We read the scriptures but do we heed them? (D&C 30-36)

30:1-2

Have you ever been chastened? Have you been chastened in front of others? Have you been chastened by the Lord himself? Has someone written it down so that this chastening will be known by all future members of the church? David Whitmer can answer yes to all of those questions. “Behold, I say unto you, David, that you have feared man and have not relied on me for strength as you ought.”

In this first verse, there are two criticisms that the Lord has in how David is serving. He has:

• Feared man.

• Not relied on the Lord for strength as he ought.

I’m not exactly sure what he was fearing man about. Perhaps he was hesitant to open his mouth. Perhaps he was concerned about how he was viewed by others. I could see both being likely. I can also say that the Lord could give me this same chastening. I also care about what people think of me too much and I do tend to rely more on my own strength rather than the Lord’s infinite strength - which doesn’t make any sense.

The Lord continued, “But your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things of me, your Maker, and the ministry whereunto you have been called; and you have not given heed unto my Spirit, and to those who were set over you, but have been persuaded by those whom I have not commanded.” Here, the Lord is chastening him because he:

Had his mind on the things of the earth more than the things of God (his actual Maker) and his ministry.

• Hadn’t been giving heed to the Spirit.

• Wasn’t giving heed to his church leaders.

• Was being persuaded by others outside of the church.

It must have been difficult to be part of such a new church. You are just becoming acquainted with the promptings of the Spirit. The church organization, and its leaders, are new. There are many religious people in the area who, I’m sure, had strong opinions about this new church. I could see many of us being in the same boat as David Whitmer.

30:11

“And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen.” Is this direction to John Whitmer exclusively his? Could this same direction be given to us? Is it already?

I think that it is given to us. We are to open our mouth in the Lord’s cause. We shouldn’t be afraid of what man can do. We should remember that the Lord, through his Spirit, is always with us and in us.

How do we fear? I don’t think we’re worried about being thrown in jail or tortured. We are afraid of being judged or damaging a friendship. I think those concerns are more valid when we are doing something totally out of character when we talk about the gospel. If the friendship has no connection to anything gospel related, the negative consequences are greater when we open our mouth in the Lord’s cause.

Let me explain. Marci brings up gospel principles a lot with all of our friendships. She makes connections to the Spirit or Jesus or the scriptures consistently. Our friends completely expect it when they have a conversation with her. It isn’t out of the ordinary. Because they expect it, it never affects the relationship because the relationship was originally forged in gospel discussion.

Because she has no guile and our friends know that she isn’t attempting to convert them or criticize them - it’s just how she talks - there is no offense taken. There isn’t any discomfort. I imagine it is the same if someone was a baker and would regularly connect things to baking - no one would be surprised at that. Marci’s identity is centered around being a Christian - so, it doesn’t surprise anyone when she’s talking about Christ.

We were discussing this with one of our sons and I heard Marci make the point: “of course we are going to talk about Christ - it is who we are!” I can’t remember the context of the conversation but it’s a good example of what I’m talking about. If the plan of salvation surrounds you rather than being a external topic that you study about, you tend to bring it up more often.

31:2

This scripture hit me pretty hard. It could have been written to me. “Behold, you have had many afflictions because of your family; nevertheless, I will bless you and your family, yea, your little ones; and the day cometh that they will believe and know the truth and be one with you in my church.” How beautiful that would be to hear the Lord say that to me. I can’t say that I’ve been afflicted because of my family - my children are awesome - but I have felt pain about their rejection of the gospel.

I worry about my children. It sounds like Thomas Marsh was also concerned about his children’s well-being. Whether his children were rejecting the gospel or just weren’t old enough to understand it, Thomas was assured that they would “know the truth and be one with you in my church.” I have this same hope. I’m not sure when it will happen. I’m not sure it will happen in mortality. I am confident that it will happen. I know that the Lord is very good at drawing all men to him. He has the ability to convert them.

I’ll do what I can in the meantime in faith. I know that they are in his hands. Miracles can happen. They will be converted. It’s just a matter of when.

31:5

“Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire.” In several examples in the scriptures, the Lord speaks of sin being forgiven through sincere work in building the kingdom. I believe that this is true. I’m not totally sure how the two are connected but here’s a theory:

The only way that sins are forgiven is by repentance and the grace of God through the atonement of Jesus Christ. This is the absolute truth. So, how could hard work take the place of repentance? Repentance is about turning towards Christ. It is about being born again. It is about becoming a new person. Can work and effort in gathering Israel have the same effect as repentance? Can that work root out the sinful thoughts and actions that we had previously? In my experience, the answer is yes. As I have jumped all-in into a calling, I’ve felt refined. I’ve shed bad habits. My thoughts become more focused and pure. I become more sincere and devout. I am more centered on Jesus Christ when I am working hard in a gospel calling.

