When we seek to "counsel in our own ways," we aren't disciples. (D&C 51-57)

51:1-2

How smart are we? Are we good at organizing churches? I don’t think we are. Consider what happened to the Jews and what they built around the law. Think about what happened during the Crusades and their approach. Consider the council of Nicaea where church leaders met together to decide what their religion was. This is what led to doctrine like the trinity.

If humans aren’t good at setting up religions, how does a true and living church ever get organized? The only way is if the organization is directed by a higher being. “Hearken unto me, saith the Lord your God, and I will speak unto my servant Edward Partridge, and give unto him directions; for it must needs be that he receive directions how to organize this people. For it must needs be that they be organized according to my laws; if otherwise, they will be cut off.”

We cannot simply invent the structure, programs, organizations, ordinances, etc of the church. It was set up by revelation. If we all decide that we’re “smarter than all of those old prophets,” then we are on the road to apostasy.

51:16-17

“And I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence; And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good.” The early saints spent about seven years in Ohio before moving on to Missouri.

It takes faith to prepare and build a society and you aren’t really sure how long you’ll be there. There would have been value in them acting as if they were going to be there for years. It could have been that they were only there for a few months. The value of lessons learned from attempting to build a permanent society would be very useful for them in the future.

Their next stop was Missouri and they were there a short amount of time. They moved on to Nauvoo and were there for another seven years. Again, they built that city as if they were never going to leave. It may have been easier on them if the Lord had told them ahead of time that there stay there would only be seven years. Again, this “practice” of building a society and a city in Kirtland and then again in Nauvoo certainly prepared them to build a permanent home in Salt Lake City.

It may have been that some were frustrated that they built and then were asked to move. They wouldn’t be able to see the value of it in the future. It is the same with us. Often, we get frustrated by the setbacks and misfires of our lives. The lesson of the early saints is to have faith and patience in the Lord and know that all things shall work together for our good - if we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

52:9

“And let them journey from thence preaching the word by the way, saying none other things than that which the prophets and apostles have written, and that which is taught them by the Comforter through the prayer of faith.” So, this verse is limiting what the missionaries are teaching. I can imagine, with the church being so young, that there was likely a lot of invented doctrine and speculation being taught. We actually see this happening even today. I’ve attended many classes where the instructor or other participants are taking the lesson into uncharted waters of incorrect instruction.

This verse is saying that our instruction should be:

1. None other things than that which the prophets and apostles have written.

2. That which is taught them by the Comforter through the prayer of faith.

If we are teaching directly from the scriptures, church manuals and General Conference talks, we are on safe ground. But if we introduce “doctrine” taught by a local author or podcaster, we are on the wrong path. Our instruction should be totally based on the scriptures. Consider the Book of Mormon. It was written by ancient prophets of course. What’s especially powerful is that the entire collection was gathered, edited, included/excluded by Mormon. He saw our day and included only those parts that would be important for us to know.

So, there is a 1,000 history written by various prophets and then refined by Mormon, available to us. How profoundly important is every line? If we are attempting to use our own wisdom and clever conversation to teach principles that those many prophets and Mormon didn’t feel inclined to teach, we’re off track. You are not more intelligent or wiser than 1,000 years of inspired prophets. Sorry but it’s true.

We need to be careful about teaching “what is taught by the Comforter.” This isn’t an open invitation to receive personal revelation and teach that above what the scriptures say. What the Spirit directs you to teach should be clearly taught in the scriptures. If you’re straying away from that too far, again, you’re on the wrong path.

52:15-16

“Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances. He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances.” A contrite spirit is not weakness - it is spiritual strength in submission. It’s the fertile soil where grace, forgiveness, revelation, and transformation take root. Without it, the Savior cannot fully heal or change us, because we are resisting Him.

With a contrite spirit, we are teachable. We understand that we are reliant on the Lord’s atonement. We are open to promptings of the Spirit. We are repentant. We are more like Christ in that we are submissive to God’s will.

So, when we pray, we should be contrite. If we are, we’ll ask the right questions and take the time to listen for an answer. We’ll follow the promptings we get. If we speak with a contrite spirit, we will not be arrogant or overbearing. We will not push our agenda. We will not bully others.

