162. A Daughter of Zion |
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(For a Tried* Daughter of Zion)
She is a Daughter of Zion[1].
She walks in the Way[2] of the Lord.
She asks no praise from this fallen world,
Nor for any earthly reward.[3]
She gives her heart[4] to the Savior,
She spends her life in His love.
While the selfish and vain crave Earth’s riches,
She strives for a glory above.[5]
She is a Daughter of Zion.
She has partnered[6] a man of renown.
She has given her life of virtue,
To serve as his glory and crown.[7]
In counsel they labor together.
As one they endure each pain.
They are tested and tried by fierce fires[8],
Until only God’s gold shall remain.
She is a Daughter of Zion.
She conceived, by God’s grace, precious souls.
From birth she taught them truth and light[9],
That through Jesus they would be made whole.
They, in turn, raised dear seed unto Father,
Keeping faith with the love they were shown[10].
In a chain that endures forever,
Until God’s greatest gift shall be known--[11]
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
Thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”[12]
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* See, President Henry B. Eyring, October 2020 Conference Report: "Tested, Proved, and Polished".
[1] “The new declaration of the Relief Society begins, “We are beloved spirit daughters of God.” To be a daughter of God means that you are the offspring of Deity, literal descendants of a Divine Father, inheriting godly attributes and potential. To be a daughter of God also means that you have been born again, changed from a “carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness.” Elder James E. Faust, Conference Report October, 1999, “What it Means to be a Daughter of God”. See also, Mosiah 5:7—“And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.”
[2] “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 [All bold type or underlining found here is added by the author—italics are supplied for direct quotations]
[3] 3 Nephi 15:9 Jesus said: “Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.” Doctrine and Covenants 6:7 “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.”
[4] The voice of Jesus unto Nephi, Helaman 10:4—“Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.”
[5] Alma the younger testified to his son, Helaman: “And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me. And I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever…” Alma 36:27-28.
[6] President Howard W. Hunter: “A man who holds the priesthood accepts his wife as a partner in the leadership of the home and family with full knowledge of and full participation in all decisions relating thereto. Of necessity there must be in the Church and in the home a presiding officer (see D&C 107:21). By divine appointment, the responsibility to preside in the home rests upon the priesthood holder (see Moses 4:22). The Lord intended that the wife be a helpmeet for man (meet means equal)—that is, a companion equal and necessary in full partnership. Presiding in righteousness necessitates a shared responsibility between husband and wife; together you act with knowledge and participation in all family matters.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 68).
[7] Proverbs 12: 4 “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband.” 31:10-12 “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life So he will have no lack of gain.”
[8] 1 Nephi 20:10--“For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” See also: Doctrine and Covenants 128:24 “Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
[9] 1 Nephi 1:1 “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.”
[10] Proverbs 31:25-29—“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. ‘Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all’".
[11] Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39—“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” “Immortality”, the gift of living forever without fear of death, was “locked in” for all mankind when Jesus concluded his supernal sacrifice and declared from the cross “It is finished”. This is a great Divine gift; given freely to all—the righteous and the rebellious. However, “eternal life” is not a synonym, not just a redundant way of saying “living forever”. Rather, it refers to the greatest gift Deity offers only those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and made and kept sacred covenants—this is the gift of God’s life, living with Him and the Savior with the opportunity to grow “grace by grace” in acquiring their knowledge and power and fullness of joy. See, e.g. Doctrine and Covenants 14:7—“And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
[12] Matthew 25:21. The author believes that the faithful, upon leaving mortality, begin to experience that supernal gift, when they are greeted by the Savior and given the “Divine embrace” and named “good and faithful servants”. Authoritative support for this view is found in the Teachings of President Nelson, as expounded in his sublime discourse of October 24, 2018 entitled: “From Gethsemane to Golgotha: President Nelson's Beautiful Insights into the Savior's Atonement”-- "Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means “to cover” or “to forgive.” Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning “a close embrace”—no doubt related to the Egyptian ritual embrace. References to that embrace are evident in the Book of Mormon. One states that “the Lord hath redeemed my soul . . . ; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15). Another proffers the glorious hope of our being “clasped in the arms of Jesus” (Mormon 5:11)." [https://www.ldsliving.com/from-gethsemane-to-golgotha-president-nelsons-beautiful-insights-into-the-saviors-atonement/s/89415]