Here are some thoughts in chapter 7 from the book "The Pure in Heart" by Dallin H. Oaks....
They that are after the flesh do
mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of
the Spirit.
As we mature spiritually we come to
see things previously unseen. Arthur Henry King describes the process: We look at a picture throughout our
lives, we listen to a piece of music throughout our lives, we read a book time
and again throughout our lives, as we should do—especially the scriptures—and
it is different each time. Something else comes in. We see something else there
that we never saw before, because we are a different person each time we
experience a work of art. (The Abundance of the Heart [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1986], p. 259.)
Each
of us has a personal lens through which we view the world. Our lens gives its
special tint to all we see. It can also suppress some features and emphasize
others. It can reveal things otherwise invisible. Through the lens of
spirituality, we can know "the things of God" by "the Spirit of
God" (1 Corinthians 2:11)...The
scriptures do not change, but what we can see changes in them because we have
changed.
What we see around us depends on
what we seek in life. The Spanish conquerors took irreplaceable objects of art
from the craftsmen of the New World and melted them down into gold bullion. The
enemies of the young prophet, Joseph Smith, hounded him in an effort to get
possession of the golden plates from which he was to translate the Book of
Mormon. They sought the golden plates to get money, not a message. The temporal
value of the plates had a price; their spiritual value was priceless.
SCRIPTURES SEEKING OUT THE WORLD VS HEAVEN
The first of the Ten
Commandments—"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3)—epitomizes
the nature of spirituality. A spiritual person has no priorities ahead of God.
A person who seeks or serves other objectives, such as power or prominence, is
not spiritual.
"The things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
"For he that soweth to his
flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Galatians 6:8.)
"All flesh is as grass, and
all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the Power
thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever." (1 Peter 1:24.)
James asked: "Know ye not that
the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a
friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4:4.)
The Apostle John wrote:Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the
lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17.)
THEORY OF WHY WOMEN ARE MORE SPIRITUAL
Perhaps some of women's apparent
superiority in spirituality is because historically they have remained in the
home, less exposed to the anti-spiritual influences of the world than their
male counterparts. If so, as more women are employed and exposed to
anti-spiritual influences outside the home, they will need to make increased
efforts to preserve and develop their spirituality.
STEPS TO DEVELOP SPIRITUALITY
We seek spirituality through service
to our fellowmen; through worship; through feasting on the word of God, in the
scriptures and in the teachings of the living prophets. We attain spirituality
through making and keeping covenants with the Lord, through conscientiously
trying to keep all the commandments of God. Spirituality is not acquired
suddenly. It is the consequence of a succession of right choices. It is the
harvest of a righteous life.
