Chapter 18: Living by Every Word that Proceeds from
the Mouth of God
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding
Smith,
October 12, 2014
Our teacher began with
her testimony of the knowledge
that we indeed have Prophets in our
time. At one time, she was an attending nurse in a Church clinic. She happened to be with President Monson on
one occasion in an elevator, and President Hinckley another time. The Spirit
filled the space where they were, and she had no doubt that these were men of
God. We too can receive that same feeling when watching General Conference
every six months.
The question was posed as to why should we follow what they
say.
The Prophet is the mouthpiece of God. He will not lead us astray.
We are reminded in Mosiah 15:11..... “Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has
heard the words of the aprophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have
prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who
have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his
people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I
say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the bkingdom of God.”
Following the prophets will help
us return to God’s presence.
President Smith said the
following:
“I attended a stake conference a number of years ago and spoke
on the Word of Wisdom. … When I went to the rear of the building [at the close
of the conference,] nearly everybody had left, but a man held out his hand and
said:
‘Brother
Smith, that is the first discourse on the Word of Wisdom that I ever liked.’
“I said: ‘Haven’t you heard other discourses on the Word of
Wisdom?’ He said: ‘Yes, but this is the first one that I ever enjoyed.’ I said: ‘How is that?‘ He said: ‘Well, you see, I am keeping the
Word of Wisdom now.’”3
As we keep the laws, we will be
happy. Listen to the brethren and be at
peace, because obedience to the laws of which they speak will help us to be safe
from the world.
The children of Israel were given
the full commandments from God. Because
of the disobedience of the Israelites, He gave them the lesser laws or the 10
commandments. These laws are still taught today. The question was asked, are
they as relevant today as when they were given?
As stated, we all have to make
decisions on how we keep the Sabbath.
Some might even break family ties to do those things they know are
right. Others might have a different understanding in observing the Sabbath.
All in all, we do best when we understand and obey commandments to their
fullest. We hope to please God with our decisions. In the end He will inform us of the ways we
can draw closer to Him.
The following was read to us from the manual:
“It should be conceded by all people that since the Almighty
governs the entire universe by immutable law, man, who is the greatest of all
his creations, must himself be subject to such law. The Lord has stated this
truth tersely and convincingly in a revelation to the Church:
“All kingdoms have a law given; . . .
This truth is self-evident. Thus, it is only reasonable that
we should expect the kingdom of God to be governed by law and all who desire to
enter there to be subject to the law. “Behold, mine house is a house of order,
saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.” (D&C 132:8.)
Keeping the commandment is an expression of our love for the
Lord Jesus Christ. We will be a peculiar
people unto him. We cannot be of the world and be His people.
It was pointed out that Peculiar means … ransomed… if we think
of it in that way, we can try harder to be worthy of his Atonement, His
Payment. We are by way of covenants able
to show accountability with baptism and temple covenants, our love to Christ.
The safety of commandment is in the understanding of one who
sees beyond us, and protects us even though we might not see the full wisdom of
the law. We will be blessed until the full understanding is revealed to us,
when we are able to see the truth.
The only way back to God is by
keeping the commandments, and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is His
gift to us.... to make us a better people, worthy of Exaltation. God is willing to give us everything He
has. We must choose to repent and come
unto Christ so we are worthy of all He has to give, Perfection will come line
upon line and will extend into the next life.
Enjoy your journey.