The term “fullness of the scriptures” does not just appear in the Teachings and Commandments. It is also used by Christ in the New Covenants in the Book of Luke.

A lawyer confronted Christ about the reproach Christ addressed to the Pharisees, saying, “Master, thus saying, you reproach us also.” Thereupon Christ expounded on how abused the law had become under their stewardship. In His condemnation Christ stated: “Woe unto you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge, the fullness of the scriptures. You enter not in yourselves into the kingdom, and those who were entering in, you hinder.” NC Luke 8:17

This idea is echoed in the revelation to Nephi: “because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book — which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God — that because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble.” NC 1 Ne. 3:22

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible was not optional. Without it no one can enter into the kingdom. The fullness of the scriptures (JST Bible) is a mandatory restoration of what was in the heart of the Lord. T&C 18:6

The new scriptures are essential for believers to be able to recover truth and proceed forward. Without them we have no better chance of seeing Zion than the residue of Christianity.

Many of the revelations are the same in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) and the Teachings and Commandments (T&C). But some of the revelations are almost completely different. D&C 107, for example, is not really a revelation but an amalgamation of a variety of things tied together with commentary. It reads as if it were a revelation.

I read language in D&C Section 107 for 40 years without realizing how big a mess that document actually is. Today as I read T&C 59 in the new scriptures, I came across familiar words from D&C 107. But an actual November 1831 revelation is in the T&C.

As I looked into the changes there is a whole different meaning that the T&C provides which is lost in the D&C narrative.

T&C 59 paragraphs 10-12 state the following:

10 And again, the duty of the president of the office of the high priesthood is to preside over the whole church and to be like unto Moses.
11 Behold, here is wisdom — yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.
12 Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed in all diligence. He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even so, amen.

Under T&C 59 Paragraph 10, the president over the whole church is required to be “like unto Moses.” This obligation is then defined in Paragraph 11: “to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.”

But the heart of this matter is states in Paragraph 12: “let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed in all diligence.” Making it clear that the president is required to learn to do the duty of seership, to learn to be a revelator, learn to be a translator, and learn to be a prophet. These are not automatic. These are responsibilities to be undertaken.

But Paragraph 12 continues to caution anyone with a duty that if they are slothful and fail to perform their duty he is to be “not counted worthy to stand.” Meaning that if they can’t accomplish what is required of the office, they are not worthy to remain in that office.

This is a very different text than what is found in D&C 107. The D&C language appears to make holding the office alone enough to establish the office-holder’s status as a seer, revelator, translator, and prophet. T&C instead imposes an obligation that the office-holder may fail to discharge. If the office-holder fails to accomplish the requirements, then he is not worthy to remain in office.

The new scriptures continue to amaze and enlighten me.

The Bible was revised by Joseph Smith because of a direct commandment from the Lord. That effort is referred to as a “translation” although it did not involve what any of us would regard as that. It was a revision and expansion of the text made by revelation.

In the same year the Book of Mormon was published, a revelation on 9 December 1830 commanded a new version of the Bible be undertaken. The product was described as how the Bible would look from the Lord’s bosom: “And a commandment I give unto you that you [Sidney Rigdon] shall write for him [Joseph Smith], and the scriptures shall be given, even as they are in my own bosom, to the salvation of my own elect[.]” T&C 18:6

Later that same month the Lord interrupted the work, and referred to it as a “translation”: “A commandment to Sidney and Joseph, saying, Behold, I say unto you that it is not expedient in me that you should translate any more until you shall go to the Ohio[.]” T&C 20:1 This is referring to the work being done on revising the Bible to conform to what was in the Lord’s bosom.

Once in Ohio a revelation on 4 February 1831 directed that “Joseph should have a house built in which to live and translate.” T&C 25:3. Again, this is the Bible project.

Five days later another revelation commanded that the teachers in the church should teach the “scriptures which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.” It goes on to mention that teaching must be “directed by the spirit” and cautioned “if you receive not the spirit, you shall not teach[.]” This was to be followed “until the fullness of my scriptures are given.” T&C 26:5 The phrase “fullness of my scriptures” was a reference to the revised Bible underway.