So, yes, I think that serving Christ has the same effect as repenting. The change of heart that we must experience is the same.

31:9

“Be patient in afflictions, revile not against those that revile.” This is such good counsel to me. I relish to revile those who revile me. It’s a problem. It’s the same direction as “turn the other cheek” and “bless those who curse you.”

I should say that I haven’t faced a lot of affliction in my life. I am sure that more is coming. I must remember that affliction is part of this mortal experience. It is a large part of our development and refinement. When we are in depth of affliction, we should ponder what President Nelson said about “think celestial.” If we are able to keep our trials in the right perspective, our patience for those trials will increase. Too many people don’t keep things in perspective and their afflictions become their entire world and, even worse, they might actually identify as their afflictions.

31:11

“Go your way whithersoever I will, and it shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do and whither you shall go.” If we choose the right and are in the right place, we will be guided by the Comforter as to what we should do and where to go next. This is a process of receiving further guidance as we go. Being led by the Spirit is a line-upon-line process. We generally don’t get all of the information and direction at once. It comes progressively.

I’ll give you a little example. Marci and I have this calling where we are attempting to increase the amount of service in the stake. We felt like we should go to the Senior Center in Coalville yesterday. We weren’t exactly sure why. While we were there, we met Senior Citizen Director for the county who happened to be there at the same time. She had a lot of ideas for ways that we could serve the county. We also met another woman who works with the Lions club who had another set of ideas of how we can help. She also offered a traveling grill on a trailer for any activities that we put together. We met another man who handles the burden of taking several people to dialysis and other doctor’s appointments every week. We found idea after idea for service in the Coalville area. It was definitely fertile ground.

The point is that it started with a prompting to go to the Senior Center. That was the “whithersoever I will” part. Once there, we received what “shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do and whither you shall go.” Beautiful.

32:4-5; 33:16

“And they shall give heed to that which is written, and pretend to no other revelation; and they shall pray always that I may unfold the same to their understanding.” There is no revelation about the doctrine of this gospel that we need that hasn’t already been revealed. We have all of the revelation that we require contained in the scripture. The problem isn’t a lack of revelation. The problem is our willingness to “give heed to that which is written.” We aren’t valuing the scriptures like we should I’m afraid. We agree that the scriptures are the words of God but we often don’t treat them that way.

“And they shall give heed unto these words and trifle not, and I will bless them. Amen.” To trifle is to treat lightly, frivolously, casually. Not good. There have been many stages of my life where I have trifled with the scriptures. I’m trying to repent of that.

Our goal is to understand the scriptures and apply them deeply into our lives. Our goal is simply to understand them. We will understand them through the Spirit who will “unfold the same to their understanding.” It is definitely through the Spirit that we can fully understand them scriptures. However, it is also definitely required that the scriptures be open in front of us with our little eyes traveling across the page earnestly attempting to understand. If we do our part, the Spirit will do his.

This is further reinforced in section 33. “And the Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures are given of me for your instruction; and the power of my Spirit quickeneth all things.” Again, if we are attempting to be instructed, which all of us should be, it is through the Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures. There is not any instruction that is missing. We’ve got all that we need. Again, this beautifully laid out instruction cannot be fully understood without the Spirit. I know many people that I could give the full set of scriptures to in a locked room for a year and they would finish without any additional insight or testimony. They have a lot of information gathered but it wouldn’t be a spiritually strengthening activity.

33:10

“Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying: Repent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Of course, these are the words of John the Baptist. He was the forerunner for the Savior’s ministry. He was sent to prepare the way by gathering disciples who would recognize the Savior when they saw him. Their worldly selfishness and supposed needs motivated them to reject Jesus. He wasn’t the savior that they were looking for.

John was needed because the Jewish church had become corrupt and misguided. Their understanding of their Messiah being a military leader prevented many from recognizing Jesus as their deliverer. They had become so focused on worldly salvation that a homeless, poor Messiah couldn’t be real. The church leaders would not embrace a Messiah who condemned them and boldly and publicly spoke about their hypocrisy. Their power and authority and respect was in jeopardy. They had selfish motivations to reject Jesus. He wasn’t the savior that they were looking for.

Is it possible that we are in the same situation now? Who or what are people looking to for their Savior in this world? For many, it is wealth. For others, it is power and prestige. For others still, it is government leaders. For others, it is their feel good sermons that they receive from any mega-church. Many humans are seeking a savior that makes them feel good about themselves. Jesus isn’t the savior that people are looking for.

