Stand and Shine Magazine Spring 2015 | страница 45

2 Nephi 9:28-29 we are taught by Jacob to
make sure our wisdom is not self-centered
and to not forget God who gave us our
knowledge:
“O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the
vainness, and the frailties, and the
foolishness of men! When they are learned
they think they are wise, and they hearken
not unto the counsel of God, for they set it
aside, supposing they know of
themselves…
“But to be learned is good if they hearken
unto the counsels of God.”
So in our quest for knowledge we need to
be humble, constantly remembering that all
of the learning and experience we gain
comes from God. Our God that knows all.
Spiritual Knowledge
This need for humility in our learning
seems to coincide with the counsel given
by many of our Latter-day leaders to first
seek spiritual knowledge and then secular.
Spencer W. Kimball said,
“In proper sequence comes first the
knowledge of God and his program, which
is the way to eternal life, and secondly
comes the knowledge of the secular
things, also very important. The Creator
himself gives the proper sequence and
defines the order…
“The ignorance the Lord speaks of when
he says ‘One cannot be saved in
ignorance’ is the lack of knowledge of the
really first things - the kingdom of God and
his righteousness.” (Life’s Directions, pp.
175, 180)
The knowledge that is most important is
that which will save us - meaning that we
must know the principles and doctrines of

the gospel of Jesus Christ since that is
how we will be saved and exalted. Living
with Heavenly Father does not come by
“ignorance” or not knowing the plan. We
must work to learn the gospel and as we
do so, I believe the humility that was
mentioned earlier will enter our hearts as
our understanding of God deepens.
Along with scripture study and prayer, you
can read on the following page some ideas
from Elder Scott on how to obtain spiritual
knowledge.
Secular Knowledge
The next type of knowledge that we seek is
secular - or to put it another way, not
religious.
There is a great article called “Seek
Learning” by President Gordon B. Hinckley
that I recommend you read. In it, he states
that “The Lord wants you to train your
minds and hands to become an influence
for good as you go forward with your
lives.” He continues to teach that no
matter what field you chose, seek for the
best schooling you can, work hard with

“Spiritual learning
takes precedence. The
secular without the
foundation of the
spiritual is…like the
foam upon the milk, the
fleeting shadow….One
need not choose between
the two…for there is
opportunity to get both
simultaneously.”
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.390
45