As I contemplate the doctrines promised in D&C 93:1, I ponder the steps needed to get us to our final destination, the fulfillment of the Lord's promise.
It also reminds me of the efforts I often see online intended to get us to another destination: Zion.
Confusing Righteous Means and Righteous Ends
For years, I have frequented many LDS-related prophecy forums and/or websites. Some are populated with anywhere from a few to thousands of subscribers. Their objectives are always the same: to help prepare people (especially Latter-day Saints) for the Second Coming.
Yet on a few, I've seen several instances where discussions take place, opinions are formed, contentions arise, feelings are hurt and judgments are exacted - sometimes under the seemingly innocent guises of "just wanting to understand you" or "We're family here, and families fight - no hard feelings though, pardner!"
I don't buy it.
Time and again, the persecutors are emboldened as the persecuted leave...while being told (in so many words) not to let the barn door hit them on the way out.
It's paradoxical to me how some, in mortally-appointed positions of cyberjudgment, believe they have the behaviors of a Zionlike person yet perpetuate and/or fuel contention (not compassion) and walk all over the reputations of those they have never met...while singing church hymns, at that.
"Even though it is true that there must be an 'opposition in all things' [2 Nephi 2:11], none of us has the personal obligation to provide that opposition." (Neal A. Maxwell, "All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience," p. 108)Could those who find it easy to add mortally-decreed exceptions to "Judge not, lest ye be judged" be jeopardizing their ability to obey (with exactness and honor) the commandments and covenants of God?
Nobody ever has, nor ever will, achieve a righteous end by using unrighteous means. Never.
Thus, we see why it's the province of man to often focus on the desire for a righteous blessing, not the behaviors necessary to attain it. It's far easier to "dream" than to "do".
I, too, have learned by sad experience that I could miss a lot by focusing too much on my righteous desires, and not enough on the challenges of the day. Regrettably, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matt. 6:34).
Spiritual Landmines on the Way to the Savior's Presence
Do you honestly think that Satan would just let you effortlessly, merrily skip to the Savior's presence without opposition?
Quite the contrary -- the sinisterness and subtlety of the opposition only increases!
On our way to seeing his face and truly knowing him, we often inadvertently either (1) step on some "spiritual landmines", (2) miss enjoying truly profound, personal experiences with the Savior himself, or (3) all of the above.
In fact, I dare say just about every man or woman I've met who had such a goal has struggled, at one point or another, with at least one of these commissions or omissions, thus increasing their frustrations at not seeing the Lord.
I'll Leave You With This
In my next post, I'll start detailing some of those landmines, then we'll talk about a little-known doctrine we often forget in helping us to obey Christ's voice...
In the meantime, I'll ask you this:
What do YOU think some of these ultra-subtle landmines might be?
Fear.
ReplyDeleteIts subtlety lies hides behind all manner of other troublesome things: judgement, anger, frustration, meanness, lust for control. The opposite of love, it motivates us in a direction contrary to God's will. If we want to draw close to Him, we have to be motivated by what He is motivated by. Following love WILL bring us closer to Him, even if we don't know Him by name. But, if we are controlled by fear, it WILL keep tripping us up. Look at Job. His only failing was fear (Job 3:25), and that gave the devil the opening he needed to get to work.
I fully recognize we're all mortal here. (Myself, especially!) But, like the father of the boy possessed by a demon that would make him throw himself into the fire, we can cry to Jesus, "Lord, help thou my unbelief." And He will. He will! :o) He will show us where it lies, and show us how to love, instead.
He loves us, no matter how fearful we are. Our ability to experience His love is directly inverse to the amount of fear we cherish in our bosoms--a spiritual serpent, indeed.
Confusion and overwhelm at the sheer amount of unknown knowledge. The more I learn, the more I learn I do not know much of anything.
ReplyDeleteSeeking knowledge/understanding from men...I look to others as a faster way (short cut) to gain knowledge rather than paying the price of 93:1. In particular I don't call upon his name sufficiently. I find myself calling on others names more often than His. I am lazy. Lame but true. Like Jen, I don't know anything.
ReplyDeletePride. Pride comes in many insidious forms. Pride in knowledge, pride in material things, pride from being better than someone else. Privacy is a form of pride as well. You can even be prideful about not having pride! ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat Natali said; such as pride in being "one of the few humble followers of Christ".
ReplyDeleteThis especially is the plan of our adversary! Let them think they are better and won't be tempted by some of the "smaller things" so they slowly let down their guard. Satan will lead us to hell with the flaxen cords we ourselves spin when we think we are impervious to his snares.
DeleteI think the highly competitive free enterprise economy that we live in is purposely designed to encourage pride and divides us into different social and economic classes. "Trying to get ahead" comes to mind. Trying to get ahead of whom? Our neighbor? The national average? We are bombarded constantly with advertisements to tempt us to spend our money on everything. These I call the distractions of Babylon. It is like the glittering lights of Las Vegas seen as one drives north or south on the I-15 interstate highway. I like what Hugh Nibley said of our economic system. The Nephites did the same thing in their day. Hopefully we will be wiser than they were.
ReplyDelete