The Gospel of Now by Richard J. Allen

Author:Richard J. Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LDS, scriputral, religious, spiritual, inspirational, clean, timing, eternal, destiny
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2017-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

Epilogue

WHEN IS THE TIME TO BESTOW OUR LOVE?

One of the most supernal blessings to us from our Lord and Master is His kindly acceptance of our righteous obedience. The seal of His divine acceptance sustains our nurture and empowers our growth:Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me. For I, the Lord, will cause them to bring forth as a very fruitful tree which is planted in a goodly land, by a pure stream, that yieldeth much precious fruit. (D&C 97:8–9)

To be accepted of the Lord is the defining essence of our lives. It is confirmation of our welcome entry into the gospel of exaltation. The scriptures speak on occasion about the “acceptable time” or during which we can accomplish the designs of heaven. As Bruce R. McConkie explained, “The acceptable year of the Lord is the proper, designated, approved, appointed, or accepted time, in the divine order of things, for a particular work to be done” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:161–162).

In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord gave the commandment to “proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the gospel of salvation” (93:51). The phrase “acceptable year” is used three times in the holy scriptures, as just cited. A similar phrase about “acceptable time” or “accepted time” is used five times (as in Isaiah 49:8; 1 Nephi 21:8; Psalm 69:13; and twice in 2 Corinthians 6:2), and a similar phrase about “acceptable day” is used twice (as in Isaiah 58:5; D&C 138:31).

For all of the Lord’s sons and daughters, the acceptable year, time, and day for honoring our covenants is now. The Lord’s plan spans the eternities, including the present—the most compelling moment for embracing the guiding example of our Savior. His gospel is a gospel of now. We are His sons and daughters in this very moment and forever. Our daily enduring love for the Lord and our unwavering service in building His kingdom prepare us for our acceptance before Him.

The Great Divide

A few miles west of magnificent Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta, there is a small stream that flows down the western slope of the mountain ridge and passes underneath the Trans Canada Highway, where it soon encounters an outcropping of rocks. There, it divides into two tiny streamlets, each one barely a foot across. One of them flows north into the Bow River and then east via major waterways into the Hudson Bay. The other flows southward into the Kicking Horse River and from thence into the Columbia River and eventually into the Pacific Ocean. A droplet of water flowing down that stream would face the prospect, at the Great Divide, of going toward either the frozen expanse of the north or the more hospitable waters of the Pacific.

During his younger years, a member of the LDS Church drove a tour bus in that area to earn money for college and a future mission.

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