Light
While I was leaving the latrine, I looked up at the 0300 sky.
Blackness. “Are there no stars tonight,” I thought to myself? Then I
saw one, which drew me to look for others, which I saw. Gradually, as
I moved farther away from the porch light of the latrine, I saw more.
I had to move away from the man-made light in order to view the
heavenly lights. It led me to ponder on the spiritual significance of
this small illustration. First, there was a desire to see the lights
in the heavens. This necessitated a move away from earthly light, in
order to see the lights in the heavens. Our vision of heaven can
become obscured when we are surrounded by earthly light. We must step
out into the darkness to behold the marvelous lights in the firmament,
the glorious lights of God. We will never behold his light by using
light made by our own hands; we must trust him completely if we are to
see his glory. Think about it. Who can take the most powerful man-made
light in the world and shining it toward heaven see even one heavenly
body by its beam? What we see comes entirely from him; our only part
is to turn our gaze to the heavens to behold it.
This differs from the way we see with man-made light. We cast light on
things and are thus able to see them. The lights in the heavens
emanate the light by which they are seen, requiring no aid from us to
be revealed. They only require us to turn our gaze to them.
While reading, “Rough Stone Rolling,” a biography on Joseph Smith,
this morning, a few thoughts came to me. I read part of Bushman’s
recounting of the King Follett discourse by Joseph Smith. I was struck
by the bold doctrine that Joseph proclaimed in this sermon. He defied
earth and hell to disprove what he said. God was once a man, as we are
now, as evidenced by the fact that Christ did nothing but what his
father did. Many did not receive of Christ’s doctrine when he came
because it was from heaven, and did not involve earthly wisdom. Christ
brought additional light and knowledge. Joseph Smith was given the
task of revealing the order of heaven, of being a conduit of
additional light and knowledge, and he was reviled and murdered as a
result. Those who seek to understand spiritual things in carnal terms
will be forever frustrated in the attempt. Paul stated this plainly in
1 Corinthians 2:4-16.
"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the
wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to
nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none
of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:4-8).
Those who reject God’s wisdom and knowledge are looking for earthly
things. God does not speak by man’s wisdom, as Paul states above.
Christ, the literal Son of God brought light into the world, but not
everyone would accept it. Religious leaders questioned his authority
and his educational background. “By what authority doest thou these
things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?” (Mark
11:28). When he taught in the temple, the Jews wondered, “How knoweth
this man letters, having never learned?” (John 7:15). They were blind
to both his divinity and the divine instruction he had received,
because it fell outside the parameters of their institutions. “Jesus
answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent
me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh
of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that
sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him” (John
7:16-18). Jesus’ light and knowledge came from a divine source, not
from the wisdom of men. This is yet hard for some to accept. “And this
is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to
the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought
in God” (John 3:19-21).
I pray that each of us will trust God and receive the light from
heaven given by direct revelation, spoken by prophets on the earth
today, and confirmed to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. May we so
live that we will desire to come to the glorious light of God, that
through our acceptance of the atonement of Jesus Christ, sin will not
stand in our way and our deeds will be “wrought in God.” In the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
