The Lord's Prayer

James Tissot - The Lord's Prayer - Brooklyn Museum

A few nights ago I had a great desire to pray the Lord’s prayer before retiring to my bed. As I recited this holy prayer multiple times and thought upon each phrase I grew in the realization that His prayer is a perfect prayer.   It addresses all that we need each day.  My normal prayer pattern is to pray from my own mind and heart and I value the knowledge that I can speak openly to and before God.  But, as I uttered the Savior’s own prayer to “Our” Father in Heaven I realized what power resides in these words and that this was the perfect pattern for my own prayers.

Our Father which are in Heaven – We have a Father (God) in Heaven.  He is also the Father of our Savior Jesus Christ.  He “our” Father.  If we have the same Father, then Jesus is "our" Brother.  A Father watches over, teaches, guides, disciplines, blesses his children.  A Heavenly Father does the same for the entire world.  He dwells in Heaven, not upon the earth.  He is over all the earth.   Just as we speak with and petition our earthly Father for our needs so we may do so with our Heavenly Father.

Hallowed be Thy name – Our Father’s name is holy and sacred.  It is a name of power.  We do not take that holy name in vain.  We use the name of God, our Father with great care.  We invoke it when we are about his holy work and when we are in need of his holy power.  How profane to let his holy and sacred name roll off our lips as an expletive or loosely used in our common expressions.  When we use His name in prayer or as we perform His work we do it with reverence and with real intent and not "in vain" with careless habit.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven – Our desire is to bring the kingdom of God to the earth.  As the institutions of men bow to the kingdom of God we will receive the healing of the nations. We acknowledge the inadequacies of our own will and humble ourselves before God.  We seek to do His will in our lives. We seek the will of God in our public arena and earthly kingdoms.

Give us this day our daily bread – We have needs for each day.  We address those needs with God our Father each morning seeking his will.  We ask for temporal and spiritual bread.  We ask each day because just as Our Father clothes the lilies of the field, he will also cloth and feed us as we “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:33)

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors – We have all trespassed against both God and our fellowmen. We do so every day.  One purpose for daily prayer is to repent of our sins and seek forgiveness.  We do so to retain a remission of our sins.  We are seeking sanctification and the only way we can do this is through the power of the holy atonement of Jesus Christ for those sins. We are first and foremost indebted to our Savior for a debt he has incurred for us that can never be repaid.  To receive this forgiveness, we must abide by the conditions He has set and one of those conditions is that we forgive our brothers and sisters who have trespassed against us.  He will supply the strength and the charity needed if we but ask.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – The JST rephrases this line slightly to read “Suffer us not to be lead into temptation...” God does not lead us into temptation. We general do a good job of leading ourselves into temptation along with the help of the adversary of our soul.  The Savior, who overcame Satan, can deliver us from evil and keep us from evil.  

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever - “But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:2).  Just as the Savior gives all honor and glory to the Father, so do we.  The great temptation is to take the glory unto ourselves “wherefore give me thine honor.” (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:1) as is Satan’s desire. We all struggle with the desire to vaunt ourselves, to credit ourselves, to embellish ourselves.  What a relief to “give it all up” and seek the Lord’s will in our lives and give Him the glory. 

 Amen - or in other words "So be it!"

Our Journeys in the Wilderness

 "Lehi’s Exodus/Into the Wilderness - Tandy Iverson

Lehi's family is a type for the spiritual journey of the Lord's people at large.  Lehi's journey into the wilderness with his family typifies a repeated process both for us individually and as a group of the House of Israel being led along the covenant path.

1 - Lehi must take his family and leave the comforts of home (aka - the world, spiritual and physical Babylon etc.)

2 - Lehi's family journey in the wilderness.  Their travels are difficult and stringent and full of dire circumstances.  Through their suffering, Lehi's family has the opportunity to learn to rely on the Lord. There are many refining purposes to this suffering.  One, it divides the sheep from the goats,  Second, it builds crucial faith in the Lord which is necessary to make the journey and eventually inherit the promised land.  Third, travelers in the wilderness need to learn to not rely upon the arm of flesh.  The Lord explains to them in 1 Ne. 17:13 that one purpose of their sorrows and tribulation is "...and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."  They need to learn that the Lord is the one and only true deliverer.

