Who Shall Declare His Generation?

I just watched, in my  opinion, one of the greatest devotional addresses. It was given by Bruce R. McConkie on December 2, 1975 at Brigham Young University. Many believe that we, the Mormons, do not believe in Jesus Christ or they do not understand what we believe.  If anyone has wondered what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormons) believes about Jesus Christ, this is the address you want to watch (I will provide a link at the end of today’s blog so you can watch it.

In that address he testifies to the world of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Many in the world question who Jesus Christ was. Many, even professed Christians, do not believe in his divine birth but Elder McConkie gives the greatest testimony that Jesus Christ is literally the only begotten Son of God, Our Heavenly Father, after the manner of the flesh.

We believe that all who have been born on this earth lived as spirits children of our Heavenly Father before we came here to live as mortals. Jesus Christ was the first begotten Son of God in that spirit world. Christ under the direction of Heavenly Father created this earth and everything on it for us as part of Heavenly Father’s plan for our progression. Prior to this, a council was held in heaven where God presented his plan for us. We were to be born and have physical bodies and live on the earth in a probationary state. Essential in that plan was our agency, the right to choose to obey God’s commandments or not. God’s plan included that a Savior would be provided and he would atone for the sins of all of God’s children thus providing a way to come back and live in His presence after this probationary period was over.

In that council God asked: “Whom shall I send?” Meaning who will be the Savior of mankind? Jesus Christ responded: “Hear am I, send me” and thus he became our Savior (Abraham 3:27). After the heavens and the earth were created and mortality began; Jesus Christ was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament.  It was Jesus Christ that spoke to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was the one that appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the commandments and the Old Testament law. It was of Jesus Christ that all the prophets testified that a Messiah would come to save his people. Isaiah said:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Matthew and Luke record their stories of the birth of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1 and Luke 1). Nephi, in the Book of Mormon also sees a vision of Christ’s birth (see 1 Nephi 11:15-21). Jesus Christ’s mother was Mary, a mortal person, and from her he had the power to give up his life and die. Christ’s Father was God our Heavenly Father, and from him he had to power of eternal life or the ability to take his life again after he was crucified as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ was the only person who had the ability to be our Savior, no other person could have the power over life and death as he did. He willingly came to earth and was born of Mary as his mother and with God as his father after the manner of the flesh. He willingly suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and he willingly suffered at the hands of the Jews and was tried for crimes that he did not commit. He willingly allowed the Romans to crucify him and suffer death. On the third day he rose from the grave because he had power over death and thus has provided all of us the ability to overcome death as well. The resurrection is a free gift to all of God’s children.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ provides those who willingly repent and keep God’s commandments and receive the saving ordinances of baptism and the temple sealing ordinances the opportunity to live eternally with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as families.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the ones that declare the true generation of Jesus Christ. We know who Jesus Christ truly is and we worship him in truth and in spirit after the manner that he has revealed through his ancient and modern prophets.

To watch Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s devotional address click on the link below.

Your questions and comments are welcome.

The Road Trip

Recently my wife went on a trip to Canada to visit her family.  She drove from Logan, Utah to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (Central, SK); to Red Deer (above Calgary), Alberta; to Kalowna, British Columbia (South East B.C.); to Vancouver Island on the East coast of B.C; to Olympia, Washington, then a stop in Boise, Idaho to spend the last night with my brother, and finally back to Logan, Utah. The trip was more than 3200 miles and took her three weeks. To plan for the trip we got on Google maps and plotted her course and I showed her how to use the GPS on her iPhone. She also had a stand-alone GPS system and she had even purchased an Atlas so she could use the physical maps as she went. We thought we had planned every detail so she would not have any problems getting to each of her destinations, or so we thought.

As soon as she crossed the border into Canada, her iPhone stopped working; not because of the carrier but because her iPhone was an older model and the type of phone she had did not work in Canada. She no longer had access to the technology she needed to get her from one place to the next – her GPS. When she tried to use the stand alone GPS, the maps were out of date and did not have the correct maps for Canada. She only had the Atlas to help her find her way and those maps did not have the detail she needed when she got into the towns to find her way to her family’s homes. Fortunately, she did know her way around Prince Albert her first destination because she grew up there and her family still lived on the family farm that she was raised on so all she needed to do was get to Prince Albert and she was fine.

Though inconvenient the loss of her iPhone was as big of a problem as I thought. When she got to her first stop she was able to call her family at then next stop and get directions and she was able to call me each day and let me know how the trip was going. Since cells phones are only about 30 years old and we both are older than that we know what it is like to travel without one. It was inconvenient but not impossible.

