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| Hermana Daugs, President James Godfrey, Brother Dan Jensen, Bishop Jonny Kelly |
I was asked to speak on revelation and how it relates to the love of God. When I got this topic, I had no idea where to start. I was given a conference talk that had seemingly little to do with revelation. It did, however, have a lot to say about the love of God. So that’s where I’ll start.
For your reference, the talk I’ll be quoting is called The Love of God, and it was given by Dieter F. Uctdorf in the October 2008 general conference. It’s an incredible talk and I highly recommend that you all go listen to or read it sometime soon.
He starts by offering a thought-provoking question: How do we become true disciples of Jesus Christ?
If you had to answer this question in one sentence, how would you do it? How do we become true disciples of Jesus Christ? Think about it for a minute.
The Savior said it best, with this simple phrase: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
It seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Though the more we think about it, I’m sure we’d find it’s easier said than done. Not only is it difficult to keep every commandment. It’s confusing to understand what exactly the commandments are asking us to do. How do you keep the Sabbath day Holy? What is the best way to keep the Word of Wisdom?
Some of the commandments we read about are broad. And sometimes it seems that the commandments we are given can get twisted by worldly opinions. “So how do we stay aligned with these weightier matters? Is there a constant compass that can help us prioritize our lives, thoughts, and actions?” Again. I want you to try to think about how you would answer this question.
We could spend hours thinking and discussing until we come up with what we may feel is the best answer to this question. But yet again, the Savior said it best. “When asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ … Coupled with the second great commandment--to love our neighbor as ourselves--we have a compass that provides direction.”
Dieter F. Uctdorf shares his insight by saying, “Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.”
Love plays a key part in God’s plan. Love is central to God’s plan. Love is how we follow God’s plan. Love is how Christ provided God’s plan.
So why does Heavenly Father Love us? This is Uctdorf’s answer.
“Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount--that is the measure of God’s love for you.
“God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.
“He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our resume but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.
“What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.”
But that’s just the thing. The extent to which He can draw near to us depends on the extent to which we choose to draw near to Him.
So it turns out revelation and love aren’t just related. They are entirely interconnected.
Revelation only exists because “God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son,” who atoned for our sins and bridged the gap between Heaven and earth, creating a way for God to hear us, and a way for us to hear Him.
Revelation is given because God loves us and He wants to speak to us.
And we can only receive revelation by showing God we love Him, through keeping His commandments to the best of our abilities, and by speaking to Him.
We show those around us that we love them by reaching out to them, talking to them, listening to them, spending time with them. Why would it be any different with God? He wants to hear from His children, and in return, He wants to speak to us.
If we want God to hear from us, we should pray. If we want to hear from Him, we need to search for His voice, in the scriptures, in general conference, in the temple, in Church meetings, in nature, or wherever you hear the whisperings of the spirit.
We talk a lot about how we need to Hear Him, according to our prophet’s words. But for many, that’s more of an abstract idea than it is an attainable goal. What does it even mean to Hear Him? What is that like?
For the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hearing Him meant seeing a pillar of light, brighter than the sun, followed by the literal appearance of the Father and the Son above him in the air.
But if I had to take a guess, that’s not how most people in this room Hear Him. I mean I certainly haven’t had an experience like Josephs.
Revelation is different for everyone, and it’s even different for an individual depending on the circumstances in which they are receiving that revelation. As I was pondering different ways to receive revelation, I came across an insight in the Book of Mormon that was very powerful to me. I wasn’t sure if this was what I needed to share today, but I feel prompted to do so. I hope that this perspective on revelation will be beneficial to at least one of you sitting in this chapel.
I’d like to share a few verses from the Book of Mormon that many of you will be very familiar with. They come from the last chapter in the last book, Moroni chapter 10, and these verses are often referred to as Moroni’s promise. They read, “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
Now I would like to reemphasize part of that quotation one more time: “I would exhort you that you would ask of God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are NOT true.” Did you catch that? We are instructed to ask, in the name of Christ, if the words of the Book of Mormon are NOT true.
