Divine Law

I believe that when we follow Divine Law, we can move through life with even more surety. Divine Law is given to us by a generous, loving and perfect eternal Father.  He has given His laws to guide our lives and, when we follow His laws, we can have confidence that His promised blessings will come into our lives.  We cannot create our own path and expect His promised blessings but we can expect them if we follow His path.  

I didn't feel that this work could be complete without providing the references from the scriptures and other inspired teachings that influenced my thoughts as I was seeking to find the answers about success for myself, my employees and ultimately for my children.  I knew that if anyone could give me guidance, it was God.  I hope these references add value to you as well.

This content is broken down by chapter and the reading of this material would be applicable after you've read the corresponding chapter in the book:

Chapter 1 - Divine Law and "The Law of the Harvest"

While the Law of the Harvest is expressed in different ways throughout all scripture, Paul’s letter to the Galatian is possibly the most widely recognized as its official declaration.  In that letter, he wrote; “for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) 

We find an expanded understanding of this law when, in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord said; “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated — and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”  (D&C 130:20-210

With this in mind, if we have a specific blessing we desire to receive from God, we need only to discover the corresponding law tied to that blessing.  That blessing is already ‘hidden’ in obedience to the corresponding law. As we grow in our understanding that the Law of the Harvest is a Divine law, we can, with even more definitiveness, rely on it for direction.  

I believe that our eternal Father in Heaven, would never want us, His children, to doubt or wonder how to qualify for and obtain His blessings.  Because having a surety in our direction is one of our greatest desires, God freely gives us clarity and detailed directions.  He wants us to have surety in our direction back to His presence.  

To find The Law of the Harvest (the law of all laws) in scripture, there is no better place to start than in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus taught: 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:3,5-9)  

So, if we want to inherit the earth, we need to plant meekness, if we will earnestly plant the seeds of righteousness, we will be filled with the Spirit of the Lord and as we all need His mercy, to obtain it, we must be merciful.  Jesus readily gave us the answer about how to get what we wanted out of life and how to move through life with a sureness of our course.  He teaches us of the seeds to plant and He invites us to follow Him.

Jesus continued His sermon by teaching that we are the light of the world and that we need to let our “light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)  And then the promised harvest or blessing is given in verse 19 when He said that “whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

He taught us the Law of the Harvest when He said that we should “agree with thine adversary quickly” and to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray from them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven.”  (Matthew 5: 25,44-45)

Jesus wanted us to know that for every divine seed we planted in our life, there was a specific harvest associated with it.  Even as He taught us to pray, we find that the way to have our debts forgiven is to forgive our debtors and to “forgive men their trespasses,’ so that our Heavenly Father will forgive ours.

We must lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  And, when we “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; all things shall be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:21,33) The pattern for us to follow is repeated again-and-again.

Jesus further taught us to judge not, that we be not judged and that when we cast the beam out of our own eye, only then can we see clearly.  (Matthew 7:1, 5).  And then, some of His crowning council came when He said; “ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”  I then love the assurance He gives when he concludes this thought by saying; “how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” 

The account of His sermon shows that Jesus continued to expound on The Law of the Harvest when He said: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”  

To be sure we are not deceived by false prophets, the law of the harvest is used to advise us that we can “know them by their fruits” for “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit…for by their fruits ye shall know them.”  (Matthew 7:12,15-20)  

In counsel about knowing if the word of God is good, the prophet Alma stated it this way: “And now behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.” (Alma 32:31).  David understood this law for he said: "He that south iniquity shall reap vanity."  Proverbs 22:8

Jesus wants us to know the divine law of the harvest and to know that entrance into the kingdom of heaven is to be given to “he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”  (Matthew 7:21) This would represent a life built on a foundation of rock and not on sand.  May we not be “he that heareth, and doeth not, [for he] is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the storm did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 7:49)

In Alma 41:10 we find the simple directive of a father to his son when he said: “Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.”  Happiness is simply is not the fruit found in the seed of wickedness nor can it ever be because the divine laws of God teach otherwise.  

We can move forward through life in a more sure way when we know and follow God’s Divine Law of the Harvest.  Paul said; “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”  (1 Corinthians 3:6) God will give the increase in our life to every seed we plant and water. His work and His glory is to bring to pass our eternal life.  He wants us to have safe passage through life and has given us the direction we need to make our way home with confidence.  

In a devotional given to young adults and in expressing the leadership role they have in the world; President Russel M. Nelson perfectly describes the value of knowing and following divine law when he said: 

“Prophets of God have many attributes in common. One is that each prophet understands the importance of divine law. The knowledge of divine law and effective, righteous leadership go hand in hand. The more of God’s laws you may know—and more importantly, the way you live them—the more effective your righteous leadership will be.

