Moroni 10

This chapter always reminds me of committing people to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. I loved that invitation. I love the Book of Mormon so much and this chapter reminds me of my love for it.

Verses 3 - 5 are paramount:

Behold I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will mainfest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. 

I wrote about this in my other Book of Mormon binder. There were many things it reminded me of. Praying after finishing the Book for the first time and receiving the voice that told me: "Andy, you already know." Then inviting so many on the mission and watching them receive their answer. Then praying to refresh my testimony and conviction. President Eyring said that the promise of the Holy Ghost doesn't just apply once and it doesn't just apply to the truth about the Book of Mormon, but that we should use it over and over to refresh our testimony about the Book of Mormon and about the truth of ALL things.

The next section is about the gifts of God. "For they are many" and they are given by the Spirit of God:

• To teach the word of wisdom
• To teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit
• Exceedingly great faith
• Gifts of healing by the same Spirit
• To work mighty miracles 
• To prophesy concerning all things
• The beholding of angels and ministering spirits
• All kinds of tongues 
• The interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues

All these gifts never will be done away as long as the world shall stand (19). The only way that they will be done away is if we don't believe. But if we believe, they will be possible. 

I love 27

And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?

He lies not. And this will happen. Joseph Fielding Smith said: "No member of this Church can stand approved in the presence of God who does not seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon." (CR, October 1961, p. 18). 

"Arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments..."

This is the point of the Book of Mormon. This is it's message if you understand the language. We are to arise from the evil things and put on the garments that cover us = take upon ourselves the covering and transformation of the atonement. The garment is a symbol of covering our nakedness. Our sins cause us to be naked in the presence of God, but when we use the atonement, we will put on the beautiful garment and we will be covered from our nakedness of sin and imperfection. 

And 32 is a great summary of the intent of this book and of the purpose of this life:

Yea, come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if you shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. 

There is so much in this verse. I will talk about what I have been studying lately in relation to what is taught here. There are five key teachings that I want to review.

Be perfected in Him

• This comes only with grace. See below. And it is part of eternal living. Denying ourselves of all ungodliness. Becoming eternal or complete. Most other references to perfection in the scriptures are actually translated as "complete."

Deny yourself of all ungodliness

• This goes along with the eternal living chapter that I have been thinking about. We are not here to earn heaven, but to learn heaven. If we really want eternal life, we need to become eternal...godlike. So we need to deny ourselves or get rid of all ungodliness. To do this, we have to become more and more like God and live more everyday in a way that God would live. This means learning how God is and constantly striving to become that. 

Love God with all your might, mind and strength

• I think might, mind and strength is an expression that is basically denoting that you are loving Him with everything. All of you is devoted to God. I believe this is what it is getting at. This goes back to becoming godlike. 

Then His grace is sufficient

• I think that this goes along with the denying ourselves of all ungodliness. Once we are in this pattern of godlike living or eternal living, we are together with Him and together with the Lord and we are endowed with the grace of Christ. Here is what I will say though. The grace of Christ is always sufficient. It has been, is and will always be. We don't have to be perfect to qualify for His grace. This verse lays out these principles in a certain order which I think we may need to look at. Grace is there the whole time and is the only way that any of the others are possible. We can't be perfected, OR love God with all of ourselves, or deny ourselves of ungodliness without His help and His help comes because of grace. So it could almost say: 

"Come unto Christ, through His grace. And through the grace of Christ be perfected in Him, and with the enabling power that comes with the endowment of grace, rid yourself of all desires for anything other than godliness. And through His grace, your nature can be changed so that you actually desire to love God with all your heart - and your might, mind and strength. Now do you see that it is by His grace that you are sufficient to do these things? And, if you accept His grace, and use it to the fullest all along the way, you can be perfect in Christ (through His grace). And if ye are perfected through His grace, you can in nowise deny the power of God (which I will now explain). 

 The Power of God

•  In John 1:9 it says "and to all those who believed in him, gave he power to become the sons of God" and in Moroni 7:48 it says "that ye may become the sons of God..." I believe that this is the same context. Ye can in nowise deny the power of God (to become His sons and daughters). Why? because when we have become the sons and daughters of God, we have done all of the above. We have denied ourselves of ungodliness, and become godly and eternal. 

The Greatest of All the Gifts of God (in this life)

Any time I need to regain my spiritual footing, the most sure-fire way for me is to study the Holy Ghost. I've had a couple of rough weeks and instead of getting closer to God, I have somehow stepped further away.  So I studied the Spirit.

Robert Millet said that eternal life is the greatest of all the gifts of God, but that it will only be bestowed after this life ends. So what is the greatest gift of all the gifts of God in this life?

The Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Here is why I think the Spirit is so important for me:

• It grounds me. It always brings me back to my Spiritual safe-haven. How?
• It reminds me of the truth. Most times when I am off, it is because I allow myself to believe something that is not true. So it helps me to remember important truths that are fundamental to my daily progress and daily motivation. For example, Satan tries to get me to believe that I failed in accomplishing the thing that was most important in life (marriage). But when I feel the Spirit, I remember the truth. I remember the power of the atonement, and of forgiveness and that God understands much more than I do and has a plan that is all-encompassing. And that I have all the potential (and more) that I ever had. 
• It brings perspective. It's like the talk by Neal A. Maxwell: Grounded, Rooted, Established and Settled. The Spirit helps me to look at the bigger picture. It enlarges my memory backwards to the times that I was my highest self, and it stretches my vision forward to my potential as a higher self. It reminds me of the fact that the purpose of this life is becoming. Becoming more like a being who would be comfortable in the presence of godlike characters - and even in the presence of God Himself. 
• As a part of the above, it reminds me of who I really am. The scripture I just memorized says that the "Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not" and "it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be..." and I would add to that, that the Spirit also speaketh of things as they always have been. 
• It purifies me
• While I feel or receive the Spirit, it acts as a purification process. It purifies. Anytime you feel the presence of the Holy Ghost, it lifts your soul to a higher level. You are cleaner inside than you were before. It's like walking through a filter that purges you of your carnal desires. I literally feel lighter. Last week I ran a trail race in Southern Utah and it rained the whole time - this made it into a mud run. Every stride resulted in more mud getting caked to my shoes. And my shoes just kept getting heavier and heavier until I would just stop and kick the mud off or scrape it off with a rock or a stick. And at the very end of the race, I just took my shoes to the shower and totally purged them of the mud and clay. I thought that was a perfect visual because this life is like that. We are running a mud-race and our shoes get heavier with every step through this mortal life. If I stop and get the mud off with the Spirit, I can run faster and overtime, probably do better personally than if I ran with heavy feet. The Spirit makes me lighter and cleaner. I just feel cleaner and lighter with the Spirit. 
• It sanctifies me
• When I truly receive the Holy Ghost and partake of the Spirit, I am given a new me. I am born anew. I am lifted to a higher level. It takes me from being the every-day Andy who is just an internet nerd that is trying to earn enough money and pay the bills, to a holier Andrew Scot Proctor that is the one who was valiant from before the foundation of the world, who fought for truth and agency with the mighty angels in the war that began in heaven. 
• It teaches and confirms the truth
• Anytime I am reading or learning in any way, the Spirit helps me to know when something is a true principle. I feel it and I am quickened. 
• It increases my confidence
• There is an absolute difference between the confidence that I have after I have been Spiritually recharged and when I am not. It is tangible. It is stark. It's the difference between being naked in a public place and being clothed. I am backed and I am freed to become my highest self. Like D&C 121:45-46 says: "...then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God...The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion..."
• It gives me a new vision
• Elder Maxwell said it best:
• "With the Holy Spirit as our guide, our conscience stays vibrant and alive. Things which we had never supposed come into view. Seeming routine turns out to be resplendent. Ordinary people seem quite the opposite. What we once thought to be the mere humdrum of life gives way to symphonic strains. Circumstances or a mere conversation which look quite pedestrian nevertheless cause a quiet moment of personal resolve, and a decision affecting all eternity is made. Sometimes you and I even sense it as it happens, but there are no bands playing, and there are no headlines. What seems commonplace seldom is..."
• It reveals
• I have dreamed vivid dreams that I know were messages from heaven. I have seen things that God wanted me to do, and done them. I have had strong impressions from above. I have heard voices of encouragement and warning. I have had scriptures opened up to me and my mind's eye was opened to an expanded view. 
• D&C 42:61
• If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal. 
• "There is no limit to the revelations [we] may receive" - Bruce R. McConkie
• It fills me with light
• I just feel brighter. People have even told me this. Those who have and feel the Spirit are lighter and brighter. They have a heavenly resonance that you don't experience otherwise. You can literally feel their warmth. I think of Gloria Carvajal, Daniel Summerhays, Anna Hargadon, Dena Smith, and so many others who in certain instances have just shown with light because of the Spirit that they possess. 

Parley P. Pratt summarized all these and more in one of my favorite quotes:

"The gift of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all...organs and attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, expands and purifies all the passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears and life to the whole being. In the presence of such persons, one feels to enjoy the light of their countenances as the genial rays of a sunbeam. Their very atmosphere diffuses a thrill, a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy to the heart and nerves of others who have kindred feelings, or sympathy of spirit." (from The Key to the Science of Theology, p. 101). 

This is what I want more than any other thing. 3 Nephi 19:9 makes much more sense now:

And they did pray for that which the most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them.  

Gazing into Heaven

My favorite passage of scripture that is not versified, but is between the covers of the triple... is Oliver Cowdery's description of the experience he and Joseph Smith had with John the Baptist. I love it and it helps me so much to get my mind off the world and onto things eternal. You'll find it after Joseph Smith History and before the Articles of Faith. I guess it is just a footnote to verse 71 of JS-History.

I'll just highlight the parts that really hit me:

"But, dear brother, think, further think for a moment...I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion; but you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with the eloquence of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and sublime a manner as this holy personage. No; nor has this earth power to give the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught to naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of His love, yes one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eterenity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind."

I love this. Anything in life can truly be struck into insignificance and blotted forever from the mind. Anything! But it must truly be a ray of glory from the upper world or a real word from the mouth of the Savior. When we come in contact with this ray of glory from the upper world, nothing else matters. When we hear the voice of God, nothing else really matters.

I'll end with the statement by Joseph Smith (who was qualified to say this):

"Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would be reading all that was ever written on the subject." (HC 6:50-51)