Submit to God by learning and living his purpose

Footnotes

Submission to God requires knowing his purpose

Submission means to actively and singularly adopt the purpose of the person you submit to. You can’t submit to someone whose purpose you do not know, whose purpose you do not actively adopt, or whose purpose you do not singularly prefer to anything else.

Very few people can describe their purpose. An inability to describe your purpose guarantees that you are living far below your privilege. Optimizing your desired outcome requires knowing at what you are aiming. Without a fixed target, how can you prioritize the decisions you make and actions you take? How can you weigh the relative cost and benefit of different options?

If you do not know what your overarching purpose is, you can be sure that it differs from God’s. He knows exactly what he is aiming for, and it cannot be achieved by anyone with energy dedicated to anything else.

What is God’s purpose?

God’s purpose, plainly put, is maximal joy for all. Everything God is and does is dedicated to enabling all people to obtain and retain the greatest joy they are willing to receive. The Lord will do all he can to foster and promote our happiness. The most direct and effective way for God to help us advance our happiness, to the greatest possible ends, is through his assisting us in learning more about and becoming more like him.

The Lord’s purpose is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.¹ This is his overarching motive in all things. He has the desire and means to offer the path to eternal life to all who will walk it.² In order to more fully appreciate immortality and obtain eternal life as fully as possible, it is necessary to understand what immortality and eternal life are, how they are different, and how they are both achieved.

Immortality is to live forever. However, having a state of immortality does not imply the quality of that life. Eternal life is the quality of someone’s immortality. Eternal life is by degrees. It is to learn more about and live more of the character of Jesus Christ for the purpose of obtaining more of his joy. The more someone obtains the character of Jesus, the greater portion of his joy they also obtain and the higher the quality of their eternal life.

Just like God and creation, you also have a purpose—whether you’ve thought about it intentionally or not. Creation’s purpose is to provide the opportunity and means for all to increase in joy through enabling people to become as similar to Jesus as they are willing to.³ Your purpose is shown in how you actually live, not how you wish you lived or how you say you live. Your purpose is demonstrated by your character. Your character is who and how you actually are, not who and how you think you are or pretend to be in front of others. Your purpose is powered by your motive. Your motive is why you actually think, feel, and act as you do,⁴ not what you wish were the case, or wished others thought was the case. If you want to experience the blessings of God’s purpose, you have to actually think, feel, and act as he would in your place,⁵ not just wish you did.⁶ His purpose needs to become your purpose in so far as you understand it. The process of aligning your purpose with God’s is called submission.

Very few Christians have actually submitted to God

Extremely few professed Christians have actually submitted to God. All Christians say they believe in God, but those who submit to him don’t just say they believe in him⁷—they actually do his will.⁸ God’s purpose is aligned with God’s will. Most Christians will seek God’s will when they want something from him, but to really submit to God means to seek his will above your own⁹ and prefer to do his will even when—and especially if—it differs from your own.¹⁰

Some will only obey God when compelled by guilt, public shame, or dire consequences. If you only seek to do God’s will when he forcefully corrects you, you have not submitted to him.¹¹ Those who fear God will actively seek his will in all things, not just to do the minimum required to avoid his punishment.

You can find Christians who say they keep God’s commandments, but you can superficially keep the rules you think God has given you without submitting to him in heart.¹² You can go through the motions of obedience without adopting and submitting to the purpose. You can keep the letter of the law without thinking whatsoever about the spirit of it. Submission to God requires seeking, learning, and doing his will in all situations,¹³ not just those for which you have rules.¹⁴ Submission is an inward, consummate aligning of one’s will with God’s. Outward obedience to rules is superficial and lacking in motive, coverage, and direction.

Obedience to superficial practices is not the same as submission to God. You can pay lip service to God through the practice of outward commandments without ever paying the deeper, inward sacrifice¹⁵ of turning your desires towards him.¹⁶ What only looks holy on the outside will never make you actually holy on the inside.¹⁷

All inward character improvements will also lead to outward, visible improvements. However, the same is not true in reverse. Surface-level improvements based on specific instructions don’t need to and typically won’t change underlying character.

No amount of outward change can upgrade someone’s motive.¹⁸ While obeying God’s outward commandments can serve to teach you more about his motive and increase the reasons you have to trust him, no amount of outward obedience will change your heart. Only you can change what you desire, and you can’t do that in indirect ways. Changing your desires requires your intentional choice.

Why should you submit to God?

God’s blessings come through seeking his purpose.¹⁹ The Lord’s purpose is the transcendent commandment, binding together one’s conscience, one’s understanding of his law, and the examples he has given²⁰ under a desire uniquely focused on him.²¹

The more you serve God, the more you will come to know him. It is impossible to serve God without submitting to him.²² It is through diligent service to God that we become his friends,²³ and eventually, his sons. The closer we become to God, the more he will reveal to us about ourselves, others, himself, and the rest of creation. Every increment of knowledge empowers us to serve him more effectively, as all power comes through faith in God.

God’s power is found in his purpose. Those who adopt the purpose of the Lord will encounter the power of the Lord²⁴ to the extent that they accurately seek, understand, and execute his will.²⁵

The more accurate your understanding of God’s will²⁶ and the more fully you submit to it,²⁷ the more of his blessings you will encounter. God’s blessings are not arbitrary, and they don't come from an arbitrary set of actions. The blessings that God enjoys are the natural consequence of how he is. The blessings he enjoys come from his character, and we receive them to the extent that we become like him.²⁸ The more like Jesus we become, the more we will inherit every good thing that Jesus possesses.

