Top 10 Reasons I’ve Found Peace in Christ’s Church

 Top 10 Reasons I’ve Found Peace in Christ’s Church

 

1.       I have learned for myself that God is real, that He lives, and that He wants to have an ongoing, intimate relationship with each of His children. (Jer. 10:10, Ps. 90:2, Heb, 3:4, 11:6) – That gives me peace!

2.       I have come to realize that all people who have ever or will ever live in mortality are God’s children. The human family is God’s Family which spiritually puts us all on an equal playing field. (Gal. 3:28, Acts 10:34, Rom. 2:11, 10:12, Jn. 3:16) – That gives me peace!

3.       I know that God loves us all, more than we can understand. He loves us as a doting parent loves His children. He wants the best for us, is quick to forgive us, and wants us to return and live with Him someday. (Josh. 1:9, Ps. 36:7, Jn. 16:17, Rom. 5:8) – That gives me peace!

4.       I have found that God has a plan for me (and for everyone else) – that means even though we might be lost or wandering and directionless, God is vigilant at helping us make course corrections according to His plan. (Jer. 1:5, 29:11, Ps. 33:11, 32:8, 2 Pet. 3:9) – That gives me peace!

5.       I have learned that my life (and everyone else’s) didn’t mysteriously and miraculously occur at birth. We lived with God prior to mortality as His spirit children (Jer. 1:4-5, Eccl. 12:7, Gal. 1:15, Eph. 1:4). We participated in the war in heaven (Rev. 12:11), and fought for God’s plan to enter mortality, receive a physical body, and be tested. – That gives me peace!

6.       I have discovered that the Godhead are three separate persons – God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They are One in purpose, United in principle, but separate individuals. Christ asked his disciples to be one as He and the Father are One (Matt. 3:17, Jn. 17:21-23). Like Them, we can be one, unified together with each other, with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, and still be individuals. –  That gives me peace!  

7.       I have come to understand how important authority is in God’s church (Matt. 7:29, 28:18, Mk. 1:27, Jn. 15:16, Num. 27:23, Ex. 40:12-16). And that only those that have been called and set apart by someone who has been given authority from God are authorized to perform the ordinances of salvation. It eliminates confusion. – That gives me peace!

8.       It’s wonderful, I’ve realized that the heavens are not sealed, that God speaks to His children today. He is not silent – God’s children of today’s modern world are as important to Him as His children were in the first 4,000 years. He wants to counsel us and give us direction, protection and hope regarding modern-day world challenges. He wants a relationship with His children and is ever ready to make His will known to us. Prayer works and prayers are answered (Ps. 33:3, 34:4, 66:33, 29:3-9, Jer. 10:13, 19:12-13 Ex. 20:1-17, Ezek. 12:25, Matt. 3:17, Jn. 16:24, 2 Pet. 1:21). Revelation from God continues today. God’s communication is as relevant as ever and needed now more than ever. There is no better way to know His will than to receive it directly from Him. – And that gives me peace!

9.       It’s so comforting to know that God is a righteous and merciful judge. On judgement day, we will be judged individually on our own faith and merits, and not compared to anyone else. While judging He will perfectly balance justice and mercy. (Ps. 9:8, 33:22, Ezek. 33:20, 1 Sam. 24:15, Rev. 20:11-15) – And that gives me peace!

10.    I’ve learned that the gifts of resurrection and eternal life are available to all of God’s children. The gift of immortality is available to all people, all nations, kindreds, tongues, black and white, bond and free, male and female, Jew and Gentile, and everyone else. (1 Cor. 15:22, Jn. 5:24-26, 12:32, Rom. 6:3-5) – And that gives me peace!

_______________________________________________

There are dozens of additional reasons that the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives peace.

With so much chaos and turmoil in the world, peace seems elusive and fleeting to many. But the doctrines and

teachings of Christ’s gospel are a beacon of light and respite, piercing through mortality’s heavy storms and

unsettling darkness. They offer us safety, comfort, relief and tangible, essential peace.

Isn’t it wonderful that peace comes to us from and through the Prince of Peace? He said,

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let

not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn. 14:27). – And that gives me peace!

