Standing for truth never submits to sitting for lies.
When your heart has been changed and turned toward truth, you cannot look on hypocrisy and evil with a neutral gaze. The truth stands for itself, as a blazing light in the darkness, driving all shadows away. What is left is that which can stand in the presence of truth.
Let us stand with truth, not with truth as our ally, but us an true ally of the one Truth.
Showing posts with label light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label light. Show all posts
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Let Your Light So Shine Before Men
The Admonition from the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount to let our light shine to the world is one that still holds great weight today. To fully understand what is required of us to let our light shine, we will examine a number of scriptures that relate to the parts of this admonition.
Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)
“Ye are the light of the world”
“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”
“But on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
“Let your light so shine before men”
“That they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)
15 Neither do men light a acandle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your alight so shine before men, that they may see your good bworks, and cglorify your Father which is in heaven.
“Ye are the light of the world”
45 For the aword of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is blight, and whatsoever is light is cSpirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Light and truth forsake the evil one.
When the scriptures use the word World it means people or humanity. The word earth means the actual planet.
“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”
A city is a gathering place. A place of organization.
“On a hill” - a defensible position.
Mountains are symbolic in many cultures, and in the scriptures especially, of the meeting of heaven and earth. Mountains are symbolic of Temples, where God can communicate with Man.
Hills are less than mountains, but still above the earth.
Keep in mind that Sodom and Gomorrah were known as two of the “Cities of the Plain” (see Genesis 19:25-29).
“Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel”“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (Prov. 20:27 emphasis added)
Hebrew tradition is that thoughts emanate from the heart, and feelings (or emotions) come from the bowels, or the belly.
So another way to say the proverb above is to say that the Spirit of Man becomes the shared Light from the Lord, searching (or pondering and understanding) and enlightening the innermost feelings.
A bushel is a unit of measurement. We can interpret this as a container or a basket of a certain size to measure grain. Grain is the staff of life or the requirements of worldly survival.
When the Light of Truth from the Lord gives enlightenment and understanding to thoughts and emotions, the physical requirements of the world cannot hide or overcome that Light.
Remember Parley P. Pratt reading The Book of Mormon for the first time.
“I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.
“As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p. 20).
“But on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
Candlesticks are witnesses. There are two candlesticks mentioned in Revelation 11:4, and seven candlesticks in Revelation 2. (see also Bible Dictionary: Candlestick)
In the Old Testament, the candlestick in the Temple of the Lord was of beaten gold, all in one piece. It included several components, but they were all crafted from the same piece of gold (see Exodus 25:31-37). There were no seams. It was not several pieces, crafted separately and then brought together; it was of one piece. We can interpret this symbolically, “That which gives Light is not divided, but is one.”
To give light or truth to all who are in the house is to continually share truth and understanding and enlightenment with those who are closest to you.
“Let your light so shine before men”
This is the admonition from the Savior to let your light, or the light of truth which has place in you, so shine before men.
“That they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven.”
Already you are not hidden. They (the world, those around you) know who you are, and they know what you are. Do good, that they may be brought to know the truth, or, barring that, know that you know the truth.
In this way our Heavenly Father is glorified. His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all men (Moses 1:39).
This starts with a single light shining in the darkness, awakening that divine spark in those who are asleep.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Purity = Strength
Excellence in character is a rare trait in public lives today. When a man decides who he is and lives that life, there is an honor that cannot be feigned.
We can look to Alfred Lord Tennyson's retelling of the Arthurian Legend in Idylls of The King for an example: Sir Galahad, the Pure.
We prepare ourselves now for another election cycle. Who do we see on the screens and hear on the radios? Are they honorable, or are they what CS Lewis referred to as "little men"? That is up to the individual to educate themselves and decide.
Do we demand purity of ourselves? Of our families? Our compatriots? Our elected officials?
As we demand purity of ourselves, we improve in clarity of thought, insight and knowledge. If our eyes are on the right things, our lives will fill with light. Light is truth. Light rejects darkness. By being the people that we would desire at our head, we wordlessly require those around us to live up to the same standards. A good man can improve his neighborhood just by living true. Likewise, a bad man can degrade a neighborhood if his neighbors do not watch themselves. But you notice that a bad man does not stay long in a good neighborhood. Darkness does not long stay in the light.
Let us then be as Galahad. He knew that his heart was pure, and he was stronger for it.
A strong government is one that recognizes its strength is derived from the consent of the governed. The biggest man is he that will not demean the little man for being little. All have their place. As we elect honest people of integrity, no matter their political persuasion, the dialogue will improve, and the system of government can and will purify itself.
More CS Lewis quotes - http://www.comnett.net/~rex/cslewis.htm
We can look to Alfred Lord Tennyson's retelling of the Arthurian Legend in Idylls of The King for an example: Sir Galahad, the Pure.
