Who Hath ears to hear, let him hear

In section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the preface from the Lord himself regarding this book of commandments, something struck me differently about the following verses:

2 For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated. [speaking of the 2nd coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ]

4 And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days.

11 Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear:

12 Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;

13 And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.

14 And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;

15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;

16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

34 And again, verily I say unto you, O inhabitants of the earth: I the Lord am willing to make these things known unto all flesh;

35 For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.

36 And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world.

38 ...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

The Lord can only have power over his saints when they are willing to hear His voice.

The #HearHim campaign that begun in the beginning of 2020 is, as I came to realize just this week, more than just a campaign. You can view the video at the top of my blog. The year 2020 marked 200 years since Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith to usher in the last dispensation of the fullness of times. The LAST time that the gospel would be poured out upon the earth before the 2nd coming of the Savior. The promised restoration of the true and full gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Even in President Nelson's talk in the April 2019 conference, he tells us plainly:

“I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.” —President Russell M. Nelson

The plea for us to hear Him is a warning to prepare for that which is to come. We need to be able to recognize the voice of the Lord more readily; to hear that which is unspoken during conference talks, scripture study and lessons that only the spirit can enlighten our minds to.

In Matthew Chp 13, his disciples ask Jesus why he spoke in parables, His answer?

11 Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Revelation 2 

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches...

It is those who strive to hear that spirit that will receive more abundantly. The Lord time and time again has told us if we but seek we will receive, if we knock it will be opened unto us and He is willing to reveal ALL His mysteries if we but ask and are faithful enough.

When President Nelson said what he said to us in April 2019, do you know how many social media posts I saw regarding that profound statement? One. Nothing of the most IMPORTANT thing he said. Time is running out. How much more succinct can you be? You don't need the spirit to get that one and yet did anyone hear it?

There is also something else that has been bothering me. I see so many posts regarding the love that Jesus Christ has for us and you don't have to be perfect for God to love you and yet I have seen not one post regarding the love we should have for Him.

15 ¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14)

There should be no question that the Lord loves us. He has said, "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...". He suffered immeasurable pain and was crucified for us so that we would not have to suffer for our own sins IF we repent and come unto Him. Why? Because He loves us and His Father who loves us. 

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Does that sound like one whose love is variable?

If we truly loved Him, each one of us would be striving to loyally and faithfully follow Him. We would keep our feet firmly planted and not be swayed. Our eyes would see and our ears would hear. We would have wisdom and discernment to see through the world's bull. We would recognize Satan's influence and deny Him. We would have love one to another because He first loved us.

Yet, too many of us walk away even after experiencing such wonderful marvelous things.

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (John 6)

If you're on your way out, turn around before it's too late. Love Him. Hear Him. Follow Him. Don't leave the One who would never leave you.

We are in the fourth quarter and the clock is ticking down.

Stand up! Enough is Enough!

 06/20/2015 Previous Facebook post

I do not want negativity in my life anymore. I am sad. I am sad for the fear I feel in my heart. I am sad for the end result all this behavior will bring. I want to be optimistic. I want to see through the clouds of error and anger that seem so much more prevalent today than they were even a few years ago. I want to believe that there is still good in the world, that people still exercise good and righteous judgment. I need to know that people are still full of wisdom, that the majority seek out truth before they mete out justice. I don't want to read comments or articles that promote nothing more than the what about me syndrome. I don't want to be around people who see nothing more than themselves and their own problems yet do not seek for a solution. You drain me. You drain my happiness. No more. I choose to see the good in my life despite hardships. I choose to see the good that comes out of tragedy without yielding to popular demand to rise up in hate and revenge and post things that promote the same. I choose to see the sun through the clouds. I choose to be better, to do better, to build upon faith and good works. I hope those of us who are just as tired will rise up and spread the good. We are taught to let our lights shine, let us do that. Help each other. Love one another. Serve one another. Do not let fear or anger divide us. A house divided will fall.

Please read the whole article as I've cut out a lot with excerpts below. If you have the time, of course.
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The Spirit of Optimism

”…I see so many good people everywhere—and there’s so much of good in them. And the world is good. We have every reason to be optimistic in this world. Tragedy is around, yes. Problems everywhere, yes. … You can’t, you don’t, build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen.

… notwithstanding the reformation we see in the lives of many people, we are prone to emphasize the problems and disregard the progress.

…I have little doubt that many of us are troubled with fears concerning ourselves. We are in a period of stress across the world. There are occasionally hard days for each of us. Do not despair. Do not give up. Look for the sunlight through the clouds.

…Of course there are times of sorrow. Of course there are hours of concern and anxiety. We all worry. But the Lord has told us to lift our hearts and rejoice. I see so many people … who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism…

Let us not partake of the negative spirit so rife in our times. There is so much of the sweet and the decent and the beautiful to build upon…

In a dark and troubled hour the Lord said to those He loved: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

…I am asking that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we “accentuate the positive.” I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course.

What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: “Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve.

… Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive … Nurture your testimonies. Walk in righteousness, and the Lord will bless you and prosper you, and you will be a happy and wonderful people.”