Learning - D&C 88:118

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

With the advent of the Dead Sea Scrolls and similar discoveries, a common question is - Can we add these new discoveries to our cannon of scripture? The problem is, how do we know which of the writings are inspired and which are the aberrations of men? In fact, this is not just a problem with the discovery of ancient writings, but in all aspects of our lives. It is about which philosophies to take in and which to reject.

The task of weighing, sorting and applying new evidence is one which we will do throughout our lives. It underscores the heinousness of telling a lie. Doing so distorts others' ability to weigh evidence properly.

As the topic scripture suggests, we should teach wisdom amongst ourselves, and seek wisdom out of the best books. I take this by extension to mean that we should expose ourselves to as much wholesome learning as we can and apply and share our knowledge with others.

We would do well to remember that this life is not just about the "management of the creature", in other words keeping ourselves alive, comfortable and well entertained. It is about "becoming something". Becoming what?:

Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. (3 Nephi 27:27)

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:48)

I submit that this is the purpose of our existence - to progress and become like God Himself. Now, I'm not saying that it can happen overnight, or even that it is possible by the end of our lives. What I am saying is that it is our goal and our ideal. The old saying "shoot for the stars" comes to mind. The meaning of the saying is that we should set our goals high, no matter how unrealistic they may seem, we'll end up in a lot better place than if we set our goals for something mediocre.

I believe that there are two very important parts to this quest to be like Him. Learning and doing. The topic scripture is about the learning part of the equation. All truth is in the realm of God's knowledge. Thus the study of most any topic is beneficial - anthropology, mathematics, astrophysics, nutrition, art, history, etc. God obviously knows the infinite details on all of these subjects. In secular learning, we also have this admonition:

Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:18,19)

We have to ask ourselves; Why would God send us here in the first place? What's the point? I mentioned earlier that the purpose of our existence is to become like God -- Couldn't that happen without us having to come here and have this experience? I have to assume the answer is no. Apparently this experience is absolutely vital in our progression. I believe that this life is a time of accelerated learning. This life is the perfect scenario for us to learn and grow. We live amongst daily temptation and various forms of adversity. Why would He put us in such a situation except for our own benefit? It is imperative to have these experiences so that we can learn and grow and increase.

Thus the pursuit of the "easy life" is counter productive to the purpose of our existence. We should use as much of our time as possible to improve ourselves, our mind and talents; and to help others do the same. But taking this course of action requires faith -- if, as some have suggested, this life ends in oblivion, why should we seek to build character? Why do we feel so strongly about being good; we judge each other daily and we like to immortalize great people with statues and paintings. Why would we feel to call attention to people of principle and character if oblivion is the end? It is because our "end" is only a stepping stone to eternity. We all have an innate knowledge of good, and whether we seek it or not, we admire the qualities and attributes of God.

Seeing that this is how it is, we must remember to keep things well-rounded. Secular learning should be an important part of our lives, however we cannot be overzealous in the area or we will become lop-sided. We must pursue spiritual learning at the same time. We must also put into practice the principles of our learning or they will fade and become unlearned. We must practice all of the Christian virtues. We must perform meaningful service. We must nourish all of our relationships, those of family, friends, etc. We must also take care of ourselves, eat well, exercise, avoid debauchery. We must also take leisure and replenish ourselves. And we have to work and perform our functions in society.

Life is a delicate balancing act. We have to spread our focus out to many things to have a balanced life. And though doing all of these things perfectly is actually impossible, it is important to keep it as our ideal -- otherwise we begin to head down the wrong path. If you keep up something hard for long enough, eventually you become good at it. This is the only way I can think about striving for perfection.  A final important point is; You aren't expected to do it alone. He is there to help, and share the burden:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

Signs Follow Those That Believe - D&C 63:7-11

And he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation. Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning; But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe. Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God. Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; and with whom God is angry he is not well pleased; wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto their condemnation.

Remember Jesus' enigmatic saying "the wind bloweth where it listeth" (John 3:8)? To me this is a perfect metaphor for the Spirit of God. Seeking signs or trying to force the hand of God is like trying to control the wind. It is impossible.

This again brings me around to the point of ascertaining the will of God before presuming to have faith in it. No mighty works, signs or miracles will ever occur unless in accordance with the will of God. Now, I am not saying that we can't pray for something when we don't know if it is His will. Jesus taught the parable of the unjust judge, in which the judge eventually gave in to the persistent widow's petitions because her petitions were so abundant and wearying. I believe there is nothing wrong praying with hope if the thing we desire is good, regardless of whether we have an assurance of God's will. Only that we must always pray with deference to His divine will. "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "take this cup from me, nevertheless, thy will be done."

Some have stumbled at the concept of evil being allowed by God. If he allows men to commit evil acts, how can He be good? And the simple answer is that He has given us our agency - it is a gift. If He were to enforce righteousness, the gift would be destroyed, as well as righteousness. How could righteousness or wickedness exist if choosing either of them were not an option?

What about natural disasters? Aren't these proof that God allows evil? I say it depends on our perspective. We must always remember that His perspective is eternal and that our salvation is always more important than our survival. A tragedy to Him is when we corrupt ourselves, accept depravity and incorrect principles. This is one of the major problems with sign-seeking. Seeing a sign does not produce the desire or determination to change. Thus if He were to show a sign to an individual who is not repentant at heart, He would be causing them to enter into deeper damnation.

