Running Over

To my daughter, 

             This year we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants which contains many revelations that the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith. One of those revelations He specifically gave to be the preface or introduction to the whole book, and that is now in section 1. In it the Lord said this: “The Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man” (v10). This is alluding to the fact that the Savior will some day come again to the earth. Each of us will see Him again and be judged by Him, and He helped us in this verse understand how we would be judged. He will reward us according to our work or the things that we have done, and He will measure us based on how we have measured others. In other words, He will judge us based on how we have judged others and treated them. He perhaps wanted us to think of these verses from the New Testament which He spoke in mortality: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:36-38). I love this invitation and promise: if we are merciful to others, the Lord will be merciful to us. If we don’t judge others harshly, neither will He judge us harshly when we are before Him. If we give freely to others, He will give freely to us. How we measure others is an invitation for Him to measure us that same way. If we forgive freely, show mercy abundantly, and love easily those around us, then we have His promise that He will judge us that same way.

                We had a special experience this Christmas delivering gifts to those in need. Your mom bought about 100 presents for children of different ages, and then we wrapped all of those individually together at home. We took them to the community center where children who otherwise would receive very little for Christmas were able to pick out gifts. You helped to wrap those presents and deliver them, and I hope you felt the joy of that experience. It helped me see what it means to give freely even so that it is “running over” as the Savior said. I hope that you will remember this experience and always seek to generously give to others around you whenever you have the means to do so. The Lord also taught us in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:3). We have received many blessings in our lives, and so the Lord expects us to give much to help and bless others. As we try to do that, we can be assured that He will be merciful and generous to us in how He judges our lives. And never forget the words of the Savior given to us by Paul when he said to the people of Ephesus: “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). It truly is better to give than to receive, and I know you have felt the joy of giving to others and serving them. I hope that you can strive throughout your life to follow the example of Paul by supporting the weak and by trying to give and serve whenever you can. As you do so, I know that you will be richly blessed by the Lord. Then you will see that God always gives back to you “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.” 

Love,

Dad