Humility

My recent gospel study has included a focus on humility. This is an attribute of which I would very much like to have a larger portion. In today's study, I found the following scripture and quotation that are helpful in better understanding what it takes to be humble.

“I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will” (Mormon 1:7).

“Men changed for Christ will be captained by Christ. Like Paul they will be asking, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ (Acts 9:6.) Peter stated they will ‘follow his steps.’ (1 Pet. 2:21.) John said they will ‘walk, even as he walked.’ (1 Jn. 2:6.)” (Ezra Taft Benson, "Born of God", Ensign, July 1989, 2).

What a different world it would be if every man would humbly submit his will to the will of God--if they would say from the depths of their heart, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). I'm going to strive with greater diligence to show this kind of humility.

Journal Keeping

2 …Whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.

4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. (Jacob 4:2-4)

As I read these verses this morning, it occurred to me that they speak to us about the importance of keeping a personal journal. Writing our experiences on paper will keep them from vanishing away. As we do so, we can help our posterity to learn some important lessons from our experiences that will help them to avoid some painful experiences that they might otherwise have. We also have the opportunity, through the testimonies of the Savior in our journals to help build and strengthen their testimonies.

With few exceptions, I have made daily entries in my personal journal for 30 years. It has been a blessing in my life. I hope it will bless my children and their children.

"Prophetic Priorities"

Several years ago while in a training session, we were encouraged to focus on "prophetic priorities" in our teaching. That phrase has stuck with me ever since. I have thought of it while studying the scriptures and while setting personal goals.

Today, while reading in the Book of Jacob, I came across one of the scriptures that helped me to more firmly conceptualize the importance of setting and earnestly following "prophetic priorities." Here is the verse: "The people . . . loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare." Nephi protected his people physically--for example, with the sword--and spiritually, by his example and teachings. The lesson: prophets are protectors. This verse is reinforced by the following additional verses:

"And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish" (2 Nephi 1:28).

To Jacob, Lehi said: "Thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi" (2 Nephi 2:3).

Finally, Jacob said: "I . . . [have] been consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety" (2 Nephi 6:2).

I will cite one more quote and then make some observations. "Now is the time to align our goals with God's goals" (Elder Russell M. Nelson).

A loving God has given us prophets to protect us--to keep us safe. However, this precious gift is of little value unless we listen carefully to what our prophet teaches us and apply it in our lives. When the prophet speaks we need to carefully study is words and "liken [them] unto us" (2 Nephi 19:23). Where needed, we must realign our goals so that they line up with the council of our living prophet. This is the course of safety. Just as we occasionally need to have the wheels realigned on our cars, so that they will steer in a straight course, we need to align our priorities with God's priorities. President Ezra Taft Benson said this in the following quotation:

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities” (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment – Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4).

This day I recommit to following "prophetic priorities" in my life.

The Times in Which We Live - 2

After receiving a comment on my blog entry concerning slaves rising up against their masters, I decided to go to a website that lists every scripture quoted by the General Authorities in General Conference. It was cited once by Bishop Joseph L. Wirthlin, Presiding Bishop of the Church and father of Joseph B. Wirthlin, who served as a member of the Twelve. His comment, below, seems to harmonize with the impression I have felt over the years.

The address for the above website, which is very useful for gaining additional insights into the scriptures, is: http://scriptures.byu.edu/

Here is the referenced quote by Bishop Worthlin:

Another marvelous revelation is one that is not encouraging, but nevertheless is true, and we must give it consideration. It is section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants and it reads:

"Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

"And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place."
He could only have known this through the revelations that were given to him by the Lord. Then also He said, "For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.
"And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war" ( D&C 87:1-4).

In many cases I am quite sure we all think this has to do particularly with the slaves in the Southern States, but I believe, brethren and sisters, that it was intended that this referred to slaves all over the world, and I think of those, particularly in the land of Russia and other countries wherein they have been taken over by that great nation and where the people are actually the slaves of those individuals who guide and direct the affairs of Russia and China, and where the rights and the privilege to worship God and to come to a knowledge that Jesus Christ is his Son is denied them. (Joseph L. Wirthlin, Conference Report, October 1958, pp. 30-34.)