And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression? (Alma 32:19)

On the flip side, if we desire and pray for good, when His will requires it, He can and does intervene on behalf of those who use their agency to exercise faith in Him. These occasions are what we commonly call miracles. I often compare this to a ship without a rudder. When we don't pray, it is like rejecting God from our life, and like a ship without a rudder, we will be tossed wherever the wind and waves take us. However, when we pray, it is like having a rudder. When we pray, we are using our will to ask God to be a part of our life. And when we do this, He always responds (according to His will) and provides direction so that it is possible to harness the wind and waves to our benefit.

Faith to be Healed - D&C 42:48

And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed. He who hath faith to see shall see. He who hath faith to hear shall hear. The lame who hath faith to leap shall leap. And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have power to become my sons; and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt bear their infirmities.

Notice that the first sentence says "he that hath faith in me". There is an important distinction between simply having faith, and having faith in Jesus Christ. Many people have "faith". They believe that the sun will come up in the morning. That their stock will go up. That a newly formed marriage will succeed. Faith gets us out of bed in the morning.

It is faith which impels us to action, and all people have it in different amounts and directed toward different things. However, when we assume to have faith in the supernatural, in miracles, faith in Jesus Christ is "the only name whereby salvation cometh",  and wherein there is true righteous power. If our faith is not in Jesus Christ, and is not confirmed by His holy will, the thing that we have faith in is not guaranteed, and in fact, may be unrighteous.

Jesus told us:

And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. (D&C 93:24,25)

 Thus, not believing in things which have been revealed, and believing in things which have not been revealed are both non-conformant to the Spirit, and are forms of unbelief and idolatry.

Now, I say this with the caveat that hope and belief are different things. One may hope for something good without a knowledge of whether it is in accordance with His will. But when one begins to believe something without ascertaining the will of God, he's treading on thin ice.

All miracles are granted to those of faith whenever it is according to His will:

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

I assert that the true church or people of God will have these and all other miracles among them. Many say that the day of miracles have ceased, but if that were so, why does the Bible not say so? And, why is the Bible so chock full of miracles? Isn't it so that we will believe in them? It is easy for us to doubt things we have not experienced for ourselves. But just because we haven't seen any of these things does not mean that they do not exist. If we don't experience miracles, it is usually due to a lack of faith.

And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, ... God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. (Mormon 9:15,18-21)

Besides lack of faith and the will of God, another possible reason we may experience fewer miracles, or at least smaller ones, is that our circumstances may not warrant big miracles. Now I'm talking about the parting of the Red Sea, the submission of lions, fire from heaven, etc. For the majority of us, I think that our lives are not in danger most of the time and thus we don't need divine intervention to save our lives on a daily basis. I'm not saying that divine intervention doesn't occur on a daily basis, even to save our lives, but that it happens more subtly and in smaller degrees; to the extent that unless we are careful, we may not notice it.

... behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. (Alma 37:6-7)

 I also want to address the final sentence of the topic scripture: "And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have power to become my sons; and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt bear their infirmities."

Concerning faith to be healed, etc. many of us may not have sufficient faith. Or as was pointed out by Elder Bednar, "faith not to be healed" may be required; meaning the humility to accept that a trial in our life may have been put there in for a wise purpose in God, which we may not understand. Regardless, whether a particular miracle of healing or otherwise is granted, if they "believe in me" they "have power to become my sons". This is really the important part.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

When all things are considered, we realize that salvation is infinitely more important than survival. Thus accepting the will of God to grant or not grant miracles as His wisdom sees fit, is ultimately the best, because this life is a temporary step onto bigger and greater things. And it will be great, if we believe in Him.

The Weak Things Shall Thrash the Nations - D&C 35:9

For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk. And the time speedily cometh that great things are to be shown forth unto the children of men; But without faith shall not anything be shown forth except desolations upon Babylon, the same which has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And there are none that doeth good except those who are ready to receive the fulness of my gospel, which I have sent forth unto this generation. Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit; And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of mine indignation will I preserve them.

God continues to be a God of miracles. And for those of faith, miracles are granted. I have spoken before about the need to obtain the will of God before expecting a miracle. The topic verse explains what we can expect without faith: "But without faith shall not anything be shown forth except desolations upon Babylon, ..." The world is becoming more and more engulfed in Babylon. Last week from the time of writing, a 14 year-old opened fire on innocent children at an elementary school. There were riots in North Carolina. Two bombings happened; one in New York and one in New Jersey. Terrorist groups operate with impunity in many parts of the world, killing innocent people. We had a presidential debate between two candidates; one of which is the poster child for ego and materialism, the other, one who sold national secrets for personal gain; an act that would send a normal person to jail for decades.

Truly, the last days are encroaching upon us. It is as we are told: "... it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished." (Mormon 4:5). Not to say that the children in the school yard were "wicked", on the contrary, concerning the fate of the innocent and the wicked who commit these crimes we are told:

... for behold the Lord receiveth [the innocent] up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that [the wicked] may do this thing ... unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day. (Alma 14:11)

I believe most people are generally good, but as the bumper sticker goes: "Evil wins when good people do nothing." And in that aspect, many - probably most of us stand convicted, and the judgements of God hang in the balance. I'm not in any position to judge, but like anyone else, am observing the things that Paul prophesied: 

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Acting according to faith becomes more difficult in an increasingly secular world. We feel judged. We worry about what others will think of our actions and devotion. And if we heed that feeling, we lose faith. Jesus pointed this out to the scribes and Pharisees of His time:

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? (John 5:44)

It takes faith to disregard the shame that the world would heap upon us for practicing faith. And we must continue to hold on no matter what:

But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever. (2 Nephi 9:18)

And I repeat the last part of the topic scripture:

Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit; And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of mine indignation will I preserve them.

