Sunday, June 15, 2014

WHERE ART THOU?

I have talked to the printer and it appears that the best way for me to self-publish my first 100 Thoughts will be to do them in spiral binding. The books will cost $15 plus postage. I have the names of those who responded last week. If you wish to be added to the list or taken from the list reply to me with your desires!!

Shortly after having partaken of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord and quickly following the counsel of Satan, hid themselves and made themselves coverings of leaves.

Although I am very sure that the omniscience of the Lord included knowing what had taken place, the Lord called out, Adam where art thou? The question seems to be directed at the physical location of our ancestral parents, but considering that Adam and Eve had just gone through a trial of obedience and had chosen to follow the counsel of Satan rather than the admonition of their Creator, I suspect that the Lord might also have been asking that they consider their spiritual situation.

With modern GPS, Google maps and apps which seem to be able to trace our every step, it pretty much takes deliberate and destructive acts for us not to know our exact physical location. But even with all the devices available knowing where we are would be meaningless unless we could link that information with a previously familiar landmark, such as our home or a city.

Likewise, where we are spiritually can only be identified if we are able to compare our present self to what we have been and where we want to be.

Sadly, there are many who have been confused by the cunningness of Satan and have chosen to believe that the reason we are in this mortal sphere is to gain as much pleasure, wealth, power or fame as we possibly can. Because of that confusion it is not only difficult for them to know where they are, much less where they ought to be.

Satan seeketh to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them. (Doctrine and Covenants 78:10)

But behold I say unto you that there are many among you…have sinned a grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day…If you keep not the commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness. (Doctrine and Covenants 95: 5, 6, 12)

However, the Lord revealed to Moses His purpose for our existence and, hence, the implication is that it would be well for us to also make it our purpose. As one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses: 38, 39)

Just as with our physical location we will only be able to judge our spiritual situation if we constantly evaluate where we are with where we were and where we want to be.

There is strong scriptural indication that when, through the process of mortal birth, our spirit body is joined with our mortal body the preferences of our mortal body commands dominance over our spirit body. During that stage of life our choices seem to be heavily swayed toward doing that which will bring comfort and keep us absent from pain. We seem to be naturally prone to yield to the desire to accumulate the material stuff of the world. We seem to be motivated to have dominance over all who surround us. Our own desires take preference over those of everyone else.

Satan, sometimes subtlely and sometimes blatantly will do all he can to convince us that the fulfillment of these desires is our natural and only purpose for existence. He goes forth to and fro upon the earth striving with all his might to keep us from the light whose understanding gives us the true purpose of our probationary state. For they receive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. (Doctrine and Covenants 45: 29)

If we are allowing the work and glory of God to influence us, we will not tarry too long in this selfish state, but we will begin to know that the fulfillment of our real and eternal progression depends on becoming good and honorable people. If we continue to follow Heavenly Father’s plan we will come to realize that we must likewise be striving to become like He and His Son.

Our escape from the subtleties of Satan and the precepts of men will largely be determined by our willingness to be enlightened and edified by the amount of light (truth and knowledge of God) we are willing to receive and how much darkness we can cast off. That which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (Doctrine and Covenants 50: 23, 24)

What a grand key the Lord has given us to help us know if we are actualizing our purpose for being on earth. That which doth not edify! If the choice we are making does not make us better and more honorable than we have been and does not form a foundation upon which we can build attributes and characteristics of Godliness, we need to be reconsidering the course our thoughts and actions are taking us.
What a grand promise the Lord has given us; that we will not be restricted in the amount of light we can receive if we but continue to walk in his light.

And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God.

What a grand plan our Heavenly Father has given us which includes a magnificent challenge, which undoubtedly will still lack completion long after this we have laid this mortal down.

9 comments:

  1. OK, when I am out weeding in the garden I do learn good from evil,and to work with the sweat from my brow, but it does not edify. There must be some way I can get around this?

    I do appreciate any opportunity to sanctify myself, and therefore, especially appreciate days attending the temple.

    Jean Seavey

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  2. I would love to be added to the list. Thanks SO much for all your "Thoughts". Will be really nice to have them all bound together.

    Nancy Harline

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  3. GOD IS LOVE. LO I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS.
    These will be my premises without which the remainder falls.

    Adam where art thou?
    Wherever Adam is, God must be also. If there is a question then, it is a question put to Adam for Adam, not one to inform God.
    "Know thyself." Impossible really, at least in any very complete sense. We are left with faith to trust God to know us and as He will,reveal us to ourselves. That is one revelation, experience indicates, few of us are able to hear clearly.

