This talk, and many other great ones really hit home for me. We all know that our leaders, and the council they give us come down from the Lord. Revelation is one of the blessings, and foundational principles upon which we, as Sons and Daughters of a loving Heavenly Father can draw upon to know and execute the will of the Lord. I mentioned not too long ago, in a previous blog, a highlight from the "Shumway Sequence" (A Special Draft of 5 points our Stake President has given as revelatory field guidance for successful progression and expansion of the Lubbock Texas Stake.) which was:
"# 2. ALL THINGS ACCOMPLISHED ACCORDING TO THE LORD’S TIMING".
I submit that this principle goes hand in hand with the faithful execution of another principle, "Obedience To The Laws And Ordinances Of The Gospel." This is one of the "Lubbock Standard Of Success" (The entire Stake) items. Granted these items have been told us, for our stake, yet I submit and testify that if we obey, if we do the will of the Lord 100 %, and leave our will out of that plan, we simply will not, and cannot lose.
It requires deep Faith, and great trust in the Lord to move forward, even when we may not see or exactly know what adversity we may very well wade through. The Shumway Sequence reminds us that we need to:
"# 4. INCREASE OUR DESIRE TO HAVE A DEEPER LEVEL OF TRUST AND FAITH."
Now I submit the text of the talk I spoke of in the beginning.
********************************************************************
The story is told of two outdoor enthusiasts who hired a bush
plane to fly them to a remote lake for their annual fishing trip.
Following a successful outing, the pilot returned to retrieve them.
However, he quickly informed the fishermen that his small plane would
not support them, their equipment, and the added weight of the fish they
had caught. A second flight would be required.
Now,
the sportsmen were not interested in paying for a second round-trip. So
after a promise to pack tightly and a small bonus payment, the pilot
reluctantly agreed to attempt the flight.
The
fishermen grinned knowingly as the pilot forced the aircraft into the
air. However, seconds later the plane stalled and crashed into a large,
flat swampy area at the end of the lake.
The
plane had stalled as it flew because of a well-known phenomenon called
“ground effect.” Ground effect is created when air is compressed between
the aircraft’s wings and the earth’s surface—when they are in close
proximity. In this case, as the bush plane inched its way upward out of
ground effect, it was required to fly on its own power, which it simply
could not do.
Fortunately
there were no serious injuries, and after regaining their senses, one
of the fishermen asked the other, “What happened?” The second replied,
“We crashed on takeoff—about a hundred yards (91 m) from where we ended
up last year!”
Like
the two sportsmen, occasionally we believe that there must be an easier
way, a shortcut or modification of the Lord’s commandments that will
accommodate our individual circumstances. Thoughts such as these fail to
acknowledge that strict obedience to God’s laws brings His blessings
and failure to abide by His laws leads to foreseeable consequences.
At
the time of his appointment as President of the Church, Harold B. Lee
said: “The safety of the Church lies in the members keeping the
commandments. … As they keep the commandments, blessings will come.”
1
When
we choose to disobey a commandment, it is usually because (1) we have
convinced ourselves that the commandment does not apply to us; (2) we do
not believe that it is important; or (3) we are certain that it is too
difficult to obey.
1. This Commandment Doesn’t Apply to Me
During
the closing years of King Solomon’s reign, the Lord informed him
through His prophet, “I will … rend the kingdom from thee, and will give
it to thy servant.”
2
Shortly
thereafter, the prophet Ahijah identified that servant as Jeroboam, an
“industrious” man whom Solomon had made “ruler over all the charge of
the house of Joseph.”
3
Jeroboam’s duties required him to travel from the mountains of
Ephraim, where he lived, to the capital of Jerusalem. During one of
those trips, Ahijah met him along the road. Through Ahijah, the Lord
said, “I will … give ten tribes to thee.”
4
He also instructed Jeroboam, “If thou wilt … walk in my ways …
to keep my statutes and my commandments, … I will be with thee … and
will give Israel unto thee.”
5
After hearing of Ahijah’s prophecy, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, so Jeroboam fled to Egypt.
6
Upon Solomon’s death Jeroboam returned from exile to the northern part of Israel and began to lead the northern ten tribes.
7
However,
Jeroboam’s plan to rule the kingdom involved a mixture of good and
evil. He established Shechem as the nation’s capital, a city of great
religious significance to his people. But sadly he introduced satanic
rituals into their worship.
8
Jeroboam
convinced himself that some of God’s commandments were not applicable
to him. As a result of his actions, all of his descendants were slain,
and because of the heathen practices he had introduced into their sacred
ordinances, the ten tribes of Israel were eventually driven from their
inheritance.