When I was a young medical student, my rigorous study of the human body convinced me that God lived. And as I came to know that the body was God’s creation, I became increasingly intrigued with the laws of God that govern the function of the body. Through extensive laboratory research, I later learned the law that governs the beating of the heart. Further, I learned that the beating heart could safely be stopped temporarily to facilitate delicate surgical repairs. This could be done by changing the sodium/potassium ratio in the blood supplied to the heart. Later, when the heart was nourished by blood with a normal sodium/potassium ratio, the heart would again beat normally. These findings proved to be predictable, dependable, and repeatable.

I recently had the opportunity to explain this to a medical school class. A learned professor who was present asked me, “But what if it doesn’t work?” I replied, “It always works! It works according to divine law.”

That is why it is imperative that you know God’s laws. They control this universe and multitudes of others. When divine laws are broken, consequences follow. Even though our hearts ache for those who break God’s laws, penalties must be paid. Divine law must be obeyed.

I learned this as President Spencer W. Kimball’s surgeon. When the implanted pacemaker for his heart suddenly failed, President Kimball came back to me for help. But first he asked me to give him a priesthood blessing. After the blessing, which promised correction of his failed pacemaker, he then said to me, “Now you may do whatever you need to do to make that blessing a reality.”

I proceeded with the operation. On the wire that carried electricity from the pacemaker to his heart, I found a break in the insulation. When I replaced that faulty wire, the pacemaker immediately worked again, allowing President Kimball’s heart to beat normally. Not even for God’s prophet could the law relating to the transmission of electricity be ignored.

Indeed, President Kimball was God’s prophet. As I watched him closely through various illnesses and observed his intense and penetrating study as he sought revelation, he was my mentor. My love for him is boundless!

While the world is filled with uncertainty, there need not be uncertainty in your heart and mind about what is true and what is not. Uncertainty is born of imperfect or unknown information. As an Apostle, I plead with you to learn God’s irrevocable laws. Learn them by study and by faith. That means, among other things, “[living] by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.””  (Worldwide Devotional 2017; President Russel M. Nelson))

One last dose of scripture is to; “Give and it shall be given unto you. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.  (Luke 6:38). May we be found giving as Jesus gave.

Chapter 2 - Divine Law and "The Law of the Yield"

On the many ministering miles that the Apostle Paul traveled, he would have most assuredly seen the varied lives of the people to which he carried the message of the Gospel.  Those who had very little to those who had much.  Paul described the law of the yield as it is set forth in this chapter when he said: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  (2 Corinthians 9:6) 

He continues in verse 8 to say, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”

Through the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-8, Jesus taught us what kind of soil we should strive to have within our hearts.  There is a great need for our hearts to be ready to receive the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to live so that we can enjoy and share the fruits of the Spirit.  While a wise farmer will protect his seeds as much as possible and try to be sure they are all planted in good soil, some seeds may in fact, fall in areas where our soil is not ready for planting.  If we are not careful, some will “fall by the wayside” and when this happens, we will have wasted those seeds because “the fowls came and devoured them up.”

If we aren’t careful, some perfectly good seeds could fall upon stony the places of our heart.  This is also not a good place to let seeds fall for while these seeds will grow, they produced little to no fruit “because they had no deepness of earth and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.”  

The seeds that fell among the thorns also revealed little to no fruit because “the thorns sprung up, and chocked them.”  

However, lastly, Jesus gave the description of the law of the yield when He said:  But, other seeds were planted in good ground “and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” 

Jesus knew that there would be some who would sow more bountifully and nurture more carefully than others.  He knew that the yield would be different from one to another — thirty, sixty and a hundred.  This parable describes the potential yield we could expect to achieve based on where we planted and how well we tended to our field.  The potentiality of a life with a hundredfold yield is within our reach.  God deeply wants to give us all that He has — a bounteous harvest in every area of our lives awaits us if we will follow His divine laws.  

In 2 Peter 1:2-4 Peter describes how we can be partakers of the divine nature of God when he taught: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world.”  

And then Peter gave this crowning counsel in verses 5-10 wherein he tells us how to increase our yield.  He said; “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ …Wherefore…give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fall.”

A greater and greater yield comes to those who add one character trait to another and then another and then another.  Or, add one positive action to another and then another “For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept.” D&C 98:12

In the Book of Mormon, Alma used the Law of the Yield to establish the process by which the people of that day could acquire faith. He invited them to start with “experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if you can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you.”  (Alma 32:27)

Alma then compares this experiment to the planting of the word of God as a seed being planted in our heart. And, as the word of God is planted, they will see that it “will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves –It must needs be that this is a good seed grow and when we can know that it is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” (vs 28).  

