This life is custom-designed for our progression. We should make the most of it. (D&C 45)

45:2-4

What’s the problem with waiting to repent? The biggest problem is that this mortal life is the time to repent. We read in Alma 34:32-33 “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.”

This mortal life, with its intact veil and separation from God’s presence, is designed for us to struggle, grow, repent. It is the place that we are meant to be tried and proven. We needed this. We couldn’t do it in the premortal world. We must take advantage of this place.

The problem with delaying is that we do not know when our mortal life is over. I may think I’m a picture of health. But, I may have cancer growing inside of me and not know it. I may get hit by a car tomorrow. I definitely may have heart failure in the near term. We just never know.

This is what the Lord is saying in verse two. “And again I say, hearken unto my voice, lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved.” Jesus is not simply threatening us. Here, he’s not speaking as a judge but as our advocate. “Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him…” Jesus is on our side and is determined to save us.

Jesus literally gave everything he had to seal us his. When Jesus advocates for us, he will say, “Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified.” Jesus, in every way, has earned the right to be our advocate. He’s is on our side.

So, when our greatest advocate is pleading with us to hearken unto him to repent, we should repent. We shouldn’t procrastinate.

45:5, 8

Jesus continues in verse five. “Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.” It’s important to recognize who Jesus is pleading for. It is those who BELIEVE IN HIM. For our lives and into eternity, the thing that will save us is faith in Christ. If we have faith in him and humility to be teachable and have become truly selfless, we can become just like Jesus - eventually.

Jesus reemphasizes his point in verse eight. “I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.” Again, the primary factor is belief. If we simply have faith in Christ, that will affect our progression throughout eternity.

45:9-10

This is an interesting verse. “And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.” In this verse, Jesus is explaining four purposes for the new and everlasting covenant.

1. To be a light to the world. Normally, we describe Jesus as the light to the world. Here, Jesus himself is explaining that the everlasting covenant is a light. Of course, there can be more than one light in this world. How is the everlasting covenant a light? It is the purpose of our existence. The covenant between us and God that allows us to inherit all things is a promise that gives purpose to every man, woman and child. It immediately puts this life in perspective.

2. To be a standard for my people. How is it a standard? Here, the word “standard” doesn’t mean a rule or benchmark. Instead, it refers to a flag or rallying point—a symbol that draws people together. In ancient and scriptural usage, a standard was something raised up (like a flag or ensign) to signal gathering, identity, purpose, or protection. Joseph Smith wrote about the church itself being a “standard of truth.”

3. For the Gentiles to seek it. Understanding the purpose of life draws people. People are looking for meaning to their lives. The everlasting covenant provides that purpose.

4. To be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. The everlasting covenant is preparing us. As we understand the purpose of life, our faith in Jesus Christ is refined. We are better able to progress when we understand what we’re doing. We are willing to put in the effort to progress. This progression in all of us is preparing the way for Jesus to return.

This all makes logical sense to us. Knowing that I am working to become like my Heavenly Father is very reasonable. It makes sense that our futures involve an eternity of progression. Progressing for eternity eventually means becoming like God. I love the logic of it. “Wherefore, come ye unto it, and with him that cometh I will reason as with men in days of old, and I will show unto you my strong reasoning.” The plan of salvation is very reasonable.

45:13

I love this simple line of scripture. “And confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” This earth is very temporary for us. It is a significant, but brief, adventure. We are not creatures who are just above the animals and this is our home. Our home looks much different than this place.

We don’t belong here. In every way, we are “strangers and pilgrims.” If we can maintain that perspective during our brief, several-decades lifetimes, we will be able to keep the eternal perspective that will allow us to manage our lives in a way that is pleasing and productive.

45:17

This is another interesting line of scripture. “For as ye have looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage…” I think, in many ways, we will see our time in the spirit world after this life as a form of bondage.

As we die and enter the spirit world, we will miss our bodies. We will miss the taste of food and the myriad of sensations that we take for granted while in mortality. We will miss how things feel. We will likely miss being hungry or tired or even pain. We will certainly miss the feeling of pleasure that our body can give us.

So, yes, we may view our absence of our spirits from our bodies to be a type of bondage. I think we’ll all be looking forward to being reunited with our bodies.

45:27

“And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.” What could it mean that “the love of men shall wax cold?” It could be that men:

• Are not committed to their spouse.

• Aren’t supportive and respectful towards their spouse.

• Aren’t patient with their children.

• Aren’t committed to their careers nor approach it with passion.

• Don’t feel responsible for providing for their family.

• Don’t feel any connection to their country and aren’t willing to sacrifice or fight.

