Bonus Scripture D&C 130:20-21

Bonus Scripture D&C 130:20-21

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Sonnet 832 D&C 130:20-21

The blessings cannot ever be in doubt
Their promise is decreed by heaven's law
It's not so hard to find the process out
The outcomes are delivered without flaw.

The mystery is why we go so wrong
With clear instructions kindly all around
And guidance for the sinner all along
No blessing should be forfeit or unfound.

And do we have examples of the fate
Of those who flaunt the laws of consequence?
Of course we do, and yet we still debate
Devoid, it seems of simple common sense.

Obey the law! That's what you have to do
And heaven's consequence will come to you.

JS-H 1:15-20 #5

Sonnet 831 JS-H 1:15-20 #5

Oh mysteries of earth and fire and rock
You nevermore will be to us the same
The very dust now quickened to unlock
The truth which sets an honest heart aflame.

The trees that saw the boy step humbly in
And stood in wonder as they must have felt
At least a part of what would now begin
When just a boy in prayer so faithful knelt.

In shadows were his boyish features caught
His mission one to overcome a doubt
Then light in pillar blazoned overwrought
A boy steps in. A prophet's coming out!

So Joseph's face returned to morning light
Out of the grove. And now!  The end of night!

JS-H 1:15-20 #4

Sonnet 830 JS-H 1:15-20 #4

The parsing and the picking of the nits
In any sort of testament of fact
Becomes a battle of contestants' wits
Until the truth is lost in the abstract.

You cannot hope to know it by these means
The fabric of the past is far too torn
And shadows cast upon competing scenes
Obscure our vision of the story sworn.

So how you gonna know if this is true
If Joseph's testimony can't prevail
If argument and evidence won't do
What will expose the truth of such a tale.

When you receive these things you have to pray
And get the same instruction, the same way.

JS-H 1:15-20 #3

Sonnet 829 JS-H 1:15-20 #3

Young Joseph found his sacred grove nearby
No pilgrimage or quest or search was done
No gilded trappings but the morning sky
No other witness than the springtime sun.

And simple faith, and simple study too
That's all that was required to prepare
A simple boy for what the Lord would do
In answer to his simple humble prayer.

And this is but a pattern for us each
A shape of how to gain the Father's voice
The proof of heaven's willingness to teach
The outcome governed by the simplest choice.

So if you have some faith and real desire
Just pick some quiet place and then enquire.

JS-H 1:15-20 #2

Sonnet 828 JS-H 1:15-20 #2

Of course the devil made his fruitless ploy
His shadow giving to the coming light
A backdrop meant, the vision, to destroy
Yet only made the outcome shine more bright.

An unseen actual being fully felt
An enemy, a force, a frantic move
Against a child who dared in faith, and knelt
Unknowing of what wonder this would prove.

And then! A pillared light. The darkness done
Two persons in the air. He hears his name
Then Father introducing Christ the Son
And nothing, nothing, nothing is the same.

This boy, delivered now from dark despair
Was ready for the answer to his prayer.

JS-H 1:15-20

JS-H 1:15-20
15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
 16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvellous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
 17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
 18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
 19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
 20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?

Sonnet 828 JS-H 1:15-20

Exposed to any story such as this
A listener may wonder if it's true
If this is something safely to dismiss
Or should it be a thing to look into?

All sorts of folks have heard this tale by now
Have listened and considered and resolved
And many, in the millions, do avow
The truth of all assertions here involved.

And this should give you pause enough to test
If learning for yourself is easy done
And if you could be thusly also blessed
With knowledge of the Father and the Son.

Go find a sacred closet of your own
It's there the truth of heaven will be shown.

D&C 131:1-4 #2

Sonnet 827 D&C 131:1-4 #2

And here again the irony is strong
Rewarding up in heaven by this plan
To do the thing that best makes life a song
And come together as a wife and man.

