“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of man in this world, than any other man that ever lived on it” (D&C 135:3). The prophet taught the saints many things during his relatively short time as the prophet. Brother Givens mentions many of them, but my favorite is one that Joseph taught purely through his example: the value of relationships. There are three types of relationships that Brother Givens discusses. They are relationships with friends, relationships with family members, and relationships with God.
Joseph had a burning testimony of the great value of having strong and true relationships. He felt that it was a fundamental principle of church doctrine. He cherished the friendships he had with the brethren of the church. The story Givens told of the Prophet and Dr. Willard Richards in the Carthage Jail is a powerful example of the great love that was present in Joseph’s friendships. Their friendship was so strong that Joseph did not hesitate to ask whether he would go to jail, nor did he inch his way around the question or try to coax. He was straightforward and honest, and in return Dr. Richards was willing to go. He knew the full extent of what he was getting into, yet he had such a great love for the Prophet that he was willing to go with him to the end.
The Prophet’s eternal perspective on the family led to his pure testimony of eternal families. While prophet, he made it possible for families to be together forever. He had temples built so the sacred sealing ordinance could be performed and husband and wife could be bound for time and all eternity. Joseph saw such value in the sealing ceremony that the saints built the Nauvoo temple even as they were being driven from their home. They had learned from their prophet the blessing of being sealed in the temple. Brother Givens says, “The privileged status of personal relationships was not just incidental to the Restoration; it was a primary focus.”
The third relationship the Prophet Joseph taught through his great example was the relationship between man and God. Of the three relationships, I believe Joseph was the most advanced in his relationship with God. At the tender age of just 14, he saw God. He understood the indescribable value of having a personal relationship with God. He knew that without God, man is nothing. The Prophet Joseph had a testimony of the reality of the Godhead. “This is the testimony, last of all, that we give of him: that he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God” (D&C 76:22-23). Even through much persecution, Joseph held fast to his testimony of the Godhead. He had such a strong relationship with God that he could not deny his testimony, and for that he was killed.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was and is a great example to the saints of the church of how we should value our relationships. We as a church have the unique privilege of having the full perspective. With this great blessing, we are expected to take full advantage of our opportunities for lasting relationships and not take them for granted. “For of him unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3).
Reading Brother Givens’s article has given me a new perspective on relationships. I am going to strive not to take the many blessings I have been given for granted. I want to live life to its fullest and strengthen and create new, lasting and valuable relationship with my friends, my family, and most importantly, my God.
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I find Givens' most fascinating claim to be that truth is more beautiful than falsehood: "Why, then, is there more merit...in believing in the Christ...[than in no God or other Gods]? Perhaps because there is nothing...in any possible universe...more perfectly good, absolutely beautiful and worthy of adoration...[than] Christ [and his teachings]." These words are wonderfully optimistic, and I tend to agree.
ReplyDeleteGivens also expresses the thought that "no man, by searching, can find out God." He says that there is "evidence" for any religious viewpoint, and describes this duality by comparing it the spirit-body nature of man, referencing 2 Ne. 2:16. In my mind, this comparison does not fit, and the idea contradicts his next point, which I have cited above.
I read this article hoping to gain more understanding about the prophet Joseph Smith. I've heard many myths surrounding Joseph's life, and I needed a reassurance that the prophet was first and foremost, a servant of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Sometimes I feel that the focus is misplaced.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I chose to read this article. Givens does a splendid job of balancing the life of Joseph Smith with his mission as prophet. I loved hearing about Joseph's work for fellowship within the church, and his strides in organization with the help of Heavenly Father. The stories Givens shared only strengthened the article and my understanding of the work of Joseph Smith. This is a great article I would recommend to anyone curious about the prophet Joseph Smith.
I think it is interesting that Morgan started talking about not taking blessings for granted. I have had those same thoughts recently. I have let things hold me back, because I am too shy and afraid of getting out in front of people to do things.
ReplyDeleteThen one day, I realized that by staying hidden and not taking initiative in many aspects of my life, I am hiding my talents. I am hiding the gifts God has given me, and therefore being very ungrateful.
I need to become more like Joseph Smith. He was not afraid to get out there and show what he knew. He did not purposefully hide from others. Instead, he got out there and showed people what he believed. He showed them by his actions, and this is what I (and we for that matter) need to do. We need to show who we are, and proclaim truth and gratitude by displaying our talents for the world to see!
I like this article. The part I appreciated and related to the most was the part about our relationships with our friends. This part was huge to me. I have experienced having very loyal friends, and just the opposite. I remember at EFY a couple years ago (lame, i know) our Family Home Evening lesson was about friendship. A scripture that I heard at this lesson has been with me ever since, and I will not easily forget it. The scripture is John 5:13, "Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends." That is the kind of friendship we need to have. We need to be that loyal and loving towards our friends. There is a great person we can all look to as an example in regard to this scripture, who did exactly what the scripture asks us to do. I am referring of course to Jesus Christ. He have his life for us, all of us. His love for us was-is- incomprehensible. I can only hope that I will be able to have that much love for the people I have in my life. Christ is a great role model for us when striving to live our life the best we can.
