Before getting married, my wife and I received a lot of marital advice. One insightful recommendations was to "cherish your spouse's quirks." I have a lot of quirks, and I'm so grateful my wife not only bears with them, but cherishes them. Let me share a quirk of mine. When I get a new book, I love to read the entire book. I study the front cover, the back cover, the copyright text in small print, and the preface. And then I start reading chapter one. As a result, I've read many overlooked prefaces over the years. Often they are written by the author; other times, they are written by an expert in the same field or by someone famous. And yet, in all my reading, the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants is unique. Do you know of any other book with a preface written by the Lord Himself? The heading of Doctrine and Covenants section 1 explains, "This section constitutes the Lord’s preface to the doctrines, covenants, and commandments given in this dispensation." If the Lord takes the time to write a preface to a book, it must be important! There is much to draw from the Lord's preface to the Doctrine and Covenants. The revelation "inform[s] readers of the subject and purpose of the volume," explains "why God revealed these commandments" to Joseph Smith, "paint[s] an apocalyptic picture of the wrath that God would unleash against the wicked" unless they repented, and gives a "'voice of warning' to the world to prepare them for Jesus Christ's second coming" (Joseph Smith’s Revelations: A Doctrine and Covenants Study Companion from the Joseph Smith Papers). In describing the purposes of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord also identifies the purposes of a prophet. And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days. A prophet is the voice of the Lord. A prophet is not important because of who they are; a prophet is important because of what they say and do as the Lord's mouthpiece.
The Lord has established His kingdom on Earth in such a way that "fulness of [His] gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers" (D&C 1: 24). God does not care about worldly accomplishments; instead, he cares about "the heart and a willing mind" (D&C 64:34). In a recent interview with a reporter from The Atlantic, the prophet Russel M. Nelson reflected, "I doubt if I’ll be judged by the number of operations I did [as a heart surgeon], or the number of scientific publications I had... I doubt if I’ll even be judged by the growth of the Church during my presidency. I don’t think it’ll be a quantitative experience. I think he’ll want to know: What about your faith? What about virtue? What about your knowledge? Were you temperate? Were you kind to people? Did you have charity, humility?” Sometimes, we overcomplicated the Gospel. In the end, it always comes down the two great commandments of loving God and loving our neighbors. I know the Lord will bless us as we strive each day to be a little kinder, a little more loving—a little more like Jesus Christ.
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Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his [the prophet, Joseph Smith] words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth [see D&C 1:38], in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." God promises me amazing blessings on the condition that I follow the prophets:
1. The gates of hell shall not prevail against me. 2. The Lord will disperse the powers of darkness from before me. 3. The heavens will shake for my good, and for the good of the prophet. A friend recently asked me what it means to have the heavens shake for our good. The first thought that comes to mind is the scripture Malachi 3:8, where the Lord promises Malachi that if he will pay his tithes, the Lord will "open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Similarly, by following the prophet, I believe that the Lord will "shake" down a bounty of blessings upon us. In Psalms 68:8, we read that the "earth shook ... at the presence of God." Perhaps "shaking" is symbolic of the manifestation of deity. As we follow the prophet--the Lord's mouthpiece--we feel the Holy Ghost. Isaiah 13:13 speaks of God shaking the heavens as punishment on the evil, rather than for their good: "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." From this, we learn that the effect of the heaven and earth shaking (whether symbolically, or literally--as at Christ's death and before the Second Coming) depends on the person's righteousness. Isaiah 24:17 has a similar message, but specifically refers to the windows of heaven: "And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake." Joel 3:16 provides additional description of the heavens and earth shaking at the last days: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." Despite the turmoil of the last days, the Lord provides hope and strength. As we consciously strive to follow the prophet, we are protected from the adversary's latter-day attacks, and receive an outpouring of blessings, shaken from heaven for our good. |
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