Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte
Last night I was privileged to help ordain my friend's son to the Aaronic priesthood. As part of the blessing he promised his son that he would have the "Keys of the the Ministering of Angels." The notion of priesthood keys has always been difficult for me to grasp, but they are basically the specific rights or authorities available to priesthood holders. And the key granted to the most junior members of the priesthood is the Key of the Ministering of Angels.
As Elder Oaks has taught, "from the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children … Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private ... Even the Son of God, a God Himself, had need for heavenly comfort during His sojourn in mortality" (Dallin H. Oaks October 2008 General Conference).
I believe that spiritual beings (in addition to the Holy Ghost) can aid and strengthen us, and have particularly felt the influence and presence of my deceased grandparents in my life. As best as I can tell, one part of the Key of the Ministering of Angels is being able to summon and enjoy the assistance of the heavenly messengers. God has promised His servants, "I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up" (D&C 84:88).
The other component of the Key of the Ministering of Angels is to be an angel yourself in a figurative sense to bless and serve those around you. Elder Oaks elaborated, "when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind" (Dallin H. Oaks October 2008 General Conference).
It is in this sense that the prophet Alma declared, "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth" (Alma 29:1-2). The most important way for us to serve and minister to others is to help awaken them to the spiritual dimension of our life on earth, and to lovingly invite them to live righteously. This was Alma's desire and joy. He said, "and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy" (Alma 29:9). We become ministering angels whenever we render temporal or spiritual aid to anyone we meet.
The degree to which we become ministering angels is based solely on our desire. Alma taught "he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience" (Alma 29:5). The Lord grants us exactly what we want and makes us co-creators of our own destinies. The most striking phrase Alma uses to describe this concept is that "I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills" (Alma 29:4). It is fascinating to me that God's decrees are unalterable and absolute, but that they are based on the will and desire of His Children. While we have the desire to do and be anything we want to be, Christ has the power to make that path immutable. He can seal, perfect, and render permanent the righteous desires of our heart. The implicit warning is that the power of his judgment will ultimately ossify our unrighteousness if we do not repent.
God has promised that "even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation. Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed" (D&C 6:8-9).
Application Questions
What are the desires of your heart? How can you partner with God to make them reality?
How do you solicit the assistance of angels seen and unseen in your life?
Who can you serve or call to repentance this week?
Image Credit: J. Kirk Richards
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