The more we seek and submit to God’s will in all things, the closer we draw to him.²⁹ He promises that the faithful will abide in and with him, entailing a host of blessings ranging from his literal presence to the qualities that attend it (peace,³⁰ power, understanding,³¹ joy). Those who adopt the Lord’s purpose will join him in progressing towards the greatest outcomes. Anyone doing anything different will necessarily experience something lesser—often significantly so.

The gospel of Jesus Christ provides the path to find, adopt, obtain, and fulfill the optimal purpose. God, knowing all things, has already discovered and adopted the purpose that optimizes for the greatest eternal outcomes. There is no other way than the Lord’s way. There is no alternative path with the same or better outcomes.

The Lord’s purpose is the only one that endures eternally. It is a unique solution to the puzzle of eternal meaning. Christ is the triumph over the tragedy of life. Unconditional preference for the Lord’s desires in your life will establish you on a sure foundation³² strong enough to weather the unwelcome and inevitable disappointments that will overwhelm any lesser aim in life.³³ Only in the purpose of Jesus can you find meaning that overcomes the torment of life.

Submit to the Lord by seeking what he wants instead of what you want

By nature, humans pursue motives, desire ends, and employ means that differ from what God would in their place.³⁴ This is seen in the common approach to religious practices. Instead of viewing religion as an open-minded search for counsel from God, seeking for what they should change about what they think or feel or do, too many people view religion as the search for what they already think, feel, and do.³⁵

All who approach God will be taught better things to seek, along with why to do so and how to do so. Your desires will only match the Lord's to the extent that you have become like him in all other ways. Until then, the quality of your relationship with God can be measured by how often he asks you to do what you do not want to, and how intensely you do not want to do it. What you really think about the Lord is best demonstrated in your response to what you least want to hear from him. The greatest love to God is shown in the moments when it is most difficult to feel love from God. Those who truly submit to God relish moments that prove that they will obey when it is hardest.

While most professed Christians primarily seek God for help in obtaining their own desires,³⁶ those who submit to God instead seek his direction and assistance in achieving his desires. God knows the path to all blessings, but those who only seek God for what they already desire are barely scratching the surface of the blessings that the Lord desires for his children. God knows of blessings better than what man can contrive,³⁷ and these can only be obtained by those who seek God without preconceived notions of what his blessings might be.

Each person has the power to choose to follow Christ by willingly and fully pursuing and submitting to his purpose.³⁸ Those who live the gospel actively seek the will of God.³⁹ They ask what he wants early and often, consistently and diligently study the scriptures, and frequently reflect on their lives seeking feedback on how they can improve. They do not draw arbitrary distinctions between spiritual and temporal things in their lives, knowing that the will of God is for every moment of every day to be as good and purpose driven as it can be.

Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. (Jacob 4:10)

How frequently do you seek God’s will, independent of your own? How do you feel on occasions when you realize that God’s will differs from your own? How do you respond to suggestions of how you could improve?

Those who serve God prefer God’s will to their own.⁴⁰ Disciples of Christ dedicate themselves to his purpose.⁴¹ They follow the Lamb’s example without exception or reservation (see Revelation 14:4). While we are indeed commanded to ask God for those things which we need⁴² or desire,⁴³ our requests are only effectual inasmuch as they align with the will and character of the Father and the Son.⁴⁴

Do you mostly pray only when you want something? The gospel is not just a tool you deploy when convenient to you, but the demonstration of how to live and what to become in order to obtain the greatest joy. The way of life is a master, not a servant. God doesn’t exist to beckon to your requests like a genie, but to guide you in how and why to become like he is so that you can obtain what he has and enjoy what he does. Those who live the gospel fully do not just call on God to help them get what they want, or to help them when they are in distress, but seek and follow his will at all times and in all places.

Those who fully adopt and submit to the purpose of the Lord will enter into and abide in his rest⁴⁵ and overcome the world.⁴⁶ Those who insist on seeking their own desires will have to settle for far less.⁴⁷

Submission to purpose transcends obedience to rules

Many fool themselves into thinking they have submitted to God when they have only submitted to a limited list of what they believe to be his rules. Religions offer you a short list of what is prohibited and prescribed. Unfortunately, this mindset creates an underdeveloped ability to actively seek out God’s will, having replaced the sophisticated question of what God’s will is with a simple yes or no match to a fixed list of rules. Submission to God doesn’t consist of adopting a few rules and doing whatever you feel like in all other things. The gospel of Jesus is the way of life, and life doesn’t pause, stop, or take breaks.

Submission to God doesn’t just consist of obedience to instructions, but entails subordination to his purpose in all things and at all times. While specific instructions describe minimum standards, one’s purpose defines the ideal under all possible circumstances. Submission advances a person’s aim from minimalism to maximalism. A life directed by a finite list of rules will only advance as much as necessary, but one subordinated to God’s purpose will advance as much as possible.

Submission is a question of adopting God’s purpose, not just obeying his instructions. The idea of obedience implies the existence of instructions that can be obeyed. However, adopting God’s purpose requires you to realize that his purpose is higher than the instructions given to help you fulfill it. By definition, a specific instruction can only prescribe behavior under specific circumstances.

In order to adopt God’s purpose, you’ll need to better understand his purpose, which is to achieve the greatest benefit of the world, actively assessing and doing what is of greatest long-term worth all of the time. As you do, you’ll find that the “little” decisions you make from moment to moment have incredible effect on both your short and long term well-being. You may also be surprised to find that what is best at least sometimes violates the rules you have lived by so far!

