Come, Follow Me Insights by Gogo Goff Doctrine and Covenants 45-48

I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me for Doctrine and Covenants 45-48. Because I missed last week I combined it with this week. For insights on Doctrine and Covenants 41-44 click here for it. Please share this with your friends or use this picture to save this pin to read later

Jesus Christ, our Advocate.

“Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—”
Doctrine and Covenants 45:3

Of all the titles of Christ, this is one of my favorites, I love that he describes himself as an advocate. Here is the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of what an advocate does: “one that pleads the cause of another; specifically: one that pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court”

In verses 4-5 He details how He will do this.
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.

Jesus Christ is pleading our cause before the Father, the condition of his Advocacy is not perfection, but believing on His name. But the choice is ours, do we choose to believe and follow Him, do we choose to allow Him to be our Advocate and Savior?

Joseph L. Townsend in the beloved Sacrament hymn “Reverently and Meekly Now.” (Hymn 185) immortalized this concept that we must choose to follow Christ to experience His Atoning Grace and Advocacy.

At the throne I intercede;
For thee ever do I plead.
I have loved thee as thy friend,
With a love that cannot end.
Be obedient, I implore,
Prayerful, watchful evermore,
And be constant unto me,
That thy Savior I may be.
~Reverently and Meekly Now:

False Revelation

“7 But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.
8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived…”
Doctrine and Covenants 46:7-8

Something a lot of members do not understand is that there is such a thing as a false revelation. When we receive revelation there are two litmus tests we can perform to detect false revelation. First, does the revelation fall within your purview (stewardship), and secondly is it pertinence (important) for you to know?

Regarding purview, the first litmus test for revelation is, does this fall within my stewardship? The Lord is not going to give you revelations to tell your Bishop how to act, or your girlfriend that she should marry you. James E. Faust taught, “If worthy, we are entitled to receive revelations for ourselves, parents for their children, and members of the Church in their callings. But the right of revelation for others does not extend beyond our own stewardship.” If your revelation is for something outside of your stewardship, then it violates what James E. Faust taught, and is from Satan.

Once you know that something is within your purview, then you must ask yourself if is pertinent to know? Pertinence is vital, as God giving you knowledge makes you accountable for how you act with that knowledge. God is not randomly going give you information that is not usable, for example, God does not say, “In 25 years you should help that widow that has a flat on the side of the road:” But rather, in the very moment the Spirit will lead us to that widow. Also, God often withholds revelation unless we are willing to act. This is an act of mercy, God does not tell the investigator who has 0 plans to join the Church that the book of Mormon is true, as that knowledge would condemn him. Rather, God gives out revelation to those who are both able to act on it, and willing to act on it. This is often called ‘real intent.’

Now you might ask, “What happens if it is within my purview, and it is pertinent, and I still am not getting an answer? What then?!” That one is quite simple: God trusts you. Use your agency to act according to the best knowledge you have, knowing that if it is wrong, He will give you an explicit prompting before you make a critical mistake. It is also important to remember that He only gives us enough light to walk into the darkness so that we learn to walk by faith. My favorite quote on this topic comes from an MTC address by Elder Bednar: “Quit worrying about it. Quit fussing with it. Quit analyzing it. You be a good boy, you be a good girl, you honor your covenants, you keep the commandments; and I promise you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that as you press forward with faith in Christ, your footsteps will be guided.”

For an in-depth dive into these topics of purview and pertinence see Two Guiding Principles of Personal Revelation That Every Latter-day Saint Needs To Know.

Accepting callings we DON’T want to do!

“Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you, until he is called to further duties.”
Doctrine and Covenants 47:1

This verse might seem a bit random, but context changes everything. John Whitmer did NOT want to be a Church historian, he was asked to do so and wrote down “I would rather not do it but observed that the will of the Lord be done, and if he desires it, I desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the Seer.”

In plain English, he was saying I really don’t want to do it. But if it is the will of the Lord, let Him tell the Prophet and I will follow. This is an amazing life lesson for us, being willing to follow the Prophet when it is something we DON’T want to do. After Doctrine and Covenants 47 was given John accepted his calling as Church Historian.

Whereas we can’t act the same as John and demand a section of the Doctrine and Covenants to tell us to become a nursery leader we can understand that “every calling is important” (Elder Carl B. Cook) and that “No calling is beneath us. Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and to grow.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf) once we understand these two things, when a call is extended, we will always seek confirmation that it is a call from God. And like John accept it and magnify our office.

The Lord’s Laws of Finance.

“It must needs be necessary that ye save all the money that ye can, and that ye obtain all that ye can in righteousness, that in time ye may be enabled to purchase land for an inheritance, even the city.”
Doctrine and Covenants 48:4

In this verse, the Lord is telling the saints to save money to buy land. This is not the first time the Lord told the Saints what to do with tithing. In fact, the Lord has revealed two principles to His Laws of Finance, #1. Live within your means (which includes paying off all debt). #2 Save against a future rainy day. Doctrine and Covenants 48:4 addresses the commands of the Lord to save for a rainy day. If #1 is followed and debt is paid off and then avoided, then eventually there will be a surplus. The Church has been clear that we should save for a rainy day. Joseph B. Wirthlin taught, “The wise understand the importance of saving today for a rainy day tomorrow. They have adequate insurance that will provide for them in case of illness or death. Where possible, they store a year’s supply of food, water, and other basic necessities of life… Brothers and sisters, the preparations you make today may one day be to you as the stored food was to the Egyptians and to Joseph’s father’s family.” Robert D. Hales taught, “To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies.” Ezra Taft Benson said, “Do not leave yourself or your family unprotected against financial storms. … Build up savings.”

It is clear that the Lord expects us to save and prepare for a rainy day. The Church does the same thing. Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “In the financial operations of the Church, we have observed two basic and fixed principles: One, the Church will live within its means. It will not spend more than it receives. Two, a fixed percentage of the income will be set aside to build reserves against what might be called a possible ‘rainy day.'” Could you imagine if the Church did not have savings and every whim of the market affected tithing and the ability for the Church to operate? “Oh no, tithing has dropped. We need to close the temples.” Such a thought is so far-fetched it is unimaginable. The Church has saved surplus tithing because it practices what it preaches in preparing for a rainy day.