2017 Stake Conference 12/10/17

President Sabey Sunday Morning Address

A MIND SWALLOWED UP IN THE LOVE OF THE LORD
Image Source: June 1996 Ensign Tree of Life, by Kazuto Uota of Osaka, Japan, 1990.

At stake temple night in October, it felt so much like Zion to me…. No, it really was Zion in our hearts that night. I loved seeing so many wonderful members of our stake in the the house of the Lord. In the temple lobby, Paul Johnson shared with me a scriptural insight about Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, which ultimately gave rise to this talk. So thank you Brother Johnson for experiencing Zion with me at the temple, and for helping me know what to talk about.  

A family friend was walking along an open space trail in Highlands Ranch when she came upon a rattlesnake.  The loud rattle made her jump, and she realized to her horror that she had not noticed the snake until it was almost too late. Because of this experience she developed a habit of carefully watching the path ahead while hiking.  Then some months later, she walked that same trail with a friend who said at the end of the hike, “Wow!!  The views all along this trail are amazing! Just look at those snow capped mountains!” Our friend realized that she had been so focused on watching the dirt of the path ahead that she had missed all the beauty that surrounded her. In many ways, our focus completely determines our experience.   Now, let’s apply that principle to the gospel.

This message is to those who are struggling with filthiness or addiction in any form, those who have tasted God's love but feel it less now, to those like me who have experienced doubts or questions or concerns that have prevented wholehearted commitment, and, finally, to each person present who wants more joy in his or her life--this is for you. There is a miracle waiting for you in the truths taught in Lehi’s vision about the powerful impact of choosing the focus of our mind.

  Did you know that Lehi missed a critical aspect of his own vision?  When Nephi’s brothers asked about the meaning of the river of water in the vision, Nephi responded:

“...the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.” 1 Nephi 15:27

What an interesting expression!  His mind was swallowed up. His mind was so immersed in and occupied with other things that he did not even notice the filth in the river.

There is another quite surprising instance of Lehi not initially noticing an important aspect of the vision. After Lehi was well into the vision, after he had reported about the tree, the river, the rod of iron, the straight and narrow path, the field as large as the world, numberless concourses of people, and the mists of darkness, Lehi saw a group of people clinging to the iron rod and pressing forward through the mist until they came to the tree: “And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.” 1 Nephi 8:25.  Lehi had no idea why they were ashamed, so he began looking around:

26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, ... a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air....
27 And it was filled with people, ...and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

How is it that Lehi had not even noticed the huge building filled with stylish, glamorous people mocking, scoffing, and crying out for attention?  Others noticed it right after they arrived at the tree.  Multitudes were “feeling their way toward it.” But like Nephi said, Lehi’s mind was  swallowed up in other things, so Lehi did not even notice the great and spacious building until the actions of others called his attention to it.   

At this point, you might be thinking that Lehi was a pretty oblivious prophet.  He kind of missed some crucial details that were obvious to others.  Instead of assuming that Lehi was not attentive, it would probably be more accurate to think that God--by the way Lehi’s mind was occupied during the vision and what he noticed and what he did not--was making an important point from which we all can learn. In our day and age, there is much of filthiness and many mocking voices on which we could focus.  The internet and social media are great and spacious, out there floating in the air, and there are many voices of scorn and mocking messages. What should we learn from Lehi's experience?

First, Nephi asked for the interpretation of the tree of life, and the Spirit showed him the virgin birth of Jesus Christ which we joyfully celebrate at this season. Nephi then understood that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God which sheds itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men, and that God’s love is the most desirable above all things and the most joyous to the soul. 1 Nephi 11:10-23. Lehi went on and on, two full verses describing the wonderful experience of partaking of the fruit of God’s love:

11 ... I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.

So the first thing we can learn from this vision is that the gift of God’s Son truly is the greatest manifestation of God’s love, and that the mission of Jesus Christ was to enable us to connect with God, feel His love powerfully, and ultimately to dwell with Him.

