Idolatry is self-abasing.
Idolatry is when we put something above us that is intrinsically beneath us.
The work of men's hands is beneath us - a creation is not greater than the creator.
To put money, tech, transportation, weapons, celebrities, etc. above us ... debases us.
God, our Creator, is intrinsically above us, and belongs preeminent in our lives.
These musings come from studying Isaiah 2 this week.
This verse came up this week in my study: Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Many people (myself included) are intrigued by the idea that Christ's blood has a cleansing power, when we normally think of blood as staining.
Burnt offerings replaced our punishment - one was guilty, but something else (and then Someone Else) took the penalty in one's place. The symbolism in the ram in the thicket was that it replaced the sacrifice of Isaac. God offered a replacement. God offered His Son as a replacement.
One other thought: Thorns, briars, noxious weeds are all introduced with the Fall to inflict and torment man. A friend of mine pointed out on Sunday that if the thorns, briars, and noxious weeds represent people (fallen people) ... then perhaps man in that verse should actually be spelled Man. In a sense - WE are the thorns/etc. that pierced/afflicted our Christ. Spilt blood is/was the consequence of Adam and every transgression and sin thereafter. The Lord our Redeemer suffered the pain of all men that all men might repent and come unto Him. (And how great is His joy in the soul that repenteth!!!) See Doctrine & Covenants 18:10-13
Putting it all together: Could we say, it is not that spilt blood cleanses us (although it is)... it is that Someone Else's blood was spilt instead of our own, and thus we can be made free/clean?
He suffered godly punishment, and Lives. His s
My impressions: I never heard so many references to being/becoming the children of Christ! Other themes that I heard: missionary service/gathering Israel, the "cause," washing feet, happiness of saints, mighty change/song of redeeming love, repentance/childlike/Mosiah 3:19, deliverance (different for all), story of Naaman (he was mentioned more than once). ...
A friend pointed out that several speakers referenced recent Come Follow Me topics and Old Testament stories - and I've been thinking about that ever since. The parallels between our Old Testament studies and what is happening today has been impressed upon my mind!
Giving our all doesn't mean that we will be continually enveloped in blessings or always have success. But it does mean that we will have joy. Joy is not fleeting pleasure of even temporary happiness. Joy is enduring and is founded on our efforts being accepted by the Lord.Quoting King Lamoni's father from Alma
"Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy."Elder Vinson admonished us to "Get fair dinkum now and feel the joy!"
You know that you are sons and daughters of God and that He has a work for you to do. You love God with all your “heart, might, mind and strength.”6 You keep your covenants and serve others, beginning at home. You exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, and this brings you enduring joy. You are preparing for temple blessings and other opportunities you will have as true followers of the Savior. And you are helping prepare the world for the Second Coming, inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement. You are connected with heaven.
There is much to be learned from Enos’s experience, but today what stands out in my mind is Enos’s memory of his father speaking often of “the joy of the saints.”
“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.He builds on this quote with the following, all still in his introduction:
“When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. … For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”3
Saints are those who have entered into the gospel covenant through baptism and are striving to follow Christ as His disciples.4 Thus, “the joy of the saints” denotes the joy of becoming Christlike.Skipping forward some:
I would like to speak of the joy that comes from keeping His commandments, the joy that arises from overcoming sorrow and weakness through Him, and the joy inherent in serving as He served.
