Pride and self aggrandizement has become quite popular these days, to the detriment of many. With the invention of social media, participants are able elevate themselves endlessly via electronic posts about themselves.
There is a vast contrast when considering the pride and self promotion that is accepted today and remembering the example provided by our Messiah. When Jesus walked upon this Earth during His ministry, Jesus taught the importance of praising God, by His own example. In the New Testament and in the Book of Mormon, while Jesus is teaching, He elevated not himself, but His Father in Heaven. Jesus, the Father of this Earth and Creation, clearly taught the importance of being humble. Jesus, the one who brought the message of salvation with Him. Jesus, the one who condescended from his place in the High Heavens, to be here. The only one able to save this creation, elevated not himself, but elevated the one who sent Him, His Father in Heaven. Are we able to have a relationship with Him, while we are constantly elevating ourselves?
Jesus talked fondly of others, like John the Baptist, Isaiah, and some of His Disciples, but never exalted Himself. I believe Jesus expects the same from us. He expects us to remember and follow the many examples He provided while living His life here on this fallen planet. He taught us how to love. How to be patient, kind and long-suffering. He taught the importance of charity and meekness. Jesus taught us to speak with one another, even strangers with kind words. Jesus taught the importance of judging righteously, first examining ourselves, before attempting to pick apart others. He also taught the importance being clean and holy inside (thoughts and desires).
Jesus constantly honored His Father in Heaven by seeking to follow His Father's will. Jesus let each of His actions honor His Father. Shouldn't we be honoring our Father in Heaven, with our actions? How do we expect to walk the path with Jesus, if our thoughts and actions are nothing like His?
Do our actions and thoughts take us closer to the light or closer to darkness? Hopefully, we are decreasing in worldliness, and increasing in glory. Increasing in spiritual and decreasing in temporal, or physical.
In the book of Revelation, to John, Jesus described himself as the "bright and morning star". Venus is the brightest heavenly object in our night sky, besides the moon. Venus follows an interesting orbit around the sun, as viewed from our Earth, which seems to follow the Savior's life. In astronomy, the terms scientists use to describe Venus include: Creation, Birth, Death and Resurrection. There is a great Venus article, included below, thanks Brother Pratt!
Jesus describes himself as Venus, which pales in glory when compared with the moon and sun. There are a few scriptural references of people standing in the presence of God and witnessing a portion of His glory, Moses, Paul and Joseph Smith, to name a few. By the time Saul learns of Jesus and his name is changed to Paul, Jesus had already completed his mission here on this Earth. Jesus, offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin and was able to save this fallen creation. Jesus also attained to the resurrection, and is able to redeem others from the fall. I believe Jesus and his wife Mary, have ascended to the level of Father and Mother in Heaven. They are the Gods of our Heaven and Earth. They are full of Light and Glory and they sustain life here on Earth.
Saul on the road to Damascus, in Acts chapter 9, confirms the type of Glory that is possessed by our Savior and Redeemer. Saul was so hard headed in his righteous zeal, and his unrighteous judgement of others, that it took a visit from our Glorious Lord, causing Saul three days of blindness, to finally convert Saul into becoming a Christian. Joseph Smith was also reported to have described the Glory of God, to be "above the brightness of the sun at noonday".
We worship a Glorious Father and Mother in Heaven. In the King Follet Discourse, (page 115) which is the doctrine Joseph Smith was teaching months before his death, the bodies of our Heavenly Parents are described as "bodies of glory and everlasting burnings". Hopefully our thoughts and actions are bringing us closer to their light and glory, each day.
https://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2001/venus.html
earnestmormon.com
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