Five months prior, the New York saints had been deceived by the false claims of Hiram Page (see Background for section 28). With the Prophet's arrival to Kirtland, he would find Satan trying to deceive the Kirtland saints with the imagined revelations of one Mrs. Hubble.
Joseph Smith
Soon after the foregoing revelation was received (D&C 42), a woman came making great pretensions of revealing commandments, laws and other curious matters; and as almost every person has advocates for both theory and practice, in the various notions and projects of the age, it became necessary to inquire of the Lord. (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1: 154.)
About these days there was a woman
by the name of Hubble who professed to be a prophetess of the Lord and
professed to have many revelations, and knew the Book of Mormon was true, and
that she should become a teacher in the Church of Christ. She appeared very
sanctimonious and deceived some who were not able to detect her in her
hypocrisy: others however had the spirit of discernment, and her follies and
abominations were made manifest. The Lord gave revelation that the Saints might
not be deceived which reads as follows: (See D&C 43).
After this commandment was received, the saints came to understanding on this subject, and unity and harmony prevailed throughout the Church of God: and the Saints began to learn wisdom, and treasure up knowledge which they learned from the word of God, and by experience as they advanced in the way of eternal life.
DC 43:3 there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations
The Prophet Joseph Smith stated that “it is contrary to the economy of God for any member of the Church … to receive instruction for those in authority, higher than themselves.”
In addition, some have claimed higher spiritual gifts or authority outside the established priesthood authority of the Church. They say that they believe in the principles and ordinances of the gospel and accept the President of the Church as the legal administrator thereof, but claim they have a higher order which the President does not have. This is often done to justify an activity which is not in accordance with the doctrines of the Church. There can be no higher order, however, because the President of the Church both holds and exercises all of the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. The Lord has said of the President of the Church “that none else shall be appointed [to receive commandments and revelations] except it be through him.”
…The Prophet Joseph explained in the winter of 1832–33 that “no true angel from God will ever come to ordain any man, because they have once been sent to establish the priesthood by ordaining me thereunto; and the priesthood being once established on earth, with [the] power to ordain others, no heavenly messenger will ever come to interfere with that power by ordaining any more. … You may therefore know, from this time forward, that if any man comes to you professing to be ordained by an angel, he is either a liar or has been imposed upon in consequence of transgression by an angel of the devil, for this priesthood shall never be taken from this church.”
May I now review five of the fundamental prophetic truths of the Church:
First, the keys and the authority of God have been given by Him to Joseph Smith and each of his successors who have been called as Presidents of the Church.
Second, those keys and authority are never to be given to another people, and those who have such authority are “known to the Church.”
Third, continuing revelation and leadership for the Church come through the President of the Church, and he will never mislead the Saints.
Fourth, individual members of the Church may receive revelation for their own callings and areas of responsibility and for their own families. They may not receive spiritual instruction for those higher in authority.
Fifth, those who claim direct revelation from God for the Church outside the established order and channel of the priesthood are misguided. This also applies to any who follow them. (“The Prophetic Voice,” Ensign, May 1996, 6–7)
DC 43:4 if it be taken from
him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead
“While at first thought this may seem strange—giving a fallen prophet the power to appoint (ordain) his successor—it really was a safeguard against false prophets. Under these guidelines, if a man claimed that Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet and that the Lord had selected him to take the Prophet's place, one would merely have to ask the claimant if he had been ordained to this calling by Joseph Smith. If he had not, then the claim could be quickly dismissed. Because the Lord knows the end from the beginning, this procedure was not likely ever intended to be used. But it did provide a stopgap to any pretenders to authority.” (Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Prophets, Priesthood Keys, and Succession [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], 32.)
I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as president of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so he will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty. (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, edited by G. Homer Durham [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], 212.)
I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President [Heber J.] Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting, I drove him home. At that time there was a great deal of criticism against the President of the Church because of a front-page editorial some of you may remember. We talked about it. When we got to his home I got out of the car and went up on the porch with him. Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: “My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church, and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it.” Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, “But you don't need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray.” (Conference Report, October 1960, General Priesthood Meeting 78.)
You may trace the history of this
people from the beginning and you will find that every man who has indulged in
this spirit has always come out and denied the faith. Such men, when Joseph
lived, said that he had fallen. Since his death they excuse their conduct by
saying that Brigham has gone astray.
J721But when the Lord spoke to Joseph about falling, he said he would have authority to appoint another in his stead, and that no one would have the right to act except he was ordained by authority, or came in through the gate. You may know by the revelation I have read that no man can get the authority elsewhere. It must come through the holy Priesthood. Men may say they have heard the voice of Jesus, or heard this, that or the other; but you will find that the power of God will attend the keys, and His blessing will follow the administration of His servants who hold the authority. (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886], 13: 54 - 55.)