Second, I think we could learn something about faith, wholeheartedness and joy.  Would Lehi have felt such an abundant joy if his mind had been focused on the filthiness in the river or on the scoffers and mockers? No! They are joy killers!  Baptism is an experience of physical immersion, but Lehi’s experience was one of mental immersion.  His mind was swallowed up and his heart was filled with joy.  He was immersed in the joyous experience of partaking of God’s love and in inviting others to partake.  As we renew our baptismal covenants during the sacrament and as we ponder and pray daily, we can be mentally and emotionally re-baptized, immersed in God’s love again and again. If we come unto Christ as a little child and follow Him, we can experience God’s love in a wholehearted and joyous way. Like Lehi, our minds can be swallowed up in God’s love and in the strong desire for others to partake.

As Jacob said: “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith…. [L]ift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.” Jacob 3:1-2.  Elder Holland stated:  “[T]he first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life.”    

Finally, God would, I think, want us to learn something about how our mental focus can reduce the pull of the world. While some people wallowed or drowned in the filthy river (which represents the uncleanness, addictions and evils of the world) and others joined the throngs in the great and spacious building (which represents the wisdom and pride of the world), Lehi did not. When Lehi’s heart and mind were immersed and swallowed up in the abundance of God’s love, the filthiness of the world and mocking words faded to nothing.  They had no pull and no impact on him.  He felt pure joy, despite the fact that he was an imperfect man who still had faults and weaknesses.  

At our most recent General Conference, Sister Joy Jones, General Primary President, taught a crucial principle:  [paraphrase] if the energy we give to trusting and loving our Savior is greater than the energy we give weaknesses, doubts, or bad habits, then He will help us overcome.  He will save us from ourselves.  She reemphasized: “if the pull of the world is stronger than the faith and trust we have in the Savior, then the pull of the world will prevail every time.  If we choose to focus on our negative thoughts and doubt our worth instead of clinging to the Savior, it becomes more difficult to feel the impressions of the Holy Ghost.”

Where we focus makes all the difference.  Our happiness will be determined, in large part, by where we focus. If we resist the mist of darkness by which Satan tries to prevent us from feeling God’s love, if we challenge thoughts of darkness that teach us not to pray, if we trust our faith more than we trust our doubts, and if we partake of the fruit of the tree regularly, our sense of God’s love will grow brighter and brighter and the pull of the world will decrease.  There will be a growing connection to God that will sustain us while we work through other issues.  The place to be is HERE, as we love each other and work together.  Be right here, standing by the tree of life, or better yet kneeling beneath it.  If you want joy, stay firmly next to the prophet of God at the tree, continue to partake of God's love, and invite others into the circle of that love. I testify that this is the only place of true joy.  

President Sabey Adult Session of Conference

 Abominable Creeds that Interfere with Trust in a Loving God 

Although this talk is not about sharing the gospel, I want to start with a joyful missionary experience that demonstrates how respect for other faiths helps us really connect with others. My wife and I were recently on a flight to Los Angeles, and seated next to me was Susanna Lora, a 25 year old who works with troubled youth in Pueblo, on her way to Universal Studios, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We had a great conversation as I consciously thought about and tried to reflect God’s love to her.  Eventually, I turned the conversation to faith and learned that she had been actively involved in a Christian church as a youth, but during her college years, she stopped attending church regularly.  Now she is recognizing anew the importance of faith, is feeling the need for a greater connection with God, and has started to attend church more regularly. I rejoiced in her efforts to return to greater faith, and I was able to stand as a witness of God’s love for her. I said:   Isn’t it beautiful how God is reaching out to you and how much he wants a closer connection with you?  You have been feeling that haven’t you? After connecting with her current faith, I asked her if she had ever heard about the Book of Mormon, and I told her joyfully and briefly about prophets on the American continent, Christ's ministry to the Nephites, and Zion. She gave me her contact information so the missionaries could deliver her a copy, and now she is meeting with the missionaries in Pueblo.

Over the years, I have learned that it makes me a better missionary to have deep respect for other faiths and to trust that God loves and is working in the lives of people of other faiths. I have also come to love and respect ministers of other faiths who I have seen serve so beautifully, including, to name just two, a Catholic Nun, Sister Nancy Hoffman, who was my star witness at a trial, and Jesse Millar, a minister who is a dear family friend. Because I have felt that love and respect so profoundly, I have struggled to understand the statements of the Savior in the First Vision about other faiths to the effect that [quote] “their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me….”  I especially focused on the words “abomination” and “corrupt” and wondered, why so harsh?

