Come, Follow Me
Doctrine and Covenants 71; 77; 82
Hidden Treasures
See what’s a little below the surface in the scriptures.
The Lord will confound our enemies in His own due time.
The Lord will confound our enemies eventually.
To “confound” someone means to confuse, surprise, defeat, embarrass, terrify, or dismay them.
So when the Lord told Joseph Smith that “if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time” (Doctrine and Covenants 71:10; emphasis added), He was promising that those who oppose the gospel will someday experience the negative consequences of their choices.
“In mine own due time” means that the Lord has His own timing. We have to accept that many people won’t be held accountable for their actions right away—and that it’s OK. We should trust the Lord and His timing.
We should stand up for the truth, of course. But as we do so, we should be respectful of others’ beliefs and their right to choose not to accept the gospel.
Don’t worry about the people who have made it their mission to criticize and tear down the Church, who are willing to lie and misrepresent our beliefs. Leave it to the Lord. He will confound them and give them a chance to learn and change—eventually.
Just like us, animals are eternal creatures cared for by Heavenly Father.
Our animal friends were created by Heavenly Father too.
It might seem like a minor detail, but there’s something truly wonderful revealed in Doctrine and Covenants 77: Animals have souls too!
This is something that many people have always believed—it feels true—even though the Bible and Book of Mormon didn’t exactly spell it out. Now the Lord declared it in no uncertain terms.
Like people, the “beasts” and “creeping things” and “fowls of the air” were created spiritually first. Their spirit bodies, like ours, resemble their physical bodies. And they, like us, will enjoy “eternal felicity”—happiness and joy in their resurrected bodies. (See Doctrine and Covenants 77:2–3.)
We know Heavenly Father created animals, gave us stewardship over them, and wants us to treat them kindly. Just like us, they are eternal creatures who are cared for by Heavenly Father.
Make good use of the blessings you’ve received.
The idea that with great power comes great responsibility didn’t originate with superheroes. The Savior expressed the same sentiment when He told the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Of him unto whom much is given much is required” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:3).
Our talents, gifts, and blessings come from the Lord. It’s a bad idea to take them for granted. If the Lord has blessed you with a bright mind and a thirst for knowledge, yet you waste your time in school and skate by with so-so grades, then you’ve misused your gift. The same goes for someone with athletic strength who uses his power to bully others, or a person blessed with a good sense of humor who uses it to cut people down (many of us need to work on that).
The Lord wants us to do our best—and that’s compared to our own abilities, by the way, not anyone else’s. Depending on which skill we’re talking about, your “best” might be better or worse than someone else’s “best.” And that’s fine! Be grateful for your strengths and humble about your weaknesses, and let the Lord help you reach your potential.