It is possible to think you are keeping God’s commandments when you are actually fighting his purpose.⁴⁸ In the same way that activity does not imply progress, religious activity does not imply that you are serving God’s purpose.⁴⁹ Many common religious activities fail to advance God’s goals, and some even actively work against them.⁵⁰ The religious in Jesus’ time predominantly opposed him and were the perpetrators of his murder, and too many Christians believe that they would never do such a thing when Jesus expressly warned that many of them would fight him while thinking they are worshipping him.⁵¹

Learning and living God’s purpose, for the same reasons he does, is greater than all the rules-based commandments. The Ten

Commandments are the capstone of the law of Moses. Notably, all of them are rules. Two of the commandments greater than these, according to Jesus, are to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39) The Lord said that “all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40) hang on these two commandments, which are both principles, not rules.

Submit to God by loving him

God is worthy of your submission, as proven by his unlimited love towards the children of men. We can have confidence in loving him and submitting to him because he “loved us first.” (John 4:19)

The love of God enables God’s purpose. God’s purpose is to maximize joy, which he accomplishes by maximizing improvement. Love edifies.⁵² Love improves. Love serves God’s purpose by making things better.⁵³ What does not edify doesn’t come from⁵⁴ or lead to God,⁵⁵ because God is love.⁵⁶ It is through the love of God that this world was created and through the love of God that Jesus came here to live and die to enable us to grow in similarity to him in life and to be resurrected into immortality after death.⁵⁷

God’s love is much more than a feeling. God’s love is a measure of how much you are willing to suffer for the benefit of another. While many people would describe love as a feeling, the only feeling the Lord demonstrated in his example of love was suffering. His demonstration consisted of caring completely for the welfare of others without any special consideration for himself. It was this example he explicitly commanded his disciples to emulate. We love God by submitting to him.

It is hard to find a Christian who takes offense at the several scriptures where God commands us to love him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.⁵⁸ It is equally hard to find a Christian who submits to God and actually does so, and increasingly difficult to find one who thinks it is even possible to do so. Who do you know that loves him with all their heart, might, mind, and strength?

Instances of sin are always situational, but the cause of sin never is. Rebellion against God is never about the situation that reveals it, but about a lack of love for God. All sin is betrayal of the love of God, showing you what you prefer to his love. When you sin, you show what you love more than God. While you love something more than him, you are not submitted to him.

Every Christian says that they love God, but what do they say through the choices they make?⁵⁹ Love is a measure of what you are willing to sacrifice for another. You won’t find a professed Christian who doesn’t think they love God, but how much are they willing to sacrifice for him? Every sin is an example of something you are not willing to sacrifice to God.⁶⁰ How many do you know who sacrifice everything they have or could have, and all that they are or could be for the benefit of God? How many bring about that benefit by “doing it unto one of the least of these” and therefore doing it unto him? (Matthew 25:40)

Submit to God by serving others

It is the tendency of mankind to seek self-benefit. The only remedy for the deep-seated selfishness of mankind is to willingly submit to God.⁶¹ In opposition to man’s natural motive—which is to get everything he can, irrespective of what it costs others—God’s motive is to maximize the joy of all, irrespective of what it costs him.⁶²

The transition from one’s natural state into a servant of God occurs as one learns and lives to maximize the purpose of God, which is to provide everything necessary so that all people progress as far as they are willing to into greater and longer-lasting happiness.⁶³

You cannot serve God without serving others.⁶⁴ The consideration of others above self is a nonnegotiable quality of conversion.⁶⁵ The converted do not seek their own benefit before the benefit of others.⁶⁶ In doing this they walk in the example and after the order of God.

The Lord directly explained that he expects us to emulate his love for all people, commanding us to practice it in the same form it was demonstrated.⁶⁷ God’s purpose is for you to love him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength,⁶⁸ and to love others⁶⁹ as God loves you.⁷⁰ Our happiness here and hereafter is maximized to the extent that we take advantage of God’s love by becoming more like him⁷¹ and demonstrate God’s love by helping others to do the same.⁷²

Submit in all things

Your degree of submission to God will always be limited to your expectation of what he might ask of you, including the circumstances under which he may ask it. Even when you submit to God with all of your heart, your agreement of service to him will include tacit limitations in your expectation of the scope or difficulty of what God will ask of you.

Almost all professed Christians have various limits in their submission to God. Their surrender to God is based on their assumption that he would never subject them to pain, suffering, or sacrifice beyond limits of their own invention. They are willing to submit to God, but only as long as he only asks what they are already willing to give, and as long as it doesn’t hurt more than they are willing to suffer.

Some people overlook their lack of faith in God by persuading themselves that there are things he would never ask of them. For example, many assume that God will always provide them with food, shelter, and clothing. Like all other things, the necessities of life align with God’s purpose as long as they are not displaced by anything more important. You are not here to earn your daily bread,⁷³ but to glorify God⁷⁴ by learning and demonstrating what he would think, feel, and do in your place.⁷⁵ The latter should govern the former.