On 7 March 1831 a revelation allowed the Bible revision to shift from the Old Testament to the New Testament. That revelation made an extensive explanation of the Lord’s teaching to His Jerusalem disciples (which would substantially alter part of Matthew). After clarifying what Christ told those disciples, the Lord states, “it shall not be given unto you to know any further than this until the New Testament be translated, and in it all these things shall be made known.” T&C 31:13 Compare Matthew 11 with T&C 31 in the new scriptures and you will see how the Lord’s revision clarifies and improves New Testament material.

In an October 1831 conference, Joseph declared: “God had often sealed up the Heavens because of covetousness in the church. Said the Lord would cut his work short in righteousness and except the church receive the fullness of the scriptures they would yet fall.”

All prior efforts to publish the revised Bible, which is sometimes called the “Inspired Version” and sometimes called the “Joseph Smith Translation,” have failed to faithfully follow Joseph Smith’s work. The new scriptures are the most accurate and complete text of the Bible coming from the Lord’s bosom.

As I have been reviewing the new scriptures I have been pleased, edified and astonished at the value they provide for the Lord’s elect. Although I do not claim any “elect” status, I am grateful to eavesdrop on the Lord’s communication to them. If I am attentive enough, perhaps I may inch a little closer to that.

All of the new scriptures, including the revised Bible, are available for free on-line at scriptures.info Paperback copies are available through Amazon. The materials are also now available for handheld platforms.

On this Independence Day it is sobering to see how valuable elected offices in the national government have now become. They control trillions of dollars in spending. Consequently aspiring men and women fight with words and deeds to gain the upper hand and occupy elected office.

Campaigns are now far more than billboards, radio commercials, television ads and speeches. They include protests, riots, burning buildings, assault and killing. Make no mistake, however, that you are witnessing nothing other than national political struggles to obtain elected offices.

Politics has invaded everything. Entertainment and news now advocates for one political party or another. It is tiresome and riddled with deceit by all involved. It is not news. And it is far from entertaining.

The volume of propaganda now being urged by both political sides is impossible to ignore and hard to tolerate.

The Constitution was written by inspired men to account for the low, mean and vulgar people now holding elected office. As we celebrate Independence Day, I am most of all grateful for the Founding Fathers, who foresaw the petty, ambitious and selfish knaves who would use clever slogans and gaudy displays to fool the public into electing them. I am grateful for separation of powers which results in ambitious office holders fighting among themselves.

Our system of government allows most of us to be left alone to live our lives as we choose.

Today marks the anniversary of Hyrum and Joseph Smith’s deaths. Brothers who fell victim while in state custody, unable to escape from the organized militia that came to kill them.

This morning I have been reading the letter they wrote while in a Missouri prison five years before they were killed. The false accusations of former Mormons caused their imprisonment both in Missouri and in Illinois.

They wrote from Liberty Jail: “Truth is Mormonism. God is the author of it.” I see no reason to shy away from the nickname “Mormon” or “Mormonism.”

Killing Hyrum and Joseph inflicted an incalculable loss on mankind. Today it is difficult for the world to comprehend just how much was lost to humanity because of the continual flood of falsehoods still heaped on them. What was true in 1839 continues to be true today: Hyrum and Joseph are still subject to attack by “renegades, liars, priests, thieves, and murders, who are all alike tenacious of their crafts and creeds, have poured down from their spiritual wickedness in high places, and from their strongholds of the divine, a flood of dirt, and mire, and filthiness, and vomit upon [their] heads.”

These two brothers were and are victims of “ignorance, superstition, and bigotry, placing itself where it ought not.” And so lies have gained an upper hand in the world, and truth is overcome by a torrent of slander.

Studying carefully the words of Joseph Smith uncovers a man of remarkable poise and virtue. A loving and loyal husband who does not deserve to have his words twisted to make him seem otherwise. Hyrum Smith was so Christlike a man that in his day no one doubted his truthfulness, virtue and fidelity.

Murdering Hyrum and Joseph on June 27, 1844 let others get control of the records, and to alter and distort events to support a new regime. The largest group of Mormons then used the slain leaders as cover for their new agenda.

The loss of those two remains incalculable. A fog of lies, like a great veil, enshrines ignorance about these two valiant brothers. The Lord explained to Joseph while in that Missouri prison that the world would always be divided in opinions about him: “The ends of the earth shall inquire after your name, and fools shall have you in derision, and hell shall rage against you, while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under your hand. And your people shall never be turned against you by the testimony of traitors, and although their influence shall cast you into trouble, and into bars and walls, you shall be had in honor.”