The other phrase that is repeated in both verses is “if he obey mine ordinances.” What does it mean to obey ordinances? We should remember that every ordinance has an accompanying covenant. To “obey ordinances” is to receive them humbly, honor the covenants they carry, and live in harmony with their sacred purpose. It’s how we walk the covenant path.

52:18

“And again, he that is overcome and bringeth not forth fruits, even according to this pattern, is not of me.” The word overcome is interesting. It suggests that our spirit desires righteousness as it’s natural state. We are each born with the Light of Christ. We start out with an advantage.

But, as we know, this fallen world is working against us. Our own bodies work against us. I really feel this today as my back is KILLING me! Just about everything in this environment is attempting to conquer us. For some, we get “overcome.” Our spirit retreats and is overwhelmed by the forces pitted against us.

We can know if someone is overcome by this world by what they do. If their actions are wicked, we can judge them by their fruits.

52:20

“And the days have come; according to men’s faith it shall be done unto them.” This was in 1831. The Lord is saying that “the days have come.” In other words, we are living in the days of the Lord’s power - and what we receive from Him depends on the faith we exercise. The days are no longer far off. They’re here. It is now almost 200 years beyond when this revelation was received. These are definitely the days of the Lord’s power when many gifts will be bestowed to them who exercise faith.

52:40

“And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple.” We are all busy. We all have callings that we are attempting to be valiant in. We have families that we are striving to serve and unite. We’ve all got a lot going on.

We’re wanting to be righteous and obedient and faithful. It’s why we go to church and the temple, do family history, are honest, obey the commandments, study the scriptures, pray every day. However, if we do not “remember in all things the poor and the needy,” then we are missing the mark and opportunity to truly grow as selfless, Christlike disciples.

53:7

“And again, I would that ye should learn that he only is saved who endureth unto the end. Even so. Amen.” We all know that “enduring to the end” is a fundamental part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why is enduring to the end so important? Let us consider what would happen if we did NOT endure to the end. We may:

• Stop repenting and progressing.

• Succumb to the temptations of the world.

• Lose our standing as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

• Stop listening to promptings of the Holy Ghost.

• Become rebellious.

• Stop being valiant in our testimony.

• Become idle.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means continuing in the gospel throughout this life and into the next and the next after that. Specifically, this scripture is encouraging us to endure to the very end of our mortal lives. If we do, we will make the most of our time here. We will shape a character that is willing to continually repent. When we offer our sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we cannot take it back. The moment we do, by definition, we no longer have a broken heart or contrite spirit.

54:4-5

“And as the covenant which they made unto me has been broken, even so it has become void and of none effect. And wo to him by whom this offense cometh, for it had been better for him that he had been drowned in the depth of the sea.” It makes obvious sense why, if we break a covenant with God, that the covenant is void. Of course. It does remind us that the purpose of any covenant is to have a lasting effect on us. If we abandon the covenant, that lasting effect disappears.

The next line is interesting. The Lord says that it would be “better for him that he had been drowned in the depth of the sea.” That’s significant. We hear that language in other scriptures referring to those who do harm to children. The question is why would it be better if this person had drowned rather than break a covenant?

The answer is that one will affect the person’s eternal progression and one won’t. Sure, it is terrible to drown. But dying doesn’t change someone’s faithfulness or character. If we break covenants, that is a rebellion. Rebelling against God and his commandments and breaking covenants WILL affect your faithfulness and character. The consequences will come. They will be significant. We alter our course, often permanently, when we break covenants that we have made. Drowning would be a much better option as it relates to things that matter.

54:10

“And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen.” Why is he specifically mentioning those who “seek him early?” Why does it matter?

If we are aware of Christ and his gospel, it makes a difference if we procrastinate our repentance. Of course, the parable of the Laborers in the Vinyard, we see that God will reward those who begin working at different times the same. Which might make us believe that it doesn’t matter when we repent. However, the parable doesn’t talk about a worker who was offered a job in the morning but didn’t work until later. That is a different situation than someone who is asked to work later in the day and goes right to work.

My point is that, delaying our repentance is a character-forming process. It is, in a way, an act of rebellion. Rebellion is a very dangerous action in that it affects our progression. We know what’s right but are setting it aside. That forms our character - not in a good way. It is much better to seek him early rather than consciously wait until later. Timing does matter if we’ve already gained a testimony of Jesus.

55:1

I’m guessing there may be several reasons to get baptized. Reasons may include:

• Wanting to receive a heavenly reward.

• Peer pressure from others.

• Wanting to be a part of the group.

• It’s on our checklist.

• We want to impress others.

• We just feel like it.

Jesus teaches us the real reason we should be baptized. “Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant William, yea, even the Lord of the whole earth, thou art called and chosen; and after thou hast been baptized by water, which if you do with an eye single to my glory, you shall have a remission of your sins and a reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands.” Our motivation to do anything should be with an eye single to God’s glory.

Jesus, as always, was a perfect example of this. He was willing to create the universe and be sacrificed for God’s glory. Satan wanted the glory for himself. Our motivations should be pure when we are baptized or do any other thing in our religion. We should be going to church, serving in the temple, helping those in need, studying the scriptures - it all should be for God’s glory.

We should all take a look at our motivations. If our motivation isn’t God’s glory, what is it? What will it take to change it?

56:4

“Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord.” Some people are under the misunderstanding that God gives commandments that never change. They mistake “God is the same yesterday, today and forever” with “God doesn’t change his commandments to men.”

God can change what he says to us. He can command Lehi and his family to leave Jerusalem and then command them to go back for the plates. God can command us to live the law of Moses and then switch to the higher law of Christ.

God can command that we live the law of polygamy and then revoke that commandment. Christ once had to explain why it was allowed, under the law of Moses, to divorce your wife with a written document. He explained, “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” God changed what he expected based on the hardness of the people’s hearts.

Depending on the situation, God can and does change what he says to us. It is not for us to attempt to figure out the will of God. God owes us no explanation. It is our responsibility to simply obey and be faithful to what he is telling us today.

56:14

“Behold, thus saith the Lord unto my people—you have many things to do and to repent of; for behold, your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways.” This is the problem with many who are leaving the church. They are deciding that the church no longer “works for them.” They say that they are much happier and feel a sense of relief.

I imagine that an athlete who is training for the Olympics and has a good coach may feel happier if they fire their coach and do what they want. If they don’t feel like training on a particular day, they can just do it. If they want to eat a bag of cookies, fine. If they want to sleep in, no problem. It would feel liberating. They may imagine that they are doing what feels good on any given day and so their course is perfect for them. The problem is that their progress will slow down or stop. They will not become the athlete that they would have been if they would have kept their coach and stayed in the program.

If we seek counsel from ourselves, what benefit is that? If we become our “authentic self,” what does that mean? Does that mean that we are being absolutely true to how we feel and what we think today? That is what it sounds like to worship ourselves as the leader of our life. This is now what it sounds like to be a disciple of Christ. This is what it sounds like to be a ship with a rudder but no map and no compass. What good does it do to be able to steer if you don’t know where you are going.

56:16-18

Being rich or poor can both be challenging. “Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!” Being rich can give us a false sense of spiritual prosperity. Wealth can make us feel at ease. We can believe that, of course, we are doing the right thing - look at how successful we are. Riches can lull us into inaction since our lives or so comfortable. That inaction can last and last, until we find that it’s too late to make any meaningful change.

Being poor can also be a challenge. “Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!” Sometimes, when people are poor, they can fixate on other people’s wealth. They can tell themselves that the system isn’t fair and that the wealthy should be giving more and providing for everyone’s needs. They see themselves as victims and justify taking what others have. What’s worse is when they are idle and expect to be taken care of.

Being poor can also be a blessing. “But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs.” The poor can also be humble. They are more likely to be teachable. They can be more submissive. They aren’t full of arrogance because the world views them as less-than. The poor are more likely to be good disciples, good followers of Christ. They may see themselves as being more reliant on the good grace of God.