______________________________________________

Wm. Calvin Hughes | June 1, 2023 | Lake Elsinore, California

The List of Who God's Love has Blessed

 Abou Ben Adhem (1834)

By Leigh Hunt, 1784 - 1859

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

EVERY KNEE, EVERY TONGUE

Every Knee, Every Tongue…

 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me (Rom. 14:11), and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).” Paul in his letter to the Church in Philippi and in his letter to the Church in Rome referred back in time hundreds of years when he said, “For it is written…” (Isa. 45:22-24). Isaiah records God Himself saying, “...that unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear…”

These verses have puzzled me, more so in recent years. Mostly from the perspective of the decline of overall Christian observance occurring in our world. You would think that to realize the unequivocal “every knee shall bow” threshold, Christian activity, participation, and enthusiasm would be increasing at a steady rate. Especially since the world is anticipating the imminent approach of the Second Coming. But that’s not the case at all. In 2019, 65% of American adults described themselves as Christians when asked about their religion. But that stat is significantly down, an astounding -12% since 2009. On the other side of the coin, those unaffiliated with religion, people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” increased to 26%, which is up +9% in the same ten-year period. Christianity is losing ground. But not just Christianity, religious participation in general is waning because people aren’t moving from one form of worship to another, they’re moving away from spirituality and worship altogether – to atheism, agnosticism or “no belief system”.

It seems like the basic belief in God, adherence to His commandments, and respect for His teachings are diminishing in importance. People are just too busy, occupied with worldly activities of higher priority. Sports, travel, entertainment, work, shopping, gaming, hobbies, social activities, etc. are taking precedence and compete with Christians attending Sabbath Day worship services. Spirituality is less and less of a focus as worldly behaviors are overtaking and dominating society. Humanity isn’t seeing the value of involving God in their lives compared to times past. People aren’t studying scriptures and revering the Good Book like they once did. In popular videos online random people ‘on the street’ are asked to name five books of the Bible or quote a favorite scripture. The overwhelming majority can’t do either. Not many people are praying regularly or see benefits from communicating with God anymore. At an alarming rate, Nations are moving away from God’s protective and ample arm, and toward reliance on ‘the arm of the flesh’ – trusting in their own resources, strengths, abilities, and experience rather than God’s and His unlimited resources. We’re losing the respect, the trust, and primary regard for holy things we once had. This trend cannot and will not lead us to “the promised land”.

If fewer people have, or even want to have a formal relationship with God, how could it be that “every knee will bow down and every voice will sound conviction that God is our God” – the only God of this world? Will the people of the earth be compelled to prostrate themselves in some fashion against their will? I can’t see a loving God forcing His children to bow before Him like some tyrannical dictator. Will our fellow men attempt to show dubious respect because of the shame they feel for lives of misguided choices? That seems hollow as well. Maybe folks will succumb to pure peer pressure, joining in when seeing others around them kneeling in reverential respect for the Lord of Lords, King of Kings. Doing so only because they don’t want to be ‘left out’. Again, probably not.

So then, what will cause every last mortal, even the most defiant, disobedient and anti-godlike personalities –  those with no knowledge or care for Christianity, those that refuse to set foot in a house of worship, even those (like Saul) that openly seek to destroy believers in Christ, making havoc of the Church, and even those that openly rebel and mock everything holy – what will cause ALL to kneel in adoring recognition and speak (confess) with certain declaration that Jesus is God? How could it be possible? It seems that everything conceivable is working overtime to the contrary to thwart it.

For overwhelming circumstances exactly like this, we should remember, “…with God all things are possible” (Matt. 16:26). Think carefully about this response. Every knee will bow out of respect and affirmation, and every tongue will confess the truth, acknowledging praise, honor and reverence, because every person will absolutely and unquestionably realize in a split second how much He loves them.

That’s why.

Because He loves them. And maybe for the first time in their mortal existence they will undeniably understand His love for them. What was a dormant realization will surface in everyone’s memory of what He’s done for them, the sacrifice He paid for them, the blood He shed, the stripes He bore, the agony He endured, the ridicule He took, the life He freely gave up for them – it was because He loves them.

All will comprehend fully that He didn’t have to do what He did, that He did it out of love for all. Everyone will know that He paid for their sins. All will know that He broke the bands of death for them. All will grasp how undeserving we are based on our sinfulness, missed priorities, and worldliness.

All will bow.

All will confess His name.

And all will do so freely and spontaneously because each and every person will realize how fully, how completely, and how undeservingly He loves us.

He loves each and every one of us as of His children.

His matchless love is the answer to all of the significant and not so significant mortal dilemmas.

Wm. Calvin Hughes | June 19, 2023 | Lake Elsinore, California 

DAD WORKED IN A MINE

DAD WORKED IN A MINE

When I was 10-years-old, my dad worked with one of the largest copper mines in the world. But it’s probably not what you’re thinking. Although he was renowned for whistling while he worked, he wasn’t marching off to the mines every morning – into a cave in the darkest depths of the planet – singing “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go…”. No, and he didn’t come home covered from head to toe in black soot. Even though he wasn’t very tall, he certainly wasn’t a dwarf – but he did marry a princess. All that aside, he did work for a mining company – in their brightly lit technology department. It was a white-shirt-and-tie kind of position.

