Satan would like to have us believe that the Lord’s ways are
complex. That exalted
understanding or lofty abilities are required in order to follow after
Him. He seeks to disorganize our
vision so that as we look at the pathway which leads to home, it appears as
though it is a difficult and unachievable summit. He designs this corrupted perception that insecurities may
take hold of our hearts, and fear of being insufficient may encourage us to
flee. However, the truth of it all
is that the Savior’s ways and His gospel are plain. His words are not weaved with obscure messages that only a
chosen few can correctly interpret.
They are released with a simple order, outlined without intricacies, and
have exclusions to none. The Lord and
His prophets speak plainly that we may know how to satisfy our expectations,
and that we may fulfill the very measure of our creation.
It is true that parables and poetic expressions are utilized
throughout the scriptures, and quite frequently are given by the Savior Himself,
but they are not presented to produce perplexity. Commonly these forms of expression are employed to veil the
depth of the message to those who are spiritually unprepared. Contemplation and sincere reflection
will be essential, but as we align ourselves with the Spirit, and supply an
environment, both internally and externally, where He can exist, we find that
what we originally perceived to be mystifying becomes clearly manifest and
easily understood.
Additionally, our tender Heavenly Father and beloved Savior,
Jesus Christ do not display exclusivity.
They do not only seek after those with an expanded intellectual capacity
or an extended scripture mastery.
They do not search after only the supreme, nor secretly desire an elect
collection of individuals who have a heightened comprehension to the ways of
the gospel, or who have the ability to majestically interpret or expound. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are
astoundingly inclusive, and truly desire each
child to share in receiving all
that the Father hath. Satan and
his ways are the ones which are always exclusionary. He craves to leave others behind, and intensely labors to
have us feel ostracized. Indeed,
he is the original exclusionist.
When we begin to truly understand and gain testimony of the
ways of the Lord, we may find ourselves amazed at their simplicity. We may be astonished that so much is
given from our Father and Savior, and comparatively, little is required. We may doubt that such mercy could be
delivered upon a sinner such as ourselves, or that holding firmly to the
straight and narrow path is complied of uncomplicated and intelligible
steps. We may be entirely startled
when Satan’s deceptive confusion relating to the complexity of the Divine,
begins to melt away, as we recognize the truth of the Lord’s plainness. Truly, our hearts will swell with the
fiercest version of love when we discover the clarity that exists within the
gospel, recognizing that it is His most honest demonstration of how dearly He
wants us back home.
Evidence of His Plainness
A perfect example of such simpleness exists in the story of
Moses and the serpent of brass.
During a moment of unfaithfulness among the children of Israel, as they
moved towards the promised land, the Lord sent fiery serpents as a consequence
of their murmuring and disbelief.
As those they and their loved ones began to perish and wither from the
venomous attacks of these snakes, the Israelites quickly recognized the errors
of their ways and turned to their leader, Moses, to plead with the Lord for
deliverance. The Lord’s response
is a evidence of the plainness of His works, yet the cruciality of existing
with a heart full of faith. The
Lord directed Moses to create a brass serpent, then to perch it upon a tall
pole. He declared that if the
affected would look upon the brass serpent they would be healed. The Lord’s cure was not twisted with a
hidden agenda or entangled with concealed requirements. His curative ways were not burdensome
nor complex. The merciful Lord simply
requested that His wounded children look upon the serpent made of brass, with a
believing heart, to be restored, to be saved.
We know the resolution of this story. Some believed and followed the
instruction given by Moses, which was delivered by the power of the Lord, yet
many, because of the simplicity of its
ways, turned away. They did
not allow their eyes to glance upon the serpent. They did not accept the simple request, nor did they follow
the divinely manifest pathway which led to rehabilitation. Their faith lacked the ability to
believe in the clear and straightforward ways of the Lord and the result of
such defiance was severe. Their
bodies, as well as those they so cherished, were delivered to the dust of the
earth.
We may look upon this story and ponder, How could they deny such a miracle? Why would they not partake of such forgiveness for their sin
of grumbling against the Lord, and not have joy in such mercy? However, we can liken this story so
clearly to a specific opportunity of compassion which is offered to us
today. One that if accepted brings
about remission of sin, healing, strength, and hope. The gift I speak of is that of the Atonement.
Our Extended Mercy
The Atonement has been, and will forever be, a major focus of
study and wonder for me. My mortal
mind and limited comprehension cannot fathom the majesty of this blessing. To understand that the only One who
never sinned, who never made error, who never spoke guile, who never
surrendered to temptation, who never sought His own will but instead desired
the Father’s, whose heart never welcomed malice, jealousy, lust, or evil, was
the One who willingly and voluntarily suffered an agony so extreme
it cannot even be described as pain, for its torment far exceeded anything that
encompasses pain’s definition. He
existed and endured through every
sadness, heartache, torture, distress, misery, despair, and was more than just
familiar with the deepest throbbing of the body, mind, soul, and heart. Our perfected brother, flawless in
every way, accepted and sought after,
such an experience that we may be freed from the sins which mark us. His love for us was so boundless and so
overwhelming, that He chose to suffer
such a fate that we may be cleansed, that we may be free.