Fools still deride. Hell still rages. The testimony of traitors is still given credence. But wise people whose hearts are pure see through the slander and acknowledge the virtue and blessings God restored through these two brothers.

Today I have been reflecting on the killings of Hyrum and Joseph. I am grateful to God for all they accomplished.

The “kingdom of the devil” is actually a misnomer. It is never well organized because of the jealousy, ambition, self-interest and greed of those attracted to his agenda. It destroys, but cannot create. It collapses from its own contradictions. This is why when the devil claims to “rule from the rivers to the ends of the earth” what you behold on the pages of history are plagues, despair, war, chaos and conflict.

We are getting an interesting display of what the “devil’s kingdom” looks like in modern politics. A cacophany of discordant foolishness that results in destroying, not creating, dependency, not sufficiency, and anger, not peace.

These forces excite interest and attract attention.

Zion, on the other hand, is rather bland and disinteresting. No fighting. No conflict. No intrigue. No hostility. Just quiet cooperation and labor to provide sufficient and to spare.

Therefore Zion will hold little interest for most of the world. Too bland. Too simple. Too uninteresting for today’s headlines.

Ahh, if only we could control our compulsion for conflicts.

The second installment for the new video series is now live. The link to the video is here: “The Heavens Are Open Again: Part 2: Rejection.”

This series will have seven video segments when completed.

The Boise Restoration Conference has concluded and the videos of the proceedings can be viewed at this link: Restoration Conference Website.

This next week I will be speaking at another Restoration Conference. The website is linked HERE. This is the third year a conference about the restoration has been held. Speakers come from different traditions that acknowledge Joseph Smith as the founder. The conference this year celebrates the 200 year anniversary of the First Vision.

Last week I spoke at a Unity in Humanity Interfaith conference. The conference was recorded and is available to watch on YouTube.

Later this month I have agreed to do an interview. Once it is recorded I will put up on this site to a link for that website.

The Book of Mormon uniquely uses the term “real intent.” “Real intent” is required for acceptable prayer: “it [is] counted evil unto a man if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart.” And, to obtain the gift of the holy ghost, real intent is mandatory: “I know that if ye shall follow the Son with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ by baptism — yea, by following your Lord and Savior down into the water according to his word — behold, then shall ye receive the holy ghost.”

Repentance is also dependent upon “real intent” to obtain forgiveness: “But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness with real intent, they were forgiven.”

The best description of “real intent” comes from the resurrected Nephi, who appeared to Joseph Smith and revealed the existence of a buried record. After informing Joseph of the plates and departing, Nephi returned and after repeating the same message again, he added this: “a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me (in consequence of the indigent circumstances of my father’s family) to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbid me, saying that I must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must not be influenced by any other motive but that of building his kingdom, otherwise I could not get them.”

This is Joseph Smith’s best explanation of “real intent.” He got it from an angel.

Christ continually alluded to “real intent” as He explained His ministry: When praying for those who believed in and would follow Him: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be agreed as one as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be agreed as one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

When answering a question about His Father, Christ explained: “If you had known me, you should have known my Father also, and from henceforth you know him and have seen him. …He that has seen me has seen the Father. And how can you then say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwells in me. He does the works.”

When praying and suffering in Gethsemene, He acknowledged His submission to the Father’s will: “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

When He defined who He was to the Nephites, His identity was tied directly to submission to the Father: “I have drank out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”

The tendency to seek our own will is evil. It is also evil to feign we cooperate with heaven, when our real desire is to get something from heaven. “Real intent” involves the authentic, complete submission to the will of Heaven because that has become your sole objective. Not to get a great reward. Not to negotiate some blessing here and now. Not to become great in the eyes of Heaven. Just to have no other object in mind than to glorify God. It is the intent to not be influenced by any other motive but building His kingdom.

Service to God mustn’t be done for another desire or motive, or it is not “real intent” and is accounted as evil.

God’s will should be good enough to justify seeking to do it. In the beginning it was not good enough to keep Adam and Eve awaiting the command to partake of knowledge of good and evil. Instead they acted in pursuit of something desirable to benefit them, even though it was not yet God’s will for them. They acted apart from God’s will. They transgressed because they rebelled.

Christ was the opposite of our first mortal parents. He acted only on His Parent’s will. He acted with “real intent” in all He said, did and thought.