Endure in Faith - D&C 20:25

That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved

 Enduring to the end is a theme that is touched upon several times in scripture. Consider the following:

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. (Mosiah 2:41)

Brigham Young urged us to view endurance in the proper perspective. It is not a long drudgerous slog to the end, but a time of preparation for exciting things in the beyond.

We are urged by the Spirit to refrain from articles which tend to death, to preserve this life, which is the most precious life given to mortal beings preparatory to an immortal life. It is our business to prepare to live here to do good. Instead of crying to the people, prepare to die, our cry is, prepare to live forever. (DBY)

 Joseph Smith gave the following insight:

Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:18-19)

It is best to view this life as a laboratory in which the environment is adjusted just right so as to enable us to progress at an accelerated rate. We do not know what awaits us in the eternities, but the here and now are for our progression, gathering of knowledge, wisdom and experience to enable us with a head start in the eternities. But we must stay true and faithful, doing good as much as we can, and correcting our mistakes through repentance and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as we go along.

The sin that will cleave to all the posterity of Adam and Eve is, that they have not done as well as they knew how. (DBY)

Petitions of Faith - D&C 10:47-52

And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers; Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions. Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land; And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life; Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be. And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people.

The phrase "their faith in their prayers" is mentioned 3 times in this scripture. This begs the question, what does it take to pray in faith? Aren't there many sincere prayers that are said that aren't answered according to the will of the petitioner? I have touched on this topic before. A prayer of petition isn't for changing the will of God, it is for ascertaining those things which are contingent upon our asking for them. Thus a prayer of petition might be best carried out by seeking His will. The phrase "nevertheless thy will be done" and "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" should adorn our prayers if not literally, then at least in sentiment.

True faith defers all wisdom to God. We cannot see things from the beginning to the end like He can. And thus we must try to bend our will in line with His, not the other way around. Any perceived losses on our part will always be made right in the end. Thus a true prayer of faith seeks to learn the will of God by the Spirit, and then makes petitions in faith. Once the will of God is known, I believe it is only then that we can truly put faith in it. Exercising faith is not always easy.

Note this important petition of the ancients which was granted for us: "whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life". Now that's something worth having faith in!!!

Without Faith You Can Do Nothing - D&C 8:10

Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.

The context of this statement was to Oliver Cowdery when he was seeking the gift to translate ancient records by revelation. This statement is true on many levels. In the Prophet Joseph's Lectures on Faith, we learn:

Faith is ... the principle of action in all intelligent beings. If men were duly to consider themselves, and turn their thoughts and reflections to the operations of their own minds, they would readily discover that it is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action, in them; that without it, both mind and body would be in a state of inactivity, and all their exertions would cease, both physical and mental.

This is a simple, yet powerful concept. I have never been in a state of complete inactivity, but I can imagine that those who struggle with depression perhaps from another perspective can be seen as "faith-challenged". For those who find it difficult to get up in the morning, I imagine that they have very little hope, which we have read is the predecessor to faith. In this frame of mind, when one cannot see things working out in the long or the short run, it must be very difficult get out of bed and have faith to go about one's day. While I have experienced this type of despair from time to time in my life, it has never been severe and so I can only speak partially from experience.

While all intelligent beings operate by faith, it is important to remember that only faith in Jesus Christ has the power to produce the fruit of salvation.

[H]e cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; (Mosiah 3:9)

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:14-16)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

I could go on quoting a very long list of scriptures here, because frankly, this has been the theme of the gospel all the way through. Faith in Jesus Christ produces salvation! It also has a thousand other priceless and wonderful side-effects.

Qualified for the Work - D&C 4:5

... Faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

 This passage is referring to the work of proclaiming the gospel. We see that faith is one of the requirements before we're qualified for the work.

In the Lectures on Faith, the Prophet Joseph points out that faith is a gift given to the righteous. It is when they have the "assurance that they were pursuing a course which was agreeable to the will of God", that they are secure in their exercise of faith. In other words, it is only when we are sure that the things we are doing are righteous that we have the confidence to act in faith.

Mormon Doctrine says: [Faith] is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God's laws the greater will be the endowment of faith.

This falls in line with the topic scripture - the phrase "an eye single to the glory of God" means two things to me: 1) Purity of motive - we must have no objective other than the glory of God, otherwise our motives are misled and our faith is false. 2) Diligence - when our motives are right, and we have the assurance that our pursuits are in line with His will, an eye single to His glory means that our mind is that no other thing will derail us from that goal.

Now, supposing we have these attributes; are we now qualified to serve? As stated, apparently no other qualifications are necessary. If one has faith, it must be backed by personal righteousness. If one has hope, it must be in salvation through Jesus Christ. If one has charity and love, they must have selflessness and moral courage. And if one has an eye single to the glory of God, they must have pure motives. If these are not the qualifications to serve, I would ask what are?

Now, the qualification and the calling are two different things. But regardless of having a calling, we must be "anxiously engaged". But that is a topic for another day.

Know the Truth of All Things - Moroni 10:4-7

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

 True faith defers to His will in all things. This is of paramount importance. Note the words used: "if ye ask with a sincere heart, with real intent..."

