Kimball Quotes from the Miracles of Forgiveness

Kimball Quotes - Miracles of Forgiveness

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God...."  Alma 34:32    Page 1

"...God created man to live in mortality and endowed him with the potential to perpetuate the race, to subdue the earth, to perfect himself and to become as God, omniscient and omnipotent."  Page 2

"But will one receive eternal life on the basis of his good intentions?  Can one enter a country, receive a scholastic degree, and so on, on the strength of good intent unsupported by appropriate action?  Samuel Johnson remarked that 'hell is paved with good intentions.'  The Lord will not translate one's good hopes and desires and intentions into works.  Each of us must do that for himself."  Page 8

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."  Alma 34:32

"This life is the time to repent. That is why I presume it will take a thousand years after the first resurrection until the last group will be prepared to come forth.  It will take them a thousand years to do what it would have taken but three-score and ten to accomplish in this life."  Melvin J. Ballard, "Three Degrees of Glory."  Page 11

"No Unclean Thing Can Enter"  Heading, page 19

"But to God who is perfection, cleanliness means moral and personal cleanliness.  Less than that is, in one degree or another, uncleanliness and hence cannot dwell with God."  Page 19

"Akin to many of the other sins is that of the covenant-breaker.  The person baptized promises to keep all the laws and commandments of God.  He has partaken of the sacrament and re-pledged his allegiance and his fidelity, promising and covenanting that he will keep all God's laws.  Numerous folks have gone to the temples and have re-covenanted that they would live all the commandments of God, keep their lives clean, devoted, worthy, and serviceable.  Yet many there are who forget their covenants and break the commandments, sometimes deliberately tempting the faithful away with them."  Page 57

"But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come."  Doctrine and Covenants 84:41  Page 117

"When a member of the Church is adjudged guilty of murder or what seems to approach the terrible crime, consideration should be given to excommunication, which in most cases is the penalty required."  Page 131

"By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins - behold, he will confess them and forsake them."  Doctrine & Covenants 58:43

"The saving power does not extend to him who merely wants to change his life.  True repentance prods on to action."  Page 163

"Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin.  To try with a weakness of attitude and effort is to assure failure in the face of Satan's strong counteracting efforts.  What is needed is resolute action."  Page 164

"To 'try' is weak. To 'do the best I can' is not strong.  We must always do better than we can."
Page 165

"One must have the opportunity of committing wrong in order to be really repentant... That is why we should not wait for the life beyond but should abandon evil habits and weaknesses while in the flesh on the earth."  Page 168

"Thus when a man has made up his mind to change his life, there must be no turning back."
Page 170

"Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven."
Doctrines & Covenants 1:32   Page 201

"I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;"  D&C 132:31   Page 201

"One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation.  Along with all the other works necessary for man's exaltation in the kingdom of God this could rule out the need for repentance."  Page 206

"This progress toward eternal life is a matter of achieving perfection.  Living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation through that perfection which comes by complying with the formula the Lord gave us.  In his Sermon on the Mount he made the command to all men: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.'  (Matt. 5:48)  Being perfect means to triumph over sin.  This is a mandate from the Lord.  He is just and wise and kind.  He would never require anything from his children which was not for their benefit and which was not attainable..  Perfection therefore is an achievable goal."  Page 209

"Advancement to perfection can nevertheless be rapid if one resolutely strides toward the goal."
Page 210

"Numerous members of the Church will be disappointed.  All will fail of these blessings who fail to live worthy lives, even though the temple ordinances have been done for them."  Page 246

"While in this probation and in this life certainly mean the period of our mortal lives."  Page 248

"But they procrastinated the day of their preparation.  The same lamentable cry of 'Too late!' will apply to many of today's Church members who did not heed the warning but who proceeded- sometimes carelessly, sometimes defiantly - to bind themselves through mortality to those who could not or would not prepare for the blessings which were in reserve for them."
"The Lord's program is unchangeable.  His laws are immutable.  They will not be modified. Your opinion or mine does not alter the laws.  Many in the world, and even some in the Church, seem to think that eventually the Lord will be merciful and give them the unearned blessing.  But the Lord cannot be merciful at the expense of justice."  Page 249