3 - Lehi and his family find respite in the Land of Bountiful.    Can you imagine the joy and celebration that ensued upon entering into the Land of Bountiful.  Greenery! Food!  Respite!  This was opposite of their circumstance in the last 8 years. Here they set up their tents and replenished themselves.  I wonder if they thought this was the land of plenty they had been promised.  Perhaps they thought their journey was over. This was not to be. The Lord had other plans! 

4 - Nephi builds a ship and Lehi's family crosses the ocean.  While the journey in the wilderness was meant to cleanse and refine Lehi's family from the previous wicked world in which they lived, a world they were being separated from - a repentance journey of sort - the voyage across the ocean was of a different nature.  This voyage did not at all rely on their own skill set, their typical temporal preparations, their knowledge of the trade routes etc.  Nephi had never built a ship.  They had no idea what was beyond the horizon.  God provided the direct knowledge they needed and supervised their preparations.  The faith they had acquired in their wilderness journey was essential for them to fully trust in the Lord and climb aboard that untested ship build by their prophet brother who had no previous skill in doing so.  They headed out trusting completely in God to get them across who knows how many miles of uncharted waters to a land they had never seen and had no evidence of it's existence.  Kudos to all of them, even Laman and Lemuel, for getting on that boat!  An even greater hats off to another group, the Jaredites, who entered into barges they could not steer themselves!

5 - Lehi's family finally arrives in the Promised Land.   God's promises are sure if we keep his commandments and we are able to do that which is not possible.  We will each have to make a journey that follows this pattern if we are to land ourselves in the Kingdom of God at the last day.  The Saints will repeat this journey personally and individually and as a group of church members and also as members of the House of Israel.  We aren't done yet.  We are sitting in our Land of Bountiful.  We have yet to build the ship and traverse the waters to Zion.  We must be willing and ready to do so both spiritually and physically. 

3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 17:3)

Ridding our Lives of Blame

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

(New Testament | Matthew 7:3 - 5)

I do believe that this verse of scripture is the key to happiness.  This morning while I was saying my prayers I was thinking about the need for all of us to repent of our own sins and to humble ourselves and take responsibility for them and to give up constantly blaming others for whatever goes wrong in our lives.  My mind opened to this scripture and the understanding of it’s great importance.  Our frustration or pride or insecurities so often inform our actions and reactions, our judgments and perceptions of others.  We blatantly or subtly shift the blame to others to account for our own frustrations, weaknesses, failures and decisions.  This is such a universal pattern in both large and small ways and it keeps us from greatness in our lives. The act of blaming others is a severe impediment to our progress and it blinds us from what we can do to move forward, to alter our situations and to just be happy.  It is Satan’s lie that accepting our own faults and failures as ours and taking responsibility for them will make us miserable.  In actuality, it empowers us and frees us and allows us to not be victimized by the actions and choices of other and ourselves.  We victimize ourselves when we do not accept responsibility, forgive, forget, move forward in truth no matter what happens around us.  We need to own up, embrace our own sins, acknowledge our weaknesses and come unto Christ and work with Him to have our hearts changed in whatever way is needed. Blaming others only sets us back and damns our progress.   

Belonging to God

President Spencer W. Kimball

"Each member of the Church has a sacred spiritual or temporal trust for which there is accountability. Because all things belong to the Lord, we are held responsible for how we lead our families and use our bodies, minds, and properties. (See D&C 104:11–15.) A faithful servant is one who exercises righteous dominion, cares for his own, and looks to the poor and needy."(See D&C 104:15–18.)   

Spencer W. Kimball - AUGUST 1984 “AND THE LORD CALLED HIS PEOPLE ZION”


The idea that we belong to God is a foreign and even strange concept in our current "me and mine" society.  Think of the immediate humility that descends upon a soul who acknowledges that all he has and is, including his mind and body, belong to the Creator.  There is a whole string of virtues that accompany that recognition: unselfishness, compassion, teachability, meekness, and gratitude, to name a few.  

"Have Ye Inquired of the Lord?"

Lehi partakes of the fruit of the Tree of Life

2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them.
3 For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 15:2 - 3)

8 And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?

9 And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 15:8 - 9)

So often we align ourselves with Nephi but when we honestly evaluate our behaviors we sometimes come out looking more like Laman and Lemuel.  

How often when a subject of controversy arises do we get together and hash it out with others who have no more inspiration than ourselves.  We have many conversations but in the end we go our way having never inquired of the Lord. 

Alma and Mormon are examples to us.   

6 And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. 

(Book of Mormon | Alma 16:6)

7 For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter.  And the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost.....

