Forsake the World

I listened to a BYU devotional recently by Kerry Muhlestein who talked about the ways in which we as Latter-day Saints are similar to the ancient Israelites in the sins that they committed.  In particular he noted that the ancient Israelites had problems worshipping other gods in addition to Jehovah.  He said this, “Now that we know ancient Israel was worshipping both the true God and false gods at the same time, our task is… not to ask ourselves if but instead how we do the same thing. I believe there is no doubt that we all worship more than one god” (see here).  He continued by suggesting some of the false gods that we do worship: “For some of us, instead of worshipping both Jehovah and Ba’al, we worship Jehovah and footba’al.  For others it is video games, material possessions, or a whole host of other things.”  He then suggested that the most common false god that we struggle with is “the ideas of the word” and that much of our own thinking is dictated by the idea of the world and not of God.  I think he is right.  We are much more followers and worshipers of the ways of the world—its music and movies and technology and sports and money and social media sites and especially its ideas—than we realize. 

                In our dispensation the Lord has warned us against this.  In the section given as the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord said, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol” (D&C 1:16).  To Emma and all of us He invited, “And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10).  He gave this warning for those who in the end are not able to do this: “Tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon” (D&C 64:24).  Babylon is the world, the great and spacious building, and we are all in it to some degree.  But in D&C 133 the Lord was very clear; three times we are told, “Go ye out from Babylon” (v5, 7, 14).  And yet so many of us like our “summer cottage in Babylon” as Elder Maxwell put it.  Do we love God enough to put away movies that glamorize immorality and violence, to choose Sabbath day worship instead of sports and recreation, to use our time in the study of the scriptures instead of on our favorite social media sites, to prioritize temple attendance above worldly entertainment, to place time with family over a whole host of other things in the world?  If not, then are choosing to keep our summer cottage. 

                The Savior of course spoke about these things when He was on the earth.  He taught that to truly follow Him, a disciple must “deny himself, and take up his cross.”  He explained what this means doing: “For a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust.”  In case we didn’t understand that, He followed up with this powerful invitation and question: “Therefore, forsake the world, and save your souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (JST Matt 16:25-29).  As disciples of Christ we must figure out how—not if—we are seeking to gain the things of this world in our own lives, and then determine how to forsake them.