My daughter was listening to the Doctrine and Covenants while running last night, and she came home and suggested I read D&C 11. I told her that I would read it first thing in the morning. As I followed through on my promise, I couldn’t believe the awesomeness that flowed from those verses. Definitely a passage to read for a quick motivational speech or to help re-focus on life. The Lord just gives all his best advise in one chapter.
D&C 11:1 A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
When the Lord calls something MARVELOUS AND GREAT we should pay attention. It is worth our time and effort to make it a huge part of our lives, because it will bring great and marvelous blessing to us. The gospel has been restored, the Lord is still at the head, it is His work and He is guiding and leading all who are willing to follow!
“The gathering of Israel is a miracle. It is like an enormous puzzle whose pieces will be set in place prior to the glorious events of the Second Coming. Just as we might be perplexed with a mountain of puzzle pieces, the early Saints must have seen the commission to take the restored gospel to all the world as a nearly impossible task. But they began, one person, one puzzle piece at a time, finding the straight edges, working to rightly frame this divine work. Little by little, the stone cut without hands began to roll forth; from hundreds to thousands, to tens of thousands, and now millions of covenant Latter-day Saints across every nation are connecting the puzzle pieces of this marvelous work and a wonder.” -Neil L. Andersen
D&C 11:2 Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word.
Sharper than a two edge sword because it changes the heart, which is something that can’t be forced even with the strongest of weapons. The scriptures, prayer, and the words of the prophets are the most powerful weapons to have in our possession. The Book of Mormon has been preserved for our day so that as the adversary’s tactics increase in intensity, we will have pure doctrine, to support the Bible and make our stance unshakable. It creates an firm foundation.
Alma 31:5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.
D&C 11:3 Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God. 4 Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.
The Come, Follow Me program is set in place as the main equipment for harvesting the fields that are ready. It first starts individually, then the family, branching out to friends and then to everyone. As we come to Christ and make him the center of our lives, our hearts will be turned to others and we will desire to share the joy and peace that comes from following Christ.
“Our beloved Savior knows where you are. He knows your heart. He wants to rescue you. He will reach out to you. Just open your heart to Him. It is my hope that those who have strayed from the path of discipleship—even by only a few degrees—will contemplate the goodness and grace of God, see with their hearts, learn from Alma and Amulek, and hear the life-changing words of the Savior: “Come, follow me.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
D&C 11:5 Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.
Young Joseph Smith was a great example of seeking, knocking, and following. What a great combination. It’s true that Christ is literally standing at our door waiting for us to knock. I have found that this knocking and seeking is continuous process. We can’t even scratch the surface of eternal knowledge, so if we spend our entire lives seeking, we will have an entire life of learning and growing. Ordinances and covenants help with our increased wisdom. It’s an act of faith, and the result is an increase of access to the mysteries of heaven.
We must never forget the communication channels that we have, and put them into practice daily, even constantly. We can communicate with Heavenly Father through prayer any time, day or night, alone or in a crowd. The Holy Ghost will help us receive answers if we take the time to listen. I have found that scriptures are the best return communications from Heavenly Father to us. The scriptures are the living word and they will speak to us for every stage of our lives.
“When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.
My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.
Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts, that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it. I might paraphrase President Brigham Young in saying, “I wish I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people” to the truth and power of the Book of Mormon.” – Russell M. Nelson
D&C 11:6 Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion. 7 Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
Job was the best example of this. His trials were great, and his success even greater, but nothing compared to his faith, it was unwavering. His heart was in the Lord whether rich or poor. He always desired to serve, lift, aid, and help others. His most abundant wealth lay within his heart! That is what Zion is, it’s the pure in heart. Someday there will be “Zion” on the earth, as a community; however, the only way to get to that point is for each of us to start with ourselves. We have to individually be pure in heart, before we will collectively obtain Zion.
“Crucial for the Lord’s return, is the presence on the earth of a people prepared to receive Him at His coming. He has stated that those who remain upon the earth in that day, “from the least [to] the greatest, … shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing this new song, saying: The Lord hath brought again Zion. … The Lord hath gathered all things in one. The Lord hath brought down Zion from above. The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.”