While this will increase our faith, (vs 29) we must continue to “nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up and bring forth fruit unto us.” (vs 37) This process is the law of the harvest, however, Alma then describes how a greater yield can be realized when he continued by saying; “if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. And because of your diligence, and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, even until you are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. Then my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.” 

Toward the end of his ministry, in John 15, Jesus said:  "Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except you abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall de done unto you.  Herein is my Father glorified, the ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."  We will have Divine help as we abide in Him and as we bear much fruit, the world will see His goodness in our lives and be glorified.    

These passages describe how we can sow bountifully and when you know that it is God [who] gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6) we can move through life with surety and faith that we will also reap bountifully.  

Chapter 3 -- Divine Law is Demonstrated When we see "Yield in Action"

The power of using stories in teaching is exemplified by Jesus.  "And he taught them many things by parables."  Mark 4:2.  Each of the 25 Yield in Action examples in this chapter are parable like stories. Each message has a central theme that we can also find being taught to us in scripture.      

Example #1 -- Focus  Our Father in Heaven is never distracted from bringing us, His children, home to Him.  “For behold, this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39

Example #2 -- Service and Recognizing the Needs of Others  “And behold, I tell you these things that you may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.  Mosiah 2:17

Example #3 -- Understanding and Giving Back  “So let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”  2 Corinthians 9:7-8.  Also, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Hymn Book, Hymn #219: “Because I Have Been Given Much” reads:

Because I have been given much, I too must give,
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live
I shall divide my gifts from thee with every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered fed by thy good care,
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread, my roof’s safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord,
I’ll share thy love again, according to thy word.
I shall give love to those in need; I’ll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

Example #4 -- Compassion  “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”  Ephesians 4:32  

Example #5 -- Effort and the Extra Mile  “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”  Matthew 5:41-42

Example #6 -- Encouragement and Strength of Character  “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”  Isaiah 41:10 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy lade, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Example #7 -- Forgiveness and Devotion. "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.  Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged."  Luke 7:41-43

Example #8 -- Generosity. "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted."  Ephesians 4:32. "Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, holiness, charity, humility, diligence."  D&C 4:6

Example #9 -- Humility "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility."  Proverbs 18:12

Example #10 -- Appreciation "That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.  He that honoreth not the son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto life."  John 5:23-24

Example #11 -- Inspiration "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and entirety to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."  Moroni 7:13

Example #12 -- Example and Finding a Bigger Purpose "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.  If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."

Example #13 -- Use Your Time Wisely "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted"  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Example #14 -- Heart "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."  Matthew 5:8  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21

Example #15 -- Showing Respect "And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all."  Alma 1:30

Example #16 -- Goodness "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."  Galatians 5:22  "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth."  Ephesians 5:9

Example #17 -- Success "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  Matthew 6:33.  "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart."  1 Timothy 1:5  "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land."  2 Nephi 1:20

Example #18 -- Courage "And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all -- they were men who were true at all time in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.  Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."  Alma 53:20-21

Example #19 -- Duty "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:12-13

Example #20 -- Compassion and Empathy "Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me."  1 Samual 23:21  "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be courteous."  1 Peter 3:8 "And of some have compassion, making a difference." Jude 1:22

Example #21 -- Friendship "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twin."  Matthew 5:41

Example #22 -- Persistence "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore if you shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."  2 Nephi 31:20

Example #23 -- Kindness  "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings"  Psalms 36:7  "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering." Colossians 3:12

Example #24 -- Passion and Devotion "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."  Mosiah 2:17

Example #25 -- Legacy "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6  "Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  Joshua 24:15

Chapter 4 - Divine Law and "The Miracle of Love".  The greatest examples of love are shown in the scriptures by a Father and a Son.  "For God so loved the world, the he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  John 3:16 and "Great love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." and then he said in verse 17: "Ye are my friends."  He later made that ultimate sacrifice for the world as he laid down his life that we might live as he overcame death and sin. 

There is a difference between 'simple' and 'easy'.  Love is simple to understand and desirable to share but is not easy to always let it govern our lives.  In verses 15-17, Jesus lovingly continues by saying: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.  These things I command you, that you love one another."

Earlier in John 13:34-35 Jesus said:  "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another." 

The two great commandments are based on love:  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy should, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  Matthew 22:37-39

Paul's letter to the Corinthians is well known for Chapter 13 and his discourse on charity.  In this chapter he teaches us that above all, we need to grow toward possessing within our lives, the pure love of Jess Christ.  