"There must be works - many works - and an all-out, total surrender, with a great humility and 'a broken heart and a contrite spirit.'  It depends upon you whether or not you are forgiven, and when.  It could be weeks, it could be years, it could be centuries before that happy day when you have the positive assurance that the Lord has forgiven you.  That depends on your humility, your sincerity, your works, your attitudes."  Page 325

"It is that the former transgressor must have reached a 'point of no return' to sin wherein there is not merely a renunciation but also a deep abhorrence of the sin - where the sin becomes most distasteful to him and where the  desire or urge to sin is cleared out of his life."  Page 355

Former Sins Return

     

 "And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God."  (D&C 82:7)  

This verse can be misused.  Here is an example of misuse:

      If a person had a problem with lying, repented of this sin, and stopped lying for 10 years, it would be quite an accomplishment.  If, however, he again told a lie, then all of their previous lies would be added back onto him.  Therefore he would be guilty of the previous lies plus the new lie.  This view probably misses the intention of the verse.  The verse does not categorize sins.  It speaks of sins in a general sense.  It simply says all former sins.  When a sin is committed, the guilt of all the former sins has returned.
      Spencer W. Kimball emphasized this verse in his book Miracles of Forgiveness.  In chapter 12, he also quoted D&C 58:43: "By this ye know if a man repenteth of his sins - behold, he will confess them and forsake them." pg. 163  On this page he wrote this subtitle: "Desire is not sufficient."  He also said, "True repentance prods one to action."  His next subtitle was "Trying is Not Sufficient."  He said, "To 'try' is weak.  To 'do the best I can' is not strong.  We must always do better than we can." pg. 165  On page 169, he had this subtitle, "Forgiveness Cancelled on Reversion to Sin".  On page 170 he described the situation like this:  "To return to sin is most destructive to the morale of the individual and gives Satan another hand-hold on his victim.  Those who feel that they can sin and be forgiven and then return to sin and be forgiven again and again must straighten out their thinking.  Each previously forgiven sin is added to the new one and the whole gets to be a heavy load."  The words "heavy load" accurately describe the circumstances.  On the same page he stated, "...those who try to taper off find it an impossible task.

      Jesus had these words to say about carrying a heavy load:  "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  Matthew 12:28-30

Time, Space, Spirit and the Unchangeable Being

      Mosiah 4:9 says, "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth;..."  Time is a thing given to us on this earth.  Mosiah and Alma proclaim that "all things" have been created by God.  So we can assume that God created time.  Alma 18:28&29 also speak of creation.  "...Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?  And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth;..."  Alma 22:10 says, "...he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth."
      Moroni 8:18 speaks about time, "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity."  This verse could have said that God has an unchanging purpose.  Instead Moroni said that he is an "unchangeable being".  How is it possible that this unchangeable being existed "from all eternity to all eternity"?  Could he exist since the beginning of time?  Here is the simple answer:  He existed before time because he created time.  He is beyond time.  Time is simply one of his creations.  It is proper to say that He is from all eternity to all eternity because He is the Creator of time.  Mosiah 3:5 also speaks of time:  "...the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay,..."  Moroni 7:22 again mentions time: "For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting,..."  Mormon 9:19 also mentions an unchangeable being: "And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being?  And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles."
      Here is a problem:  How can one physically exist without time to exist?  If God created all things, then what about space?  Space is a thing.  Can anyone physically exist without space to exist in?  The Book of Mormon solves this dilemma.  We already mentioned it in Alma 22:10.  "And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth..."  God created time and space.  A physical body requires space to exist in and time to exist in that space.  God is not subject to his creation.  He does not require his creation in order to exist.  This is quite a remarkable solution!!
      Here is another problem:  How was it possible for God to attain infinite power in a finite amount of time.  Mosiah 3:17,18 & 21 say that God is omnipotent - all powerful or having infinite power.  Here is an example:  If the distance from New York to Los Angeles was an infinite amount of miles, how long would it take to travel from one of the cities to the other.  The answer is that it would take an infinite amount of time to travel an infinite of miles.  However time is finite since it was created by God.  There was a beginning to time when God made it.  So how does one get to infinite power and infinite knowledge?  The Book of Mormon tells us that God was already God before time began.  As we quoted before in Moroni 8:18, "...God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity."  You do not have to travel to a place if you are already there.  God was already omnipotent (infinite power) and omniscient (infinite knowledge) before he created time.  This is a brilliant solution!
      Some people say that they cannot believe in a god that they cannot understand.  This fact is stated in Mosiah 4:9.  "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."  An infinite mind, like the mind of God, can understand infinity.  Sometimes a finite mind does not even understand what is finite.  We are finite.  If you are praying to an exalted, finite man-god that is understandable, then you have missed the God of the Book of Mormon.  The true God is beyond our understanding.  That is one reason he is God.