I remember going to work with him on several occasions. His offices were in a high-rise building in downtown Salt Lake City. He worked with computers the size of cars that had 14” – 16” rolls of magnetic tape spinning around with a rhythmic hum, lots of flashing lights, and spit out information on punch cards – boxes and boxes of punch cards. Although I didn’t understand any of it, it was a wonderland for a young boy. I was fascinated with this new advanced ‘technology’ and tried to understand my dad’s explanations about the potential and future of our world through harnessing this power. He was smart – eventually a rocket scientist – but about as down to earth, approachable, and humble as they come.

He described the project he was working on for the mine – the Kennecott Copper Mine smokestack. Over the years I’ve learned just how amazing this project was. It’s still in use today. And recently I found out that my father-in-law also worked on the same project – on the construction side as a subcontractor. Small world!

The smokestack stands west of the Salt Lake City valley (20 miles from downtown and less than a mile from the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake). As of 2023 here are some of the amazing aspects of the Kennecott smokestack project that most people don’t know –

•            Construction started in the August 26, 1974
•            Construction completed on November 19, 1974 (I was 14) it’s now 48 years old
•            It was a continuous concrete pour, 7 days-a-week, 24-hours-a-day, for 84 days
•            It’s 1,215 feet high (equivalent to a 121-story high-rise)

o    The tallest building in Utah is the Wells Fargo Center at 422 feet

o    The tallest building west of the Mississippi - Wilshire Grand Ctr, Los Angeles at 1,100 feet

o    The tallest building in the USA is the One Trade Center at 1,776 feet

o    The Kennecott smoke stack is the same height as the Empire State Building at 1,250 feet (the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for 41 years - from 1931 to 1972 – and was the first building in the world’s history to contain over 100 stories)

o    The tallest pyramid of Giza is 481 feet

•            It’s 177 feet diameter at the base
•            With 12-foot wall thickness at the base
•   \     It’s 12 feet diameter at the top (narrows down from 177 feet at the bottom to 12 feet at the top)
•            With 12-inch wall thickness at the top
•             The cost of the smokestack was $16.3 million in 1974 (an equivalent of $100.3 million in 2023 dollars)
•             The smokestack is THE LARGEST free-standing structure west of the Mississippi River in the USA
•            It’s the 4^th tallest smokestack in the world and 2^nd tallest smokestack in the USA (by 2 feet)
•            It’s the 59^th tallest free-standing structure in the world
•            Amazingly… it’s one of the few cement structures in Western civilization that has miraculously avoided getting tagged for almost 50 years

As amazing and smart and accomplished as my dad was, he was just one of thousands that worked together to construct one of the world’s true wonders. It wouldn’t surprise me if the builders of the Giza pyramids, from a few thousand years away, could look back at the Kennecott Copper smokestack with awe and bewilderment, and ask themselves, “How in the world did they do that!?!?”

My dad was a builder. He built sheds and houses, cars and engines, trailers and furniture, music and books and programming source code, world record smokestacks and more. Oddly, he seemed to love cement. It’s kind of perplexing – a rocket scientist that had this strange, fond attachment to cement! He’s easy to remember for being a builder because of the structures he left behind, but he built even greater things. He bootstrapped to build a family. He had to fight to keep it together. Maybe that’s why he had a fascination with cement – it had an uncanny way of holding things together. Through all kinds of weather and turbulence and upheaval it’s strong and resilient and bulletproof. That’s how he was, what he did – regardless of adversarial circumstances, he found a way to hold it together, make it last, sustain the storm, stand the tests of time, and thrive. He found a way to lose himself in his labor, find love in it, and find a way to be happy. I think on a lot of these things when I see cement…

 

THE QUILT

 THE QUILT

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives, like the squares of a quilt, in many piles. An angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But, as my angel took each piece of cloth of the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty; each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I had endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The other rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been.

My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But, there had also been trials of illness and death, and false accusations that took from me my world as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I had spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it had been.

I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with eyes wide. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image. The face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me that there was of you. May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

___________________________________________________________

In memory of Robert V. Minder, a good friend.

Author unknown

Just thinking of you…

Just thinking of you...

your family, your marriage, your livelihood...

your thoughtfulness, your faithfulness, your friendship…

your humility, and your spirituality – like a steadfast Maine lighthouse.

 

your wisdom, your generosity, your contribution...

your positivity, your value, your charity…

your kindness, and your warmth – like a golden Grand Canyon sunrise.

