Blog #108 October 28, 2025
As a gathering of believers, we accept our covenant labors as a testimony to the world of our dedication to God and the ways of God. As we grow to become His Church these same labors have a chance grow from a simple acceptance of God's ways and our ability to obey Him into a proof of how God and the ways of God can change our very nature. Our heartfelt communion with God establishes within us a oneness with God that allows our promised immortality to be filled with an eternity of purpose that we are charged to share with all those who would choose to join us in our quest.
DC 22:23b and there is no end to my works, neither to my words; for this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality, and eternal life of man.
Foremost in that labor is opening the gate to the path of redemption for all who would seek God and His ways. The challenge we face is in walking with them in a way that nourishes their faith and sustains their willingness to turn away from the ways of the world, which was to them their only source of knowledge and comfort. The trial we will have to endure is the temptation to answer their fear and anger with the inept promise of judgment and Hell. To do so would reinforce the world and its ways, for in the world fear is a worthy motivator and the fear of anger is one of the best. We must offer them the truth of God, the love of a Father He offers, and the understanding that all are worthy of this love unless to choose to refuse it.
Isaiah 42:16-20
42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
42:18 Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may see.
42:19 For I will send my servant unto you who are blind; yea, a messenger to open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf;
42:20 And they shall be made perfect notwithstanding their blindness, if they will hearken unto the messenger, the Lord's servant.
Hear the Lord we serve and understand the labor we seek. We seek edify those unwilling to listen. We seek to humble the unrepentant. We ask all to accept a God they cannot see and a way of life that is foolishness to the world. In the beginning, they have only one testimony to the truth of all we bring them, ourselves. We must be that testimony of God at work in the life of a man. What we bring to them, they do not understand. If we are to overcome their lack of belief in the God we bring, we must let them see His mercy and His justice at work in our lives. If they are to believe the truth of the Word of God, they must hear testimonies of life-changing joy brought to us through the Gospel of the Kingdom. We must allow them to perceive us as God's children. They must gather into their hearts the concept that a loving Father anxiously awaiting their choice to turn away from their life of bondage to the wants and needs of a world that knows not God, and to seek out the growth that will make them one of His family. How we bring the word of God to them and how we live a life that centers on that word will determine the success or the failure of all that we attempt.
Alma 5:33-35
5:33 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness: I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God;
5:34 Yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight, I perceive that it has been made known unto you by the testimony of his word, that he can not walk in crooked paths;
5:35 Neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, nor from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.
Understand the importance of what the prophet Alma brings us in this passage. The way we are as a people is the only creditability we have in the face of the world. To gain peoples for God’s Kingdom we must know God’s ways and do more than just obey His commandments. We must live in His ways always, and reach out to others in a way that mirrors His love for them and His concern for their place in eternity. We must refrain from judging them for who they seem to be. We must see them as God sees them and offer them all that God does, in the way God does, with love and hope.
Proverbs15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright; but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Foolish words and actions come from foolish beliefs. Foolish beliefs too many times arise when we allow our purpose to become confusing and unclear. Understand clearly our purpose and the Lord will fill our words with truth. We are not just trying to entice the world away from one system to another. We are trying to free mankind from a bondage they don’t even know exist. We have to show them a people freed by God and His gospel, which live in a way that is full of joy. We must expose them to lives willingly obedient to God’s way because it allows each individual to succeed in their hearts desire and uses that success as an essential part of the Kingdom. We have a reason for our joy and we must convince them of that reason by exposing them to a people rich in the ways of God and full of the joy He promises.
Ephesians 4:13-16
4:13 Till we, in the unity of the faith, all come to the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ;
4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
In the churches of the world mankind is offered a place in their kingdom if and only if they discipline themselves to their accepted traditions and rituals. They are asked to believe as the body believes and live as they do on blind faith alone. Self-discipline will be motivated by a threat of judgment by God and expulsion from the body of believers if they fail. They are asked to submit themselves to the authority of their clergy and revere their authority, as they would revere God Himself. Consequently, they are cautioned to never question that authority under penalty of judgment. In effect, they will become servants of the church subject to the demands of the body in all things. The happiness of the individual is secondary to the success of the church as is the love we have for God and the love He has for us. God's better purpose allows man a better way.
2 Nephi 1:114-118
1:114 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
1:115 Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
1:116 And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.
1:117 And because that they are redeemed from the fall, they have become free for ever, knowing good from evil;
1:118 To act for themselves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the Lord, at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
When we see clearly the purpose of God we begin to understand the true power of the Kingdom, for it is a way unlike any offered by the Churches of the World. In the Kingdom of God each of us will be free to pursue that which we love to do. In God and through our efforts with God, our personal desires can become holy, righteous, and a part of the Kingdom.
Psalms 37:3-5
37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
This is the freedom we offer the world. We seek to teach the world how to dedicate their lives to God and the ways of God by trusting in His ways and making His ways their own. We seek to show them that yes God is a God of judgment, but He seeks to be a loving Father teaching His children how to live as He lives and love as He loves. This is a system promised many times but never successfully brought to fulfillment. Only through our steadfast humility to the leadings of the Spirit and our diligence in seeking God's ways through the Spirit will bring the world a greater treasure than any it has ever known.
Matthew 13:46-47
13:46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field. And when a man hath found a treasure which is hid, he secureth it, and, straightway, for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
13:47 And again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The butcher, the baker, the mechanic, and the artist can perfect what they wish to achieve. With willing obedience to the ways of God and humility to His Spirit, their efforts will be a welcome addition to the body of believers and a profit unto God in His Kingdom. Let this promise be deep in your heart and let it guide the way you reach out. Let it guide the way you live and it will cause truth and joy to color each testimony you offer of God to the world.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
A temporal mind will perceive this verse as a warning, but the Spirit shows us that it is much more. Growing in God’s wisdom, we will come to realize that this warning brings with it a promise we have been seeking all our lives. It is His assurance that He will be there with us to lift up His children and guide them in the ways they should go. If you open your heart and hear it with ears that trust God you will come to realize the truth it speaks and the joy it offers.
Psalms 13:7-12
13:7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
13:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
13:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
13:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
13:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
13:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
How important is it to you that the greatest power in all of creation cares enough about you to be with you always. Yes, there will be trials, but He will be there to endure them with you. We will face temptations, but the hand of God will be there to lift us up. Is not joy sweeter when we have someone to share it with? If we allow Him, He will be our Father, our Shepherd, and our friend, and He will be there each moment to remind us of His love. How many people do you know that need that same promise in their life.
Romans 10:13-14
10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:16 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
If you allow your life be led by God's ways and God's Spirit, the world around you will see. They will see the joy with which you live. They will see the peace in your life even when times are hard. In no time at all they will realize that you have something in your life they need in theirs. Then they will question you on what you have and how they can gain what they want so badly. Reach out to the Father for guidance, and then tell them. Offer them a place in at the next gathering and pray that they will join you there.
Then be prepared for what can happen next.
It just might be wonderful....
FRED
Create With me Our Testimony of God at Work in the World of Man.