DC 43:5 receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments
Many apostates claimed they had been called by the Lord to replace Joseph Smith. This was particularly true right after the martyrdom. One such individual, a Mr. Strang, whose followers would be known as Strangites, tried to use the principles in section 43 to deceive a group of saints, even claiming that the Prophet had appointed him prior to his death. The story shows the danger of following those with false claims.
First among these [apostates] was
one James J. Strang of Voree, Walworth county, in the southeast part of
Wisconsin. He was but a recent convert to the Latter-day Saint faith at the
death of the Prophet, having been baptized about four months previous to that
event. Mr. Strang claimed that on the 18th of June, 1844, the Prophet Joseph
wrote to him a letter of some considerable length, containing a revelation
appointing him, James J. Strang, to be his successor as president and prophet
of the church. The letter also appointed one Aaron Smith, Mr. Strang's
counselor, and “commanded” the twelve apostles to proclaim Voree, Wisconsin, as
the gathering place of the saints. Mr. Strang attempted to strengthen his claim
to the position of president and prophet of the church by reference to the
revelation which says:
“But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else [than Joseph Smith] shall be appointed unto this gift [to receive revelations and commandments for the church] except it be through him [Joseph Smith] for if it be taken from him, he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.”
Mr. Strang claimed that the appointment he received through the letter he represented as coming from Joseph Smith fulfilled the terms of the revelation above quoted; that is, he had been appointed through the Prophet. When he presented this “letter” and “revelation” to some of the saints in Michigan, they asked him if the twelve that were “commanded” in his “revelation” to proclaim Voree, Wisconsin, as the gathering place for the saints, were the twelve apostles at Nauvoo. Strang replied they were. Did they know anything of this “revelation?” They did not. Had he been ordained a prophet? He replied no. The saints were suspicious of his claims, and would not receive him.
This question as to his ordination presented a serious difficulty to Mr. Strang, a difficulty which he tried to surmount by announcing soon afterwards that immediately after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, an angel appeared unto him and ordained him to be a “prophet” to the church, and the successor to Joseph Smith as the “president” thereof.
Not many followed him from Nauvoo, for there his influence amounted to little; but in the scattered branches, especially in those of Wisconsin, he succeeded in deceiving many… John E. Page in support of the Strang movement, intercepted a company of saints in Michigan, en route from Canada to Nauvoo. He represented that it was the will of the Lord that they should settle in Voree, Wisconsin, Mr. Strang's gathering place, and not go to Nauvoo. This company, however, were prudent enough not to receive his representations without investigation. They sent messengers to Nauvoo who received such instruction from the twelve as to preserve them from the deceitfulness of this apostate apostle.” (A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1930], 2: 429-431.)
To instruct is one thing, but to instruct and edify is something more. To edify would be to instruct by the power of the Spirit. When a person edifies or teaches by the Spirit, it inspires those who hear to want to do better—to in some way act on what they have been taught.
Teaching the gospel by the Spirit, then, is the first responsibility of every Church teacher. The world, teaching according to the precepts of men, simply exchanges interesting information or additional facts. But when one teaches by the Spirit, it is a different experience—he speaks to the souls of those who listen. The speaker and the listener are edified and enlightened. There is an inner feeling of joy and of wanting to live better. (“Teaching by the Power of the Spirit,” Ensign, Sept. 1984, 8–9)
Whether we are instructing our children at home or standing before an audience in church, let us never make our faith difficult to detect. Remember—we are to be teachers “come from God.” Never sow seeds of doubt. Avoid self-serving performance and vanity. Prepare lessons well. Give scripturally based sermons. Teach the revealed doctrine. Bear heartfelt testimony. Pray and practice and try to improve. In our administrative meetings let us both “instruct and edify” as the revelations say, that even in these our teaching may ultimately be “from on high.” The Church will be the better for it, and so will you, for as Paul said to the Romans, “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?” (Rom. 2:21) (“A Teacher Come from God,” Ensign, May 1998, 27)
Those who have keys, which include the judicial or disciplinary authority, have the responsibility for keeping the Church cleansed from all iniquity (see D&C 20:54; D&C 43:11). Bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, and others who have the responsibility of keeping the Church pure must perform this labor in a spirit of love and kindness. It should not be done in a spirit of punishment, but rather of helping. However, it is of no kindness to a brother or sister in transgression for their presiding officers to look the other way. Some words on this subject come from President John Taylor:
“Furthermore, I have heard of some Bishops who have been seeking to cover up the iniquities of men; I tell them, in the name of God, they will have to bear … that iniquity, and if any of you want to partake of the sins of men, or uphold them, you will have to bear them. Do you hear it, you Bishops and you Presidents? God will require it at your hands. You are not placed in a position to tamper with the principles of righteousness, nor to cover up the infamies and corruptions of men” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1880, p. 78). (“Keeping Covenants and Honoring the Priesthood,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 37)
DC 43:13 provide for him food
and raiment, and whatsoever thing he needeth
“With his many responsibilities in guiding the Church and rearing a family, it was difficult for the Prophet to find the time required to make a Bible translation; yet the importance of the work did not allow for unwarranted delays. No one else could make the translation, but there were others who could help him with his temporal needs. Consequently, we read the following from a revelation given in February 1831 in which the Lord said to the members of the Church:
And if ye desire the glories of the
kingdom, appoint ye my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and uphold him before me by
the prayer of faith.