In ancient times, God took the righteous city of Zion to Himself. By contrast, in the last days a new Zion will receive the Lord at His return. Zion is the pure in heart, a people of one heart and one mind, dwelling in righteousness with no poor among them. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated, “We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object.” We build up Zion in our homes, wards, branches, and stakes through unity, godliness, and charity.” -D. Todd Christofferson
D&C 11:8 Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation. 9 Say nothing but repentance unto this generation. Keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.
What’s the number one messages that all prophets from all dispensations preach? REPENTANCE. Why do they preach repentance? I believe it’s because repentance breaks the chains that Satan uses to bind us, and it softens the hardened heart. Both of these move us back on the path, moving toward Christ, which gets us back in the hearing and seeing range. Once safely back on the path we can start feeling the peace that comes with having the Savior as our guide and the Holy Ghost as our constant companion.
“Every day is a new opportunity to remember our Savior and follow His example. Without repenting, we cannot progress. That is why repentance is the second principle of the gospel.
Instead of making excuses for a weakness, we work each day to develop good habits and Christlike qualities. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task—it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again.”
Because we are all mortal, we all make mistakes. Repentance is not optional, but we don’t do it alone. We have a Savior to help us repent. By developing His qualities in our lives, we know we are making changes that help us come closer to Him.” -Julie B. Beck
D&C 11:10 Behold, thou hast a gift, or thou shalt have a gift if thou wilt desire of me in faith, with an honest heart, believing in the power of Jesus Christ, or in my power which speaketh unto thee;
The Lord blesses us each with different spiritual gifts. We should magnify those that we have, and pray for new ones, especially those that we know we are going to need, like the spirit of discernment. It’s already apparent that Satan is disguising bad as good and twisting good to look bad, it’s one of his greatest talents, and it works amazingly well. If we are not careful to stay close to the spirit, knowing who we are and what we believe, equipped with the spirit of discernment, we too are in danger of being deceived. Everyone is in danger, it is something that we have to be fully aware of and prepared for.
“We also know that God lives; that his “eternal purposes … shall roll on.” We know that to qualify us to prevail against Satan and his wicked hosts, we have been given the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that the Spirit of Christ and the power of his priesthood are ample shields to the power of Satan. We know that there is available to each of us the gift of the Holy Ghost—the power of revelation which embraces the gift of discernment by which we may unerringly detect the devil and the counterfeits he is so successfully foisting upon this gullible generation. Our course is clear and certain. It is to strictly obey the commandments of the Lord, as they are recorded in the scriptures and as they are being given by the living prophets.” – Marion G. Romney
“In these challenging times, dear brothers and sisters, the need to “minister unto the least of these” of our Father’s children is so great. (See Matt. 25:40.) How much we need the gifts of discernment and wisdom and charity to know how to really reach down and lift up our brothers and sisters to higher ground.
I pray that day by day we will strive more diligently to be about our Father’s business (see Luke 2:49), to love and to serve our fellowmen—to feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, and comfort those that mourn (see Matt. 25:37–39), to hold up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees (see D&C 81:5)—to believe and live the Savior’s doctrine; and to follow after Him and put first in our lives the things of His kingdom.” -Richard P. Lindsay
D&C 11:11 For, behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee.
After all that perfect advice, he remind us that he is the light that shineth in darkness. If we think about all the dark situations that Hyrum and Joseph faced, it’s no wonder that he gave his best advice and then concluded with a reminder that he is still there even in the darkest moment; a reminder that he is still shining and that His work will continue to spread across the world, as a light that never fails and shines stronger against opposition. We too are faced with dark hard moments, and we must never forget how to see past the struggle and receive light. It is only through Christ that we receive this brightness that can’t be extinguished.
“The Lord knows how hard you are trying. You are making progress. Keep going. He sees all your hidden sacrifices and counts them to your good and the good of those you love. Your work is not in vain. You are not alone. His very name, Emmanuel, means “God with us.” He is surely with you.
Take a few more steps on the covenant path, even if it’s too dark to see very far. The lights will come back on.” -Sharon Eubank
D&C 11:12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; 14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.
–Sherri Jorgensen
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