Passing on Light and Truth

Truth and Light… Light and Truth

These two principles interwoven comprise Intelligence and are the very principles that give one glory and power in the eternities.

In this article I will be discussing the divine roles of parents. To do so I will focus on the eternally significant transfer of Light and Truth from one generation to the next. I will take as my highest role model, my prime exemplar and chief archetype our Heavenly Father, God, the Father of us all.

God’s work is to help us become as he is: Immortal, glorified, and good; that we might return and live in His presence to enjoy life eternal.

Joseph F. Smith, like Abraham of old, learned in his great vision that noble and great ones were chosen in the beginning… He taught, “Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.” (D&C 138:55-56)

What Lesson? What would we have learned that would prepare us to labor in this vineyard? Do you suppose that we learned how to build a successful investment portfolio? Or how to be a good sales manager? A therapist, or CEO?
No. We DID learn that we were not all the same, that if two spirits existed one would be greater or more intelligent than the other, and there would always be another more intelligent than they until we reach God the Father who declares, “I am more intelligent than they all”. (Abraham 3:19)

“The Glory of God is intelligence or, in other words, light and truth” (D&C 93:36). So now we come back to them again “Light and Truth”, the two eternal principles that have exalted God.

TRUTH:
Pilate asked the famous question of Christ, “What is Truth” (John 18:38) and the resurrected Christ gave the answer in our dispensation saying, “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” (D&C 93:24)
Of course, knowing truth is more than knowing the proper way to make a recipe or memorizing all of the books in the New Testament… TRUTH comprises those principles which bring LIFE, UNITY and POWER in the eternities. Furthermore TRUTH does not take hold in us just because we have heard it. How many times have we heard of the healing power of repentance, or of the empowering principle of fasting (and I might name any number of principles of the gospel) and yet somehow we struggle to fully embrace such principles, allowing them to flourish in our lives. We must UNDERSTAND it! We must ACCEPT it, and we must LET IT GOVERN our actions and then TRUTH will find place within us. Truth empowers us.

Truth, alone however is not sufficient to give intelligence and thereby produce power and glory within us unto godhood. Indeed the scriptures warn us that “Knowledge puffeth up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) And the Lord laments, “O the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.” (2 Nephi 9:28)

Dieter Uchtdorf discussed how “A sure testimony of Jesus Christ and of His restored gospel takes more than knowledge—it requires personal revelation (TRUTH), confirmed through honest and dedicated application of gospel principles. (LIGHT)”

In some ways, our testimony is like a snowball that grows larger with every turn. We start out with a small amount of light... Gradually, “light cleaveth unto light,” 11 and “he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day,”

LIGHT:
The key to gaining intelligence is LIGHT! Light is a measure of our goodness. The scriptures recount that “whatsoever is light, is good” (Alma 32:35) and the Lord commands us to let our light shine that others may see our good works. (Matthew 5:16). Furthermore, “That which is of God is light” (D&C 50:24) God being the source of all that is good. For “behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually;” (Moroni 7:13)

To grow in light we must give of ourselves. We must do the works of Him that sent us. We must “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” (D&C 81:5) We must be willing to “mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9). We must be willing to suffer long and be kind, to be not easily provoked, I could go on and on and on, for the scriptures are full of the words of life, the principles that give us light now and in the eternities. They teach us all things that we should do and prepare us to “live by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God”. LIGHT empowers us.

The best way however to grow in light or truth is to pass them on to others.

DISSEMINATION:
I said earlier that I would focus my talk on the eternally significant transfer of Light and Truth from one generation to the next.

The Lord has established his Church once more upon the earth and has called an army of Relief Society Sisters, Missionaries, Elders, High Priests, Bishops, Stake Presidents, Seventy, Apostles and Prophets to spread light and truth over the earth. Yet as effective as they are in magnifying their callings they pale in comparison to the work being done by mothers and fathers. There is no way for them to compete.
The Lord knows that if we “Train up a child in the way he should go: … he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

But who is to train up these children in Light and Truth? Yes they can learn reading, writing and arithmetic from their school teachers. But who is to train them in the way of Light and Truth. They see their Sunday school teachers once a week. Their opportunities to learn from the Bishop, Stake Presidency or prophets come only a few time each year.

Fathers and Mothers have a divine role in passing on Light and Truth to the rising generation in a more effective, more intimate way, than any other institution created by God or man… and Fathers, as you preside in the home, you will one day return and report on this charge.

“Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). They are given as a loan to us.

We are clearly instructed in the Family Proclamation, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God.

The Lord warns “that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. But I have commanded you to bring up your children in Light and Truth (D&C 93:39-40)

Now once our children reach the age of young men and young women then all of the systems the Lord has created begin to really have a strong influence on our children. I say this because some of you dear ones here tonight have already raised your children, your call to pass on Light and Truth stands unchanged. Some of you have been denied the opportunity to raise children, The Lord loves you and so do we, your call to pass on Light and Truth stands unchanged. Some of you are picking up the pieces of a broken family or have denied yourself opportunities to raise children through your life choices. We love you and seek to bring healing to your hearts and to your homes. You are still called to pass on Light and Truth. Do not forsake your commission. As we pass on light through our service and truth through our teachings we grow in the very things we are giving.

Listen to these quotes from our most recent conference:

Jean A. Stevens - Our Heavenly Father knows children are a key to helping us become like Him. There is so much we can learn from children.

Quentin L Cook - …no [one] should ever feel the need to apologize or feel that [their] contribution is less significant because [they are] devoting [their]… efforts to raising and nurturing children. Nothing could be more significant in our Father in Heaven’s plan.

Henry B. Eyring - The parents blessed our family by their generous service. By their choice to let their children participate in the giving, they extended blessings to their future grandchildren… Draw your family into the work with you so that they can learn to care for each other as they care for others. Your sons and daughters who work with you to serve others in need will be more likely to help each other when they are in need.

Russell M. Nelson - Start with your children. You parents bear the primary responsibility to strengthen their faith. Let them feel your faith, even when sore trials come upon you.

I have an invitation I would like to extend to men.

Fathers of Children – each morning and each night gather your children, sing a song with them, read from the scriptures or a talk from General Conference, and pray together as a family. No other single practice has blessed our family as greatly as this one. We call it family circle.

The Rest of my Brothers – If children are in your future, plan carefully and do whatever is necessary to create a home where such an inheritance from the Lord might thrive. If children our now behind you or out of your reach, then seek a calling, magnify that calling and serve our Heavenly Father valiantly that you may find other children of our Heavenly Father to whom you can begin to pass Light and Truth on to. Every drop given brings an hundredfold in return. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our father which is in Heaven.

There is a particular scripture that I would like to end with. It speaks of planets but impressed me greatly with regard to this topic:

DC88:42 [God] hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons;
DC88:44And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years

We each have received our first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.” I pray the Lords blessing might be with each of us as pass Light and Truth to the next generation.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.