And again, I say unto you, that if ye desire the mysteries of the kingdom, provide for him food and raiment, and whatsoever thing he needeth to accomplish the work wherewith I have commanded him. (D&C 43:12–13.)
“At the time this revelation was received, the Prophet was daily pursuing the translation of the Bible. The revelation is more meaningful when read with that understanding. Thus, the message is that the ‘glories’ and ‘mysteries of the kingdom’ would be forthcoming if the members would provide food, clothing, and ‘whatsoever thing’ the Prophet needed to accomplish the work to which he had been called—namely, at that time, the translation of the Bible.
“…On 25 October 1831, at another conference of the Church in Hiram, the Prophet again dwelt upon the need for temporal aid to enable him to do his work, specifically mentioning the translation of the scriptures. The minutes of the meeting include the following:
Brother Joseph Smith, Jr. said … that the promise of God was that the greatest blessings which God had to bestow should be given to those who contributed to the support of his family while he was translating the fulness of the Scriptures … that God had often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the Church … and except the Church receive the fulness of the Scriptures that they would yet fail. (Far West Report, p. 16, quoted in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938, p. 9.)
“These sources say at least this much: (1) the Lord was interested in the translation; (2) through it, information of significance to the Church would be obtained; (3) Joseph Smith and his scribes would need temporal aid to sustain their families during the time needed to complete the translation; (4) efforts to obtain help had begun; and (5) glorious spiritual rewards would be given to those who assisted.” (Robert J. Matthews, “Joseph Smith’s Efforts to Publish His Bible ‘Translation,’ ” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 58-59)
DC 43:15 Ye are not sent forth
to be taught, but to teach
Sometimes missionaries make the mistake of forgetting what they were sent out to do. The following is an example of a missionary who made the mistake of forgetting that he was “not sent forth to be taught, but to teach.”
Back in 1905… I went on my first mission to Holland. My cousin and I rode together until we reached Liverpool. He was sent to Norway, the land of the midnight sun, and I was sent in to Holland. After we had been in the mission field a few months, I received a letter from him calling me by name, and he said, “I met a man the other day who knows more about religion than I have ever dreamed of. And I told him if he had something better than I had, I would join his church.”
So I wrote him back, and called him by name and I said, “If he has something better than you have, you ought to join his church.” But I said, “Does he have something better than a personal visitation to this earth, after centuries of darkness, of God the Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ, to usher in the dispensation of the fullness of times and reveal the real personality of God and his son Jesus Christ?” I said, “Does he have something better than the coming of Moroni with the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated which gives us the history of God’s dealings with his prophets in this land of America over a period of a 1000 years?” I said, “Does he have something better than the coming back to this earth of John the Baptist, who was beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and restored the Aaronic Priesthood, the power to baptize by immersion for the remission of sins? Does he have something better than the coming of Peter, James, and John who were upon the Mount of Transfiguration with the Savior and returned to this earth to restore the Holy Priesthood, the power of the apostleship, the power to organize the church and kingdom of God upon the earth? Does he have something better than the coming of Moses with the keys of the gathering of latter-day Israel? Does he have something better than the coming of Elijah the prophet, of whose coming Malachi testified that before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, the Lord would send Elijah the prophet to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest He come and smite the whole earth with a curse?” Now that’s an important mission. I said, “If he has something better than that, you ought to join his church!”
