A VOICE OF WARNING

By recent turn of events, I feel that I have been warned. Now, it ”becometh [me] to warn [my] neighbor.” (D&C 88:81) What have I been warned about?

Two years ago, I woke up to the fact that my involvement in the Church hadn't been satisfyingly spiritual. Un-religious activities (in my case, triathlon) gave more meaning to my life than what I got from Church. In this, I was to blame, but I've also come to understand that "all has not been well in Zion", and that I, because of this, lacked true understanding of the plan of salvation and the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

After prayers, fasting, serving in the temple, study of scriptures, reading of books, blogs and articles, contemplation, discussions with friends and family, watching videos, I've gained some understanding which have changed me and my view of my Heavenly Parents, Jesus, my relationship to them, my beliefs regarding the Church and what God intended to do through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith. It's like everything has changed, although it all looks the same.

One part of the warning I've received is that the faith held and promoted by the Church is lacking in power and in truth. It's full of false doctrines and traditions, and these will, if not handled with humility and faith in Jesus Christ, damn us! With them, we will stay gentiles and not be numbered among Gods people. Without them, we are free to rise up to our potential, and maybe even get a chance to "endure to the end" (that is, to fulfill the measure of our creation).

Light and truth

”That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” (D&C 50:24)

”Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Light and truth is the essence of godliness, or, in other words, ”the glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (D&C 93:36)

From the word of God we learn that the more light and truth we have, the closer we are to God, and the closer we are to God, the more joy, love and peace we will experience. One could argue, that God works through light and truth for the salvation of his children.

Light and truth is hard to acquire, and hard to keep. In order to receive truth and light, we need to keep God’s commandments (see D&C 93:28; see also John 3:21). In order to keep what we’ve received, we need to strive to get more (see 2 Ne. 28:30; Alma 12:8-10) and continue keeping God’s commandments. In D&C 93:39, we read:

”[The] wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”

We receive light through obedience. Light is a revealer. Have you ever observed your windows when the sun is shining through them? The dirt is on clear display, whereas the window seemed clean when in darkness.

In a spiritual sense, this dirt is the false traditions we’ve inherited, acquired or developed throughout our lives. False traditions are an integral part of the damn practice of unbelief (believing things which are false). False traditions and unbelief hinder us from seeing the grandeur of God and it keeps us from coming to the truth, that is, coming to Jesus himself!

False traditions

Joseph Smith said, ”To become a joint heir of the heirship of the Son, one must put away all his false traditions.” (TPJS p. 321)

Oftentimes, when the light shows that a certain window needs to be cleaned, all the windows in a house needs cleaning. It’s like playing dominoes–if one falls, the rest goes with it. This is a tough pill to swallow, especially when speaking of traditions and beliefs.

You might have enjoyed these traditions and beliefs your whole life, you’ve put your trust in them and they might have seen you through hard times. Awaking to the realization that they might be, or are, false could be devastating. You might feel that you're left with no foot to stand on, and you might resent the fact that you’ve been building your house on the sand. Or you might resent the one who pointed it out. In these situations, it’s easy to get bitter and loose faith altoghether. 

On the other hand, it’s also a rare opportunity to audit your traditions and beliefs and make sure that you are built on the rock of your Redeemer. It’s a chance to go back to the author and finisher of your faith, and maybe let Him start a new chapter in the book of your life.

The process of awakening can be confusing. Many members of the Church can attest to that. One reason for this is the false tradition that truth must and do “feel good”. Truth most certainly can bring in its wake good feelings, but that depends on if you are condemned or exonerated by it. “The truth shall [either] set [us] free” (John 8:32) or imprison us. Nephi said it this way:

”[The] guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.” (1 Ne. 16:2)

We can’t discard of anything solely based on what we feel about it. For example, how did the Sadducees and Pharisees feel about Jesus? Or, when Jesus, in the synagogue of his hometown Nazareth, proclaimed that he was the one they had been waiting for (see Luke 4:16-30), what was their reaction? They “were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” (v. 28-29) Was their wrath an indication of the truth, or was it proof of their blindness, hardheartedness and stiffneckedness? If I was a gambler, I’d put my money on the latter.

If you feel that what I, or anyone else write or say, is contrary to what you’ve been taught, please study it out. See if it squares with what is already written in the Scriptures. Test it. And ask God to show you what is truth and what is not.

