Really long
post, so bear with me, please😊
“If there is
anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after
these things.”
~13th
Article of Faith
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of
God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the
Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon
precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken
unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom;
for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We
have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his
trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of
men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
~2nd Nephi
28:29-31
“The Lord said to the people of ancient America, “And whatsoever thing
persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I
am the same that leadeth men to all good.” (
Ether 4:12.)
To be good, one must seek after truth, for truth is the ingredient which, when
inculcated into our lives, changes us for good. “Truth is knowledge of things
as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (
D&C
93:24.) “Truth abideth and hath no end.” (
D&C
88:66.)
Intelligence is the ability to use knowledge properly. The Lord has said,
“The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (
D&C
93:36.) ~Royden G. Derrick, General Conference 1984
“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will
rise with us in the resurrection.
“And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through
his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in
the world to come.”
~D&C 130: 18-19
“It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” ~D&C 131:6
~ ~ ~
I love this gospel so much! And I glory in learning. I glory in
the basic gospel principles (milk) and the deeper doctrine (meat.) Heavenly
Father has made it all available for our benefit and our growth, and nothing is
hidden.
There is a reason I try to pound into the heads of my family
members and readers of my blog how vital it is that we truly come to know the
Savior, that we become so in tune with the spirit that the gift and power of
discernment is able to work overtime in each of us.
Now, we know that we are all on different levels when it comes
to spirituality and knowledge of the gospel, and “milk before meat” is quoted
so much that I want to rip out a few of my braids each time I hear it. Yes, we need to study and implement basic
gospel principles, but in order to reach toward our full potential as far as
intelligence, we have got to move on from baby formula to solid foods. In fact,
we are commanded to.
I think I’ve mentioned our youngest son, Nikolas, in the past,
but I would like to share a little more about him and why we have been so
blessed to have such an amazing young man in our family. I know why his spirit
was sent to our home, and I am continually in awe that Heavenly Father
entrusted us with one of his choicest spirits.
Nikolas was born with Asperger tendencies which he outgrew, and
the catalyst for that growth was the scriptures. He didn’t learn to read well
until he was twelve. Then the scriptures opened to him and his path in the
pursuit of gospel knowledge was sealed. The kid was like a sponge, eager to
take in all he could, and his brain never shuts off. His studies went deeper by
the day, and his closet shelves and bookcases in his room are filled with
doctrinal books from prophets and apostles. He also studied Hugh Nibley, the
Apocrypha, and the Hebrew language. His room is quite literally a gospel
library, and nothing makes him happier than learning. It is because of his
burning desire to learn and to share what he’d learn that my husband and I
upped our gospel study and pursued preparing ourselves more spiritually.
Nikolas started taking mission prep classes when he was sixteen.
I had never seen a kid so anxious to serve and teach the gospel. He knew that
even though he had all this knowledge in his brain just begging for release, he
would need to stick with the basics on his mission, and he’d studied Preach My
Gospel to the point that he could not be more ready.
Because he had all this knowledge and was so full of questions,
his seminary teachers would get a little frustrated. One teacher even told him
to stop asking questions. The teacher said – just like so many other misguided
souls – that those deeper things he
pursued were not pertinent to our salvation.
I thought, are you kidding me? Anything pertaining to the gospel
is pertinent to our salvation! The seminary teacher did apologize after class,
but Nikolas was hurt. The teacher was concerned that, should Nikolas continue
in his pursuit of deeper doctrine, he would apostatize one day just like
someone else he knew.
There have been many things said, by YM leaders, by Sunday
school teachers, and by men in higher church callings – things that hurt
Nikolas, and us as his parents. But you know what? It’s okay, because Nikolas
has been blessed with a strong, resilient spirit, and despite all the
opposition he faced, he kept going. He is the perfect walking example of God’s
ways trumping man’s ways. No matter what, He is in charge, and His plan for
each of us will not be thwarted by any man, except when we alter His individual
plans for us by our own individual choices.
Nikolas is now serving in the New Mexico Farmington mission. He
is continuing to learn and grow, and he is doing what he was born to do, which
is teaching the gospel of Christ. His knowledge of Hebrew has even come in
handy when they encountered someone while tracting that speaks and studies the
language. His trainers had no clue what the man was talking about . . . but
Nikolas did. He was over the moon! Who knew his study of Hebrew would actually
be useful in the mission field?
God knew!
What if Nikolas had kicked his studying to the curb as was
suggested by so many because he was “looking beyond the mark,” and “in danger
of falling into apostacy?” God would not have been able to use him at a crucial
moment. That young man is a walking encyclopedia of gospel knowledge who
probably knows more about Hugh Nibley than Hugh Nibley! (Just kidding!
Maybe.)
(“Looking beyond the mark” is another phrase that so many people
quote, but they use it in a context befitting their own agenda instead of the
way Elder Cook intended, and it makes me want to add some beads to my braids
and whip something!) I love Elder Cook and I read his talk on looking beyond
the mark. It was excellent!
However, studying the deeper doctrine itself is not looking
beyond the mark. It is only when we let it consume us and carry us spiritually
down a path that we shouldn’t tread that that term fits. When we disregard
basic doctrine and principles and place them on the backburner in pursuit of
deeper doctrine, wresting the scriptures, twisting the gospel to fit our
beliefs, is when we are in spiritual danger. Putting the philosophies of men
mingled with scripture ahead of the teachings of the Lord’s prophets and
apostles is not a wise choice. When that happens, we really are in some serious
trouble. But . . . they are imperfect men, and I’m sure they would be the first
to tell you that.
Christ, however, IS perfect, which is why the Brethren are
spending so much time stressing the importance of coming to know the Savior
better than we have ever known Him. This is where our focus should be.
Since the Book of Mormon was written for us, the members of the
church, we can know that 2nd Nephi 28:29-31 is for US. (See
scripture above.) So, it is the Holy Ghost that will help us to discern what is
truth, and hopefully, we will be receptive to the promptings.
Now, I will share the spiritual experience:
Some months ago, a link was posted by someone my husband I know
who thrives on breeding racial tension under the guise that he is just
“bringing attention to a problem.” The article was written by a black woman who
is a member of the church. The article talked about racism in the church and
how it is a “problem” to many. The article bothered me because, just like other
media pieces focused on racism, it distorted the views of others and only
served to perpetuate a problem that isn’t really a problem. I’m sure there are
members here and there who harbor racial views, but a problem in the church?
No!
Because everyone was so fixated and focused on this “problem,” I
commented, sharing my thoughts about what we should really be focused on, which
is the Savior. My comments contained clear and concise basic doctrine that we
should all be living every day. I’m talking basic, basic. Well, this was a baby
formula-fed crowd with a nasty case of colic. I was literally roasted on a
spit, and they twisted everything I said. Trying to defend my remarks was
useless.
My husband was concerned about the anger escalating and
suggested that I remove my comment. I didn’t want to because all I spoke was
the truth. But I went ahead and removed it, crying as I did. I said what I was
spiritually prompted to say. I said nothing but truth, but they didn’t want it.
While I sat and cried, this heavy feeling of sorrow came over
me, and then the words came into my mind, “This is what Nikolas feels when he
tries to share what he knows with seasoned members who have clung to the basic
doctrine for years and have no desire to move from their level of comfort.” The
feeling was so tangible, I can feel it even now. It is a painful thing to want
to share – and even expound – on thoughts pertaining to basic doctrine, but no
one wants to hear it. I take comfort in the fact that the Lord knows our son,
just as He knows each of us. And He has some great things prepared for Nikolas.
I have heard people say, “The Brethren aren’t talking about food
storage and emergency preparation anymore.” At first, I thought, “Well, why
should they? They have been telling us for decades, and how many of the members
are prepared?” But they really have still been counseling us to be prepared,
only now the emphasis is on spiritual preparation.
So many have taken on that spiritual preparation challenge. They
are studying the scriptures more than they ever have. They are reading books by
the prophets and apostles, and other men of God. They are attending institute
classes in addition to church attendance. And they are earnestly praying for
the guidance of the spirit.
Like all who have been called to teaching positions in the
church, institute teachers do their best to teach by the spirit. They strive to
teach the things of God, sharing their own personal lessons and experiences.
During these teaching moments, we are invited by the teacher to ponder and pray
and receive our own witness of their words. A good teacher would do no less.
The point is
this: Each of us needs to develop our own close relationship with the Lord. We
need to become completely at one with Him, so much so that we rely solely on
Heavenly Father and His Son, and no one else. When we truly get to that point –
when we truly achieve this – we will be swayed by no mortal man. We will be in
tune enough with the spirit to the point that discerning what is and is not of
the Lord will become a part of us. When we hear truth, we will know it, and we
will develop the wisdom to act on it. (Something Mike Stroud actually teaches.)
Now, do I
listen to Mike Stroud?
Yes.
Do I take
everything he says at face value?
No.
Do I ponder
and pray about the discussions?
Yes.
Have I been
uplifted and edified by his podcasts?
Yes.
Am I going
to try and convince any of you to listen to his podcasts?
No. We make
our choices.
Am I going
to try to convince you to embrace what he teaches?
No. We each
think for ourselves.
Am I going
to try to discourage anyone else from listening to his discussions?
No. I hold a
great respect for Mike Stroud, for his desire to serve God and his firm counsel
to look to the prophet and apostles who lead and guide the Lord’s church.
I don’t like
saying this, but if you want to see the perfect display of the separating of
wheat and the tares, look no further than the LDS groups on Facebook.
Offering
advice and hopefully some wise counsel is one thing, but this is not what we
do. We make our suggestions and state our cases, then we sit back, and we
judge, and judge, and judge, and judge, and judge. And if we can’t bend others
to see things our way, we judge some more, making ourselves feel justified in
our judgement.
This is not
the Savior’s way, and it makes me so sad to see how far we have fallen. Talk
about looking beyond the mark. That is exactly what we are doing with these
actions. The discussions become controversial and turn into a stone-throwing
free-for-all, completely defeating the purpose of the groups, which is to
uplift and edify one another while preparing spiritually for the times ahead.
I love that our opportunities to learn and grow are
never-ending, even after this life. And I love that the gospel principles and
doctrine we learn on this earth aren’t really new. They are principles we
already know, we have only forgotten them, so we are relearning. Each time
anything of God strikes a familiar chord, we are remembering what we learned
before. I also love knowing that the gospel knowledge we acquire in this life
will be carried into the next.
It’s an amazing thing!
(Preparing now for the throwing of cyber stones 😊 )