On her second leg of the trip from Prince Albert to Red Deer in Alberta, she ran into the next problem – no road signs. Even though she had the names of the streets she was supposed to turn on, the streets were not marked and she ended up on a three-hour side tour of Alberta before she found her way to Red Deer. The side tour ended up being quite the adventure because a very large Moose (as she described it) ran across the road in front of her car and then she came across a flock of Snow Canadian Geese that she thought was absolutely beautiful.

While there were several adjustments that needed to be made because of the technical difficulties she managed to make it to each destination and have a wonderful time visiting family and friends and eventually made it back home safely. It was a trip she will always remember.

This is not the first time we have experienced problems with GPS technology. A few years ago I went on a trip to Chicago for some training for work and my wife went with me. One day while I was in meetings she decided to go to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. I programed the GPS with the address to the museum which was on Lake Shore Drive. She took off and I went to my meeting. About two hours later she called me and asked how long it was supposed to take to get to the museum. I said about 45 minutes. When she told me she was still not there I asked what the last sign was that she passed. She told me Des Moines, Iowa; she was headed back to Salt Lake City! I told her to click on the return to start button and head back to the hotel. When she got back I looked at the GPS and even though I thought I had put in Lake Shore Drive, Chicago; it had defaulted to Lake Shore Drive, Utah. Needless to say I still have a distrust of GPSs and their accuracy.

We can compare my wife’s road trip to our time here in mortality. There is a purpose for our birth here at this time. We did not just pop into existence when we were born and we will not cease to exist after we die. We lived before this life as spirit children of our Heavenly Father and he provided a plan whereby we could come here and gain physical bodies, develop faith in him and His Son, Jesus Christ; learn to keep the commandments he gave us; and receive the ordinances that would enable us to return to his presence and live with him eternally. Our lives do not end at death, they will go on but the type of life we have there will depend on the roads we travel and if we follow the proper route that will get us to the final destination – back to Heavenly Father’s presence.

Many people have no idea what their destination is, they are just driving along taking whatever road they think looks interesting. Others may know the destination but have no idea which road to take; they have no functioning GPS, their GPS does not have the correct maps, their Atlas does not have the detail they need,  or there are no road signs to follow. Others may think that they are on the right road and are listening to the GPS directions but do not realize they are in reality headed to the wrong “Lake Shore Drive”, they get lost on a three-hour diversion because they think they know the directions and don’t listen to the GPS, or they are not following the maps or the directions that they were given.

All roads do not lead to Heaven and the Savior has said that the way is straight and narrow. If we do not follow the correct route we may find that when we arrive at our final destination that it was not where they wanted to go. Michael Goodman speaking to the students of BYU said: “We are here on earth to learn what we need to learn so that we can become what we are intended to become and return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father and Mother for eternity". (“Become a Seeker: They Way, the Truth, and the Life”) In other words we need to know what roads will take us on our road trip that will lead us back to that destination to live with Heavenly Father and we must avoid the side roads that will only lead us away from that destination.

The Lord has not sent us here without the proper directions to get us back home to him. He has given us a variety of GPS instruments, maps, and other things to help us along the way. They come to us through the scriptures, living prophets, Apostles, and other church leaders, our family, friends. He has provided commandments as road signs to follow to keep us safe and provided us the Holy Ghost to help us stay on the right road or to warn us if we make the wrong turn. He has provided all of the ordinances that will qualify us to return and live with him.

Eventually like my wife we will all return home from our road trip. If we use the “technology” that the Lord has provides us we will arrive at the proper destination safely.

Your comments and questions are welcome. 

Boats that Won't Float

In the early seventeenth century the king of Sweden, Gustav II Adolf, wanted to build the most powerful gun ship ever. He commissioned the best ship builders and used the best materials. The ship was called the Vasa and was to be made of oak, a very valuable wood. If someone would cut down an oak tree without a permit they would be guilty of a capital crime. The wood from the oak trees was cut and prepared for the width called for in the design.

“After construction had begun, Gustav Adolf ordered the Vasa to be made longer. Because the width supports had already been built from precious oak, the king directed the builders to increase the ship’s length without increasing its width. Although the shipwrights knew that doing so would compromise the Vasa’s seaworthiness, they were hesitant to tell the king something they knew he did not want to hear. They complied. Gustav Adolf also insisted that this ship have not simply the customary single deck of guns but cannons on three decks, with the heaviest cannons on the upper deck. Again, against their better judgment, the shipwrights complied.

“Over the course of several years, shipwrights, carpenters, rope makers, and others worked diligently to build the Vasa. Over one thousand oak trees were used to complete the ship. It had sixty-four cannons and masts taller than 150 feet. To give the ship the opulence befitting a king’s flagship, several hundred gilded and painted sculptures were added.