As we think upon this incredible blessing, we may consider on
the price. In a temporal setting
where payment matches the reward, we may prepare ourselves for a powerfully
heavy fee, one that is filled with unfathomable requirements. We may fear that in order to be worthy of
the blessing of being cleansed from the immorality and wickedness in which we
have entertained, that we, too, must pay the price, which most certainly would
be filled to the utmost brim with complexities and unbearable necessities. After all, it is only just. However, reflect on the magnificence
and the unbelievable simplicity of gaining this reward. We
will not be required to atone for these errors and sins which have clouded
our divinity. We will not be asked to carry the burdens because the Lord has already accepted and carried them for us. We
will not be requested to endure anything that will parallel with His torment. No. All that He asks is that we accept Him as our Savior, that
we follow His commandments, and that we have faith in His words, timetables,
and ways. It is clear. It is plain. It is crowded with simplicity.
These are only two outstanding examples, there are a multitude
which live and breathe within the pages of our scriptures. Find them. Gain testimony of them. And most of all, liken them.
Looking Beyond the Mark
So, if we understand that our Father works in simple ways, and
that the gospel of Christ is plain, why then does it appear convoluted to the
eyes of the world? The answer lies
with Satan, it always exists with the master of deceit. It becomes complicated when we allow
Satan to rearrange our perspective.
When he becomes our ruler, which is anytime
we are not following after the Savior, he emerges into our lives with
redefinitions and alterations of every kind. He perverts the simpleness by enhancing the natural man,
enticing with practices of slothfulness and temporal leisure. Here we allow his darkening confusion
to cloud our personal revelations, and we find that what we once knew to be
straightforward and clear, has become disturbed and seems to appear
skewed. He is the author of chaos,
so when we see through the spectacles which he has constructed for us,
everything seems disorganized, and righteousness gives the impression of being
an unobtainable and undesirable attainment. It is interesting that perhaps, at times, we find ease in
jumbled perspectives created by the devil, instead of the order which is
created by the plainness of the true Master.
Would I be terribly off target to suggest that perhaps we
ourselves become apprentices of Satan, seeking, whether we are conscious of it
or not, to obscure and add complexity to gospel truths? Probably our first response would be, Never!
Why would we do such a thing?
However, have we ever found that we, much like the ancient Israelites,
have not accepted the simple, basic truths of the gospel? Perhaps, we feel that more is required,
and quickly disregard clarity which has been divinely delivered. Maybe we seek after compounded and
intricate understandings, or necessitate glorious revelations and
manifestations, or possibly, we desire heightened comprehension to stand as a
symbol of worthiness to the world.
Have we ever found ourselves here?
I know I have. When we
recognize where we are surviving, we must immediately understand that in these
moments we have sided with the lines of evil and are encouraging the corruption
of something which is celestially simple.
Eternally perfect.
Perhaps, our ancient prophet Jacob, who assisted in compiling
only the most precious portions of truth in the Book of Mormon for us today, feared that we may become
blinded by such things. As an
example of what such behaviors can lead to he shared this example of the early Jews:
But behold, the Jews
were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed
the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which
blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God
hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things
which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath
done it, that they may stumble. Jacob
4:14
Many of the Jews, including a shocking number of the Jewish
leaders whom declared to be masters of the scriptures and their meanings,
became imperceptive and insensitive to the simple, basic principles of truth
because they sought after something more.
Their fascination with
complexities and intricacies bounded them with Satan. The terrifying outcome of such a corrupted desire: they
could not recognize Christ for who He was when He arrived. Instead of being their Messiah, their
Redeemer, He became their stumbling block.
I adore this explanation of this scripture given by Dean L.
Larsen:
[The Jews] in ancient
times got themselves into great difficulty because they placed themselves in
serious jeopardy in spiritual things because they were unwilling to accept
simple, basic principles of truth.
They entertained and intrigued themselves with things they could not
understand. They were apparently
afflicted with a pseudosophistication and a snobbishness that gave them a false
sense of superiority over those who came among them with the Lord’s words of
plainness. They went beyond the
mark of wisdom and prudence, and obviously failed to stay within the circle
of fundamental gospel truths, which provide a basis for faith. They must have reveled in speculative
and theoretical matters that obscured for them the fundamental spiritual
truths. As they became infatuated
by these things that they could not understand, their comprehension of and
faith in the redeeming role of a true Messiah was lost, and the purpose of life
became confused.
