The reality of God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost

There are a lot of scripture mastery verses found in Doctrine and Covenants section 130.  Today's verses also come from there.  Verses 22 and 23 are today's scripture mastery.  They teach us more about the relationship between God, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost:

22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

23 A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.

I have discussed this topic in a few previous posts.  For example: "We are created in God's image," and "Moses saw God face to face," and "Steven sees Christ standing on the right hand of the Father."
  God is real.  So is His Son, Jesus Christ.  They each have physical bodies, just as we do--though theirs are perfect and glorified, while ours have not been.  We are subject to disease and death, while the bodies that they have are not.  The Holy Ghost is also a member of the Godhead (What other Christian faiths often refer to as the Holy Trinity.)  The Holy Ghost does not have a physical body, though he does have a spirit body.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost--they are all part of this Godhead, or Trinity.  They are separate beings, though they are completely unified in purpose and in their love for us.  In fact, of all the creations of God, we are the most important to Him.  He has said "This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

What did verse 23 mean?  Why would the Holy Ghost "descend upon" somebody and not "tarry with" them?  I understand that to mean that anybody can receive the promptings and teachings of the Holy Ghost--irrespective of what religion they belong to.  The Holy Ghost has as one of His primary objectives to teach us right and wrong.  Some call His influence our conscience.  We all have a conscience.  It has also been called the "Light of Christ."  That innate knowledge that we all have that tells us the difference between right and wrong is the Holy Ghost.  That can be lost.  If we continually ignore the promptings of our conscience (the Holy Ghost)  He eventually stops prompting us. . .

Wouldn't it be great to always have the presence of the Holy Ghost?  To always have a member of the Godhead to be with us to teach us and guide us?  We can!  When baptized in to the Church with the proper authority (the Priesthood power of God) we are given a wonderful gift.  It is called the gift of the Holy Ghost.  What that means is that if we are righteous, we can have the presence of the Holy Ghost to be with us always--not just in fleeting moments.  To be worthy of that gift, we must listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and obey the commandments of God.  If we do, we can have the constant presence and guidance of the Holy Ghost in our life.

How to obtain a blessing from God

Today's scripture mastery tells us how we can obtain the blessings from God that we desire.  Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21 is the scripture mastery for today:

 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

I don't have a lot to say about this one, as it is a very simple statement.  If you want the blessings from God--keep his commandments.  It is that simple.  Each commandment has a different blessing promised to go along with it.  For example, read through the 10 commandments given to Moses, and you will note that many of them have the blessings specified right along with the commandment.  For example, he says this as part of the 10 commandments:

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

or this:

  12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

You want mercy from the Lord?  Love Him, and keep his commandments.  You want to live longer?  Honor your parents.

You want "Health in your navel and marrow in your bones" (i.e. good health)?  Keep the word of widsom.

You want more blessings than you have room to receive?  Pay your tithing.

The vast majority of the commandments that God has given us have specific blessings that have been promised to us if we keep them.  And those that we don't know the specific reason for(there are those as well. . .)  I believe that verse 6 that I quoted above from Exodus 20 applies to those.  If we keep those as well, He will show us mercy.  Who doesn't need mercy?  I know that I sure need it!

Keep the commandments of God, and be blessed!  Don't believe it?  Try it, and see.  God ALWAYS keeps his promises.   You can always count on the Lord keeping His word.

The importance of learning

God wants us to always improve ourselves.  He wants us to learn new things.  That is part of what we learn from today's scripture mastery: Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19

 18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

 19 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.

God wants us to learn from any of the many fields of study that there are:  Science/Humanities/Arts/Technical--all these and more have been given to us by God to help us improve ourselves--not only while here on earth, but as verse 19 above states--for the world to come.

In one of the revelations that God gave to Joseph Smith, he said this (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118)

 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.

All truth comes from God.  Not only the truth that is taught in religion (the sort of truth that takes faith to come to know) but also the truth of science--the truth that is taught in school.  That also comes from God:  Here are two verses that teach us about truth:
Doctrine and Covenants 93:24:

 24 And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;

and

Doctrine and Covenants 93:36:

 36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.

Let us seek truth wherever it may be found.  (Don't forget to study the scriptures, and the words of the living prophets in your search for truth though)   Seek it out in whatever field of knowledge you have an interest in.  When you learn something, whether it by by the scientific method, or from the promptings of the Holy Ghost--ask the Lord if what you have learned is true, and He will let you know if it is true or not (Moroni 10:4)

Priesthood Power

Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-36 is today's scripture mastery.  It teaches us a little more about the priesthood power of God:

 34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

 35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

 36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

In short, any man who holds the priesthood cannot exercise the priesthood if he is not righteous.  Verses 37-40 give us much more detail on that:

 37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

 38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.

 39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.

 40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.

The rest of the chapter tells us the only way to use the priesthood effectively (verses 41-46), as well as the blessings we have been promised if we do it the right way:

 41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

 42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

 43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

 44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

 45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

 46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

Basically, if we want to use the Lord's priesthood--we must emulate Him.  We must not use the priesthood to make us think we are better than or more deserving than others in any way.  Instead, we must do as Christ did through His whole earthly ministry--we must do the Father's will.  We must put aside our own will, and use the priesthood to bless the lives of those around us.  We must bless those in need, and help and bless the sick and the afflicted.  The priesthood is given to us that we can learn to serve as Christ served.  It is given so that we can help those in need (and we all know that there are many in need all around us. . .)

