How He Loves Us!

The parable of the tame olive tree shows many times of God's love for us in His concern for His orchard and His grief that He cannot save all of it.  When it is about to be hewn down and thrown into the fire, He mourns, It grieveth me that I should lose this tree.  What could I have done more for my vineyard? 

In Jacob 6 Jacob also shows us his own love for his people and for us.  He pleads with those who read to choose the right path and to avoid destruction.  Here are some quotes from Jacob in this chapter.

• how merciful is our God unto us
• he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long
• Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
• why will ye die?
• O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye O be wise; what can I say more?

Jacob grieves that anyone would willfully turn their backs upon the goodness of God.  He weeps at the wickedness of those he sees around him, as well as those that have been shown him in vision.  He demonstrates the Pure Love of Christ.

The natural man loves to feel like he's better than those around him.  Notice the Pharisee in Luke 18.

 11 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.

 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

We all did this as kids.  If our brother or sister got rebuked, we sat there in self-righteousness and gloated that it wasn't us.   Now as adults we love to look at those on the street who look grubby and unkempt, with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth, and make comments about how smoking and long hair seem to go together.  We feel a certain self-satisfaction in our "goodness".  This is not the Pure Love of Christ.  This is not the attitude that Jacob exhibited.  This is not a celestial attitude. 

It we could only "be filled with that love", we would look on those people as a fellow brother or sister.  We would want to reach out and help them and share the Gospel with them.  We would grieve at their problems.  We would love them.

I certainly am not there.  I pray that I can get there.  That I can be less judgmental of those around me at church who are only sliding along.  That I can overcome my prideful nature that wants to criticize everyone who doesn't seem to measure up in every way.  That I can see them as a fellow child of God who is struggling and trying and who hasn't had all the advantages and blessings and training that I have had.  It's not easy, but I pray to be more like Jacob and be full of love.

     

Cleave Unto God as he Cleaveth Unto You.

Jacob beseeches us in chapter 6, verse 5 to " repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts."

One of the meanings of cleave is "hang on tight".  That's not a dictionary definition, but that's how I see it.  And I love the image that we're going to hang on tight to the Lord as he hangs on tight to us.

When Faralee and Charlie first returned from their year in Bolivia, Lydia and Owen gave us hugs every time they visited.  But their hugs were more like we were doing the hugging and they were being hugged.  They would stand like a stiff doll while we wrapped our arms around them and hugged their stiff bodies.  But I've taught them that hugging goes both ways.  I hug them while they hug me back.  Now they have a contest to see who can hug the tightest, and they try to squeeze the stuffins out of us.  They love it if I make groaning sounds and look like I'm going to pass out.

I kind of think sometimes we see God like Lydia and Owen were when they returned from Bolivia.  We see ourselves as holding onto Him with all of our might, while He kindly tolerates us there.  But this scripture tells us that He is cleaving to us also.  I see Him as hanging onto us tightly, sheltering, comforting, loving, cheering for us.  The dictionary says it means "to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly".  That's what we need to do with the Lord because that's what He does with us.

In His Power

I haven't always had a great appreciation of Jacob chapter 5, in which he quotes Zenos' allegory of the tame and wild olive trees.   It seemed to go on and on and repeat itself and I only had some general ideas as to what the story was referring to historically.

But this time I went slowly, making notes in my scriptures, and more lengthy notes and explanations in the online scriptures, referring to a commentary to get the history tied in,  and I understand it much better, and appreciate it much more.

In chapter 6 Jacob comments on the allegory and applies it to his day and to us.  I love this part about the servants who were laboring with the Lord of the vineyard: 

" 2 And the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that the end soon cometh.

 3 And how blessed are they who have labored diligently in his vineyard . . ."

Notice how the servants will "go forth in His power."  These servants of the Lord, these prophets, these bishops, Sunday school teachers, High Priests' Group leaders, and especially these missionaries are not going forth to do their own work or in their own power.  But as they dedicate their hearts to Him, are obedient and faithful, they're  going forth in His power.  They nourish and encourage the vineyard.  They pray for the vineyard and weep for the vineyard.  

And notice that as they do this,  how blessed are they who have labored diligently in his vineyard.  The Lord's arms of mercy are extended to us, and His blessings are pouring out to us as we labor.  Let us not be like spoiled children who take our blessings for granted and just always want more stuff.  We are being blessed!  We must watch for those blessings and notice His tender mercies and record them and be grateful for them always!

 

Seek Not to Counsel the Lord

 Jacob 4:10  Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.

It is so tempting to try to tell the Lord what blessings we need, or how to fix our problems.   If He would just do things our way, everything would work out fine.  But Jacob tells us otherwise.  Don't tell Him what to do, but let Him tell US what to do.

Elder Richard G. Scott said this:  "Sometimes you may feel to complain to the Lord about a challenge that has come into your life through no fault of your own. . .

God knows what is best for us. Although we may not understand why we experience some things now, in His timetable we will know and be grateful."

Also Elder Scott:  "Submitting 'cheerfully and with patience' to all His will lets you learn precious if difficult lessons and eternal truths that will yield blessings."

N. Eldon Tanner: "The word of the Lord is so clear to us, and his laws so plainly designed for our happiness, that it is difficult to understand why some people feel their own judgment is superior, and disregard God’s laws and bring upon themselves misery and unhappiness by so doing." 

