that comes from it is to seek to convince us that we are not good enough. That we don't have the capacity to be like the Savior. That because of our shortcomings, we should just give up. This is demonstrated in the fact that the adversary call Moses a son of man just after God reminds Moses that God is his Father (for more, see "Moses, My Son" by Elder Rasband). The adversary wants us to always focus on what sets us apart and makes us different, the Lord always will focus on what connects and unifies us. The perspective of God vs that of Satan is: Who we are vs. who we are not.

Also, read this comparison of Moses' vision to the First Vision of Joseph Smith: "Joseph Smith: an Apostle of Jesus Christ by Dennis B. Neuenschwander.

Also, read this outline of the example that Moses' vision gives to us regarding revelation in our own lives: "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

Things I Will Implement:

Doubt less. Doubt myself less when I feel inspired to do certain things. Doubt the Lord's ability to work miracles in my life less. Doubt others less in their ability to achieve the will of God.

Do more. Do more to lift others and help them see who they are. Do more to receive guidance and revelation from the Lord. Do more to share my testimony and love with others.