Contrary to popular belief, God never promises to provide what you will eat, drink, or wear.⁷⁶ The scriptures are replete with examples of holy men that God commanded to go without food and water,⁷⁷ to go naked,⁷⁸ to give their own lives,⁷⁹ and to experience the violent loss of their loved ones.⁸⁰ Instead of promising them continuous carnal security, God promises that what he provides the faithful will always be at least as good as what it costs them.⁸¹ God can provide opportunities for you to secure sufficient for your needs by the sweat of your brow, provide you with those who can if for some reason you cannot,⁸² enlist wildlife to help if people are in short supply,⁸³ send angels with food,⁸⁴ or even rain down bread from heaven. But even if he doesn’t,⁸⁵ it is wiser to seek his purposes anyway, even if it costs you everything else.⁸⁶ All possible constraints on what you are willing to sacrifice are too numerous to list, but here is a small sample:

I will submit to God as long as I have enough food to eat.
I will submit to God as long as I get enough sleep.
I will submit to God as long as I have a nice place to live.
I will submit to God as long as I get to keep my job.
I will submit to God as long as my family is taken care of.
I will submit to God as long as I am comfortable.
I will submit to God as long as I don’t look crazy.
I will submit to God as long as people like me.
I will submit to God as long as I am not alone.

The best way to test your submission to God is to think of the thing you would least want to do and ask yourself if you would do it if God asked you. You can’t claim that you prioritize God over all else while you still believe there are things he wouldn’t ask you to do. Not only has Jesus not promised you limits on what he will ask, he has also explicitly told you that following him will cost you everything less than he is.⁸⁷

Submission to God includes an unconditional agreement with all things he could ask of you, and an admission that all things really means all things. The sacrifice of all things is required to become like the Lord—he who has sacrificed all things for us. Those who are unwilling to sacrifice all things—even their lives⁸⁸ —for the Lord’s purpose are unworthy of him and the blessings he provides.⁸⁹ The Lord’s servants seek above all else to make his goodness more apparent to all, whether in life or death.⁹⁰ Paul counted “all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8) because to obtain the faith by which he could enjoy the knowledge of the Lord, he had to suffer the loss of all lesser things. Until you do the same, you cannot confidently assert that you fully trust God, because you lack the currency necessary to quantify it.

God expects you to serve him at all hazards, up to and including your life.⁹¹ Always live as you sincerely believe the Lord would in your place, even if it kills you.⁹² Those who love God more than their lives will be loved by God unto eternal life.⁹³

Adopting God’s purpose as your own is a consummate sacrifice.

God’s purpose requires all of your heart, soul, and mind.⁹⁴ When you are fully submitted to his purpose, there is nothing remaining in you for anything else.⁹⁵

Conditional submission reveals a lack of trust in God

Conditional submission merely reveals what you love more than God. Any supposed submission to God that is subject to conditions is not submission at all. As long as there are limits in what you are willing to sacrifice for God, your actual submission is to what you are unwilling to sacrifice.

The sacrifices God requires you to be precisely designed for your greatest possible benefit. As such, there are no alternative or replacement sacrifices you can offer instead. God’s requested sacrifices reveal to us the limits of our trust in and desire for him, enabling us to address flaws we would otherwise not even know about. As everything God asks of you is in your personal best interest, the existence of anything he could ask you to do that you would not do indicates a limit of your trust in him, his love for you, and his purpose.

The decision to adopt the Lord’s purpose is a one-time decision, not something you re-evaluate on a case-by-case basis. When you find yourself hesitating in your eagerness to adopt God’s purpose, you have discovered the next limit of your trust in him.

Incrementally achieving unconditional submission to God through constant submission to all you currently know

Submission to God is not complete, even when a person sincerely commits to following God in whatever way he reveals in the future. Submission to what you know and expect isn’t the same as unconditional submission. You can believe that you would obey anything that God says and still find yourself disobeying something he says that you did not anticipate.

True submission to God occurs when your decision to submit to God transcends all conditions, constraints, and exclusions.⁹⁶ When you achieve unconditional submission to God, you believe sufficiently in his love, knowledge, and other character qualities that you unfailingly assume that anything he asks of you is worth instantly and joyfully pursuing with your whole soul. You know and trust his character enough that no possible information would ever be rejected, resented, disobeyed, or ignored by you. The brother of Jared reached such a state with God, which is why God revealed greater things to him than he had to anyone prior.⁹⁷ The Lord promised to reveal the same things to any who exercise the same faith as the brother of Jared.⁹⁸ What milestone did the brother of Jared reach in his faith? He believed anything God could say before he said it. He had attained unconditional submission to God.⁹⁹

You grow towards true unconditional submission to God through achieving and maintaining submission to God in all things that you can presently imagine. Initial submission to God consists of correcting any differences you know about between how you are and how you understand him to be. Thereafter, every change you make will consist of differences that you did not and could not have seen before. God is infinite and eternal, and unless you are precisely as he is, you cannot know ahead of time what he might ask of you, or how hard it may be. You achieve unconditional submission to God through repeatedly promoting God’s will and character above your own in all things, submitting to everything you currently know and continuing to submit as he reveals more of himself to you until you trust him under all circumstances possible in life.

Your submission to God grows through the maintenance of your reconciliation to him in spite of greater opposition.¹⁰⁰ As you proceed through life, God will incrementally expose you to greater degrees of sacrifice than you previously expected in order to give you opportunities to advance in your reconciliation to and trust in him. The passage of time will bring additional information about God and new life circumstances, and in each moment you will face the decision of whether to remain reconciled to God or not. Submission to God becomes more difficult to maintain as God exposes you to more of life’s difficulties and asks of you greater sacrifices. Life’s circumstances magnify the details of your desires, articulating and revealing the inclination of your heart beyond what you would otherwise see.¹⁰¹ Each situation you face in life can be used to illustrate the limits of your submission and give you the opportunity to submit more completely.

