D&C 99

The Lord tells John Murdock that with the Spirit in his missionary work that - 

"...who receiveth you receiveth me..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 99:2)

An interesting thought in our set-apart callings/

D&C 98

 The Lord instructs - 

"...renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children;

17 And again, the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me."   (Doctrine and Covenants 98:16–17)

Of the preaching to the Jews, I note the comments of President Ezra Taft Benson - 

“In Jacob's blessing to Judah, he declared: ‘Judah is … as an old lion: who shall rouse him up?’ (Gen. 49:9; italics added.) We come as messengers bearing the legitimate authority to arouse Judah to her promises. We do not ask Judah to forsake her heritage. We are not asking her to leave father, mother, or family. We bring a message that Judah does not possess. That message constitutes ‘living water’ from the fountain of living water. 

“Our prophet, Joseph Smith, was given a commandment by the Lord to turn ‘the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews.’ (D&C 98:17.) We are presently sending our messengers to every land and people whose ideology permits us entrance. We have been gathering Joseph's descendants for 146 years. We hope you, who are of Judah, will not think it an intrusion for us to present our message to you. You are welcome to come to our meetings. We display no crosses. We collect no offerings. We honor your commitment to your unique heritage and your individuality. We approach you in a different way than any other Christian church because we represent the restored covenant to the entire house of Israel. 

“Yes, we understand the Jews, as David Ben-Gurion said. We understand them because we belong to the same house of Israel. We are your brothers—Joseph. We look forward to the day of fulfillment of God's promise when ‘the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel’ (Jer. 3:18.)” (“A Message to Judah from Joseph,” Ensign, December 1976, page 72).

D&C 98

I find it interesting that the Lord said - 

"...that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me."  (Doctrine and Covenants 98:5)

That suggests to me that the constitution as written belongs or would benefit all mankind.

D&C 97

The Lord has warned us as we get closer and closer to His coming - 

"For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it?

23 The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 97:22–23)

In my mind, "the report thereof" would be the news of the day.

D&C 97

 For those that desire to know their status before God, He states - 

"Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me."  (Doctrine and Covenants 97:8)

President Dallin H. Oaks - What Has Our Savior Done for Us?

 Of four reasons of what the Savior has done for each of us , President Dallin H. Oaks explains of one - 

"Through the teachings of His prophets and through His personal ministry, Jesus taught us the plan of salvation. This plan includes the Creation, the purpose of life, the necessity of opposition, and the gift of agency. He also taught us the commandments and covenants we must obey and the ordinances we must experience to take us back to our heavenly parents."

D&C 96

 The Lord desires His servants to learn, seek, ponder and receive revelation by the Spirit.  That is why he counseled - 

"...as it shall be determined in council among you."  (Doctrine and Covenants 96:3)

D&C 95

 As the Lord addresses the purpose of the "building of mine house", He explains - 

"...that I may bring to pass my strange act, that I may pour out my Spirit upon all flesh—"  (Doctrine and Covenants 95:4)

In my mind a "strange act" may be in reference to what the world may consider strange even though in the Lord's plan, essential.  This thought came to me yesterday as I sat in the temple administering temple ordinances.

D&C 94

 As the Lord provides - 

"...a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall commence a work of laying out and preparing a beginning and foundation of the city of the stake of Zion, here in the land of Kirtland, beginning at my house."  (Doctrine and Covenants 94:1)

He interesting adds - 

"...behold, it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you."  (Doctrine and Covenants 94:2)

I understand that the specific pattern given to a Church building committee, did not necessarily happen in Kirtland, it became a pattern used continuously in other places and town.  I can't help but think concerning the revelation - 

"...I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 52:14)

D&C 93

 As the Lord chastises several brethren because - 

"You have not taught your children light and truth, according to the commandments..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:42)

He follows - 

"What I say unto one I say unto all..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:49)

I'm sure we can all do better in this way.

D&C 93

 We learn through modern revelation that in the creation,  the Gods explained - 

"...we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever."  (Abraham 3:25–26)

Of both estates - 

"Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:38)

Because of agency, the redemption was in place for both estates.  How we learn to repent determines the outcome of each estate.  The Institute of Religion, New Testament manual states - 

“Some accounts that we have of the premortal life teach that we ‘were on the same standing’ (Alma 13:5), and that we were ‘innocent’ in the beginning (D&C 93:38). We were given laws and agency, and commandments to have faith and repent from the wrongs that we could do there. “ . . . Man could and did in many instances, sin before he was born.” (Smith, The Way to Perfection, page 44.) 

“God gave his children their agency even in the spirit world, by which the individual spirits had the privilege, just as men have here, of choosing the good and rejecting the evil, or partaking of the evil to suffer the consequences of their sins. . . . Some even there were more faithful than others in keeping the commandments of the Lord. . . . 

“The spirits of men . . . had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it.” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:5859; quoted in Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, page 336.)

D&C 93

 The Lord explained - 

"All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.

31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:30–31)

Eternal things all come down to agency for - 

"Light and truth forsake that evil one."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:37)

That is the challenge!

D&C 93

 If you noticed a delay in my blogs the last two weeks, it's because I had some minor surgery and haven't been able to exercise...lots of pain and bleeding.

I find it interesting that by modern revelation we learn - 

John (the Baptist) - 

"...saw and bore record of the fulness of my glory, and the fulness of John’s record is hereafter to be revealed."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:6)

The Bible does not tell us that John the Baptist kept a record.  After revealing some of the testimony of John, the Lord promises - 

"...it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:18)