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3)

...ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. (Mormon 9:28)

...all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts. (D&C 46:9)

What we should not do is approach Him with a non-committal attitude. Such an attitude belies doubt. If you say: "well if I see a miracle, then I'll believe...", it's like saying to your potential fiancée: "I'll love you if you love me first...". It doesn't work like that. In the case of the fiancée, you have to have the love first, otherwise, why would you propose marriage? And yes, our relationship with God is like a marriage, and has been compared to one in scripture.

If we're really sincere, and fully intend to act on whatever knowledge He gives, He answers. As a good parent should, He only reinforces behaviors that lead us in the right direction; in the direction of faith. And when He answers, it is usually through the Holy Ghost - by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. 

Jesus said:

I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:16-18)

when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me (John 15:26)

 The Spirit is what testifies of Him and reinforces our faith when our motives are pure.

For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. (2 Nephi 10:18,19)

One last important thing: timing. It is foolish for us to assume that He will grant gifts and answers on our timetable. He does not plan things for our convenience, but for our most good. Sometimes it can be frustrating because we feel we're ready for certain knowledge and blessings now. However, in my experience, when I've insisted on my own timing, things don't go like I had expected. The principle of timing is inherent in this analogy:

The Jews ... despised the words of plainness, ... and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble. (Jacob 4:14)

Sometimes, we insist on things that we're not ready for. And sometimes He gives it to us in part to teach us that His way is the best. Thus we must always defer to His will, even when we feel strongly that something must happen in a certain way or at a certain time. We have to trust Him - this is faith.

Faith, Hope and Charity - Moroni 7:40-44

How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

 Mormon gives us an interesting list of dependencies here. First, faith cannot be attained without hope:

hope → faith
It is noted that we should hope for eternal life. Mormon tells us elsewhere:

I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared. (Ether 12:31)

Alma has us imagine it:

I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? (Alma 5:16)

We should imagine it as Jesus described it:

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matt 25:21)

Second, hope and faith are not attainable except to the humble or "meek and lowly in heart".

humility → hope → faith

We are reminded that only the humble will be upheld and exalted:

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:6,10)

Honestly, there isn't enough that can be said about humility. It seems that without it, a man is doomed. It is unfortunate that it is so difficult to attain. And once you think you have it, the fact that you had that thought is proof that you don't. But all of the most important blessings rely on the possession of humility. Perhaps the only way to get it and retain it is to continuously remind ourselves of our current state:

...in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.(Mosiah 2:23-25)

Next, if we can confess by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, we will have charity.

humility → hope → faith → charity

Faith centered in Jesus Christ is essential to charity, simply because charity is defined as: "the pure love of Christ". There are two meanings for this phrase; 1) to love Christ, 2) to have His love. I believe that both are essential to charity. To love Christ, is to recognize fully what he did for us. To remember Him, and not just in a sentimental way, since sentiment references something that is past. He is alive, and so to remember Him is to keep Him in our thoughts, seek His will and to emulate Him as a disciple.
To have His love is another thing. And this may probably be the most important point of charity. Moroni, continuing his sermon tells us exactly how to get His love:

...pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God... (Moroni 7:48)

It sounds simple, but we need to pray. It is revealing that this love is that "which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ." I believe that this love is the Holy Spirit:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5)

In essence, to have the Holy Ghost is to have charity. To have the love of God in our hearts is to have the Holy Ghost. It is this Spirit which causes man to be more than mere animals. Which causes us to live godly lives, which gives us hope, faith and courage.

humility → hope → faith → charity → courage

Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. (Moroni 8:16)

Just think of the things God can do with you when you truly have no fear! I think of the ultimate example of fearlessness; that of our Savior who said:

O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. (Matt. 26:42)

Truly, our Savior had no fear, because He had perfect love. Without love, how could He perform such a selfless act?

He is our ultimate example. And what gives me hope, is that we truly can receive this same love, this same courage as Him; and it is through humility and faith in Him that our journey must begin - for he is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ ... which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:48)

Power Through Faith - Moroni 7:33

And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.

In this quote we read that "... ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing ..." It was recently pointed out to me that God's miracles are often manifested in a new ability or information on a new method of doing things. He doesn't often resolve things for us directly, but shows us how they are to be accomplished.

At one time in my life I had received an answer to prayer that I was to pursue a doctorate degree. I knew where the instruction came from and I had faith that with help, I could do it. However, I couldn't see how I could pursue an advanced degree and at the same time continue to support my family. Having a high-paying job, it seemed a difficult thing to quit and pursue a task that nominally pays nothing, and also incurs high expenses.

I knew that I couldn't work full time and pursue the degree at the same time. I also knew that I had instruction from God that I should pursue this route. As I searched and prayed I felt impressed to look at graduate teaching positions. Again, this seemed impossible. Although these positions cover your tuition, plus a very small stipend, they take 20 hours per week; holding office hours, attending an extra class, and grading homework. In addition, I would be taking 2 graduate-level courses of my own, which is the requirement for the teaching position. Additionally, it would add a 30 minute commute each direction, 4 days a week... There were other details as well, such as lower quality student insurance, having less time to spend with the family, higher gas costs, etc.

After days of pondering, I could not see how I could pursue this degree as I felt I was being directed and still be able to support my family - especially when our children were so young. Eventually, it was my wife who gave the inspired answer to me. It was that I could stay part time at work, and still work as a teaching assistant. After looking into it, I found that my benefits from work would not change by going part time. After crunching the numbers, I also found that with the small stipend from the school and half my current salary, we would basically break even each month. Additionally, my schedule - somehow - would work out if I were able to wake up early enough to get my studies in in the morning. And I could still spend time with the family every evening.

