“And your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15)
And your feet shod
My footwear of
choice is, well, none. I am a person who loves to be barefoot. However, if I am
going to go somewhere I will put on the appropriate casual, dressy, or athletic
shoes depending on the occasion. When I put my shoes on it means that I am
ready to move. Having our feet shod, to me, means to be ready to go and to have
a specific purpose and direction.
In the book of
Daniel we read about King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that I feel is fitting to this idea of
moving. Daniel recounts the king’s dream about a huge statue made of different
kinds of material, followed by the interpretation of the dream.
“Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold,
broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for
them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled
the whole earth….
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever”
(Daniel 2:35, 44).
The gospel of Jesus
Christ, as found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the
mountain that will fill the whole earth. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read
about the gospel in the last days.
“The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth,
and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the
stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it
has filled the whole earth” (Doctrine & Covenants 65:2).
And again, the
words of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
“[N]o unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions
may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the
truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has
penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and
sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the
Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).
FORWARD OR BACKWARD?
When climbing a
mountain it takes an effort to keep moving uphill. This mountain, of the gospel
of Jesus Christ that Daniel spoke of, will continue to grow until it fills the
whole earth. If we are spiritually standing still, as the mountain grows bigger,
we will continue to move farther away from the summit—essentially moving
backward. We need to know which way we want to be going, and put for the effort
and move in that direction. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf says it this way,
“Either you are committed or you are not. Either you are moving
forward or you are standing still. There’s no halfway….
“There is a difference between intention and action. Those who only
intend to commit may find excuses at every turn. Those who truly commit face
their challenges squarely and say to themselves, ‘Yes, that would be a very
good reason to delay, but I made covenants, and so I will do what I have
committed to do.’ They search the scriptures and earnestly seek the guidance of
their Father in Heaven. They accept and magnify their Church callings. They
attend their meetings. They do their home or visiting teaching.
“A German proverb says, ‘Promises are like the full moon. If they are
not kept at once, they diminish day by day.’ As members of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have committed to walk in the path of
discipleship. We have committed to follow the example of our Savior. Imagine
how the world will be blessed and transformed for good when all members of the
Lord’s Church live up to their true potential—converted in the depth of their
souls and committed to building the kingdom of God” (link to article).
The work of the
Lord is moving forward. Do we have our feet shod to go with it, or are we
comfortably lounging in our bare feet?
with the preparation
As I have looked
through the scriptures I have found repeated themes about preparation:
preparations we make for ourselves, preparations we make for the Lord, and
preparations the Lord makes for us.
PREPARATIONS WE MAKE FOR OURSELVES
In Alma we read
“this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24). As we do our part to move forward in faith, staying on the straight and
narrow path, we can find comfort in this counsel from Elder Bruce R. McConkie.
“Everyone in the Church who is on the straight and narrow path, who is
striving and struggling and desiring to do what is right, though is far from
perfect in this life; if he passes out of this life while he's on the straight
and narrow, he's going to go on to eternal reward in his Father's kingdom”
(Bruce R. McConkie, "The Probationary Test of Mortality," Address
given at Univ. of Utah, Jan. 1982, p. II).
Our direction in
this life is crucial to what happens in the next life. On this ever-growing
mountain, that we must climb, as long as we are moving forward we will be
progressing. If we turn around and head downhill it will be a steep, quick
descent. If we are facing toward the peak but feel that we are not making much
progress we can do as the people in Lehi’s dream did and “press [our] way
forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron” (1 Nephi 8:30). The iron
rod is the word of God and it marks the way to the summit.
A story about
preparation can be found in the New Testament, when the Savior gives the
parable of the ten virgins. Elder Dallin H. Oaks comments,
“[T]his parable contrasts the circumstances of the five foolish and
the five wise virgins. All ten were invited to the wedding feast, but only half
of them were prepared with oil in their lamps when the bridegroom came. The
five who were prepared went into the marriage feast, and the door was shut. The
five who had delayed their preparations came late. The door had been closed,
and the Lord denied them entrance, saying, ‘I know you not.’ ‘Watch therefore,’
the Savior concluded, ‘for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh.’
“The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously
represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast
and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But
only half were ready when he came” (link to talk).
What can we do to prepare ourselves? Elder Oaks
continues,
“If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature
death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions
would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we
settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?
“If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace
while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us
start immediately to replenish them.