 

your availability, your humor, how honorable you are…

your optimism, your creativity, your mindfulness…

your passion, and your goodness – like Grandma’s oven-fresh chicken pot pie.

 

… just thinking about you.

____________________________________________

Wm. Calvin Hughes | June 14, 2022 | Lake Elsinore, CA

 

THE MIRACLE OF COVENANT AMBASSADORS

THE MIRACLE OF COVENANT AMBASSADORS

 

 COVENANTS

Covenants, although not that frequently used in common conversation, are very common in legal, marital and theological / biblical contexts. The word “covenant” is of Latin origin, meaning ‘a coming together’. When parties come together to contract, agree on promises, stipulations, privileges and responsibilities, they enter into a covenant together. Both parties agree to certain conditions to maintain and enforce the contract. It is said that a covenant is much stronger, more sacred and binding than a promise or an oath. Certainly weightier and more solemn than a child’s ‘pinky finger promise’. For the purpose of this paper we will focus on the religious or spiritual use of the idea of covenants.

The word covenant is referenced 274 times in the Old Testament, 26 times in the New Testament, and 254 times in the other Standard Works of LDS scripture – a total of 364 occurrences. There are approximately 2,444 pages of scripture in the all of scripture. That means that the concept of covenants is addressed on average every 6 ¾ pages. With that frequency, making and keeping covenants must be of significant importance to God and His relationship with His children. Could it be that we have we missed the significance and importance of covenants in the teachings our of holy text?

I have a good friend, probably the greatest scriptural scholar I personally know. He also has a keen spiritual insight into Christianity, its history, doctrines and situational context. He’s unpretentious, humble and a man with no guile. He’s someone you could sit and listen to for hours and hours, and then leave wanting more. If you could imagine an old sage, wise, humble, scholarly, unassuming, patient, soft-spoken, dedicated with a deep reverence for God and all things spiritual – that’s him!

He talks frequently about covenants, especially from a scriptural perspective. He has identified the original covenant – the everlasting covenant God offers His children, the covenant that permeates through all through the scriptures. This covenant, we could refer to as the master covenant (it’s the foundation on which all other spiritual covenants are based) and is God’s all-encompassing covenantal proposal to His children (all of mortality). He lovingly declares: “I will be your God, and you will be My people.”

SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES

Some clear examples of God’s original covenant with His children can be seen early in scripture. Not long after the creation, in Gen. 17 speaking to Abraham, God said –

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised” (emphasis added).

The Lord spoke of His covenant again with Moses in Exodus 6. God said –

“Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord” (emphasis added).

A third example is found when the Lord is speaking with Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 18 –

“Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (emphasis added).

I would gently challenge you to embark on a spiritual journey of enlightenment by studying and pondering the other 350+ scriptural references about covenants. I can promise sweet rewards and an enhanced relationship with the Savior to all who accept the invitation.

 GOD’S COVENANT WITH HIS CHILDREN

This everlasting covenant between God and His people encompasses multiple promises from both parties. God covenants to partner with His children, not just to lead them, but to be with them, at their side. Not a distant ruler sitting on His throne on high and directing mortal with a wave of His hand. No, He will be by our side, allowing us to lean on Him for support, counsel with Him for strength, He will even carry us when we are weary or lost. When an all-powerful and benevolent God offers to ‘partner’ with us, who could reject that gift? His covenant (gift) to us is to –

•          Love and have mercy for us
•          Forgive us when we repent
•          Never give up on us
•          To sanctify us
•          Send His Spirit (The Holy Ghost) to always be with us
•          Offer us all the blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
•          Show us how to become joint heirs with Him in God’s kingdom
•          Offer us access to all blessings reserved for the faithful (to inherit thrones, kingdoms,        powers, principalities, and dominions, even to our eventual exaltation and glory in all      things)
•          And more…

As for the other half of the covenant, our half, we covenant with the Savior Jesus Christ to –

•          Take His name upon us
•          To always remember Him
•          Keep His commandments (live lives of righteousness, repenting frequently and                renewing our covenants regularly)
•          Live lives of service
•          Be anxiously engaged in the ongoing work of gathering Israel and His work in                  redeeming God’s children (both the living – missionary work; and the dead – family          history, genealogy and temple work)
•          And more…

 COVENANT AMBASSADORS

I’ve probably only scratched the surface of the details and intricacies of covenants and the New and Everlasting Covenant. But I wanted to spend some time with the idea of ‘covenant ambassadors’.

