I want to begin by sharing a story that I read years ago that continues to touch my heart. Carlfred Broderick was an internationally known psychologist and family therapist at the University of Southern California. He was also a member of our church. He served as a Stake President and Patriarch before his death. In one of his books he told a story about a woman who sought counsel from him. She was the victim of a terrible abusive family growing up. She met a kind, gentle, and patient young man and they eventually married. They had some boys. Despite these blessings of a loving husband and healthy boys, she still had reoccurring bouts of depression and very negative feelings about herself. She was taught at an early age that she was a rotten person and it was hard for her to overcome that self image. One day she lamented to Bro Broderick asking “why was I not loved appropriately by those who were supposed to love and care for me? Other little girls receive blessings from their fathers and love and support from their mothers. What did that little girl do in the pre mortal existence that I didn’t do so she is loved, so she is safe?
Brother Broderick said he did not know how to answer her. Where, here or in eternity, is the justice in an innocent child’s suffering in that way? But the Lord inspired me to tell her, and I believe with all my heart that it applies to many in the kingdom, that she was a valiant Chriltlike spirit who volunteered to come to earth and suffer innocently to purify a lineage. She volunteered to absorb the poisioning of sin, anger, anguish, and violence, to take it into herself and not to pass it on; to purify a lineage so that downstream from her it ran pure and clean; full of love and the Spirit of the Lord and self-worth. I believed truly that her calling was to be a savior on Mount Zion; that is, to be Savior-like, like the Savior to suffer innocently that others might not suffer. She voluntarily took such a task with the promise she would not be left alone and abandoned, but he would send one to take her by the hand and be her companion out into the light.
I think we do not understand the nature of ourselves. I think we do not understand who we are. Some people call the temple ordinances the “mysteries” of the kingdom. When I went to the temple, I thought I was going to learn which star was Kolob, where the Ten Tribes were, and other such information. But those aren’t the mysteries of the kingdom; the mysteries of the kingdom are who we are, and who God is, and what our relationship to him is. Do we understand in our hearts who we really are? Do we understand that we are our Heavenly Father’s children?
Carlfred Broderick “My Parents Married on a Dare” Essay titled The Uses of Adversity (This is not a direct quote. I have paraphrased)
President Ezra Taft Benson said: A few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earthly life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy as they had. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one. And now we're here--our memories are veiled--and we're showing God and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. Ezra Taft Benson “Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations” BYU Devotional December 10, 1974
My topic today is focused around our divine nature. We are spirit sons and daughters of God. Just as we inherited qualities from our earthly parents—we also have a part of divinity within us from our Heavenly Father.
President Gordon B. Hinckley a former Latter-day prophet said “There is something of divinity within each of you. You have such tremendous potential with that quality as a part of your inherited nature. Every one of you was endowed by your Father in Heaven with a tremendous capacity to do good in the world. “Emphasizing the Divine Worth of Each Sister” Ensign April 2006
Romans 8:16–17: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”
What are these divine qualities that we have inherited?
The Apostle Peter spoke of the process by which a person can be made a partaker “of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). This is important, for if we truly become partakers of the divine nature, we will strengthen these divine qualities within ourselves and our nature will become more like our Savior.
So let’s look at these divine qualities that Peter mentions and talk about them. 2 Peter 1:4-7 reads
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious apromises: that by these ye might be bpartakers of the cdivine dnature, having eescaped the fcorruption that is in the world through glust.
5 And beside this, giving all adiligence, add to your faith bvirtue; and to virtue cknowledge;
6 And to knowledge atemperance; and to temperance bpatience; and to patience cgodliness;
7 And to godliness abrotherly bkindness; and to brotherly kindness ccharity.
The first characteristic, to which all the others are added, is faith. Faith is the foundation upon which a godlike character is built. It is a prerequisite for all other virtues.
When I think of faith—I am always humbled by the faith of the early saints of our church. One story that especially touches me is the following story of a woman named Amanda Smith.
