The Voice

By Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.Blogspot.com

There is a voice that shakes the earth asunder

Not loud, but mild, whispering in the ear

One that pierces the soul like thunder

When God speaks and we inwardly hear

We are designed such that our eyes and ears are formed and positioned that we may see and hear what is in front of us.  We oft must turn our head and attention to see and hear what is spoken or sounded behind us.  Not so with the eyes and ears of our spirit.  It seems that our spiritual senses of seeing and hearing are able to envision things in every direction and to hear intonations forward, backward, upward, downward, and when we are properly attuned…………inward.

To hear things spoken to our soul often requires some filtering of the worldly din and strife.  Such temporal noise often has the effect of blocking that which would be heard or felt in our soul.  That which speaks to us temporally is usually loud, brash, garish, and intent on engaging our worldly passions.  But that which would speak to our soul, often, at least at first, comes softly, quietly, mildly, yet powerfully enough to shake our very being.

When the Spirit first speaks to us, our attention may be elsewhere; for there are indeed, so many distractions in the world, causing the Apostle Paul to say, “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.” (1 Corinthians 14:10) But as the voice continues to seek audience with our higher selves, and as we open ourselves to give it place in us, its warmth begins to fill us with its powerful presence.  We are grateful to a loving Father in Heaven who understands our mortal limitations and, up to a point, continues to speak to us until a connection is finally made.  However, if He continues to speak and we refuse to hear or, having heard, refuse to act, He will usually allow us to withdraw from Him – such are the rules of agency.

Paul continues his thought in the next verse, “Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.”  In other words, it is like trying to interpret a foreign language that we do not know. 

Perhaps one of the greatest skills to learn in life is to acquire the language of the Spirit.  Then the next greatest skill might be to learn to listen for its quite voice and nuances.  And then, just perhaps, the greatest of all would be the skill, the attribute, the disciplined ability to act according to the instruction or message the Spirit whispers.

Such is the discussion in our meditative verse entitled, “The Voice” which prays that . .  .

May we have ears to hear the divine intonation

Echoing in the plain road and the low valley of life

Heeding its whisper in our mortal probation

And be deafened to the worldly din and strife.

The Voice

And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings.  And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul— 

Book of Mormon   Helaman 5:29-33

There is a voice that shakes the earth asunder

Not loud, but mild, whispering in the ear

One that pierces the soul like thunder

When God speaks and we inwardly hear

This is a voice that will be heard

That speaks to our soul to its core

Spoken by God to declare His word

Of faith, hope and truth evermore

Once, twice it speaks again and again

Words that inspire, instruct, and plea

Too sacred for public expression or pen

But soulfully inscribed where none can see

This very voice speaks to us today

Not loud, but a whisper in the heart

A voice that keeps darkness at bay

A voice to inspire and set us apart

May we have ears to hear the divine intonation

Echoing in the plain road and the low valley of life

Heeding its whisper in our mortal probation

And be deafened to the worldly din and strife.

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

The Rock of Our Redeemer

By Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.Blogspot.com

Is the Redeemer‘s rock our sure foundation

Or have we built on soft and shifting sand

This question begs reply and illumination

For it governs our place in God’s eternal plan

Ever been in an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane?  Unsettling, doesn’t quite cover the range of emotions you feel as either the ground moves beneath your feet, or whirlwinds easily pick up and blow away anything not secured or anchored sufficiently.  Fortunately, the ability to predict tornadoes and to know that a hurricane is coming are now a part of our technology – less so with earthquakes.  Like so many of life’s tribulations and trials, for some we can be forewarned while others strike without notice.

As we observe today’s headlines, it seems that not only the number of tragedies is increasing, but also their intensity.  Around us each day are not only whirlwinds of environmental catastrophe, but terrorism, political and legislative failure, and an epidemic of moral decay.  As debris swirls around the vortex of these tribulations, we can easily be affected – damaged and hurt by these shafts in the whirlwind.

In such circumstances we ask, “Where do we stand?”  In a society that seems to meet crises by abandoning time-honored values and principles, we are left to be tossed about by every wind of so-called politically correct doctrine.  History records many groups, nations, and societies that have faced similar circumstances – we are not the first.  The Bible is just such a history.  When rocked by war or famine, or disaster, there always emerged a prophet to declare the mind and the will of God.  Receptive societies embraced the words of the prophets - rebellious societies would often suffer calamitous results.

God’s will for us as declared in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provides an anchor in the storms of life.  The rock of our Redeemer is the sure foundation upon which we stand to battle the elements – whatever they may be. 