So I took the leap. It was both exciting and terrifying. I had been out of the academic world for ten years at that point and I immediately found that my academic skills were rusty at best and inadequate at worst. I studied all summer beforehand, barely passed the entrance exam and barely pulled a B pity grade from a theory course in my first quarter. I was waking up at 4:30 in the morning every day and getting to bed between 11:00 and 12:00 at night. I spent several Saturdays doing assignments, and often dinner time was interrupted by homework or group study appointments. At times I felt very overwhelmed and depressed.

However, I never studied on Sunday. I still was able to keep my commitments to my family, my work, and my assignments at church. I also thoroughly enjoyed my work as a teaching assistant. After that first quarter of anguish, somehow I was blessed, and the Lord gave me new abilities. The next two quarters I continued to seek direction for my studies, and somehow, things got better. I started getting more sleep, I was able to pull A's in all of my classes and meet my academic requirements.

Against my advisor's direction, I felt compelled to take two courses in applied probability theory. One of which, I made the course change the very morning that classes started. I couldn't explain why, until 6 months later I applied to the R&D department at work. The very first question at the interview was: How is your probability theory? I was able to answer to their satisfaction.

I'm finally done with my course requirements and doing straight research, which will take 2-3 years. I still feel inadequate, but I have faith that with God's help, it can be done.

So do I have a testimony that God answers prayers? That faith produces miracles? Absolutely.

Faith and Miracles - Ether 12:12-18

For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith... Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after.... And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.

This is an interesting statement - "... if there be no faith ... God can do no miracle ...". This statement would seem to imply that there is actually a limit to the power and ability of God. But I don't think that is what it means. The reason that God does no miracles without faith is because of His unwavering commitment to honor our agency - our freedom to choose. So it's not that He has no ability to perform miracles, but that if He were to do so it would violate the laws of agency and accountability.

Remember that the only way to truly destroy agency is to remove consequences, because without consequences it really doesn't matter what we choose. The destruction of agency via the dissolution of accountability was Satan's plan from the beginning. So God enforces accountability in order to preserve our agency. This includes the working of miracles.

It is also my opinion that God uses this pattern in order to teach us. Suppose He were to begin granting miracles to those without faith. It would be confusing to say the least. First of all, it would be teaching us that no belief nor action on our belief is necessary. It might also reinforce slothfulness or perverse actions.

There are many who have sought healings, blessings and other miracles who have shown great faith, and yet not seen those miracles come to pass. Remember that the promise is not that those with faith will see whatsoever miracle that they desire - but the promise is:

If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. (Moroni 7:33)

We would do well to remember that faith must be established on God's will or it will never come to pass. I can say this definitively, because nothing will ever come to pass unless it is His will. So it behooves us to seek His will intently, and pay attention to the whisperings of the Spirit and the word of scripture so that our faith is not misdirected.

A final note of importance is that our faith must be placed in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. Now I say in passing that there are so-called miracles that are wrought by the power of the devil. He can also transform himself to appear "nigh unto an angel of light". These works are not the works of God and are to be avoided at all costs. We should be wary that unless a miracle is performed by faith in Jesus Christ, it is not of God, and will lead to ruin. The test for all such things is outlined by Moroni. (Moroni 7:10-19)

The Trial of Your Faith - Ether 12:6

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

In my previous post, I focused on the first half of this scripture: "Faith is things hoped for and not seen". In this post, I focus on the second part: "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Peter tells us that "the trial of your faith" is "more precious than gold", and "though it be tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ". I have written before about our trials being like the refiner's fire, when endured well, they can purge dross from our souls.

We see that often among the chief grievances of skeptics of the gospel is their trouble accepting miracles, visions, angelic visitations, etc. We see this in several places:

The complaint of Laman against Nephi:

Now, he says that the Lord has talked with him, and also that angels have ministered unto him. But behold, we know that he lies unto us; and he tells us these things, and he worketh many things by his cunning arts, that he may deceive our eyes, thinking, perhaps, that he may lead us away into some strange wilderness; and after he has led us away, he has thought to make himself a king and a ruler over us, that he may do with us according to his will and pleasure.

The rhetoric of the Amalekites:

Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend with him, saying: What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold are not this people as good as thy people? Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.

Now Aaron said unto him: Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins?

And the man said unto him: We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come.

The rhetoric of the antichrist Korihor:

And thus ye lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were in bondage, that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges. Yea, they durst not make use of that which is their own lest they should offend their priests, who do yoke them according to their desires, and have brought them to believe, by their traditions and their dreams and their whims and their visions and their pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their words, offend some unknown being, who they say is God—a being who never has been seen or known, who never was nor ever will be.

The logic of Samuel the Lamanite's opponents:

And they began to reason and to contend among themselves, saying: That it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come; ... But behold, we know that this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers, to cause us that we should believe in some great and marvelous thing which should come to pass, but not among us, but in a land which is far distant, a land which we know not; therefore they can keep us in ignorance, for we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are true. And they will, by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to their words, and also servants unto them, for we depend upon them to teach us the word; and thus will they keep us in ignorance if we will yield ourselves unto them, all the days of our lives. And many more things did the people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and vain;

Quite frankly, this is an interesting standpoint. Each of these rhetoricians are imputing evil unto the believers for teaching that miracles are real and that God exists. And they impute their motive to be that of seeking power and gain over the believers. It was the same with Joseph Smith's opponents. And certainly that of the opponents of the Savior as well.