9
Just
as flying out of ground effect with more weight than an aircraft’s
wings can sustain will lead to disastrous consequences, our partial or
selective compliance with God’s laws will fail to bring the full
blessings of obedience.
2. This Commandment Is Not Important
Decades later Naaman, a Syrian war hero, “a mighty man in valour,”
10
traveled from his native country to Israel and approached the king, Jehoram, to be healed of leprosy.
11
Naaman
was directed to the prophet Elisha. “And Elisha sent a messenger unto
him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, … and thou shalt be
clean.”
12
Despite
this prophetic promise to be cured, Naaman was offended that Elisha did
not greet him in person and even more insulted with the prophet’s
direction to wash seven times in the small and muddy Jordan River. His
pride demanded something more noteworthy and grand, something matching
his stature and place in the community and nation.
Fortunately
for Naaman, his servants convinced him that regardless of what the
prophet asked him to do, if obeyed, it would bring the Lord’s blessings.
Naaman washed himself in the Jordan River as directed and, as a result
of his obedience, was cured of his leprosy.
13
Obedience
to the Lord’s commands, in spite of how trivial or unimportant we
believe them to be, will surely bring His promised blessings.
3. This Commandment Is Just Too Hard
Following
the Lord’s command, the prophet Lehi led his family into the
wilderness. During the first few days of the journey, Lehi instructed
his son Lemuel to be “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the
commandments of the Lord!”
14
However,
when the prophetic requirement came to return to Jerusalem to retrieve
the brass plates, containing a “record of the Jews,”
15
the two oldest boys rebelled, saying, “It is a hard thing.”
16
Despite
his older brothers’ murmuring, Nephi’s faith in and obedience to the
Lord’s commands led to obtaining those brass plates. A nation was built,
a language was preserved, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught for generations to come.
At
times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience
because our special circumstances make adherence to His laws difficult,
embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless
of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord’s guidance,
assistance, and peace.
The Prophet Joseph Smith
petitioned the Lord on two occasions, asking if a prominent friend,
Martin Harris, could take the first 116 handwritten pages of translated
material from the book of Lehi from Harmony, Pennsylvania, back to
Palmyra. Each time, the Lord counseled Joseph to avoid entrusting the
manuscript to Mr. Harris.
Martin
was seeking to use the translated material as evidence to stop his
associates from spreading rumors about his friendship with Joseph Smith.
On the third request the Lord granted Joseph’s appeal.
17
Martin
lost the manuscript, and as a result the plates were taken from the
Prophet Joseph Smith for an extended period. This was a painful lesson
for the Prophet Joseph, who said, “I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.”
18
This should and can be our rule as well.
The
Lord’s response when we obey His commandments is sure. He has promised
us, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have
eternal life.”
19
Additionally He has counseled us, “I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.”
20
Obedience
to the Lord’s commandments provides us confidence in our chosen path,
qualifies us for His guidance and direction as we pursue our efforts,
and offers us the potential to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and
return to our Father’s presence.
It
is my prayer that each day will find us striving to be more obedient to
the laws, ordinances, and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ in
order that He may more fully bless our lives.
I
testify that obedience to God’s commands brings the blessings of
heaven; that our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, live; that
the Book of Mormon is the word of God; and that President Thomas S.
Monson is the Lord’s prophet for our day, in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
***********************************************************************
The Shumway Sequence
1.ALWAYS STRIVING TO INCREASE TIME SPENT AROUND THE SPIRIT “…Humble yourselves before the Lord…call upon His holy name…watch and pray continually… and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all longsuffering.” (Alma 13:28)
2.ALL THINGS ACCOMPLISHED ACCORDING TO THE LORD’S TIMING “Let not your minds turn back; and when ye are worthy, in mine own due time, ye shall see and know that which was conferred upon you.” (Doctrine & Covenants Section 67:14)
3.THERE IS SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE IN THE SERVICE YOU ARE GIVING “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17)
4.INCREASE OUR DESIRE TO HAVE A DEEPER LEVEL OF TRUST AND FAITH “…exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.” (Alma 32:27 –Faith) “I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good- yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously ; and this is my Spirit.” (Doctrine & Covenants Section 11:12 – Trust)
5.IF YOU ARE HERE NOW, YOU ARE FOREORDAINED TO BE HERE. “And this is the manner after which [we] were ordained – being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; …therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling…which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.” (Alma 13:3)
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