Live
according to the Words of the Prophets
To be in harmony with heaven’s divine purposes, we sustain the prophet and choose to live according to his words.
Our Father in Heaven loves all of His children and desires that
they know and understand His plan of happiness. Therefore, He calls prophets,
those who have been ordained with power and authority to act in God’s name for
the salvation of His children. They are messengers of righteousness, witnesses
of Jesus Christ and
the infinite power of His Atonement. They hold the keys of the kingdom of God
on earth and authorize the performance of saving ordinances.
In the Lord’s true Church, “there is never
but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this
priesthood are conferred.”1 We sustain President Thomas S.
Monson as our prophet, seer, and revelator. He reveals the word of the Lord
to guide and direct our entire Church. As
President J. Reuben Clark Jr. explained, “The President of the Church
… alone has the right to receive revelations for the Church.”2
Concerning the living prophet, the Lord
commands the people of His Church:
“Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto
you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
“For his word ye shall receive, as if from
mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
“For by doing these things the gates of
hell shall not prevail against you.”3
To be in harmony with heaven’s divine
purposes, we sustain the prophet and choose to live according to his words.
We also sustain President Monson’s
counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and
revelators. “They have the right, the power, and authority to declare the mind
and will of [the Lord] … , subject to … the President of the Church.”4 They speak in the name of Christ. They
prophesy in the name of Christ. They do all things in the name of Jesus Christ.
In their words we hear the voice of the Lord and we feel the Savior’s love.
“And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be
scripture … and the power of God unto salvation.”5 The Lord Himself has spoken: “Whether
by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”6
We are grateful for a church “built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner stone.”7 The Lord’s house is a house of order,
and we need never be deceived about where to look for answers to our questions
or uncertain about which voice to follow. We need not be “tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”8 God reveals His word through His
ordained servants, “for the perfecting of the saints, for 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.”9 When we choose to live according to
the words of the prophets, we are on the covenant path that leads to eternal
perfection.
From a single mother struggling to survive
a season of famine, we learn what it means to sustain a prophet. The Lord
instructed the prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath, where he would find a widow
woman whom God had commanded to sustain him. As Elijah approached the city, he
saw her gathering sticks. He called to her, “Fetch me, I pray thee, a little
water in a vessel, that I may drink.”10
“And as she was going to fetch it, he
called to her [again], and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in
thine hand.
“And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth,
I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a
cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it
for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Elijah responded, “Fear not; go and do as
thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first,
and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.”11
Imagine for a moment the difficulty of what
the prophet was asking a starving mother to do. Certainly, God Himself could
have provided food for His faithful servant. But, acting in the name of the
Lord, Elijah did as directed, which was to ask a beloved daughter of God to
sacrifice that which she had in order to sustain the prophet.
But Elijah also promised a blessing for
obedience: “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail.”12 The Lord gave the widow the
opportunity to choose to believe and obey the words of the prophet.
In a world threatened by a famine of
righteousness and spiritual starvation, we have been commanded to sustain the
prophet. As we give heed to, uphold, and affirm prophetic word, we witness that
we have the faith to humbly submit to the will, the wisdom, and the timing of the Lord.
We heed prophetic word even when it may
seem unreasonable, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. According to the world’s
standards, following the prophet may be unpopular, politically incorrect, or
socially unacceptable. But following the prophet is always right. “For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts.”13 “Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”14
The Lord honors and favors those who will
heed prophetic direction. For the widow of Zarephath, obedience to Elijah saved
her life and ultimately the life of her son. As the prophet had promised, “she,
and he, and her house, did eat many days … according to the word of the Lord,
which he spake by Elijah.”15
The Lord “will feed those who trust Him.”16 The words of the prophets are like
manna to our souls. When we partake, we are blessed, protected, and preserved
both temporally and spiritually. When we feast upon their words, we learn how
to come unto Christ and live.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that
through the prophets “the Lord reveals the truths of salvation, … the salvation
that is in Christ; and he charts … the course leading to eternal life. … In
every age the Lord gives his people the direction they need at the moment of
their peril and danger. And surely in the days ahead there will be times when
nothing but the wisdom of God, descending from heaven and flowing forth from
prophetic lips, will be able to save his people.”17
For me, the words of prophets taught by my
Laurel teacher gave me a vision of what a covenant marriage relationship should
look like. The words of the prophets gave me the faith and hope that I could
prepare for and obtain a happy home. Consistently studying the teachings of the
prophets, both ancient and modern, sustained me during the strenuous and often
exhausting years of bearing, teaching, and nurturing seven children. The words
of the prophets in the scriptures and taught from this pulpit are words of
comfort, love, strength, and good cheer that embrace us all.
When we heed the words of the prophets, we
build our homes and our lives upon an eternally sure foundation, “the rock of
our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, … that when the devil shall send
forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his
hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you
to drag you down to … misery and endless wo.”18
We have a choice. We may choose to ignore,
trifle with, trample upon, or rebel against the words of Christ spoken by His
ordained servants. But the Savior taught that those who do so will be cut off
from His covenant people.19
As we prayerfully read and study sacred
prophetic word with faith in Christ, with real intent, the Holy Ghost will
speak truth to our minds and hearts. May we open our ears to hear, our hearts
to understand, and our minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to our
view.20
I bear my witness that Joseph Smith was and is
the prophet called of God to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ and His
priesthood to the earth. And I testify that in President Monson we are led by a
true prophet of God today. May we choose to stand with the prophets and live
according to their words until we become unified in faith, purified in Christ,
and filled with the knowledge of the Son of God. In the sacred name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
“Eternally to
Sustain”
cji
11/01/14
One sustains by doing
accepting correct principles
applying them in all
things
knowing what is
good/true
thus knowing it’s
from God
while sustain all the
Prophets
is to sustain Father
and Son
living a life worthy
to do so
wavering not staying
the course
enduring to the end
in this life
accepting correct
principles
doing well then our
part!
Copyright © 2014 –
cji
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