These accusers always assume that the preachers of righteousness have some ulterior motive. Perhaps it is because they themselves cannot see a purpose to life other than the animal and the material. They cannot see why anyone would believe or persuade others to do so unless it will make them some money. It only shows their depravity and short-sightedness. They cannot admit that someone might have experienced something that they have not (miracles and the visitation of angels), nor can they fathom that someone might know something that they do not. Plato truly taught that a mark of wisdom is to admit that you know nothing...

So how does this amount to a trial of your faith? Well, science and scientists these days hold a lot of clout with the general population. For the most part, what they say goes. There is scholarly discussion and criticism that goes on inside their circles, but the public doesn't see that for the most part. What the public does see, is what popular media and news vendors want them to see. And most of the time, it is what fits their agenda. This can be a trial because we are taught that these things are "facts". When that is not necessarily the case. The truth is, that evidence can be interpreted a thousand different ways, and the models and methods used are simply one person's way of viewing the evidence.

This can be very trying to some, because they may come to believe that the interpretation of the evidence by men is correct, and allow themselves to become confused. When one starts to believe the science, and when the particular popular model contradicts one's personal views of life, it causes turmoil and confusion. It can become a serious, and even a critical trial of our faith.

What we must never do, is allow our faith to be overcome. Instead, we must take things in the proper perspective, and we must continue to search the scriptures as well as other viewpoints. If we are diligent, what we will find in the end, is that the trial actually serves to strengthen our faith.

Although this type of trial is common in our present day, it is not the only type of trial. Trials of persecution, temptation, laziness, etc. are all there. But we must remember that they are there to make us strong, not to tear us down. And if we endure and overcome the trial, as the topic scripture says; we will receive a "witness". In other words, a miracle, to confirm and strengthen our faith.

This is promise is evident in countless passages of scripture and history. Generally speaking, whenever a manifestation from God, or blessing or intervention took place, it was preceded by an act of faith. Whether in the form of prayer, fasting, service, resistance, or otherwise, each act or series of acts was answered. The promise in one of its' simplest forms can be found in the sacramental prayers:

that they may ... witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.

 In short, if we take His name upon us, remember Him always, and keep His commandments, then we may always have His Spirit to be with us. The first three parts take faith - And the miraculous part - having His Spirit with us, is the basis of all miracles.

It seems right to me to say that in general, the miracle is relative to the size of the trial, but that is only based on observation from the scriptures.

Notice that conversion and faith doesn't happen because of miracles. The conversion and the faith always happens first, and is never preceded by a miracle. In fact, we are told by the Savior:

A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it...

 There are some interesting things that we can note from the accounts of the Antichrists in the Book of Mormon. They seek signs:

Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe.

After receiving a sign from God and being struck dumb, he was convinced but not repentant:

...he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of God? In whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? ...
And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God. ... Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto God, that the curse might be taken from him. But Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will.

Notice that Alma said that Korihor would lead away the hearts of the people if the curse removed; evidence that the sign brought no faith.

Consider the reaction of the unbelievers to the manifestation of the signs prophesied by Samuel the Lamanite:

... and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen — Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people ...

 So, it seems crazy, but it sounds like you won't believe a miracle, even it is right before your eyes, unless you are prepared to receive and believe it beforehand.

And so the principle still holds true, that you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. And again I attest that this is a day of miracles. May God help us all have the faith to see them for what they really are.

Things not seen - Ether 12:6

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

I have spoken before about the difference between faith and belief: Belief is more of a cognitive function, the result of being convinced from evidence or logical reasons. The world of science works on the principles of evidence and proofs. These proofs are typically based on observations and proposed models of how to represent and rationalize them. In short, beliefs are based on knowledge and experience rationalized by reasoning, regardless of whether the evidence or the reasoning is flawed or not.

Faith on the other hand, is not based on logic or reason. Though belief is an essential precursor to faith, faith itself goes beyond logic and is not a function of the head, but of the heart. Faith is not based on a belief system or scientific or mathematical models ~ such models are a representation of reality, attempting to mimic the real thing, but they fall short.

A short example is Newton's laws of Physics versus the theory of relativity. Newton's laws were able to describe the motion of an object in the presence of the forces of gravity very well. However, there were a few extreme circumstances in which Newton's model did not reflect reality. Scientists were at a loss to explain why for a very long time, until Einstein introduced the theory of relativity, which solved the problems seen in the extreme cases until quantum physics were taken into account. Scientists are still trying to produce a theory which will take into account the macro and the quantum level.

The point of this example is that while Newton's laws were very very good, they were still a model that "approximated" reality. Einstein's theories improved upon them, but even his model was shown to be inadequate.

Remember what Alma said:

Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

Faith, unlike belief, works on true principles and promises spoken by the Spirit, not models, approximations or representations.

Jacob emphasizes this point:

...the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls.

The Lord Himself defined knowledge thus:

... truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.

 Faith is belief in the truth, not some "model" - this is a major difference between faith and belief. While there are many theories out there which attempt to describe phenomenon that we observe in the natural world, such as the theory of evolution, or the big bang theory; even though they are well thought out and do a good job of describing things, because they are the inventions of men, we cannot assume that they are perfect nor stake our salvation on them.