Brother V & Veggies and Ice Cream

If

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

Then

                                                        Photo by Alex Shu on Unsplash
      

Can you think of three people that have denied themselves of ALL UNGODLINESS?  We are not talking of 90%, 95%  or even 99% of ungodliness.  All means 100% of ungodliness.  Are there three people that you can think of that qualify?  Do you know three people who love God with ALL their might, mind and strength?  Again, we are not talking of those who love God with 50%, 80% or even 98%  of their might, mind and strength.  The word ALL means 100%.  If you are thinking of those three people, you can put them into Moroni 10:32.  It includes an if-then statement.  Keith Walker from Evidence Ministries compares this to an if-then statement about dinner: "If you finish your vegetables, then you can have some dessert.")  With your three, 100%, people in mind, we can read from Moroni 10:32, "...if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you,..."   When do you get the grace?  You get it after denying yourself of all ungodliness and loving God with all your might, mind and strength.  So who gets the needed grace?  Only the three people you thought of get the grace.  You may not have been able to think of anyone.
      This is the verse that Brother V. used with his revelation about grace in sacrament meeting.  In his grace revelation he learned that we cannot meet God half way.  It is not 50 - 50.  We cannot be saved by the law.  It is all about grace.  This is why Jesus was so hard on the pharasees.  They were keeping the law and trusting in their righteous works.  It was not about the law.  Jesus was accused of hanging out with sinners, gluttons and drunkards.  Obviously, they were the ones that realized they needed God's grace and mercy.  It was easy for Brother V. to find New Testament examples of God's grace and mercy.  It was harder for him to find them in the Book of Mormon.  But if you water down this verse in Moroni and twist it some, you can apply it to everyone.

Free Grace

      

Mormons have a better example of grace.  It is baptism for the dead.  The dead man or woman cannot do much.  They cannot pay tithes, pray, attend church, love others, speak kind words or show empathy.  They cannot even repent.  They can do nothing since they are dead.  When someone is baptized for them, it is simply a gift.  It is not earned in any way.  The worker does it for free for the dead person.  This is an act of pure grace.
      Brother V. had another revelation that we are not under the curse.  Now we know that you only have to kill one person to be a murderer.  You only have to steal once to be a thief.  You only have to sin one time to be a sinner.  If God is going to look into the dark motives of our heart, we are all in trouble.  Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, 'Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.'"  When Jesus hung on the cross, he hung there in our place.  We should have died on the cross for our many sins.  Again the Book of Mormon does not offer this to everyone.  In Alma 34, it is only for those who repent.  In Alma 34:35, an individual can choose to procrastinate repentance and wind up in hell as their "final state" of existence.
      Grace and freedom from the curse were two fine revelations by Brother V. in sacrament meeting.

Sacrament with 2 Gospels

   

  

