In 1980, I was a fourteen year-old kid living in Moses Lake, Washington. May 18th of that year was a Sunday. At about 10:00 that Sunday morning, my dad noticed an enormous bank of very strange clouds approaching from the west. Soon the whole family was in the front yard, taking pictures and describing to one another those very unusual clouds. Oddly, the clouds kept moving, but it didn’t start raining.
It didn’t rain because those clouds were not what they appeared to be. A phone call from a neighbor informed us that 150 miles to the west, Mount Saint Helens had erupted. We were looking at a volcanic ash cloud. As those now ominous clouds approached the eastern horizon, it became increasingly and dramatically dark. Although it was not yet noon, there was soon only a thin line of daylight left in the east. When the falling ash blocked out all the light of the sun and even the lights of the closest houses, a pleasant spring morning became sudden, unnatural night.
We’ll be back later, but for now, turning from darkness to light, let’s leave Moses Lake in the frightening shadow of a volcanic ash cloud.
The word “light” occurs hundreds of times in the scriptures. These uses range from the grand first recorded words of God in the Bible, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), to quiet expressions of faith: “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalms 18:28). Our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ are frequently described in terms of their light. John teaches us that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The Savior describes himself, saying “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Light is used in invitations—“come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord” (2 Nephi 12:5), and in warnings—“he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received” (D&C 1:33). Light is frequently synonymous with truth. In the Psalms we read “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles” (Psalms 43:3). A similar verse from the Psalms says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that “the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (D&C 84:45). Among other things, these verses teach us that to increase in light is to increase in knowledge of the truth, to become increasingly filled with the Spirit, and to walk in safety by drawing nearer unto and becoming more like God.
President Hinckley seems to have had similar ideas in mind while speaking at an institute fireside in 1996. He said,
People sometimes ask me, “What is your favorite verse of scripture?” I tell them that I have many, but among these is one for which I feel a particular love. It is found in the fiftieth section of the Doctrine and Covenants and reads as follows:
“That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24). I ask you to ponder those words: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” For me, in those few words there is encompassed the marvelous concept of the eternal plan of God in behalf of his sons and daughters whom He loves. That statement speaks of learning. It speaks of the now and the forever. It speaks of growth and development. It is positive and affirmative and wonderful.[1]
President Hinckley cited Doctrine and Covenants 50:24 as one of his favorite verses, emphasizing the importance of receiving light as part of a long process of growth and development. Let’s unpack this verse phrase by phrase, paying particular attention to the pattern it teaches. It is a pattern of receiving light, obeying that light, and then receiving more light in a potentially eternal cycle. Listen once more: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”
The opening phrase of our verse is: that which is of God is light. This is a key concept, so we’ll spend more time on this phrase than on the others. By revealing doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants unto us, our Father in Heaven strives to bless us with light. Our adversary, on the other hand, strives to take light out of our lives. Consider the warning in this verse: “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth” (D&C 93:39). Satan will try to take away light and truth from you by twisting your perception of God’s doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants and by distorting your response to them. In a recent address, Elder Bednar emphasized Lucifer’s distorting efforts, teaching us that he, Lucifer, “distorts the doctrines that matter most to us individually, to our families, and to the world.”[2] To the extent that you answer the following questions affirmatively, your perception of light—doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants—has been distorted, making it impossible for you to see light for what it is. Listen.
- Has scripture study become a mindless chore?
- Has prayer become empty habit?
- Have you grown numb to the relevance of inspired counsel?
When our choices distort our vision, we grieve God and give Satan cause to celebrate. He smiles when scripture study bores us, he cheers when prayer is words from the mouth rather than communion from the heart, and he laughs when the counsel of prophets, stake presidents, bishops and quorum presidents offends us. By leading you along his dangerous path, Satan can turn the bright sunlit day of your youth into darkness just as deep and frightening as the darkness that followed the eruption of Mount St. Helens. You make it easy for him when you make choices that distort your vision. Be on your guard.
To the extent that you can answer this set of questions positively, you have thwarted Satan’s efforts to take light from you.
- Do you joyfully feast on the word of God?
- Do you commune with your Father in Heaven through prayer?
- Do you cling to the safety of inspired counsel?
I testify that we can find precious light by diligently searching the scriptures, by communing with our Heavenly Father, and by obeying inspired counsel carefully and promptly. I testify further that as we do so, we find safety in the light of doctrine, principles, commandments, and covenants.
Our theme verse is Doctrine and Covenants 50:24: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” The following verse teaches us that God gives us truth that we “may chase darkness from among [us]” (D&C 50:25). If you are armed with light and truth, you need not be afraid of the dark. You can chase it away. In contrast, there was nothing we could do to make the ash cloud go away when Mount Saint Helens erupted. Your case is different. Satan has sent out his own “ash cloud,” but you can chase that cloud away with light.