As in all things, the Lord set the example of increasing and unfettered submission to God. The Lord’s entire life was a pattern of learning more about the Father and bringing himself into submission to what he learned. Jesus never quit in spite of the fact that his mortal life was an unbroken chain of new requests from the Father that were harder than he had expected. He did not say it was finished until he died.

Submission gets harder, but also easier

When you first decide to continuously submit to God, you will feel as if your life has become a never-ending queue of seemingly impossible sacrifices. If you find yourself feeling this way, lean on your trust in God and soldier on. As you continuously submit to God, you will find that sacrifices of similar difficulty as those you have made before become easier and easier, until you don’t even notice them. While God will continue providing you with new challenges that stretch you and give you an opportunity to grow, the pace will slow as you increase in your capacity and your trust in God.

Submit at all times

Your desires must be uniquely focused on the purpose and priorities of God at all times. A part-time purpose is no purpose at all.

Submission to God is a full-time endeavor. Being a disciple¹⁰² and friend¹⁰³ of God is a full-time job.¹⁰⁴ There are no breaks, exceptions, or time off. When it comes to submission, sometimes isn’t good enough. Those who submit sometimes might feel like they know the Lord, but he will tell them he doesn’t know them.¹⁰⁵ In place of the commendations they expect, they will receive terrible punishments.¹⁰⁶

Those who are inconsistent in their submission to God have not actually submitted to him, and cannot receive or retain the blessings of those who have.¹⁰⁷

Submission to God is without time limit.¹⁰⁸ Disciples of Christ work at his purpose for as long as it takes.¹⁰⁹ When the Lord hung on the cross, he did not impose time limits, but was willing to remain for as long as it took to accomplish the Father’s will. Those submitted to the Lord follow his example, living their lives in complete devotion to his purpose until they are taken.

The Lord gives us daily opportunities to take up his purpose. He teaches us how he is, so that we can choose to be the same way. He gives us uncountable opportunities, day after day, to choose the eternal joy of all mankind over our own immediate comfort and pleasure. He gives us daily experiences to fill out and expand our understanding of how godliness looks and feels at every scope of existence under the guidance of his Holy Spirit.

The daily sacrifice

In more than one scripture, we are challenged to “choose ye this day whom ye will serve.”¹¹⁰ You must renew your commitment to follow Jesus each day.¹¹¹

Every moment of every day provides you with the opportunity to submit to the Lord’s purpose by prioritizing what is best for everyone and everything above all else. During the Israelites’ sojourn in the wilderness, the Lord explained that the tests that they faced even included how much manna they collected for food.¹¹² Under the law of Moses, certain sacrifices were prescribed to be made on a daily and continual basis.¹¹³

You shouldn’t expect God to reveal his purpose to you in big things until and unless you consistently seek his purpose in the little things.¹¹⁴ Expecting God to use you in accomplishing his purpose in future tasks is folly unless you are seeking his purpose in the tasks before you in your present daily life.¹¹⁵ In both cases, you should learn that obtaining and effecting what lies beyond your present situation can only be reached by fulfilling the ideal in your present situation.¹¹⁶

Noticing and shifting priorities that can displace God’s purpose

It is typical to have priorities that compete with following Jesus, even if you don’t realize it. Sometimes, these priorities are things you know are not related to following Jesus but don’t realize you are placing ahead of Jesus. At other times, these competitors are things that you think are the same as following Jesus, such as your sacrifices for family, church, or service to others. It is important to scrutinize your priorities in order to prepare yourself for any adjustments God may ask you to make, particularly if those adjustments infringe upon what you presently believe to be his will.

In order to carry out God’s will in your life, you have to map his transcendent purpose down to your routine tasks. However, the danger in any routine is losing sight of its intended purpose. Even things as valuable as family, church, and service can become idols if they take such an unquestionable priority in your life that you cease consideration of long-term benefit, or would be unwilling to adjust them if God showed you the need to.

At all times, all priorities in the life of a disciple of Christ must remain subordinate to Christ himself. Conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ consists of total abandonment of prior motives and purposes in preference to the motive and purpose of Jesus Christ. You “come into the fold of God” by covenanting to do, think, and feel as you understand he would “at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death....” (Mosiah 18:7, 9)

To promote God to the highest priority requires you to revisit and restructure every other priority in your life. To submit to God requires you to sever your priorities and reattach them only if and when they fit into what Jesus would do in your place. Anything that does not serve as a means to God’s purpose must be removed from your life, and anything that does must be added in order of priority from greatest to least importance, impact and benefit.

There are two ways we can violate God’s prioritization in our lives. First, we can include in our priorities things that do not matter to him. This certainly includes what most regard as sin, but also includes a surprising number of potential activities or desires that few regard as immoral. Too many Christians believe that if they practice what their sect dictates is most important in the relevant areas of their lives, God will bless, approve, or at least allow whatever they choose to do in the rest.¹¹⁷ We also violate God’s prioritization in our lives whenever we rank things at a higher or lower priority than he would. Human nature tends to value things more or less than God does, typically to a great degree, and most people do not live a consistent and intentional prioritization in life. The Lord reveals to us more accurate measures of value through his gospel which establishes and modifies the hierarchy of importance in the understanding of those who surrender to him.