A newly published “revelation” in Volume 10 of the Joseph Smith Papers, Documents series is quite revealing, but not in the sense that the LDS church urges. It reveals the institutional need to vindicate later leaders by assuming a document is reliable if it helps support their position.

The “revelation” is dated 27 July 1842. The document was typed in April of 1912. It was something the typist got from his father, which he believed came from his grandfather. There is no original. And there is nothing in the journals, diaries or other sources prepared contemporaneously by Joseph Smith or any of his known scribes.

There is little doubt that this provenance for the document would result in it being questioned and likely rejected as an authentic and reliable piece of history, if not for its content. The content suggests something that has haunted and complicated LDS church history since 1852. Before a general conference announcement by Orson Pratt in 1852, polygamy was a taboo subject.

All of Joseph Smith’s public acts and statements about multiple wives denounced the idea as immoral adultery. Public awareness of adultery in Nauvoo began in early May 1842 because the Mayor of Nauvoo, John C. Bennett was excommunicated for adultery. Joseph Smith condemned Bennett, exposed his wrongdoing, and spoke against this adulterous “spiritual wifery” advocated by Bennett.

Joseph investigated the widespread adultery in Nauvoo. He brought charges before the Nauvoo High Council to expose and uproot this sinful behavior. Joseph spoke to the Relief Society about virtue and righteousness. Even John C. Bennett testified, “he never knew the said Smith to countenance any improper conduct whatever, either in public or private; and that he never did teach to me in private that an illegal illicit intercourse with females was, under any circumstances, justifiable; and that I never knew him so to teach others.” Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, p. 841.

This new “revelation” was purportedly written on July 27, 1842. This was two months after Bennett’s exposure and excommunication on May 11, 1842. This was 26 days after the Bennett testimony about Joseph Smith’s refusal “to countenance any improper conduct, either in public or private.”

The July 27, 1842 document is important for the LDS church to recognize, accept and defend because it gives some faint support to connecting Joseph Smith with the teaching of plural wives. This document is helpful to LDS interests because the LDS church publicly advocated polygamy beginning in 1852, they claim to have preserved the religion founded by Joseph Smith, and they claim authority from him. Those claims are undermined if they cannot connect Joseph Smith to the practice.

There is no way to determine if the missing original was connected to Joseph Smith. There is no way to check to see if it was faithfully transmitted. There is no way to see if some of the language is interlineated. There is no way to compare if the same handwriting wrote the whole of the document, or if interlineated materials are in a different hand.

The document instructs Newel K. Whitney to seal his daughter Sarah to Joseph Smith. The only reference to “wife” in the sealing document is a parenthetical phrase appearing between two comas in the typewritten version. The language is: “…, to be his wife, …” and because it is typewritten and not the original there is no way to know if those words were there originally. This is important because, as I have explained elsewhere, Joseph Smith had one “sealing” version until October 1843, and at that time added another. The one added in October 1843 was “man to man sealing” or “adoption.” The purpose of all “sealing” was to tie the one sealed to Joseph Smith for salvation in the afterlife.

After Joseph Smith’s death, Sarah Whitney married Heber C. Kimball and bore 7 children. She had no children with Joseph Smith, and the JSP, Documents Vol. 10 acknowledges that “sealing was a salvific rite… It promised immortality and eternal life to Sarah Ann, and by extension her entire family, through her sealing to J[oseph] S[mith]. …no documentation exists as to whether Sarah Ann and JS’s relationship was sexual in nature.” P. 311.

I think Joseph Smith sealed others to him, men and women, as part of the plan of salvation. I think his interest was in saving others, not sexual relations with women other than Emma. All the children born of Joseph Smith came through Emma Smith alone.

This addition to the Joseph Smith Papers is a disappointment, given the dubious provenance of the document. At best it deserves only mention in a footnote. Wholesale endorsement of the document as reliable does not reflect well on the project. It smacks more of institutional protection than of good history preservation.

The document is a “revelation” primarily in what it reveals about the institution publishing the Papers.

I got an email inquiry after my last post. The inquiry raised the issue of potential Deuteronomist corruption of the account of Adam and Eve. I responded:

The damage done by the Deuteronomists did not have any effect on the Brass Plates maintained by Laban. They were a much older account. That older account was what informed the descendants of Lehi.

Most of the Deuteronomist mischief came during and after the Babylonian captivity. The family of Lehi departed prior to the captivity.

