The Character of God

What attributes of God are shown in this verse?

  Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom.

Doctrine & Covenants 29:5

Sometimes our problem isn't knowing if God is real or not.  Our problem is who we think God is and the character of God.  I like what this verse shows about God.  First He tells us we can be glad and have happy hearts. The reason is that He is close by and watching over us.  Then He explains He is our advocate. That means He supports us and is on our side. The Lord naturally favors us and will do all He can for us to succeed.  It is His good will to give us His Kingdom.    

Today’s Takeaway: God is good. He is pulling for us.  Consider today how loving and good the Lord is, even when we don’t understand the difficulties around us.  In the end, we will see how everything in life was for everyone’s eventual good, if we will trust in the Lord (Romans 8:28). 

Light and Truth (Part One)

Look for if Jesus had the “Veil or Forgetfulness” like you and I do.

  And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;

  And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;

Doctrine & Covenants 93:12-13

Did Jesus have the Veil just like you and I?  When I have asked my class to ponder about this, and consider the implications, many have said that He must not have had the Veil, “Otherwise, how could He have possibly lived perfectly through His mission?” But as the verses say, He did not have the fullness at first, but increased in knowledge until He had a fullness (see also Luke 2:52).

Why is it important that we know this?  The Lord later explains, “I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fullness” (D&C 93:19). Have you ever noticed that if there was someone that was very impressive to you, the more you got to know them, the less impressive they became?  Like the saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”  The big exception to this assertion is God.  The more we get to know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the more impressive they become in our eyes; and this is only one small example.  Jesus had no special advantages in order to do what He did. This way the Savior could be a valid example for us to follow.  It is amazing to realize that Jesus worked out our salvation in the same world and circumstances that you and I fail in every day.  In Part Two, we will see better how Jesus was able to progress so fast, and how we can better progress.

Today’s Takeaway: The Lord is astounding, incredible and every other like synonym. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are worthy of all the praise we can give.  Express your amazement in what Jesus did as you pray to your Heavenly Father.  As we are coming to know the Son, better, we are likewise coming to know the Father better. 

"If The Savior Stood Beside Me"

Look for something here that might be hard to believe.

But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me;

Doctrine & Covenants 38:7

What a sobering truth! At this very moment, the Lord is right next to you as you are reading this.  He is omnipresent and watching.  Doctrine & Covenants 88:41 clarifies things by saying:

He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever.

So should knowing the Savior is there with you change anything? I have a favorite Primary song called, “If the Savior Stood Beside Me” by Sally DeFord.  The first verse goes:

        If the Savior stood beside me,

        Would I do the things I do?

        Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?

        Would I follow His example?

        Would I live more righteously if I could see the Savior standing nigh,

        watching over me?

         

But then the last verse concludes with the realization:

        He is always near me, though I do not see Him there,

        And because He loves me dearly,

        I am in His watchful care,

        So I’ll be the kind of person that I know I’d like to be

        If I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me.

Today’s Takeaway: Try to walk through today staying aware of the Lord’s caring eyes upon you.  Strive to live today in a way that would make Him proud.  Try to live in a way that would be pleasing to Him.  The Savior really is there and watching over us with His perfect love and concern.

An Engaged God

As Joseph and Sidney saw the Lord, why did they end this verse with an “!”?

22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

Doctrine & Covenants 76:22

Of all things Joseph and Sidney could have expressed after seeing the Lord, why did they want to say, “He lives!”?  Did Joseph just want to point out to all the atheists that they were wrong? Was Joseph not 100% sure prior to this?  Perhaps it is the tense of the verb that Joseph is trying to get across. We have an active and engaged God that we worship.

In the hymn “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” it repeats the phrase “He lives” over and over again, but then says what He lives to do.

He lives to...     bless me with his love.

                        plead for me above.

                        my hungry soul to feed.

                        bless in time of need.

He lives to...     grant me rich supply.

                        guide me with his eye.

                        comfort me when faint.

                        hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to...     silence all my fears.

                        wipe away my tears.

                        calm my troubled heart.

                        all blessings to impart.

I had always been taught, what Jesus did for us: He lived a perfect example, completed the atonement so we could repent.  And I had been taught what He will do for us: He will come again, save us, resurrect us, be our judge, and give us a wonderful kingdom of glory. But I had never really considered what this song was saying.  I had never considered all that the Lord does for us.  I understood the Savior in the past tense, and the future tense, but never really considered the Lord in the present tense; a Lord who is trying just as hard to save us today, as he did 2,000 years ago in Gethsemane and on the Cross. 

Today’s Takeaway: In that hymn, look at all the Savior seeks to do for you every day.  Thank the Lord and seek to receive those things.  Try to make the Lord an active part of your life each day.