I served in the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission. To reward us for only one hour of church each week, and at 7 in the morning, our Mission President arranged for General Authorities to come and speak to us in Sacrament Meeting every month or so. We heard from Richard Hinckley, L. Whitney Clayton, Ronald A. Rasband, Jeffrey R. Holland, just to name a few. Of course their respective messages were profound and inspiring, but the message that shaped my life came in the form of a literary tool. L. Whitney Clayton stated in passing over the pulpit that the phrase "As the Lord Liveth" is a declaration of absolute truth. As surely as there is a God and that He lives, whatever statement in the scriptures contained that phrase was absolutely true. That peaked my curiosity and I delved into the scriptures looking for such references, I found 25. What doctrine I found!. I learned that the declaration of "As the Lord liveth" was a solemn oath and was considered most sacred in the ancient Middle East- there is none more binding or ominous.
This sparked a search of not only "As the Lord liveths" but of formulas and direct, promised blessings. I now have and add to pages and lists of how to qualify for the Holy Ghost, glorify God and make decisions. These have opened my eyes to the covenants and promises of the Lord and have solidified my testimony of the past and of what is to come. I guess you could say that as surely as the Lord lives, I know that the church is true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
-Hailey N.
I love it when someone says something in a talk or in passing that leads you to a thirst for more knowledge and greater understanding in your own life! I find I have these moments most commonly during general conference. How amazing it would be to hear from the General Authorities every month or so! I am currently waiting on my mission call and the Salt Lake City mission is a mission that is near the top of my wishlist!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Savannah--I always thought the temple square mission would be a blast! That is awesome for you. And it's even better cause while you're here at BYU, you can still easily visit your mission! It's wonderful! And so is the knowledge that our Savior really does live. I found it very interesting that the phrase "As the Lord liveth" was the phrase of a solemn oath used in the Middle East. That was a piece of information that I really found amazing, and interesting. It's a great testament for those making the oath. Thanks for sharing some of your insights of your many hours of study! I enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI confess. This too is one of my most favorite phrases in the Book of Mormon. Everytime I see it...I think, "this is it...this is as high, powerful, and good as it can get." I love knowing that the Lord liveth...and because of that, all is true and right and good in our lives.
ReplyDelete"As the Lord liveth.." is called a Hebrew Superlative, I believe, and it just means again the reality and importance about what is being said.