D&C 46

As I approach ward conferences in the following months, my thoughts are much on all the deceptions being laid in social media concerning the truth.  Of such, the Savior warned -

"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."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 46:7)

Obviously, there is only one true source of truth.

D&C 45

Of the righteous, the Savior said -

"...it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.
40 And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:39 - 40)

If find it interesting that it will be the righteous that recognize the signs of His coming.  The Savior then notes -

"...they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke.
42 And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven.
43 And the remnant shall be gathered unto this place..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:41 - 43)

Obviously referring to the revelation of Joel of the sun, moon, and stars.  In recognizing the signs of His coming, President Gordon B. Hinckley said in 2001 -

“The era in which we live is the fulness of times spoken of in the scriptures, when God has brought together all of the elements of previous dispensations. From the day that He and His Beloved Son manifested themselves to the boy Joseph, there has been a tremendous cascade of enlightenment poured out upon the world. The hearts of men have turned to their fathers in fulfillment of the words of Malachi. The vision of Joel has been fulfilled wherein he declared: Joel 2:28-32." (October General Conference, 2001)

D&C 45

One of the "signs of the times" before the second coming is given as the Savior reminds us -

"...this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;
25 But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:24 - 25)

In my mind, even though many will be gathered again to Jerusalem, the gospel will not be preached to them in Jerusalem until the gospel has been presented to the rest of the world.

D&C 45

Recently I have blogged concerning the "New and Everlasting Covenant" and the grace of God, or enabling power of the atonement that allows us to overcome the world.  With that, again the Lord reveals -

"...unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.
9 And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:8 - 9)

I also have recently blogged concerning "having oil with them", it being wisdom.  The Savior said of this oil -

"Wherefore, hearken ye together and let me show unto you even my wisdom..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:11)

...which are the prophecies written in this section.

D&C 45

Can one picture this event at the judgement bar as the Savior would personally say -

"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
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."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:3 - 5)

Can you imagine His true love?

D&C 43

To the early saints, the Lord taught -

"For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations: Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 43:18)

As the Lord continues, it is apparent that He is referring to the day of His coming and the Millennium.  But as I read that verse, it could also refer to our day for leading to His second coming,  He speaks much of the heavens shaking with blessings in our day and our voices to be as a trump from God teaching the gospel.  There is no question that in our day, the earth trembles and the saints are to rise up and establish Zion.

D&C 43

The Lord provides instruction on how we are to participate in councils saying -

"And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.
9 And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me—"  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 43:8 - 9)

I specifically note that members of councils are to instruct and edify each other which suggests to me that even one that presides may be instructed and edified.

D&C 42

When it comes to Church discipline, the Lord makes it clear -

"...if thy brother or sister offend thee, thou shalt take him or her between him or her and thee alone; and if he or she confess thou shalt be reconciled.
89 And if he or she confess not thou shalt deliver him or her up unto the church, not to the members, but to the elders.  And it shall be done in a meeting, and that not before the world."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:88 - 89)

And -

"If any shall offend in secret, he or she shall be rebuked in secret, that he or she may have opportunity to confess in secret to him or her whom he or she has offended, and to God, that the church may not speak reproachfully of him or her."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:92)

Obviously, discipline and repentance is personal and not to be shared.  But -

"...if thy brother or sister offend many, he or she shall be chastened before many.
91 And if any one offend openly, he or she shall be rebuked openly, that he or she may be ashamed.  And if he or she confess not, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of God."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:90 - 91)

If one is boastful, apostate, teaching false doctrine, etc. amongst many, it becomes necessary to that the discipline is shared with the many.

D&C 42

Concerning those that are sick, the Lord said -

"Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:45)

My thoughts this morning are that, even though all will be resurrected, "have not hope of a glorious resurrection" would suggest that there are varying degrees of resurrection.  Paul taught the same idea writing -

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead..."  (New Testament | 1 Corinthians 15:40 - 42)

D&C 42

The Lord makes it clear that -

"...if thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments.
30 And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken.
31 And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:29 - 31)

In my mind, this is the law of consecration.

D&C 42

We have a handcart trek this coming summer.  Our them will be "Joy in the Journey".  I can't help but ask..."what is the difference between happiness and joy".  In my mind, joy is a greater form of happiness that comes from things of value.  Value many times comes from sacrifice or the price one pays in the form of effort, faith, hope,and importance.

In His revealed laws, the Savior said -

"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."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:61)

I can testify that as I have received revelation and knowledge from above, this has brought me great joy.

D&C 42

When it comes to teaching the gospel, the Lord gave the following law -

"...the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the gospel.
13 And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit.
14 And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:12 - 14)

And suggesting that there would be more eternal things revealed -

"And all this ye shall observe to do as I have commanded concerning your teaching, until the fulness of my scriptures is given."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:15)

D&C 41

As the saints were told that the Lord was about to reveal His law, the Lord explained -

"...ye shall receive my law, that ye may know how to govern my church and have all things right before me."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 41:3)

And then He warns -

"He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple; and he that saith he receiveth it and doeth it not, the same is not my disciple, and shall be cast out from among you;
6 For it is not meet that the things which belong to the children of the kingdom should be given to them that are not worthy, or to dogs, or the pearls to be cast before swine."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 41:5 - 6)

The doctrine that is least understood by many people is "and doeth it".  We must learn to do His work and His will.