In the Church periodical Times & Seasons, it was written, that "If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an impost[o]r. […] Try them by the principles contained in the acknowledged word of God; if they preach, or teach, or practice contrary to that, disfellowship them; cut them off from among you as useless and dangerous branches[.]" (Times & Seasons, 5:490-491, April 1, 1844; emphasis in the original)

The plan

During the coming months, I will, in a series of posts, address some of the false traditions that we, as members of the Church espouse. By doing this, I want to stress that it’s not my goal to destroy your faith, but rather help you, and myself, to get rid of the unbelief and false traditions that bind us down and so easily beset us (Alma 7:15).

The following, non-exhaustive, list of traditions will be addressed (and not necessarily in the order given).

• Truth Feels Good
• The Doctrine of Infallibility
• Saving Ordinances
• The Church is True
• Guest post: The Culture of Tradition

Some earlier posts that tie into this same theme are:

• All or nothing - a false approach to the Church
• Misunderstanding Eternal Marriage
• The Waldenström Legacy - a distaste for orthodoxy

Since it’s easy to get sentimental when cans of worms are opened and easy to dismiss the content of the can just because “it doesn’t feel good”, I have already (Tada!) addressed the topic "Truth Feels Good".

After the rest of the false traditions are commented upon, I will go on to address the question that got me blogging in the first place – What was God’s purpose in calling on Joseph Smith? 

The topics that fall under this headline center on the topic of Zion. In essence, what we’ll be doing is Reclaiming the Restoration!

Renouncing horizontal worship: living by every word of God (part 7)

This is the part seven of the fifteen-part discussion on Joseph's teaching on the Second Comforter. The topic of today is "living by every word of God".




Before we venture into today's topic, I have to recommend this post, which is a definitive must read!

Why this discussion on the Second Comforter is so important

In "The Words of Joseph Smith" (Ehat & Cook), we find the following footnote (nr 9):

”Joseph Smith asked rhetorically how the Lord’s restatement (D&C 84:98) of Jeremiah’s prophecy on the last days (Jer. 31:31-34) was to be fulfilled. He answered that it will be fulfilled when the Saints’ callings and elections are made sure and when they receive the Second Comforter. (p. 19; emphasis added)

(On the right, what Joseph reportedly said is highlighted. It should be noted that this part on  ”The Doctrine of Election” immediately preceeds the quote that is the main focus of this series.)

In D&C 84, we read:

”And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in righteousness—Until all shall know me, who remain, even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing this new song” (D&C 84:97-98; emphasis added)

 Jeremiah prophesied in the following manner:

”Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah[. T]his shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:31-34; emphasis added)

Those who want to be a part of the house of Israel need to seek to have their calling and election made sure and to receive the Second Comforter. In order to ease up on the anxiety this might cause anyone, all things are to be done in wisdom and in order and no one are required to run faster than they have strength to.

Now, today’s subject!

Detecting impostors

If we are to live by every word of God, we need to understand how God dispenses his words, where we can find it, what characterizes a true messenger and how we can see beyond and through attributes which give a nice impression but are nothing more than sounding brass, tinkling cymbals and a cover for the ravenous wolf lurking inside of a false messenger.

Honestly, how good are we at searching out and recognizing truth? Against what measuring stick should someone’s message be measured? I've grown up believing that the standard works (OT, NT, BoM, D&C and PofGP) is the standard of truth. In 1844, Joseph (or whoever wrote the piece that ended up in the Times & Seasons) seems to have agreed.

"If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an impost[o]r. […] Try them by the principles contained in the acknowledged word of God; if they preach, or teach, or practice contrary to that, disfellowship them; cut them off from among you as useless and dangerous branches[.]" (Times & Seasons, 5:490-491, April 1, 1844; emphasis in the original)

Here, I need to let you know that I doubt the authenticity of D&C 132. I believe Brigham wrote/added unto it and that it teaches doctrines that contradicts the standard works. Therefore I reserve myself the right to follow the admonition of Joseph and proclaim that it is the work of an imposter and not the word of God.


No one can be given a free pass when it comes to carry the message of the Lord. Joseph said that “a prophet [is] a prophet only when he [is] acting as such." (History of the Church, 5:265) This is such an important concept. It puts the burden on us. We can't sit in thoughtless stupor and accept whatever comes out of someone's mouth, just because they sometime in the past have shared a message from God. 

by Jason Crislip

What's even more thoughtless is to put this trust in a man because his predecessor was a messenger from and prophet of God. It's not a hereditary thing. It's about being called and chosen because of "your prayers and your righteousness" (compare to Mosiah 3:4). Just because Joseph was a prophet, which I believe, it’s not necessarily true that any of his successors where prophets of God. And, it should be noted that it doesn’t matter that we call them ‘prophets’.

