On the trip down it was raining and we began talking about the dangers of flash floods, particularly in the slot canyons. It was then that I realized I had absolutely no idea what to do in case of a flash flood. (If you don’t know what to do either, you can find out more here).

But what struck me was that although I knew WHY I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a flash flood (duh!) I had no idea HOW to handle the situation if I was ever in it. It reminded me of this quote from Elder Russell M. Nelson:

“Once we … understand the importance and meaning of a commandment, we need to learn how to do it.”

There are so many important things to learn HOW to do. And they aren’t always obvious. How can I recognize and develop spiritual gifts? How can I have more meaningful prayers? How can I know when the Spirit is speaking to me? How can I get more from my scripture study?

There are real skills that we can acquire that can make it easier to live gospel principles. Anthony and I collect over 100 questions that relate to HOW to live the gospel and put them together in our book HOW?

You can download tons of information from the book, or get a copy. It’s 50% off this month! We hope that it will help you in your efforts to learn HOW to live the gospel.

At a Ward Conference in Redmond, Washington last week the Bishop centered his talk on the pamphlet, For the Strength of Youth.

He said that he had read through the pamphlet looking for specific things it says to DO and NOT to do. By his count there were 91 things we should DO and 38 things we should NOT do. He challenged everyone there to read the booklet every month.

After the Sacrament Meeting the ward provided a copy of For the Strength of Youth to each family. I got a copy and read through it that day. Although I’ve read the booklet many times, I was amazed as I highlighted specific phrases that told us things to DO or NOT do.

So many questions are answered by this powerful little booklet! Many of the questions that we are asked as seminary teachers and on this website have answers in For the Strength of Youth. For example, one email question that came in this week was, “Why should I do chores?”

Thanks for a great question. For the Strength of Youth says:

“Honor your parents by showing love and respect for them and by being obedient. Be willing to help in the home with chores that need to be done.”

(For more on why we should honor our parents see:
http://ldswhy.com/qa/category/family/)

We suggest that you read For the Strength of Youth this month…and probably every month would be good too!

Ever noticed that sometimes is seems harder to do what is right and easier to do what is wrong? There is a popular breakdown of this fact called “Bad is Easy, Good is Hard” (author unknown; various versions are on the web) that sums up the point well:

Bad is Easy, Good is Hard.

Losing is easy. Winning is hard.
Talking is easy. Listening is hard.
Watching TV is easy. Reading is hard.
Giving advice is easy. Taking advice is hard.
Flab is easy. Muscle is hard.
Stop is easy. Go is hard.
Dirty is easy. Clean is hard.
Take is easy. Give is hard.
Dream is easy. Think is hard.
Lying is easy. Truth is hard.
Sleeping is easy. Waking is hard.
Holding a grudge is easy. Forgiving is hard.
Telling a secret is easy. Keeping a secret is hard.
Play is easy. Work is hard.
Falling is easy. Getting up is hard.
Spending is easy. Saving is hard.
Eating is easy. Dieting is hard.
Doubt is easy. Faith is hard.
Criticizing is easy. Taking criticism is hard.
Secrecy is easy. Confession is hard.
Pride is easy. Humility is hard.
Excusing oneself is easy. Excusing others is hard
Borrowing is easy. Paying back is hard.
Immorality is easy. Chastity is hard.
Argument is easy. Negotiation is hard.
Going along is easy. Walking alone is hard.
Dumb is easy. Smart is hard.
Cowardice is easy. Bravery is hard.
Messy is easy. Neat is hard.
War is easy. Peace is hard.
Sarcasm is easy. Sincerity is hard.
An F is easy. An A is hard.
Growing weeds is easy. Growing flowers is hard.
Can’t do is easy. Can do is hard.
Feasting is easy. Fasting is hard.
Talking about God is easy. Following God is hard.

Getting the Flu is Easy. Preventing it is Hard.

One of the many reasons why some people give up on the gospel is because it is hard. After Jesus gave his wondrous “bread of life” discourse the scriptures record: “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard [this], said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? … From that [time] many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:60, 66).

The irony of all of this, is that although it is harder to follow the gospel than to not follow it, it is easier—much easier—in the long run. Yes, it is hard to save your money, but is makes life easier in the long run. Yes, it is difficult to study hard and get good grades, but it makes life easier in the long run. Yes, it is hard to be honest, but it makes life easier. Perhaps this is why Jesus said, “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: 29-30). Conversely, sin is easy—very easy. Who can’t do it? We could all be pro’s if we wanted to. Cheating on tests or assignments is easy, but overcoming the effects of a lifetime without much knowledge is hard. Being immoral is easy, but it makes life so much more difficult over time. Viewing pornography is easy, but overcoming its destructive effects and kicking its addiction makes life hard.