(Book of Mormon | Moroni 8:7)

Is our first response when we hear something we do not understand to "immediately" inquire of the Lord before we muddy the waters of our mind and spirit with the multitude of others' opinions?

I have found that the Lord does give me answers through the still, small voice when I remember to inquire openly without a preconceived agenda and if I am willing to receive what he gives me.   If I am honestly seeking truth with my heart it often removes me from the hubbub being hashed out in the information sphere.  

Remember, remember!

"...and him that seeketh so to do;"

9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 46:9)

The Lord honors those who are trying and those who are seeking along with those who have more fully mastered the commandments.   He loves us equally wherever we might be on the path.   It is comforting to know that if we will just continue to seek we will eventually arrive.  There will always be those ahead of us and those behind us.  God's path is eternal and it will always contain travelers.  Does God love one more than another because they began the trek later?  As a parent, do we love a last child less than a first?  We just find trouble for ourselves when we look ahead and wish we were in another's place or when we look behind and judge the speed of another's journey.  Our own journey is sufficient for the day.  When we treasure our individual experience we develop our own relationship with the Lord and we do not miss out because our attention is placed upon another's journey.  We can joy in those who have journeyed ahead and be grateful for the light they shine on the path and we can also be that light for those who are coming behind. 

Those Who Know & Those Who Believe Upon Their Words....

Christ Visits the New World - Walter Rane

8 I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:8)

13 To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

14 To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 46:13 - 14)

Knowing and believing are two different gifts and both come from God through the gift of the Holy Ghost. There are those who know from their own experience that Jesus is the Christ and there are those who have the gift of believing the words that come through the Holy Ghost from those who know.  Both bring forth good fruit and lead to eternal life.  We often think of belief as the lesser of the two gift but perhaps not.  Belief exhibits a pure faith, a willingness to walk by faith without site and sure knowledge. The Savior told Thomas "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Again in 3 Ne. the Savior speaks of the great gift of belief:
,

2 And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am.  Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.

(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 12:2)

Laman and Lemuel both witnessed angels standing before them yet that did not change their trajectory.  Indeed, seeing without believing only leads to our condemnation so though belief may be a preliminary path, it is essential in helping us build the faith and strength we need to sustain a testimony of sight.  We should cherish our valuable time on the path of faith.  It blesses and strengthens our souls.  Eventually we will all stand before God with a sure knowledge.  Until that time seeking and believing through the Gift of the Holy Ghost will lead us on.

Obedience and Sacrifice, the Path to Ascend

Whenever I read of Nephi's vision where he saw the things that his father saw, I desire the same. I also want to see for myself.  What was it that brought about this abundant revelation for Nephi? I Ne. 11:1 outlines Nephi's state of mind and heart. First he desired to know and he believed that the Lord was able to make them known unto him.  He sat pondering in his heart.  He was in a condition to receive revelation.

But that is not all.  Nephi had previously proven himself to the Lord.  He was first obedient, both to his father and to the Lord.  He had prayed for a confirmation of his father's teachings and directions to leave Jerusalem.  The Lord softened his heart and he responded by following his father into the wilderness.

Nephi had also sacrificed!  He left behind Babylon in the fullest sense.  He departed from his comforts, his home, his friends and acquaintances and the future he had most assuredly planned for. Obediently he returned (at the request of the Lord and his father Lehi) to Jerusalem and obtained the plates.  Again and again he petitioned the Lord to give him the faith to do all that was required of him.  He continued to sacrifice.

Obedience and sacrifice - therein lies the beginning of the path to further light and knowledge.

Obedience to the Lord.  Obedience to the promptings of the spirit.  Obedience to those who are in a position of stewardship over us even when they exhibit weakness as Lehi did on occasion.

The law of sacrifice comes into play when we lay our own wills and agendas on the alter.  Sacrifice is a principle of redemption.  Through our own small sacrifice we ascend in the pattern of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son.

Most often obedience and sacrifice are reflected in our laboring in the vineyard for our Master among his children.  Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Mosiah, King Benjamin, Abinidi, Alma, the brother of Jared, Mormon and Moroni all had the greater things revealed to them in the process of serving diligently in the fold of God through rain or shine, through faithfulness or waywardness.  It wasn't about them.  It was about the Lord and his work.  We lose ourselves to find ourselves.