This opens up a can of worms, I know. Even though it might be a road less traveled, we can't leave it alone since it leads us to more truth!

The can of worms: the danger of putting your trust in the arm of flesh!

In Times & Seasons, the members of the Church in 1844 was taught that no man or woman is exempt from the absolute requirement to comply with "the acknowledged word of God" when writing, teaching or preaching. This included bishops, stake presidents and every other leader in the Church, all the way to the top. Not even the president of the Church, not even Joseph himself, and his closest associates were exempt. Each and everyone of them could potentially be an imposter. To me, it's a sobering, but also liberating thought. Today, we are taught the opposite (see here, here and here; the last article is the "best"). In my view, this is troubling, false, problematic and not worthy of a Church proclaiming to be Jesus’ own.

When it comes to the challenge of searching out and recognizing truth, we can't, in good conscience, put our trust in someone just because they happen to occupy a certain position in the hierarchy and claim authority to act in Gods name. The challenge of searching out and recognizing truth is vertical in nature (that is, it's between you, your divine nature and God). In some instances, we might be led to the truth by trusting someone in authority, but that's definitely not a given–even a broken clock shows the right time twice a day. 

Trusting in the religious hierarchy and holders of the priestly authority of our community is, in my mind, seldom a great idea. At the time of Christ, it would have made you reject and crucify your Savior.

When Christ started his ministry, the religious hierarchy was comprised of the scribes and pharisees. They held the priestly authority. In more modern and mormonesque vernacular, they were the General Authorities of the day. 

Jesus was sent from the Father to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus challenged the authority of the ancient General Authorities, and in return, they questioned him in every way. They pushed back, and in the end, they, together with the orthodox Jews, pushed Jesus onto the cross. There, He graciously plead that His Father would forgive them for their ignorant act. 

Today, I'd say that the rhetoric of “follow the prophet” and the "never lead you astray"-doctrine of the Church has caused the same blindness and ignorance among the Latter-Day Saints. Many members have, fully trusting the Church, been placed knee deep in the mud of horizontal worship and obeisance. It’s extremely difficult to get out of this mud, because most members have invested so much in it–family, friends, reputation, social standing, worldview and hopes for eternity. Real faith is needed for anyone who dares to open this can of worms. Even though some reach a different conclusion than I do, I greatly admire their courage and desire for truth.


(Here you can find a compilation of scriptures and quotes teaching that we should NOT trust in man or any other kind of arm of flesh!)


Horizontal and vertical worship

Not long ago, I heard in Sunday school that, "The bishop and the stake president are called to help us come to Christ and if we stand by them, we are safe." I felt great uneasiness at this remark. If I would have been Stake President, or bishop, and present when that comment was made, I would've hade to put both my hands in the air an exclaim "Oh no! Don't you ever follow me! If I hope to accomplish any thing at all, it would be to help you receive the Holy Ghost and be born of Christ. So, don't follow me!"


The interesting thing is, that the Stake President was present when the comment was made, but he didn't say a word. I had to say something, so I raised my hand and said that we are all humans, we all make mistakes and we need to firmly build our foundation on the Rock of Christ, that we need to enter through His gate where he doesn't keep any servants and that it doesn't matter by whom we stand, if we don't stand by Christ.

Between my response and the comment that provoked it, there's a certain tension. At the core of that tension lies, what I call, the difference between horizontal and vertical worship. Vertical worship, as I use the term, is when we worship God and through his grace try to find the divine within and without ourselves and strive to help others do the same. When we espouse the belief that we are to follow our leaders instead of looking inward and upward, we are guilty of horizontal worship, that is, we worship someone who's no better or more saved than us and exchange God for the arm of flesh, thus cursing ourselves (2 Ne. 4:34-35).


Horizontal worship is telestial. In D&C 76:99-102 (read all the way through v. 111 for a fuller image of these people), we read the following about those that inherit a telestial glory:

“For [the telestial] are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant. Last of all, these all are they who will not be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud.”

 If we stand by someone else than God and Jesus, we have not received the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant. In short, we will come short of salvation into the Kingdom of God.

Horizontal worship is one of many different kinds of idolatry we can engage in. For many, it's really hard to recognize this (self-awareness is, after all, a virtue not possessed by all mankind). The most insidious idolatry is the one where the idol stands so close to God and maybe even, in our mind, represents God that the distinction between them is almost impossible to make.