Up front, sin is easy. Righteousness is hard.

However in the long run…

Sin makes life harder. Righteousness makes life easier.

Like “Don’t swear” or “Don’t listen to bad music.” But in addition to avoiding the bad, good habits are important to develop also. Why?

Let’s look at tooth decay to illustrate.

Yikes! Tooth decay isn’t pretty. How does one prevent it? Normally by brushing and flossing regularly. But what happens if one slips out of the habit of  brushing and flossing? The tooth decay grows and over time becomes progressively worse. Simple good habits like brushing and flossing help prevent tooth decay.

Similarly, simple good habits like sincere prayer and scripture study help prevent spiritual tooth decay.

Chief Captain Moroni understood this principle. In Alma 59:9 we read, “(Book of Mormon | Alma 59:9)

And now as Moroni had supposed that there should be men sent to the city of Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city.”

What’s happening here? Moroni’s men had worked hard to capture a city, but rather than maintain the city, they lost it. Now they would have to recapture it. The point is, it would have been much easier just to maintain the city than to have to recapture it.

Good habits help us to maintain our spirituality rather than losing ground and trying to retake it. In addition, it’s much easier to maintain good habits, than to fall out of those habits and try to regain them again.

Is there a good habit you or I could be strengthening?

Although it might seem surprising, you are actually 300 times more likely to be killed by a deer (by crashing into it with your car) than you are by a shark (see Made to Stick, 149).

Sometimes we think that it’s “big” sins like doing drugs that are going to get us in trouble while “little sins” maybe aren’t such a big deal.

The prophet Nephi foretold of this trap when he said, “And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark” (2 Nephi 28:8-9).

When Amalickiah wanted to kill Lehonti, he didn’t do it quickly, all at once. Rather “he caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died” (Alma 47:18). Similarly Satan tempts us by degrees. He will tempt us to do “little” sins that don’t really seem to matter — over time poisoning us by degrees.

In reality there are no “little” sins. Fortunately, the Savior’s atonement will help us overcome the effects of sin–large or small. But let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that we can commit “just a little sin.”

The answer to this question is simple: Yes. Being a good person is good enough. It is good enough to keep us out of the Telestial kingdom (the bottom) and earn us a spot right in the Terrestrial (middle) kingdom for eternity. The Lord said that those who will inherit the Terrestrial kingdom “are honorable men of the earth” (D&C 76:75). But are we really aiming for the Terrestrial Kingdom? No. And that is the real answer to the question about just being a good person—it isn’t enough. Being a good person is not good enough if we want to make it to the celestial kingdom. Let us explain WHY through some math:

This is the symbol for infinity: ∞

The definition of infinity is that you can’t take away from it, and you can’t add to it. It has no beginning and no end. That is why it is written as a continuous loop.

Now that we’ve defined infinity, let us test your math skills:

∞ + 30=

If you said “infinity-thirty”, you’re wrong. You can’t add to infinity. The answer is simply infinity. What is:

∞ + 600=

Good…you’re catching on. The answer is still infinity. You can’t take add to or take away from infinity, no matter how large the number. Get it? Now, what does this have to do with the question of just being good but not being a member of the Church? A verse from the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob helps us understand. Jacob describes Jesus’ atonement as an “infinite atonement” in 2 Nephi 9:7. So in the symbolic equation above, the ∞ symbol represents the atonement. Now what does the rest of it mean? What is the number, like the 30? Well, that represents our good works we do here on earth. And whoa! If you are a really good person, you might even be a 600. But guess what? Even a 600 falls short of heaven. Because what do we need to be in order to get into heaven? We need to have a perfect score. We need to have batted 1000. We need to have a 4.0 celestial GPA. The scriptures say that “no unclean thing can dwell with God [in the celestial kingdom]” (1 Nephi 10:21). Paul teaches us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In other words, none of us have a perfect score to make it into heaven on our own. That is why the scriptures say that our “works” will never save us. Only Jesus can save us in the celestial kingdom. And how does that work? Well, this is where the rest of the equation comes in: What does the + mean in the equation? It is symbolic of linking, or joining ourselves to Jesus. The only way we can link ourselves with Jesus is through making covenants with Him and taking His name on us. And how do we take His name on us? Through baptism. When we link ourselves with Jesus through the covenant of baptism, and stay true to that covenant, the equation looks like this:

JESUS’ INFINITE ATONEMENT (∞), PLUS COVENANTS (+), PLUS OUR WORKS (30, 60, or 600), EQUALS (=) PERFECTION THROUGH CHRIST IN THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM.

