The worth of a soul is great in the sight of God. His measurements are not the same as ours. We need to learn to see life through His eyes and from His perspective.
The lessons this week are all about finding our worth. As I began to read the manual and consider it’s messages I had a small parable develop in my mind. I wrote it as a separate article. You can find it here. The Parable of the Stone
Finding our worth
The manual suggests that we liken the scriptures unto ourself by substituting our name in place of the generic term “soul.” Let’s say my name is Rachel. This is how I would rewrite the scriptures if I was to do the substitution suggested in the manual. It surely does become far more poignant and pointed when your own name is what you read in the Lord’s instructions. Feel free to put in your own name as you read this out loud to yourself.
10 Remember the of Rachel’s is great in the sight of God;
11 For, behold, the Lord your suffered in the flesh; wherefore he the of all men, that all men might repent and unto him.
12 And he hath again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of .
13 And how great is his when Rachel repents!
There are four wonderful talks in this week’s lessons. All four talks focus on different aspects of how and why we are so precious to our Father in Heaven and to Christ. Here is the first by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “You Matter to Him.” The second talk is by Joy D. Jones, “Value Beyond Measure.”
Here is a quote from Sister Jones’ talk.
The Lord revealed this additional truth to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “He that receiveth of God, let him account it of God; and let him rejoice that he is accounted of God worthy to receive.” When we feel the Spirit, as this verse explains, we recognize that what we feel comes from our Heavenly Father. We acknowledge Him and praise Him for blessing us. We then rejoice that we are counted worthy to receive.
Imagine that you are reading the scriptures one morning and the Spirit softly whispers to you that what you are reading is true. Can you recognize the Spirit and be happy that you felt His love and were worthy to receive?
Mothers, you might be kneeling next to your four-year-old as he says his bedtime prayer. A feeling flows over you as you listen. You feel warmth and peace. The feeling is brief, but you recognize that you, at that moment, are counted worthy to receive. We may seldom, if ever, receive huge spiritual manifestations in our lives; but we can frequently savor the sweet whisperings of the Holy Ghost verifying the truth of our spiritual worth.
Note that Sister Jones never says that to be counted “worthy to receive” we have to be sinless. We just need to be inclining towards the Savior. What does it mean to be “inclined?” The scriptures often use the synonymous or similar term “listing” which means to lean towards or to incline. When we list to obey we tend to be obedient. This is what it means to incline. When I incline my ear to the Savior I figuratively lean in to hear his words. I tend to or am inclined to listen to his words with the intent to obey. This doesn’t mean I am without sin, but that I am working to be better. My intentions are to be obedient.
To be worthy to receive instructions from the Spirit only requires us to be working towards our goal of complete obedience. Perfection and complete obedience is not required for us to be worthy to receive help from the Spirit. After all, His responsibility in the Godhead is to teach us. If we were already perfect there would be nothing for Him to teach us. He understands that we are weak and need His support, so He shows us Christ’s love in the whisperings and promptings He gives us so we find hope in Christ. And why does the Lord send us His Spirit even when we are not fully worthy of Him? It is because of our worth to God. The whole plan of salvation is centered around God’s estimation or knowledge of His children’s worth in the eternities.
Why is repentance a joyful thing?
Here is the third of our four talks. This one is by Elder Dale G. Renlund, Repentance: A Joyful Choice.”
Consider repenting like removing a splinter. If left in place a splinter can fester, producing swollen, tender skin. It is painful, often even without touching it. The mere thought of having to dig into that pain to remove the splinter might cause us to recoil at the thought. But think about what it is like once the irritant has been removed. Oh, what sweet peace and relief we enjoy once the splinter has been removed. When we talk about repentance being a joyful choice it is not because there is temporary distress at the outset of our repentance, but because of the joy, relief, and peace we experience once we have repented and made the changes necessary to rid ourselves of what was causing so much lasting hurt.
Repentance isn’t the act of suffering for sin. Nor is it the act of finding relief from the sin. Repentance is the act of going to Christ in order to exchange our foolishness for wisdom, our disobedience for obedience, and our suffering for joy. We experience all of the sorrowful effects of sin, but once we repent we are left with joy, peace, and relief. That old source of suffering never need inflict itself on us again after we have repented of our sin. This is why repenting is considered a joyful choice. It is an act of cleansing that can happen in no other way. Only in and through Christ can our lives experience what true repentance offers. It is this very joy that is the end result of repenting that causes God, Himself to rejoice in every soul that repents.