Yesterday's sacrament meeting had two different speakers representing two different gospels.  It was a husband and wife team with two different viewpoints.  The wife spoke first.  She emphasized a pre-mortal life where we were the spiritual offspring of God in heaven before we came to this earth.  She generously said that we are all children of God.  She said that God's divinity is in our DNA.  Through the many good deeds of the members present, God was being presented.  His light or divinity shines through us as we are kind and loving.  This self-saving gospel is found in 2 Nephi 24:12-16 where an angel tried to ascend and become "like" God.  "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."   (This passage is also found in Isaiah 14:12-16.)
       In the Garden of Eden, Eve was also presented with this self-saving gospel.  The serpent told her that she could be like a goddess through gaining knowledge.  Genesis 3:3&4 says, "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
      Psalm 82:6&7 says, "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes."
      The second speaker, the husband, presented a gospel of grace.  He questioned why the Jesus was so hard on the Pharisees when they were the ones who were keeping the law.  This is true - Jesus was hard on them.  Jesus said to the Jews in John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do...."  In Matthew 23:27-33, Jesus said "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.  Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.  Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"    He seemed to be saying that many were getting off track with 2 Nephi 25:23: "...it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."  He said there is no meeting God half way.  He said you cannot be saved through keeping the law.
      He also pointed out that Jesus was accused of hanging out with sinners too much.  He said it is about grace.  He said he was drawn to the New Testament Jesus and his emphasis on grace.  I agree with the speaker.  Jesus spent time teaching the woman at the well in John 4.  She had had 5 husbands and was with a man that was not her husband.  He did not tell her to get her life cleaned up and come back in 6 months to talk.  He talked and taught her about worship right then and there.  In  Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells us a story about a law-keeping Pharisee and a publican.  "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."  What a powerful story of God's grace?!
      In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul wrote, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
      In regard to the first speaker, the book of Mormon does not say that we are all God's children.  It commands us to repent and become a child of God.  Mosiah 7:24-26 says, "For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.  And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."
      In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul refuted the Jews.  The Jews were pushing circumcision which represented the mosaic law.  In Galatians 1:8 Paul said, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."  
      May the Great God, the unchangeable being found in Moroni 8:18 draw us closer to Him through His Holy Spirit.  God's grace to all.

Problems with Garments

      So you are watching TV with your hubby and the Victoria Secret commercial comes on.  This is a bit of a problem.  The garments you feel secure wearing cannot compete with the fancy, cute underwear in the commercial.  The wife next door has a variety of cute outfits she wears but the garments limit a person to the more modest selections.  While the church commands you to wear one thing, the typical hubby would probably choose something more appealing to look at.  On the other hand, if one spouse is wearing the garments more often than the other, there is the judgemental aspect to deal with:  "Why are you not wearing the garments."
      Has a High Priest ever been commanded to not wear the garments?  This command if found in Leviticus 16:23:  "And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:"  In the next verse, he was to wash and put his own clothes back on.  I think this passage is highly significant.  Aaron, the high priest, was to take off the holy garments and leave them there when he went out of the holy place.  So Aaron dressed two ways.  He wore the priestly garments in the holy place and he wore his own garments when he was not in the holy place.  Ezekiel 44:19 again tells us, "And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments."
      There are bigger questions here, however.  Are you going to trust in some garments to protect you or are you going to depend on God's protection?  If the power of God cannot protect you, what can a hundred garments do?  Are you going to depend on a baptism to save you or on Jesus work on the cross.  Yes baptism is a commandment.  But if Jesus death is not enough what can a thousand gallons of water do?  Are you going to focus on a temple for celestial salvation or focus on Jesus.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "...let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;..."   Mosiah 3:17 says, "...there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent."
      So back to the dilemma.  Do you wear the garments to please the church or the cute outfit to please your hubby?  The marriage relationship has been designed, instituted and ordained by God.  Are you working to strengthen what God has designed?
      What if you are a yes and yes person - need to please the church and the hubby?  Here is a 4 step plan.  1) Communicate with your spouse.  2) Come to an agreement.  3)  Follow the agreement.  4) If there is discontent or a judgemental attitude, repeat steps 1-3.  A happy marriage is a good thing.

Joseph's Hat Trick

   

        How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?  The Mormon church has published some articles called Gospel Topic Essay (https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mormon-translation).  In their article called Book Of Mormon Translation under the subheading The Mechanics of Translation, they state, "Some accounts indicate that Joseph studied the characters on the plates.  Most of the accounts speak of Joseph's use of the Urim and Thummim (Either the interpreters or the seer stone), and many accounts refer to his use of a single stone.  According to these accounts, Joseph placed the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument."
    Oliver Cowdery, a principal scribe, testified that Joseph Smith found "two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows."  He said that Joseph Smith used these stones for translation work.
      The article also includes Emma Smith's explanation.  She said Joseph was, "sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us."  She said the golden plates "often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth."  When she was asked if Joseph dictated from the Bible or a manuscript "she flatly denied those possibilities:"  She said, "He had neither manuscript nor book to read from."  She told her son, "...your father would dictate to me for hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him."
      Martin Harris was also a scribe for Joseph Smith according to this article.  "Harris later related that as Joseph used the seer stone to translate, sentences appeared.  Joseph read those sentences aloud, and after penning the words, Harris would say, 'Written.'"  Harris said Joseph "possessed a seer stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and Thummim, and for convenience he then used the seer stone."
      It is a popular notion that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from golden plates.  According to this church article, he translated mostly by looking at some stones in a hat.
   
