Sometimes the darkest circumstances can lead to the brightest inspiration. On March 20, 1839, after enduring 109 days in the inhumane environment of Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith wrote an epistle to the Church containing extraordinary gems of wisdom. Excerpts from that letter now appear as three sections in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Here are some principles I have learned from these sections, with relevant blog posts:
Doctrine and Covenants 121
- God is always there for us, even when we feel that a pavilion separates us from Him (v. 1-3): The Lord Hath Made Bare His Holy Arm – 3 Nephi 16:18-20.
- The challenges and trials we face will not last forever (v. 7-8): “For a Small Moment…” – 3 Nephi 22:7.
- Our trials can be beneficial to the people who watch us pass through them (v. 8): That the Lord Might Show Forth His Power in Them – Alma 8:30-31.
- Heavenly Father wants to give us knowledge (v. 33): “Revealed…Manifest…Loosed” – 2 Nephi 30:17.
- We must show respect for the people around us and not seek to control them (v. 37): How Can I Be Bold Without Being Overbearing?
- We need to overcome the human tendency to abuse power (v. 39): I Am Like As Yourselves – Mosiah 2:10-11.
- Power and influence can only be maintained over time by persuasion, patience, and sincere love (v. 41-42): They Were Seeking for Power – Alma 46:4, 19-20.
- Sustainable leadership requires humility (v. 41): Blessed Are the Meek – 3 Nephi 12:5.
- Effective admonitions do not require harshness or anger, but they do require a willingness to deliver difficult messages with clarity (v. 41-44): The Nurture and Admonition of the Lord – Enos 1:1.
- Virtue begins with our thoughts (v. 45): Virtue.
- Sustainable leadership does not require “compulsory means” (v. 46): Of Government and Peace – 2 Nephi 19:6-7.
Doctrine and Covenants 122
- The Savior suffered more than we can comprehend to accomplish His Father’s purposes (v. 5-8): The Beatitudes – 3 Nephi 12:3-12.
- Jesus Christ comprehends everything. He has ascended to the highest heights and descended to the lowest depths (v. 8): Ascension, Descension, and Comprehension.
Doctrine and Covenants 123
- We owe it to God and to our children to record the most important events in our lives (v. 7, 9): How Be It That Ye Have Not Written This Thing? – 3 Nephi 23:7-13.
- Without a clear understanding of the truth, we can be “blinded by the subtle craftiness of men” (v. 12): Tossed.
- The apparently small and simple commandments can be the key to our peace and happiness (v. 14-16): Because of the Simpleness of the Way – 1 Nephi 17:41.
Blog Posts: October 19-24
Room Enough
Alma wished he could speak with the thunderous voice of the angel who had called him to repentance. (See Alma 29:1-2, Mosiah 27:11.) As he saw his friends, the sons of King Mosiah, return home from a fourteen year mission with thousands of converts, it would have been natural to compare their success with his…
Called and Chosen
Twice in the Gospel of Matthew, the Savior makes a distinction between being called or invited (kletoi in Greek) and being chosen or selected (eklektoi). “Many are called,” He says, “but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14; see also Matthew 22:16). Several Book of Mormon passages emphasize the principle that a person can be called without…
“Their Bounds Are Set”
Freedom to choose is not the same thing as unlimited power. That seems pretty obvious, but in our pursuit of freedom, we sometimes fail to acknowledge our constraints. And when other people are misbehaving, we may forget that they, too, operate within constraints, seen or unseen. Job pointed out that the ultimate constraint on every…
Pavilion
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, features the building of booths or huts, temporary structures which represent the tents the children of Israel lived in during their forty years in the wilderness. While the Hebrew word sukkah (סֻכָּה) is often translated “booth” or “tabernacle,” it appears a few times in the King James Bible as…
Rolling Waters
In his epistle from Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith used the imagery of moving water to illustrate the principle that continuous revelation helps the gospel remain current and relevant in our lives. “How long can rolling waters remain impure?” he asked. “What power shall stay the heavens?” Then he went on to compare the powerful current of…
The Rising Generation
Twice in the Book of Mormon, we read of times when young people turned away from the faith of their parents: “Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not…
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