The Lord's Law of Witnesses

18 Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 1:18)

Truth is found in layers.  It seems that God repeats patterns on many levels and that is one way we recognize truth.  In Matthew 18 the Lord declares "....that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."  This pattern is evident in the Lord's work.  The Book of Mormon is a second witness to the Bible.  The Doctrine and Covenants acts as a third witness. There are authorized witnesses to ordinances.  Counselors in a presidency or bishopric are witnesses to the actions and decisions of the president or bishop.   

Individually, the Lord provides for more than one witness to our souls by how revelation is given us. We have eyes to see, ears to hear, minds to perceive, hearts to understand.  Like Lehi in the above verse, prophets both see and hear the truths of God.  They then become a witness and declare with their mouths what they have seen and heard. 

We can call upon God to confirm truth to our souls through the law of witnesses and ask to see and hear and feel and understand.

His Whole Heart Was Filled....

15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 1:15)

As I read this verse this morning my attention was arrested by the last part of that sentence.  "...and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen....."  If our hearts can be filled with the things that we see, should we not take care to see things that contain truth and will fill our hearts with light?  Conversely, what happens to our hearts when we see violent and graphic material? What happens to our hearts when we read that which is lacking in truth?  How can we have pure hearts if our eyes are perusing  uncleanliness?  As we live in a society brimming over with deceptions and worldliness it becomes vital that we actively choose to place our sight upon the word of the Lord.

Another related scripture:

5 I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief,

(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 1:5)

Taking in the Refugees.....Needed Salvation for Ourselves

soschilderensvillages.com

In the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon, the poor of the Zoramites who were cast out of their land went with Alma to the land of Jershon,*  There these refugees were taken in and given food and clothing and lands for their inheritance,  They weren't just given temporary aid but they were welcomed as brothers and sisters and permanently assimilated into the society of the people of Ammon who had once been Lamanite refugees themselves and were given lands by the Nephites.

8 Now the people of the Zoramites were angry with the people of Ammon who were in Jershon, and the chief ruler of the Zoramites, being a very wicked man, sent over unto the people of Ammon desiring them that they should cast out of their land all those who came over from them into their land.
9 And he breathed out many threatenings against them.  And now the people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants.

(Book of Mormon | Alma 35:6 - 9)

Today there are 60 million refugees in the world, many who are women and children.  Almost entire populations from some areas are shifting in mass around the globe.  It seems that the Lord has a work to do, that his hand in some way is involved.  Who knows what purposes are being fulfilled through this massive migration!

In the mean time we have the opportunity to reach out and succor those who stand in need.  Perhaps the greater blessing and rescue is for those us who are materially secure and self-absorbed in an unending stream of self-aggrandizement and pleasure seeking.  Perhaps the opportunity to forget ourselves and share of our substance is drastically needed salvation for ourselves and will aid in lifting our own condemnation.

It is interesting to note that in the previous chapter Alma and Amulek had taught the following to the wealthy and affluent Zoramites, most of which rejected their words.  It was the poor among them who received the messsage of salvation from these servants of God.

28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.
29 Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.

(Book of Mormon | Alma 34:28 - 29)

A few of the many pictures documenting the refugees plight.

https://www.lds.org/refugees?lang=eng&cid=rdb_v_IWasAStranger_eng_IWasAStranger#

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3719210-155/new-mormon-program-brings-surge-in

*Side note: The name, (Jershon)  though not found in the Bible, has an authentic Hebrew origin, the root *YRŠ meaning “to inherit,” with the suffix -ôn that denotes place-names, and may have the meaning “place of inheritance.”  Stephen D. Ricks, "A Nickname and a Book of Mormon Slam Dunk: Notes on the Book of Mormon names, Zeezrom and Jershon."

Seeking the Promised Gifts.....

George Q. Cannon

A needed challenge for all of us.  We have too great a tendency towards complacency.

President George Q. Cannon Wrote:

"How many of you are seeking for these gifts that God has promised to bestow?  How many of you, when you bow before your heavenly Father in your family circle or in your secret places, contend for these gifts to be bestowed upon you?  How many of you ask the Father in the name of Jesus to manifest Himself to you through these powers and these gifts?  Or do you go along day by day like a door turning on its hinges, without having any feeling upon the subject, without exercising any faith whatever, content to be baptized and be members of the Church and to rest there, thinking that your salvation is secure because you have done this?"

"I say unto you, in the name of the Lord, as one of His servants, that you have need to repent of this.  You have need to repent of your hardness of heart, of your indifference and of your carelessness.  There is not that diligence, there is not that faith, there is not that seeking for the power of God that there should be among a people who have received the precious promises we have."

