Knowledge

The fifth topic for the Christlike attributes is knowledge. This week Shon wrote it for our family. This is what he had to say:

If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. [D&C 130:19]

It seems to be that in the world to come if we want to have more of an advantage, meaning greater blessings I assume, and maybe even progressing at a faster rate than we ‘normally’ would, whatever ‘normal’ is, then we have to gain knowledge in this life. What else might be the ‘advantage’ in the world to come?

I think the advantage might be that some might obtain glory faster than others. What I mean by this is that if we are to become Gods in the world to come, then we will gain glory just the exact same way God does. Behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). How does God get glory? By his children gaining immortality and eternal life. Each child that ‘makes it back’ so to speak adds to God’s glory. He is forever progressing in this way. Our glory will come the same way possibly. What will be the advantage? Glory will be added upon us as we help each of our children in gaining immortality and eternal life. Where does knowledge come into play? Well, knowledge is best described in this way.

If you are a little kid and you are scared of the dark, you might think to yourself, “Oh no, there is a monster under my bed, I am scared!” You don’t really know if there is a monster under that bed, you just think there might be. Or if you are watching a really scary movie, and after you have snuggled up next to your sweetheart, the scariest part of the movie happens. “A young mother is home alone at night, it is a stormy night and the lights are broken. She hears the creak of someone walking up the stairs to her bedroom.” What is she scared of? Not the guy who might be there, she is scared of the thought that someone might be there. She does not have knowledge yet of what will happen, therefore she does not know what to do. The little kid isn’t scared of the monster, he doesn’t even know if the monster exists! It’s the thought that makes them scared. They feel powerless.

Therefore, if you have knowledge you have power. Knowledge is power. It is power to act in a way that will benefit or protect you. The more knowledge we have, the more power we can have to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Wasn’t it too long ago, that I sat around a campfire at Lava Hot Springs, listening to Emily and Amy tell me that although we as kids turned out okay, it was our duty to rear our children in a way that was better than how we were raised, not that we were raised poorly, but that each generation had the challenge and charge to do better. I think it is so with our Heavenly Father, his plan is perfect, which means complete and whole. Our plans of salvation can be even more perfect as we gain the knowledge needed to become better and help our children (future spirit children), become better than this ‘generation’.

How do we get the knowledge? Duh, read and go the temple and church. Live your life in such a way that nothing, even though it seems alright, might distract even the tiniest bit from the Spirit. The spirit will teach us all things. The same spirit that we possess here on earth will rise with us in the next life (Alma 34:34). If we don’t like to get knowledge here (read and go to the temple and church), then the next life is going to be one big boring life that never ends. You get it now, and in the world to come, the advantage will be yours.