    Satan seeketh to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them. (Doctrine and Covenants 78:10)
    But behold I say unto you that there are many among you…have sinned a grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day…If you keep not the commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness. (Doctrine and Covenants 95: 5, 6, 12)
    So instead we are "guilty" of willful blindness to truth about ourselves and others and to God. Willful ignorance or willful denial is the worst sort of dearth of understanding because the "intellectual elite" are among those in their prideful self deception of knowing and understanding those very things which they have willfully blinded themselves to. "At noon day": The earth, the heavens and everything therein rings forth the evidence of the glory of God. Many, even while giving their verbal assent to (his) glory are unaware of Him.
    "June 16, 2002: American Roman Catholic bishops adopted a policy to bar sexually abusive clergy from face-to-face contact with parishioners but keep them in the priesthood."
    This isn't meant to single out Catholics. But it exemplifies sympathy and love for one who I identify with (family, church), at the expense of someone less close to me. We love those for whom we believe we have some level of stewardship than to "our neighbors" for whom we do not.
    How can anyone say that the love of the Father shall not continue with you?
    Somewhat as with the American Catholic Cardinal who made the decision above, presumable with at least the tacit agreement of Rome, one cannot make decisions in life, whether due to conscious willfulness, or due to willful self deception (rationalization), and presume to be walking in the Love of God. This is different than saying that God does not love them. To explain this completely in a short phrase is impossible - read the whole book! :-)
    As to walking in darkness: There are degrees of light. Show me the man who walks in total light and I'll show you Jesus, The Christ.

    "For they receive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. (Doctrine and Covenants 45: 29)"
    We are a gregarious species. That's how He made us. He also made us subject to and sometimes filled with wonder and awe, and if we are willing, reverence. Our social selves and our spiritual selves need not be in conflict, yet even in our religious institutions which would purport to harmonize the two, the two are often in conflict. As we are true to His wish for us and make it our goal, to accept, abide by and live in His Love, the two will be harmonized. Furthermore, we will be harmonized with "our neighbors" everywhere. They not necessarily with us. :(

    Paul Maddox

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  4. "That which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (Doctrine and Covenants 50: 23, 24)"
    And at last here we are; the scriptures agreeing with me. Lucky I thought of it first. ;-)
    There are degrees of light. The light gets brighter or fades, based upon what Mormons call agency. Alas, agency is not the simple concept it would seem. On the serface simple, simply choose; and indeed it is indeed sometimes simple. But by the time we reach the age at which we are able to make our own decisions, much less adulthood, we have distorted our perceptions and apprehensions to the extent that simple choices are dependent upon thousands and thousands of previous choices. We perceive through a cloudy and distorted lens, which we ourselves have to some extent damaged, and our choices are based upon that lens, those perceptions and the mode of thought underlying them.
    Fortunately our lens of perception and apprehension, though it can never in this life be clear, may be gradually, decision by decision, effort by effort, be corrected. It is a lens that works poorly in the dark but improves with greater light. Striving for greater Light is our part of God's plan for us.
    But given the handicap of the distorted lens by which we perceive, how can we know that our choices are true? God is Love. To the extent that we allow that to guide us, our decisions must be true. God's Love is not national, institutional, clannish or even family. God so loves the world. Our true Guiding Light is the universal Love of God. Love without self interest of any kind, but an unselfish giving love to every human. A Love that does, not one that says only. Love as God loved. (Of course we can't do that, it is the striving which draws us towards the light and greater clarity, denial allows us to slip back into the dark. Yet we all deny even as we strive. What a struggle; and that too is His plan.

    And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God.
    As you say, this, although unachievable here is our goal, our ideal. And how can my eye be single to His Glory? Do I try to be good all the time? Will that fill me with more light? Maybe I can be better than a Pharisee, than a priest. Or do I submit myself to live and love in God's Love as best I can, whatever that means in action day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute?

    Paul Maddox

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  5. Why don't I think of everything, like a perfectly apt verse, before I send?
    "James 1:22
    But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
    This sums up two things I said less succinctly: loving is doing, not a verbal thing, and second, we are wont to deceive ourselves about that very "sin": willful self beguilement. (or Satan beguiled me.)
    Paul again

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  6. Graciass Hnos !!! Me encantoo la reflexión!!! Thank youuu !!! Feliz dia del Padre !!!

    Besitoss

    Mercedes Castillo

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  7. Great thought.i love this about light.

    Clark Smith

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  8. Thank you again for an excellent sermon!!!

    Yes, please add my name to your list!

    Thank you, Bill!

    Love, Carla Johnson

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  9. Señor Bill Riley, Gracias por sus pensamientos, me ponen a reflexionar sobre muchas cosas. Emoji

    Gracias.

    Valeria Tamayo

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