I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me for Doctrine and Covenants 67-70, If you missed last week’s insight, Doctrine and Covenants 64-66 click here for it. Please share this with your friends or use this picture to save this pin to read later:
Seeing God.
“For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God.”
Doctrine and Covenants 67:11
Whereas many people have seen Jesus Christ, relatively few people have either heard or seen God the Father. Lehi, Abraham, the 11 Apostles at the ascension of Christ, Stephen, and a few other scriptural figures have seen God the Father. Oftentimes they see Christ sitting on His right hand.
Because of the rarity of seeing God, the Father people started to believe that Jesus was the Father. Yet even the Apostles testify that they saw Jesus on the right hand of God and that Christ is our mediator with the Father. But the people rejected the apostles and started to murder them.
The Apostasy so corrupted man’s understanding of God the Father that Christianity literally removed Him from their doctrines, their creeds declared that Jesus was the Father.
It was into this complete and abomination apostasy that Joseph Smith, early in the spring of 1820, entered the woods to pray to God. His experience would have even shaken him to the core. As he prayed Heavenly Father AND Jesus Christ appeared to Him.
It took both appearing to restore this truth for the final time. Jesus Christ then blasted the false creeds of Christianity that had removed God the Father His exalted station. Ezra Taft Benson has called this event the most important since the Resurrection!
“The appearance of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ to the boy prophet is the greatest event that has occurred in this world since the resurrection of the Master.”
Ezra Taft Benson
The Sabbath and the Sacrament.
“And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
Doctrine and Covenants 68:29
We are repeated commanded to “observe” and “keep holy” the Sabbath day. The main question is how do I do this? Well, the first one is way easier than the second.
To “observe” the Sabbath day means that we attend church, partake of the sacrament, and “observe” the command that we are to have one day set apart from all others.
Keeping the Sabbath holy is something that each one of use must figure out on our own, it consists of making the sabbath a sign of our love for God, in the past long lists of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ were common in the church, but the brethren have decided that it was not the best course. We do have a few things we are told to abstain from on the Sabbath like Shopping, but each one of use must figure out for us, how we make the Sabbath a holy offering to God.
Overall, we must each figure out how to make the Sabbath Holy and how to observe it in our lives. As we make the Sabbath holy in our lives we will start to understand and feel the power that comes from the sacrament.
“The ordinance of the sacrament makes the sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the Church.”
Dallin H. Oaks
Accountability for our Stewardships.
“And also, my servants who are abroad in the earth should send forth the accounts of their stewardships to the land of Zion;”
Doctrine and Covenants 69:5
One of the fundamental principles of the Gospel is accountability, the Lord gives directions down and we return and report up. We will be asked to give a report before the Lord for out stewardships, did we home teach our families? Did we love our children? Did we faithfully sustain and support our Priesthood leaders?
God does not give a commandment that He will not require a report at our hands if we have been faithful to it. A wise steward strives to obey and then he proactively returns and reports.
A slothful steward does not obey and does not willingly report his slothfulness, he makes excuses and takes no accountability. Of the doctrine of accountability, we are taught by Marion G. Romney that “to return and report is the final act of the faithful and wise steward”
Accountability.
“And an account of this stewardship will I require of them in the day of judgment.”
Doctrine and Covenants 70:4
One of the great lies Satan teaches us to do is to rationalize sin. “Everyone is doing it”, “No one will know”, “Only one look won’t hurt me.” or the most common one today, “I was born this way.”
A rationalization is nothing more than a rational lie. We will be held accountable before God for our actions and the effect our actions had on others. If we, who know the truth, lead others into sin then we will have to answer to the Lord for their sins too. Our stewardship is not just to live righteously, but to proclaim the gospel to others to wash our hands from the blood and sins of this generation.
The Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual teaches: “Since the Lord has identified the Church as the warning agent, every member is responsible to be a missionary to lift up the trump and sound the warning so that (1) the wicked will be left without excuse; (2) the members will free themselves from the blood and sins of this generation; and (3) the righteous will be gathered from all nations to enjoy the blessings of salvation and escape the coming judgments.”
“When we realize that we are accountable to God, we see how foolish rationalizations can be.”
Quentin L. Cook