We may think that our covenant with God is a singular, one-time, one-on-one transaction with God as one party and us, individually as the other party. I guess that’s true in the ultimate sense, but the covenant isn’t a one-time, single occurrence. Because we are mortal and flawed, we need to actively repent and regularly renew our side of the covenant. Fortunately God has mercifully provided for this situation. He generously allows us to gather at the Sacrament table each week (partaking of the Sacrament renews all of our covenants) and to repeatedly enter into His temple to refresh our memory of temple covenants. Of course we should be renewing our covenants with integrity and sincerity – consistently trying to improve and learn from our shortcomings between renewals of the covenant. How blessed we are to have a Heavenly Father that is patient, merciful, quick to forgive, and provides us second, third, and hundredth chances. As for God’s side of the covenant, because He is perfect and is “the same yesterday, and to day, and forever and forever” (Heb. 13:8) we have no need to be concerned that He will ever break the Covenant.

Back to the thought about ‘covenant ambassadors’. An ambassador is an accredited official or diplomat that represents a head of state or other world leader. As the leaders’ representative, they are given specific assignments and activities. Fortunately the Lord has generously provided an abundance of ambassadors to assist in activities that help us renew our covenants. I affectionately refer to them as ‘covenant ambassadors’.

Who are these covenant ambassadors? They are many and their mission is primarily to serve and minister to us with loving care. For example, each week the Aaronic Priesthood assists in preparing, blessing and delivering renewal covenants via the emblems of the Sacrament – they are covenant ambassadors. Bishoprics and Melchizedek Priesthood oversee the Sacrament – also covenant ambassadors. Thousands of temple workers, men, women, and youth are covenant ambassadors assisting the daily work of covenant making and renewing in the Lord’s temples. Tens of thousands (well over 100,000) of full-time missionaries and local Ward missionaries serve throughout the world in teaching and introducing God’s children to His covenants and the associated blessings available. Their mission is to love, share and invite our friends to make their own covenants with God. Hundreds of thousands of church members are actively involved in genealogy research finding, recording, and taking names of their deceased ancestors to the temples of God. Their ancestors’ salvation is ensured through vicarious covenants if they accept the work done on their behalf. Together, these covenant ambassadors number in the millions. They facilitate the initiation and renewal of eternal covenants to God’s children! Covenant ambassadors are gathering Israel! Covenant ambassadors are uniting fathers and mothers with their children and turning the hearts of God’s children to their fathers and mothers! Covenant ambassadors assist in the Lord’s sacred ongoing work of redemption and salvation for all of us – all of God’s children!

And we can’t forget the heavenly hosts, angels that assist with covenants on the other side of the veil. Perhaps these are the most active and continuous covenant ambassadors of all!

In a moment of deep thought regarding covenant ambassadors, I wanted to calculate the number of covenant ambassadors involved in the effort to assist one individual in learning about, accepting and renewing covenants throughout that person’s life. After only a few moments, I found myself in awe as I tallied the throng! Literally dozens, maybe hundreds serve as covenant ambassadors in order for one child of God to fulfill his/her mortal side of the covenant! It’s humbling! Certainly gives expanded validation when the Savior prayed in Jn. 17:20-23 –

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (emphasis added).

 

 BEING A COVENANT AMBASSADOR

I have another friend, a sweet, elderly woman, somewhat frail and experiencing seasons of difficult health. She is mostly house-bound, just her and her beloved Shih Tzu-Lhasa Apso mix ‘Honeyboy’. She is spiritually centered and dedicated to the Lord. Every week for years, come rain or snow, sickness or health, she has faithfully found the strength and capacity to make homemade bread. These two sacred, delicious homemade loafs are delivered to the chapel each Sabbath as an offering to be used as one of the Sacrament emblems. Certainly, she is a faithful covenant ambassador as her efforts help facilitate covenants with hundreds of God’s children every week!

When thinking about her and her honorable efforts to be a covenant ambassador, it occurs to me that we all can find unique ways to help others learn about, make, keep and renew covenants with God. We can all serve in some capacity and become covenant ambassadors. This is a most honorable or worthy activity and how privileged we are to partner with God in His most important work – “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Making and keeping covenants is integral to God’s work and glory.

These followers of Christ partner with Him to be covenant ambassadors. How wonderful it is to have the Lord’s trust and participate in His sacred work of salvation and redemption. Thank you to all the miracle covenant ambassadors who so freely and generously serve all of God’s children. How blessed we are to have a God that is willing to covenant with His children by declaring –

“I will be your God and you will be My people.”

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Dedicated to Lynda and Mark and all of God’s Covenant Ambassadors

Wm Calvin Hughes | May 21, 2023 | Lake Elsinore, CA