Paul had grown in his spiritual journey to discover that:  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  And tough I have the git of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and tough I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  And tough I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."  And then Paul describes the 'seeds' or character traits that someone with charity plants or exemplifies in their life.  He said:  "Charity sufferers long, and is kind; charity envieth not,; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seekers not her own, is not easily provoked, thinkers no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believers all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth.  And nowabideth faith, hope charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 15:1-13

So. . . . if we will do our best to remove envy, boasting and arrogance from our heart and consciously try to plant the seeds of patience, benevolence, tenderness, affection, good will, compassion, kindness, humility, and a disposition of heart which would incline us to think favorably of all mankind and be rejoicing in truth, we'd see more-and-more of the fruit of charity and the pure love of Christ springing forth out of our lives.   

Chapter 5 - Divine Law and "Building a Life with Yield in Mind"  When the foundation of our life is built on Jesus Christ, we will be able to say as Paul: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. "  Philippians 4:13   We would be among those who the Lord spoke when he said "Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock."  Mathew 7:24-25  The alternative is if we were to "hearth these sayings, and doth them not, [we] shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it."  Mathew 7:26-27

Comparable to the instructions that the Lord gave Noah to build the ark, Nephi to build a ship, Moses to build the tabernacle, Nehemiah to build a wall of protection and David to build His Holy Temple, we are likewise given instructions on how we should build our life.  The Lord said to Moses: "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.  Exodus 25:9 

He wants us to build a life wherein His Spirit can dwell.  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."  1 Corinthians 3:16-17  

Our instruction manual is the scriptures but He gave us mo, "he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.and through the prophets and the guidance from His Holy Spirit

Jesus used an example of constructing a tower as a metaphor of how we need to be wise in living a life fully committed to Him and to be His disciples.  "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.  Luke 14, 28-30.   And Jacob said: "O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until you shall obtain eternal life.  O be wise; what can I say more?"  Jacob 6:11-12

May we be "firm and steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!" 1 Nephi 2:10 and may we answer as Nehemiah did to his enemy Sanballat: "I am doing a great work,  I cannot come down" and "cease" my work.  Nehemiah 6:3  Building a life in Christ is a life that will lead us to an hundred fold yield because the soil of our soul will be rich and fertile.  

Chapter 6 - Divine Law and the "Rearview Mirror"  We are equipped with a God given desire to do good and to have an upward reach toward the things of eternal value.  Faith and hope are tied to the future and our strength for the future comes from our faith and hope in Jesus Christ.  

While there is much for us to learn from what we can see in the rearview mirror of our lives, Paul knew of the need we have to be moving forward when he described the full armor of God.  As you will see, the protection of this armor is for the front and moving forward parts of our body.  There is no retreat or returning to our past.  He wrote:  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery dats of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."  Ephesians 6:10-18  

And having the protection of the armor of God, "Wherefore, [then] ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men." 2 Nephi 31:20

Chapter 7 - Divine Law to Guide Us Through "The Storms of Life"

It can be difficult to find comfort when we are in the midst of a personal storm in our life.  At times, it can seem that our prayers are not heard and that relief is not coming.  There is no doubt that storms will come and when they do, we must find the strength to plant in these times as well. We will need to continue to plant our faith in Jesus and we must also plant patience in His timing.  While we weather the storm, we can find peace as we plant Gospel study.  We may have to plant forgiveness to others and ourself.  Gratitude and service to others can help us find the fruit of peace as well.  

We can be assured that He will say; “Peace be still” when it is time and we can “know thou my son [or daughter] that all these things  shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”  While we weather the storm it is time to plant Gospel study.  We may have to plant forgiveness to others and ourself.  Gratitude and service to others can help us find the fruit of peace.  , to  and in the planting, the fruit of peace will come. 

No one knows the storms of life better than Jesus.  We are never alone and always have Him to turn to for comfort and peace.

Over the centuries, words, people have tried to describe who Jesus is and to use words that honor His majesty.  We look for words that can describe how we admire Him, how we adore who He is to us personally and how we see Him.  For example, if I were a baker, I might use words familiar to me and say that He is the Bread of Life.  If I were an electrician, I may refer to Him as The Light of the World.  An educator might fondly refer to Him as the Master Teacher.  A doctor might refer to Him as the Great Physician of Our Soul.  An attorney could use words that refer to Him as our Mediator and Advocate with the Father.  The Good Shepard or the Lamb of God might be how a rancher would respectfully refer to Him while a farmer might call Him the Sower of All Righteousness.  A mason could describe Jesus as the Cornerstone of Our Lives while a builder would describe Him as the Architect of our Salvation.  And, for a writer, the words coming from pen to paper could describe Him as the Author and Finisher of Salvation.

Maybe we can learn how to incorporate His attributes into our own character.  Hopefully we will come to know and recognize the peace and comfort His Spirit makes possible.  

Whatever words we choose to describe Jesus, they all fall short of who He is, what He has accomplished and what He continues to do in each of our lives.  He is our Divine Redeemer and He lovingly invites us to “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."