Words are Important

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 115, which is a revelation given to the leaders of the church and commanding them several things. The first one was to be a light unto the world. We have talked about that in the past and I don't want to focus on that today. The Lord also commands the brethren to build a temple at Far West. We talked recently that verbiage is very important to Him and in this section the Lord tells them the name of the church in these latter days.

To a guy like me, this is a little strange that the verbiage is so important. I have always been the type of person that it doesn't matter to me what others think or say about me. I've always taken the stance that no matter what they say, it doesn't change the truth. Just like Shakespeare said, "That which we call a rose would smell as sweet". Calling something or someone a hurtful name doesn't change who they are. We tell our children all the time to ignore people who call them hurtful names.

And yet we talked just a few days ago about the importance of saying the right things when performing ordinances in the Lord's name. So in that sense words are extremely important. We also teach our children and our leaders and the Lord Himself tell us not to use foul language. King Benjamin also taught his people in Mosiah 4 that our words can condemn us. So obviously words are important to the Lord.

Also in 3 Nephi when His disciples ask what name to call the church, He tells them that it is to be called in His name because it is His church. Similarly, in this day and age we call the church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Boyd K. Packer talked about this in this most recent conference address also. There is nothing with being called a Mormon, it is not derogatory, but when we refer to ourselves, we should use the appropriate name. It is important enough to the Lord that He told the brethren what He wanted the name to be.

Perhaps the reason the Lord takes words so seriously, is because our words are a precursor to our actions. In a trial our words can be used to condemn us. All these examples show us that we need to be very careful with our words and make sure our language is appropriate for the Spirit of the Lord so that we do not chase it away. As we use the type of language that the Lord would approve of we will grow closer to Him and become just a little more like He is. Which is our ultimate goal as we have mentioned. So take care the next time you say words in anger or without thought. Until tomorrow.