Our challenges come at a pace that we can handle. (D&C 111-114)

111:1

There are many parts of my life that I could describe as “follies.” The dictionary defines folly as “lack of good sense; foolishness.” I’ve made some senseless decisions. I’ve had foolish priorities. I have been irresponsible. Many days have been filled with thoughtlessness where I haven’t considered what I’m doing and have wasted my time. It would be very comforting to hear the Lord say, “I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies.”

The question is, would the Lord ever say that to me? Are my follies especially condemnable? I know I can repent of anything - but is the Lord “not displeased” with me? Am I doing okay on this journey? I believe that the Lord is perhaps not displeased but maybe not pleased. He’s probably in the middle somewhere. My goal is to progress from not displeased to pleased to hearing the Lord say “well done.”

111:11

“Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen.” We should approach life in this mortal world being wise as serpents. We should attempt to make good decisions regarding our temporal needs. We should do what we can to provide for ourselves and those we care about. Of course, in the process, we shouldn’t sin to get what we need.

The verse teaches balance:

• Be spiritually intelligent, but not gullible.

• Stay morally clean, but not compromise our standards.

• Trust God’s timing, don’t force what you’re not ready for.

You could paraphrase it like this: “Learn to see clearly and act wisely, but keep your heart pure. I will guide and bless you, but only as quickly as you’re ready to receive my direction.” The events of our lives are part of God’s plan for us. I can definitely look back and see stages of life that have happened in a particular order. I faced challenges when I was ready to face them. I’m living with setbacks now that I may not have been ready for at an earlier stage.

112:5, 7

“Contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth; and when the night cometh let not the inhabitants of the earth slumber, because of thy speech.” The dictionary defines “contend” with “struggle to surmount a difficulty” or “engage in a competition or campaign in order to win or achieve something.” The trial of mortality is just that - a trial. It is a struggle. It is a fight for righteousness. It is a battle against a real adversary.

We are meant to struggle against this difficulty every day - beginning in the morning and continuing throughout the day. We must view every day as a mini-battle - filled with choices that make a difference. Little choices and big choices. Opportunities come to grow the kingdom and those opportunities pass. If we are coasting through this sea of choices, we aren’t actively fighting against the adversary. We aren’t struggling to spread the gospel. If every day looks the same and we are doing the same things and talking with the same people - never reaching out, we cannot say that we are contending.

“Therefore, gird up thy loins for the work. Let thy feet be shod also, for thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations.” As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should view ourselves as part of the work. We are not spectators. Our path is not the easy path but our path leads up and down many mountains.

111:10, 21-22

“Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.” If we are open to it, the Lord will guide us through the choices of our lives. Having said that, the Lord wants us to figure things out. He wants us to study things out in our mind and make choices. But he also wants us to seek his approval. We should be open to the idea that we are wrong and allow the Spirit to direct us another way.

The Lord promises that the Twelve that they “shall have power to open the door of my kingdom unto any nation whithersoever ye shall send them.” What a promise? What was required on their part? “Inasmuch as they shall humble themselves before me, and abide in my word, and hearken to the voice of my Spirit.” First is humility. Second is study and live by what we study. Third is listening to the promptings of the Spirit. If we are successful at doing these three things, we will have power.

Humility is an important part because, without it, we will be confident in our self-sufficiency and independence. We are being trained and formed. We are not fully formed. Even Jesus saw himself as dependent on the Lord. Even Jesus was open to God’s will being different than his own. He was willing to be led by the hand.

I’m not great at this. I’m not good at recognizing promptings or answers. Marci and I have some big decisions we are wading through. I can’t seem to get a confirmation that I have confidence in. I wish I was better at this but I’m working on it.

112:11

“I know thy heart, and have heard thy prayers concerning thy brethren. Be not partial towards them in love above many others, but let thy love be for them as for thyself; and let thy love abound unto all men, and unto all who love my name.” It’s easy to love our friends and hate our enemies. There is no spiritual development that comes from this.

The time, in scripture, that God asks us to be “perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect” is in Matthew 5:48 where God was explaining how he allows the rain to fall and the sun to rise on the good and bad alike. He loves us all. We’re wanting to be like God in this way. Part of this life is developing the ability to see all men and women as sons and daughters of God. If we love God with all of our hearts, a natural result from that will be to love his children.

I am in a struggle with this. It’s easy for me to be frustrated and critical. This is one of the big challenges of my life. If I can stop hating the people driving slowly in the left lane, I will have progressed.

112:12

“And pray for thy brethren of the Twelve. Admonish them sharply for my name’s sake, and let them be admonished for all their sins, and be ye faithful before me unto my name.” There’s not a ton of admonishment in our church. There is a lot of encouragement and inspiration and counsel and direction and perspective - but not a lot of admonishment. I’ve never heard a bishop give constructive criticism. That’s probably the way it’s supposed to be. But, in Joseph’s day, the twelve especially needed to be very good examples. They represented the church and the Lord himself. No wonder they needed to be admonished “for my name’s sake.” We can’t have the prophets, seers and revelators be sinful.

112:13

“And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.” We will all experience temptations and tribulations. We may even give into those temptations and get discouraged in tribulation.

But, if we will keep our hearts soft and necks un-stiff, we can be converted and healed. It’s interesting that the Lord is speaking about the Twelve. Surely they were already converted but perhaps not. We could say the same for all of us. We are members of this church but may not be fully converted.

It makes me think of the Lord’s counsel to Peter “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Peter himself hadn’t been converted. If Christ appears to us because the veil cannot keep us from Him, then we’re fully converted. Until then, we should remain humble about the level of our conversion.

112:23

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face.” This revelation was given in 1837. How much darkness is covering the earth now? How much “gross darkness” is covering the minds of the people? In 1837, “all flesh have become corrupt.” How much flesh corruption exists in 2025?

Obviously, there are good people in every generation. There were good people in 1837. There are good people in 2025. However, what the Lord said in 1837 is true then and now. Let’s compare all of us to the city of Enoch or the Nephites after Christ’s visit or the People of Alma at the Waters of Mormon. These communities were united in heart and mind, there wasn’t economic inequality, there was peace and righteousness. The people submitted their wills for God’s.

How do even the best communities compare? Is it common for “Brother of Jared” types to exist in our neighborhoods? Should there be? The fact that we obey the Ten Commandments does not mean that there isn’t any kind of darkness covering our minds. The commandments are there to help us know what NOT to do. The commandments are less about what we SHOULD do. If we think that this verse doesn’t apply to each of us to a degree, we should re-read the verses in this chapter about humility.

112:24-26

These next verses put a point on it. “Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.” Vengeance is coming. We all know this. The wicked will be burned as stubble.  There will be mourning and suffering.

The interesting part is where it will start. The suffering will start among those in the church who have “professed to know” Christ but don’t. These people will have “blasphemed against me in the midst of my house.” Those church members who live hypocritically and claim to be one with Christ but don’t know him will experience burning, desolation, weeping, mourning and lamentation.

We sometimes think that, as members of the Church, that the scriptures aren’t referring to us when we read prophecies like this one. But it absolutely is referring to some that call themselves saints. The church itself will not be wicked and hypocritical but some members will be.