Our meditation encourages us to build on the sure and safe foundation of the Savior, the Redeemer of all.

Let us build a firm foundation for our life

And hold the iron rod firmly in our hand

Facing trials, troubles, turmoil and strife

On the rock of our Redeemer let us stand

The Rock of Our Redeemer

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.

Book of Mormon   Helaman 5:10-12

The foundation on which we build is of concern

As the devil sends sharp shafts in the whirlwind

As all his hail and mighty storms around us churn

Only the Rock of our Redeemer keeps us safe from sin

Is the Redeemer‘s rock our sure foundation

Or have we built on soft and shifting sand

 This question begs reply and illumination

For it governs our place in God’s eternal plan

Only upon the rock of our Redeemer are we secure

Only with obedience to the covenant and principle

Only on His rock are we safe from Lucifer’s allure

Only by trusting God can we become invincible

Let us build a firm foundation for our life

And hold the iron rod firmly in our hand

Facing trials, troubles, turmoil and strife

On the rock of our Redeemer let us stand

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

Withholding

By Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.Blogspot.com

There is something sad about withholding

Begrudging of ourselves and possessions

Which God finds prideful and revolting

Because the poor reap more oppressions

We seem to have some ambivalence – a degree of uncertainty in our public dialogue about how to respond to the poor and needy. Perhaps this is due in large part to the politicization and legislation of poverty over the last 400 years.  Whether it was Elizabethan Poor Laws in the 1600’s to Obamacare today; from the Charity Societies in early America to the United Way today, there appears to be no consensus – no method or principles of care upon which we can agree.

Even now the poor and needy, in massive numbers, wander through much of Europe in search of shelter and security.  They are joined by 60 million internally displaced people across the globe.

As we study poverty, we find marked extremes and contrasts.  Governments do fail their citizens, economies rise and fall in cycles, supply and demand are each driven by a myriad of influences – and we are all affected.  In the dark side of capitalism, unscrupulous and greedy people do manipulate markets and banks without regard to others.  There are undeserving, selfish, and conniving people that lie, cheat, and fake their way through a well-meaning but deeply flawed welfare system.  Yet, there are genuine, humble poor individuals needing and receiving assistance, and there are also generous, charitable people of wealth who give of themselves and their means.

There will come a day when we are worthy and prepared enough to live the Lord’s economic plan. Until then there is one common denominator.  Whether rich or poor, we are all God’s children, and He is concerned for both our spiritual and temporal welfare.  There is ample evidence from God’s word that He reserves His strongest, most vindictive judgements against those who withhold themselves and their goods from the poor.  Our meditative verse, “Withholding” addresses these concerns and suggests:

For are we not all beggars by every method of calculation

Who must not withhold ourselves, our goods or treasure

But be generous with our means in this mortal probation

Consecrating and blessing without reserve or measure

Withholding

And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, …. And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

Book of Mormon   Helaman 4:12-13

There is something sad about withholding

Begrudging of ourselves and possessions

Which God finds prideful and revolting

Because the poor reap more oppressions

Self-centered and selfish souls

Withhold and the poor go without

And are smitten with empty doles

By legions of the greedy and undevout

May we be more like Christ’s exemplary life

Generous disciples of charitable deeds

Who strengthen feeble knees in their strife

And bless the poor in their conditions and needs

For are we not all beggars by every method of calculation

Who must not withhold ourselves, our goods or treasure

But be generous with our means in this mortal probation

Consecrating and blessing without reserve or measure

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

The Quick and Powerful Word

By Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.Blogspot.com

More than text upon a hallowed page

More than a linguistic expression

Articulated for an ancient or future age

God’s Word chisels an enduring impression

There is something about divine language that is different from other communication.  The writer of Hebrews describes it this way, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).  

Thus, God’s word is a living, potent force which conveys supernal powers.

For the person who has learned to read and love God’s message, His word has the power to save, to heal, to lift up, and to exalt.  To others, who have taken a lower, downward path, God’s language cuts deeply into the conscience and down into a guilty soul.  Hence, the reading and application of God’s word becomes a barometer by which the weather of the soul is measured – sunny and bright, or cloudy, dark and overcast.

We pray that the Word of God may be a quick and powerful lighting the way for each of us in an ever-darkening world.