While adjusting your priorities to place God above all else may seem like a radical change, most people will find that there is still room for everything good to remain in their lives. Sooner or later, however, God will test your priorities, as he has for every one of his faithful servants. God will test whether he comes first in your life by asking you to sacrifice what is most important to you. God’s tests can be as drastic and obvious as they were with Abraham and Job, or as subtle and subconscious as they were with many others.¹¹⁸ The subtle and subconscious tests tend to reveal as much or more about your deepest desires as do the drastic and obvious ones. Always be on the lookout for these tests.¹¹⁹

The worth of prioritizing God isn’t about gaining some arbitrary favor with him. The favor of God comes in proportional relationship to those that become like him through adopting his purpose.¹²⁰ The only things that will endure eternally are those which accord with the Lord’s purpose. If you choose in the time of trial to cling to anything that ought to be subordinate to God, you guarantee that you will not have it eternally.

This life is designed as an opportunity to choose to what extent you will submit to God,¹²¹ and it is effective in its aims. All people will be tested to see where their limit lies. Those who serve God above all else will receive greater eternal joy than those who do not.

Submission may require confrontation or silence, but in both cases, it results in peace

The pursuit of God’s purpose will require you to increasingly engage others in an attempt to persuade them to do their best.¹²² Paradoxically, as you grow in your desire and capacity to make the world a better place, you will also find yourself increasingly submitting to the actions and desires of others. The more effort you exert in pursuit of God’s purposes, the more often you will discover the limits of how willing others are to do the same. In all outcomes that require the participation of others, you will be limited by the choices they make.

Respecting the choices of others is an important form of submission to God, and a critical one to master in order to receive the peace he promises to give those who serve him fully. While you can’t receive God’s peace without proactively seeking out all potential opportunities to help others improve, you likewise can’t receive God’s peace without learning to recognize when you have done everything you can under the present circumstances.¹²³

The Lord is the ultimate example of learning how to do all you can to help others, recognizing when you have done all you can, and feeling peace in doing all you can. Despite the fact that the Lord Jesus enjoyed more supernatural power and advanced knowledge than any man who had ever lived, his life portrays a seemingly unlimited allowance for the agency of those around him.¹²⁴ He did everything he could to help persuade everyone he could to improve as much as he could, but he did not force anyone to do anything. How was he able to be so yielding to the agency of others in spite of his awareness of the benefits that they could obtain if they would simply yield to his view?

God is in ultimate control of the world he created.¹²⁵ We ought to assume that the situations in which we find ourselves are ordained by a perfectly knowing, loving, and capable deity for our own benefit until and unless we have good reasons to believe otherwise. He provides us with the opportunity to do all things that lie in our power to bring about the greatest outcomes, but he also asks us to recognize and honor the choice of others to reject our best effort. As Jesus submitted to Herod,¹²⁶ Pilate,¹²⁷ and the crowds wanting him killed, we too should recognize situations when there is nothing more we can do to help the situation.

Part of submission to God is being able to recognize and willing to admit when there are others who control what we cannot.¹²⁸ No power held by man exists outside of what God has given.¹²⁹ Our attitude towards those who exercise authority over us reflects the level of trust we have in God.¹³⁰ When the Lord was imprisoned, he told Pilate that all his perceived power was actually just from God.¹³¹ One way that the Lord showed obedience to his Father was by submitting to the people that the Father had ordained to cause him strife.¹³² Just as doing all you can to advance God’s purpose requires faith in God, so does submitting to those who continue to oppose God’s purpose in spite of all you can do.

Beyond developing and proving our faith in God, our patience in the situations God has ordained can also provide a witness to others of God’s goodness.¹³³ Calmness can offer a louder argument in favor of your cause than any reasons you might provide.¹³⁴ Peter taught this principle in the specific context of wives married to husbands that do not believe.¹³⁵ Furthermore, being able to formulate and deliver convincing arguments requires you to be in a rational—not emotional —state. Defaulting to an emotional state will rob you of your ability to think clearly, make good arguments, and will cause you to make consequential mistakes. If you can’t remain in a rational, impartial state, you are better off remaining silent.

In issues of submission, it is important to avoid allowing the good desire to respect others’ agency to mask the evil desire to avoid confrontation. Submission becomes a righteous option only after you’ve done all you can to make your best argument in favor of what you see as best. It is abominable to God when people who pretend to believe in him hide their cowardice in a cloak of pretended godly patience or false submission.

Christlike courage comes from Christlike purpose

As you learn more and more about Jesus’ purpose, and as you adopt Jesus’ purpose in all things as far as you understand it, you will find yourself experiencing many of the blessings of being in his presence while still being here in mortality. One such blessing is the courage imparted to the righteous in the presence of God, a trait exemplified by Stephen, who courageously continued to preach the gospel of Christ to those who were in the very act of murdering him, seeing the glory of God as he was stoned by those he attempted to help.¹³⁶ As you dedicate yourself to the Lord’s purpose, you will find unshakeable confidence in all you do, as if you were standing in God’s presence in the protection of his heavenly host.

A striking difference in strength, endurance, and confidence exists between those who have adopted the purpose of Christ and those who have not. There is an absence of fear in those who love what is best, and an abundance of fear in those who love anything less.¹³⁷ Cowards do not do great things because they lack the clear conscience and faith required to do them. Courage stems from an integral heart and strong confidence in the justice of God.