We’ve just referred to the verse that follows our theme verse. Consider the verse that precedes it. “[T]hat which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness” (D&C 50:23). Please ponder that powerful truth. If there is anything in your life that turns out your lights, you need not wonder where it comes from. If it does not strengthen and encourage you, it cannot be of God. It is darkness. Chase it away with light.
The adversary wants to bind you in the darkness. A pair of verses from 2 Nephi shows us two different paths that lead to that bleak end. The first path is anger: “For behold, [in our] day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.” The second path is passivity: “And others will he pacify” (2 Nephi 28:20-21).
Now, darkness is clearly winning if light angers you, but I hope that you can see that your peril is every bit as great if you passively yawn and roll over as the spiritual lights go out. Even if, in the spiritual sense, the adversary has only made you a little bit drowsy, it is time to remember and act on these words of Jacob: “arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death” (Jacob 3:11). You see, the slacker mentality—the attitude that getting worked up about things is somehow uncool—is dangerous, and its companion, distorted vision, is absolutely perilous. Isaiah solemnly warns us against such dangers: “Wo unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20, 2 Nephi 15:20). Be careful.
Those that put evil for good are increasingly common, and the evil that they try to substitute for good is becoming increasingly brazen. We could all list several prominent examples of darkness that is accepted and even celebrated as light. But identifying flagrant evil in the world is the easy part. The greater challenge is to recognize in our own lives the seemingly small missteps whose cumulative effects turn out the lights and make it hard to see things as they really are.
For example, you may not rage against light and truth, but have your choices allowed Satan to lull you to sleep? Think of the songs that you have on your iPOD, the DVDs that you buy or rent, the websites that you visit, the books that you read, the games that you play, and the clothes that you wear. Do those choices reveal increasing spiritual sleepiness or heightened spiritual alertness? Do they reveal a pattern of growing or diminishing light? Are you increasingly able to see and discern, or is everything more and more blurry?
Wearing these glasses, I have corrected vision. Without them, everything is blurry. Before getting glasses, I had no idea that I wasn’t seeing things the way they really are. I thought blurriness was normal. There is a lesson in that experience. Satan would have you believe that spiritual blurriness is normal. Where there is simplicity, he will offer complications; where there is clarity, he will offer exceptions to the rule. Where there is sharpness, he will offer blurriness. Among other ways, he blurs our vision by inviting and enticing to sin (Moroni 7:12). When we sin, we immediately begin to lose focus, but the change occurs in such tiny increments that it is all but imperceptible. To further blur the difference between right and wrong, light and darkness, our enemy dismisses, mocks, and attacks divine standards, offering in their place his own phony standards.
If you listen to his lies, you will soon find that you aren’t just looking at a blurry but correct picture. You will be looking at a completely different picture wondering why it doesn’t make as much sense as it used to. When you rub your eyes and try to refocus, he will tell you that there is nothing wrong with your eyes and that things are always blurry in the “real world.” He will try to convince you that the “Molly Mormon” and “Peter Priesthood” types all around you are the ones with the eye problem. He will encourage you to disparage their faithfulness by calling it blind obedience. He may try to persuade you that their obedience is really fear of seeing things that you have now dared to see. He will tell you that you can handle movies or magazines or websites that are too much for others. He will talk you into feeling that your independence is threatened by invitations to come back to the light. He would have you believe that you’ve outgrown kid stuff like doctrine, principles, commandments, and covenants. He will lie to you, insisting that sin won’t affect your ability to feel the Spirit. Finally, and make no mistake about this, he will laugh at you as he binds you in the darkness of his “awful chains” (2 Nephi 28:22, 3 Nephi 9:2, Moses 7:26).
Brothers and sisters, that’s a scary story, but it doesn’t have to be your story. It won’t be if you will faithfully and steadily walk in the light.
Are you waking in the light?
Remember, that which is of God is light.
Our next phrase: and he that receiveth light. Please notice that our verse says, “he that receiveth light.” It does not say, “he that notices light,” “sees light,” or even “recognizes light.” If we are to fulfill the promises of this verse, we must actively seek and receive light.
Doctrine and Covenants 93:28 teaches us how to receive light. “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light.” We receive light when we take God’s doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants deeply into our hearts and then obey them. Consider Doctrine and Covenants 88:33 in those terms. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” I think it would be entirely in the spirit of this verse to substitute “light” for “gift.” Listen. “For what doth it profit a man if light is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the light? Behold, he rejoices not in the light which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the light.”
Our Father in Heaven has blessed us with abundant opportunities to receive light, but we must choose to receive it if light is to do us any good. If I receive light by accepting and living according to truth, I increase my spiritual safety. If I reject light, ignore it, or if I fail to take it seriously, light will do me no more good than a seat belt that I leave unfastened or a deadbolt that I leave unlocked.
