Covenants

My Thoughts
In many things in our lives we make oaths or agreements in order to have authority or employment.  Medical doctors take an oath to be doctors.  In my employment as a software developer I sign non disclosure agreements and security agreements in order to be employed.


While these examples could be argued are devises of men, I believe that God gives us many things in life that operate on similar principles as the things of God, in order that we, as men, might understand the things of God more easily.


When we participate in ordinances and make covenants we are doing similar things to have privileges and authority.


Doctrine and Covenants 90:24
24Search ^adiligently, ^bpray always, and be believing, and ^call things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the ^dcovenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

Mosiah 18:8-10
 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Character

President Boyd K Packer, “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast

If you are associating with others who drag you down instead of building you up, stop and change company. You may be alone and lonely at times. The important question may be asked then, “When you are alone, are you in good company?” If you are doing something that you know is wrong, stop it. Stop it now.



Neal A. Maxwell, “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts,” Ensign,Nov. 1996, 22, 21

“When people are described as ‘having lost their desire for sin,’ it is they, and they only, who deliberately decided to lose those wrong desires by being willing to ‘give away all [their] sins’ in order to know God.”

“Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.”

Matthew 3:8-10

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

• Fruits are works.  Those who do not produce good works are cast off.
• Just because one is a child of Abraham, or of Israel, or that one has confessed that Christ is ones savior one will be cast off if one does not produce fruits meet for repentance.
• Fruits meet for repentance - you display what is important to you in your actions.  They are indicators that your character has changed.

Temptation

President Boyd K Packer, “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast 

“A few of you may have felt or been told that you were born with troubling feelings and that you are not guilty if you act on those temptations. Doctrinally we know that if that were true your agency would have been erased, and that cannot happen. You always have a choice to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and live a morally pure and chaste life, one filled with virtue.”

The Word of Wisdom

President Boyd K Packer, “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast "The Word of Wisdom does not promise perfect health but that the spiritual receptors within you might be strengthened."

Christopher Columbus

1 Nephi 13:12
 12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and ^awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

The American Indians "Native Americans"

1 Nephi 13:14
 14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.

Foolishness

1 Corinthians 2:14
 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.




1 Corinthians 3:19
 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.




2 Nephi 9:28
 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.




2 Nephi 26:10
 10 And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell.