How are we blessed when we choose to do what the Lord requires of us?
"10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (Doctrine and Covenants 64: 10)
"34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days." (Doctrine and Covenants 64: 34)
"33 Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (Doctrine and Covenants 64: 33)
"A few days later, Polly died, praising the Lord for supporting her in her suffering. The prophet preached the funeral sermon, and her husband buried her body in a patch of woods not far from the temple site. She was the first Saint laid to rest in Zion.
The same day, Joseph received another revelation: “Blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments. For those that live shall inherit the earth, and those that die shall rest from all their labors.”
Soon after the funeral, Ezra and other church elders started their journey back to Kirtland with Joseph, Oliver, and Sidney. Ezra was relieved to be returning home to Ohio. Unlike Edward, he had not had a change of heart about Joseph or the location of Zion.
The men launched canoes onto the wide Missouri River, just north of Independence, and paddled downstream. At the end of the first day of travel, they were in good spirits and enjoyed a dinner of wild turkey along the riverbank. On the following day, however, the August weather was hot and the river was wild and difficult to navigate. The men quickly grew tired and soon began criticizing each other.
“As the Lord God liveth,” Oliver finally shouted at the men, “if you do not behave better, some accident will befall you.”
Joseph took the lead in his canoe the next afternoon, but some of the elders were upset with him and Oliver and refused to paddle. At a dangerous bend in the river, they hit a submerged tree and nearly capsized. Fearing for the lives of everyone in the company, Joseph and Sidney ordered the elders off the river.
After they set up camp, Joseph, Oliver, and Sidney tried to talk to the group and ease tensions. Irritated, the men called Joseph and Sidney cowards for getting off the river, mocked the way Oliver paddled his canoe, and accused Joseph of acting like a dictator. The quarrel lasted long into the night.
Rather than stay up with the company, Ezra went to bed early, deeply critical of Joseph and the elders. Why, he wondered, would the Lord trust the keys of His kingdom to men like these?" (12 After Much Tribulation Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846)
And here's the introductory commentary to this week's reading assignment entitled: "June 16–22: “The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind” Doctrine and Covenants 64–66" :
"In the miserable heat of August 1831, several elders were traveling back to Kirtland from the land of Zion in Missouri. The travelers were hot and weary, and tensions soon turned into quarrels. It may have seemed like building Zion, a city of love, unity, and peace, was going to take a long time.
Fortunately, building Zion—in Missouri in 1831 or in our hearts, families, and wards today—doesn’t require us to be perfect. Instead, “of you it is required to forgive,” the Lord said (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10). He requires “the heart and a willing mind” (verse 34). And He requires patience and diligence, for Zion is built on the foundation of “small things,” accomplished by those who do not become “weary in well-doing” (verse 33).
See also Saints, 1:133–34, 136–37."
The Lord does love us and honors our freedom of choice. He requires the heart and the willing mind and yet it's up to us to choose to do it---to forgive, be patient, and be diligent. Choosing to do the Lord's will brings His blessings while not choosing to do so brings misery. So, it makes so much sense to make the choice to do what He requires.
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