Peter and the Divine Nature

The hunters in our midst… Once Pat Downes and Ron Smith went deer hunting, and as luck would have it, one of them bagged a huge buck with massive antlers. After their initial excitement abated, Pat asked, "Well Ron, what do we do now? I know absolutely nothing about dressing a deer." "Me neither", said Pat, "Let's just drag him back to the truck and we'll take him to someone who can help us." So they each grabbed a back leg and began dragging, but the huge antlers became entangled in every bush, briar, and vine they encountered. As they were thus struggling with the deer, they happened upon another hunter who noticed their difficulties. "Hey fellas", he said, "You're doing that all wrong. Pull him by the antlers, that way the antlers won't get tangled and the lay of his hair won't be working against you either." So they did as the stranger suggested and immediately realized he was right. They thanked him kindly and were soon making very good speed. Shortly Pat said, "Wow this is a lot easier, we would have never made it the way we were going at it." "Yeah", said Ron, "But have you noticed we're getting further away from the truck?"

A little history Nero 64 AD Rome Burns Nero blames the Christians “Christians and the lions” Leaders in town are Peter and Paul Martyred in 65 AD

AD 64, Annals, Written by an eyewitness… "Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition - repressed for a time, broke out yet again, not only through Judea, - where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle, and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of "hating the human race." In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man.“ Carrington, Phillip, The Early Christian Church (1957); Davis, William Stearns, Readings In Ancient History (1913); Duruy, Victor, History of Rome and the Roman People, vol V (1883).

2 Peter 1 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

Peter’s exhortation… According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world…

Question: How do we know we are becoming partakers of the “divine nature?”

Joseph F. Smith It is very gratifying to parents to be able to respond to the desires of their children, but it is undoubtedly a cruelty to a child to give it everything it asks for. Children may wisely be denied things which even in themselves are harmless. Our pleasures depend often more upon the qualities of our desires than upon the gratification. A child may be ladened with gifts which afford him little or no pleasure, simply because he has no desire for them. The education then of our desires is one of far-reaching importance to our happiness in life; and when we learn that there is an education of our intellects and we are set about that education with prudence and wisdom, we shall do much to increase not only our happiness but also our usefulness in the world. (Gospel Doctrine 297)

Question What is it we pray for? What should we be praying for instead?

Survey in England This Week Research into the views of 1,000 adults in the UK has shown 42% said they pray to God with about one in six praying every day and one in four praying at least once a week. After praying, 38% reported feeling "peaceful and content", 30% said they were strengthened, 22% said they felt close to God, 21% said they felt reassured and safe and 19% said they felt happy and joyful. A total of 57% of those who pray said they believed that prayer changed what happened in their life and 32% said they had seen the effect of prayer on their lives.effect of prayer One in three adultsOne in three adults agreed with the statement "There is a God who watches over me and answers my prayer", according to the survey, commissioned by Tearfund, the Christian relief and development agency. Prayer was so popular that even those with no religion were participating - with one in eight, or 12%, of this group praying sometimes.one in eight Top prayer topics in order of popularity were family and friends, thanking God, guidance, healing and worldwide problems such as poverty, wars and disasterorder of popularity Young peopleYoung people were less likely than their elders to pray, with just over a quarter - 27% - of 16 to 24-year-olds admitting ever praying. The proportion of those praying rose steadily as people got older, reaching 51% of those aged 55 to 74 years old and a peak of 61% of over 75-year-olds. (Breitbart.com)

Elder Maxwell Our task is to come to that point in our progress where our very desires are right in the sight of God. When we arrive at that point, we will have the mind of Christ. …we must have the Spirit with us, so that the Holy Ghost can prompt us to pray for that which is right….There is, therefore a definite connection between our righteousness and our capacity to draw upon the Spirit so that we will ask for what we should ask for. “What Should We Pray for”, Prayer, p. 44

For instance Does one who has an entire ward praying for him to “get well”, heal faster than one who doesn’t? If we are partaking of the “divine nature”, what should we be fasting and praying for, when someone is ill?

President Eyring Once I prayed through the night to know what I was to choose to do in the morning. I knew that no other choice could have had a greater effect on the lives of others and on my own. I knew what choice looked most comfortable to me. I knew what outcome I wanted. But I could not see the future. I could not see which choice would lead to which outcome. So the risk of being wrong seemed too great to me. I prayed, but for hours there seemed to be no answer. Just before dawn, a feeling came over me. More than at any time since I had been a child, I felt like one. My heart and my mind seemed to grow very quiet. There was a peace in that inner stillness. Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself praying, "Heavenly Father, it doesn't matter what I want. I don't care anymore what I want. I only want that Thy will be done. That is all that I want. Please tell me what to do." In that moment I felt as quiet inside as I had ever felt. And the message came, and I was sure who it was from. It was clear what I was to do. I received no promise of the outcome. There was only the assurance that I was a child who had been told what path led to whatever He wanted for me. I learned from that experience and countless repetitions that the description of the Holy Ghost as a still, small voice is real. It is poetic, but it is not poetry. Only when my heart has been still and quiet, in submission like a little child, has the Spirit been clearly audible to my heart and mind. (April 2006 Conference)