I tell the missionaries that if you learn how to tell our story, you never need to argue with anybody. You tell them things they have never heard of, and you prove them to them out of the Lord’s holy scriptures. (BYU Devotional, October 20, 1981)
This is a wonderful message to all Latter-day Saints, to the Elders of Israel, who preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not here to be taught; we are here to teach… We are not to be taught by the world. We are the teachers of the world. (Conference Report, April 1931, Second Day—Morning Meeting, p.60)
DC 43:18 Ye saints arise and
live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again
The resurrection of the just (Jn 5:28-29) occurs at the beginning of the Millennium and involves the righteous who are raised in “the morning of the first resurrection” and then in “the afternoon of the first resurrection.” In general, these two groups of the righteous will inherit the celestial and terrestrial kingdoms, respectively. Those who are to inherit a telestial glory, will not enjoy the blessing of a Millenial glory because they are not worthy of the terrestrial glory that will then prevail. Instead, they will be told to “stay and sleep”, meaning they are to remain in spirit prison, until the time of their resurrection. Section 88 declares:
And again, another trump shall sound, which is the third
trump; and then come the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found
under condemnation;
And these are the rest of the dead; and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth. (D&C 88:100-101)
DC 43:21 if I, who am a man,
do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me
“Although Christ, like his Father, is an exalted Man, the colon after the word saying in verse 20 indicates that the missionaries of the Church are the speakers here. In essence, missionaries say to the world: ‘If you hate and reject me, a mere mortal, for saying these things, what will you do when God himself says them to you with the voice of overwhelming natural disasters until you either repent or die?’” (Stephen E. Robinson, H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2001] 2:40-41)
DC 43:24 how often would I
have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens
The Savior has always been the protector of those who would accept His protection. He has said more than once, “How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not” (3 Ne. 10:5).
The Lord expressed the same lament in our own dispensation after describing the many ways in which He calls us to safety: (quotes D&C 43:25).
There seems to be no end to the Savior’s desire to lead us to safety. And there is constancy in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one means so that it will reach those willing to accept it. And those means always include sending the message by the mouths of His prophets whenever people have qualified to have the prophets of God among them. Those authorized servants are always charged with warning the people, telling them the way to safety.
When tensions ran high in northern Missouri in the fall of 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith called for all the Saints to gather to Far West for protection. Many were on isolated farms or in scattered settlements. He specifically counseled Jacob Haun, founder of a small settlement called Haun’s Mill. A record of that time includes this: “Brother Joseph had sent word by Haun, who owned the mill, to inform the brethren who were living there to leave and come to Far West, but Mr. Haun did not deliver the message” (Philo Dibble, in “Early Scenes in Church History,” in Four Faith Promoting Classics [1968], 90). Later, the Prophet Joseph recorded in his history: “Up to this day God had given me wisdom to save the people who took counsel. None had ever been killed who [had abided] by my counsel” (History of the Church, 5:137). Then the Prophet recorded the sad truth that innocent lives could have been saved at Haun’s Mill had his counsel been received and followed.
In our own time, we have been warned with counsel of where to find safety from sin and from sorrow… Looking for the path to safety in the counsel of prophets makes sense to those with strong faith. (“Finding Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, May 1997, 24-25)
DC 43:25 I called upon you…by
the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings…
During the past decade there have been many examples of large-scale adversities affecting tens or hundreds of thousands or millions. Only a few can be mentioned. In addition to wars in many nations, we have had earthquakes in Japan, California, China, Armenia, and Mexico; hurricanes or tornadoes in Florida and the central United States; volcanic eruptions in the Philippines; flooding in India and North America; and famine and pestilence in Africa and elsewhere.
These huge catastrophes are tragedies, but they may have another significance. The Lord uses adversities to send messages to his children. Isaiah prophesied that in the last days the Lord would visit all nations with great natural disasters (see Isa. 29:6; 2 Ne. 27:1–2). In modern revelation, the Lord speaks of calling upon the nations of the earth by the mouth of his servants and also “by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind” (D&C 43:25). In another revelation, the Lord tells those he has called to teach the gospel:
“After your testimony cometh the testimony of
earthquakes, …
And also cometh the testimony of the voice
of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the
voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people” (D&C 88:89–91).
Surely these great adversities are not without some eternal purpose or effect. They can turn our hearts to God. Nephi was told that the natural enemies of his descendants would be “a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me” (2 Ne. 5:25). The idea of a scourge to cause people to remember God reaffirms a familiar teaching in the 12th chapter of Hebrews: “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Heb. 12:6). Even as adversities inflict mortal hardships, they can also be the means of leading men and women to eternal blessings.