   

Animalistic Priesthood holders

      

Animalism is a "preoccupation with or motivation by sensual, physical, or carnal appetites rather than moral, spiritual, or intellectual forces" according to Dictionary.com.  This describes two priesthood holders in 1 Samuel named Hophni and Phinehas.  The were sons of the high priest Eli.    1 Samuel 2:12-17 details their behavior:
"12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.

13 And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;

14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord."

      Not only did these priests harass and bully the people they also took advantage of women.  1 Samuel 2:22 says, "Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."  These men were animalistic, following their carnal appetites.

      At the same time the Bible tells us a wonderful story about a random woman named Hannah from the tribe of Ephriam.  Her husband had two wives.  Her sister wife, Peninnah had children but Hannah had none.  Peninnah continually harassed her to tears for having no children.  She was completely miserable.  1 Samuel 10-17 describes her desperation:  

"10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth.

13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.

16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad."

      God answered her prayer and she gave birth to a boy.  She named him Samuel.  Her family was not of the tribe of Levi.  Her husband was not a descendant of Aaron.  They were not involved with the priesthood work but she did give her son to God.  He lived and worked at the sanctuary with the priests.      Though we forget the story of the priests Hophni and Phinehas, we all remember the story of Samuel.  He grew up to become a great prophet and leader in Israel.  He anointed Israel's first two kings, Saul and David.  Please read this interesting story of Hannah, Samuel, Eli, Hophni and Phinehas in the first four chapters of 1 Samuel.  

      

Prophet of 1,000 wives!

Heber C Kimball believed that many wives would be available in the spirit world.  In the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 209 we can read his Salt Lake City Tabernacle message.
      "Supposing that I have a wife or a dozen of them, and she should say, "You cannot be exalted without me," and suppose they all should say so, what of that?...Suppose that I lose the whole of them before I go into the spirit world, but that I have been a good, faithful man all the days of my life, and lived my religion, and had favour with God, and was kind to them, do you think I will be destitute there.  No, the Lord says there are more there than there are here. They have been increasing there; they increase there a great deal faster than we do here,...
      In the spirit world there is an increase of males and females, there are millions of them, and if I am faithful all the time, and continue right along with brother Brigham, we will go to brother Joseph and say, 'Here we are brother Joseph; we are here ourselves are we not, with none of the property we possessed in our probationary state, not even the rings on our fingers: 'He will say to us, 'come along, my boys, we will give you a good suit of clothes.  Where are your wives?' 'They are back yonder; they would not follow us.'  'Never mind,' says Joseph, 'Here are thousands, have all you want.'"
     Brigham Young walked this back some by limiting a man to 999 wives.
      "I met with the Quorum and Presidency in the temple....President Woodruff then spoke '...In searching out my genealogy I found about four hundred of my female kindred who were never married.  I asked Pres. Young what I should do with them.  He said for me to have them sealed to me unless there were more that 999 of them.'  The doctrine startled me, but I had it done,..."  Daily Journal of Abraham H. Cannon, April 5, 1894, Vol. 18, pp 66-67
      Brigham Young stated, "We are complained of for having more wives than one.  I don't begin to have a many as I shall have by and by, nor you either, if you are faithful."  (Journal of discourses, vol. 8, page 222)
      George Q. Cannon "...remarked that people wondered how many wives and children I had.  He may inform them, that I shall have wives and children by the million, and glory, and riches and power and dominion, and kingdom after kingdom, and reign triumphantly."  (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, page 178)

      The great prophet Moses gave a commandment about kings, "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away;..." (Deuteronomy 17:17)
      King Solomon had a thousand women!  Although he was the wisest man on earth, 1 Kings 11:3-4 tells us, "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father."  Because of this God promised to take the Israelite kingdom away from him and give it to one of his servants. (1 Kings 11:11)
      The old Testament has a number of stories of disaster and heartache resulting from polygamy.  Let us go back to the beginning.  After God made Eve and presented her to Adam, he said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)  He didn't say a thousand flesh but rather one flesh.
     