You might expect some test that's arduous
To earn you “top of class” in heaven's place
But no, the thing that works is marvellous
A marriage made in covenants of grace.

And is it not this way with all commands?
We're told to do just what we should desire
The wise man learns and fully understands
That righteousness will always lift us higher.

Amazing that we prove ourselves in this
By taking on the joys of wedded bliss.

D&C 131:1-4

D&C 131:1-4
1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
 2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
 3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
 4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

Sonnet 826 D&C 131:1-4

All these are valiant followers of Christ
The anxiously engaged with might and mind
Resisting gladly when by sin enticed
Their hearts and strength by love of God entwined.

And these are happy, bless-ed, kind and good
Engrained with gratitude for everything
Desiring only to do what they should
Full throated in their praise of God they sing.

Obedience the measure of their ways
And any sacrifice without complaint
Their faith the constant watchword of their days
They pray to God believing without feint.

Celestial glory, heaven's highest place
It doesn’t cost, it pays, to earn that grace.

D&C 130: 22-23 #3

 Sonnet 825 D&C 130: 22-23 #3 The Father

Oh Father. God of Heaven and the earth
Oh Father. Blessed Source of life and all
Oh Father. Hope of everyone's rebirth
Oh Father. Send me Comfort when I fall.

Oh Father. Master of the universe
Oh Father. Maker of the great and small
Oh Father. Healer, Counselor, and nurse
Oh Father. Hear my asking when I call.

Oh Father. With thy kind all seeing eye
Oh Father. Guide me home when I am lost
Oh Father.  Please accept my feeble try
Oh Father. Help me understand the cost.

Oh Father. Send forgiveness when I sin.
Oh Father. Cleanse my vessel from within.

D&C 130:22-23 #2

Sonnet 824 D&C 130:22-23  #2 The Son

The Author and Creator of All Things
The Finisher of Faith and Faithful Friend
Beloved Son of God and King of Kings
The Cornerstone, Beginning and the End.

The Bright and Morning Star, Anointed One
Jehovah and the Seed of Abraham
Begotten, Endless and Beloved Son
The Shepherd and the Healer, Son of Man.

The Way, the Light, the Life, the Prince, the Stone
The Savior of the World, Eternal Head
The Son, the Rock, the Word in Flesh and Bone
Eternal Judge of All the Quick and Dead.

The Everlasting Father and the Lamb
The Christ, the Mighty God, the Great I Am.

D&C 130:22-23

D&C 130:22-23
22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.
23 A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.

 Sonnet 823 D&C 130:22-23 The Holy Ghost

A Messenger, a Friend, a Witness too
A Testifier, Spirit, and a Guide
The Verifier of the good and true
A Comfort touching deep and warm inside.

A Light, a Teacher, and a Still Small Voice
Instructing, calling, warning and supplied
The Holy Spirit, Arbiter of choice
A Comfort touching deep and warm inside.

Companion and a Sanctifier true
The Agent of repentance when applied
The Holy Ghost affirms what you should do
A Comfort touching deep and warm inside.

The Burning in the Bosom's never lied
A Comfort touching deep and warm inside.

D&C 121:36,41-42 #2

Sonnet 822 D&C 121:36,41-42  #2

The reverence God has for agency
Is by this simple scripture verse explained
“No power... can,” by priesthood's virtue be
Controlled, influenced, handled or maintained.

The pow'r that made the heavens and the earth
That set the stars and planets in their place
That guides the very miracle of birth
Is only exercised through love and grace.

Yet natural man must learn this virtue here
Perhaps the best of God's enduring love
To set aside the tools of force and fear
In favour of persuasion from above.

Be careful as you practice priesthood arts
To use these gentle ways to turn men's hearts.

D&C 121:36,41-42

D&C 121:36,41-42
 36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
  41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
 42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

Sonnet 821 D&C 121:36,41-42

We see the awful power of brute force
The crushing strength of anger, pride and guile
The sharpness of deceit without remorse
Persuading by the preaching of revile.

