Picket Fence or Razor Wire

Will I line my heart with a picket fence or razor wire?

The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow him or her to. 

In some cases the fence we erect around our hearts could be likened to a small picket fence with a Welcome sign on the gate. Other hearts have been so hurt or so deadened by sin that they have an eight-foot (2.5-m) chain-link fence topped with razor wire around them. The gate is padlocked and has a large No Trespassing sign on it. 

Let us apply the idea of a gateway to the heart to receiving personal revelation. Nephi taught, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” Elder David A. Bednar noted the use of the word unto: “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.” 

Why just unto the heart? Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. Man may try to do so, but God does not. To put it another way, God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us. 

("Opening Our Hearts", Gerald N. Lund, GC Apr 2008) 

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A house with a white picket fence around it.

Fence with razor wire.

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Jesus gave a warning about the weightier matters

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)

What are the weightier matters? Can we attend church, family scripture study and family prayer and not let the weightier matter sink deep into our hearts?

Why Hope?

We hear the phrase in the scriptures "faith, hope and charity". Gerald N. Lund had a calling to teach a monthly class on spiritual and temporal preparation. He was trying to figure out what to teach on. Here is an excerpt from his conversation with Heidi Swinton.

I had started to notice that more and more I was hearing people just talk about how tough life is for them right now. This was right when the economic crash came. We got people out of work. You are seeing retirees going back to work because they can't survive because they lost all their retirement.  

It was that and I met a man who'd been active in the church his whole life, had held a lot of positions in the priesthood and his basic response was, "you know what I've tried it all, I've prayed I've been faithful, I've served in the church, God doesn't hear my prayers. That means He doesn't care. I've had it. I'm through with it." and [he] left the church. That was the most dramatic.  

One day in fast meeting a fellow in our ward got up and basically said farewell to the ward. He said that they were going to be moving and he got quite emotional and he said that one of the the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life is try to explain tell his 16 year old son why they were moving in with Grandma.  

I was hearing all this kind of stuff, so I decided this one night I was going to do one of my classes on hope. We talked and asked, why is it faith, hope and charity? Frankly I used to think why isn't it faith, revelation and charity or faith and repentance and charity or faith, obedience and charity? 

Faith, yes I can see that. Charity yes, but why hope? And so as I started studying it, I started to sense that here was the answer to these problems. Why is it that some people...  You know we talked earlier about the strength of the pioneers and their faithfulness and so on but there are some that weren't. You don't have to read too far to find out the stories of drop out pioneers, who are facing no more difficult challenges than some of the faithful ones.  

So what makes the difference, why does one stay faithful maybe even strengthened by adversity where someone else says, "that's it I'm outta here", turns bitter and so on? That has intrigued me for a long time. It doesn't intrigue me any more. I know the answer.  

The difference is hope.  

I remember two or three conferences ago President Uchtdorf talked about hope and he defined it as trust in the promises of the Lord. He said hope is not knowledge, it's trust in the promises of the Lord.  

When you hear as I recently did of a woman who lost a teenage daughter to an automobile accident. She talked about the pain and the loss. Even now two or three years later, even the tiniest thing will set her off and she starts to cry for her loss. But she said, I choose hope. I know where she is and I choose hope.  

And I thought, "that's the difference. That's what brings the strength". And so, I decided to turn it into a book.  Probably the most difficult one I've written for some reason. A really great learning experience for me personally.
(59:33 - 1:04:20)

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Unto but not Necessarily Into

A great lesson on what moral agency is and why God prizes it so.

Nephi taught, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” Elder David A. Bednar noted the use of the word unto: “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.”  

Why just unto the heart? Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. Man may try to do so, but God does not. To put it another way, God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us.
("Opening Our Hearts", Gerald N. Lund, April 2008)

Opening Our Hearts

Lately, I have been thinking about testimony. How it is obtained and retained and increased. My mind went to a talk I thought Elder Bednar gave. When I searched, I found this talk.

Gerald N. Lund, “Opening Our Hearts,” Ensign, May 2008, 32–34 MP3

"Because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost" Moroni 8:26

Elder Lund refers to Elder Bednar's talk. The one he gave to Church Educational System educators given on February 3, 2006.

"Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter."

David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith,” Liahona, Sep 2007, 16–24

To have the comfort of the Spirit of the Lord I must yield to His enticings. He will never force my heart.

Things as They Really Are

Our bishop has chosen "Things as They Really Are" by Elder David A. Bednar at the May 2009 CES fireside for our fifth Sunday lesson. He gives a powerful warning and brought to my attention some things I had not considered.

... a simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.”
Today I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes.
If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.

Contrast that with this.

To feel the warmth of a tender hug from an eternal companion or to see the sincerity in the eyes of another person as testimony is shared—all of these things experienced as they really are through the instrument of our physical body—could be sacrificed for a high fidelity fantasy that has no lasting value. If you and I are not vigilant, we can become “past feeling” (1 Nephi 17:45), as did Laman and Lemuel long ago.

I had not considered that misusing technology could minimize the importance of my body.

He makes it clear that technology can also be used for good.

Brothers and sisters, please understand. I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. But I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones.

He gives us two questions to help us evaluate our use of technology:

For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:

1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?

2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

I recommend the whole talk. You can get audio or video of the talk here.

Update 2014-08-18
Here is a short video excerpting this talk in preparation for a talk tomorrow.

The Mathematics of the Infinite and Eternal

On the way home from Utah, my wife and I listened to a new album from Kenneth Cope, "All About You". As I listened to the song "Him, and Him Alone", I thought of my calculus classes at Ricks college my freshman year.

How could I think it's mine to merit

Or speak of my share in it

This saving work he wrought alone

I've been a fool to believe I'd earn it

Or suppose I could deserve it

By words and deeds I'd call my own

From this day on

I know I'm saved by Him alone

Comparisons between the infinite and the finite is comparing apples to oranges. Anything that has bounds turns to zero when compared to something that goes on and on. How can my compassion compare to His when my compassion ends with my impatience? Also consider that any compassion I have comes from His grace. All that I have, all that I am comes from God. Anything divine in me comes from Him.

There is another hand. He has said that we are saved by grace after all that we can do, 2 Nephi 25:23. What is all I can do, when compared to His payment for my sin? Amulek said, "there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world", Alma 34:12 (see also 2 Nephi 9:7). If I choose not to accept his sacrifice, He will not force it upon me.

Nephi taught, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” (2 Nephi 33:1; emphasis added) Elder David A. Bednar noted the use of the word unto: “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.” Seek Learning by Faith (Gerald N. Lund, "Opening Our Hearts")

So here is the paradox. God requires that I allow Him into my heart. That I excercise my faith unto repentance. That I allow Him to change my heart from carnal to spiritual. He requires all that I can do. Yet this effort, is insignificant when compared to the saving power He offers. I am saved by Him alone because of this comparison. Yet my effort is not insignificant. If I do not strengthen my faith by my prayers, and good works His saving power is limited.

I believe God will save us from any sin we allow Him to. Be that anger, greed or complacence or impatience. He wants every joy to be ours. If I follow Him, if I ask for His help, He will continue to save me from the sin in me. I will live happily in the uplifting of others around me. By living my life as He would if He lived it. Each day, that is the challenge. To willingly give away my own desire, to do His instead and gain the rewards.

Update 2015-03-12
This article seems to jive with what I believe and seems to explain it from another angle. \
"The Salvation Equation"