Many battles come down to the simple question of who has the worthiest purpose. A strong purpose can overcome many differences in resources, skill, and capacity.¹³⁸ So few people adopt a purpose worth dying for that most people can’t even imagine the unstoppable force such a person becomes.¹³⁹

Live as if you are under the complete care and control of Jesus, because as long as you are on his errand, you are. If you are acting in full alignment with the Lord’s purpose, as you sincerely understand it, you can expect and will receive his full support.¹⁴⁰ Your courage will not wane, no matter the magnitude of afflictions you might face, because you will have deep confidence that whatever you face is precisely the best situation for you according to God’s perfect wisdom and infinite love.¹⁴¹ This does not mean your task will be easy or your victory obvious. It does mean that those unconditionally submitted to God will find that God will provide every needful thing so that, whether in pleasure or pain, victory or defeat, or death or life, they will demonstrate his goodness to those with and against them, according to his purposes, will, and wisdom.

Footnotes

1. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39) ↩
2. Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life. (3 Nephi 15:9) ↩
3. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2:25) ↩
4. A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name.... (Malachi 1:6, NKJV) ↩
5. For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (Mosiah 5:13) ↩
6. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:46-49) ↩
7. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46) ↩
8. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21) ↩
9. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? (Luke 17:7-8) ↩
10. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) ↩
11. Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools. (Proverbs 19:29) A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back. (Proverbs 26:3) ↩
12. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23) ↩
13. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. (2 Nephi 32:9) ↩
14. For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. (D&C 58:26) ↩
15. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18) ↩
16. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. (Matthew 15:8) ↩
17. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25-26) ↩
18. For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. (Moroni 7:6) ↩
19. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. (Proverbs 27:18) ↩
20. The Lord's examples include all of creation, but certainly his life and teachings, as well as the teachings of his servants. ↩
21. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. (Psalm 119:1-3) ↩
22. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) ↩
23. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15:15) ↩
24. 4-5 He who makes the righteous king’s purpose his own will encounters the blessings of a king, no matter his station. Power is found in the words, actions, and nature of a righteous king.... (Ecclesiastes 8, Author’s Reflection) ↩
25. Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will. Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people. Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people. (Helaman 10:4-7) ↩
26. ...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. (John 16:23) ↩
27. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. (Luke 12:37) ↩
28. The father in the parable of the Prodigal Son told his faithful son: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” (Luke 15:31) ↩
29. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (John 12:26) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:48) ↩
30. We know that God arranges all things to work in synergy for the benefit of those who love him, which are those who align themselves to his purpose by following his example in all things. (Romans 8:28, Author’s Reflection) ↩
31. They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with him: for grace and mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect. (Wisdom of Solomon 3:9) ↩
32. And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. (Helaman 5:12) ↩
33. Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. (Jacob 4:10) ↩
34. ...for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. (Mark 8:33) ↩
35. And now behold, [the devil] had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver. (Helaman 6:31) ↩
36. They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (D&C 1:16) ↩
37. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (2 Corinthians 2:9) ↩
38. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:11-13) ↩
39. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. (Proverbs 23:19) ↩
40. The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. (Luke 6:40) ↩
41. ...it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them. (D&C 98:4) ↩
42. O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him. (Mormon 9:27) ↩
43. ...O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. (Ether 3:2) ↩
44. And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you. (3 Nephi 18:20) ↩
45. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29) ↩
46. Make my burden your own, and in me you will find freedom from the burdens of this world. I seek and do the Father’s will in all things, he teaches me more of how he is, and in him, I overcome the world; Live as you understand me to be, I will teach you more about myself, and the truth will make you free. (Matthew 11:29, Author’s Reflection) ↩
47. And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received. (D&C 88:32) ↩
48. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9) ↩
49. I bear witness that they have the requisite fervor for God, but lack the required depth of application. Being ignorant of the form and function of God’s righteousness, they seek to build their righteousness externally while remaining internally unchanged....You should not expect Christ to lift you into heaven while your heart remains in the manner of the world and fixed on the things of this world—this isn’t how faith or righteousness work. Nor should you expect Christ to raise you from the dead while you still do and desire what only leads to death. But, as it is written, the word is not just something you say or do, but also something you sincerely and deeply feel. This is the word of faith, which we proclaim: Even if you proclaim by your external works that Jesus is the Lord, and that God raised him from the dead, you will only be saved if you have also fully conformed your internal desire and decisions to him, just as he conformed his internal desire and decisions to the Father. For while profession of belief comes from what you say and do, righteousness unto salvation can only come from what you desire and why. (Romans 10:2-3, 6-10, Author’s Reflection) ↩
50. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2) ↩
51. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) ↩
52. ....Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. (1 Corinthians 8:1, NKJV) ↩
53. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) ↩
54. And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. (D&C 50:23) ↩
55. ...they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing.... (Moroni 7:28) ↩
56. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8) ↩
57. Ancient prophets were shown a tree of life in vision that “was a representation of the love of God.” (1 Nephi 11:25) “[It’s] fruit was desirable to make one happy,” (1 Nephi 8:10) and “most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God....” (1 Nephi 15:36) Eternal life “is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” (D&C 14:7) ↩
58. For example: “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.” (D&C 59:5) ↩
59. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. (Matthew 15:8) ↩
60. If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments. (D&C 42:29) ↩
61. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19) ↩
62. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. (2 Nephi 26:24) ↩
63. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) ↩
64. And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17) ↩
65. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:32) ↩
66. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-16) ↩
67. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12) ↩
68. Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him. (D&C 59:5) ↩
69. Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God. (D&C 82:19) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35) ↩
70. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12) ↩
71. And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. (Mosiah 2:41) ↩
