'Good, Better, Best' and D&C 93
One of the
most famous recent general conference addresses was that of Elder Dallin H.
Oaks in October 2007 entitled Good, Better, Best. He gave us wise counsel about making sure
that we are careful to spend our time on the “best” activities; as he put it, “because
something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it.” Most of his talk focused on two overlapping
areas of our lives: time spent with family and time invested in our spirituality.
He promoted better use of our time with family in such activities as family dinner and one-on-one time between parents and children. He likewise encouraged us to focus on key spiritual activities such as “learning the gospel from the Master Teacher” and striving to “develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ultimately these two activities—family time and spiritual nourishment—go hand in hand; he counseled us to “preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together.” I think that D&C 93 shows very similar counsel from the Lord and likewise brings together these two ideas. This section is a powerful revelation that bears witness of the Savior’s premortal mission, His time in mortality, and His ultimate glory and status next to His Father. We learn such truths as the fact that He was the “Firstborn” in the premortal world and that “the worlds were made by him” (v. 10, 21). The revelation reveals that Christ grew from “grace to grace” and that ultimately “he received a fullness of the glory of the Father” (v. 13. 16). It also teaches the sublime truths of our own eternal existence: we were “also in the beginning with God” and “intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be” (v. 29). We read that “the elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy” (v. 33). The spiritual truths being taught here in this section are worthy of a lifetime of study, and ultimately should lead us to see the fulfillment of the promise given by the Savior in verse 1 to see His face. What connects this with the ideas of Elder Oaks’ talk is that after discussing such spiritually sublime truths, the revelation abruptly turns to the subject of families. Frederick G. Williams is told, “You have not taught your children light and truth” (v. 42). Sidney Rigdon is rebuked because “he hath not kept the commandments concerning his children” (v. 44). The Lord chastises Joseph because his family “must needs repent and forsake some things” (v. 48). Newel K. Whitney is told to “set in order his family, and see that they are more diligent and concerned at home” (v. 50). Clearly the Lord here is connecting great spirituality with fulfilling our responsibilities in our homes. We cannot have complete individual spiritual progress if we neglect to also spiritually care for and teach our families. As Elder Oaks might put it, improving our own spirituality is better than most any other activity we can do, but it is best to strengthen and fortify our relationship with Jesus Christ as a family.
He promoted better use of our time with family in such activities as family dinner and one-on-one time between parents and children. He likewise encouraged us to focus on key spiritual activities such as “learning the gospel from the Master Teacher” and striving to “develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ultimately these two activities—family time and spiritual nourishment—go hand in hand; he counseled us to “preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together.” I think that D&C 93 shows very similar counsel from the Lord and likewise brings together these two ideas. This section is a powerful revelation that bears witness of the Savior’s premortal mission, His time in mortality, and His ultimate glory and status next to His Father. We learn such truths as the fact that He was the “Firstborn” in the premortal world and that “the worlds were made by him” (v. 10, 21). The revelation reveals that Christ grew from “grace to grace” and that ultimately “he received a fullness of the glory of the Father” (v. 13. 16). It also teaches the sublime truths of our own eternal existence: we were “also in the beginning with God” and “intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be” (v. 29). We read that “the elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy” (v. 33). The spiritual truths being taught here in this section are worthy of a lifetime of study, and ultimately should lead us to see the fulfillment of the promise given by the Savior in verse 1 to see His face. What connects this with the ideas of Elder Oaks’ talk is that after discussing such spiritually sublime truths, the revelation abruptly turns to the subject of families. Frederick G. Williams is told, “You have not taught your children light and truth” (v. 42). Sidney Rigdon is rebuked because “he hath not kept the commandments concerning his children” (v. 44). The Lord chastises Joseph because his family “must needs repent and forsake some things” (v. 48). Newel K. Whitney is told to “set in order his family, and see that they are more diligent and concerned at home” (v. 50). Clearly the Lord here is connecting great spirituality with fulfilling our responsibilities in our homes. We cannot have complete individual spiritual progress if we neglect to also spiritually care for and teach our families. As Elder Oaks might put it, improving our own spirituality is better than most any other activity we can do, but it is best to strengthen and fortify our relationship with Jesus Christ as a family.
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