Have you allowed light to protect you by receiving it and obeying it?
Remember, we must actively receive light.
Next phrase: and continueth in God. The light begins to fade immediately when we stop generating light through obedience. In the 68th Ward, we have taken as our focus three practices that President Faust called “The Three Safeguards.”[3] Those safeguards are individual and family prayer, individual and family scripture study, and regular, meaningful family home evening. President Faust called these practices safeguards for a reason. I have learned with the 68th Ward that neglecting any one of them decreases the light and increases the spiritual danger. We have also learned that obeying this simple counsel is an important way to “continue in God” and thus to walk in safely lit paths. As bishop, I have yet to meet with anyone in the 68th Ward in serious spiritual trouble who was carefully and conscientiously seeking light through focused scripture study, sincere prayer and purposeful family home evening. Sadly, I have met with many members of the ward who had adopted a checklist approach to these safeguards. The resulting light was insufficient to light their path, and they stumbled. Be careful.
Not many years ago, Elder Robert D. Hales gave a powerful illustration of this principle. He said,
When I was a boy, I used to ride my bicycle home from basketball practice at night. I would connect a small pear-shaped generator to my bicycle tire. Then as I pedaled, the tire would turn a tiny rotor, which produced electricity and emitted a single, welcome beam of light. It was a simple but effective mechanism. But I had to pedal to make it work! I learned quickly that if I stopped pedaling my bicycle, the light would go out. I also learned that when I was “anxiously engaged” in pedaling, the light would become brighter and the darkness in front of me would be dispelled.
The generation of spiritual light comes from daily spiritual pedaling. It comes from praying, studying the scriptures, fasting, and serving—from living the gospel and obeying the commandments.
Sometimes people ask, “Why do I have to go to sacrament meeting?” or “Why do I have to live the Word of Wisdom, pay tithing? Why can’t I have one foot in Babylon?” May I tell you why? Because spiritual pedaling takes both feet! Unless you are fully engaged in living the gospel—living it with all of your “heart, might, mind and strength”—you cannot generate enough spiritual light to push back the darkness.[4]
Notice that Elder Hales had a generator on his bicycle, not a battery. One of the lessons in that image is that we must continually generate light. Please remember that you can’t enjoy all the light that you need unless you steadily and diligently pedal—with both feet! Elder Henry B. Eyring taught us a related principle when he said that “great faith has a short shelf life.” That principle also holds for the light we receive through continuing in God. Listen to Elder Eyring’s counsel: “However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly.”[5] We might say, “However much light we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep that light refreshed constantly.”
Remember the image of the generator on Elder Hales’ bicycle. Remember that the light generated by even fully obedient gospel living has a short shelf life. Just as Elder Hales had to keep pedaling to light his way home, so we must continue to obey in order to generate the light that can lead us back to our heavenly home.
Are you pedaling with both feet?
Remember, we must continue in God.
Next phrase: receiveth more light. We are to endure in the light of whatever truth we have received, but there is no reason to conclude that we must live our lives by the light of a tiny birthday cake candle. As we press forward in determined obedience, additional light comes into our lives. In God’s time and in his wisdom, that additional light will become a glorious fullness of light.
Elder Richard G. Scott has commented on the pattern that the Lord uses to bless us with light. In a General Conference address, Elder Scott said, “He will place in your path packets of spiritual sunlight to brighten your way.”[6] A few years later, during a devotional in this auditorium, he gave related counsel, teaching us that “inspiration comes in packets.”[7]
If we are expecting a flood of light in response to our prayers, we might miss the Lord’s subtle efforts to bless and lead us. Rather than blessing us with a burst of brilliant light all at once, the Lord blesses us with carefully timed and situated packets of light. Those packets are vital to our success, but we won’t find them unless we are in the paths that the Lord has prepared (Alma 41:8). As part of that preparation, the Lord has foreseen our needs and our capacities—and not in a generic, one-size-fits-all way! He has placed packets of light in our path both in individually appropriate doses and at the intervals that will both stretch and rescue us in our own unique circumstances. As we receive, remember, and act on the truths in one customized packet of light, we prepare to receive new light, and the light grows brighter and brighter.
Do you continue in God by embracing the light that he has revealed, that he does now reveal, and which he has yet to reveal?
Remember, as you continue in God, there will be additional light.
Our final phrase: and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. The light grows brighter and brighter because we are drawing nearer and nearer unto the Source of the Light, but also because we are increasingly filled with the light of his doctrines, principles, commandments and covenants and thus increasingly like Him. The perfect day is that day when we enter into and receive the fullness of the Father.
