Can you be too temperate?

Dear friend

There are various "thou shalt not ..." commandments to stop us doing, saying, thinking, eating, drinking, or otherwise engaging in specific proscribed activities. These include stealing, taking the Lord's name in vain, having lustful thoughts, partaking of forbidden substances, and many more. These matters normally involve quite straightforward choices either to obey or not.

But there are some things we might do, or say, or think, etc. that are neither proscribed nor prescribed. These could include playing computer games, eating sweets or candies, (or just eating a lot), sleeping in, watching TV, and many others. These things are not inherently wrong, indeed they are often fun, pleasurable, and relaxing, but they can become habit-forming, time-consuming or addiction-tending.

The Prophet Alma once gave some fatherly advice to his son, Shiblon. He had something to say on this topic, and we can apply it to ourselves. The key line is found in the Book of Mormon, Alma 38:10.

10 ... and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.

To be temperate is to act in moderation, or to show self-restraint. For Alma this relates to those things in which we might overindulge. The counsel is to be temperate in everything. We are not to get "hooked" on anything in a way that makes us lose some degree of control, pulls us away from doing what's right, or is just not good for us in excess.

Further, in relation to our use of the bounty of the earth, the Lord restated the moderation principle in Doctrine and Covenants 59:20.

20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, ...

And also, in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 9:25.

25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things ...

If we know we are indulgent or intemperate in some way, that specific issue may have come into our mind as we read this. If so that might well be a sign we need to improve. I believe we can learn self-mastery by controlling our appetites, desires and passions through the grace of Our Redeemer. We can be moderate, measured and modest in everything; except in our discipleship of Jesus Christ.

Samuel.

Understanding a suffering Saviour

Dear friend

Is it possible to speak too often of the Lord Jesus Christ? I say no, as long as we maintain respect for His sacred name and person. Certainly the scripture writers never held back. However, has there ever been a person so frequently discussed but so regularly misunderstood as Jesus the Christ? Consider the Apostle Paul, he understood, and we are blessed to have his insights; such as those from the New Testament, Hebrews 5:5-9.

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

There is so much doctrine from these few verses that builds our true faith in Christ because it teaches us the truth. We learn that He was a high priest. As such, He officiates at the alter for us, but unlike other high priests who make symbolic offerings, Jesus Himself was the offering. Despite that unique high-profile role, He was mighty in humility, having always credited the Father for any glory. We are taught that Christ's Priesthood authority as a high priest was decreed in another place, surely referring to the pre-earth life. The earthly name for that power was known in Christ's times, being called after the great King Melchizedek. The Apostle Paul confirms how the Lord's powers began to be with Him long before His mortal life and mission.

While on earth, Jesus Christ used His powers to their greatest extent as He made His offering in Gethsemane, Golgotha and the Garden tomb; being the fullness of the Atonement. It included  "supplications with strong crying and tears" and caused Him to "fear"; no doubt when He felt the enormity of the unimaginable burden. Then we see something of enormous importance. Christ, even Christ, learned obedience through suffering; and He was the Son. How much more should we learn to obey even as we suffer?

Suffering made the Saviour of mankind "perfect". Following Christ's example of obedience in suffering can make us perfect too, eventually. I hope that as we come to know the truths "about" Jesus Christ we also come to "know" Jesus Christ personally as our Master and Friend.

Samuel.

A vision of the Father for when we pray

Dear friend

Prayer is a quite unique form of communication. We normally close our eyes before we pray. When else would we do that to talk with someone? Perhaps it helps us be less distracted by visual stimulus. Or perhaps it signifies our utter unworthiness in comparison to God, to the extent that we should not, cannot, look upon His glory in our corrupt mortal state; a blessed mercy maybe. Whatever the reason, when our natural eyes are closed what do we picture in our mind's eye? Do we have an image of Heavenly Father as He lovingly listens to our stumbling statements of praise and petition?

If you want a visual image, you could borrow one from the Prophet Ezekiel. He had a vision of God on His throne. The description is brilliant, in both senses. It comes from the Old Testament, Ezekiel 1:26-28.

26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

So, in order to capture for yourself this Regal revelation, send your mind above the sky, past the upper atmosphere to the far reaches of the furthest stars. See a throne spectacularly shining with a bright blue hue. See Father seated thereon, with a golden glow of glorious fire emanating from the core of His whole person; a shimmering white-hot wonderment. Feel the warmth of pure love tingle on your face as He smiles at you personally and nods approvingly. You bask in His absolute affection and beautiful boundless beneficence. Surrounding this marvellous mirage is a full spectrum of rainbow-like radiance, an aura too magnificent for mere words. The holiness is humbling, the perfection is palpable. Hold that visualisation with as much mental clarity and spiritual sensitivity as you can muster. Let it sink deep into your soul.

Having imprinted our own version of Ezekiel's vision into our psyche, I hope we can recall it and use it to enhance our prayer experience. It made the Prophet fall on his face in complete obeisance. I pray that we might share in a portion of what resulted and so say with him "I heard a voice of one that spake".

Samuel.

Prophecy, parables and pyrotechnics

Dear friend

Some of the ancient prophets were shown our day, the latter days. I can't help wondering what they thought about what they saw. Surely some things must have appeared very odd to them. But whatever they thought of helicopters and hovercraft, we gain great benefit from what the Lord told them about these days. For example, from the Old Testament, Ezekiel 20:45-49.

