[ruthiechan]

From the Doctrine and Covenants

Explanatory Introduction

"The Doctrine and Covenants . . . is of modern origin and was given of God through his chosen prophets for the restoration of his holy work and the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth in these days.
. . .
These ordinations were, in fact, a restoration of divine authority to man on the earth. On April 6, 1830, under heavenly direction, the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Church, and thus the true Church of of Jesus Christ is once again operative as an institution among men, with authority to teach the gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation.
. . .
In the revelations the doctrines of the gospel are set forth with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the earth, the future conditions of man after the resurrection and the judgment, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family."

Section 1: 10, 14-16, 24-28, 33, 35-36, 38
10 Unto the day when the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man.
(Our judgment is two fold. Our works, deeds, and how we judge others.)

14 And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;
15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;
16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth fold and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.
(How often do we hear the world saying "be your own person, do your own thing, it's your life, do it your way? How often does, "do something for yourself, treat yourself once in a while" become more than once in a while or how often does needing time to relax become a desire for idleness in the name of fun? I want to say my way is the Lord's way, but do my actions always reflect that?)

24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.
25 And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known;
26 And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed;
27 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent;
28 And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time..
(I feel that these verses apply all of us who desire to be servants of God. That's what came to mind when I read these.)

33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.

35 For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.
36 And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall creign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world.
(Here I see the two sides, polar opposites, battling for the souls of man.)

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
(I was struck by the Lord saying "and I excuse not myself". It seems to me that he is saying that he is bound by the law as well, that he is not above the laws decreed in heaven.)

Section 2
2 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.
3 If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
(I'm not sure why this was "bolded". The last verse was especially. . . "bold".)

Section 3
header 5-15 Joseph Smith must repent or lose the gift to translate.
(This goes right back to Section 1: 33. And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.)

Section 3: 20
. . . rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ . . .
(I thought it interesting that the word merit was chosen. I looked it up in the dictionary.
a praiseworthy quality : virtue : character or conduct deserving reward, honor, or esteem ; also : achievement
2: spiritual credit held to be earned by performance of righteous acts and to ensure future benefits)

Section 4
2 . . . O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
(I love this. If you want it, you've got it, in terms of righteous desires and working to build up the kingdom of God, which I believe also includes temple work)

5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
(I love this list. If you have what's listed in verse five, even with all your faults, you are qualified to do the work of God. I love the list of remember, since those are the traits that allow us to move behind petty things and selfishness and be better able to accomplish righteous and good things. And the last verse, not only do you have to ask, but you have to knock - action! - and the blessings of heaven will be upon you.)

I have to go to bed now, so I'll post what I read in Moses tomorrow instead of tonight.
I was confused about who was talking in these sections. I am not sure if it's Jesus Christ or God the Father, but I think it might be God the Father because Jesus doesn't talk about himself in the third person does he? (see section 3 verse 20)