In late October 1838, Amanda and her husband, Warren, with their children and other members of the Church, were on the way to Far West, Missouri. They stopped at a mill to make some repairs on their wagon. While they were there, a mob attacked Latter-day Saints who were working at the mill, killing 17 men and boys and wounding 15. Amanda, who had hidden during the attack, returned to find Warren and their son Sardius among the dead. Another son, Alma, was severely wounded. His hip had been blown off by a gun blast. Amanda later told of the personal revelation she received so her son could be healed:
"I [was] there, all that long, dreadful night, with my dead and my wounded, and none but God as our physician and help.
"Oh my Heavenly Father, I cried, what shall I do? Thou seest my poor wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh Heavenly Father direct me what to do!
"And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me."
Amanda was directed to make a lye, or washing solution, from the ashes of their fire to clean the wound. The next day she found some balsam and poured it into the wound to soothe Alma's pain.
" 'Alma, my child,' " I said, " 'you believe that the Lord made your hip?' "
" 'Yes, Mother' "
" 'Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, don't you believe he can, Alma?' "
" 'Do you think that the Lord can, mother?' " inquired the child, in his simplicity.
" 'Yes, my son,' " I replied, " 'he has shown it all to me in a vision.' "
"Then I laid him comfortably on his face, and said: " 'Now you lay like that, and don't move, and the Lord will make you another hip.' "
So Alma laid on his face for five weeks, until he was entirely recovered--a flexible gristle having grown in place of the missing joint and socket,...a marvel to physicians.
On the day that he walked again I was out of the house fetching a bucket of water, when I heard screams from the children. Running back, in affright, I entered, and there was Alma on the floor, dancing around, and the children screaming in astonishment and joy.
Daughters in My Kingdom p. 130-131
Of the early Saints, Elder Jeffry R. Holland of the Quorom of the Twelve said:
"I've often thought, and I've said to my own children, that those parents who kept going past Chimney Rock and Martin's Cove (and some didn't get farther than that) and those little graves that are dotted all across the historic landscape of this church--they didn't do that for a program, they didn't do it for a social, they did it because the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ was in their soul, it was in the marrow of their bones. That's the only way those mothers could bury that baby in a breadbox and move on and say 'The promised land is out there somewhere. We're going to make it to the valley.'
"Well that’s because of covenants and doctrine and revelation and spirit and faith. If we can keep that in our families and in the Church, maybe a lot of other things start to take care of themselves. Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting: Building Up a Righteous Posterity
February 9, 2008 Roundtable Discussion section “Clinging to the Doctrine”
We are here today because of the Legacy of Faith of the early members of our church. Faith is the foundation of our Divine Nature.
Peter goes on to say that we must add to our faith virtue.
Virtue is a behavior based on high moral standards. High moral standards are currently not very popular.
President Thomas S. Monson in his most recent general conference talk quoted an article in the Wall Street Journal written by Britian’s chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks. He said “In virtually every Western society in the 1960s there was a moral revolution, an abandonment of its entire traditional ethic of self-restraint. All you need, sang the Beatles, is love. The Judeo-Christian moral code was jettisoned. In its place came [the adage]: [Do] whatever works for you. The Ten Commandments were rewritten as the Ten Creative Suggestions.
“We have been spending our moral capital with the same reckless abandon that we have been spending our financial capital. …
“There are large parts of [the world] where religion is a thing of the past and there is no counter voice to the culture of buy it, spend it, wear it, flaunt it, because you’re worth it. The message is that morality is passé, conscience is for wimps, and the single overriding command is ‘Thou shalt not be found out.’” Thomas S. Monson “Stand in Holy Places” General Conference October 2011
In a recent meeting, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the quorum of the 12 apostles said: On the foundation belief in right and wrong there is an alarming contrast between the older and the younger generations. According to survey data of two decades ago, 80 percent of American adults believed “there are clear guidelines about what’s good and evil that apply to everyone regardless of the situation.” In contrast, a more recent poll of college seniors suggests that “three-quarters of [them] believe that the difference between right and wrong is relative.” Truth and Tolerance Elder Dallin H. Oaks CES Fireside September 11, 2011
President Boyd K. Packer—a member of the quorum of the 12 said that “youth today are being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit.” Boyd K Packer “Counsel to Youth” General Conference October 2011
Elder Oaks in this last general conference said: Jesus issued the challenge “What think ye of Christ?” (Matthew 22:42). The Apostle Paul challenged the Corinthians to “examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). All of us should answer these challenges for ourselves. Where is our ultimate loyalty? Are we like the Christians in Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s memorable description who have moved their residence to Zion but still try to keep a second residence in Babylon?1 There is no middle ground. We are followers of Jesus Christ. Our citizenship is in His Church and His gospel…” Dallin H. Oaks “Teachings of Jesus” General conference October 2011
We may not need to walk through a blizzard or run from an angry mob like the pioneers did, but walking away from trends, fashions, media influences, things that are accepted by everyone around you but are against our standards of virtue takes courage. It takes bravery.
