Ok, I posted this on Sunday night and totally screwed up my blog formatting--it was scary!!! Anyway, here it is again:
Today it was my turn to teach gospel doctrine. (I teach every third Sunday, and it is the BEST calling EVER!!) Something I learned struck me in a new way, so...here goes:
Samuel the Lamanite prophesied many things unto the Nephites, including that if they did not repent, destruction should surely come to them. When this would happen, he also prophesied the following:
Helaman 13:18
Samuel the Lamanite prophesied many things unto the Nephites, including that if they did not repent, destruction should surely come to them. When this would happen, he also prophesied the following:
Helaman 13:18
And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord.
Hugh Nibley said something pretty interesting about this:
“What is con-secrated is then made sacred, withdrawn from the ordinary economy, dedicated to a particular purpose and to that purpose only. It can never be recalled or used for any other purpose without being de-secrated. A striking passage in Helaman brings this out while providing a powerful bit of evidence for the bona fides of the Book of Mormon. Samuel the Lamanite tells the people that their riches will be cursed because they have set their hearts upon them; and that when they flee before their enemies and bury their treasures, if they bury them not unto the Lord, they will become slippery and can never be found again. In the Copper Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls we learn that when the Jews fled from Jerusalem before their enemies, they also buried their treasures; and they also buried them up unto the Lord so that they could never again be used in profane negotiations. All such buried treasures had to be used for the temple and nothing else. It would be hard to find a more convincing parallel. It is a reminder that when I consecrate, it cannot be with limitations or qualifications.” (Approaching Zion, p. 389)
This scripture and the following quote made me think about all of the things we "consecrate" to the Lord, and how we treat those things. If we do not treat them wisely, we are in essence "desecrating" them.
To be clear, to consecrate something means to "make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of God." Desecrate means to "treat with sacrilege; profane; dishonor."
For example, if we do not "consecrate" or keep sacred our temple covenants, casting them as pearls before swine, we are in fact "desecrating" them.
It can also be understood this way: If we do not consecrate our talents unto the Lord, they will "become slippery" and we will not be able to use them. (ie: not accepting a calling, or not using our talents to the benefit of His church) But, if we do, our talents will become that much richer through the power of the Holy Ghost.
It is the same with a testimony. If we do not consecrate our testimonies unto the Lord, we are telling the Lord that it is not important to us, and he can take it away--which he will, because in his great mercy, he protects those who do not continue on the path of righteousness by taking away that which they knew to be true so that we are not held accountable for that which we used to know. As we use our testimonies, dedicating them to the service of the Lord, that means that we will share them with others for the benefit of all of God's children. As we do this, our testimonies grow within us, and will be added upon. When we do not share our testimonies with others, we really do hinder our ability to do so, and our recollection of what is really important to us.
I know that the key to Eternal Life is doing those small and simple things that the Lord has asked of us. Line upon line, as we consecrate our God-given talents, testimonies, covenants unto the Lord for service in His kingdom, we will be blessed, added upon, and have the wisdom, humility, and hope to endure to the end.
Hugh Nibley said something pretty interesting about this:
“What is con-secrated is then made sacred, withdrawn from the ordinary economy, dedicated to a particular purpose and to that purpose only. It can never be recalled or used for any other purpose without being de-secrated. A striking passage in Helaman brings this out while providing a powerful bit of evidence for the bona fides of the Book of Mormon. Samuel the Lamanite tells the people that their riches will be cursed because they have set their hearts upon them; and that when they flee before their enemies and bury their treasures, if they bury them not unto the Lord, they will become slippery and can never be found again. In the Copper Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls we learn that when the Jews fled from Jerusalem before their enemies, they also buried their treasures; and they also buried them up unto the Lord so that they could never again be used in profane negotiations. All such buried treasures had to be used for the temple and nothing else. It would be hard to find a more convincing parallel. It is a reminder that when I consecrate, it cannot be with limitations or qualifications.” (Approaching Zion, p. 389)
This scripture and the following quote made me think about all of the things we "consecrate" to the Lord, and how we treat those things. If we do not treat them wisely, we are in essence "desecrating" them.
To be clear, to consecrate something means to "make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of God." Desecrate means to "treat with sacrilege; profane; dishonor."
For example, if we do not "consecrate" or keep sacred our temple covenants, casting them as pearls before swine, we are in fact "desecrating" them.
It can also be understood this way: If we do not consecrate our talents unto the Lord, they will "become slippery" and we will not be able to use them. (ie: not accepting a calling, or not using our talents to the benefit of His church) But, if we do, our talents will become that much richer through the power of the Holy Ghost.
It is the same with a testimony. If we do not consecrate our testimonies unto the Lord, we are telling the Lord that it is not important to us, and he can take it away--which he will, because in his great mercy, he protects those who do not continue on the path of righteousness by taking away that which they knew to be true so that we are not held accountable for that which we used to know. As we use our testimonies, dedicating them to the service of the Lord, that means that we will share them with others for the benefit of all of God's children. As we do this, our testimonies grow within us, and will be added upon. When we do not share our testimonies with others, we really do hinder our ability to do so, and our recollection of what is really important to us.
I know that the key to Eternal Life is doing those small and simple things that the Lord has asked of us. Line upon line, as we consecrate our God-given talents, testimonies, covenants unto the Lord for service in His kingdom, we will be blessed, added upon, and have the wisdom, humility, and hope to endure to the end.
2 comments:
newie that was really inspiring. where did you and becca come from? gosh, i am the big sister and my two little sisters are such righteous little scholars. thanks for the words of wisdom. have fun in el mexico.
Travis Gollaher says "Amen". The word Amen (Hebrew: אָמֵן, Standard Amen Tiberian ’Amen ; Arabic: آمين, ’Āmīn ; "So be it; truly"[1]) is a declaration of affirmation[2][3] found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.[1] Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts.[4] It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns.[3] In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua (supplication). Common English translations of the word amen include: "Verily", "Truly", "So be it", and "Let it be".[1] It can also be used colloquially to express strong agreement[3], as in, for instance, amen to that.[
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