Looking for a savior who tells them that they must repent is not palatable. Feeling the need to repent isn’t comfortable. Learning that there is a truth that is different from their person truth is frustrating. Jesus, once again, may not be the savior that people are looking for. This illustrates the need for us to open our mouths and preaching repentance and helping people be prepared for the imminent return of the Savior. We have time to prepare. We must warn people. “Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom—For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that I come quickly. Even so. Amen.” Let us be like John and do our part to prepare the way by helping others be prepared for Christ’s return.

33:3-5

“And blessed are you because you have believed;” It is one thing to believe the gospel. It is fantastic to believe. In verse 3, it says that “as many as would believe might become the sons of God.” It can’t be overstated that it is essential that we believe in Jesus Christ and his atonement.

But, as verse 5 states, “And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel.” So, we are certainly blessed if we believe. That belief can carry us through an eternity of progress. However, it is an entirely different level of blessing for those who preach the gospel to others. The Lord needs us as tools. He is respecting our agency here by not appearing to all of us. Instead, he is working through us. It’s how it is. God is relying on us to influence his children without destroying their agency. We must feel the responsibility to preach the gospel - not simply live it. This need to preachers will continue into the next life. In the spirit world, there will be a lot of preaching. There are billions who have never heard the name Jesus Christ that must be taught. He needs us in this way.

35:8-10

Jesus says that he is “the same today as yesterday, and forever.” He doesn’t change. His methods are consistent. This includes miracles that we read about in the New and Old Testaments and the Book of Mormon. Miracles were not limited to certain time periods. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth, there are miracles. We should believe this.

He says this specifically. “For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk.“

The very miracles, signs and wonders that we read about are happening now. I’ve personally seen it. I think many of us, since miracles are not published in the papers, believe that it’s not happening. I testify that it is. We should have more faith in miracles. Priesthood brothers, if you are called to give a blessing to the sick and afflicted and feel prompted, do not be afraid to speak of healing. We have the very same priesthood that the original apostles have.

The church could have a newsletter with all of the miraculous healings that are happening regularly. So, why don’t we? Perhaps it’s the same reason that God isn’t appearing to many. He wants to respect our agency. If miracles were filmed and broadcast, perhaps it would convert many but those converted through a sign aren’t truly converted. I am thinking about how Christ miraculous fed the 5000. After that, he had many disciples. However, when Christ began talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, many disciples left him. They wanted the food - not the teaching. They weren’t truly converted through witnessing an impossible miracle.

However, I think the time of miracles not being shown are coming to an end. “And the time speedily cometh that great things are to be shown forth unto the children of men.” President Nelson spoke of this recently when he said, “In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior's power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time he returns 'with power and great glory,' he will bestow countless privileges, blessings and miracles upon the faithful.”

This is pretty clear that great manifestations of the Savior’s power will be seen. In fact, he said that it will be the “greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power.” Buckle up.

35:13, 21

Being strong as to the things of this world is not important. In fact, being temporally strong or rich or beautiful is to be handicapped spiritually. The Lord doesn’t rely too much on the strong - likely because worldly strength usually leads to pride. The proud aren’t able to follow as well as the humble. “Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit.” Those who are unlearned and despised by the world are generally more humble and teachable and willing to follow the teachings of the Savior.

Why are they so useful for Christ? “For they will hear my voice, and shall see me, and shall not be asleep, and shall abide the day of my coming; for they shall be purified, even as I am pure.” The elect truly hear the promptings of the Spirit. Their hearts are opened. They are willing to learn and repent. They are willing to wait patiently for the Lord. Their continued repentance is what purifies them. I’m working to be in this category of humble followers.

36:6

If we are called to preach repentance, what do we say exactly? “Crying repentance, saying: Save yourselves from this untoward generation, and come forth out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted with the flesh.” It’s a hard thing to separate from an untoward generation. It’s much easier to go with the flow when surrounded by a lot of people who believe in a lower standard. But, this is the message. We’re inviting people to become peculiar when compared with the general public. It’s becoming a more and more challenging message to deliver.

The natural man loves the world. We all have an aspect of the natural man in us. This side loves the things of the flesh - whether that is pleasure or laziness or selfishness or gluttony or anger for others. The natural man and our bodies are drawn to these things. Our natural man side desires the things of the flesh. These things will pull us into the fires of hell if we allow it to happen.

But, we can rise above it. We can be saved from all of this. Instead of giving into the natural man and allowing our spirit to desire the things that our bodies desire, we can create a division between our spirituality and the natural man. We an actually begin to HATE the natural man desires. We can progress to a point that we literally “hating even the garments spotted with the flesh.” We can ask God as Nephi asked, “Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?” Let’s make it happen folks!