• No longer feel any emotion for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

• Don’t feel gratitude for their blessings.

• Are not committed to the covenants that they make.

• Will not display charity for others.

• Feel no responsibility to serve and care for others.

• Don’t see strangers as meaningful or relevant.

• Have no work ethic and are lazy.

• Are no longer driven to progress.

There are probably one hundred other examples of how the love of men shall wax cold. Without strong men, iniquity “shall abound.” If men aren’t committed to something outside of themselves, their capacity for wickedness is very great - much more than women’s. The way women are built, it is not a worry of the Lord’s that their hearts will wax cold.

45:28-29

“And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel.” Imagine being born in the Middle Ages or in an area where there is a religious frenzy. Many in this world have faced living in a godless environment. Other’s have lived where there are many, competing religions. Both sound frustrating.

In both cases, it may feel like we are sitting in a dark room. The restoration of the “fullness of my gospel” would seem like a bright light in a dark room. It would provide answers, clarity, strength, discernment, and stability.

Unfortunately, many don’t recognize the bright spotlight in a dark room. “But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.” There are many theories about how all religion is invented by “a frenzied mind.” There are a lot of smart people who believe in evolution. There are a lot of smart people who have figured out that the church couldn’t possibly be true because of documented flaws in its leaders. There are so many wise-sounding men and women who tickle our ears with points that sound completely logical.

We’ve got to keep our hearts soft and focus on the brilliant light that has truly broken through the darkness.

45:32

“But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.” None of us can be standing in a temple or chapel all of the time. Yet, we can make our own personal holy place.

If we are faithful and are making good choices and are focused on God and Jesus, anywhere we stand can be a holy place. Our holy place isn’t about location but condition.

It does help to stand in holy places often though.

45:46

“Wherefore, if ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.” I think this is interesting wording. Notice how the verse doesn’t say “you shall be perfected.” Instead, the Lord is saying that our redemption shall be perfected. What does that mean?

I think that it is possible to be redeemed without being perfected. Jesus was perfect in his obedience. But, he wasn’t like the Father until he was resurrected. In a real way, he is still progressing.

For us, the plan of salvation is perfect. Our redemption, when resurrected, will be perfect. We won’t be perfect yet. We will have a lot of work to do to become like God and Jesus. However, we will already be redeemed by a perfect redemption. We will be perfectly saved. It’s such a beautiful plan!

45:49-50

I’m really looking forward to seeing this verse happen in real life. “And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly.” There will come a day when the truth will be known by every single person. They will know that Jesus is the Son of God and he truly died for us and made it possible for us to be resurrected and progress forever. No one will not know.

There are many, many people who aren’t aware of this church or even Jesus. There are also many who are aware of our church but criticize it. They say that we aren’t Christians. Some think our church is a cult. There are also many who have known the truthfulness of the gospel and have turned their back on it. They sometimes become the church’s biggest critics. They laugh and scorn.

I am happy that “they that have laughed shall see their folly.” God does not enjoy those who mock sacred things. “And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.” There are literally people who watch general conference in an attempt to find something incorrect or out of order. They post their assessments on YouTube. They are literally watching for iniquity as they see it. The consequences of this behavior don’t sound good.

45:56-57

The parable of the ten virgins was often quoted in the last General Conference. The Lord refers to it here. “And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.” If we:

• Receive the truth.

• Take the Holy Spirit for our guide.

• Are not deceived.

We will abide the day of the Lord’s coming. If we wait to prepare at the day of his coming, it will be too late. Ironically, the problem isn’t about time. It is about commitment and WANTING to follow Jesus. If we wait until there are dire consequences, how much did we WANT to follow Him? Postponing our repentance is a sign that we don’t really get it. We aren’t grateful or committed.

Life’s journey isn’t about attending a wedding feast. It is about preparing to join the wedding feast. The foolish virgins just wanted the payoff without the preparation. Again, it is the preparation that allows them to abide in that day.

45:68-69, 67

This is an interesting couple of verses. “And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.” What does this mean? To me, it means that those who are unable to defend their families against the people around them who perhaps want what they have - will have to relocate. If we are prepared and are able to defend ourselves and our preparations, we may be able to stay put. I have to admit, a big reason why we built our house where we did is that it would be easy to defend.

For those who are not able to “take his sword against his neighbor,” they will have the option to move to Zion. “And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.”

Zion will be unique in the world. “And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.” For whatever reason, the people of the world will not invade Zion. Why? Because the glory and terror of the Lord will be there. People will know enough to challenge Christ during this time. It will be a glorious time to be alive.