Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Filled with light - blessings of being close to the Savior

D.C. 88 has been terrific to read. Here's the verse I probably enjoyed the most:

67And if your eye be asingle to my bglory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light ccomprehendeth all things.

This verse is so enjoyable because I can see it happening in my own life a little. As I've been more focused on learning the gospel and praying better, I have been happier. In addition, it feels like I have been able to learn more about many things. Additional ideas have come to my mind that didn't exist before.

For instance, on Monday I was writing about evidence of God existing. It wasn't until the very end that I concluded that the defining trait of something having God's "touch" is order. I didn't realize it until the very end when I wrote that word and after thinking for a couple minutes. However, I feel pretty good that this is correct. The idea was given to me.

This idea of comprehending more when there's light in you overlaps some with the idea that God will teach you as you teach others.

78Teach ye diligently and my agrace shall attend you, that you may be binstructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;

Both of these verses are true. As we seek righteousness and try to teach one another this righteousness, we will learn so much. We learn about spiritual and temporal things in the process.

I think the conclusion is, seek after righteousness the best you can and try to teach it to others. It will be well worth it in every phase of life.

Elder Eyring in his talk "Learning in the Priesthood" made this same point.

Here's a story he gave to illustrate that learning in the priesthood or the things of God will teach you so much about many topics and allow you to converse with those of the highest intellect.

One young man left his little Welsh village in the early 1840s, heard the Apostles of God, and came into the kingdom of God on earth. He sailed with the Saints to America and drove a wagon west across the plains. He was in the next company after Brigham Young coming into this valley. His priesthood service included clearing and breaking ground for a farm.

He sold the farm for pennies on the dollar to go on a mission for the Lord in the deserts of what is now Nevada to take care of sheep. He was called from that to another mission across the ocean in the very village he had left in his poverty to follow the Lord.

Through it all, he found a way to learn with his priesthood brethren. Bold missionary that he was, he walked down the lane in Wales to the summer estate of a man who was four times the prime minister of England to offer him the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The great man let him into his mansion. He was a graduate of Eton College and of Oxford University. The missionary talked with him about the origins of man, the central role of Jesus Christ in the history of the world, and even the fate of nations.

At the end of their discussion, the host declined the offer to accept baptism. But as they parted, that leader of one of the great empires of the world asked the humble missionary, “Where did you get your education?” His answer: “In the priesthood of God.”

You may have thought at one time how much better your life would have been if only you had been admitted to study in some fine school. I pray that you will see the greatness of God’s love for you and of the opportunity He has given you to enter His priesthood school.

If you will be diligent and obedient in the priesthood, treasures of spiritual knowledge will be poured out upon you. You will grow in your power to resist evil and to proclaim the truth that leads to salvation. You will find joy in the happiness of those you lead toward exaltation. Your family will become a place of learning.

I love this story. Gospel learning is terrific and helps you grow in knowledge and wisdom in all things.

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