Such large-scale adversities as natural disasters and wars seem to be inherent in the mortal experience. We cannot entirely prevent them, but we can determine how we will react to them. (“Adversity,” Ensign, July 1998, 7-8)
“Do you think there is calamity abroad now among the people?” Not much. All we have yet heard and all we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, “Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,” all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. What matters the destruction of a few railway cars? You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulphing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and they will destroy each other, caring not for the blood and lives of their neighbours, of their families, or for their own lives. (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886], 8: 123 - 124.)
DC 43:26 the day has come,
when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full
“That the Father has done all in his power, employing every possible approach and using every possible appeal, to save his children from the demands of the law is beyond disputation. Note the power of the Lord’s poetic appeal: (quotes DC 43:24-25)
“When the great judgments begin, there will be those who ‘shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.’ (D&C 45:32.) But they will not be justified in doing so, for the judgments will be the natural consequences of their own misused agency.
“Man, not God, is ultimately responsible for the judgments of the last days. (See D&C 109:49–53; D&C 84:96–98; D&C 97:22–25.) The Lord’s plan is a plan of life. It is not God’s will that destruction must precede the fulfillment of that plan. It is an unfortunate necessity imposed upon him by the rebellious conduct of many of his children.
“However, the Doctrine and Covenants is concerned with more than the tribulations of the last days. Being true scripture, it is a book of promises, of great expectations for the righteous—as a body and as individuals. (Rodney Turner, “Prophecies and Promises of the Doctrine and Covenants,” Ensign, Dec. 1972, 21)
DC 43:28 for the last time
call upon the inhabitants of the earth
We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times, the last dispensation of the gospel before the Millennium.
This dispensation will not end as former dispensations have ended, in apostasy and loss of the gospel; it will be terminated by the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ and the ushering in of His 1,000-year peaceful reign, as has been prophesied in all dispensations since the world began. (“Choose Ye This Day,” Ensign, Feb. 1977, 4)
DC 43:30-31 the great
Millenniium…a little season, and…the end of the earth
Scriptures which speak of future events are the hardest to interpret correctly. Certain precious gems, such as this one, give us a framework upon which to place all other prophetic utterances. We are told that the last dispensation will close with dramatic natural disasters which come as judgments upon the wicked (v. 23-28). The sequence, then, is 1) destruction of the wicked, 2) the Millennium, 3) the little season, and 4) the end of the earth. Then the earth will be celestialized and the saints will inherit and inhabit it forever and ever (Rev. 21-22). While the saints receive their inheritance, the sons of perdition “shall go away into unquenchable fire” as the scriptures repeatedly testify.
Any prophecy, any scripture, any reference to the future of the House of Israel can usually be neatly placed somewhere in this timeline. It is important to understand the difference between the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked and the end of the earth because they are separated chronologically by the Millenium and the little season. When considering a passage, it becomes necessary to ask yourself, “is this talking about the end of the world or the end of the earth?”—and of course you must know the difference (see commentary for D&C 29:23). Once this question is answered, the timeline makes more sense and otherwise difficult scriptures begin to paint a clearer picture which becomes more detailed with every reading.
DC 43:34 let the solemnities
of eternity rest upon your minds
Take time to meditate. Meditation on a passage of scripture—James 1:5—led a young boy into a grove of trees to commune with his Heavenly Father. That is what opened the heavens in this dispensation.
Meditation on a passage of scripture from the book of John in the New Testament brought forth the great revelation on the three degrees of glory.
Meditation on another passage of scripture from the Epistle of Peter opened the heavens to President Joseph F. Smith, and he saw the spirit world. That revelation, known as the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead, is now a part of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Ponder the significance of the responsibility the Lord has given to us. The Lord has counseled, “Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.” (D&C 43:34.) You cannot do that when your minds are preoccupied with the cares of the world. (“Seek the Spirit of the Lord,” Ensign, Apr. 1988, 2)
The world and its ills crowd upon us through our media, our technology, and our life-style until we eat and sleep, rest and work, travel and wait with schedule in hand, always at top speed, and through it all we find little time to search out the counsel of the Lord.
The remedy is to be had in complying with the Lord’s counsel to “let the solemnities of eternity rest upon [our] minds.” (D&C 43:34.) If we will be obedient to the Lord’s counsel to study the scriptures, the solemnities of eternity will indeed rest upon our minds… Drinking deeply from these springs of living water will bless each member of the Church. Don’t let yourselves be too busy or too tired to so drink. The added strength, wisdom, and inspiration which comes therefrom will repay your efforts a thousandfold. (“Seek Not to Counsel the Lord,” Ensign, Aug. 1985, 5)