72. As you allow the love of God to fill you and flow out to others, you will experience more and longer lasting joy than is available in any other way. “And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.” (1 Nephi 11:21-23) ↩
73. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:2-4) ↩
74. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) ↩
75. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) ↩
76. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26) This passage does not say that God will bless his faithful with the same blessings he affords to the fowls, but rather that he cares more about them than he does the birds. The fact that the most beloved Son suffered more than anyone else disproves the idea that the more God loves someone, the less they will suffer. If anything, the opposite is true. While the Lord punctuates this passage in verse 33 with the promise to “add unto” the righteous every needful thing they were deprived of, he obviously does not always do this in life, as many righteous people face terrible deprivation at great costs up to and including their lives. Justice is always eventually paid out, but not always during this life. ↩
77. See the example of Elijah, who had to suffer the effects of the famine he exercised the power of God to cause (see 1 Kings 17), or Jeremiah, who suffered hunger and thirst in the siege of Jerusalem that he had prophesied would come. ↩
78. And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia; (Isaiah 20:3) ↩
79. Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. (D&C 98:14) ↩
80. God killed Ezekiel’s wife as a sign to Israel, Job’s children were killed because of his righteousness, and Abraham was commanded to kill Isaac. ↩
81. “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." (Matthew 19:29) “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30) “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” (Luke 18:29-30) Note how, in the foregoing scriptures, the Lord does not indicate that those who sacrifice for him will receive back what was lost, but more and better than what was lost. There are very few examples of those who were repaid in the same currency they paid (such as Job), and many more examples of those who were not. ↩
82. During his ministry, Jesus was supported by “Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” (Luke 8:3) ↩
83. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. (1 Kings 17:4) ↩
84. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. (1 Kings 19:5-7) ↩
85. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to break God’s commandment by order of king Nebuchadnezzar, even at penalty of death: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) ↩
86. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26) ↩
87. And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-26, 33) ↩
88. Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. (D&C 103:27) By the same principle, don’t preoccupy yourself with the preservation of your life, what you eat and drink in the body, or how you will clothe it. What truly sustains your life is greater than what you eat and drink, and the garment God has to give you is greater than your body itself. (Matthew 6:25, Author’s Reflection) ↩
89. Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me. (D&C 98:1415) ↩
90. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. (Philippians 1:20) ↩
91. And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal. Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me. (D&C 98:13-15) ↩
92. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (John 12:24-26) ↩
93. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life... (John 10:17) ↩
94. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. (Matthew 22:36-38) ↩
95. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. (D&C 4:2) ↩
96. And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he **shall** command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God. (Mosiah 5:5) ↩
97. ...never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared. (Ether 4:4) ↩
98. And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are. (Ether 4:7) ↩
99. See Ether 3:11-13, cited previously. ↩
100. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. (Abraham 3:25) ↩
101. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God (John 3:19-21) ↩
102. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) ↩
103. A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17) ↩
104. Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; (D&C 59:11) Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. (Psalms 106:3) ↩
105. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) ↩
106. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:42-51) ↩
107. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:59-62) ↩
108. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end. (Psalms 119:112) ↩
109. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. (Luke 14:27-32) ↩
110. See Moses 6:33, Joshua 24:15, and Alma 30:8 ↩
111. ...as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (Romans 6:19) ↩
112. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. (Exodus 16:4) ↩
113. After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. (Numbers 28:24) ↩
114. Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. (Alma 37:6) ↩
115. Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. (D&C 64:33) ↩
116. Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things. (D&C 123:15) ↩
117. This is expressly contradicted by the following passage: “But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?” (Luke 17:7-8) ↩
118. One such example is found in the test Nicodemus faced when he had to choose how to respond to the fact that Jesus obviously had greater wisdom and knowledge than any of the elders of Israel. While appropriately responding by seeking him out to ask him the religious questions he had failed to answer himself, he failed the test by approaching Jesus in disguise at night out of fear of being seen doing so. ↩
119. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. (Mark 13:34-36) ↩
120. Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God...(1 Nephi 17:35) ↩
121. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Abraham 3:25) ↩
122. ...he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. (2 Nephi 26:27) Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. (Jeremiah 20:9) ↩
123. Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed (D&C 123:17) ↩
124. ...God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. (Romans 9:22) ↩
125. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. (2 Nephi 2:24) ↩
126. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. (Luke 23:9) ↩
127. And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. (Matthew 27:14) ↩
128. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (Romans 13:1-2) ↩
129. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. (Titus 3:1-2) ↩
130. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. (1 Peter 2:18) ↩
131. Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. (John 19:11) ↩
132. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. (Hebrews 5:8) ↩
133. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake....For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (1 Peter 2:13, 15) ↩
134. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (Phillipians 4:5) ↩
135. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; (1 Peter 3:1) ↩
136. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him... (Acts 7:54-58) ↩
137. The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1) ↩
138. Now in this case the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to fight with such exceedingly great strength and courage, no, not even from the beginning. And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breastplates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger. Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church. And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies. And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion. And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage. And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage. And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the waters of Sidon. (Alma 43:4350) ↩
139. And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon them from their waiting places, and began to slay them. And it came to pass that the battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey. And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight. (Mosiah 20:9-11) ↩
140. For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end. (D&C 76:5) ↩
141. This was the attitude Jesus had when he told Peter not to fight for him at his arrest: “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matthew 26:52-54) Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever. (D&C 121:45-46) ↩

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