"Joseph Knight believed the declarations of Joseph Smith concerning his possession of the Book of Mormon plats and the work of translation then in progress, and several ties had given material assistance to Joseph Smith and his scribe, which enabled them to continue translating."
Later today I was looking at section 23, and yet again ran into a revelation to Joseph Knight:
"Behold, I manifest unto you, Joseph Knight, by these words, that you must take up your cross, in the which you must pray vocally before the world as well as in secret, and in your family, and among your friends, and in all places.
And, behold, it is your duty to unite with the true church, and give your language to exhortation continually, that you may receive the reward of the laborer. Amen"
I think it's likely just a complete coincidence that I was drawn to these two references to my ancestor so close together, but perhaps I need to emphasize more on learning about my ancestors. I know that our ancestors and descendants are of much more importance than I think even most Latter-day Saints realize. There's something very deep in the fact that Nephi, when he saw a vision of the destruction of his people, thought of his afflictions as "great above all" (1 Ne 15:5). This is something I don't completely understand.
On one hand, I know that God is no respecter of persons. On the other, I know I've been greatly blessed by my heritage. For instance, my family's strength in the church meant that I could be brought up in a home with parents strong in the gospel. Also, having something like 100 ancestors in the church has meant that much of my genealogy has been done already. Another way I've been blessed is through my heritage as a St. Louisan. The people of St. Louis have always been very kind to the saints. During the extermination order, St. Louisans were outraged at the cruel treatment of the saints by their uncivilized neighbors. As a direct blessing of this, we were told, the St. Louis temple was built, and there was, unlike any other temple I have heard of, virtually no protest or anti-mormon outburst against it. Because of this, I have had, since I was 7 years old, a temple only about 20 minutes away.
I think it's fascinating to read blessings and revelations to my ancestors because I've fount that much that I read of them directly applies to me as well. Warnings given to them are just as relevant to me today, and blessings promised to them and their posterity have truly been evident in my life. I am very grateful for that.
I think it's likely just a complete coincidence that I was drawn to these two references to my ancestor so close together, but perhaps I need to emphasize more on learning about my ancestors. I know that our ancestors and descendants are of much more importance than I think even most Latter-day Saints realize. There's something very deep in the fact that Nephi, when he saw a vision of the destruction of his people, thought of his afflictions as "great above all" (1 Ne 15:5). This is something I don't completely understand.
On one hand, I know that God is no respecter of persons. On the other, I know I've been greatly blessed by my heritage. For instance, my family's strength in the church meant that I could be brought up in a home with parents strong in the gospel. Also, having something like 100 ancestors in the church has meant that much of my genealogy has been done already. Another way I've been blessed is through my heritage as a St. Louisan. The people of St. Louis have always been very kind to the saints. During the extermination order, St. Louisans were outraged at the cruel treatment of the saints by their uncivilized neighbors. As a direct blessing of this, we were told, the St. Louis temple was built, and there was, unlike any other temple I have heard of, virtually no protest or anti-mormon outburst against it. Because of this, I have had, since I was 7 years old, a temple only about 20 minutes away.
I think it's fascinating to read blessings and revelations to my ancestors because I've fount that much that I read of them directly applies to me as well. Warnings given to them are just as relevant to me today, and blessings promised to them and their posterity have truly been evident in my life. I am very grateful for that.
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