The blessings of the word of wisdom

Today's scripture mastery is the promises we are given if we obey the word of wisdom found in section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  The blessings are specified in verses 18-21:

 18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

 21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Those are some powerful blessings given to us if we keep the word of wisdom.  What is the word of wisdom you ask?  Well, it is the revelation that tells us that we should not take into our bodies harmful substances, and that we should eat good foods (such as plenty of grains and fruits and vegetables, and also meat in moderation)

The harmful substances referred to are things that can be addictive, such as Alcohol and Tobacco.  Also included are "hot drinks" which have been defined as Tea and Coffee by the prophets.  This council also includes illegal drugs--and even over the counter medication that is used improperly.

I think that you can boil the word of wisdom down to "use moderation, and avoid addictive substances and behaviors"

It is interesting that this past week, I have heard on the news items related to the word of wisdom--specifically that the recommendation has come out recently about eating red meat.  The study that has been talked about in the news says to eat red meat in moderation.  (That agrees 100% with the council in the word of wisdom)  Moderation in this study means to eat only 1/2 a serving of red meat a day (or 1 small serving 3 times a week--rather than every day).  The study shows that eating red meat more often than that drastically increases the risk of cancer.  Here is a link to that study: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2011.2287  And here is a quote taken from the results summary of the report:

We estimated that substitutions of 1 serving per day of other foods (including fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, and whole grains) for 1 serving per day of red meat were associated with a 7% to 19% lower mortality risk. We also estimated that 9.3% of deaths in men and 7.6% in women in these cohorts could be prevented at the end of follow-up if all the individuals consumed fewer than 0.5 servings per day (approximately 42 g/d) of red meat.

It is very interesting to me that science continues to validate the revelations of God (The word of wisdom was given to us in 1833. . .)  For your info, here is the verse in the word of wisdom that talks about meat (verse 12)

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

We are more than compensated for "missing out" if we do obey the word of wisdom.  We may miss out on some of the "instant gratification" that these substances (Alcohol, Tea, Coffee, Illegal Drugs, etc) can give.  But the long term benefits of health, and increased knowledge and wisdom more than offset the instant gratification we may think we will receive.

Obey the word of wisdom, and be happy.

Good Advice

Today's scripture mastery give a lot of very good advice--and again, if we choose to follow these commandments, we will be blessed. 

Today's scripture mastery is found in Doctrine and Covenants 88:123-124

 123 See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.

 124 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.

I know that these are not always easy commandments to follow.  I often struggle with them.  But I have seen that when I am following these commandments, I do see the blessings of God in my life.  When I love others, and am not coveting the blessings and things that others have, it is much easier for me to share my many blessings with those around me--which blesses not only those with whom I am sharing, but I also feel a great happiness and joy when I do.

When I keep myself busy doing good things,  I find it much easier to be clean in my thoughts and actions.  And when I do that--I am a much happier person.  When I get the proper amount of sleep, I do find that I function much better throughout the day.  Too much or too little, and I am still groggy. 

As for getting up early.  I have found that some of the best time to read my scriptures and meditate on the words of Christ.  I have also found that it has been during some early morning pondering that I have had some of my best insights to problems that I have been facing at that time in my life.  I also find that my body is invigorated--I have more energy for the day than I do if I sleep in.

Give each of these commandments a try.  When you do, you will also see the blessings of God that comes from each of them.

The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

Today's scripture mastery is a well known one in the church.  It is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  It can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-39

 33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

 34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

 35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;

 36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

 37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

 38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

 39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

There are a lot of promises there for those who magnify the priesthood. . .And remember that God always keeps his promises!  So. . .what does it mean to magnify their calling in the priesthood?  There is a long list of scriptures giving examples of magnifying the priesthood.  This list can be found in the Topical Guide, under the heading "Priesthood, Magnifying Callings within."  You will note that none of those verses describe someone acting selfishly.  To truly magnify the priesthood, one must follow the example of the Savior.  One must do as He did--i.e. he must serve others, and always seek to do God's will.  He must share the gospel, and work to build the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Also, please note, that while these verses are directed towards the men of the church, they in no way exclude the women.  The same promises are extended to any woman who act as the Savior would.  Any woman who serves others, who seeks to build the Kingdom of God, or who relieves the suffering of those who are suffering--indeed, anybody, man or woman, who obtains a true understanding of charity (also known as the True Love of Christ) will be a recipient of all the blessings promised in these verses.  If we obtain the qualities that Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13, we will be able to receive those blessings promised in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood:

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

You can trust the Lord

How many times in your life have you been let down by somebody?  I know that probably all of us have, at one time or another, been let down by someone that promised us something and then they didn't follow through (I know that I have been on the other end many times as well--I have let others down by not keeping my word)

We can trust the Lord 100%--even when we can not count on others to be completely trustworthy.  Today's scripture mastery emphasises that point--it is found in Doctrine and Covenants 82:10:

 10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

There are many scriptures that teach us that God always does what He says that He will.  It may not always be in the way that we expect, nor is it always on our timetable--but what the Lord says He will do, He does.

Here is another scripture that brings out that point.  It is found in Doctrine and Covenants 1:38.  It states:

 38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

We can count on the Lord to always keep His promises.  However, many of the promised blessings are conditional on the second part of today's scripture mastery.  Note that verse 10 says "when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."  We must keep the commandments of God to be able to claim the blessings that He offers to all of us.  We must repent of our sins.  We must put our trust in the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ.  We must keep His commandments.  If we do those things--all the blessings that the Lord has promised in the scriptures can be ours!

I will finish today by quoting a scripture from the New Testament.  It is found in John 16:33:

 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Though this life is not easy, and we face many trials while here, we have been promised peace in Christ--even through the all the chaos that the world may throw at us.