I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Having said this, we cannot condemn scientific research, honest inquiry or theory-making. I believe that the enthusiasm that goes along with secular learning is righteous and essential to our being. It is when we assume that there are no flaws in man's theories and replace God with them that we are in trouble. There is no man alive that knows enough through traditional secular learning to definitively say anything about the existence or attributes of God. On the other hand, we are commanded to take secular learning seriously:

... teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith;

To wrap up, Faith is not to be had by engaging in secular study, meditation or "deep  and solemn thoughts". It is a gift based on the promises and whisperings of the Spirit. Secular study is essential to our salvation, and we should be excited about it, but we should not let it overcome, describe or even influence our faith. We are expected to do our best to understand the mysteries of God via all forms of study, but we should not expect to find Him in a textbook, or in a mathematical or scientific model. He is to be found by exercising faith, even when His promptings may seem to contradict popular secular knowledge.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Faith is our Only Hope - Ether 12:4

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I recently saw a mock political bumper sticker which proclaimed: Kenobi 2016 - Our only hope. The irony of this sticker and others like it is that Kenobi is a fictional character, and frankly, most of us would rather vote for a fictional character than the characters put up for the presidential ticket. One candidate has violated laws that would put any normal person in jail for half a lifetime. The other is actually a widely recognized icon for debilitating levels of pride and materialism.

Given such circumstances, how can one still have hope for the future? The answer is faith. And more specifically (as the subject scripture indicates) faith in God. Taking a step back and looking at the world as it really is, it is difficult to have hope. Aside from shoddy presidential candidates, we see ever increasing amounts of crime and violence, apathy toward our fellow man (of which I am guilty), self-centeredness, rampant materialism, disrespect for life, increasingly large natural disasters, suicide gunmen, and much more.

What percentage of media content from you favorite vendor would you consider wholesome? It is alarming to realize that many people including children are viewing these things on a daily basis. Regardless of content, the simple fact that so much time is being wasted by so many is unfortunate. This obsession is exactly the "theatromania" that punctuated the downfall of Rome. They had an insatiable lust for entertainment and violence. Can we say that our popular entertainment is much different than watching people mauled by lions or fight to the death in the arena than the ancient Romans did?

The earth, in it's own way can't stand having wickedness upon it's face and will cry unto the Lord for vengeance. Earthquakes, storms floods etc. are only the earth's attempt to cleanse itself. We see this in the case of the flood at the time of Enoch and Noah, when the rivers ran out of their course, the fountains of the great deep opened up and the rains fell. We see it in Sodom at the time of Abraham, a time of frequent earthquakes when finally fire rained from heaven because not even ten righteous souls could be found in those wicked cities. We see it at the meridian of time, when many great cities in the Americas were destroyed "because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them."

...wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!

Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.

Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: ... Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

In short, men are corrupt and prone to do terrible things. Really, our only hope for a better world is through Jesus Christ. All things will fade, decrease, and fall to ruin, especially the morals and habits of men. But Jesus Christ is the great restorer. Repentance through the grace of Jesus Christ is the only hope we can rely on to hold back the tide of evil that is the world.

Without Him, all would be despair. But because of Him, we can have firm hope for the future, because we know that through Him all things will be made right; and thus we can hope for a better world.

Faith and Sanctification - Ether 4:7

And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.

This is an amazing promise. If we exercise faith in Christ, we will receive the vision of all things. I wrote about this in another post. This is the vision of the history and future of the earth.

There are a couple of nuances here that stick out... First it says that we shall exercise faith even as the brother of Jared. What does this mean? Maybe it would help to  remember some of the things that he did. It was the brother of Jared who was the instrument of saving his friends and family from the destruction and confusion of the tower of Babel. He humbled himself before the Lord and obtained the promised land for his people. His people then followed the Lord's instructions and set forth on their journey.

He also sought and received revelation on how to construct barges that he and his party should cross the great deep. In this process, he was told by the Lord to come up with a solution for getting light into the barges other than windows or fire. An interesting conundrum. His answer was to molten clear stones and ask the Lord to touch them and make them so that they would produce light. It was precisely at this time that the Brother of Jared received his vision.

In the subject scripture, we are told to exercise faith like unto him. I think this has several aspects. First of all, we can see that the brother of Jared sought the Lord in humility and followed His instructions with exactness. We might also notice that the process was a rather long one and included several challenges. While there were many things that he did, probably nothing was more important than being obedient. The brother of Jared seems to have had a relationship of trust with the Lord, which is a key element of faith.

It also says: "that they might become sanctified in me...". This is important because it is precedes the phrase: "then I will manifest unto them the things...". There are not many places in scripture where we are told that faith brings sanctification, but we do know that it comes by reception of the Holy Ghost:

... be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day. (3 Nephi 27:20)

Remember that faith precedes the baptism of water, which precedes the baptism of fire. It is the Holy Ghost which acts as a cleansing agent to our souls. "he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap." (Malachi 3:2). We re-commit ourselves each week as we take the sacrament. This is to "always have his spirit to be with" (D&C 20:77) us.

Remember that this is the covenant which is referred to by Moroni when he said:

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ... if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)

This is also what is referred to in D&C 84:20-22:

Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

It is interesting that He says "the power of godliness" is manifest. He does not say the power of God is manifest. It is my assertion that "the power of godliness" is His power to make us like Him. Thus it is through the ordinances (baptism, sacrament, etc.) that He makes us more like Him, and thus to "see the face of God" and "all things" as the brother of Jared did. Thus we see the paramount importance of continuing to strive to follow the Spirit and participate in the ordinances of salvation. Without them, we cannot properly allow the Lord to make us better.

