Personal Revelation is Sacred

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 63. As I have been saying about the Doctrine and Covenants, it was the practice of the Saints in those days to inquire of the Lord concerning all things pertaining to their salvation according to the preface to this section given by Joseph Smith.

Most of this section has to do with things we've been told before. Things such as obeying the Lord's commandments and controlling our thoughts so that we do not lust after a woman. Things that the Lord has been saying for thousands of years. The Lord also spends a good portion of this section directing the Saints on their temporal needs and wants.

The part that struck me and stayed with me though is from verse 64 where the Lord says that which cometh from above is sacred and must be spoken with care. I have heard this before, as I am sure many of you have also. Personal revelation given from the Lord, is not always meant to be shared. Sometimes it is meant to be kept close to the heart. Personal revelation is just that, it is personal and meant to be kept close to the heart and only shared with a select few. It is very similar to your patriarchal blessing in that sense. But I think it also has to do with the concept of milk before meat. A lot of people do not understand the things of the Spirit very well. They hear something on TV, or from a friend or from any number of sources and just assume it is true and it tarnishes their opinion of Latter-day Saints.

Just the other day I was talking with a friend of mine and the subject of Latter-day Saints came up and a change came over her face and she mentioned that she thought Mormons were dumb and there was no way I could possibly be one of them. I was shocked and asked what I could do to prove I was a Latter-day Saint. Her reply was to marry another woman. I then laughed and was able to explain that we do not practice plural marriage and haven't since around 1898. She was a little hesitant to believe at first since media has portrayed otherwise and I explained that while some might claim to be Latter-day Saint, any Latter-day Saint who practices plural marriage is excommunicated from the church. She was fine with it after that and I introduced her to Mormon.org and she was fine after that. But this is a classic example of why it is important to talk about the simple first and work your way up to the complex.

Are Latter-day Saints ashamed that once upon a time we practiced plural marriage? We shouldn't be, after all it was a commandment of the Lord. It was also a commandment of the Lord to stop. Does there need to be any more explanation than that, no, not really. Remember, we do not answer to man, we answer to God. Just as with other aspects of the Gospel in the past, all we really know is that is the way the Lord wished it done at that time and now He doesn't. There are theories enough to fill a warehouse but the fact of the matter is, we do as God directs us.

But getting back on track with our original topic, the Lord needs to know He can trust us. Or perhaps more accurately, WE need to know we can trust ourselves with the Lord's revelations. The Lord knows all about us and knows if we will keep that which is sacred to ourselves or if we will go blabbing willy nilly to every person we meet. Just as with Abraham being commanded to sacrifice his only son, Abraham needed to learn that he would do anything the Lord asked of Him. The Lord already knows how we are going to react. It truly is us that needs to learn how we will react when push comes to shove.

But as we grow closer to our goal and try our best to do that which is right in the Lord's sight, we will learn some amazing things and become more like Him. Our minds will be opened to understand the kingdom of God even further and we will have His confidence and trust like never before. He will also help us forsake the things of the world as we strive and struggle to overcome our temptations. Remember He loves us and wants us to return to Him so He will help us in anyway we will allow Him to. It's really up to us to accept that help and to decide what we want to do, if we would rather be with Him, or the world. Until tomorrow.