Obedience

Obedience to God's word is a fundamental expectation for followers of Jesus Christ. Baptism is an ordinance whereby we declare our intention to obey the commandments of God. When we partake of the sacrament we renew our commitment to obey His commandments. We also understand that we covenanted to be obedient to the law of God while in the pre-mortal world.

While this short blog post will not even come close to covering all that could be said about obedience, I recently found something that helps me to understand what the law is that I have covenanted to obey and to see how that fits in to my journey back to God's presence.

Consider the following verses in D&C 88:

  11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
  12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
  13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things [emphasis added].

Notice that the light of Christ is described as the law of God. Thus, one of the most basic interpretations of my covenant to obey God is that I will follow the light of Christ. Consider this idea in connection with these verses from D&C 84:

  44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.
  45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
  46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.
  47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.
  48 And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world.

We are told to live by (obey) every word that proceeds forth from God. And, that those words are the same as the light or Spirit of Jesus Christ. In essence, we are to obey the word of God, which is the light of Christ and which is the law of God. And, when we hearken to (obey) the light of Christ we are enlightened and come unto God the Father. The result of being brought to God the Father is that he teaches us of the covenant and confirms it upon us. This is echoed in D&C 88: 78 where the Lord explains that we are to "be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand [emphasis added];"

Every person ever born into this world is given the light or Spirit of Jesus Christ, which is the law of God. Every person who obeys the Spirit of Jesus Christ is enlightened and brought to the Father to be taught about the covenant, or law of the Gospel. What a blessing to have this assurance that every one of us is born with the gift of the first steps on the path back to God's presence so readily available.

The Light of the World

Light is an oft-used metaphor in the scriptures.  In particular, Jesus is often described as the source of light. For example, in John 8:

  12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

or in D&C 93:

  2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;

In comparing Jesus as a source of light to the sun as a source of light something interesting occurred to me.

Light from the sun includes all of the colors of the spectrum. When that light hits an object, like the apple in the picture on the right, the color of the object that we see is determined by the light that is reflected. Thus an apple appears red because it reflects red light. The apple does not shine with it's own light, rather, it shines with the light that it is able to reflect because of its own properties.

Similar to the literal light of the sun, Jesus is the source of all that is light, or good, in the world. His light shines on all of creation. Because of Jesus we do not have to walk in darkness. We can see the way through life as we work to return to our Father in Heaven.

Continuing the analogy, we have been commanded to be a light to others. For example, in 3 Nephi 12 Jesus commands:

  14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Yet, as we saw in D&C 93: 2, Jesus is the true light that lights everyone in the world. I suspect that the way we can be a light to the world is to reflect Jesus' light. Like the apple, our color is determined by our characteristics. We can only reflect the portion of the full spectrum of Jesus' light that is part of who we are. For example, if Jesus is the source of love that is manifest in kindness to others, we can only reflect that light if we are becoming a loving person. If Jesus is the source of learning through the scriptures, we can only reflect that light if we love the scriptures.

The metaphor of Jesus as the source of light and us as reflectors of that light suggests that who we really are is made evident by which Christ-like characteristics are visible in us. After all, just as red light only reflects from things that are red, Christ-like characteristics are only visible when His light reflects off of people who have those characteristics.

With this imagery in mind, several verses in D&C 93 are interesting: 

  31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.

  32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.

The best use of our agency is to be transformed by Jesus Christ so that His light can shine as it is reflected in our lives.  Then, we become part of the invitation to all people to come unto Christ.

Knowing Jesus Christ

A few years ago I began to feel that, while I understood the doctrine of Jesus Christ, I lacked the deeper witness of the Spirit regarding the mission and reality of Jesus Christ.  I had learned in my mind, but had not yet been convinced in my heart.  So, I began to pray more earnestly.  I looked for understanding of the Savior as I read the scriptures and attended the temple.  An amazing thing happened that parallels the pattern of increasing light I have described in the hike we just took together.

As I prayed, attended the temple, and pondered, I did not hear a loud voice from heaven, have a vision, or receive a visit from an angel.  I did not have any single experience that was dramatic and life altering.  Yet, I have come to feel, through the power of the Holy Ghost, a deep appreciation for the love of the Savior that is manifest in His atoning sacrifice.[1]

I have always found hope in the testimony of prophets and apostles.  For example, in his final conference address, Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught us of the atonement.  He said:[2]

Now, the atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths. … We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane.  We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him.  We know he suffered, both body and spirit, more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death.  We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name.