Repentance

Is hell a reality?  The devil says it is not a reality.

2 Nephi 28:21-23  "And others will he (the devil) pacify, and loll them away into carnal security, that they will say: all is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well - and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.  And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none - and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.  Ye, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment."

Is hell a place for people who have procrastinated in repenting?

Alma 34:35  "For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked."

Is this really the final state of repentance procrastinators?  Isn't there some kind of work that can be done for them?

Alma 34:33  "And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed."

Obviously a person in such a situation would want a chance to escape.

Alma 34:34  "You cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God.  Nay, ye cannot say this;..."

Many people say that repentance is a "gradual process" - it takes time.  However, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  We may not have time for a gradual process.  We could die in a car wreck.  We could be hit by a drunk driver or a texting driver.  Some people will die of heart attacks and strokes.  It is best to repent right now!

Alma 34:31-32  "Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.  For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

Does it sound too easy?

2 Nephi 25:23  "..;for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

For those of us who are hard-headed, it is after we try and do all we can do that we realize it is NOT enough.  We actually do have to depend on God's grace, not ourselves, to save us.

The self-righteous Jews stated that Abraham was their father and God was their father. They were irate when Jesus said their father was the devil.

John 8:44  "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do...."

The Book of Mormon claims that we must be "born again" and "become His sons and daughters".

Mosiah 27:25-26  "And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;  And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."

It is a miracle of God to be changed from a "carnal and fallen state" to a state of "righteousness" - where good deeds are flowing out of you naturally.

My friend, do not procrastinate your repentance.  Turn to the God who is the unchangeable being in Moroni 8:18 and who is the only "true and living God" in Alma 11:27-39.  Be reborn.  Become a new creation.  May God be with you.

Is Easter Important?

      There were two missionaries praying.  One jumped up and said, "I have a vision from God."  He said God had revealed to him that the church should tear down the temples.  His friend responded, "You are my missionary companion, but you are NOT a Mormon."
      Two preachers were praying during that same week.  One jumped up and said, "I have a vision from God."  He said God revealed to him that they should take the story of Jesus' death on the cross out of their Bible.  His preacher friend responded, "You are a religious person but you are NOT a Christian."
      There can be fake Mormons, fake Christians and fake lemonade.  Real lemonade is made with real lemons.  Real Christianity has a cross.  As we read the Old Testament, the scriptures point to the cross, point to the cross and point to the cross.  The crucifixion is detailed 4 times in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The rest of the New Testament points back to the Cross.  In Corinthians 2:2, the Apostle Paul said, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

Choose your God this day

    President Lorenzo Snow

 "As man is, God once was; as God is man can become".  These were the words of Mormon prophet and president Lorenzo Snow.  Moroni 8:18 speaks of another God who is not a changeable being:  "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." This God did not begin as a spirit being.  He was not required to take on the form of a man.  He did not have to ascend into exaltation.   He definitely did not have to become God.  He always HAS BEEN God and will always BE God.

      Have you been praying to an exalted man or the eternal God found in Moroni 8:18?  If you have been worshiping an exalted man, he is not the God found in Moroni 8:18.  It is a big temptation to seek our own glory and exaltation!   It is tempting to focus on a goddess wife.  It is very tempting to try to ascend to godhood over our own world.  REPENT, REPENT, REPENT!!!  Let us bend our knee to the great God that always was, always is and always will be God!  Let us submit ourselves to His will.  Let us only worship Him in all of His majesty!!!

