Repentance Means Being Real About Yourself

I am reading about the story of Nephi and his brothers and their differences in being contrite. I am also reading about Lehigh's wife and her feelings of sorrow as she thinks that she has lost her sons because of Lehigh's commandment to them to go back to Jerusalem. She murmured. After the return of their sons, the wife of Lehi repented of her murmurings. Being angry is not being humble. It is not being repentant.

I believe that God has commanded us to repent. He wants us to be awake. He wants us to be conscious of our being. When he commands us to repent I believe that he is commanding us to be aware of our Celts. I believe that he desires that we own ourselves completely. We own both the choices we make of righteousness and the choices we make of sin. Having a broken heart and contrite spirit is, I believe, the epitome of what God desires of us when he commands us to repent.

When God pointed out the Pharisees in his time he was quick to distinguish the righteousness the Pharisees from the righteousness of heaven. He pointed out that the reward of the Pharisee was the feeling of being perceived as a good or righteous. Truly being righteous was not a priority of the Pharisees. Being perceived as righteous was the priority. A person who prefers being seen as righteous does not know God, fears man or flesh, and is not perfect.

God tires of worship that is not real. In the Old Testament he mentions about the fact that he was filled with the offerings of sin and the burnt offerings that were being given by the people of Israel. The spirit of the people of Israel is what God was feeling. God perceived that the spirit of the people was not in the right place. They were going to the actions of performing the sacrifice their hearts were not in it.

I wonder to what extent these issues apply to us today. How many of us are mean like the people of Israel performing sacrifices instead of bringing a broken heart and contrite spirit with us in our life. I wonder how many of us are Pharisees who seek out the honors of men. I have gone to leave that these people are here with us now. And I have got to believe that I am guilty of similar ways and being. So if I live in denial that I truly am not repentant and I really do not bring a broken heart and contrite spirit. And if I care to be thought well of Barb to be perceived as righteous by others, my intent his vein, and I do not belong to God.

Praying in behalf of his People

I am inspired by the love that Lehi feels for his people. What love does one have for another when he or she prays in behalf of them? Being concerned for their welfare. Caring for their spiritual being and their conduct.

I feel this for my family, and I feel this for my neighbors in general. I really love seeing the love that is exhibited in one person for another group of people. I imagine someone kneeling there and earnestly praying. Having charity is what is being manifested I believe. The pure love of Christ.

I am reminded of references in the Scriptures that indicate that teachers and representatives of God who are to teach the principles of the gospel carry the responsibility of and accountability of the sins of their people. There is a balance of knowledge and ignorance of sin. But sin is knowing to do well and doing it not. So the people who sin are live in sin know to do well. So what is the reason for the accountability of the teacher?

If the people already know that they are sending the narrowly know what is right and wrong. So what is the role of the accountable teacher? Him that the acknowledgment of one individual of the sin in another has some value. In this case it is the acknowledgment of one individual the prophet of the sin of another individual or individuals. I am reminded of the references to ridding oneself of the blood of the sins of people.this accountability is met with declaring the sins of the people acknowledging them and then declaring repentance which is alignment with what is right.

This alignment is offered by Jesus through his atonement. The imbalance in the universe that is caused by our sin is compensated for by his atonement.

I wonder who I am the teacher of. I wonder if I am the teacher of anyone whose blood of their sins are on my garments. I know that the blood of my sins are on my garments but is there blood on my garments of the sins of others?

Do I "choose in" to this accountability for the spiritual welfare of others? Or is this accountability given to me by God? In any case I know that I must be prepared now for either of these choices to be made either mine or God's.

Was Laban the High Priest?

I have often thought that Laban whom Nephi killed was a political figure, but I have recently wondered if he was actually a church figure - possibly the High Priest.

Some of the reasons I suspect this is. He was responsible for the church records (Brass Plates). There is a reference to the "brethren of the Church" and the "elders of the Jews" with whom he met.

I wonder if he knew Lehi, and I wonder if he was one of those who had sought to kill Lehi when Lehi prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem.

If he was the High Priest, then he would have been similar to those who sought to kill Jesus some 600 years later.

Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God

http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/bofm-title?lang=eng

Notice that Moroni, the author of the title page to the Book of Mormon refers to Jesus Christ as the Eternal God. I prefer this over the popular reference of Jesus Christ as the eldest spiritual brother. I actually refute those references because they override God's (Jesus Christ's) role as the father of all our brothers and sisters who are spiritually begotten (born again) to Jesus who becomes our spiritual father. Jesus is, therefore, actually my spirit father...not my spirit brother.