Adam and Eve were ordained for a priestly role in the Garden of Eden, and were in God’s presence while serving in that capacity. Once cast out, the challenge forever after has been to recreate Eden and have God’s presence return to the Earth. Not just to visit but to take up His abode here. That is the reason for establishing temples by God’s people repeatedly in history. But the objective has always been the same: the return of Eden, the return of God, and the redemption of the Earth from the fall.

The problem was not partaking of the knowledge of good and evil. That was always the destiny of Adam and Eve. The problem was partaking in violation of the Sabbath, We lost the day of rest, mankind made himself rather than God the center of creation, and the original Sabbath day did not return until Christ’s resurrection.

It is apparent that Christ never intended to re-establish Eden in the Old World. He made some considerable advancement to that end among the Nephites. Who knows what was done among the others He visited in the post-resurrection ministry. But the burden of prophecy is clear; There will be a final Temple of God in which He returns to dwell on Earth. That will require priestly men and women to perform the obligations imposed for Divine worship, opening the heavens, and having Gods, angels and mankind associate with one another.

God always intended to have mankind gain knowledge of good and evil. But God also intended that the center would be occupied by God, not by man’s ambition and self-will. Christ did nothing but what the Father directed be done. He said nothing other than what the Father commanded Him to say. He suffered the will of the Father in all things. Christ performed the priestly service that Adam and Eve neglected to perform.

The Book of Mormon, which is the cornerstone of the religion established through the ministry of Joseph Smith, gives a more meaningful explanation of the fall. In 2 Nephi Chapter 1, paragraphs 9-10, we read:

And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from Heaven. Wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from Heaven and had become miserable for ever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve — yea, even that old serpent which is the Devil, which is the father of all lies — wherefore, he said, Partake of the forbidden fruit and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were driven out from the Garden of Eden to till the earth. And they have brought forth children, yea, even the family of all the earth. And the days of the children of men were prolonged according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh. Wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent, for he shewed unto all men that they were lost because of the transgression of their parents.
And now behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever and had no end. And they would have had no children. Wherefore, they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy for they knew no misery, doing no good for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the Fall. And because that they are redeemed from the Fall, they have become free for ever — knowing good from evil — to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh, and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the Devil, for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

We learn from this that the Devil was once an angel of heaven. He fell from that state. His fall was because he did things that were evil before God. This tells us that freedom to choose remains possible even in heaven, where God is present. Responsibility and accountability do not end after this life, but continue into the heavens.

Having chosen to fight against God’s commandments, the angel was cast out. But having been there, he understands the heavens, and he knows how to imitate heavenly things.

His deceptions rely on lies. In my recent Hurricane Conference talk I said, “A great fog of lies spreads over the earth again today. There is decreasing light because of false, evil and destructive ideas. Life expectancy in the United States has declined for the first time, largely due to two causes: suicide and drug abuse. There is a crisis of depression, loneliness and mental illness underway. Pollution of our minds is a far greater threat than anything we see in the physical environment. …Today’s greatest pollutions are lies, deceits and advocating all manner of abominations, as if they were good. Abusive and wicked practices are now advocated boldly, and incorporated into our entertainment media and culture fearlessly. Their advocates have no shame, no fear of judgment, and no concern for godliness.”

This environment, as the Book of Mormon explains, is as it is because of the work of a fallen angel in a fallen world.

But despite this, the fall of man has provided the opportunity to choose between liberty and eternal life on the one hand, and captivity and death on the other. But God intends for mankind to have joy.

The way to overcome this fallen state was provided by the Messiah, who came to redeem mankind from the fall. His labor was to rectify the imbalance, and to let us escape from captivity here in this dark world.

There was an Adam, and there was an Eve. And there was an angel that fell from heaven. The struggle that began with those individuals at the beginning is a struggle that continues today. We have the same opportunity to choose that our first parents had. We have become free for ever. But, like our first parents, we are accountable for the choices we make.

Some theologians question the account of Adam and Eve. But the most correct book, and cornerstone of our religion, reaffirms that they existed, and their choices affect all of us still.

Read the account above again. I’ve highlighted some of the words to make them stand out. The word “probation” in particular is worth note. Here a great part of passing the probation is to recognize and reject the lies that are everywhere in this dark place.

