Patterns of Righteousness

After telling them how to preach the gospel, taking neither purse nor scrip, the Lord said to Joseph and Oliver, “For thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time; yea, and also all those whom thou hast ordained, and they shall do even according to this pattern.”  He gave them directions on humility, miracles, and going forth without purse or scrip, instructions which surely provided great direction for them as they preached the gospel.  Perhaps the most important instruction in this section was this one: “And at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men” (Doctrine and Covenants 24:12, 19).  To me that was the “pattern” that needed to be followed then and that the Lord wants us to follow now: preaching the gospel “at all times, and in all places”—not that we are always our preaching, but that we are always ready no matter the circumstance to share our testimony. 

               The idea of following patterns from the Lord is a common one in the Doctrine and Covenants.  He spoke of patterns to be followed in building cities and temples, telling them “it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 94:2).  In another revelation the Lord said, “And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations—Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances” (52:14-15).  We could interpret the pattern here as a way to recognize someone who is called of God, but we might also see the pattern as what we need to consistently do in our lives: pray, be humble, and obey.  We should develop patterns of prayer and obedience in our lives.  In a different revelation about preaching the gospel, the Lord said, “Let this be a pattern unto the elders until further knowledge, even as it is written.”  What was the pattern?  To “continue preaching the gospel, and in exhortation to the churches in the regions round about”—the Lord wants us to develop patterns of consistently preaching the gospel (Doctrine and Covenants 73:2,5). 

I think one of the underlying messages of these references in the Doctrine and Covenants is that we need to develop patterns of righteousness—prayer, sharing the gospel, obedience, etc.—that will shape our actions throughout our lives.  Just as Oliver Cowdery was to be a missionary “at all times, and in all places,” so too we participate in gospel patterns day in and day out.  If we develop patterns of reading the scriptures or praying or worshipping in the temple or partaking of the Sacrament or sharing the gospel, those patterns will become a part of who we are.  Then perhaps we can, like Oliver Cowdery, have the Lord’s promise of “strength such as is not known among men.”