Life’s Visions and Purposes

LIFE'S VISIONS AND PURPOSES A STUDY FOR THE ADVANCED SENIOR CLASS, M. I. A., 1923-24 By President Emeritus Geo. H. Brimhall and Dean Harrison V. HOYT OF THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Lesson XXII — The Church as a Preserver of Spiritual Life A. Questions and Problems for Members. 1. What is spiritual life? 2. How does spiritual life differ from spiritual existence? 3. What is spiritual death? 4. How does spiritual death differ from physical death? 5. Show how the Church provides against spiritual death in worship, in work, and in play. 6. What are the three great evidences of spiritual vigor? B. Some Subject Matter. Spiritual life is a condition of fellowship with the Spirit of the Lord. It is a condition of thirsting after righteousness and enjoying the thirst. It is the mind of man illuminated by the mind of God. It is the will of man joyously subordinating itself to the will of God. It is humanity co-operat- ing with Divinity in the pursuit of happiness. Spiritual life is spiritual existence in action, lofty action. Spiritual existence may be a condition of simply enduring existence; spiritual life is always a state of enjoying existence. Spiritual life is always active; spiritual existence may be merely passive. Spiritual death is spiritual estrangement from God. When the presence of the Lord became undesirable to Adam, and he was banished from Him he was no longer spiritually alive, though he existed as a spirit. Even more than a spirit, be existed as a soul — a spirit united with a body, needing a free-agency spiritual birth. See Pearl of Great Price, Moses 6:65-68; Book of Mormon, Alma 42:9. The man's spiritual death consisted of, first, a condition in which the presence of the Lord was undesirable; and second, an official banishment from the presence of the Lord. (Doc. and Cov. 29:41.) Spiritual death differs from physical death in that it consists of two acts: the self-estrangement of man from his Maker, and the official banish- ment of man from God; while physical death consists of the one act of separating the spirit of man from its tabernacle. The spiritual death is overcome by faith, repentance, and the ordinance of baptism, and the physical death by the resurrection. Physical death was brought on by the eating of a fruit, and spiritual death was brought on by the disobedience of God's command. There is but one physical death; there may be more than one spiritual death. Any form of disobedience to our Father in heaven creates estrangement from Him and is therefore one of the symptoms of a spiritual decline leading to spiritual death. We suffer spiritual blindness; i. e., we cannot see God's ways as the best ways. We suffer spiritual deafness; i. e., we cannot hear the voice of God as the voice of a friend, a loving Father. We suffer spirit- ual paralysis; i. e., we become unable to feel the presence of bis spirit in rapport with our own. Persistence in disobedience results in our becoming dead to "His righteousness" or the right from God's point of view, and then to his rejection of us as in the case of Saul, King of Israel.

LIFE'S VISIONS AND PURPOSES 555 The Church provides against spiritual death by letting us in through the door of obedience. It provides for habitual spiritual exercise in the form of individual and family prayer — which Communion with the Eternal is a form of eternal life. The Church provides for mass-movement spiritual exercise by frequent congregational gatherings. The Church puts on us spiritual responsibility which hangs heavy when we stand still, but lifts us when we go forward. Spiritual work for everybody and everybody at work is a group spiritual life. In the Church there is spiritual employment suf- ficient for all. The Church flavors our temporal interests and activities with the spirit- ual. We care for our bodies in both obedience to the "Word of Wisdom," as well as thus meeting the requirements of the laws of health. We select food and ask God's blessing on it. Our marriages are made spiritual by our recognition of the divine authority of the Priesthood. Our homes are planned for convenience, furnished for comfort, and decorated for pleasure, but they are also dedicated as a place of welcome to the Spirit of the Lord. The Church puts spiritual life into our recreation by doctrinal recog- nition, official supervision, and trained leadership. Among the many evidences of spiritual vigor, three of the greatest ones are: Purity of life, "The pure in heart shall see God." Attention to spirit- ual duties — it is by doing the works that we obtain and retain our testi- mony of the truth of the gospel. Loyalty to spiritual leaders — that we have our mortal life and the blessings of the Priesthood is due to our pre-mortal valiancy in defending the authorities of heaven. Thus the Church in "worship, work, and play" provides against spirit- ual death by furnishing ample spiritual activity to preserve spiritual life in the individual, the family, and the community. C. Suggestive Topics for Teachers' Lecture. 1. The Spiritual-Life Side of Scout-Training or Bee-Hive Work. 2. The M. I. A. Slogan and Spiritual Life. 3. Unmistakable Evidences of Spiritual Decline. 4. The Sure Signs of Spiritual Vigor. D. Class Discussion. E. Social Period. Lesson XXIII — The Church the Best Investment of Time, Energy and Means A. Questions and Problems. 1. Show that joy is the object of all investments. 2. What are the specific joy-dividends derived from time spent in attend- ance at meetings? 3. What are the returns for performing official service in the Church at home? 4. What is the profit accumulating from investment of time, energy and means in a mission? 5. What are the gains to be derived from faithful ward teaching? 6. Discuss this proposition: Tithe-paying is the best kind of insurance for the worst kind of a fire. 7. Discuss donations to the poor as a joy-loan to the Lord. (See Proverbs 19:17 also 28:27.) 8. Discuss the everlasting income derived from a contribution for the build- ing of a temple.