May the Word save us from undue misery and pain

And land our souls in the straight and narrow route

Where the road is found well-lit, and true and plain

Leading to God’s kingdom, from which we go no more out

 The Quick and Powerful Word

Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—  And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

Book of Mormon  Helaman 3:29-30

More than text upon a hallowed page

More than a linguistic expression

Articulated for an ancient or future age

God’s Word chisels an enduring impression

Like a powerful sword whose sharp edges

Rift the devil’s cunning snares and wiles

God’s Word quickly removes the devil’s wedges

That inflict tribulation, troubles, and trials

As we apply the Word, line upon line in stages

We become a child of Christ - a sanctified soul

To enjoy the company of saints and ancient sages

From Adam to Abraham and all the prophets of old

May the Word save us from undue misery and pain

And land our souls in the straight and narrow route

Where the road is found well-lit, and true and plain

Leading to God’s kingdom, from which we go no more out

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

Yielding

By  Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.Blogspot.com

To yield sounds too passive an action

Betraying our sense of self and self-control

But yielding our hearts to God’s satisfaction

Makes sanctifying amendments to our soul

When I think of an unyielding, uncompromising, persevering soul, I think of Winston Churchill.  During May-June of 1940, Mr. Churchill, the recently appointed Prime Minister of England, gave three speeches.  Each one meant to fortify and bolster the British spirit in the face of what appeared to be an imminent invasion.  Noting that in these forthcoming battles he had nothing to offer but “blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”  In another speech he said “We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on the beaches,…in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...”  The third speech told Britons, “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”   His unyielding spirit contributed to Allied victories in World War II.

Churchill’s rhetoric echoed Alfred Lord Tennyson’s words a 100 years earlier in his poem Ulysses:

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

We observe that part of our heritage is this trait of unyielding, unbending, and firm resolve especially when fighting for freedom, family and our homeland.  There are, however, differing aspects of this unyielding trait that can be our downfall or our salvation.  First, and unfortunately, we do not always apply that noble trait to resisting sin and things less worthy.  Secondly, there are things – sacred and holy things to which we should yield – must yield.

The Apostle Paul stated it this way, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”  Romans 6:16.  Elsewhere, the scriptures proclaim, “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….” Mosiah 3:19

Our meditative verse explores this willing surrender to the Divine – this capitulation of our “natural man” so that we might, in all ways, become like Christ.  Thus we see that,

A sanctified heart evolves from Godly yielding

Essential to those on the path to exaltation

Suited in God’s armor of light ever shielding

We arrive saved and perfected at our destination

Yielding

And in the fifty and first year of the reign of the judges there was peace also, save it were the pride which began to enter into the church—not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God—  And they were lifted up in pride, even to the persecution of many of their brethren. Now this was a great evil, which did cause the more humble part of the people to suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction.   Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

Book of Mormon  Helaman 3:33-35

There is way to purify and sanctify our hearts

By humbly yielding unto God’s solicitation

Empowerment that fasting and prayer imparts

Thus building on faith’s sure foundation

Yet to yield sounds too passive an action

Betraying our sense of self and self-control

But yielding our hearts to God’s satisfaction

Makes sanctifying amendments to our soul

A sanctified heart evolves from Godly yielding

Essential to those on the path to exaltation

Suited in God’s armor of light ever shielding

We arrive saved and perfected at our destination

May we yield our hearts and minds and wills

To God’s work in the ever-present here and now

Hastening our strides and strengthening our skills

Yielding unto God all our sanctified hearts will allow

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

The Murder of Light

By Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.Blogspot.com

Can a person murder light?

Surely not in the final sense

But the attempt is not so slight

And the consequences are immense

 As some of us emerge from the long night of winter and begin to bask in the bright warmth of sunnier days, we reflect on how good it feels to be touched by the radiant warmth and brightness the sun’s light.  Likewise, we walk uncertainly into a darkened room and move forward hesitantly until someone turns on a light.  Light illuminates our way in the world both physically and spiritually.    

We are told in the scriptures that the light of the sun, the moon and the stars are energized by something known as the light of Christ.  We are told further that this light is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalms 90). We learn from another scriptural text that such light is in all and through all things, that it gives life to all things, and has the unifying force of law by which all things are governed. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6-12)  

Such is the power of the light of Christ which, when followed, will lead harkening spirits to the waters of baptism and then to receive the Holy Ghost.  By its continuing influence we are led to God’s holy temple and there the heavens are figuratively opened to us, and, as we return again and again, we come to know God and His plan for us.  In this manner the temple is a portal of light connecting us with the powers of heaven.