“We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the
events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most
likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the
spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly
challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit
of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value” (link to talk).
As we fill the oil
in our lamps day by day, drop by drop, we will be building our spiritual
reservoir of faith. Elder Russel M. Nelson asks,
“Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are
ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful
Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in
the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord ‘shall suffer
persecution’” (link to talk).
And President Henry
B. Eyring warns, “If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the
power to endure will crumble” (link to talk).
The Lord promises,
“if [we] are prepared [we] shall not fear” (Doctrine & Covenants 38:30). If we are doing our part, with faith in the Lord, then things
will work out in the end. But, we need to make sure that we are truly doing our
part. Once we have done all that we can then we are in a position to ask the
Lord for miracles. Brigham Young explains this idea as follows:
“If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us
that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of
salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow,
without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to
me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and to
ask my Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, to sanctify that
application to the healing of my body….
“But supposing we were traveling in the mountains,…and one or two were
taken sick, without anything in the world in the shape of healing medicine
within our reach, what should we do? According to my faith, ask the Lord
Almighty to…heal the sick. This is our privilege, when so situated that we
cannot get anything to help ourselves. Then the Lord and his servants can do
all” [Journal of Discourses, 4:24–25].
We can find much
instruction in the scriptures on what we need to prepare: “prepare [our]selves
by doing the things which I [the Lord] have commanded you” (Doctrine & Covenants 78:7); “prepare [our] minds” (Alma 34:3 and 3 Nephi 17:3); “prepare [our] heart to
receive and obey the instructions [from the Lord]” (Doctrine & Covenants 132:3); and “prepare every needful thing” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:119).
As we prepare
ourselves and move forward in faith we can trust the Lord and the promises, and
we will have no need to fear the attacks of the adversary. President James E.
Faust offers this counsel,
“Satan is our greatest enemy and works night and day to destroy us.
But we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no
power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm
he will retreat” (link to article).
As we prepare our
heart, mind, and our all we can have the Lord’s help. We will then be able to
stand strong against the temptations, challenges, and whirlwinds of life.
PREPARATIONS WE MAKE FOR THE LORD
As we prepare
ourselves physically and, more importantly, spiritually we can be in a position
to move forward the work of the Lord.
We have been
counseled to “let [our] light so shine” (Matthew 5:16) and to be “the salt of
the earth” (Matthew 5:13). We can prepare this world for the Second Coming of
our Savior as we also follow the counsel to “be ye clean that bear the vessels
of the Lord” (Doctrine & Covenants 38:42). Elaine S. Dalton stated,
“The call to ‘arise and shine forth’ is a call to each of you to lead
the world in a mighty cause—to raise the standard—and lead this generation in
virtue, purity, and temple worthiness. If you desire to make a difference in
the world, you must be different from the world” (link to talk).
In preparing
ourselves to serve the Lord we also need to be humble. As we are trying to
overcome the natural man we will face challenges. Through our humility, and
through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our hearts can be changed. Elder Hugh B.
Brown explains it this way,
“You sometimes wonder whether the Lord really knows what he ought to
do with you. You sometimes wonder if you know better than he does about what
you ought to do and ought to become. I am wondering if I may tell you a story
that I have told quite often in the Church. It is a story that is older than
you are. It’s a piece out of my own life…. It has to do with an incident in my
life when God showed me that he knew best.
“I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I
went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet
high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was
raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what
ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and went
after it, and I cut it down, and pruned it, and clipped it back until there was
nothing left but a little clump of stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I
thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear,
and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t
entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it, and smiled, and said, ‘What are
you crying about?’ You know, I thought I heard that currant bush talk. And I
thought I heard it say this: ‘How could you do this to me? I was making such
wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that
are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden
will look down on me, because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could
you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.’ That’s what I thought
I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said,
‘Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you
to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be
a currant bush, and some day, little currant bush, when you are laden with
fruit, you are going to say, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to
cut me down, for caring enough about me to hurt me. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.”'