Glory of God is Intelligence which is Light and Truth

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/93/43-44#43
THEDOCTRINE AND COVENANTSOF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
SECTION 93
36 The aglory of God is bintelligence, or, in other words, clight and truth.

37 Light and truth forsake that aevil one.

38 Every aspirit of man was binnocent in the beginning; and God having credeemed man from the dfall, men became again, in their infant state, einnocent before God.

39 And that awicked one cometh and btaketh away light and truth, through cdisobedience, from the children of men, and because of the dtradition of their fathers.

40 But I have commanded you to bring up your achildren in blight and truth.

41 But verily I say unto you, my servant Frederick G. Williams, you have continued under this condemnation;

42 You have not ataught your children light and truth, according to the commandments; and that wicked one hath power, as yet, over you, and this is the cause of your baffliction.

43 And now a commandment I give unto you—if you will be delivered you shall set in aorder your own house, for there are many things that are not right in your house.

44 Verily, I say unto my servant Sidney Rigdon, that in some things he hath not kept the commandments concerning his children; therefore, first set in order thy house.

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Having an eye single to the glory of God means that if the glory of God is intelligence and light and truth, then I must be committed to intelligence, to light and truth, and to teaching that to my children. It is obvious that the Lord holds the father responsible for the teaching of light and truth to the children. How I will do this is by studying the scriptures every evening with them and praying and fasting with them. They only have me, and God only has me.

Ask, Knock and Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God

THEDOCTRINE AND COVENANTSOF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
SECTION 88
62 And again, verily I say unto you, my afriends, I leave these bsayings with you to cponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall dcall upon me while I am near—

63 aDraw bnear unto me and I will draw near unto you; cseek me diligently and ye shall dfind me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

64 Whatsoever ye aask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is bexpedient for you;

65 And if ye ask anything that is not aexpedient for you, it shall turn unto your bcondemnation.

66 Behold, that which you hear is as the avoice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is bSpirit; my Spirit is truth; ctruth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.

67 And if your eye be asingle to my bglory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light ccomprehendeth all things.

68 Therefore, asanctify yourselves that your bminds become csingle to God, and the days will come that you shall dsee him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.

My Comments:
Having an eye single to His glory will cause that my whole body shall be filled with light... having no darkness in me. This will also enable me to See Him which is my only goal in this life. Obtaining the gift of Charity is next to that.

Isn't that interesting that the God of this earth would want for me to have an eye single to His glory? The "world" (Dr. Wayne D. Dwyer for example) would NOT teach that about the God of the universe. The world would not teach that this God would COMMAND his children to LOVE HIM... and yet He does command them to love Him. He does command them to have an eye SINGLE TO HIS GLORY.

What does it mean to have an eye single to His glory? To have no other ambition but to glorify God.

D&C 4: 5

5 And afaith, bhope, ccharity and dlove, with an eeye single to the fglory of God, gqualify him for the work.

This is the qualifier for ALL actions to make them acceptable to God... to have God's approval. If all I do every day is done with an eye single to the glory of God, what might happen differently? If I create a home "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I raise my children "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I act as husband "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I build a business "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I work in my service roles "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I work at my job "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I interact with my children "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I do my job at work "with an eye single to the glory of God"... If I gained knowledge "with an eye single to the glory of God"...If I interpret my burdens "with an eye single to the glory of God"... HOW WOULD MY LIFE BE DIFFERENT THEN?

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/45

THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
SECTION 45
26 And in athat day shall be heard of bwars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall cfail them, and they shall say that Christ ddelayeth his coming until the end of the earth.

27 And the alove of men shall wax cold, and biniquity shall abound.

28 And when the times of the aGentiles is come in, a blight shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my cgospel;

29 But they areceive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their bhearts from me because of the cprecepts of men.

30 And in that generation shall the atimes of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

My comments:
We are in the "times of the Gentiles." Jesus reestablished His Gospel in this, the fullness of times. Joseph Smith has received the revelations from Jesus and from the other messengers sent from His presence to restore the truth and the authority to the earth. How do I know? How can you know? Only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit's purpose to testify of truth and to testify of the Son. By prayer, pondering, faith and fasting, one can come to know of the truthfulness of all things.