Beyond the Mark
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A scriptural caution in the Book of Mormon illustrates a disadvantage of trying to look into the future. The prophet Jacob described a people who “despised the words of plainness .. . and sought for things . . . they could not understand” (Jacob 4:14). He said this caused them to fall because when persons are “looking beyond the mark” God takes away plainness and gives them what they sought—things they cannot understand. I think of this scriptural caution against “looking beyond the mark” when I receive letters asking about such or seeking to know the exact position in the celestial kingdom of a person who has lived a good life but never married or of a married couple in which the husband is (or is not) sealed to more than one woman. I don’t know the answers to these and many other such questions. What I do know is that when we are uncertain about some gospel principle or future event, it is usually best to act on what we do know and trust in a loving Heavenly Father to give us further knowledge when we really need it. If we seek a firmer understanding and a better practice of the basic principles of the gospel while trusting in God for the outcome—not seeking to know details we have not been given and probably could not understand if we had—we will be given the peace to live with any uncertainties.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
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We easily can be overcome by the routine and mundane matters of mortality. Sleeping, eating, dressing, working, playing, exercising, and many other customary activities are necessary and important. But ultimately, what we become is the result of our knowledge of and willingness to learn from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; it is not merely the sum total of our daily pursuits over the course of a lifetime. The gospel is so much more than a routine checklist of discrete tasks to be performed; rather, it is a magnificent tapestry of truth “fitly framed” and woven together, designed to help us become like our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, even partakers of the divine nature. Truly, we are blinded “by looking beyond the mark” when this overarching spiritual reality is overshadowed by the cares, concerns, and casualness of the world.
Elder David A. Bednar
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We trust you to counsel together and to seek revelation for implementing these adjustments [Come Follow Me]—while not looking beyond the mark or trying to regiment individuals or families. Additional information will be shared in upcoming communications, including a First Presidency letter and enclosure.
Elder Quentin L. Cook
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Of the Seventy As recorded in the Book of Mormon, six years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Samuel, a righteous Lamanite, prophesied to a Nephite people, who by then had become mostly apostate, of the signs that would accompany our Savior’s birth. Tragically, most Nephites rejected those signs because it was “not reasonable that such a being as a Christ [should] come.” Regrettably, according to the scriptural record, many of the Jews, in like manner, could not accept that a man named Jesus, from the little-regarded province of Galilee, was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus, who had indeed come to fulfill the many prophecies made by Hebrew prophets, was rejected and even crucified because, as the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob taught, the Jews were “looking beyond the mark.” Consequently, Jacob testified that “God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.” Strange as it may seem, no teaching, no miracle, and no appearance even of a heavenly angel, as witnessed by Laman and Lemuel, appears to have the persuasive power to convince some individuals to alter their course, outlook, or belief that something is true. This is especially the case when teachings or miracles do not agree with an individual’s preconceived whims, wishes, or ideas.
Elder Christoffel Golden
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Very little has been revealed about Mother in Heaven, but what we do know is summarized in a gospel topic found in our Gospel Library application. Once you have read what is there, you will know everything that I know about the subject. I wish I knew more. You too may still have questions and want to find more answers. Seeking greater understanding is an important part of our spiritual development, but please be cautious. Reason cannot replace revelation. Speculation will not lead to greater spiritual knowledge, but it can lead us to deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed. 10 [Even sincere questions about partially revealed or unrevealed truths can lead us to look “beyond the mark”. In particular, we need to rely “wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” Jesus Christ. Suggesting the need for something more than what Jesus Christ offers effectively diminishes the scope and power of His infinite Atonement. In so doing we divert our attention from the ultimate “source [to which we should] look for a remission of [our] sins”] For example, the Savior taught His disciples, “Always pray unto the Father in my name.” We follow this pattern and direct our worship to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ and do not pray to Heavenly Mother.
Elder Dale G. Renlund
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Beyond the Mark
Elder Dale G. Renlund
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