After teaching the Beatitudes in Sunday School last week I have been thinking a lot about sharing this part with you all.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
As I thought about this scripture and thought about purity I came upon these scriptures:
D&C 101:39-40
39 When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men;
40 They are called to be the savor of men; therefore, if that salt of the earth lose its savor, behold, it is thenceforth good for nothing only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
As I thought about this scripture and thought about purity I came upon these scriptures:
D&C 101:39-40
39 When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men;
40 They are called to be the savor of men; therefore, if that salt of the earth lose its savor, behold, it is thenceforth good for nothing only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
D&C 103:9
13 ¶Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?Who are the Salt of the Earth and the Savor/Saviors of men? From these scriptures it explains that it is the Covenant Saints.
"The Savior asks but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?"
I found this great quote from Carlos E. Asay about how salt loses its savor and its relation with man:
"A world-renowned chemist told me that salt will not lose its savor with age. Savor is lost through mixture and contamination. Similarly, priesthood power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination. When a young man or older man mixes his thoughts with pornographic literature, he suffers a loss of savor. When a priesthood bearer mixes his speech with lies or profanity, he suffers a loss of savor. When one of us follows the crowd and becomes involved in immoral acts and the use of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and other injurious substances, he loses savor. Flavor and quality flee a man when he contaminates his mind with unclean thoughts, desecrates his mouth by speaking less than the truth, and misapplies his strength in performing evil acts. King Benjamin cautioned, “Watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God” (Mosiah 4:30)."
Remember that Salt only loses its savor through mixture and contamination.
Carlos E. Asay continues:
"We must fight daily to retain our savor, our purity. We must press forward, clinging to our standards of holiness, remembering all the while that we are called to be the savor of men."
So as we are the Salt of the Earth we must fight DAILY to retain our savor or our purity and the blessing for doing this is that we can be the savior of men. Jesus Christ is our Savior and the only Savior of men, but he has called the Saints to join him in his work. We help him by sharing the gospel, redeeming the dead, and perfecting our own lives. If we are unable (by contamination) or unwilling to do that work,..."wherewith shall the earth be salted (preserved)?"
I love this last quote by Carlos E. Asay:
"We should extend honor, friendship, and hospitality to all of our brothers and sisters. To the inactives we extend the hand of fellowship; to the nonmembers we extend the divine invitation “come and see”; with the fathers of yesteryear we establish links which weld fathers to children and children to fathers. In all of this, we advance the purposes of the Master and assist in the reconciliation of men to the God who gave them life. And, in the process, we not only preserve our savor but we save ourselves. I count it significant that the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located in Salt Lake City. From this center of the Church flows the message of salvation to all the world. To this city of salt, men and women gather from all corners of the earth to receive instruction and edification. Such instruction, if accepted and practiced, will enable men to retain their savor and assist them in becoming saviors of men.
Now back to the pure in heart shall see God.
I love this quote from Harold B. Lee:
“If you would see God, you must be pure. There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could see that it was a man and as it came still closer he could see that it was his friend. You can see only that which you have eyes to see. Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as a son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a wine-bibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him. Mark well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord’s anointed leaders in his Church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.” (Lee, “Decisions for successful living, pp. 56-63.)
Oftentimes I feel life here on earth is just filled with so many distractions and temptations all around us that sometimes are just hard to overcome, but I am so grateful for the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Atonement brings about change and getting us closer to perfection and it is always there. What a beautiful and wonderful gift that is and that our Savior so freely gave to us so that we can return to our Father in Heaven. We can come to him and find peace and forgiveness and then move forward maintaining our purity so that we can be the Salt of the earth. I believe that by maintaining this purity we will be the pure in heart that will see God, seeing the reality of Him through the miracles and tender mercies of the Lord which constantly remind us that we are sons and daughters of a true and living God, and ultimately as we truly "see" and live with Him again.
"The Savior asks but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?"
I found this great quote from Carlos E. Asay about how salt loses its savor and its relation with man:
"A world-renowned chemist told me that salt will not lose its savor with age. Savor is lost through mixture and contamination. Similarly, priesthood power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination. When a young man or older man mixes his thoughts with pornographic literature, he suffers a loss of savor. When a priesthood bearer mixes his speech with lies or profanity, he suffers a loss of savor. When one of us follows the crowd and becomes involved in immoral acts and the use of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and other injurious substances, he loses savor. Flavor and quality flee a man when he contaminates his mind with unclean thoughts, desecrates his mouth by speaking less than the truth, and misapplies his strength in performing evil acts. King Benjamin cautioned, “Watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God” (Mosiah 4:30)."
Remember that Salt only loses its savor through mixture and contamination.
Carlos E. Asay continues:
"We must fight daily to retain our savor, our purity. We must press forward, clinging to our standards of holiness, remembering all the while that we are called to be the savor of men."
So as we are the Salt of the Earth we must fight DAILY to retain our savor or our purity and the blessing for doing this is that we can be the savior of men. Jesus Christ is our Savior and the only Savior of men, but he has called the Saints to join him in his work. We help him by sharing the gospel, redeeming the dead, and perfecting our own lives. If we are unable (by contamination) or unwilling to do that work,..."wherewith shall the earth be salted (preserved)?"
I love this last quote by Carlos E. Asay:
"We should extend honor, friendship, and hospitality to all of our brothers and sisters. To the inactives we extend the hand of fellowship; to the nonmembers we extend the divine invitation “come and see”; with the fathers of yesteryear we establish links which weld fathers to children and children to fathers. In all of this, we advance the purposes of the Master and assist in the reconciliation of men to the God who gave them life. And, in the process, we not only preserve our savor but we save ourselves. I count it significant that the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located in Salt Lake City. From this center of the Church flows the message of salvation to all the world. To this city of salt, men and women gather from all corners of the earth to receive instruction and edification. Such instruction, if accepted and practiced, will enable men to retain their savor and assist them in becoming saviors of men.
Now back to the pure in heart shall see God.
I love this quote from Harold B. Lee:
“If you would see God, you must be pure. There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could see that it was a man and as it came still closer he could see that it was his friend. You can see only that which you have eyes to see. Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as a son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a wine-bibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him. Mark well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord’s anointed leaders in his Church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.” (Lee, “Decisions for successful living, pp. 56-63.)
Oftentimes I feel life here on earth is just filled with so many distractions and temptations all around us that sometimes are just hard to overcome, but I am so grateful for the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Atonement brings about change and getting us closer to perfection and it is always there. What a beautiful and wonderful gift that is and that our Savior so freely gave to us so that we can return to our Father in Heaven. We can come to him and find peace and forgiveness and then move forward maintaining our purity so that we can be the Salt of the earth. I believe that by maintaining this purity we will be the pure in heart that will see God, seeing the reality of Him through the miracles and tender mercies of the Lord which constantly remind us that we are sons and daughters of a true and living God, and ultimately as we truly "see" and live with Him again.
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