Wheat Among the Tares

Elder Andersen recently taught, “The Lord explained that in this final time prior to His return, the ‘wheat,’ whom He describes as ‘the children of the kingdom,’ would grow side by side with the ‘tares,’ or those who do not love God and do not keep His commandments. They would ‘both grow together,’ side by side.” This of course comes from the parable of the wheat and the tares given by the Savior who said, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30). We are in that time where both the wheat and the tares are growing side by side, and at some future day at the coming of the Savior the tares will indeed by burned: “Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned” (Doctrine and Covenants 86:7). If we want to be a part of the wheat that the Lord will preserve and gather home to Him, then we must, as Elder Andersen taught must, “deepen and strengthen our commitment to the Savior.” In a time when there are “increasing worldly influences around us” we must “strengthen our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” if we want to survive spiritually.

                One thing that we must do in order to be the wheat amidst the tares in this difficult time is to “choose to be different from the world.” In other words, we must be committed to following the Savior Jesus Christ even when it is increasingly unpopular to do so. More and more, the path of discipleship and covenant-keeping will be looked down up by the world and those around us. Elder Andersen commented, “We are a light to the world, and when necessary, we willingly choose to be different from others. President Dallin H. Oaks recently asked young adults: ‘Do [you] “dare to be different?” … [Especially] important … are the choices you are making in your personal life. … Are you going forward against the world’s opposition?’” These words remind me of President Monson’s powerful address titled Dare to Stand Alone in which he said, “As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? As holders of the priesthood of God, it is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come our way…. May we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe, and if we must stand alone in the process, may we do so courageously, strengthened by the knowledge that in reality we are never alone when we stand with our Father in Heaven.” We must be willing to be different from the world, to be a peculiar people, to stand out from others if we are to be true to our covenants with the Lord Jesus Christ. We may feel small in number but in doing so we will have the power that Nephi saw in vision: “I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters…. I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:12,14). The Lord has promised those who are His wheat, His covenant people in the last days, that they will have His power and glory to overcome all the difficulties leading up to His glorious return.

                And so our focus must be on the Savior and keeping our covenants with Him instead of pleasing the current opinions of the world. We can live as wheat even when we feel surrounded by tares because we know that if we are true to Jesus Christ we have this promise from Him: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88). We must be committed to holding fast to the iron rod and partaking of the fruit of the tree of life instead of heeding those who are “in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit” in Lehi’s vision (1 Nephi 8:27). Elder Andersen concluded his remarks with these powerful words: “Seeking with all our heart to know and love the Savior, we separate ourselves from the world through covenants with God, being distinct, uncommon, and special, as we honor Him and His teachings without isolating ourselves from others who believe differently. It is a wondrous journey to be wheat among the tares, sometimes fraught with heartache but always calmed by the maturing and assuring settling of our faith. As you allow your love for the Savior and His love for you to sink deep into your heart, I promise you added confidence, peace, and joy in meeting the challenges of your life. And the Savior promises us: ‘I [will] gather together my people, according to the parable of the wheat and the tares, that the wheat may be secured in the garners to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory.’”