"...and I will not give my glory unto another."  Isaiah 48:11

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,"  Isaiah 46:9

"Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last."  Isaiah 48:12

"I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded the, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me, I am the LORD, and there is none else."  Isaiah 45:5-6

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."  Isaiah 45:18

"...there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."  Isaiah 45:21-22

"To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?"  Isaiah 46:5

"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."  Isaiah 44:6

"Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it?  ye are even my witnesses,  Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."  Isaiah 44:8

"I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."  Isaiah 42:8

"To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One?"  Isaiah 40:25

"...I am the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he."  Isaiah 41:4

"And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God.  And Amulek said: yea, there is a true and living God.  Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God?  And he answered, No."  Alma 11:26-29

Grace vs. Works - Featuring Joe the Gentile

LDS/Christian

Beginning Dialog

Gentile Joe - Do you have to go to the celestial kingdom to become a god?

LDS- Yes

Gentile Joe - Do you have to be forgiven of your sins to go to the celestial kingdom?

LDS - Yes

Gentile Joe - Do you have to truly repent to be forgiven of your sins?

LDS - Yes

Gentile Joe - Does true repentance involve forsaking sin?

LDS - Yes

Gentile Joe - Have you forsaken all sin?
LDS - No, nobody has.
Gentile Joe - If you haven't forsaken all sin, then perhaps you have not truly repented.  If you have not truly repented, perhaps you are not forgiven of your sins.  And if you are not forgiven, perhaps you are not headed to the celestial heaven.

Desire

LDS - Well, first we must have the desire to change?

Gentile Joe - Spencer W. Kimball said "Desire is not sufficient".  "The saving power does not extend to him who merely wants to change his life.  True repentance prods one to action."  (Miracles of Forgiveness pg.163)

Trying to do our best

LDS - We always have to try and do the best we can.

Gentile Joe - Kimball said "Trying is not sufficient".  He used the example of a soldier with his army officer.  "And army officer called a soldier to him and ordered him to take a message to another officer.  The soldier saluted and said, 'I'll try, sir! I'll try!'  To this the officer responded: 'I don't want you to try, I want you to deliver this message.'  The soldier, somewhat embarrassed, now replied: 'I'll do the best I can, sir.'  At this the officer now disgusted, rejoined with some vigor: 'I don't want you to try and I don't want you to "do the best you can."  I want you to deliver this message.'  Now the young soldier, straightening to his full height, approached the matter magnificently as he thought, when he saluted again and said: 'I'll do it or die, sir.'  To this the now irate officer responded: 'I don't want you to die, and I don't want you merely to do the best you can, and I don't want you to try. Now, the request is a reasonable one; the message is important; the distance is not far; you are able-bodied; you can do what I have ordered. Now get out of here and accomplish your mission.' "  Kimball went on to say, "To 'try' is weak.  To 'do the best I can' is not strong. We must always do better than we can."  (Miracles of Forgiveness pg.164-165)

Former sins return

LDS - Nobody is perfect.  No one can completely stop sinning.

Gentile Joe - Spencer W. Kimball focused on D&C 82:7.  This verse says, "Unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord you God."  He describes it in this way, "To return to sin is most destructive to the morale of the individual and gives Satan another hand-hold on his victim.  Those who feel that they can sin and be forgiven and then return to sin and be forgiven again and again must straighten out their thinking.  Each previously forgiven sin is added to the new one and the whole gets to be a heavy load."

      Here is my old, incorrect view of D&C 82:7:  If I were to repent of lying and stopped lying for 15 years, I would be doing well.  But if I then told another lie after that 15 years, the guilt of all my former lies would come back on me.  The Doctrine and Covenants passage does not separate sins into categories.  It simple says "sin".  If you repeat a sin, the guilt of all your former sins returns to you.

No Commandment

LDS - It is impossible to be 100% perfect.

Gentile Joe - 1 Nephi 3:7 says, "...the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  This verse does not say we can accomplish half of the commandments God has given.  It does not say we should be able to accomplish 90% of God's commandments.  It says God has only given commandments that we can accomplish.

Sufficient grace

LDS - God gives us grace to follow the commandments.

Gentile Joe - Moroni 10:32 gives us an if-then statement.  We are all familiar with this if-then statement:  "If you finish all your vegetables, you can have some desert."  Moroni 10:32 is an if-then statement:  "...if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ;..."  According to this verse, God's grace is only sufficient for us if we do four things.  We must deny ourselves of ALL ungodliness.  We must love God with all our might, mind and strength.  Has anyone denied himself of all ungodliness?  Does anyone love God with all his might, mind and strength?  If we prayed for 20 minutes, could we have prayed for 25 minutes?  If we have fed the hungry, could we have done more?  According to this verse, who can really qualify for God's grace?