Joseph Smith changed the 14th Psalm from reading: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” To read instead: “The fool has said in his heart, There is no man that has seen God because he shows himself not unto us, therefore there is no God. Behold, they are corrupt. They have done abominable works and none of them does good.”

This is a profound change that recasts the problem from skepticism about God’s existence to skepticism about any message of God showing Himself to anyone.

Joseph also changes “Oh that the salvation of Israel were to come out of Zion!” to read instead: “Oh that Zion were established out of Heaven, the salvation of Israel. O Lord, when will you establish Zion?”

Another profound change that recasts the the origin of salvation itself. Zion is to be established out of heaven. And the Lord will establish it.

The Joseph Smith revisions of the scriptures make numerous small, but often profound, changes.

Our scriptures command us: “women have claim on their husbands until they are taken.” T&C 79:1 Meaning that husbands are under a duty to provide support for their wives.

That same section also commands: “All children have claim upon their parents until they are of age.” Id. Meaning that both parents have a duty to support and care for their children’s needs. This, of course, means food, clothing, housing, medical care, education and transportation.

Paul put it more bluntly: “But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” NC 1 Tim. 1:13

Christ cautioned about bringing an offering to the temple altar without paying your debts: “Therefore, if you shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, or if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way unto your brother, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” NC Matt. 3:19 The gift is not acceptable while there remains a debt to be paid to another. Gifts can wait. Debts come first.

I would recommend spouses discuss and agree on how to obey these commandments. I’ve spoken with several people about donating to the temple and have reminded them that family obligations come first. If someone fails to provide for their family, while giving to the temple, that is not just unwise, it is disobedience.

How do we measure success and failure? Grades A, B, C, D or F? Pass/fail. High scores on video games? The bigger number on a scoreboard at a sporting event? What about college entrance exam scores, admissions to prestigious universities. Am I successful if I have a lot of stuff?  A lot of money? The list goes on and on. How is success or failure measured in relationships? Is it as simple as good or bad? Is it based on how much contention, or how little contention? Divorce? Respect? Love? Do positive emotions have to be reciprocal to be considered a success? Does any of this resonate? How do we measure success as a parent? Successful children? What does that look like? Is there a reasonable measurement? Is it the same for everyone? Is there such a thing as religious success or failure? How would I be able to tell? Can someone measure it for me? Can I measure it for you? Can it be measured now, or do I have to wait until I die? Will “judgment day” show my success or failure?

What are some other words for success: victory, attainment, realization, achievement, happiness, ascendancy. Other words for failure: misstep, deficiency, breakdown, collapse, bungle, prodigal.

We have a saying in my family. It goes something like this, “Can I give you a compliment? You’re doing it wrong?” I think we are doing it wrong. I think success is most usefully measured by our attempts, our diligence, our efforts, our perseverance, our struggles, our missteps (don’t call them failures), our earnestness, and our sincere desires to self-actualize – which is just fancy speak for the drive we all have to develop our talents and work towards our greatest potential. Relationship success can be correlated to Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia – fancy speak for flourishing, or constantly moving upwards in our levels of fulfillment and expressiveness within our relationships.

I think the foregoing explanations are lead-ins to what might be a successful religious person. Someone who desires to follow God. A person who selflessly serves. A mother who sacrifices. A man who seeks to lay up heavenly treasures instead of earthly treasures. People who use their gifts and talents to build God’s Kingdom on the Earth. This is the same as self-actualization and eudaimonia expanded out to our spiritual and religious impulses. There are no person-to-person comparisons. My endeavors or expectations will probably be different than everyone else. If I am looking to others for my measure, I will likely always “fail,” and worse, because of the distraction, I will miss out on how I might actually realize my highest religious ideals. I am unaware of any good achievement markers for any of these areas. It is never based on: What can I GET? What can I POSSESS?

Stop it! Stop looking at your efforts in terms of success or failure. Stop comparing your outcomes with other people. Stop imposing on yourself unrealistic expectations of what achievements represent success or failure. More importantly, spend time contemplating how God looks at our efforts. How is God speaking to you about your struggles, your associations, your investment in the Godly? Your life is a gift from Him. Is your life pleasing for heaven to watch? God is paying attention, and you are briefly on-stage. How do you want your hour to be remembered by God and by you? Are you pursuing your best self in all aspects of your life? Will you be ready to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant,” regardless of your “successes” or “failures?”