I recently had a breakthrough on this question.  I have realized that the word “creeds” was probably not referring to their personal faith, nor to their beliefs in the new testament and Jesus Christ, but was referring specifically to the official creeds created by councils of early Christian Church leaders hundreds of years after the deaths of the apostles to resolve questions about the nature of God through human reasoning and rigid philosophy, rather than revelation. The philosophies of men were intermixed with scripture and the results were the Nicean Creed, Athanasian Creed, Westminster confessions, and so forth.  These creeds include erroneous and confusing pronouncements about the nature of God, such as that God is “without body, parts, or passions,” that God is “three Persons, of one substance.”   The professors of religion who must subscribe to these creeds to hold positions of church leadership are not necessarily corrupt and evil people, but rather their beliefs and teachings are corrupted by the creeds. The Savior's statement that they “draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,” may have been based on the fact that those creeds create a distance between man and God, a distance that is felt in the heart. It is hard to dearly love and feel nearness to a God who is completely unlike us, a different and separate species, who has no body like ours, who is not the father of our spirits, who did not know and nurture us in the premortal world, who does not want us to become like Him, who does not provide for our family relationships to continue, and who cannot and does not weep.

In Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith taught that, in order to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation, one must first have a correct idea of God's character, perfections and attributes.  This understanding of God’s true nature enables us to fully trust and connect with God.  It makes our prayers better and our hearts softer.    

Our Savior suffered infinitely in an effort to connect us with His Father, and He characterized as abominable, creeds that have the effect of distancing us from God.  We could include in that condemnation, not just creeds, but beliefs, thought patterns and internal narratives that have similar detrimental effects. So I feel compelled to confess that, despite the pure doctrines of the restoration, I have had my own abominable beliefs and thought patterns that have separated me from God and made it harder for me to trust God and feel His tender love.  And I recommend that as I share my own human experiences, that you ask yourself if you too might have some beliefs or internal narratives that interfere with your closeness to God and your daily loving connection with Him.  Do you feel His love each day? If not, why not?

For many years was I felt that I could not expect any help or communication from God because of damning creeds such as “I am not worthy” or “I am not good enough” or “I am not doing all the things I should … or not doing them as well as I should” or “I’ll never be as good as Brother So and So.”  The clear message from God sending His Son to save a sinful world is that God loves us in our sins and imperfections. He wants to be involved and to help us overcome.  He loves us and will connect with us, as we are, right now.  The Savior understands us completely and knows how to help.  If we only understood how tenderly He cares for us and how anxiously He wants to connect with us, we each would run to him as a little child and fall into his welcoming, loving arms.  We would take him as our tutor and we would become strong as we learn from Him meekness and lowliness of heart.

 Another harmful internal narrative of mine was that God does not seem to favor me or even have much interest in me. I have never had a particularly compelling or dramatic conversion experience.  I have never had an appearance of a heavenly messenger or visions or other heavenly manifestations.  I have never heard a voice in my head or been clearly and distinctly given the words to speak while giving a blessing. Most of my spiritual experiences have been through simple feelings of the heart and subtle promptings of the mind.  When I was extended the calling to serve as a Bishop, I thought I was going to have to turn it down because I did not trust my ability to receive the guidance and direction needed to lead the ward and extend callings by prophecy.  I was like Laman and Lemuel who said “the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.” 1 Nephi 15:9.  With the help of my stake president, I realized that faith is a principle of trust and action.  As we move forward, serving and trusting in God, He will gently guide us as needed.  I realized that I was looking beyond the mark and expecting inspiration to be more dramatic or obvious. Out of respect for our agency and growth, God’s guidance is subtle and gentle.  I have come to understand that God is helping us more than we know.  Even in this calling that still small voice is still small, but over many years, as I have replaced doubt with trust, the voice of inspiration has become more and more recognizable.  

