Forgive Others and the Lord will Forgive You

We live in a time and world that will pick apart everything that a person says or writes, often in the interest of destroying people. In a world where the greatest ability is to tear down you competitors in order to raise one's personal status. As identified later, this indicates a lack of charity. You make mistakes, I make mistakes, we would do well to be kind to each other.

The Nephites, especially Moroni himself, says he has no great gift for writing. He was shown that there would be many detractors that would dismiss his words out-of-hand given the use of a wrong word or another.

Ether 12

35 Wherefore, I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have more abundantly.

36 And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity.

37 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

There are several situations in which the Lord highlighted in New Testament the idea that if one doesn't "dig a pit" for your neighbor or give them the same consideration you would hope for from others, the Lord will forgive one of their shortcomings as well.

Moroni was talking about those who reject the Book of Mormon over poor writing. Those how are looking for offense can certainly find such in the work of men who are trying to convey spiritual concepts for which they sometimes lacked words to describe to satisfaction. Grace is plead for and grace would forgive something akin to bad grammar and not taking the opportunity to vilify, which our times are most apt to do.  Moroni saw us and our doings, so he knew that his writing weakness would be used against the Book of Mormon as sacred scripture.

Note that the Lord doesn't fault Moroni for his weakness and promises him a fine reward for his efforts. The general lack of charity these days (I think the use of charity in this situation can be applied broadly as it is used in other scriptures) will not be visited on the writer, but on those who reject the writing. God works through men and giving those men given "a break" in doing their service to the Lord will be rewarded with not only a break from Christ, but rewards that any of us should expect from a God that sees into our hearts and doesn't damn us for our stylistic weaknesses.

God is kind, and we all should be to each other.  Everyone deserves a break. 

Don't Let Evil Get Above You - You Actually Might be to Blame for America.

I wrote a small booklet some time ago titled "You are Not to Blame for America" which highlighted the corruptions of GUS (Government of the United States) and how any individual voter had no power to stop its demise. One vote won't change the direction of the world, but your one vote speaks to God of your loyalty to righteousness and its enthronement in your life.

Much of the world is now led by elected officials. This means that your obligation to vote and empower righteous people as leaders does not let you ignore the culpability of your choices. If your leaders cause your community and nation to turn from God, the fault lies as much in those who voted for such as those ruining things in the voter's name.  No one can claim that they were powerless to prevent the enshrinement of wickedness and evil - if you vote for wickedness, you wanted it to rule.

I know it is hard for those who think themselves insignificant little victims, but the unchecked spread of wickedness in this world that God gave us as a stewardship is caused by those who give them power, either through their utter ignorance, desire to have others pay the price of their living, or foolishly vote for people who promise some "free" ride or socialistic utopia of enslavement.  If you choose to abdicate your power through not voting or "just following the crowd", you will be punished alongside the evil leaders that you empowered.

Ether 8:23

23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

"...and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you,..."

It should be obvious that this situation already exists in much of the world. The seeds of our destruction at the hands of God are already sown, though it is still possible to eradicate the evil who have been allowed to rise to positions of great power. The rise of figures that "drain the swamp" are very promising and may rescue us from "the work of destruction". 

"...the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you,...if you suffer these things to be."

Yet again from the Book of Mormon, we see that God himself will execute judgment on us if we allow ourselves to be ruled by "these murderous combinations".  The Lord doesn't pity your poor use of citizenship, he will punish us for allowing our personal vote (or deciding not to cast it) to put evil into power.

Being complicit in the rule of evil will get you the same judgment as those you have empowered, so take your ability to vote very seriously.  Letting yourself vote uninformed or choosing not to vote is absolutely no excuse in judgment!

Honoring God as your best Father and Benefactor

Pursuing what we know of God's purpose and commandments and furthering the understanding and compliance with them.

Bringing honor to your "earthly" father and mother (even if they don't merit much respect) becomes an indication that you place the concept of fatherhood highly and that a chief purpose is to present God this fatherly honor, knowing him to be an exemplary father, honored best by obedience and gratitude and making God's purposes your own. When you were sent to earth, which is distant from God, you could cultivate whatever relationship you wanted with your Heavenly Father, including none at all. There would be very little overt reaction from the Father either way during life. A worthy God is not raised through compulsion.

This all presupposes that what one desires is within a father's gift to provide. A knowledge and understanding of more feudal forms such as fealty (from faithfulness) and tenure (being a tenant), as humans are living on the Lord's (very proper title) world. Several parables from Christ indicate these relationships very strongly, and that our tenure in this life is pretty much the only thing we can honestly "own". Everything else belongs to the Lord and your acknowledgement of this will be required.

 Your larger future is God the Father's to bequeath, which term I choose specifically. It is nothing that one such as ourselves can either take or earn. If you are to seek a lofty status, such as exaltation, it is most likely to be gifted to you from a father who has seen your ability to hold it in accordance with his wishes and as something lose to his worthy successor.