An important thing to remember about repentance is that the point of repenting is to make permanent changes in our life. If all we did was say “00ps” and repeat the sin over and over again then where is the opportunity for joy? The goal of repentance is to make changes that last so we never have to live with the disadvantages and effects of those sins again.
Why must we repent?
I know you have already read these verses over and over again, but I present them to you one last time so I can make a point (Doctrine and Covenants 18:11-14). As you read these verses again, consider why the Savior suffered as he did. Was it because he had no choice? I don’t think so. Was it because he had to suffer, and if he had to suffer he wants to make sure we all suffer as well? Of course not, that isn’t in his nature. These verses tell us plainly that Christ suffered for the purpose that we might be able to repent at all (remember that without Christ’s sacrifice for us repentance would not be possible), and by so doing find joy that can only be found in living according to God’s laws. Christ suffered for us so we could learn from our mistakes and not have to suffer eternally for the consequences of our recent actions.
11 For, behold, the Lord your suffered in the flesh; wherefore he the of all men, that all men might repent and unto him.
12 And he hath again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of .
13 And how great is his in the that !
14 Wherefore, you are called to repentance unto this people.
Repentance is the catalyst of joy. “Men are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25-26). Yes, it can be painful and difficult to repent, requiring us to change and submit our will to God’s will. But the point of repentance is that in the end we find everlasting happiness. This is why Jesus finds great joy in the soul that repents. He is happy to see us become genuinely happy. This is why we “are called to cry repentance unto this people.” Only in spiritual things can initial suffering bring joy everlasting. It hardly makes sense to the mortal mind, but that is how it works. We must submit to God’s way of doing things to experience His kind of happiness.
Is that all?
Think about how repentance works. I sin. Misery follows. I repent. I suffer for my sin and am forgiven. My heart is full of relief from the misery created by my sinful ways, and I am filled with gratitude. Is that the end of it? No, for that is not the end of the process. Repentance begins change. It is not the end of change. Repentance is change that makes us a little more like Christ. Forgiveness brings sweet peace that sours and evaporates if we don’t find some way to share that joy with others. Repentance allows us to experience the love of God in our life. Love can’t be used selfishly, for the nature of love requires us to share it with others or it leaves us.
This is where missionary work comes into play. This is where service and ministering comes into our lives. When we demonstrate the gratitude we feel for the forgiveness of our own sins we find ways to bring light and happiness, relief from suffering to others as well. If we don’t do this then our own joy fades and we lose it. That is just its nature. One cannot long be joyful in a vacuum or a cocoon. This is why we seek to become more like Christ, for in doing so we are able to experience greater and longer lasting happiness in our life. Repent and serve. That is the cycle that brings happiness that lasts forever.
I recommend you listen and consider this final talk mentioned in the manual on page 56 by Craig C. Christensen, “There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy.” His talk beautifully explains the process of finding joy through repentance and service.
Finding greater hope
We may never have a Joseph-Smith-style visitation from God in our lifetime, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hear the voice of God in our life. The scriptures we have received were given by the power of God. They contain God’s words to each of us. When we read His word it is as though He is personally speaking to us. Can we not then say that we have heard the voice of God? He declares that this is the case in Doctrine and Covenants 18:34-36.
34 These are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man;
35 For it is my which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them;
36 Wherefore, you can that you have my voice, and know my words.
It is important that we recognize and acknowledge that God doesn’t do everything for every person all the time. That is impractical. And if God is anything it is practical. The plan of salvation was set up specifically such that God would give His words and instructions to His servant the prophet who then shares that information with everyone else. This is how it is described in the scriptures. God considers the commanded actions of the prophet to be the same as if He were present giving that commandment to us. If the prophet tells us we need to do something then it is as though God, Himself has given us that commandment, and it will be considered that way in the day of judgment.
The same delegation of power applies to God’s word in the scriptures. He gives His word to the prophet who then records it and gives it to us. As far as God is concerned we have been given His word from Him, and we are held accountable for that instruction in the day of judgment. This is why He says in the verses above that since the scriptures are given through His own power, and we couldn’t have them any other way, we can consider that we have personally heard His voice.
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