What blessings do we receive when our minds become single to God?
"47 Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power." (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 47)
"49 The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him." (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 49)
"119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;" (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 119)
"68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.
22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory." (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 68, 22)
"Brigham left Kirtland a week later as a peaceful winter settled over the small village. A few days before Christmas, however, a local newspaper published reports that government leaders in the state of South Carolina were fighting taxes on imported goods and threatening to declare independence from the United States. Some people were calling for war.
As Joseph read reports of the crisis, he reflected on the wickedness and destruction that the Bible said would precede the Savior’s Second Coming. The whole world groaned under the bondage of sin, the Lord had told him recently, and God would soon visit the wicked with His wrath, rending the kingdoms of the earth and causing the heavens to tremble.
After praying to know more about these calamities, Joseph received a revelation on Christmas Day. The Lord told him that the time would come when South Carolina and other southern states would rebel against the rest of the nation. The rebellious states would call on other countries for help, and enslaved peoples would rise up against their masters. War and natural disaster would then pour out upon all nations, spreading misery and death across the earth.
The revelation was a bleak reminder that the Saints could no longer delay the building of Zion and the temple. They had to prepare now if they hoped to avoid the coming devastation.
“Stand ye in holy places,” the Lord urged them, “and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come.”
Two days after receiving the revelation on war, Joseph met with church leaders in Newel Whitney’s store. He believed that the Saints in Missouri were growing more critical of his leadership. If they did not repent and restore harmony in the church, he feared, they could lose their inheritances in Zion and forfeit their chance to build the temple.
After opening the meeting, Joseph asked the church leaders to pray to know God’s will for building Zion. The men bowed their heads and prayed, each expressing his willingness to keep God’s commandments. Joseph then received a revelation while Frederick Williams, his new scribe, wrote it down.
It was a message of peace for the Saints, urging them to be holy. “Sanctify yourselves,” the Lord commanded, “that your minds become single to God.” To their surprise, He directed them to build a temple in Kirtland and prepare to receive His glory.
“Organize yourselves,” the Lord said. “Prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.”
The Lord also counseled them to start a school. “As all have not faith,” He declared, “seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”
Joseph sent a copy of the revelation to William Phelps in Missouri, calling it an “olive leaf” and “the Lord’s message of peace” to the Saints in Kirtland. He warned the Saints in Zion that if they did not sanctify themselves as the Lord instructed, He would choose others to build His temple.
“Hear the warning voice of God, lest Zion fall,” Joseph pleaded. “The brethren in Kirtland pray for you unceasingly, for knowing the terrors of the Lord, they greatly fear for you.”
On January 22, 1833, Joseph and the Saints in Kirtland opened the School of the Prophets in the Whitneys’ store. One of Joseph’s clerks, Orson Hyde, was appointed to teach the class. Like Joseph and many of the other students, Orson had spent most of his childhood working rather than attending school. He was an orphan, and his guardian had allowed him to attend school only in the winter, after the harvest and before the next planting. Orson had a good memory and learned quickly, however, and he had attended a nearby academy as an adult.
In the School of the Prophets, Orson taught the men spiritual lessons in addition to history, grammar, and arithmetic, as the Lord had commanded. Those who attended his classes were not just pupils. They addressed each other as brothers and bound themselves with a covenant of fellowship. They studied together, had discussions, and prayed as a group.
One day, Joseph invited Orson and others in the class to take off their shoes. Following Christ’s example, Joseph knelt before them one by one and washed their feet.
When he finished, he said, “As I have done, so do ye.” He asked them to serve one another and to keep themselves clean from the sins of the world." (15 Holy Places, 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 beginning part of the commentary for this week's reading assignment: August 11–17: “Establish … a House of God” Doctrine and Covenants 88" :
""Every so often, the Lord gives us a glimpse of His boundless “majesty and power” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47) through stunning revelations. Doctrine and Covenants 88 is that kind of revelation—one about light and glory and kingdoms that can make our earthly cares seem small by comparison. Even if we can’t comprehend it all, we can at least sense that there’s far more to eternity than we ever realized. Of course, the Lord doesn’t share these grand truths to intimidate us or make us feel small. In fact, He promised, “The day shall come when you shall comprehend even God” (verse 49; emphasis added). Perhaps it was to that glorious end that the Lord commanded His Saints in Kirtland to form the School of the Prophets. “Organize yourselves,” He said. “Prepare every needful thing; and establish … a house of God” (verse 119). More than anywhere else, it is within God’s holy house—and in our homes—that He can lift our vision beyond the mortal world, “unveil his face unto [us],” and prepare us to “abide a celestial glory” (verses 68, 22).
See Saints, 1:164–66."
When my mind becomes single to God, His stunning revelations about light and glory and kingdoms that can make my earthly cares seem small by comparison, are always resting in or occupying my mind. The words of eternal life are what I'd enjoy more than anything else when I choose to let the solemnities of eternity occupy my mind. If my earthly cares become small, there's truly nothing to worry about because whatever is happening or not happening, I will have peace and joy.
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