Do We Receive, Realize, and Accept?
Contemplating these things, we must assess ourselves,
identifying if we have become captive to Satan’s snares. Has he pulled us away from Christ,
seeking that we look beyond Him, the mark of all goodness, of all greatness, of
all glory? These are thoughts that came to my mind as I reflected:
Do I receive the Savior and the Father, and without
reluctance, accept Their methods?
Do I recognize the importance of following every command, no matter how
simplistic, having faith that it is what will be my saving grace?
Do I realize and embrace the plainness of the gospel, or do I seek after doctrine that is built upon enigmatic philosophies and abstract
teachings in order to prove its accuracy?
Do I receive and abide by Christ’s pure and clear ways, or
am I searching for a religion that praises exclusivity based on elevated and selective behaviors?
Am I conscious of the significance of my callings, and work
to magnify them every whit, or do I find myself constantly craving an
assignment which, in my eyes, holds a heightened role in the Lord’s work?
Do I seek for answers to my prayers that produce miraculous
circumstances, yearning for experiences that coincide with astounding events
recorded in scripture, while disregarding the personally customized marvels
that come to me with a quieter, but no less significant, delivery?
Am I looking past Jesus Christ, my Savior, and focusing on
a self-constructed God or self-assembled religion, which lacks the One which has
been given to stand as my bedrock?
Am I loosing faith in the redeeming role of my Messiah?
The gospel of Christ is plain. The gospel of Christ is pure. The gospel of Christ is uncomplicated. The gospel of Christ is perfect. It does not need to be modified,
revised, adjusted. It does not
need to be adapted to better meet the standards of the world, nor does it
change to honor what the world deems is right or wrong. Following after the Father and the
Savior is not as difficult as Satan would have us believe. They love us. They adore us.
They cherish us. They want us home. They are merciful and devoted in being
a constant part of our missions here on this earth. Their ways will bring us joy beyond expression, release from
sorrows, anxieties and fears.
Their ways will bring temporal blessings, and will keep in store for us,
celestial blessings which will attend us in the eternities. These blessings are so divine and
glorious that our hearts simply cannot grasp them at this given moment of time. Truly, they are beyond anything a telestial
world has seen, heard, or witnessed.
Exertion Does Not Denote Complexity
I cannot end this testimony without recognizing that although
full of divine simplicity, following after the Lord will require labor. This is a wonderful thing, and should never be viewed as burdensome. For through our endeavors, and the
endurance of trials we are better aligned with our Heavenly Father and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Sustaining through
this mortal experience is essential in becoming as They are, which is our
ultimate objective. When we study
and learn what is required to be a disciple of Christ, Satan will immediately
throw red flags as though to scream, I
told you-COMPLICATED! Don’t
believe him, he simply despises his inability to navigate the mortal journey to
receive the divine blessings of exaltation.
We cannot, and should not, correlate the necessity of exertion
with complexity. Although Christ’s
words and ways are simple, it does not mean that we will not need to place
forward effort in order to gain a full and complete understanding. For persistent energies will be
essential. In a world which seems
to entertain lackadaisical habits, we may mistakenly label anything that
necessitates labor as complicated.
We would be wise to recall that this is a temporal definition, created
by the master of diversion, not a celestial one explained by our very
Creator. Requiring work in order
to fully comprehend or comply to the workings of the Lord, does not elucidate
that His ways are convoluted, tangled, or burdensome to follow.
The Majesty of Simplicity
Lastly, and most importantly, explaining the Father and
Savior’s words, ways, and commandments as simple, does not suggest that they
lack power, or to imply that they are not profound. For there is nothing that can be released from another
tongue that matches the intensity and exquisite nature of Their words. There is nothing that can equal the
strength of Their hand, nor the grandeur that attends to miracles which leave
the very tips of Their fingers. They
carry a divinity and a celestial competence that is unsurpassed in this earthly
domain, and They reign upon high in the heavens. And this is where the majesty of it all is recognized,
Christ’s words, and His ways, do not need to be adorned with the highest form
of eloquence, nor must they entail esoteric phrases to hold magnificence. They are sublime, beyond measure, in their simplicity. Truly, through small and simple words
do great things come to be known. Through
small and simple acts do great things come to pass. They are entirely glorious, thoroughly wondrous within Their simplicity.
Realize the simplicity of the gospel. Receive the plainness of Christ. Accept the simpleness of His ways. Allow Him to be your steadfast
foundation. The very one which
holds you firm and immovable.
Don’t ever cause Him to become the stone which you stumble upon. And never, ever look past Him.
For He is the mark. He
always has been. He forever will
be. Look to Him.
