The language of the scriptures is powerful and can arouse the faculties of our souls if we have ears to hear.
The Lord explaining this said:
Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore, give heed unto my word. D&C 12:2
Using the language of the scriptures—following are three kinds of communication the Lord extends to His children: 1) An invitation to follow Him, 2) A warning to those who are falling from grace, and 3) Encouragement to those who are steadfast.
An Invitation from the Lord
Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price
Come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long
Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father
Whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive
Come unto me and your souls shall live
Come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost
come unto me…and signs shall follow them that believe in my name
Canst thou be humble and meek, and conduct thyself wisely before me? Yea, come unto me thy Savior
Words of Warning from the Lord
Now it is high time to awake out of sleep
Cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance
They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased
For thou hast rejected me many times because of pride and the cares of the world
O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell
And make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof
Arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death
Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you
These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus
Your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late
And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things.
Blessed are Ye
Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven
Blessed are those who come unto me
Blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me
Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen
Blessed are ye because of your faith
Blessed are ye if ye shall keep my commandments
Blessed are ye if ye have no disputations among you
Ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne
For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me
And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father
And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
VERILY, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am
Awesome! Thanks for pointing out these three different types of communication from the Lord – invitation, warning and encouragement. I have found that I need each of them at different times in my life. Sometimes I need to hear them again and again depending on my level of spirituality and obedience.
I especially like the invitations to believe and exercise faith. I have been focusing on that aspect of my life lately – believing. I have been wondering why I was so blessed to believe at at early age and others struggle with belief. Do those who believe bring that as a gift from the spirit world?
Hi Tim,
You asked: Do those who believe bring that as a gift from the spirit world?
Great question. I like what President Harold B Lee said:
There is no truth more plainly taught in the Gospel than that our condition in the next world will depend upon the kind of lives we live here…Is it not just as reasonable to suppose that the conditions in which we now live have been determined by the kind of lives we lived in the pre-existent world of spirits? (Decisions for Successful Living, pp. 164-65) TLDP:497
As you stated, it is a wonder why some are blessed to believe at an early age and others struggle. I’m grateful beyond words for my testimony, however, I am also aware that where much is given much is required (D&C 82:3). This is a concern to me and I hope and pray I can and will do many things to increase faith among the saints. I’m not trying to be a profitable servant, because that just isn’t possible, but I am anxious to please the Lord and do His bidding when He sees fit to use me.
Thanks for your comments and friendship.
This is a great way to organize the communications we receive from the Lord.
In D&C 10:67-68, the Lord defines His Church as those who accept his invitation and come unto Him, nothing more nothing less. In 3rd Nephi, He defines His gospel as ‘drawing all men unto Him.’ In this process, we repent and come unto Him; we are sanctified by the Holy Ghost and allowed to be in His kingdom. The invitation is simple yet profound.
I have found that his sternest rebuke or warning is reserved for those to replace the ‘works of God’ with the ‘works of men’ In 3rd Nephi 27:10-12, the Lord tells us that those who product the works of men will enjoy their fruits for a season but will then be hewn down. The warning is that we cannot have our own agenda but must do His work.
These is no greater blessing than to have our hearts made pure through the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. The scriptures tell us of the indescribable joy and peace that come from this life changing experience.
The invitation is to come unto Christ and be filled. The warning is to those who harden their hearts and ‘know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil.’(Alma 12:11). The greatest blessing is reserved for those who are defined as his ‘children.’ This is achieved by baptism of water and fire and the covenant to ‘do his will.’ (Mosiah 5:5-7)
Spektator,
Right on–we’re on the same page.