COVID 19 Is A Mortal Concern – Personal Revelation Is An Eternal Concern
Today is March 29, 2020. It is a National Day of Prayer and Fasting to win the war against COVID 19, a global pandemic. We are participating in that action and the cost of those missed meals, we will contribute to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Subsequently, that money will aid in the needs of those around the world who lack the necessities of life.
During this time of national emergency, I find great comfort in a personal relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I’m spending more time studying the scriptures and thinking about my family near and far. I’m also spending time on projects around the house, making sure my house is in order and organizing our resources in the event our time indoors becomes more prolonged.
Additionally, I am reflecting on the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Two hundred years ago, there was unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It affected vast multitudes of people and created division. The various clergy competed for converts, and the people seemed entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions. The Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith family lived in an area of New York, and their family included a young son named for his father. That boy, Joseph Smith, Jr., was also in turmoil questioning the decision to join a particular faith. He didn’t want to make a mistake, and he was much concerned about his worthiness and wanted the reassurance of his standing before the Lord.
In youthful innocence, after hearing a sermon referring to James 1:5, stating, “If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” Joseph later wrote, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it, again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.”
Joseph wanted to know how he stood before the Lord and what church to join. He knelt in prayer in a secluded grove of trees near his home and asked with pure faith for the promised blessings of the Bible verse he read. God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph that day, and when asked which of the sects to join, was told to align with none of them. Many more visions followed this first encounter, and seven years later, he recovered the brass plates from a hill near his home. Joseph Smith was the instrument used to translate those plates containing a historical account of people from Jerusalem, led by Lehi, an ancient prophet. Lehi led his family out of Jerusalem across the waters to a promised land, and those people became known as Nephites and Lamanites. That history is what we know today as the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith officially organized the Church of Jesus Christ on April 6, 1830, and I am blessed to be a part of that organization today. A prophet of God leads us and in these times of uncertainty, I feel the intensity of that blessing.
Because of Joseph Smith, I have many blessings in my life. I understand that God and Jesus Christ are heavenly beings with resurrected bodies, and all of us are in that image. Collectively we are children of God, and they love us. I understand that my physical body is but a temporary covering for my spirit during my earthly sojourn. Someday I will have no further need of it and will escape its frailties. At some point, I will gain a resurrected body, and it will last for all eternity. That brings me to another eternal blessing. We can be with our families forever under the eternal order of Heaven. That blessing is made possible through the Priesthood of God, a power restored by our first latter-day prophet. Additionally, I’m blessed because I am free from addiction to harmful substances as long as I obey the revelation Joseph Smith received in 1833, commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom. Long before the medical community realized that tobacco was the cause of lung cancer and alcohol could cause liver disease, Joseph Smith received this revelation. Last, but certainly not least, involves the beautiful blessing of knowing that I can see the truth of all things through the Holy Ghost. I can do that by asking God to reveal to me truth, and the Holy Ghost will be my witness.
We live in dangerous times and must be vigilant regarding many things related to our mortality. We must also be vigilant regarding our eternal destiny. I choose to follow the Savior by studying the scriptures and listening to the words spoken by our current prophet, Russell M. Nelson, Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I’m looking forward to hearing that word this weekend during the General Conference of that Church. I’ve included a link for more information