Though none of this connects with heaven's power
On earth it has a fearful savage way
And tempts the weak and greedy hour by hour
To rule through aggression day by day.

The currencies of kindness and of love
Of patience and of meekness and increase
Of gentleness and yearnings for above
Are not enough alone to purchase peace.

But when combined with priesthood power's might
They'll vanquish earthly evil's awful blight.

D&C 107:8 #2

Sonnet 821 D&C 107:8 #2

The people of each stake are gathered twice
Each year to hear the words of life and do
Such business as by officers suffice
To all our faith and confidence renew.

And oft times there are speakers that we love
With messages so timely, wise and great
We learn and feel the powers from above
Renewed by better knowledge of our state.

Yet all this teaching only lasts a while
And needs each conf'rence time to be redone
New visitors, new music and new style
New programs, always once again begun.

But those new elders! There's a lasting note
Eternal priesthood power with one vote.

D&C 107:8

D&C 107:8
 8 The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things.

Sonnet 820 D&C 107:8

We sing in praise of prophets and give thanks
For presidents who guide us in our days
We marvel to have priesthood in our ranks
To teach and bless and organize our ways.

The power and authority is great
The same that made the heavens and the earth
Preparing and extending as we wait
For that return of true eternal worth.

In matters of the Spirit we defer
To all the keys of priesthood held today
The same as what all ages did confer
Administering the Church in heaven's way.

And all the saints uphold with faithful care
The prophet by our confidence and prayer.

D&C 89:18-21 #3

Sonnet 819 D&C 89:18-21 #3

We talk about an athlete training hard
And speak of short term pain for long term gain
But keep the word of wisdom in regard
And gains are short and long and there's no pain.

The genius of this conduct is sublime
A blessing to a people quite immense
No headlines of insane or violent time
Less trouble and less ludicrous expense.

And all this wisdom settles social place
Away from vice below and vice above
A moderate and middle course of grace
Where humble souls can feel the Father's love.

How happy are the saints who learn to give
Obedience to wisdom's way to live!

D&C 89:18-21 #2

Sonnet 818 D&C 89:18-21 #2

The daily headlines do betray a trend
Of conflicts sadly clearly unresolved
Where when a friend is beaten by a friend
There must have been some alcohol involved.

And often accidents are quite bizarre
And so we say the tragedy evolved
Not by the fault of bus or truck or car
There must have been some alcohol involved.

Or sometimes younger people pass away
Their health and vigour seemingly dissolved
And looking at their cause of death we say
There must have been some alcohol involved.

Don't let this be how your fate gets resolved:
There must have been some alcohol involved.

D&C 89:18-21

D&C 89:18-21
 18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
 21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Sonnet 817 D&C 89:18-21

The interview is simple and quite short
To give you entrance to the Lord's abode
The questions very measured with import
The highest earthly blessings there bestowed.

The wisdom and great treasures there abound
The weariness of life is there dismissed
And promises of every sort are found
The joy of the Spirit in our midst.

And none of this is given without this
The answer to a question that is true
A key to earthly tasting of a bliss
That without temples only heaven knew.

“The word of wisdom, do you keep it right?”
“Oh yes!” you cry. To enter this delight.

D&C 88:124 #4 Cease to Sleep

Sonnet 816 D&C 88:124  #4 Cease to Sleep

It's not so much the sleep that's wrong to do
We have to have our rest, that's just the deal
But here is where the whole thing goes askew
It's when we go to sleep while at the wheel.

Some failures cannot ever be reversed
There will be time for sleep and other fun
But work and obligations must come first
And sleeping on the job won't get it done.

And choices must be made by me and you
Those times to step up and decide just which
Of all the things that matter we should do
Let's hope we're not found sleeping at the switch.

So get your sleep, but get it when you should
Not when you could be out there doing good.