We will feel of that Holy Spirit as we seek for things that are virtuous. It will be challenging and sometimes we may feel that we want to give up, but remember—our Savior didn’t give up and we are striving to become like him.
I am going to jump to the last characteristic, Charity.
At the end of the Book of Mormon, when Mormon and Moroni were alone in the cause of Christ they focused on faith, hope, and charity. In Ether chapter 12 Moroni is alone and speaking with his Savior. Moroni says to the Savior in verses 33 and 34
“And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightiest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men.
“And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.”
Of these verses Elder Holland says: This is a powerful definition of charity. We are supposed to be Christlike, we are supposed to be charitable, we are supposed to demonstrate love, but Moroni is saying that were it not for the one time in all the world that real charity was demonstrated, i.e., the pure love of Christ,--if it were not for that, “we could not inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father. This is the charity that saves. This is the charity that faileth not. Ours does not always save and it does sometimes fail. As much as we try, we fall short. But one time, by one person, the pure love of Christ was demonstrated. Real charity was given to this world that is why we can say that Charity never faileth. His charity never faileth. The message for the Book of Mormon is that Christ does not fail us. Christ’s love is pure love. He is the only one who has ever really mastered it while the rest of us are still trying to do so. His salvation will not fail, His ordinances will not fail, His Church will not fail.
Elder Holland goes on to say Life has it’s share of fears and failures. Sometimes things fall short. Sometimes people fail us, economies fail us, businesses or governments fail us, But one thing in time and eternity does not fail us, the pure love of the Lord Jesus Christ as manifest in His Atoning sacrifice.”
Jeffrey R. Holland “The ‘Mission’ of the Book of Mormon” 1997 Mission Presidents’ Seminar Thursday, June 26, 1997
Jeffrey R. Holland “Christ and the New Covenant” excerpts from p 332-339
In my life, I have found that my faith and my hope in the Savior is what brings me to my knees to plead for help and support and then because of the atonement the feelings within me change and I feel a greater capacity to love and to serve—my family, in my callings. I feel supported. Charity isn’t something we achieve on our own—it is a partnership with our Savior.
I want to close with a quote that Ezra Taft Benson has said at least twice. Once in the late 70’s at a BYU student devotional and a second time in 1987 when speaking in California. President Monson quotes him in his talk during the Priesthood session of the last general conference of the church.
For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy but ours will not. True, there will be some individuals who will fall away; but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of it’s head, even Jesus Christ. While our generation will be comparable to wickedness in the days of Noah when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children who will help bear up the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God. All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it. You are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of the earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized. Now is the great day of the devil’s power…but now is also the great day of the Lord’s power with the greatest number of Priesthood holders on the earth and the showdown is fast approaching. Ezra Taft Benson “In His Steps” BYU Devotional March 4, 1979
We represent some of His strongest children. We have missions to fulfill. It is my prayer that we will take the time to strengthen our divine nature by building a partnership with our Savior. I have a testimony that He lives. That our Heavenly Father loves us, that the Book of Mormon is from God, that Joseph Smith saw our Father in Heaven and our Savior and we are so blessed today with living prophets. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Ezra Taft Benson “Godly Characteristics of the Master” Ensign November 1986
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