The Lord is in control
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secrets unto His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 KJV
Rest in peace, President Monson.
Tuesday night, January 2, President Thomas Spencer Monson, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, passed away at the age of 90. He had served for decades as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, dying just short of ten years as President of the Church, and prophet to the world. He is known for his heart truly being in sync with his Lord. Few mortals have been on the earth that exhibited the pure love of Christ, or charity, as he did.
The Lord knows his servants are mortal, and that their time on earth is limited, whether just a few short years, or decades. Because of this, His church is organized for a smooth succession. We are blessed to know that the keys to the kingdom, the very keys carried by Peter in the ancient church, are vested in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. All keys that President Monson carried and was authorized to use are now carried by those apostles collectively.
There is no drama as to who will be the next Prophet and President. The Twelve will meet, and will sustain their president to be the President of the Church. At this time, that is Russell M. Nelson. While actually older than President Monson, at 93, he has been active in serving, and traveling as the occasion required. President Hinckley told Mike Wallace that it was a wonderful blessing to have men with such experience leading the church, and he was right.
President Monson has presided over some rapidly changing times in the world. Whether it was the renewed clamor for women to be ordained to the Priesthood, or the recognition of the special struggles of those members who are gay, the recognition that we as a people need to reach out in love to those who are different than us may very well be one of the notables of his tenure. How heartbreaking it must have been for President Monson to hear in General Conference people shouting "No" during the sustaining of the leaders of the church. And yet, I suspect he felt nothing but compassion towards those who felt the need to be vocal that way.
I remember seeing President Monson at the dedication of the Kansas City Missouri Temple. I attended the second session of dedication, and was blessed to be in one of the Sealing rooms. After the session, on his way out, he popped in the doorway, with his normal cheery, happy face, waved, and asked a young man if he was going on a mission. Of course, he responded that he was.
In his last talk in General Conference, he spoke on the need to rely on our own testimonies, rather than another's, AND the importance of reading the Book of Mormon. He reiterated that, and millions around the world heeded his call.
He was the President of the Church, and he was the Lord's mouthpiece to the world. His kind demeanor will be missed in this life, but is no doubt welcomed in the next, in particular by his wife Francis. What a reunion that no doubt was. Freed from the mortal constraints of a body weakened from age, he is no doubt thrusting in his sickle in the next world, with the vigor that he had exhibited his entire life. Meanwhile, the work in mortality carries on, led by another.
The work goes forward.
Rest in peace, President Monson.
Tuesday night, January 2, President Thomas Spencer Monson, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, passed away at the age of 90. He had served for decades as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, dying just short of ten years as President of the Church, and prophet to the world. He is known for his heart truly being in sync with his Lord. Few mortals have been on the earth that exhibited the pure love of Christ, or charity, as he did.
The Lord knows his servants are mortal, and that their time on earth is limited, whether just a few short years, or decades. Because of this, His church is organized for a smooth succession. We are blessed to know that the keys to the kingdom, the very keys carried by Peter in the ancient church, are vested in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. All keys that President Monson carried and was authorized to use are now carried by those apostles collectively.
There is no drama as to who will be the next Prophet and President. The Twelve will meet, and will sustain their president to be the President of the Church. At this time, that is Russell M. Nelson. While actually older than President Monson, at 93, he has been active in serving, and traveling as the occasion required. President Hinckley told Mike Wallace that it was a wonderful blessing to have men with such experience leading the church, and he was right.
President Monson has presided over some rapidly changing times in the world. Whether it was the renewed clamor for women to be ordained to the Priesthood, or the recognition of the special struggles of those members who are gay, the recognition that we as a people need to reach out in love to those who are different than us may very well be one of the notables of his tenure. How heartbreaking it must have been for President Monson to hear in General Conference people shouting "No" during the sustaining of the leaders of the church. And yet, I suspect he felt nothing but compassion towards those who felt the need to be vocal that way.
I remember seeing President Monson at the dedication of the Kansas City Missouri Temple. I attended the second session of dedication, and was blessed to be in one of the Sealing rooms. After the session, on his way out, he popped in the doorway, with his normal cheery, happy face, waved, and asked a young man if he was going on a mission. Of course, he responded that he was.
In his last talk in General Conference, he spoke on the need to rely on our own testimonies, rather than another's, AND the importance of reading the Book of Mormon. He reiterated that, and millions around the world heeded his call.
He was the President of the Church, and he was the Lord's mouthpiece to the world. His kind demeanor will be missed in this life, but is no doubt welcomed in the next, in particular by his wife Francis. What a reunion that no doubt was. Freed from the mortal constraints of a body weakened from age, he is no doubt thrusting in his sickle in the next world, with the vigor that he had exhibited his entire life. Meanwhile, the work in mortality carries on, led by another.
The work goes forward.
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