Learning how to recognize a messenger from God


As I've thought about the Sunday school lesson I mentioned earlier, I would've liked to have the time, and the assignment to teach a lesson about how to recognize a messenger from God. It's a lesson, which, for those with ears to hear and eyes to see and hearts to understand, could've dispelled some of the misunderstanding about the role of our leaders, or of any of the leaders God and Jesus employs in their service and what the mission of a messenger of God is.

The story about king Benjamin and his people is a good illustration of how "the preaching of the word [*] had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." (Alma 31:5)


* Alma later defines the 'word' in these words: "believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall riseagain from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works. And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith." (Alma 33:22-23)

King Benjamin received his message from an Angel. He taught the words which the Lord had commanded him to teach (see Mosiah 3) and the people fell to the earth, overcome by their nothingness and carnal state. They cried to God: "O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men." (Mosiah 4:2) The Spirit of the Lord came upon them and they were born again (v. 3).


King Benjamin was desirous to know if the people believed "the words which he had spoken unto them". He got the following response, which is a key to understand how we can recognize a true message from God.

 "Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things. And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy. And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God." (Mosiah 5:2-5)

Just like Alma said, the word of God has a "more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than [anything else]." When a true messenger from God writes, teaches or preaches the word of God, the message becomes "mighty even as [Jesus], unto the overpowering of man to read them" (Ether 12:24) and it causes people to work righteousness, and obtain heaven and seek for the city of Enoch (JST Genesis 14:33-34). Or, as in the case of the people of king Benjamin, they were born again and ready to enter into an everlasting covenant with Jesus. Entering into this covenant was a preparation for them to be sealed His, and thereby "be brought to heaven, that [they] may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all." (Mosiah 5:15) 

(It should be noted that those of the telestial kingdom received not the everlasting covenant.)

Conclusion

The charge to seek truth, and follow it once found, is given to us individually. We need to learn to master this art, for our salvation depends on it. Let’s not entrust this sacred responsibility to someone else.

Humility: the great paradox!

This post is the fifth installment in a 15-part series based on the following quote from Joseph Smith.

"The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has 

1. faith in Christ, 
2. repents of his sins, and is 
3. baptized for the remission of his sins and 
4. receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him 
5. continue to humble himself before God, 
6. hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and 
7. living by every word of God, and 
8. the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that 
9. the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to 
10. receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints. [This other Comforter is no more nor less] than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even 
11. He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and 
12. the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and 
13. the Lord will teach him face to face, and 
14. and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; 
15. and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions—Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn." (TPJS p. 150-151)

I love this quote. Joseph eloquently summarizes the fulness of the Gospel and gives me a vision of what Jesus offers all of us. Through this description of the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I've experienced a renewal of, and desire for, faith, repentance, prayer, worship, charity, divine presence and service. I've come to realize that I need to come to Jesus, that His arms are open, and the He employs no servant there. (This brings up the role and place of His servants, but that's a hot issue that won't be addressed in this post.)

Before I venture in to the realm of humility, I'd like to share a thought on the aspect of calling these benchmarks 'steps'. When we climb a ladder or a stair, we pass each rung or step only once on our way up. These steps are, in my mind, somewhat different. For every step you take, the ones you've passed are still essential to get to the next one. That's why faith is at the very start - without it you can't do anything and you've got to exercise it all the time. Repentance is also something that's engrained in every other milestone on your journey towards the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn. Surely the nature of repentance changes as you progress, but the principle will be with you as long as there is something of sub-celestial quality in your person. Joseph translated Hebr. 6:1 to read: "Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." This ties in very well with the quote now discussed.

When I first numbered the steps in the Gospel of Christ, I found 15 of them. But now, I believe that step 5 and 6 are one and the same thing; humility being the label, and the hunger and thirst after righteousness the substance. 

Humility and religion

I believe that religion, before cunning men annexed and incorporated it, was a matter between you and God. It was a matter of spirit and faith. Religion should be about this, about the answer and solution to our brokenness, desire and need for enduring relationships and peace amidst turmoil. Unfortunately, religion has evolved (devolved?) to a question of being right (or, at least more right than they). Brene Brown, in her awesome TED-talk "The Power of Vulnerability", said: "Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery to certainty. 'I'm right, you're wrong. Shut up.'"

When it's more important to be (factually) right, instead of acknowledging the lack of righteousness we all experience, religion has lost its transforming power. By then, it has gone from spirituality to factuality, and is based on the fear of disturbing the status quo. My experience from spending time among different groups on the Internet, is that almost everyone wants to be with people who can affirm ones worldview, and that 'dissenters' are frowned upon, and often kicked out. Why? Because they challenge the beliefs of the group. If the group firmly believes that they have the truth, any and every idea that challenges that is discarded as untrue.