"My good blade carves the casques of men,
My tough lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength of ten,
Because my heart is pure."
(http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/Galahad.htm)It is when men try to disguise who they are that trust is eroded. There may be something slightly off with that person that we may sense. We might not be able to identify what is wrong, but most people can tell when someone is not being true to themselves or to others. A pure heart lights the countenance of the person. Light drives away darkness.
We prepare ourselves now for another election cycle. Who do we see on the screens and hear on the radios? Are they honorable, or are they what CS Lewis referred to as "little men"? That is up to the individual to educate themselves and decide.
"Democracy demands that little men should not take big ones too seriously; it dies when it is full of little men who think they are big themselves."
--'Notes on the Way' Time and TideSir Galahad demanded of himself purity. He knew that his strength came from the disciplined rejection of the morally degrading thoughts, actions and patterns of living that tore down other men of his time.
Do we demand purity of ourselves? Of our families? Our compatriots? Our elected officials?
As we demand purity of ourselves, we improve in clarity of thought, insight and knowledge. If our eyes are on the right things, our lives will fill with light. Light is truth. Light rejects darkness. By being the people that we would desire at our head, we wordlessly require those around us to live up to the same standards. A good man can improve his neighborhood just by living true. Likewise, a bad man can degrade a neighborhood if his neighbors do not watch themselves. But you notice that a bad man does not stay long in a good neighborhood. Darkness does not long stay in the light.
Let us then be as Galahad. He knew that his heart was pure, and he was stronger for it.
A strong government is one that recognizes its strength is derived from the consent of the governed. The biggest man is he that will not demean the little man for being little. All have their place. As we elect honest people of integrity, no matter their political persuasion, the dialogue will improve, and the system of government can and will purify itself.
More CS Lewis quotes - http://www.comnett.net/~rex/cslewis.htm
Thursday, November 12, 2009
One Candle Per Person
The scriptures reference candles in many places, most notably in the New Testament, in the Sermon on the Mount. An Old Testament reference says this,
Now, back to scriptural candle references. Keep in mind the things we just discussed.
Knowledge shared with others enlightens everyone. Knowledge of truth does not do any good inside one head. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained. It is only by sharing and teaching that we really gain the knowledge for ourselves.
One last question, can a man hoard fire? Can he keep light to himself? The answer is no. Note that in the scripture above, if a man puts his candle under a bushel, it is out of sight for him also. So it does not benefit him unless he shares it with those closest to him.
We are given this one body, this one mind, to improve upon as we go through life. This candle we are given can hold one flame.
One flame alone does not light an entire house. While a single candle can be seen on a dark night from miles away, it does not drive away the darkness. So how can we drive out the darkness from our homes and from our lives?
By sharing our light with others. One single candle cannot light the world, but one candle can light another, which can light others, and so on. The process does not have to be linear. One candle, or one person, can enlighten many people. From there, the ripple effect goes out and changes the world.
Just as darkness is driven away when a light appears, so doubt and unbelief flee in the light of truth. Even with just one candle per person, we can light the entire world. All it takes is sharing your light with others.
“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20: 27)The spirit of man is knowledge, personality, wisdom, experience, imagination, spiritual nature; in short our spirit is what we are when we close our eyes and think. When the lights go out, what are you left with? You can’t really see. If it’s quiet, you’ve got nothing to listen to. When you’re not moving, there is little to physically touch. So you’re left with who you are inside. That is the spirit of man. That is the candle of the Lord.
Now, back to scriptural candle references. Keep in mind the things we just discussed.
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matt. 5: 15)When a man gains knowledge that brings him light, or enlightens him, does he hide it and hoard it for himself? No, he puts it on a candlestick, or he places it into its proper place, and he shares it with those close to him - “all that are in the house.”
Knowledge shared with others enlightens everyone. Knowledge of truth does not do any good inside one head. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained. It is only by sharing and teaching that we really gain the knowledge for ourselves.
One last question, can a man hoard fire? Can he keep light to himself? The answer is no. Note that in the scripture above, if a man puts his candle under a bushel, it is out of sight for him also. So it does not benefit him unless he shares it with those closest to him.
We are given this one body, this one mind, to improve upon as we go through life. This candle we are given can hold one flame.
One flame alone does not light an entire house. While a single candle can be seen on a dark night from miles away, it does not drive away the darkness. So how can we drive out the darkness from our homes and from our lives?
By sharing our light with others. One single candle cannot light the world, but one candle can light another, which can light others, and so on. The process does not have to be linear. One candle, or one person, can enlighten many people. From there, the ripple effect goes out and changes the world.
Just as darkness is driven away when a light appears, so doubt and unbelief flee in the light of truth. Even with just one candle per person, we can light the entire world. All it takes is sharing your light with others.
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