This is beautiful doctrine.  I feel that I have been able to read the words and understand the concept that Jesus Christ atoned for my sins and made it possible for me to return to my Father in Heaven.  Yet, as Elder McConkie states, the mechanism is incomprehensible to me.  I have wondered how it is that we can come to love the Savior who suffered for us in a distant time and place.  How can I come to know Him?

Jesus taught us the way.  He invited us to know Him by living His teachings.  He taught us that:[3]

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Because,

He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

I truly feel my knowledge of Jesus Christ growing.  I feel that I am coming to know Him.  I firmly believe that this is the key to our coming unto Christ.  It is how we can know him and experience His love.

---

[1] 1 Kings 19: 11-12.

[2] Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, May 1985, 9.

[3] See John 7: 17 and D&C 93: 28.

Join Me on a Hike

I want to share a journey with you.  It is both a literal journey along a trail to a prominent local landmark as well as a spiritual journey to a greater appreciation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  My words are far less important than the promptings that our Father sends through the Spirit to each of us.  I hope the verbal picture that I try to paint leads to productive thoughts for you.

Let’s Go on a Hike Together

For more than ten years I have been hiking regularly with several friends.  We get up quite early and hike once or twice a week if we can get away with it.  An early start allows us to hike to interesting destinations and still be back in time to get to work and engage in the activities of life.

One of my favorite hikes begins at the mouth of Rock Canyon just east of the Provo temple and ends at the very top of Squaw Peak.  Join me as we hike up this trail.  Because of our early start time we often begin our hikes in the dark of night.  At that early hour we can just make out the faint outline of the peaks on each side of the canyon against a starry sky.  Dim outlines of trees on each side of the trail are visible as we carefully pick our way into the canyon.  Occasionally we will stumble as we make our way up the rocky trail.  The dramatic beauty of the canyon is hidden from view in the darkness.

As the morning progresses we become aware that we can see our surroundings a little better, with a little more detail.  The sky begins to turn grey in the east.  Leaves on trees and rocks on the trail become visible.  The size of the canyon can be seen as the arrival of dawn opens our range of vision.  Colors are not yet visible, but the world is slowly revealed in a dim black and white outline form. At that point we look up at Squaw Peak and wonder at the elevation and distance still to be traveled.

As this first light of dawn arrives we see the sign marking the left fork and the trail up from the canyon to Squaw Peak.  We hike through trees up a steep drainage to the meadows above.  We can hear birds and animals beginning to stir.  As we work our way up above the canyon we begin to notice a pink and purple glow in the clouds overhead.  The world takes on pastel hues.  At that point I find myself stopping in my tracks to marvel at the beauty of the morning light.

Not long after we experience this burst of color from the first light of day, we walk out of the trees into a beautiful meadow.  The sun is still below the horizon and the full color and detail of our surroundings are still muted.  But we can see that we have arrived in a great place for a break.  It might be tempting to stop here and turn around to go home given the enjoyment of the hike so far, the company of friends, and the beauty we have seen but we would miss the best part of the hike if we were to stop now.  So, we pause for a drink of water, and a snack to restore our energy, and continue on.  It feels as if we should be almost there by now, and yet there is still some distance to go and several hundred feet of elevation to gain as we continue our hike along the ridge towards the summit.

From the meadow we will work our way up the rocky ridgeline and enjoy the light of the sun as it crests Provo Peak and warms us from the morning chill. The world is now well lit.  The scenery around us is vibrant in color and detail.  And, finally, we arrive at the summit of Squaw Peak. Our tradition is to raise our arms in celebration upon arriving at a destination and then to soak in the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the canyon below.  The view is spectacular.  The whole of Utah valley lies before us.  We can look down to the mouth of the canyon and see the little, tiny shape of the car we arrived in. We are impressed by the distance we have come.  And, we feel gratitude for the blessing of this beautiful world God has created for our benefit.

In my next post I will try to use this hike to better understand the process by which we come to know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Temple and Morning Light

I was walking up to the temple one morning just as the sun was lighting up Rock Canyon in the background.  I stopped and snapped this picture because I love the imagery of light.  The morning light breaking over the temple as I walked up the hill just made me stop and contemplate.  Two verses of scripture come together to give meaning to this image:

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. - John 8: 12

For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house. - D&C 110: 7

Because the temple has been a key to my journey to know my Savior, Jesus Christ, I see it as a place where the Light of Christ is visible.  We walk in the light as the Lord is manifest to us in the temple.  I see the temple as a symbol of the Lord being among us.  I see light as a symbol of the learning that is available as we turn to the Lord through scripture study and temple worship.