George Q. Cannon,  "Receiving Gifts of the Spirit,"  Matthew B. Brown, pg. 25

The Glory of God vs Personal Aggrandizement

Greatest in the Kingdom by J. Kirk Richards

1 THESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

(New Testament | John 17:1)

Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.


(Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:1)

The only legitimacy in receiving glory unto ourselves is so that we may glorify the Father, and as the Father's work and glory is to bring about the eternal life and immortality of mankind, using what small degree of praise and honor we receive in this life, for whatever reason, to serve God's children in humility allows us to not be taken in by our own quite small successes.

2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.

(Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:1 - 2)

Believing in God Unto Repenatance

Baptism by J. Kirk Richards

3 For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled—

(Book of Mormon | Ether 12:3)

It is one thing to believe in God.  It is another thing to believe in God unto repentance.  

"I AM the True Vine....."

1 I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

(New Testament | John 15:1 - 8)

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must bear fruit.  And to bear fruit we must abide in the true vine.  We are not brought into the fold of God as ends in and of ourselves but something needs to come of our discipleship other than only going through the motions or just enjoying our "privileged" status as one who knows.  And not only does the Lord expect us to bring forth fruit, he will also purge us in order that we might bear more fruit. 

The fruit is the end result of the season's labors and what is it's purpose?.  Is it meant to hang there until it drops to the ground to perish back into the soil?  The fruit fills the measure of it's creation when it nourishes the life of another and if it does drop back into the ground it contains the seeds to create a greatly multiplied harvest the following season.  In the end the fruit is meant to sustain and create as much life as possible.  Followers of Christ abiding in him nourish those around them with truth and light and service and strength.  We bear fruit as we choose to "act" in the kingdom of God with others in mind.  Being a follower of Christ is more than just a profession of belief.

If we truly abide in Christ then we will be known by our fruits and they will be life giving.  If we detach ourselves from the vine purposely by choice or inadvertently by inattention or diversion we will have no power to bear the fruit of salvation.  

Sometimes I hear or read opinions that being Christian is all about love and acceptance seemingly disconnected from sacrifice, commandments and responsibilities.  Obvious Jesus was holding up some significant expectations for his followers in these verses. 

Gratitude for Trials.....

Trials Archive-Loveumentary.com

Letter to my missionaries:

"I had an "ah ha" today in sacrament meeting.  I was thinking about life's struggles and difficulties and trials and for a second I had a clear picture that when we get to the other side we will be extremely grateful for them as we would be very disappointed to have gone through life on easy street without having had these experiences which are the purpose for our coming to earth. We would feel cheated if we went through life without them.  I think of the D&C scripture that tells us to be thankful in all things.  I wonder if we truly thanked the Lord for our difficulties and weaknesses and for what they teach us, if we would be taught some unique things"   

"I am praying and hoping that you will have contacts to teach who will be blessed by the message.  Put it in the Lord's hands.  It is his work.  If you think of his striving with mankind through all the generations and how many thousands of years he has been working with his children you realize he has great patience.  Even when he was here on the earth in person it was a struggle to get people to see the light.  It has never been easy but his hand is stretched out still and you are a part of that stretched out hand extending the offer again and again. " 

19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulnessshall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.  (Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 78)

Likening Isaiah 30 - "...speak unto us smooth things,"

 1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:

 10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

 11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

 12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:

 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant

 14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

Is this us?  Do we walk with an appearance of having the gospel in our lives but in reality it is a covering that is superficial and not of the spirit, that we may continue on in our own paths and lay aside the Lord's counsel? 

I hear many voices from various camps that are telling the seers to not see and the prophets to not prophecy right things because the things the prophets are saying are not in agreement with political correctness and personal agendas.  Do we want smooth things so we can continue to pursue our own traditions and philosophies and/or not offend our associates.  Do we want the prophets to be "on the right side of history," (a futuristic version of revisionist history!:)  Or, do we believe that all is well in Zion, that Zion propsereth and we have no need to change.  Or, do we trust in the arm of flesh more than in the arm of the lord.  

The Lord warns us that this false premise cannot last and will be broken as a potter's vessel which will not be able to carry fire from the hearth or water from the well.  Thus we become unable to hold the spiritual fire of the holy ghost or the living waters from the wells of salvation, and are not nourished and watered by the spirit and we languish in spiritual malnutrition or we leave the well altogether.  Sobering thoughts.