God Sends Ten Thousand Truths: Reflections on Capturing Them

Reflections in preparation for General Conference this Saturday and Sunday...

“There are joys which long to be ours,” Henry Ward Beecher told his congregation over one hundred years ago.  “God sends ten thousand truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing a while upon the roof and then fly away.”

Satan, as the Father of lies, loves to close our minds to those truths. 

He offers telestial treasures which--like junk food--are a fast, easy, appealing and addictive alternative to actually making and partaking of a nutritious meal.  But in choosing the telestial alternatives we lose the eternal truths that are sent to give us joy.

Sometimes the meaning of phrases heard in a gospel context may become (seemingly) hackneyed and meaningless.  One such time-worn phrase is “word of God.”  We listen to General Conference to hear and (hopefully) apply the “word of God.”

What does that phrase mean?

Word of God = Heavenly Father says

(‘Heavenly Father’ has the potential to be another hackneyed phrase, unfortunately.  Suffice to say ‘heavenly’ does not refer to a care-bear land of clouds and caring located loftily above us, but to the attributes of God.  Like the ‘ghost’ part of the Holy Spirit’s title, it is part misnomer, part gospel short-hand, a left-over of KJV translation. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines ‘heavenly’ as supremely excellent or celestial, again referring to divine attributes..)

Wrench myself back from that interesting tangent...

·       Why should we listen to Heavenly Father and follow his counsel as given in General Conference?

·       What tools has he provided that (like vitamins) gives us added energy, power and strength to live his word?  

·       How does Satan (the Adversary) keep us from learning and following Heavenly Father’s loving counsel?

I turn to last Conference to find out.  Here’s a summary of key concepts:

Satan keeps us from listening to Heavenly Father by magnifying:

·       Noise

·       Distractions

·       Emphasises differences between people

·       Information over-load

·       Addictions (limiting of choices)

·       Pride

(Hey--and since he is the Father of lies does that mean instead of harps his angels play lyres?)

Word of God (What Heavenly Father tells us) is...

·       Beautiful

·       Simple

·       Elegant

The Word potentially gives our lives

·       Meaning

·       Purpose

·       Hope

Why ‘potentially’? 

Just like a loaf of new-baked bread has the ‘potential’ to be delicious and nourishing, it won’t be unless we reach out and eat a piece.  Same with gospel truths.  They might smell of heaven, warm and sweet and beautiful...but unless we consciously partake we will miss out on their benefits.

To Store and re-store the Word requires...

·       Obedience

·       Conscious choice and effort

·       Purity

·       Trust

·       Work

·       Caring for our physical needs

·       Integrity

·       Sharing the Word with others

·       Quiet Time with God in sacred spaces, learning of Him through scriptures and listening to him through prayer

·       Investing time in strengthening vital relationships with God, Family, Fellow Men and Ourselves.

·       Inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives and acting on His promptings...

Virtues that empower us to live God’s Word:

·       Faith

·       Repentance

·       Gratitude

·       Humility

·       Charity

·       Knowledge of our history

·       Service (Home/Visiting Teaching, Teaching/Participating in lessons)

Next up: Applying the 'Eating Forward' Concept to General Conference