D&C 99

 After the Savior's appearance in the Americas, He gave the option to His apostles of what they desired.  Most wanted to come to Him after a life of usefulness, and three wanted to continue serving on the earth.  It appears to me the Lord gave John Murdock the option of his desires saying - 

"...after a few years, if thou desirest of me, thou mayest go up also unto the goodly land, to possess thine inheritance;

8 Otherwise thou shalt continue proclaiming my gospel until thou be taken..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 99:7–8)

D&C 98

 Though we may be entirely justified when harmed or offended, the Lord provides a higher preferred way if possible - 

"...if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;

24 But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.

25 And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundred-fold.

26 And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;

27 And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.

28 And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.

29 And then, if he shall come upon you or your children, or your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation, I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 98:23–29)

D&C 98

 The Lord reveals that He chastens the wicked for their sins, but also, He chastens the righteous to prove them and help them progress saying - 

"Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.

15 For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me."  (Doctrine and Covenants 98:14–15)

D&C 98

 After listening to the memorial for Charlie Kirk this weekend, the Saviour's words seemed more meaningful - 

"I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.

12 For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.

13 And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal."

(Doctrine and Covenants 98:11–13)

D&C 97

 The Lord prophesied - 

"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, verse 23 suggests the scourge will increase until He comes.

D&C 97

 The Lord declared - 

"...I, the Lord, am willing to show mercy; nevertheless, there are those that must needs be chastened, and their works shall be made known.

7 The ax is laid at the root of the trees; and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. I, the Lord, have spoken it."  (Doctrine and Covenants 97:6–7)

There are eternal laws of godliness, and the law of justice is one of them.

D&C 95

 The Lord makes an interesting statement - 

"If you keep not my commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness."  (Doctrine and Covenants 95:12)

Some believe God's love is unconditional.  But these words suggest that His love is conditional upon obedience.  In my mind, these words suggest love and His blessings are synonymous. 

D&C 94

 As the Lord instructed the construction of a building for the Church presidency, He said - 

"...let the first lot on the south be consecrated unto me for the building of a house for the presidency, for the work of the presidency, in obtaining revelations; and for the work of the ministry of the presidency, in all things pertaining to the church and kingdom.

4 Verily I say unto you, that it shall be built fifty-five by sixty-five feet in the width thereof and in the length thereof, in the inner court.

5 And there shall be a lower court and a higher court, according to the pattern which shall be given unto you hereafter.

6 And it shall be dedicated unto the Lord from the foundation thereof, according to the order of the priesthood, according to the pattern which shall be given unto you hereafter.

7 And it shall be wholly dedicated unto the Lord for the work of the presidency.

8 And ye shall not suffer any unclean thing to come in unto it; and my glory shall be there, and my presence shall be there.

9 But if there shall come into it any unclean thing, my glory shall not be there; and my presence shall not come into it."  (Doctrine and Covenants 94:3–9)

The lord instructed that His glory would be there if no unclean entered.  My Dad worked for the Church in the historical department for most of his career.  He worked in the first office building and later at the high-rise office building.  I believe it had a great influence on his life.

D&C 93

 Speaking to all saints, the Savior said - 

"...I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:40)

or we will be under condemnation.

D&C 93

 In this revelation, we learn additional truths that may not be as clear in the Bible.  The Lord teaches - 

"Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth (or Jesus Christ)"  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:23)

"The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:26)

"Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29)

"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;"  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:33)

"The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.

37 Light and truth forsake that evil one."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36–37)

"But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:40)

D&C 93

 As I began reading this section this morning, I recalled, that in the pre-mortal existence that  - 

"...among all these there were many of the noble and great ones..."  (Abraham 3:22)

Obviously, there were varying degrees of valancy.  There was one that was more valiant than they all and even in mortal life, He had a veil of forgetfulness placed on Him..  But we learn in the writings of John the Baptist - 

"...he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;

13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;"  (Doctrine and Covenants 93:12–13)

He was so valiant that He progressed on earth grace for grace, having no sin or need for repentance..

