172. I'll Follow Him
I
When I was born; (1)
Premortal morn-- (2)
I followed Him. (3)
A vote was held; (4)
No one compelled-- (5)
I followed Him. (6)
Though some refused; (6)
Their faith unused--
I followed Him.
Of those who stayed;
Some, still afraid-- (7)
I followed Him.
II
My turn to come;
Memories undone-- (8)
I follow Him.
I heard His voice; (9)
Another choice-- (10)
I follow Him.
His Church I found; (11)
Love’s glorious sound-- (12)
I follow Him.
Taking His cross; (13)
Seeking the lost-- (14)
I follow Him
III
When life’s unfair; (15)
And wicked stare--
I’ll follow Him.
When pains and griefs, (16)
Seem not to cease-- (17)
I’ll follow Him.
On to the End; (18)
Forgiveness send-- (19)
I’ll follow Him.
Then, Father, praise, (20)
Through Endless days-- (21)
I’ll follow Him.
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NOTES:
(1) Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…”
(2) Ephesians 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"
Expounded by Russell M. Nelson in April 2002 General Conference in discourse: "How Firm Our Foundation": "Children of the covenant were designated in the premortal realm. Paul taught that the Lord “hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world," [Eph. 1:4]
Expanded by Wilford Woodlruff in Journal of Discourses 18:122: " We are living in a very important time, and the Lord has raised up this people to accomplish his purposes; and as some of these revelations convey the idea, they were chosen from before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:4 Alma 13:3 The Lord says—‘I have called you by my everlasting priesthood, and your lives have been hid with Christ in God,’ Col. 3:3 D&C 86:8-11 and you have not known it. You have been called here and God has put into your hands his cause and kingdom, and the salvation of both Jew and Gentile. This people hold in their hands the salvation of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was not to the oldest son, but to Ephraim, the son of Joseph, that these promises were made.
(3) Helaman 14:17 “But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.”
(4) Doctrine & Covenants 29: 36-38 “And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels; And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell.”
(5) Jude 1:6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
(6) New Era, February 2015, “What We Know About Premortal Life”: “In premortal life, we obtained gospel knowledge, testimony, and faith in the Savior and His Atonement. These things became an important protection and strength in the war in heaven. Those who followed God overcame Satan and his angels “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). When we learn the gospel and gain a testimony here on earth, we are essentially relearning what we once knew and felt in our premortal life.”
(7) Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, 1:23 “Being subject to law, and having their agency, all the spirits of men, while yet in the Eternal Presence, developed aptitudes, talents, capacities, and abilities of every sort, kind, and degree… Cain was a liar, a schemer, a rebel who maintained a close affinity to Lucifer.”
(8) New Era, “Why can’t we remember our premortal life as spirits, and when will those memories return?” February, 2015: “What we call the veil of forgetfulness exists during this testing for the simple reason that Heavenly Father needed ‘to assure that it would be a valid test.’ If we came to earth with those memories intact, we wouldn’t be able to use our agency in the way Heavenly Father’s plan requires."
(9) Psalm 95:7 “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice”
(10) Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
(11) Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
(12) Jeremiah 31:3 “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
(13) Mark 10:21 “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
See also: Matthew 10:38 [Jesus said} “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
(14) Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (See: No. 171, “The Wanderer”)
(15) Malachi 3:14-15 “Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.”
(16) 1 Peter 2:19 “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.”
(17) Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
(18) Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
(19) Ezekial 18:21-22 “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.”
(20) Ephesians 3:14 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(21) Mosiah 2:28 “I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave, that I might go down in peace, and my immortal spirit may join the choirs above in singing the praises of a just God.”
See also: Mormon 7:7 "...he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.: