Skip to main content

December 28–January 3 | Thoughts on Doctrine and Covenants 1

This section hit me pretty hard. The Lord is very clear and doesn't mince words here. 


13 And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.

14 And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;

15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;

16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

35 For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. 

A few things that stick out to me here:

  • Every man walks after his own way and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world.
Where do I spend the valuable time the Lord has given me? Do I give my attention to idols? To social media? To video games? To my new VR headset? These are ok recreational activities, but do they ever take precedence, and do I put time into them at the expense of the time I could be spending serving others,  building relationships, doing missionary or family history, pondering, thinking, being still, studying the scriptures, and drawing closer to my Heavenly Father? Are they helping or hindering my real relationships?

  • Soon, peace will be taken from the earth and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.
Those are some pretty sobering and powerful words. What must I do to prepare for that? I know that President Nelson has said that in coming days it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. In order to have that constant companionship, I need to strive to be ever more pure, focused, and worthy. I know what I need to do and what I need to stop doing. I seek my Heavenly Father's help to do the things I know are right.

Another thing that struck me from these verses came after I watched a YouTube video from Book of Mormon insights where they talked about the significance and beauty of the word "inasmuch." It's a wonderful thing to think about how merciful Heavenly Father is and how he blesses us to the degree to which we seek him. I've certainly found that to be true in my life. Every good thing I do and step I make toward him helps me draw closer. He blesses me with more light, more thoughts and promptings, and more peace when I make small changes to be better. 

I haven't ever done anything so serious that it required severe repentance, but there are small changes I can make that will invite more light into my life. I will strive to do that more. I know God doesn't want to condemn me. He doesn't want to punish me. He does want to lovingly correct me and guide me and I'm grateful for that.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Cave of Mental Illness

This is an essay I wrote in the Winter 2014 Semester for my Western Humanities class. I felt like I needed to share it. It is a bit long, but I assure you it's worth your time. Also, take some time to watch the quick video at the end. Jacob Hansen Professor Julie Ransom IHUM 201 Connection to Major 10 April 2014 The Cave of Mental Illness A mere seven months ago I had a different perception of reality. I found myself, as psychologist Kay Jamison puts it, “ enmeshed totally in the blackest caves of the mind ” (68). I, like Jamison, suffer from bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed about twenty months into my mission. Though I was in this cave, during the manic episode I experienced I felt more creative and energetic than I ever had. I felt little need to sleep and could think and make connections very quickly. I understood the world differently than others, and, so I thought, at a higher level. It was as if I had discovered a new revolutionary way of living and I was conf...
3 comments
Read more

"Be Ye Therefore Perfect [Not Perfectionistic]"

As I was doing some research for a project in my New Testament class, I came across an article that talks about perfectionism. It reminded me of the battle I have had throughout my life. I used to struggle immensely with perfectionism. I used to think my imperfections were sins and that I was required to become perfect simply by trying harder. Christ was there to help me, but he needed me to do all the work. I definitely tried to be perfect for others and not for Heavenly Father. I tried to be perfect for my teachers and for my mission president. I wanted them to think I was intelligent and capable. I failed to realize that falling short is inevitable and that it is part of living in a fallen world. I strived so hard on my mission to please my mission president; so much so that I sometimes lost sight of why I was really doing the missionary work. I lost the love part and just did things out of fear that I would never measure up. I remember that one of my companions reminde...
4 comments
Read more

Hate Garments? Think About the Spit and Clay

I'm just gonna say it—I don't enjoy temple garments. They are uncomfortable, pricy, ugly, and just weird. That said, I believe. I believe God wants to protect me and give me a reminder that my Savior literally has me covered. Everywhere. All the time. Elder Holland's talk from the October 2025 General Conference hit me hard.  He said this: "Another truth that is evident here are the instruments the Creator of heaven and earth and all that in them are used to provide this miracle: spit and a handful of dirt! These very unlikely ingredients declare that God can bless us by whatever method He chooses. Like Naaman resisting the River Jordan or the children of Israel refusing to look at the serpent on the staff, how easy it is for us to dismiss the source of our redemption because the ingredients and the instruments seem embarrassingly plain."  It really made sense to me, and it's my testimony that God uses "embarrassingly plain" things to protect us a...
Post a Comment
Read more