D&C 92

 While the law of consecration was given for all Church members, it becomes clear to me that the united order was for a select group as the Lord says - 

"I give unto the united order, organized agreeable to the commandment previously given, a revelation and commandment concerning my servant Frederick G. Williams, that ye shall receive him into the order. What I say unto one I say unto all."  (Doctrine and Covenants 92:1)

D&C 90

 The Lord revealed - 

"...again, verily I say unto thy brethren, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, their sins are forgiven them also, and they are accounted as equal with thee in holding the keys of this last kingdom..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 90:6)

I believe the wording "as equal" suggests that a unified quorum of presidency as a unit holds priesthood keys though only the President may be the only one that holds keys.

The Lord also warned - 

"Be not ashamed, neither confounded; but be admonished in all your high-mindedness and pride, for it bringeth a snare upon your souls.

18 Set in order your houses; keep slothfulness and uncleanness far from you."  (Doctrine and Covenants 90:17–18)

I believe this applies to all that have been given priesthood authority or leadership responsibilities.

President Russell M. Nelson - Confidence in the Presence of God

 President Nelson taught two things that would increase our confidence in the presence of God - 

"Now, how do we gain such confidence? The Lord answers this question with these words: “Let thy bowels … be full of charity towards all men, … and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.”"

"True charity towards all men is the hallmark of peacemakers! It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private. I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better.

The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming. Hateful words are deadly weapons. Contention prevents the Holy Ghost from being our constant companion.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers. As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.

Let us plead with our Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater charity—especially for those who are difficult to love—for charity is a gift from our Heavenly Father for true followers of Jesus Christ. The Savior is the Prince of Peace. We are to be His instruments for peace."

"Now, let us speak of virtue. The Lord tells us to garnish our thoughts unceasingly with virtue. Imagine the boost you will receive to any positive thought when you enhance it with virtue. Virtue makes everything better and happier! On the other hand, imagine what will happen when you add virtue to an impure thought, a cruel thought, or a depressing thought. Virtue will drive away those thoughts. Virtue will free you from anxious, troublesome thoughts.

Brothers and sisters, as the world grows more wicked, we need to grow increasingly pure. Our thoughts, words, and actions need to be unfailingly virtuous and filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ towards all men. The great opportunity before us is to become the people God needs us to be.

Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both virtue and charity. Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord. Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do not know the day or the hour of His coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that “great and dreadful day.”

As we diligently seek to have charity and virtue fill our lives, our confidence in approaching God will increase. I invite you to take intentional steps to grow in your confidence before the Lord. Then, as we go to our Heavenly Father with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy, and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes."

D&C 89

 As I read the revelation on the "word of wisdom", one thing caught my attention this morning we the direction - 

"Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."  (Doctrine and Covenants 89:12–13)

As I read verse 13,  I recalled the Shaking Quaker's belief to abstain from meat in Section 49.  I believe the Lord was saying that this is false doctrine.

D&C 88

 The instructed these early leaders - 

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God..." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119)

In my mind, the Lord was suggesting that there still was a needful thing for exaltation, even a house of the Lord or a temple.

D&C 88

 The Lord revealed that the day would come that He would - 

"...reveal the secret acts of men..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 88:108)

"...and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 88:109) 

This gives me satisfaction as accountability never seems to be had.

D&C 88

 

As leaders were called to participate in the School of the Prophets, The Lord instructed -

"Tarry ye, tarry ye in this place, and call a solemn assembly, even of those who are the first laborers in this last kingdom."  (Doctrine and Covenants 88:70)

"Therefore, verily I say unto you, my friends, call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you."

(Doctrine and Covenants 88:117)

The dictionary defines solemn as - 

serious, sincere, sacred, and binding.

Which all religious leadership meetings should be.