To do that, I'd like to start by finishing my coverage of President Packer's poem. The (current) last four stanzas are:
I now can say with all certainty
That I know and love the Lord.
I can testify with them of old
As I preach His holy word.
I know what He felt in Gethsemane
Is too much to comprehend.
I know He did it all for us;
We have no greater Friend.
I know that He will come anew
With power and in glory.
I know I will see Him once again
At the end of my life’s story.
I’ll kneel before His wounded feet;
I’ll feel His Spirit glow.
My whispering, quivering voice will say,
“My Lord, my God, I know.”
It seems that the first, strongest, and most important part of President Packer's testimony is that Christ lives, that He loves us, that He paid the price for our sins, and that He'll welcome us into heaven if we're faithful. This is important to remember. You recall that the first principle of the gospel is "Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ." (Articles of Faith 1:4) When we have faith in the Lord, we have faith in His promises and in His guidance. We follow Him, knowing that He's leading us to the Celestial Kingdom.
Next, President Packer started talking about snakes eating finches, which really confused me because, at the time, I thought his main message was about age, experience, and wisdom. Now I think the main reason he told the snakes and finches story was to illustrate the idea that "We need to protect our nestlings." Which I think is an analogy for what he taught next:
We live in a very dangerous world that threatens those things that are most spiritual. The family, the fundamental organization in time and eternity, is under attack from forces seen and unseen. The adversary is about. His objective is to cause injury. If he can weaken and destroy the family, he will have succeeded.Thus, we need to protect our "nestlings."
He also spoke of the power of faith, the importance of moral agency, and the danger of tolerating sinful behavior. I could go into greater detail, but the talk isn't exactly split into sections and it would take time to hunt down the right quotes for the right topics, and I feel kinda lazy right now. I think I'll just cut to the chase.
These are the words with which President Boyd K. Packer ended his talk:
Of all that I have read and taught and learned, the one most precious and sacred truth that I have to offer is my special witness of Jesus Christ. He lives. I know He lives. I am His witness. And of Him I can testify. He is our Savior, our Redeemer. Of this I am certain. Of this I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1 comment:
One of the wonderful things about scriptures (and when authorized servants speak formally, that's scripture to me) is that there are often many messages and layers of messages in the same utterance.
The snakes eating finches warns us to protect our nestlings - which could be our children and / or any other tender, cherished possession such as our testimony. It also warns us against a false sense of security. Satan is sneaky and sly, and although someone with pretty much zero wisedom, he is very, very smart. He knows and remembers us from our pre-earth life. He has a pretty good idea of our weak spots. We may think that we are pretty safe from temptation because we go to church, our friends are good people, and we say our prayers. But he will find ways to sneak in. We must be on guard and sometimes we need help.
Some of that help comes from apostles like President Packer. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, but I cannot say I have the knowledge that President Packer declares. Yet, when I hear him speak or read his words, I receive a witness and he strengthens my faith and my resolve.
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