“Time passed. Years passed, and I found myself in England. I was in
command of a cavalry unit in the Canadian Army. I had made rather rapid
progress as far as promotions are concerned, and I held the rank of field
officer in the British Canadian Army. And I was proud of my position. And there
was an opportunity for me to become a general. I had taken all the
examinations. I had the seniority. There was just one man between me and that
which for ten years I had hoped to get, the office of general in the British
Army. I swelled up with pride. And this one man became a casualty, and I
received a telegram from London. It said: 'Be in my office tomorrow morning at
10:00,' signed by General Turner in charge of all Canadian forces. I called in
my valet, my personal servant. I told him to polish my buttons, to brush my hat
and my boots, and to make me look like a general because that is what I was
going to be. He did the best he could with what he had to work on, and I went
up to London. I walked smartly into the office of the General, and I saluted
him smartly, and he gave me the same kind of a salute a senior officer usually
gives—a sort of ‘Get out of the way, worm!’ He said, ‘Sit down, Brown.’ Then he
said, ‘I’m sorry I cannot make the appointment. You are entitled to it. You
have passed all the examinations. You have the seniority. You’ve been a good
officer, but I can’t make the appointment. You are to return to Canada and
become a training officer and a transport officer. Someone else will be made a
general.’ That for which I had been hoping and praying for ten years suddenly
slipped out of my fingers.
“Then he went into the other room to answer the telephone, and I took
a soldier’s privilege of looking on his desk. I saw my personal history sheet.
Right across the bottom of it in bold, block-type letters was written, 'THIS
MAN IS A MORMON.' We were not very well liked in those days. When I saw that, I
knew why I had not been appointed. I already held the highest rank of any
Mormon in the British Army. He came back and said, 'That’s all, Brown.' I
saluted him again, but not quite as smartly. I saluted out of duty and went
out. I got on the train and started back to my town, 120 miles away, with a
broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. And every click of the wheels on the
rails seemed to say, ‘You are a failure. You will be called a coward when you
get home. You raised all those Mormon boys to join the army, then you sneak off
home.’ I knew what I was going to get, and when I got to my tent, I was so
bitter that I threw my cap and my saddle brown belt on the cot. I clinched my
fists and I shook them at heaven. I said, ‘How could you do this to me, God? I
have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could
have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to
me?’ I was as bitter as gall.
“And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It
was my own voice, and the voice said, ‘I am the gardener here. I know what I
want you to do.’ The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by
the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness and my bitterness” (link to article).
Many times life
doesn’t turn out as we had hoped but as we listen to the Lord, and humble
ourselves, we will become what the Lord knows we can be. President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf said,
“Your Heavenly Father has high aspirations for you. But your divine
origin alone does not guarantee you a divine inheritance. God sent you here to
prepare for a future greater than anything you can imagine. The promised
blessings of God to the faithful are glorious and inspiring” (link to talk).
As we prepare
ourselves for the Lord’s service we will be guided by the impressions of “the
Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him” (1 Nephi 10:17). Elder Holland reminds us,
“In His light we live spiritually and become more able day by day to
discern that light and receive more of it. Furthermore, we receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost at the time of our confirmation, the first of many gifts
reserved for members of the true Church. The promptings of the Holy Ghost will
always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is
uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine. We
have three members of the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost—helping us because of the covenants we have made” (link to article).
May we prepare
ourselves to live in such a way that we will be ready to move the work of the
Lord forward—in our own lives, and in the lives of those around us.
PREPARATIONS THE LORD HAS MADE FOR US
Nephi speaks of the
nature of the Lord when he said, “And the Lord will surely prepare a way for
his people” (1 Nephi 22:20). Oh the great love of the Lord, “He doeth not
anything save it be for the benefit of the world” (2 Nephi 26:24).
Before the world
began the Lord unfolded the Plan of Salvation to us. In the premortal realm we
had reached a point where we could not progress further as spirits. The plan
was presented, and we were able to accept or reject it. Lucifer, and others who
rejected the plan, were cast out. Those who accepted it were prepared for the
earth life that we would experience. As Elder Richard G. Scott reassures us,
“So that the period of mortal testing and growth would yield its
greatest benefit, you were taught and prepared for the circumstances you would
personally encounter in mortality” (link to talk).
King Benjamin
reminds us of
“the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the
world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in
the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in
the faith even unto the end of his life” (Mosiah 4:6).
In the Lord’s
preparations for the children of men we can be comforted by the words of
Brigham Young,
“There is not one thing that the Lord could do for the salvation of
the human family that He has neglected to do;…all that can be accomplished for
their salvation, independent of them, has been accomplished in and by the
Savior” (Journal of Discourses, 13:59).