D&C 39

As I read the revelation given to James Covill, I notice the condition -

 "...if thou wilt hearken to my voice..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 39:10)

and -

 "...if thou do this..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 39:11)

Obviously, all blessings of God have conditions.

President Harold B. Lee said -

“I sat in a class in Sunday School in my own ward one day, and the teacher was the son of a patriarch. He said he used to take down the blessings of his father, and he noticed that his
father gave what he called ‘iffy’ blessings. He would give a blessing, but it was predicated on . . . ‘if you will cease doing that.’ And he said, ‘I watched these men to whom my father gave the “iffy” blessings, and I saw that many of them did not heed the warning that my father as a patriarch had given, and the blessings were never received because they did not comply.’ “You know, this started me thinking. I went back into the Doctrine and Covenants and began to read the ‘iffy’ revelations that have been given to the various brethren in the Church. If you want to have an exercise in something that will startle you, read some of the warnings that were given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Thomas B. Marsh, Martin Harris, some of the Whitmer brothers, William E. McLellin—warnings which, had they heeded, some would not have fallen by the wayside. But because they did not heed, and they didn’t clear up their lives, they fell by the wayside, and some had to be dropped from membership in the Church.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1972, p. 130; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, pp. 107–8.)

I went to my own patriarchal blessing where I read -

"If you will continue this path of dedication and of faithfulness, God will withhold no good gift or blessing from you.
"
"It would be well if you could look upon your whole mortal life as being on a mission in the service of your Savior..."

D&C 38

To the early saints, the Savior declared -

" I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:3)

With the fall of Adam, also came opposition in all things. With that the Lord said -

"...for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:16)

In my mind, suggesting that the Lord made rich and poor but is still no respecter of persons would also suggest that he created a world with, again, opposition in all things.  That is He never intended it to be fair.  But with that He also said -

"...now I tell it unto you, and ye are blessed, not because of your iniquity, neither your hearts of unbelief; for verily some of you are guilty before me, but I will be merciful unto your weakness."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:14)

In my mind, He is also suggesting that in the end He will make it fair as He will be merciful in those that have been given greater weaknesses or I would suggest challenges than others.  Which means to me that everyone at some point will be given opportunities to repent in all fairness.

D&C 38

In a conference in Fayette, New York, the Lord said -

"...for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:32)

This past Tuesday, I blogged concerning the law of justification suggesting that through the grace or enabling power of God, we can become righteous.  I see these words this morning suggest the same thing, that as we repent and strive to keep His commandments, through His grace we receive power from on high to do so.

D&C 38

As I previously blogged in reference to the parable of the ten virgins,  the Lord counseled the saints to have -

"...oil with you..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 33:17)

He follows up in revelations -

"...again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives.
29 Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.
30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:28 - 30)

Obviously, the day would come that the philosophies of wicked men would sound louder than the still small voice of the Lord.  The oil then would also symbolize "wisdom in our bosoms".  In other words, we must become wise.  In my mind, through knowledge and experience, understand the mysteries of God.

D&C 36

As I began reading the 36th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, I don't know why but my thoughts suddenly were filled the power and grace of the atonement of Jesus Christ which encompassed the entire time on the cross-trainer.  I found myself reading very little of section 36.

What crossed my mind was three principles or laws associated with His grace and the Atonement.  I will only touch on these.  It would be difficult to write this morning all my thoughts.

The first law or principle is that of the resurrection.  We know that all men will be resurrected so their are not requirements to satisfy this gift other than we know that -

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead..."  (New Testament | 1 Corinthians 15:40 - 42)

Thus there are conditions in what type of resurrected body we receive which leads to the other grand laws or principles of Justification and Sanctification.  We see these two laws throughout the scriptures.

It is through the grace and power of the atonement of Jesus Christ that the law of justification is manifest.  In my mind, justify means to bring oneself in line with, reconcile with, or become like the Savior.  In other words, one become righteous doing right things.  This cannot happen without his grace and the power of the Holy Ghost as we receive knowledge, testimony, faith, hope, charity, ordinances, covenants, and overcome the world.  Through his grace we receive the enabling power to do so.  Again we become righteous for -

"...in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 84:20)

In my mind, the grace and power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ enables also to be sanctified or in other words, literally to become clean, pure, and holy.  Again it is through the Holy Ghost that this happens.  This seems to happened as we receive the Holy Ghost and repent.  We cannot sanctify ourselves.

Scripture upon scripture comes to my mind as and contemplated these two laws.  Let me just quote the world of the Lord to Moses -

"For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified..."  (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 6:60)