After all we can do

LDS - 2 Nephi 25:23 say, "...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Gentile Joe - When will you have done all that you can do so you can be saved by grace?  What if you only accomplish 98% of all you can do?  Will the 98% be close enough to all you can do?

No unclean thing

LDS - I believe forgiveness is a long process.

Gentile Joe - If a person is in the process of forsaking sin, then they haven't completely forsaken sin.  Alma 11:37 says, "And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven?  Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins."

Forsake sin

LDS - I believe repentance is a gradual process

Gentile Joe - D&C 58:42-43 implies that there are two states - repenting and forsaking sin or not repenting and not forsaking sin.  These verses say, "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.  By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins - behold, he will confess them and forsake them."

Unholy temples

LDS - I don't believe God expects us to be perfect.

Gentile Joe - Helaman 4:24 says, "...the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples."

The heart

LDS - I believe that God looks at our heart.

Gentile Joe - That is true but Jeremiah 17:9&10 states, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  I the Lord search the heart,..."  We can often look good on the outside and have bad things in our heart.  We can smile at someone and shake their hand but hate them in our heart.  We can lust after someone in our heart even though we do not act on those thoughts.  The heart is harder to manage.

A space of time

LDS - I believe that there will be a space of time between this life and the celestial heaven where we will gain more knowledge and have time to perfect ourselves.

Gentile Joe - If we were to compare 1st grade math to calculus, we could say that 1st grade math is easier.  It takes a larger knowledge base to pass calculus.  If you were to gain 10 times your current knowledge during that space of time, you would have 10 times as many commands to obey.  The more you know, the more responsibility you have. If you can't be perfect now, it will be much harder to be perfect with more knowledge.  Spencer W. Kimball also believed that it would become harder to repent after this life.  On page 11 of the Miracles of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball quoted Apostle Melvin J. Ballard. "This life is the time to repent. That is why I presume it will take a thousand years after the first resurrection until the last group will be prepared to come forth.  It will take them a thousand years to do what it would have taken but three-score and ten to accomplish in this life."

Wages and Debt

LDS - I believe it is a combination of works and faith together.

Gentile Joe - Romans 4:4&5 says, "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.  But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,..."

Submit to God's Righteousness
LDS - I do not believe that a person can just say a sinner's prayer and then go live anyway he wants to.  How can he be saved to the Celestial heaven?
Gentile Joe - According to the book of Mormon, that person is not born again.  Mosiah 27:25-26 says, "...Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."  Romans 10:3-4 tells us that we are to lean on the righteousness of God rather than our own righteousness.  "For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."  When we become a son of God, we should have our eyes focused more on Christ and his work on the cross.  We should have less focus on our own works.

Schoolmaster

LDS - I believe we can draw closer to God by following his commandments.

Gentile Joe - The commandments can make us feel farther away from God.  As you go through the 10 commandments, you will probably find that you have broken most of them.  In Matthew 5:21&22 Jesus said, "Ye have heard that is was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."  In Matthew 5:28&29 Jesus said, "Ye have heard that is was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."  If I compare myself to somebody down the street, I might look pretty good.  When I compare myself to God's law, I look like a sinner.  Then I realize I desperately need a savior.  So the law points me to my need for Christ.  It is my schoolmaster. Galatians 3:24-25 says, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.""

Daily Repentance
LDS - God has given us the gift of repentance.  I repent of my sins everyday as part of my forgiveness process.
Gentile Joe - In April of 1995, Richard Scott quoted Joseph Smith in General Conference.  Joseph Smith declared: “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day.  Daily transgression and daily repentance is not … pleasing in the sight of God.”  If you had a friend that confessed he lied to you, apologized and never lied to you again, you would call him a true friend.  If you had a friend that lied everyday to your face and apologized daily, you would never call him a genuine friend.  You would probably start avoiding that so-called friend.

Ephesians 2:8&9

LDS - I still believe that we are saved by grace after all we can do.

Gentile Joe - Ephesians 2:8&9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."