This is a question with a complex answer. People sincerely believe and want to protect those beliefs. That's understandable. The essence of the problem isn't the faulty ideas or incorrect assumptions and beliefs, but rather the fact that we haven't been taught a healthy skepticism nor the skill of questioning in search of more truth. Or, put in other words, following authority and accepting the conclusions someone else have come to has replaced the fearless search for truth, no matter where this truth is found, and the collective refusal to 'be acted upon' (2 Ne 2). 

We've inherited a collective denial of free agency, instead of a wholehearted embrace of it. Why is this? My belief is that we don't want to get it wrong. Nevertheless, this is a fact of life. We also need to understand this if we are to be humble. It's important to understand that we will get it wrong sometimes, and that that's ok. God would rather have us use our agency and get it wrong, than have us sit in thoughtless stupor and not get it wrong (as if the thoughtless stupor is a good place to be found in).

Pride - the common enemy!

I've been full of pride my whole life. 

I used to take great pride in the fact that I am a Mormon, that I know my scriptures, I've served 'my' mission, and made covenants in the temple. I've stood up proclaiming that I know this or that to be true. Now, I can't do that anymore. This doesn't mean that the reasons for pride are gone. 

It's as easy to take pride in orthodoxy as it is to take pride in "thinking-out-of-the-boxy". It's as easy to take pride in 'knowledge' of spiritual things as it is to take pride in your lack of faith in things "proven" false. It's as easy to take pride in being in the Church as it is to take pride in having left it behind.

Pride inflates you, whereas humility raises you higher. When you're proud, all you've got are your own two feet. The humble, on the other hand, realizes that standing on someone else's shoulders changes everything.

Humility and the lack of righteousness 

Humility is hunger and thirst for the things of God. Hunger and thirst are, per definition, words that denote a lack of something. Humility therefore is, if nothing else, a realization of the need for and lack of God and his righteousness.

At the core of humility lies the acknowledgment that we are divine, but unable to feed and lift that divinity without the help of God. We can become great humans without God, but that's not enough to meet the end of our creation. The humble person has a clear view of the distance between the glory of God, on the one hand, and our fallenness on the other. This realization, without the atoning presence and nearness of Jesus, can crush us.

The other day, I saw "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" with my kids. The film doesn't do the books justice, but it moved me, and inspired and motivated me, nonetheless. One thing I love with the story of Narnia, is the nearness and direct access these children have to Aslan. He's with them, he comforts them, and he wants to tell them their story. Throughout my life, Jesus has been very distant. He's been close by, all right, but there has always been one more commandment, one more act of service, one more prayer and one more meeting to attend to, before He would accept me. And there's been leaders in the way. As it turned out, I never got through. Waking up to our awful situation has been a game changer. But I can tell you–it's hard to wake up to God.

If we can't accept that God may call us to walk different paths, how can we consider ourselves humble enough to receive God's will for us, wherever it may lead us. If our minds are so fixed on the path we believe that someone else should walk, how could we possibly acknowledge that the one we're currently treading might be wrong for us.

Hungering and thursting after righteousness isn't the same thing as wanting to be right or to be done right by others. Do we want to be in the right, or are we more concerned about being right where and what God wants us to be right now?

Humility is keeping quiet when you would like to shout from the roof tops want, and opening your mouth in quiet defence of truth, love and compassion when God wants you to.

The humble, precepts of men and the paradox of faith

One challenge for the humble is to be watchful against precepts taught by men and open to those taught by the spirit (2 Ne. 28:14). How can we be vigilant in this regard? We need to compare what is taught to the standard of the scriptures and to our conscience, and to the divine voice within. And we need to always be open for the possibility that any mortal man or woman can be dead wrong. Oftentimes, we are tempted to judge new ideas against the backdrop of our prejudices. Any idea that doesn't conform to our way of thinking or our world view are esteemed as a thing of naught. Sub-celestial beings should avoid the illusion that "we have the truth" like the plague.

In 1 Ne. 13 we read that "the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them." (v. 16) One of the great paradoxes of Christianity, faith and even life itself, is evident in this verse: we are strong when we realize that we are weak. The same kind of paradox is expressed by Jesus when he said that "for whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it," (Luk. 9:24) and "whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." (Matt. 23:12) How can we explain the mechanism between humility and the power of the Lord?