Another thing the
Lord has prepared for us is the direction and guidance that He gives through
His chosen servants. We can receive counsel and guidance from His living
prophets and apostles (this weekend in General Conference!). We can also read
words of the ancient prophets in the scriptures. All of this counsel has been
prepared by the Lord to guide us through the challenges that we individually
face in this life. I don’t understand how the Lord is able to comfort, counsel,
and provide instruction to the many children he has on this earth, each having
so many different trials, but He does.
Through the
prophets we have been counseled to prepare for our physical needs: to store
food, clothing, money, and other necessities for times of hardship. This
counsel has been taught for many years and is still valid. It seems, however,
that the prophetic focus has shifted lately to fortifying our spiritual
foundation.
We have also been counseled
to prepare and protect our families from the onslaught of the adversary. In the
early 1900s the Church established the Family Home Evening program to provide families one night a week to
focus on building a stronger family through teaching the gospel. In 1995 The Family: A Proclamation to the World
was revealed further preparing the world for the challenges the family unit
would face—that are now unfolding but were long before known by the Lord.
Sometimes in our
lives the Lord has prepared us for things that we are not aware of. When such a
situation arises we need to act in faith in order for blessings to be unfolded,
and miracles to take place. Such was the story of Elijah and the widow.
Elijah had caused a
drought, in order to call the wicked King Ahab to repentance. During the
drought the Lord prepared a way for him to survive:
“[Elijah acting in faith] went and dwelt by the brook Cherith [as the
Lord had instructed him]…
“And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread
and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (1 Kings 17:5-6).
After a time the
brook dried up. Now the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath, for “behold, I
[the Lord] have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (1 Kings 17:9).
As we read this
story we learn that the widow is probably going through one of (if not the) hardest times of her life. She probably doesn't realize that the hardships she is enduring are to prepare her for what is ahead. She seems to have reached the end of her rope, with little hope left. When Elijah meets her
she is gathering sticks “that I may go in and dress [a meal] for me and my son,
that we may eat it, and die” (1 Kings 17:12).
It is at times like
this that we must learn to trust in the living prophet of God. He may ask us
things that we do not comprehend, or see any possible way that they can happen.
Such was the case with the widow.
“And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little
cake first, and bring it unto
me, and after make for thee and for thy son” (1 Kings 17:13).
His request seemed
lofty. She had explained her situation and this petition could have been seen
as him not understanding her life or situation at all. But, the prophet of God
followed his instruction with a promise.
“For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:14).
She could have
discounted his request because of her circumstances, but to her eternal credit
she acted in faith. “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah” (1 Kings 17:15). After she did the seemingly impossible then was the
arm of the Lord revealed and the miracle provided, for “she, and he, and her
house, did eat many days” (1 Kings 17:15).
Look for the
promises and blessings that the Lord provides along with his commandments. Each
of our lives will have different circumstances, but “the...promises which are in [the commandments] shall all be fulfilled”
(Doctrine & Covenants 1:37).
The Lord has
provided a way for each of us individually to reach our eternal potential. As
we humble ourselves and pray for guidance and direction we can come to know
those specific preparations. As we gain faith and trust in the Lord’s promises
we can be prepared and will not fear “when the devil shall send forth his
mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his
mighty storm shall beat upon you” (Helaman 5:12); or “if the billowing surge
conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens
gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above
all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee”
(Doctrine & Covenants 122:7).
We can remember
these comforting words of our Savior, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt
not, fear not” (Doctrine & Covenants 6:36). The way is prepared for us to follow.
The Gospel of Peace
is upon the earth, and is fully contained within the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. It was prepared from the foundation of the world for the
salvation of all God’s children. The Lord has prepared a prophet—such as
Adam, Noah, Moses, and Enoch—in every dispensation to move His work forth.
Jesus Christ, the prophet of His dispensation, established His church while He
was on the earth.
When Jesus Christ
was crucified the gospel was taken from the earth. In the spring of 1820 the
heavens were opened again to one who had been prepared by the Lord; Joseph
Smith, who knelt in a sacred grove in humble prayer. God, our Heavenly Father,
and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith, and thus opened a new
dispensation and began the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our
day.
This coming weekend
we are blessed to be able to listen to our living Prophet, President Thomas S.
Monson, and other servants of the Lord during General Conference. What a
privilege to be able to have their words so accessible to us.
As
we shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace we shall not fear.
As we listen to the words of the prophets and apostles that the Lord has
prepared for us we will be ready, and able, to move the work of the Lord
forward. As we move forward in faith we will be prepared for the Second Coming
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
...to be continued