Even when we are found faithfully keeping the commandments, there are trials and tragedies that could interrupt our joy. But as we strive to overcome these challenges with the Savior’s help, it preserves both the joy we feel now and the joy we anticipate. Christ reassured His disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”13 It is in turning to Him, obeying Him, binding ourselves to Him that trial and sorrow are turned to joy.Quoting a man who was paralyzed during a family vacation, whose wife took care of him for the next 23 years, and who was a Patriarch once he was able to speak, his testimony is profound to me:
"… My faith never wavered, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t have depressions. I think for the first time in my life, I was pushed to the limit, and literally there was nowhere to turn, and so I turned to the Lord, and to this day, I feel a spontaneity of joy.”18Finishing out the section on joy of overcoming through Christ:
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were “in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery.”20 Now, as accountable beings, we find joy in overcoming misery in whatever form, whether it be sin, trial, weakness, or any other obstacle to happiness. This is the joy of sensing progress in the path of discipleship; the joy of “having received a remission of … sins, and having peace of conscience”;21 the joy of feeling one’s soul expand and grow through the grace of Christ.22Skipping forward again,
The fruits of our service to one another in the Church are part of the joy "set before us." Even in times of discouragement or stress, we can minister patiently if we are focused on the joy of pleasing God and bringing light, relief, and happiness to His children, our brothers and sisters.----------
The Savior invited His disciples to be this dependable and steadfast. He said, “Wherefore, settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.” A “settled” determination to keep our covenants allows for the full realization of God’s promise of enduring joy.----------
In the mission leadership seminar in June 2019, after partaking of the sacrament, before beginning his formal message, President Russell M. Nelson said: “A thought has occurred to me that my making a covenant today is a lot more important than the message that I have prepared. I made a covenant as I partook of the sacrament that I would be willing to take upon me the name of Jesus Christ and that I am willing to obey His commandments. Often, I hear the expression that we partake of the sacrament to renew covenants made at baptism. While that’s true, it’s much more than that. I’ve made a new covenant. You have made new covenants. … Now in return for which He makes the statement that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. What a blessing!”
Regardless of your circumstances, you can make your home the center of gospel learning and living. It simply means taking personal responsibility for your conversion and spiritual growth. It means following President Nelson’s counsel “to [remodel your] home into a sanctuary of faith.”
I testify that the Lord knows about our challenges, and through the leadership of President Nelson, He is preparing us to meet them. I believe that the prophet’s recent call for a home-centered church, supported by what we do in our buildings,7 is designed to help us survive—even thrive—in this day of spiritual malnutrition.------------------------------
We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.Sister Michelle Craig (1st counselor in YW) based her entire talk on the following quote, stating after this quote that she will speak about "four ways to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation:"
"My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. … Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly."She also inline-quoted an earlier phrase from this Nelson talk, saying: "You will increasingly recognize God's guidance and that He is 'willing ... to reveal His mind and will.'"
“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
“When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. … For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”Also,
“As in all things, Jesus Christ is our ultimate exemplar, ‘who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross’ [Hebrews 12:2]. Think of that! In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!
“And what was the joy that was set before Him? Surely it included the joy of cleansing, healing, and strengthening us; the joy of paying for the sins of all who would repent; the joy of making it possible for you and me to return home—clean and worthy—to live with our Heavenly Parents and families.”Also, in his tag, Elder Christofferson says:
With President Russell M. Nelson, I testify that joy is a gift for faithful Saints “who have endured the crosses of the world”30 and who are “intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ.”
Where do we find true spiritual nourishment? Most often, it is not trending on social media. We find it when we “press [our] way forward” on the covenant path, “continually holding fast to the rod of iron,” and partake of the fruit of the tree of life.3 This means that we must deliberately take time each day to disconnect from the world and connect with heaven.
Individuals who enter the Kinshasa Temple see an original painting entitled Congo Falls. It uniquely reminds temple-goers of the unwavering commitment required to anchor themselves to Jesus Christ and to follow the covenant path of our Heavenly Father’s plan.Also:
Personal desires that are contrary to being anchored to the Savior and to following the covenant path fade away and are replaced by a determination to submit to the will of Heavenly Father.Also:
They metaphorically threw their old ways into a churning waterfall with no intention of retrieving them. The covenant path was never easy.Lastly:
Conscientiously preparing for and worthily making these covenants each week anchors us to the Savior, helps us internalize our commitment, and powerfully propels us along the covenant path.President Oaks, in passing:
Excessive reliance on personal teachings or speculations may even draw us aside from concentrating on learning and efforts that will further our understanding and help us go forward on the covenant path.
We can all wonder privately about circumstances in the spirit world or even discuss these or other unanswered questions in family or other intimate settings. But let us not teach or use as official doctrine what does not meet the standards of official doctrine. To do so does not further the work of the Lord and may even discourage individuals from seeking their own comfort or edification through the personal revelation the Lord’s plan provides for each of us.
You know that you are sons and daughters of God and that He has a work for you to do. You love God with all your “heart, might, mind and strength.”6 You keep your covenants and serve others, beginning at home. You exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, and this brings you enduring joy. You are preparing for temple blessings and other opportunities you will have as true followers of the Savior. And you are helping prepare the world for the Second Coming, inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement. You are connected with heaven.