The Holy Ghost is the purveyor of heavenly light and truth.  Therefore, is it any wonder then that God places the denial of the Holy Ghost in such drastic and spiritually felonious terms – noting that our immortal souls are in jeopardy should we do so.    “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men…neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” Matthew 12:31-32

Such is the state of those who commit what is known as the “unpardonable sin.”  Given that the prerequisites are formidable, it may be that those who qualify for this burden will be few.  Today’s meditative verse ponders the terrible consequences of this sin noting that….

The attempted murder of God’s light

Is a felony of spirit - belying forgiveness

Surrendering our light to Satan’s fight

Forfeiting all for which God might bless

Such a crime is not hid from the Lord

For it tears apart and harrows up the soul

Sounding a harsh and discordant chord

As we are judged and sin takes its toll

The Murder of Light

Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?  For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness;

Book of Mormon  Alma 39:5-6

Can a person murder light?

Surely not in the final sense

But the attempt is not so slight

And the consequences are immense

For if the Holy Spirit is denied

Once it has place in our soul

If He is refuted and defied

The unpardonable sin may be our dole

The attempted murder of God’s light

Is a felony of spirit - belying forgiveness

Surrendering our light to Satan’s fight

Forfeiting all for which God might bless

Such a crime is not hid from the Lord

For it tears apart and harrows up the soul

Sounding a harsh and discordant chord

As we are judged and sin takes its toll

Let us rejoice in the light of the Word

And be a true friend of truth and right

May the robe of the righteous around us gird

As we find joy with the pure, the true and contrite

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

A Rent Coat

By Larry Doyle Crenshaw

MeditationsInLight.blogspot.com

To tear apart or rent one’s clothes

Was an ancient symbol of indignation

One in which the wearer chose

To express extreme consternation

Today, we reflect on an ancient tradition – that of tearing one’s clothes or “renting” them as a physical sign of loss, grief, or indignation.  In Bible-times the list of those renting their clothes is not small, and includes Jacob, Joshua, David, Job, Elias, Mordecai, Paul and Barnabas, to name a few. 

In Book of Mormon days, the most famous incidence was the great General and Prophet, Moroni who, when a perverse and wicked Amalickiah was having success in perverting the people and taking away their liberties, tore his coat as a sign of his great displeasure and grief.  In a dramatic move, he wrote upon the remnant cloth, “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.”  Then, fastening the banner upon a pole, he called it the “Title of Liberty,” and it became the rallying point that enlisted and led the faithful in the battle against evil forces.

Today we are less demonstrative of our feelings and have other ways to express ourselves.  However, our meditation asks the question, “Do we have a ‘Title of Liberty’ written in the fabric of our hearts?”  “Are we all enlisted in the battle against evil forces?”  “Have we covenanted to be a covenant people?”

Unfortunately, we sometimes find that our desires and commitments fall short of being Godly covenants.  The history of the Bible and the Book of Mormon – story after story – book after book – is a history of God calling His people to enter into a covenant with Him.  Time and again, and usually only after some dramatic and painful experience, would the people consent and make a covenant with God.  Sometimes it would only be a few weeks or months, and sometimes a few years before the covenant came to be viewed as a temporary commitment, and then abandoned altogether.

Hopefully, in these latter-days we are more exact and faithful regarding the covenants we make. We see and feel in the rising generation youth of a noble birthright who are, indeed, carrying aloft their title of liberty.  However, the days are coming when we and they will be challenged as never before.  

Hence, we ask the question:

Is there a Title of Liberty written in our heart

Are we a covenant man or woman of the Lord

May our title of liberty yield the better part

Of God’s blessings and our eternal reward

A Rent Coat

And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.  And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land— ….Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.  And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.

Book of Mormon   Alma 46:12-13; 20-21

To tear apart or rent one’s clothes

Was an ancient symbol of indignation

One in which the wearer chose

To express extreme consternation

Therefore, in anger, Moroni rent his coat

“In memory of our God, religion, and freedom,

And peace, our wives, and our children,” he wrote

And then prayed the blessings of liberty would come

Thus, a flag, the Title of Liberty, was born

A banner of freedom to signal and wave

Hoisted aloft, a flag battered and torn

 In memory of God who is mighty to save

The people too rent their garments in token

Of covenants to sustain their religion and rights

To be rent themselves if the covenant was broken

Or they failed to honor the Lord or His rites

Is there a Title of Liberty written in our heart

Are we a covenant man or woman of the Lord

May our title of liberty yield the better part

Of God’s blessings and our eternal reward

Larry Doyle Crenshaw