To Whom Shall We Go

Recently there are those with whom I am acquainted who have fallen away from the Gospel and have chosen to follow the path of the world. In the last general conference Elder Ballard addressed this topic based on this scripture John 6:66-

66 ¶From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

A couple of key points from his talk--

In that moment, when others focused on what they could not accept, the Apostles chose to focus on what they did believe and know, and as a result, they remained with Christ...
Today is no different. For some, Christ’s invitation to believe and remain continues to be hard—or difficult to accept. Some disciples struggle to understand a specific Church policy or teaching. Others find concerns in our history or in the imperfections of some members and leaders, past and present. Still others find it difficult to live a religion that requires so much. Finally, some have become “weary in well-doing.”  For these and other reasons, some Church members vacillate in their faith, wondering if perhaps they should follow those who “went back, and walked no more” with Jesus...
“To whom shall [you] go?” If you choose to become inactive or to leave the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where will you go? What will you do? The decision to “walk no more” with Church members and the Lord’s chosen leaders will have a long-term impact that cannot always be seen right now. There may be some doctrine, some policy, some bit of history that puts you at odds with your faith, and you may feel that the only way to resolve that inner turmoil right now is to “walk no more” with the Saints. If you live as long as I have, you will come to know that things have a way of resolving themselves. An inspired insight or revelation may shed new light on an issue. Remember, the Restoration is not an event, but it continues to unfold...
Never abandon the great truths revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Never stop reading, pondering, and applying the doctrine of Christ contained in the Book of Mormon.

For those who choose to leave, for whatever reason, give up so much more than they ever realize. Here are a few examples--created in the image of God, the true nature of God, the purpose of life, eternal families, and exhalation--to name a few...

I am thankful for my knowledge of the Gospel and am reminded of a recent talk by President Monson when he said "choose the harder right..." Sometimes we don't understand everything that we want to but if we hold to the faith that we do have and keep seeking, the answers will come, and we will be strengthened. It can be "harder" at times, to keep your faith rather than taking the easy path of doubt, but the rewards of keeping your faith will be endles.

Mother In Heaven

In the church we have a doctrine unique to the christian world--that is that we are all spirit children of a loving Father and Mother in heaven. In Joseph Smith's life time we do not have any document specifically addressing this doctrine, but shortly after his death Eliza R Snow wrote a poem entitled "My Father In Heaven" which is known as our hymn "O My Father."  " This text declares: “In the heav’ns are parents single? / No, the thought makes reason stare; / Truth is reason—truth eternal / Tells me I’ve a mother there.”"

" In 1909, the First Presidency taught that “all men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.”"
And in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” issued in 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared, “Each [person] is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.” (From LDS.org)
Our knowledge of our Mother in heaven is somewhat limited, but we do know enough to understand the sacred nature of this doctrine.

Now just one quick side note and this is NOT church doctrine, but only Roger's conjecture...
In Genesis 1:26 it reads "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
My conjecture--We know that Christ created the earth under the direction of the Father and that this verse finishes up the creation with forming of man and woman. God says "let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness," but at that time as spirit children of God we were already in the image and likeness of Jesus, so maybe when God said "let us make man in our image..." he was speaking to our Mother in heaven...

At any rate I am thankful for the knowledge that we are spirit children of a loving Father and Mother in heaven.

Blessed For Trying

This week we reviewed some statements from Elder Holland from the last General Conference-
First we showed the picture that he showed--it is intended to illustrate what often happens to us when we have heard something that has inspired us to make a change to do something better... Tomorrow comes and all the problems of our daily lives can quickly weaken our resolve.

Elder Holland said
"First of all, if in the days ahead you not only see limitations in those around you but also find elements in your own life that don’t yet measure up to the messages you have heard this weekend, please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. The gospel, the Church, and these wonderful semiannual gatherings are intended to give hope and inspiration. They are not intended to discourage you.Only the adversary, the enemy of us all, would try to convince us that the ideals outlined in general conference are depressing and unrealistic, that people don’t really improve, that no one really progresses."

"When there was a controversy in the early Church regarding who was entitled to heaven’s blessings and who wasn’t, the Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Verily I say unto you, [the gifts of God]are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep … my commandments, and [for them] that seeketh so to do." (so the Lord will not only bless those who keep his commandments, but also those who seeketh or are trying to do so)

"... the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, “O Jesus, … have mercy on me.”7 He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going.Soon enough you will have the success you seek."

"[Then] whatsoever you desire of me [in] righteousness, … yous hall receive.”8
"I love that doctrine! It says again and again that we are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so."

One final thought from Elder Holland "President George Q. Cannon once taught: “No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so]. … He will [always] stand by us.""

We will be blessed for our efforts and for our desires for doing what's right.

New Jerusalem

During discussion the previous week the New Jerusalem came up in some of our conversation, so this week we reviewed a few scriptures about the New Jerusalem--

D&C 45:66 "And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;"

D&C 133:56 "And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem; and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever." 
Resurrected saints will be there--it's not clear what they will be doing, but I suspect they will be helping with the establishment of Zion.

D&C 84:2-4 (gives us the location) "2  Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.
3  Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4  Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation."

One of my favorites D&C 45:70  "And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand."While the rest of the world is in commotion, the inhabitants of New Jerusalem will be at peace.

An interesting related side note is that the early settlers of America believed that they were coming to this new land to build a New Jerusalem. The Puritan settlers in New England expected their community to be "a type and emblem of New Jerusalem" (The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel, page 23).

Trust in the Lord

There are times when we don't understand some aspect of the Gospel, and there are those who let such things become a stumbling block that leads to falling away.

Without knowing the topic--Callie shared her favorite scripture which is Proverbs 3:5-6 
"5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."   

We can see the pattern repeat over and over as people loose their faith because they lean unto their own understanding and fail to recognize that God's ways are not our ways and that He knows the end from the beginning. Elder Uchtdorf said "my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 When someone gives up our faith because of some questions or doubts, they loose a great deal and often don't spend the time to realize what all is being given up. Jesus said in Mathew 13:21 "21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended." He understood in our day and His that people would be offended by Him and His word.

If we Trust in the Lord, He will give us additional understanding and bring greater blessings as we follow His promptings.