In the meantime, we are sometimes so convinced that we already see things as they really are that additional light can only complicate our tidy theories. We must not become so enamored of a particular perspective—be it academic, ethnic, political, doctrinal, or autobiographical—that we block out the full spectrum of God’s truths. Please be careful.
We are blessed to live during the great dispensation of the fullness of times. Consequently, we can expect many future opportunities to receive additional light. Elder Oaks said in this year’s April conference, “When new writings come forth—and according to prophecy they will—we hope they will not be treated with the rejection some applied to the Book of Mormon because they already had a Bible.”[8]
We are all familiar with the Book of Mormon words, “A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible” (2 Nephi 29:3). It would be a sad irony if we who quote this verse against others were to say, in effect, “Light! Light! We have got light, and there cannot be any more light.”
Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve warned many years ago against such an approach to light. In the “Parable of the Two Lamps,” Elder Talmage relates his experience with a lamp vendor. Confident that he already had the best lamp available Elder Talmage was shocked to see just how superior the vendor’s lamp was. He says, “Its light made bright the remotest corner of my room. In its brilliant blaze my own little [lamp] burned a weak, pale yellow. Until that moment of convincing demonstration, I had never known the dim obscurity in which I had lived and labored, studied and struggled.”[9] Elder Talmage wisely purchased the more powerful lamp and the light grew brighter.
How foolish we would be to smugly conclude that there are neither questions yet to be asked nor light yet to be received. How foolish we would be, in other words, to decline the offer of a brighter lamp, the offer of greater light. Listen. “I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Nephi 28:30). Beware complacency! When the Lord offers you a powerful new lamp, take it!
When we come to the table of the Lord, he expects us to come with a hearty appetite—for light! Figuratively speaking, don’t put your napkin on the table, push your chair back and excuse yourself yet! Your Host may have only served the appetizers. The Lord is ready to bless us all with abundant new light, but he can’t if we are too satisfied and comfortable to really seek it in class, in sacrament meeting, during devotional, in the temple or in any other setting.
Have you left room in your opinions, beliefs, and testimony for new light?
Remember, the light can grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Let me take you back to my hometown. When we left Moses Lake a few minutes ago, an ash cloud had turned a spring morning into frightening darkness. Throughout a very long night, volcanic ash fell from the sky. We awoke to a hazy, completely grey world in which everything was smothered in several inches of pulverized stone. The cloud was gone, but months of work to remove the ash from lawns, roofs, and roads lay ahead of us. It was long, hard, and gritty work. There was much to do to return things to something like a normal condition, but please note that it didn’t stay dark forever. The sun came up on a different and damaged world, but the sun came up.
You may even now find yourself in the shadow of your own frightening ash cloud. If you do, please remember that you can chase that darkness away with the light of truth. I promise you that the sun can come up again in your world too. However, when the light returns, don’t be surprised to find that there is long, hard, and gritty work yet to do. The exhausting work we had to do to deal with tons and tons of volcanic ash took its toll primarily on our arms and backs. As you struggle to recover from the fallout of darkness in your life, you will find yourself laboring primarily with your knees and your heart.
As you give your whole hearts to repentance, I testify that Jesus Christ will replace slumber with a great spiritual awakening, and darkness with light. It can be with all of us as it was with the people of Alma the Elder. “Behold, [the Lord] awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word” (Alma 5:9). We, as they, must “Awake to righteousness” (1 Corinthians 15:34).
Brothers and sisters, wherever you are, however bright or dim the light may be, start pedaling. It may be weak at first, but the light that you generate through your obedience will become strong as you pedal with all your heart, might, mind and strength (D&C 4:2). Pedal by obeying all the commandments of the Lord; pedal by doing his will with the heart and a willing mind (D&C 64:34). As you pedal, remember that “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).
I bear testimony of these principles and pray that we may all walk in their light. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Hinckley, Gordon Bitner. Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997. 179-180.
[2] Bednar, David A. “Marriage is Essential to His Eternal Plan.” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting: Supporting the Family, February 11, 2006. 2-7.
[3] Faust, James E. “Challenges Facing the Family.” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting: The Priesthood and the Auxiliaries of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary, January 10, 2004. 1-4.
[4] Hales, Robert D. “Out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light.” Ensign, May 2002, 69-72.
[5] Eyring, Henry B. “Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady.” Ensign, November 2005, 37-40.
[6] Scott, Richard G. “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, November 1995, 16-18.
[7] Scott, Richard G. “To Live Well Amid Worldly Decay.” BYU-Idaho Devotional. February 24, 2004. http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2004_02_24_Scott.htm
[8] Oaks, Dallin H. “All Men Everywhere.” Ensign, May 2006, 77-80.
[9] Talmage, James E. “Three Parables: The Unwise Bee, the Owl Express, and Two Lamps.” Ensign, February 2003, 8-13.