3.265 A Lesson from the Fall of Lucifer

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as Savory Salt.

Hello, my friends. It is a new day with new opportunities. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

Isaiah gives us several lessons from Lucifer. Perhaps one of them inside this episode is one we could take and adjust into our own lives as well. We are reading this week Isaiah chapters In Isaiah 14, we see a description of the fall of Lucifer from heaven.

We see several of the reasons for it and some of the things that happen around it. It's one worth our study, especially if we understand the missteps from that in that observation. What was it that got him cast out from the presence of God?

We're going to combine that verse today with another one of the power talks that I've been reviewing here personally, and that's going to come from President Oaks here in just a second. But first, our verse for today. We get an insight here as to one of the reasons that Lucifer fell from heaven.

We see inside of Isaiah chapter 14, verses 13 and 14, some of Lucifer's personal desires and what caused that fall. We're going to use verse 13 for our verse for today, knowing that 13 and 14 are the same sentence. Verse 13 says: "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, and I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north." And then in 14, he finishes with the idea that he will be like the Most High God. And so, inside of this, I had to think about this because I do believe in the personal growth world. I've been in it for many years, over a decade now, and I believe in the ability for us to define our vision and our goals and to go and achieve them.

And I believe in achieving and going after goals and finding success in life. And inside of the personal growth world, there is also very much a push to accomplish something very similar to the goals of Satan. Please don't misunderstand me as I say this.

When I talk about this, I'm not saying all of the personal growth world is following the ideas of Lucifer. So please do not misunderstand me as I share this. But it's what President Oaks said in one of his talks that really has me thinking on this.

What was it that Lucifer wanted in his own heart? He wanted to ascend beyond heaven. He wanted to go beyond the throne of God.

And he wanted to do it himself. He wanted to trust entirely on him and him alone. The counsel that we get inside of this talk from President Oaks (at the time he was then Elder Oaks) comes from October of 1988 in a talk that he says, 'I make sure the link in here.' It called "What Think Ye of Christ?" He says this of two groups that I thought stuck out to me.

He says: "In contrast, what is called liberal theology teaches that Jesus Christ is important not because he atoned for our sins, but only because he taught us the way to come to God by perfecting ourselves." "In this theology, human beings can be reconciled to God entirely through their own righteousness." "Another group, secular rather than religious, believes that Jesus was not God, that man is God, and that you can create your own destiny through the powers of your own mind." And then he said this, and this is the piece I really think connects us to Isaiah 14. He says: "Are Latter-day Saints susceptible to such heresies?" "The Apostle Paul wrote that we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." "Could that familiar expression mean that the sum total of our own righteousness will win us salvation and exaltation?" "Could some of us believe that our heavenly parentage and our divine destiny allow us to pass through mortality and attain eternal life solely on our own merits?" And then he continues to talk about the role of Jesus Christ in our lives. My friends, I talked about this before through the personal growth world.

While I believe in personal attainment and success, I also absolutely believe that in order to become the true best version of ourselves, it is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is with him by our side, us seeking him as our Savior to complete us. We are flawed individuals.

Yes, we do have much we can accomplish when we put our mind to it and when we put our plans and our goals together. Yes, that's important. But we all fall short of the glory of God.

That is where Jesus Christ comes into play. That's the power of him in our lives. Turn to him and be complete and fulfilled.

Ultimately, that complete term used in the Bible, be perfect in him, as we seek to have him in our lives. I am grateful for Christ as my Savior. I am grateful to turn to Him to be able to have my gaps of sin and sorrow filled through His Atonement.

And I hope you find that as well. That's all for today, my friends. You and I have come here for such a time as this.

Step forward in faith and let's be Savory Salt. We will be here tomorrow and we hope you are too.