That is why the scriptures say that only through Christ we can be saved (Mosiah 16:13), and that we must be baptized in order to enter the celestial kingdom (John 3:5). It is the covenant of baptism that qualifies us to be linked with Jesus’ infinite atonement and “be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32).

]]> http://ldswhy.com/qa/why-do-i-have-to-be-a-member-of-the-church-isn%e2%80%99t-being-a-good-person-enough/feed/ 1 http://ldswhy.com/qa/why-do-we-have-to-do-so-much-to-be-able-to-go-into-the-temple/ http://ldswhy.com/qa/why-do-we-have-to-do-so-much-to-be-able-to-go-into-the-temple/#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:47:23 +0000 admin http://ldswhy.com/?p=460

Does the equation below mean anything to you?

If you haven’t had basic math, then algebra, and then trigonometry, then the calculus equation above probably means as much to you as an ancient manuscript written in Greek. In math, we learn line upon line, and move from simple concepts to more advanced concepts as we prove we are ready. To take someone without much math background and throw them into a calculus class simply would be a waste of time, and the learner wouldn’t be ready. The temple of the Lord is not much different. In the temple, we make the most sacred covenants possible to mankind, and receive the promise of the greatest blessings available to God’s children. Before we make those sacred and solemn covenants, God wants to ensure that we are ready to enter into those covenants, and that requires a time of proving and testing. This is generally why a newly baptized member is not allowed to enter the temple for at least one year. This is also why there are so many temple recommend questions that center on our dedication to the gospel: Do we keep the law of chastity and the word of wisdom? Do we pay our tithing? Do we attend our Sunday meetings? In other words, have you proved through your baptismal covenants that you are ready to make and keep more covenants, and receive more blessings? That is why we need to do so much to qualify and prove our worthiness to enter the temple.

Light Automatically Upsets the Dark

This is a great question. Some people do look at our standards and, frankly, don’t want anything to do with us. Sometimes it might be because they have been given wrong information about the Church, or because of prejudice, or other understandable factors. But sometimes, it is simply because of righteousness and wickedness. The Savior gave a great insight as to why this is the case when He said:

21 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

In other words, if people do love truth, and high standards, and virtue, and righteousness, then they will look at LDS standards and be impressed by them and come “to the light”. If they don’t, then as the Savior said, it might be because “their deeds [are] evil” and they don’t want to be “reproved” (or corrected and told to repent). Hopefully, as Latter-day Saints, we can live high standards and be a “light of the world” (see Matthew 5:14-16) to those who do love the truth, and love the high standards that come with it.

The commandments aren’t like these signs–they have a purpose. Most of us have commandments that are more difficult to keep than others. For some, it is the Word of Wisdom, for others, the law of chastity, or pride. Even the apostle Paul said he had a “thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Corinthians 12:7). One of the keys to obedience is how we view the commandments. Do we view them as laws that help make us free (John 8:32) and happy, or as irritating restrictions? President Ezra Taft Benson taught a key to gaining power over temptation: “ When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power” (quoted in Ensign, May 1998, 82). Another key is to fill your life as much as possible with things that invite the Spirit of God. Remember what King Benjamin’s people said:

“And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2).

Obedience is a skill. The more we practice it the easier it becomes. This is because each time we obey we are blessed with an increased amount of the Spirit of the Lord which strengthens us to withstand temptation. As you read these next verses keep in mind that the word “light” in the scriptures can be a synonym for the Spirit of Jesus Christ (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:45).

“He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things (Doctrine and Covenants 93:28).

So we can invite the Light of Christ into our life by living the commandments. Now notice what happens when we receive light:

“[He] that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24).

In other words, when we gain light, and continue to do what is right we will receive more light—and that light continues to grow brighter. One of the great things about receiving light is that it makes us less likely to want to do bad because “Light and truth forsake that evil one” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:37). So the more we obey, the easier it is to be obedient, and be more like our Savior.