Sell that thou hast, give to the poor, and follow me

I have had an interesting spiritual journey this morning, thinking about how to respond to a request from someone that I shall call Ruth who is in a really challenging situation at present. She came to South Africa because things were difficult in her home country. I have encouraged her to return to her home country, no matter how difficult that may be to do.

Sometimes we are where we are because of bad choices that we or someone else made, or because an angel sent us as Joseph and Mary were sent to Egypt, sometimes like Joseph sold into Egypt as a slave, sometimes like those following Moses out of Egypt, maybe sometimes because we were invited to sell all that we have and give to the poor and to follow Him. The past cannot change, but the future is what we need to determine. We need to go, do, say, be what He wants us to go, do, say, or be.

And then I read a scripture and it brought to mind my thinking earlier in the morning. 'And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.'

We have decided to help this friend with a request for financial help in a difficult season of her life like when Ruth and Naomi were facing challenges in Moab. We hope that she pays it back in due course. More importantly, we hope that she is not robbing the Lord, but bringing her tithes and offerings into His storehouse in her branch or ward here in South Africa, in her home country, or wherever she may be at any time of her life. We challenged her to not let paying it back delay her going to her country, because she can pay it back from there, and she will be with her beloved family!

Whither Thou Goest, by Sandy Freckleton Gagon

I challenged her to think about where she would be now if she had not left her home country to come for what she hoped was a brighter future. How would she and her family be financially, but, more importantly, on the covenant path? I do not know if she was a member of the Lord's true and living church before she left her home country, or if coming here helped to add that wonderful blessing to her life and to her family. 

Also, will it be better for he to leave here without delay and go back to her family and get employment using her skills and qualifications in her home country, or to wait here for UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund)? I presume that she can have the UIF sent to her without her needing to stay here, or sacrifice it if it will be better to go back to her family now!

I challenged her to please, ask the Father, in humility, what His will is - liken the Garden of Gethsemane experience of the Saviour to herself - Not my will, but Thine be done.

I know that many people have made serious decisions that have led to blessings in disguise, despite challenges that those decisions produced. We have been listening againto the history of the 1820 Settlers, British subjects who moved to the Eastern Cape in 1820. It was a real challenge for them. They had been facing real challenges in Britain after plagues, Napoleonic battles, and all sorts of things, and this was an opportunity. They had real challenges in the Cape due to war, sickness, crops failing due to rust disease and drought, but they did some good while they were here. 

Then the Lord sent missionaries to the Cape in 1853 and one of those missionaries was directed to the Eastern Cape where he taught those 1820 Settlers and others about the restored Gospel and most of them then went to Zion. The Lord knew where His children were, His sheep that would hear and recognise His voice and would follow Him.

Despite their faults and failings, while they were here, they did lift the local inhabitants as well and they prepared things like family history information that help us now to do Temple work to unite those who died to be part of our eternal family.

The Lord knows what He wants her to do, where to go, when to go, why to go, what to say, and what He wants her to be! Ask Him, and if He says to leave today or tomorrow or next month or next year, then obey! Don't tell Him what to do. Let Him guide her.

Her patriarchal blessing is His word to her, but the scriptures are His word to all of us. Read the scriptures and let His Spirit guide her. Read her patriarchal blessing prayerfully and regularly and let His Spirit speak to her. He knows her, and He loves her. Let Him be her guide and follow Him.

Disciples of the God of Abraham - individually

One of many special insights that I have gained recently is a love for people who are doing good, and a respect for the good works done by many such people in the world. They are helping to slow down the onslaughts of Satan and his minions. I was impressed to see that the Pope was moved as he listened to Andrea Bocelli singing 'The Lord's Prayer' and realising that the Pope has a love for and devotion to the Lord. Mother Theresa has often been cited as a true disciple of Jesus Christ.  I know Jews, Christians, Muslims and others who have love for and devotion to the God of Abraham. I know some who may show their devotion better than I do.

There are many people of other faiths who serve the God of Abraham and who really try to serve with a great love for the God of Abraham. I was impressed to be reminded of the statements of Jesus in Mark 9 and Luke 9 when the disciples told Him that they reproved someone who was casting out devils in Jesus’ name. Jesus said ‘Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me’ and ‘he that is not against us is for us’. He said that such will not lose his reward for any good thing that he does such as giving the apostles a cup of water to drink in the name of Jesus. 

I came to realise that, the Lord spoke of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being the only true and living church on the face of the whole earth with which He is well pleased, 'speaking unto the church collectively and not individually'. In like manner, individuals in other religions that Joseph said he was told ‘I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”’ can be righteous, speaking of them individually and not collectively. 

Your and my task is now to do all that we can to help these wonderful disciples of the God of Abraham to receive a witness of the only true and living Church and receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, and to do what we can to help those who have passed on beyond the veil to receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation that they did not receive while they were alive. If we omit to do these things, we will be the negligent ones. 

Thy will be done on Earth - as it is in heaven

Every time that we had assembly at school, I think it was once each week, we would all recite together -

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

I have often reflected on that, and I frequently review the words of the prayer that Jesus of Nazareth taught to His disciples, saying to them 'After this manner therefore pray ye:'

I frequently go through that prayer, phrase by phrase, as I reflect on its relevance and meaning in my life, and I sometimes use that as the skeleton for my prayer, hallowing His name by reflecting on all of the things for which I am thankful. I then ask for those things that I need, like daily bread, forgiveness, compassion, deliverance from evil, harm, danger, ill health, and unpleasant things that are so prevalent about me. I then acknowledge His kingdom, power and glory, and His invitation for me to be part of that work, kingdom, power and glory. I reflect on the Saviour addressing His father, and reminding us that His Father is our Father, making us of the household of God, heirs, joint heirs with Christ, inviting us to be one with Him as He is one with His Father.

Regarding that phrase 'Thy will be done on Earth as it is is Heaven', I often ask that I can be part of Him bringing about His will, being and doing things in harmony with His will. The last thing that I want is to be acting in opposition to His will. I may not be the ideal instrument in the hands of the creator, the artist, the master, but I hope that I can help Him to produce some things of worth and beauty.

'Thy will be done on Earth' - Is there any part of Earth that is exempted? Any country, continent or island? Is there any group of people exempted? Is there any single person that is exempted? I think that this is the most all-inclusive concept.

I marvel at the thought of how absolutely wonderful this world would be if every single person simply lived the Ten Commandments written by the Lord on stone and given to Moses. How much more glorious would the world be if everyone followed the higher law shared in the Sermon on the Mount in the 5th, 6th and 7th chapters of Matthew in the New Testament, during which He gave this Lord's Prayer as we now call it?

I hope that each and every one of us will pray with real intent that the will of God will be done on Earth as it is in heaven, and then go forth and live according to His will so that His will can be done, at least in our little parts of Earth, as it is in Heaven.