556 IMPROVEMENT ERA 9. Why make endowments for hospitals? 10. What cojjjprnsation may be expected from the endowment of Church schools t B. Teachers' Discussion (15 minutes). C. Class Discussion. D. Subject Matter to Aid in Preparation of Questions. "Men are that they might have joy," and we have on the one extreme side those people who are indifferent to spiritual values and who seek fi- nancial independence as a means of bringing joy. On the other extreme, there are those who are indifferent to physical wealth and comfort, who look, solely to the spiritual side of life as a means of bringing joy. The one looks, (a) to that which gratifies the physical and worldly ambitions, desires, and vanities; (b) to such things as social prominence, political power, indolence, ease, luxurious indulgence; (c) to things which are pretentious and adorn the body and pamper the vanities; (d) to things which do not extend or carry over to the life to come. The other type of individual looks (a) to that joy which comes when the soul is triumphant over the body; (b) to that calm consciousness, satis- faction, peace and harmony of the soul which exist in the presence of grati- tude, humility, self-abnegation, desire and even pain and persecution; (c) to that feeling which is manifested and inspired by the hymn "More holiness give me." The reward, in the one case, at best is for this mortal life, temporary, transitory. The reward in the other case extends beyond this mortal life to time and eternity. Every meeting is a mass-movement — spiritual-life exercise. It is a spiritual festival to which everyone contributes to the feast and everyone partakes of the contributions. We take the best that is in us to our meet- ings, and partake of the best that is in our neighbors. As a rule we are at our best while there, and go away with that best made better. We may get a sermon over the radio but as yet we cannot get the close-contact communion which is possible where one is a part of a congregation. The joy of being able to say: "I am about my Father's business;" the joy of achievement under divine authority; the growth of leadership — ability or increase of capacity to serve; the consciousness of drawing others toward you and with you; the multiplicity of friendships; the increase of love for others and love of others for you; the keeping up of that condition that makes it possible for one to say at the close of every day as God said at the end of each period of creation, "It is good," and to be able to declare as Paul did, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith;" the consciousness of having been valiant as a worker in the Church of Christ; all these are pay checks that will be honored at the office of the celestial kingdom. Anything short of valiancy is terrestrial. See Doc. and Cov. 76:79. There can scarcely be a worse fire than the fire of a guilty conscience. When we must meet God face to face, this fire will consume all financial pride, burn up our excuses, and blast our hopes of enjoying the presence of him with whom we have not been fair in our business relations. A good honest tithing record is an insurance against this everlasting scorching which is constantly eating away at our happiness. To say the least, peace of mind and practice in thrift are products of tithe-paying. In answer to this question seven, read, recite, or sing: "A poor wayfaring man of grief." See L. D. S. Hymn Book; also see Proverbs 19:17; and 28:27.

LIFE'S VISIONS AND PURPOSES 557 Temples are citadels of peace. They are gifts of good will to the race. They are the work shops where links of love are made to join heaven and earth for the living and the dead. There the keys are used which liberate the captives of sin and the chain is forged for binding Satan. A temple con- tribution makes one a benefactor of the dead, living, and unborn. The re- turns are the joy of helping and the gratitude of those who are helped. It is said that health cannot be purchased, but he who endows a hos- pital purchases the facilities by which lost health may be recovered. He gives, that pain may be lessened and life extended. His pay is a conscious- ness of doing for others what they cannot do for themselves, a conscious- ness of being in a small way a savior. He is one whose money works for him after he has gone hence. Though dead, he still lives a good Samaritan. To endow a school is to leave a perpetual legacy to a multitude, twenty- five generations of which come and live and go in a century, and each one better because a philanthropist lived who made the gracious gift for them. Lesson XXIV — Class Reunion See Era and Journal, for May, 1924. Home Evening Brightly the fire in the grate doth burn, 'Tis Home Evening. Ever for thee each heart doth yearn, Dear Home Evening. 'Tis then our thoughts from care are free, With joy we all look forth to thee The good in all things we can see, On Home Evening. We think of neighbor's goodly turn, On Home Evening; Blessings to him we pray will come This Home Evening. "For what to least of these you've done, Ye have indeed done unto me." In part this is our Savior's creed, We learn tonight. We talk of heavenly Father's care, Each Home Evening, We see his blessings everywhere, On Home Evening. We sing, recite, address, and play, From father down to Baby May; We have a right good time, I'll say, On Home Evening. And when the program work is o'er, On Home Evening, We always look for something more, Each Home Evening. So from the pantry mother brings Some cakes, or pies, or doughnut- rings; Then off to bed we rush and sing, '"Rah! Home Evening!" Kirtland, New Mexico. EDITH V. BlGLER.