Of course God will bless us as much as He can. But I believe that the most precious blessings come through the ordinances of the gospel. Because God is a loving parent, he will not give us more than we are prepared for. Many prophets have expressed this sentiment; Paul reminds us that children must consume milk before meat. Jesus, when asked why he preached in parables, answered by paraphrasing Isaiah:

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. (Mark 4:11)

 If He were to give us too much light and knowledge, before we were prepared, it would serve to our condemnation. The gospel and the ordinances are the way in which we can prepare ourselves to receive the blessings, light and knowledge that He wants to give us.

In all humility, we must put our trust in Him, and enter into covenants which He has established. In so doing, He can not only sanctify us, but give us light and knowledge, and ultimately make us like him:

... pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. (Moroni 7:48)

Faith into Knowledge - Ether 3:19-20

And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.

Faith can be turned into knowledge. It can happen when our faith is tested. In the above passage, the brother of Jared approached the Lord in humility and asked the Lord to touch 16 stones  so that they would shine. This was an act of faith on the part of the brother of Jared. Not did he only believe that the Lord could do it, but he acted on the belief by painstakingly forging the transparent stones.

Alma teaches this same principle in his parable of the seed in which he compares faith to planting a seed:

Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. 

And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. (Alma 32:28,33-34)

So faith starts as a belief, or even a desire to believe. Once we believe and we act on that belief, regardless of how difficult, that belief becomes faith. But what is required for this faith to become knowledge? It appears that we must recognize the results of our faith. As Alma says: ...because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good...

The brother of Jared's faith became knowledge exactly at the point when he saw the finger of God. Up until that point, it was faith. Faith, when nurtured, impels us to perform actions which ultimately result in knowledge.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated:

Therefore, gaining knowledge and becoming more Christlike “are two aspects of a single process.” (C. Terry Warner, in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4:1490.) This process is part of being “valiant” in our testimony of Jesus. Thus, while we are saved no faster than we gain a certain type of knowledge, it is also the case that we will gain knowledge no faster than we are saved! (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 217.) So in our different understanding of knowledge and truth, behaving and knowing are inseparably linked.

So we must learn, but we must also implement the things we learn in order to gain knowledge. It is far too often that we omit the latter part of this formula. (myself included.)

Faith is the First Principle - 3 Nephi 27:19-20

And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

 In this scripture we have all of the first principles and ordinances of the gospel:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (4th article of faith)

Faith is the first principle, and is the thing that propels us forward. Remember that faith and belief, though related, are not the same. While belief is a function of the head, faith is a function of the heart. In other words, although I may be convinced of some principle, I may not live according to it. On the other hand, one must have belief before faith, and live the principle. A man may believe that God has the ability to help him, but may out of fear of the world, choose actions contrary to that belief. Belief knows that God can save him from the fiery furnace, faith steps inside.

But why the emphasis on faith? Why is it the first principle? This scripture and others make it very clear: no unclean thing can enter into His kingdom.

... for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation. ... and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. (1 Nephi 15:32-34)

If any unclean person (or thing) were allowed to come into the Kingdom of Heaven, it would cease to be Heaven. Simple as that. But that puts us in a predicament because none of us are clean:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)

Furthermore, our cause is really hopeless if we if we think we can work our way to heaven or rely on our own merits:

And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.(Mosiah 2:23-25)

Quite frankly, we're all going to hell. But doesn't God love us? Doesn't he want to save everybody? Why these harsh constraints about being perfectly clean? He knows we aren't capable of such a level of perfection right?

Enter Jesus Christ.

God loves us so much, that he provided a way for us to be clean. But it would require the permission of utter ruthlessness and violence to be perpetrated on an innocent victim. Who would volunteer for such an assignment? The only one strong enough and manly enough to cope with all hell, torture, violence, depravity and injustice. One stronger than all, and yet meek enough to volunteer for such a job.

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior is an admission that you need help. It is a declaration of spiritual bankruptcy. Such a declaration requires a meek and repentant heart. It is acknowledging that you've committed grave injustices in your life, and that you have no power to set things right. While this is a very sobering admission, it is a liberating one. It is to look at our state as it really is: worthless and fallen. It is the first step to repentance and true joy.

... even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith ... (Mosiah 4:11)

... as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! (Alma 36:17-20)

The admonition is simple: declare bankruptcy. Shout it from the rooftops! And enter in at the straight and narrow gate, stripped of pride, gain-seeking and all other diversions. Remember that the last shall be first, and the first shall be last and deny yourself of all ungodliness:

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)

It turns out that the low road of discipleship, if taken seriously is not burdensome, but joyous, not because it isn't a difficult road, but because we do not travel alone:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

Faith Brings Knowledge - 3 Nephi 26:8-9

And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken. And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.

How can we expect more unless we accept what we have? It would be like giving us a larger load than we can carry. The truth is that we can carry a whole lot. But God is waiting for us to condition ourselves to carry the limited amount that we already have before he gives us more. Our problem is that we think that the lighter load is easier - and we're right, but when we think that we're missing the point. The point is to become strong, therefore if we take the easy way (the lighter load) we stunt our growth.

...and when they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest...

And what is the thing that God wants to give us but can't?

...all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory—yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; ... unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works...

— 

But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them. And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.

—

For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed...

—

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

—

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

—

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

—

[They] sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.

—

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

—

... my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel; ... many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. ... Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?

—

For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.