“On August 10, 1628, the Vasa began its maiden voyage. In view of countless spectators, the ship left its mooring directly below the royal castle in Stockholm. After being pulled along by anchors for the first several hundred feet, the Vasa left the shelter of the harbor. A stronger wind entered its sails, and the ship began to tip. The Vasa righted itself slightly, but only temporarily. Before long, as recorded by an observer, “she heeled right over and water gushed in through the gun ports until she slowly went to the bottom under sail, pennants and all.”¹ The Vasa’s maiden voyage was about 4,200 feet.

“Despite the Vasa’s magnificent appearance, the ship was not seaworthy. The alterations in its construction resulted in it not having sufficient lateral stability to enable safe seafaring. Gustav Adolf’s desire for an extravagant status symbol ruined the design of what would have been a magnificent sailing vessel, the mightiest warship of its time. The shipbuilders’ reluctance to speak up—their fear of the king’s displeasure—deprived the king of their knowledge and insight. All involved lost sight of the goals of the enterprise: to protect Sweden and to promote its interests abroad. A ship that attempts to defy the laws of physics is simply a boat that won’t float.” (“Constructing Spiritual Stability”, Dale G. Renlund, BYU Devotional, September 16, 2014)

If we are to navigate the waters of our mortality and be worthy to enter back into the presence of God we need to have spiritual stability. Brother Renlund explains that there are four things we need to do to build spiritual stability:

1.              Obeying God’s Commandments

2.              Heading Counsel and Becoming Lifelong Learners

3.              Serving Others

4.              Make Jesus Christ Our Foundation

The Savior speaking to his disciples said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Keeping God’s commandments is the best thing we can do to give us spiritual stability. There are so many voices in the world today teaching that it does not matter what we do, as long as we don’t infringe on someone else’s rights or break the law we are ok. There are also many that are teaching that evil is good and good is evil. How do we know what is right and wrong. We can know through the teachings of the scriptures. The scriptures teach that wickedness never was happiness (Alma 41:10). Bro. Renlund said:

“Working with the physical laws related to lateral stability in the ship’s construction might have felt restrictive to Gustav Adolf, but the Vasa would not have sunk before its mission started had it complied with these laws. Instead, it would have had the freedom and flexibility to accomplish what it was intended to do.

“So, too, obedience to God’s laws preserves our freedom, flexibility, and ability to achieve our potential. The commandments are not intended to restrict us. Rather, obedience leads to increased spiritual stability and long-term happiness.” (“Constructing Spiritual Stability”, Dale G. Renlund, BYU Devotional, September 16, 2014)

The second principle for spiritual stability is to head the counsel of church leaders and be lifelong learners of the truth.  If we do not heed to counsel of our church leaders we are like King Gustav who ignored the laws of physics when constructing the Vasa. We risk sinking spiritually and becoming subject to the Devil if we ignore the inspired counsel of our leaders. We also must always be seeking to know the truth on all matters both spiritually and temporally.

Third we must be willing to serve. It is through selfless service to others that we become closest to the Savior and the example he set for us. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught,  “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are in the service of God”. (Mosiah 2:16)  Brother Renlund had this to say about service:

“Eternity stays in clearer focus when we focus on others as we seek to help Heavenly Father’s children in some way. I have always found it much easier to receive inspiration when I am praying to find out how I can help another than when I am simply praying for myself.” (“Constructing Spiritual Stability”, Dale G. Renlund, BYU Devotional, September 16, 2014)

The final principle for spiritual stability is making Jesus Christ our foundation. The Apostle Paul taught that we would be “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14) unless we were built on the “foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner.” (Ephesians 2:20).

Again Bro. Renlund counseled:

Without Christ, we are driven like a vessel tossed about upon the waves. We have no power because we have no sail. We have no stability, especially in times of storm, because we have no anchor. We have no direction or purpose because we don’t have anything with which to steer.

If we wish to avoid navigating through life in a long, skinny, top-heavy ship, we must make Christ our foundation and seek His counsel. The ultimate in educational hubris is to believe ourselves to be so wise that we do not need to seek direction from the Lord through the Holy Ghost. Remember, “to be learned is good if [we] hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:29; see also verse 28).

In order to face, overcome, and be prepared for the crosswinds and crosscurrents of life, we must obey God’s commandments; become humble, willing, and determined lifelong learners; serve others; and establish Jesus Christ as the foundation of our lives. As we do so we dramatically increase our spiritual stability. Unlike the Vasa,we will be able to return to safe harbor, having fulfilled our destiny. (“Constructing Spiritual Stability”, Dale G. Renlund, BYU Devotional, September 16, 2014)

We live in a world that is constantly being tossed around by the winds of secularism and evil. If we are to navigate these turbulent waters safely we must have spiritual stability. We will never make it if we break God’s commandments, ignore the counsel of our priesthood leaders, fail to have charity for others by provide meaningful service and have Jesus Christ as the foundation of our lives. Without these things we like, the Vasa are a boat that won’t float.

Your comments and questions are welcome. (If there are no comments yet, click on the no comment link below)