Of course, God doesn't die and doesn't leave you "his things". He lives on and is actively engaged in his present pursuits, but the expanding nature of the universe lets him gift you "godhood" and a realm to "lord over" without any diminishment to what is his own.  I can see in his expansive holding, his granting you a galaxy or some such, which also expands as much for the one getting the gift as the one giving.

Our ultimate example of a person who has received the Father's bequeath is Jesus Christ. He accomplished a very heavy assignment, which "pleased" the Father, that can be translated into the gifting of exaltation. I don't think others are meant to do what Christ did specifically, but they are certainly given mortal assignments to perform and opportunity to "please" God.

We reference the parable of the talents where the servants are given stewardship over much. This comes from pleasing the Lord in early, small stewardships. The Lord controls these stewardships and grants them as he wills and as we prove our loyalty to him.

This is where the idea of openness and democracy are revealed as telestial props with God far away. The church and celestial places are the Lord's and not democratic institutions. Stewardship are given via the Spirit which is the telestial conduit to the Lord. 

Temples are not open in democratic ways and cannot be accessed democratically. Bishops authorize priesthood advancement as a standard to meet as opposed to a reward for good behavior or training. This is added responsibility not an honor. The Lord sets standards of responsibility in offices of priesthood and callings, not for convenience or capacity. Think of the talents again. Women in Priesthood would be given as a stewardship from the Lord, not a status or honor or leadership like so many think.

Hope for a Better World

Is life getting you down?  I get like that often enough when I consume too much news or opinion, but you have to stay in touch with society, only because they will make changes that affect you that you really need to plan for and know about. Otherwise, I might just check out entirely, at least as much as my wonderful wife and autistic son will tolerate.

The prophet Ether lived in a pretty tough time. The government (known as the King) was changing all the time and not by vaguely smooth elections, but typically through insurrections of royal kids against their fathers. Over time, leaders were just rotten guys on the whole but sometimes at least reasonably decent to their followers.  Later, it was just grasping for power and destroying all opposition to their rule, so they were all wicked.

Ether 12:3-4

For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled— 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.

 Ether's teaching was really exotic in a land of evil. He actually told them what they could have, which must have seemed like some fantasy to the people. I think everyone was ready to be destroyed and it was just a matter of when and how much luxury one could acquire and enjoy before the destruction happened.  I would say that most of the people didn't think much about the future, especially an afterlife, in the push to get ahead today and in the immediate tomorrow.

But that is exactly what Ether was preaching about - a better life and afterlife that God offers to those who follow his ways. It isn't an exclusive offer only available to certain people; this is available to ALL that are willing to pursue it. The key is the words SURITY and SURE above. If you do things that God asks you to do, like repenting of your sins, You will ABSOLUTELY get A BETTER WORLD with a promise from a God that you can completely TRUST.

If you have been tricked or promised something that couldn't be delivered, you might get really jaded and un-trusting.  God can be trusted to do what he says especially as he sent Jesus to do his Atonement to overcome sin and death. Jesus did it and God had him do this most difficult thing. Do you trust God yet?

As we learn that God can be trusted to make good on his promises, we can obey him and reap the seemingly impossible rewards he says he will give us.  I, for one, am working to align with God and his purposes and get the rewards promised!

The Enduring Influence of Women

You have to understand that women are powerful sorts. They can be really good or really evil or something in between. Of course, we can't say women could be evil because they will destroy anyone who makes such an accusation. My basic philosophy is to keep a safe distance from the women unless you are married to one, and then you better keep that one woman very, very happy. If you are blessed (lucky?), she will not have an inclination to see you suffer.

Always start with a bad example...

Read Chapter 8 of the Book of Ether within the Book of Mormon and you will learn about a powerful harpy that the book dare not name, only known as the Daughter of Jared, who practically re-introduces evil into the world of the Jaredite nation.  She seduces her future husband named Akish, and influenced the hubby to murder her father and take his kingship.  Apparently, she was so effective that her sons plotted against Akish and killed their father to take the kingship for themselves, ultimately squabbling amongst themselves and killing their entire tribe and themselves.

It's not every woman can convince every man in her circle to slaughter each other without lifting a finger. That is the kind of power every woman can choose to command.

But remember to follow up with better examples....

Akish was a good girl among a bad people. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/19?lang=eng

Rebekah went off to marry someone she didn't know -  Isaac, son of Abraham. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/gen/27?lang=eng&id=p11-p17#p11

The mother's of Helaman's Stripling warriors that fought but didn't die. - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/56?lang=eng&id=p47-p48#p47

The harlot in Jericho, who recognized God's people and helped them. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/josh/2?lang=eng&id=p1-p9#p1

Eve in the Garden of Eden understood that having children and learning the difference between good and evil was more important than living a blissful but purposeless life.  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/gen/3?lang=eng&id=p6-p7#p6

Exalting Clarence and Counter-Generational Sheep

My memory is getting so bad, it is better to say that what follows is just a story, perhaps loosely based on real events.