The Holy Ghost reveals, comforts, and protects us. For some, they may receive revelation of the truthfulness of this book.That revelation can be profound and world-shattering. But for others, myself included, the revelation doesn’t seem like much. I pray every time I finish the Book of Mormon. And I haven’t seen angels, or heard voices, or been physically overcome with emotion confirming the truthfulness of this book.
But the thing is, that’s not what we’re instructed to pray for anyways. We are instructed to pray to know if the book is NOT true. Though the Holy Ghost is a teacher and a revealer, it is also a protector. It will protect us from danger, including dangerous places, people, or even ideas. So when we pray to know if the book is not true, we are asking to be protected from false beliefs. And when we don’t receive some sort of grand revelation, that’s because the book IS true. If it wasn’t true, God would answer our prayer by sending the Holy Ghost to protect us from something that will lead us down the wrong path. A loving God would tell His children if what they were doing wasn’t for their benefit. But because He loves us, He wants to give us an opportunity to exercise faith, which is our way of showing Him we love Him and trust Him. So He had His prophet challenge us to ask if the Book of Mormon is not true. There is no better question we could ask in order that we can both receive an answer, and have reason to press forward in faith.
I often get asked how I knew I wanted to go on a mission. In fact, as I was talking to a friend about giving this talk, she said, “Well if you need to talk about revelation, why don’t you just tell everyone about the revelation you got that made you decide to go on a mission.” But the thing is, I don’t have much to tell. I certainly didn’t have an angel come down from heaven to tell me I needed to serve. I heard no voices. But somehow, I still knew I wanted to go. That’s not because I’ve always wanted to go either. It’s been an idea my whole life, but it wasn’t ever really in my plans per se.
Most of my extended family had me convinced I was going to be snatched up by some boy in my first year at Utah State. Friends from school saw me as a go-getter who was going to finish her degree fast and go start some innovative business and change the world or something. And a lot of people had no idea what my plans were. I’m going to include myself in that third group. I’ll be honest I’ve just been winging it for the last 19 years of my life.
But someone who’s just “winging it” doesn’t normally end up on a mission. That’s a huge commitment. So, how did I know, you may ask? Well, the same way I know the Book of Mormon is true. I prayed about it. I prayed, begged, for revelation. And what did I get? The same revelation I got about the Book of Mormon. At first, it seemed like nothing. But the more I’ve asked for revelation and received what feels like nothing, the more I realize what’s really happening. Maybe what seems to be a lack of revelation is, in fact, revelation.
It’s God saying, “I trust you.”
We are all born with the light of Christ, known to the secular world as our conscience. That light is innate in our beings. It helps us choose for ourselves.
Some things don’t require profound revelation. If the light of Christ is a big enough source of guidance to get us where we need to go, we won’t be given more guidance. That isn’t because we don’t deserve it, or because God doesn’t love us enough to give it to us. Rather, it is because we have already been given adequate guidance. And because God loves us enough to trust us, to use that guidance, and our logic, to move forward. In return for that trust, we are to show Him our faith and our love by acting on it.
So that’s what has brought me here to this stand, and ultimately what will bring me to Orlando. I have enough trust in my God to know that He will send His Comforter to prevent me from doing things and going places He doesn’t want me to. And God hasn’t sent Him. And for me, that’s enough revelation to know I’m doing the right thing. And that’s enough revelation to know that the Book of Mormon is true.
So my testimony is simple. I know that God lives. And that He loves me. And I know that because He loves me, He sent His son to atone for our sins. I know that The Book of Mormon is true, and therefore I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know that we have a prophet in our day who provides revelation for the Church and the world as a whole. I know that President Nelson is supported by a council of Apostles who are also called of God. I know that those apostles are constantly seeking and receiving revelation, including revelation about where to send the Lord’s missionaries, including myself. I can’t wait to serve and love the people of Orlando, and I can’t wait to see who the Lord helps me become through it all. God is good and He loves His Children infinitely. Christ is our Lord, Savior, Brother, and friend and He, too, loves us infinitely. I leave these things with you in His name, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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