ReplyDeleteI highly appreciate this article because I can connect with it well. I have always valued the relationships I have with the people in my life. I also look to find more people to build a relationship with. As we all know it is not that easy of a task to accomplish. Some people make it tough by resisting the willlingness of others to reach out, and others make it easy because they have the same mind-set to be "social."
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article my mind immediately shifted to two people in my life. These two men were men that i met through my high school football program. The first was our team minister and the second was one of the coaches. They were both tremendous men of character and neither were members of the LDS church. Both of these men made tremendous impacts on my life and gave me insight that helped changed my perspective on life. Long story short, I now find it hard to be a negative person. I am always searching for the positive in life. I took these men for granted and did not communicate with them as much as I wanted to outside of my life of football. They both passed away within the last year.
I highly agree that we need to make every opportunity we get with the people we meet in our lives worth it. We should strive to be a friend to all.
I agree that what is more amazing than the rapid growth of the Church is the quality of the community and relationships that exists amongst its members. There is a unity in the Church that I have not experienced elsewhere and while Joseph Smith restored it I would credit it to the gospel of Jesus Christ and not necessarily to any qualities that Joseph Smith possessed other than his commitment and willingness to do God's will. This article gives many reasons why the gospel spoke so strongly to people and had so many followers at its organization and over the years. Mainly because it gave them so many things that they wanted and had been looking for, and I think that the gospel just had a familiar ring to them and in their hearts they recognized the truth and the Spirit testified of it to them. I straight up love Joseph Smith.
ReplyDeleteThis article was amazing. I loved how Brother Givens was so excited about Joseph Smith and the many truths that he restored. I also loved the points that he brought up about the truths that Joseph Smith brought forth about the relationship between us and God. I found that for me this article was more about the truths that were resoted rather than the relationships of Joseph Smith, but the beauty of the article is that there are so many great points that something can hit home for one more than another. The cultural and historical context that Brother Givens provided really helped put Joseph Smith and his revalation into a totally new perspective. I had never actually thought about the things that at the time the world seemed to take for absolutely unchangeable. I cnanot believe that people could believe that God is angry all the time. I don't know what I would do without the knowledge that God loves me personally and that I am His child. I am so grateful that Joseph Smith restored this truth.I also never actually thought about the profound impact that Joseph Smith's revalations had on the religions of the world. Truths that I took for granted were new and radical to those who lived back then. That is truly thought-provoking to me. This article was really well-written. It really made me think a lot and made me more grateful for the truths that I have in my life.
ReplyDeleteI loved this article for many reasons. One of the biggest, though, was because Brother Givens put Joseph Smith in his historical context. The time period leading up to and encompassing the Restoration has always been my favorite part of history, in every aspect. And, this year, I have been taking a class on "The Year 1820" which discusses the political, cultural, social circumstances of that time period and of what significance it was. It truly was a time when the Lord opened the windows of heaven and let inspiration flow like rain upon all the earth. American revolution, French revolution, the revolution of the arts with Beethoven, the rise of Romantic art, the Romantic poets, the discoveries in science of Michael Farraday, and others -- never has the earth seen such invention and light and life come about in such a short space of time! I love thinking about Joseph Smith in this context, because it makes the Restoration seem so much grander -- it is the climax of this period and age, and continues to be so. The Restoration is the most important thing ever to have occurred in modern history, and I feel so infinitely blessed to live during this time, that I may know these things and live them myself.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful article. I know what it's like to try to think about our relationship with God, especially during fast and testimony meeting when people are up there, sobbing their eyes out, saying that God is their best friend.
ReplyDeleteI sink a little bit into my seat when this happens.
It's true that I could do more to be a little closer to God. Joseph Smith was a fantastic exmaple of this - his devotion to the gospel was simply amazing. And his desire to /know/ just burned so incredibly brightly.
We really could learn something from him.
I love reading about Joseph Smith and his teachings. What an amazing instrument in the hands of God. It’s amazing to think about the scripture in D&C 135 that mentions “Joseph Smith has done more, save Jesus only, for the Salvation of men in this world than any other man that ever lived in it”. I think that is so incredible.
ReplyDeleteI also like the part about relationships. ..How Joseph Smith brought about our relationship with God. That relationship is so important to me. I’m grateful to have that truth in my life. I think that forming relationships with all of our brothers and sisters around us is another great part about life. One thing that I have learned from going to 12 different schools is the impact that different people can have on your life (good or bad). I’m always grateful when I am able to get to know a person and learn something inspiring from watching the way that they live their life. Sometimes we don’t see the full impact that our lives have on the lives of others.