In the late 70s, I was what is now called a “tween”.  I don’t remember that was a thing back then, I was just a gawky kid that would soon become an introverted teenager.  My family was living on my mother’s family ranch, in a very old two bedroom prairie house. My older brother and I lived in a very small room that barely fit two desks, a stacked chest of drawers, two hamsters, and two stacked beds that my dad had to build with minimal headroom because the ceiling was so low.  Our house was about twenty miles north of the closest town, so we experienced much the same life as the previous prairie generation and somewhat similar to our grandparents childhood experience, which would be pretty unfamiliar to my children.  We had a party-line telephone, rode horses and tractors, had a half-hour tiny “commute” to school, swam in stock tanks during the summer, and took care of various small stock, or failed to do so to the angst of our parents.  I grew up in a different time and manner from present “first world” sensibilities, the way my parents and grandparents were raised.

This year’s Thanksgiving features one of my own family traditions, the viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life”, a Frank Capra movie from 1947. My grandparents would have been young adults when this movie was made and both my father and mother were three years old. I just want to give you some context in how dated my tastes are and that they are much more likely aligned with the generations of the past 

My parents had a color TV that was bought as a kit and which several people worked on over the years to complete and fitfully operate.  Of course, my youth miles away from the nearest TV transmitter, we only had one channel which was sometimes very faint and statically intermittent in that old analog way to which modern digital/internet generations have no experience. My first viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” was late at night during the Christmas break from school on a glitchy TV playing with more static than picture.  It was a late-night movie, because the Frank Capra “not a classic” movie had fallen into the public domain and TV stations could broadcast it without the cost of royalties to some studio.

I later got a VHS tape version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” out of a discard bin at a discount store and later upgraded to a DVD “un-colorized” version that the local general store had on the “under-$5” rack. My favorite “holiday” movie (it has less to do with Christmas than Die Hard, for instance) really says something about me. I relate strongly to George Bailey and his life-struggles and attitudes.

People try to shoe-horn everyone into convenient “generations” that sound something like the Chinese zodiac we see as tablemats at buffets.  My inclusion with “Gen X” is about as relevant as my placement in the “year of the sheep”, which tells me that I should NEVER have married my wife of 36 years. I probably have more in common with my ancestors who actually used a “shoe horn” and had an even chance of knowing how to care for sheep. I’m also more aligned with cultures that work through their marital problems rather than find ways to work around placemat prophecy incompatibilities.

Just as George Bailey would likely get eaten alive in our modern “dog-eat-dog” world, I often nurse a figurative gnawed leg or two. I stare aghast at people looking and being bizarre. Something like George, I am deeply grateful to God for his help in facing (more avoiding) our present day of silliness and decadence. I am grateful for an enduring wife who, like Mary Bailey, doesn’t give up on her fraying husband and orchestrates his eventual salvation. I swear a fleet of angels have been engaged to “earn their wings” helping me.

So, in spite of the antique look and values around “It’s a Wonderful Life”, I encourage you to watch it, even on modern streaming platforms. It won’t appear to be snowing quite so much as it did when I first watched the film, but hopefully you will find a few insights to improve your life and mood!

Socialism Wants to be your God

The act of using the resources of rich to provide a "living" for the poor is at odds with devotion to and blessings from YWYH.

Over my many years, I have been a recipient of God's blessings, often fiscally.  I have had increasing more lucrative employment which I credit wholly to the Lord. This has come as I have stepped away from government poverty programs and their behaviors and restrictions. I have friends that take welfare payments and "food stamps" who are scholars of the strictures of such benefits. They know what they can do and what they can't do to continue to qualify for "free"-ish government hand-outs and discounts. With great patience, they try to explain the intricacies of qualifications to me, how they maximize their rewards.  In the distant past, I was just as much working to become expert in this. I now make it a point to avoid all government help, at least as much as I can.

It was a harrowing time when I decided that I would stop pursuing the favor of government programs and earning their rewards. My children lost free health care and we stopped qualifying for government subsidized discounts on heating and phone bills, among other hoop-jumping perks. A few people even said that I was depriving and abusing my children by robbing them of government "benefits" that they deserved. 

A child or two of mine likely wished they could get put into the fostering programs and enjoy the benefits of "parenting" under government surveillance, family decisions that could be appealed to committees of social workers, and regular payments ear-marked for nicer school-clothes and expensive sports shoes like some of the kids showed off in class. It can be hard for mere biological families to compete with bureaucratic largesse in the form of "carrots and sticks".

Nonetheless, my wife and I made the conscious choice to avoid government "help" and put more effort into pursuing Liberty and standing on our own feet in providing fully for ourselves. It has been an interesting ride and I definitely credit God for any success we have enjoyed. Turning to the Lord for help rather than government is the greatest act of liberation that I have known!