I think we all know that telling the Lord what to do is folly, and yet sometimes we feel we can see so clearly that we just wonder why the Lord can't see things as we do.  I guess it's the natural man.  It's especially hard for those people who need to control everything to let the Lord be in control.  But we need to do as Elder Scott quoted and submit "cheerfully and with patience" and watch for the blessings to come.

 

In This Thing We Do Rejoice

  Jacob 4:2-3   But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.

It was with much difficulty that the Book of Mormon prophets kept the records, engraving them upon metal plates.  That wouldn't exactly contribute to a flow of consciousness.  But they felt it was important and were willing to pay the price.  Why?  "For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming . . ."  They wanted to testify of Christ to their children and all those who came after.  They hoped that their descendents would receive their words with thankful hearts and not think of their first parents with sorrow or contempt, but with joy.

What kind of a legacy are we leaving?  When our children and great-grandchildren look at our lives after we are gone, what will they have from us to judge us by?  There may be a few mementos passed on to them, maybe some stories of our lives, but unless we find a way to leave our testimonies, the rest is only fool's gold.  I hope my children can receive my words with "thankful hearts" and look upon them with joy.  For I know of Christ and have a hope of His glory many thousand years after His coming.  I know that my Redeemer lives.  

And I rejoice that it is so easy to pass on that testimony.  I don't have to beat gold into flat plates, or carve and engraven letters onto it.  I just have to take a paper and pen, or a laptop and record my thoughts and feelings.  A little time; very little effort.  So easy.  In this thing I do rejoice.

 

Feast Upon His Love

Jacob 3:2   O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his ^alove; for ye may, if your ^bminds are ^cfirm, forever.

There are several key elements to this scripture.  

• First, he tells us that he's talking to the pure in heart.  So we need to be obedient and faithful to have pure hearts.  Our desires must be to Him.  The term "pure in heart" is often used synonymously with Zion.  But also consider this scripture in D&C 97:16, referring to the temple:    Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.  So there is a promise that if we are pure in heart, we may come to the temple and see God.
• Lift up your heads - We are sons and daughters of God.  To devalue a child of God is to criticize the work of His hands.  We certainly should be humble, but to downgrade and criticize ourselves is as if we are saying that the Lord creates inferior sons and daughters!  This is a sin that we need to repent of.
• Receive the pleasing word of God - I've spoken in another post about our responsibility to RECEIVE the gifts God gives us, including His pleasing word.  This requires more work than simply seeing or acknowledging His word.  We must examine and accept and incorporate His teachings into our lives in an active way.
•  Feast upon His love -  The Lord radiates love.  It pours out from Him naturally, but sometimes we refuse it or only allow ourselves to notice it and acknowledge it.  Just like feasting on the scriptures, feasting on His love requires our attention and our time and devotion.  Our hearts must yearn for Him and open to Him.  How do we do this?  Part of it is gratitude, opening our eyes to see the wonders He gives to us every day.  When we realize even a portion of the blessings that we tend to take for granted, our hearts rejoice with gratitude and reverence for Him.
• Our minds must be firm - We must be dedicated and unmovable, steadfast, strong in our convictions.
• We are promised that if we do this, we will have the opportunity to feast upon His love forever. What a joyous time that will be, to be in His presence, surrounded by our family and dear friends!  Forever, worlds without end.

How Much Better?

Jacob 3:6-8
Therefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?

I don't know about you, but I have a real struggle with self-righteousness and judging others.  When I see people who are really messing up their lives, especially people I don't know, I wonder why they don't shape up and do what's right.

But Jacob is telling us here that the Lamanites are judged as righteous for those things that they do worthily.  He tells us that the husbands love their wives and the wives love their husbands and they both love their children and the Lord blesses them for that.  And their evil acts are the result of traditions handed down by their fathers.

It gives me great peace to know that my children who aren't doing everything I would like them to be doing are being blessed for those things they do as good people.  They love their children and they lead honest, hard-working lives.  Those are important things, and the Lord is blessing them for that.

Just as the Lord gives the Lamanites some slack because they were raised with inherited false traditions, it's important for me to cease being judgmental about people who weren't raised with the many blessings and advantages I've had.  Elder Uchtdorf gave his masterful talk in April of this year in which he said:
"We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all brothers and sisters."  This was the talk where he told us to "Stop it!"

When I think about the many advantages and blessings I've had in my life, of the generations of righteous ancestors, of my faithful and worthy parents who set such a good example for me, of my education and the many spiritual experiences I've had, of a righteous and supportive and hard-work husband, of dear friends who taught me and set good examples for me, I'm so humbled!  Spiritually, I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and have been raised in a spiritual penthouse!  How cruel of me to look down on those without my advantages and judge them.  President Uchtdorf's words really apply to me.  Stop it!

He says: 

When our hearts are filled with the love of God, something good and pure happens to us. We “keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.”

The more we allow the love of God to govern our minds and emotions—the more we allow our love for our Heavenly Father to swell within our hearts—the easier it is to love others with the pure love of Christ. As we open our hearts to the glowing dawn of the love of God, the darkness and cold of animosity and envy will eventually fade.

That is what I want for myself.  That is what I pray for.