45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
48 And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
49 Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

While prophets of olden times might have wondered about worldly works of our day, for our turn we too can wonder about the strange ways of the ancients; including how they wrote. From these verses it is helpful to understand that the Prophet Ezekiel was living in Mesopotamia at the time, and Judea was the land to the south of his location. Judea represents His chosen people who at times have been disobedient. "Drop thy word", according to other verses, simply means to preach the gospel. The forest refers to the people as if they were trees, like fruit or olive trees; which is a common device in scriptural prophecy. Many of these trees are unfruitful, good for nothing but to be burned. In the last days there will be a burning removal of the useless trees. This will be in preparation for Christ’s glorious return. And all the world will know of it.

The continual use of analogies, parables and such constructions is instructive, but we must put in some effort to discover the meanings, to seek out the mysteries that are in plain sight if we will but look for them.

I pray that we will "hear the word of the Lord", search it, and that it will "kindle a fire in us".

Samuel.

God's servants' love for God's children

Dear friend

There are special people who have been called by God to represent Him; to lead, teach and serve His children. Down the years they have been known as prophets, patriarchs, presidents, pastors, priests, and many other titles (that don't all start with the letter p), not least of these other callings being simply that of teacher. They are all imperfect men and women sent out by a perfect God to do His will and His work. In performing their duties they strive to pattern their lives after the Saviour Jesus Christ. This includes learning to have the same type of pure love Jesus has for all people. The Lord called this ultimate love charity.

There are several examples in the scriptures of the Lord's servants exhibiting the pure love of Christ in the way they serve and lead. For example in the Book of Mormon, Alma 13:27.

27 And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance;

Notice the truly heartfelt emotion of pure love the Prophet Alma expresses as he desires the people to repent. There is no obvious personal gain for Alma that would cause him to be so concerned for others' salvation. Indeed he and his companion Amulek would end up imprisoned, maltreated and worse. Alma uses language that emphasises the intensity of feeling and selflessness, with words like anxiety and pain.

This is surely an inkling into the kind of love Jesus Christ has for us. It was His pure charitable caring for our spiritual wellbeing and eternal future that motivated the acceded agony of the Atonement. I believe that true servants of Jesus Christ have a testimonial understanding of Christ's sacrificial suffering and the feeling behind it. They want to help us attain to a glorious eternal future. Like the Lord, they too find it intensely saddening to imagine anyone being assigned or resigned to a place that is not with the Father. They also have come to understand the familial connection between every living soul as children of God, even loving us as literal brothers and sisters.

I hope we appreciate the sincerity of God's chosen teachers and leaders. We should pray for them as they serve us. And we too should seek to have that same pure Christlike love for others.

Samuel.

Being one, but not alone

Dear friend

If there is one of something it stands alone, separate, unique, singular. However if there is one of something and that something is a collective noun, it is not so easy to see its singularity. I'm thinking of a pod (of dolphins), a family (of beavers), a quorum (of Apostles), a parliament (of owls). As a collection of more than one it is not so easy for a collective to make a claim to uniqueness or singleness. But a group is a separate, distinct, lone entity, albeit a group has at least two and usually more members.

I'm quite interested in the dynamics of how groups act together "as one". The concepts of synergy and economies of scale would suggest there is inherent value in "some" becoming "one". The results can be powerful, even beautiful; such as with a murmuration of starlings and their undulating, mesmerising flights during the roosting season.

The concept of "many as one" is interesting as used in the scriptures, especially as the Lord sometimes applies it. For example in Doctrine and Covenants 35:2.

2 I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one.

A great debate in Christendom is the nature of the Trinity. Without giving a full treatment to that doctrinal dispute, this verse clearly teaches how a "we" may be a "one" in Christ, comparing it to Christ's oneness with the Father. Obviously in both cases this is not about being the same literal embodied person. Further insight can be found in the New Testament, Romans 12:4, 5.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

In this case a "many" is a "one". The benefits of being "at one" as a Church body in Christ include; unity, mutuality, peer support, interdependence, collective achievement and more. Indeed the Lord says elsewhere that if we are not one we are not His.

Of course the perfect example of unity, especially of our being in and at one with Christ, is when we partake of the great "at-one-ment" (Atonement) of Christ. I hope we can see the value of being at one with Christ so He can verily be in us. I pray we will learn how to be unified with Our Lord as we come to understand the complete unity of purpose that exists between the Father and the Son.

Samuel.

Service is essential to salvation

Dear friend

There are a few very essential reasons why we are on the earth. We must obtain a physical body so as to become more like our Father. We must learn to live by faith which includes keeping God's commandments. We must make sacred covenants; purifying promises with God. When we err we must repent, learning from our mistakes as well as our achievements.

While we are completing this blessed bucket list, we pad out the rest of our mortal moment with work, play, rest and the miriad of minutiae that fill our lives, 24 hours at a time.

As we live with our eyes fixed on the eternity to come, I believe it is still important to focus on the geotic journey. In fact, I think the journey - the way we get through our terrestrial test - is a key aspect in determining our destiny. One of the basics of living a good life is described in the New Testament, Romans 15:1-3.

1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

I am convinced it is an essential element of earth life that we strive to assist each other to get through it. I love the idea that "you cannot help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself". Serving others as a lifestyle lynchpin is, I believe, as important to our eternal prospects as is living by faith. In some ways they are the same thing.

Jesus Christ is the One in whom we must have faith. We demonstrate that faith by how we live our lives. The best way to ensure you are living a good life is to pattern it after the Lord; to do the things He did. And at the core of His life was service to others, helping those in need, bearing the infirmities of the weak.

I hope that it will be an item on our daily bucket list to help someone where we can; to "please our neighbour". I pray that we will develop service giving as a defining part of who we are - a core characteristic of our better nature - to take the time or make the time to seek opportunities and be responsive to situations where we can improve the lot of others. Service is a spiritual lifestyle choice.

Samuel.