"He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me."

This morning I was reading in John 13 and read the following verse.

John 13:20
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

This truth is taught elsewhere in the scriptures and I have been thinking about it recently, so it stood out to me when I read it. Here are a couple of other places it is taught.

D&C 84:36-38 The oath and covenant of the priesthood includes this truth--that if we receive His servants we receive the Savior, the Father, and will receive eternal life.
Matthew 10:40-41 Jesus taught the Twelve that those who received them would receive Him and the Father who had sent Him, and that a person who received a prophet would receive a prophet's reward, which of course is eternal life.

The leaders of the Church (the apostles and prophets) recently updated Handbook 1 (the handbook for Bishops, Stake Presidents, and other priesthood leaders). These changes were leaked to the media and were presented in such a way that resulted in some interesting conversation in various media formats. I won't debate those issues here. But I will confirm what I said in a previous post (Will Ye Also Go Away), that I sustain those who lead us and have chosen to trust them and the things they teach and do as they lead the Church. This is not to say that I follow them "blindly." I believe in them and follow them because the Spirit has confirmed to me the reality of their call and has over and over again confirmed to me the truthfulness of what they teach.

When Jesus was among the Nephites He chose twelve disciples to lead the church and said to the Nephites, "Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you" (3 Nephi 12:1). On the day the Church was organized the Savior renewed this charge when He taught that we should receive the words from the prophet as if from the Savior's own mouth, in all patience and faith. And that if we did the gates of hell would not prevail against us [and our families]. (see D&C 21:4-6). In verse one of this section the Savior identified Joseph Smith as "an apostle of Jesus Christ." This means to me that the Savior chose him. And since Jesus has asked me to receive their words "as if from [His] own mouth," I believe that the Savior holds Himself responsible to make sure that we are always led by those we can trust to represent the Savior as true apostles and prophets. One of the tenets of our faith is that men and women in positions of leadership are called by prophecy (see Article of Faith 5), that they, Aaron-like, are chosen by God (Hebrews 5:4; see also John 15:16) to serve Him and to teach us.

This has never meant that these servants of the Lord were perfect (or infallible). Nor has it meant that they would be without their critics. In fact one evidence of their calling is that they will (as Christ did) suffer abuse, persecution, and rejection (see for example Matthew 5:10-12; 10:22; 24:9; JSH 1:33). The Savior said, "it must be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom [they come]" (Matthew 18:7).

So one of the tests of life is if we will sustain, support, trust, and believe the words that come from those who have been chosen to lead us. To do so may require patience and faith. I think this is by design. Our perspective is not the same as God's. Our perspective will not be the same as the perspective of apostles and prophets. One of the tests of life is to see if we will trust in their words when they go counter to our pre-conceived ideas.

Paul taught the Hebrews that Jesus was "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). A couple of verses later Paul counsels, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord ... For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth ... If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons ..." Compared to God I am a child. I can't know all that He knows. I want Him to correct and guide me. My life has been blessed when I have been corrected by those who love me. I hope my thoughts and ideas are in harmony with God's but when they are not I want Him to let me know.

In my experience, this correction has often come to me through the Lord's servants (and my parents). As a final thought, here are a couple of favorite verses from the Book of Mormon.

Mosiah 8:17-18

 17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.

 18 Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he [the prophet] becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.

I'm grateful to be led by prophets and apostles, who I believe were called by the Savior. I hope I can always have the faith to find out for myself the truthfulness of their words when they go counter to my ideas and feelings.