Other harmful thought patterns I have experienced, but that I do not have time to discuss in any detail, are: If the gospel is really true, why do I have to work so hard to maintain my faith and my testimony? Our relationship with God is a real relationship, and good relationships involve a constant ongoing effort.  If you don’t believe it, just ask you wife.  Another creed:  God is not concerned about little things in my life, so I should only seek God’s help when I really, really need it.  Well the truth is: Each day we really, really need it.   

My most persistent and current challenge is that I fall prey to the tyranny of the to-do list and inbox, which I allow too often to prevent me from spending more time just being still and connecting with God.  Nothing is more important than the first and great commandment to have a powerful, loving connection with God.

Although my faith is still a work in progress, it has become more and more joyful as my heart has been filled with hope.  I am committed to striving and battling.  I am willing to repent whenever it is needed and as I prepare for the sacrament each week.  With that commitment on my part, I feel that the imperfect course my life is pursuing is acceptable to God, and I know that by God’s grace and goodness, I will make it to heaven to reside in peace and glory with my family, with my Savior and Heavenly Parents, and hopefully with all of you.   

As stated in D&C 12:8 --”no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity....”  I invite each of you dear brothers to join with me in battling the abominable creeds that Satan, the Accuser, seeks to instill in our hearts and minds. His purpose is to separate us from God. Joseph Smith taught that when we work by faith we work by mental exertion.  Developing thought patterns of faith, of trusting our advocate, Jesus Christ, and consciously instilling internal narratives that expand our ability to receive God’s love is the very core of faith.  As we commit our lives to the glorious gospel path, progressing from grace to grace, as we trust God’s love for us and trust his promises, our hearts will be filled love and with the the assurance of a glorious future in Heaven.  With that overflowing abundance, our hearts will turn outward with charity towards others, and we will have a fire in the bones for this great and joyful work of building up God’s Kingdom and establishing Zion.  There is nothing more joyful, and we will receive grace and miracles and blessings as we serve (see Moroni 7). I testify that God will fill us with His love, with hope, and with charity, if we will only exercise faith.

 

Sister Can Merrill's Address

Christ's visit to Americas

One by one - 3 Nephi 11:10, 14-15

Healed every one - 3 Nephi 17:9

Children, one by one - 3 Nephi 17:21

Christ's ministers one by one

Still true today

He ministers to each of us today just as He did for those he ministered to while He was on the Earth - in a very real, personal and intimate way - even one by one.  He desires to teach you, to bless you, to strengthen you, to cleanse you, to heal you.  Ultimately, he wants to help you to return to your Father in Heaven one day, and to gain eternal life.

The book of John contains an interesting insight into eternal life, or life eternal.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

I don't pretend to understand all of the meaning of this verse, but it is clear that coming to know our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ is key in our progression.  As we come to know them, we become like them.  We are changed.

Consider the stones…

16 Stones - Ether 3: 1, 3-6

Changed

Shine forth in darkness

How do we come unto Christ?

-Prayer, scripture study, partaking of the sacrament, temple attendance, serving in our callings

-Let us be careful to remember that the purpose of these practices is to come unto Christ.  They are not an end in and of themselves.  Their purpose is to bring us unto Christ that through His power we may be changed, strengthened, lifted, cleansed, and healed.

-How we approach our gospel living makes all the difference.  If we are saying our prayers just to say our prayers and going to church just to go to church, then we are reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, attending church, going home/visiting teaching, holding family home evening, attending the temple...just to do all of those things.  Living the gospel all of a sudden seems like a gigantic, overwhelming to-do list!  But the gospel isn't a checklist.  The gospel is about our eternal progression.  It is about learning, growth, and change. 

-What a difference it makes as we approach our daily gospel living with a true desire and effort to come unto Christ.  Our prayers become the foundation of a closer relationship with Him.  Our scripture study becomes a guide for daily decisions and a tool of personal revelation.  Partaking of the sacrament serves to cleanse and refine us.  Home and visiting teaching become opportunities to share God's love with others.  Temple worship brings peace and a greater portion of the Lord's blessings in our lives.  Coming unto Christ through our gospel living brings joy, purpose, strength, and peace.  In this process, we see the works of the Lord in our life.  And we come to know Him.  

 

Brother of Jared - Ether 3: 14, 17-18