Job Part 1 • Dr. Marcus Martins • August 10-16 • Come, Follow Me

All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful.

Job had this kind of faith, because as I note, my Redeemer lives. Hello my friends, welcome to another episode of follow him. My name is Hing Smith, I'm your host, I'm here with a man that is perfect and upright, one that feareth God, an issueeth evil.

“His name is John, by the way, John, I read that, and I thought, is John Job?”

Do they really mean John, my servant, John? This is Job chapter 1 verse 8, there is an unlike him, perfect, and upright man, one that feareth God, an issueeth evil. John, that is a perfect description of you. That is a terrible description, my PR team has been working over to him.

John, we are privileged today to have with us Dr. Marcus Martins. Dr. Martins, what a treat, welcome to follow him. Well, thank you, appreciate you being with you, thank you for the invitation. We are so excited, this is a real treat, the book of Job. You actually reference it often, John, you like the book of Job, tell me why.

Well, so many things in the gospel make sense, that we want everything to make sense. With Job, a lot of things happen that don't make sense, he has to keep his faith and get through that and we get to learn the same kind of lessons, because sometimes things don't make sense and the Lord doesn't explain it either. Yeah, John, you wrote the book on this literally, you wrote a book called When It Doesn't

Make Sense, I'm looking forward to hearing that perspective from the book you wrote.

“Dr. Martins, tell me about the book of Job, what are you hoping we walk away with?”

Wait, wait, wait, wait, we had to do first with the doctor thing, right?

Should it probably be doctor, I'm going to stop writing prescriptions here, okay? Brother Martins, you are a brother, you are a brother. For me, personally, Job, he's my guy, my companion, over the years, meaning some of those get so many experiences in life, I often would read and reread the book of Job. It's a book that brought me hope, because exactly how the book begins, where the Lord

recognizes Job's righteousness, and yet allows some very, very bad things to happen to be. And rewards him, when you are in the middle of trials, they are significant trials, in those dark times and seasons where nothing seems to be working, where the heavens seem to be closed to you, we feel like your prayers are not going anywhere, remembering Job

is something that brings you that hope. The Lord referred to Job, talking to Joseph Smith, when Joseph Smith was one of his worst times in his life, in liberty jail. Well, I said, you're not like Job yet, not yet as Job, the very name, I know it's associated

“with patience, but I tend to think of Job, if when I think of his name, to associate it”

with hope, better days always come to those who strive, to exercise faith in God and

in Jesus Christ and strive to be righteous, even when they are not making it, but they're striving, better days will always come, for me, that's one of the between the lines message and the book of Job. One of them. Yeah, I'm excited to talk about more of them.

Both of you, I recently spoke at a conference at BYU called the life after loss conference. After I spoke, I got to speak to some of the attendees, one on one. The stories, the suffering that I heard, it was overwhelming to hear of hit after hit loss after loss. I thought, how are you still doing this, and other martines to hear you say, Job is my

companion. I think at that life after loss conference, Job would go, person to person, let me hug you. I know where you are right now, I know what you're feeling. I'm sure there are a lot of BYU Hawaii students who are thinking, brother martines, but

us about it? Yes, I have a wonderful bio here.

“Brother, I'm not going to call him doctor anymore, because all my prescriptions are”

filled, brother Marcus H. Martines is a bachelor's degree in business management, a master's in organizational behavior, a PhD in the sociology of religion, race, and ethnic relations. He's a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He worked as a systems analyst and project manager for the Brazilian government, and as a freelance consultant of form moving to the United States in 1990.

He served as the chair of the Department of Religious Education at Brigham Young University Hawaii and teaches church organization and leadership marriage and occasionally managerial leadership, or he has taught those. He also taught at BYU Pro Bowl Rix College, has lectured on a variety of topics throughout the United States, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, and Malaysia.

His current research focuses on temple symbolism, the implications of the doctrines of the restoration, on daily religiosity, and the impact of globalization, forces, technology,

“and immigration on the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

He does everything. Yeah, basically. He wrote the book called "Setting the Records Straits, Blacks and the Mormon Priesthood,

Brother Martines joined the church in 1972, and in 1978 became the first Latter-day

Saints with Black African ancestry to serve as a full-time missionary in the 20th century. Since then, he served as a mission president, twice as a bishop, six times as a stay high counselor, also as a temple officiator, and translator of the Book Mormon. He married Marion, Abelin, Barbosa, they have four children and seven grandchildren. We're so glad to have you, Brother Martines, and tell us quickly, because some might

recognize the name, because I did. Martines, Martines. What about, Brother? You said Elder Holland, Helvecchio, Helvisio, you said it. Yes.

Elvesio, Martines.

Well, first, the biography read was very good, but it's old because now we have eight

grandchildren. But yes, my parents were Elvesio and Ruda, Martines. We joined the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972. In 1978, then, my father and I were among the first black members of the church who received the priesthood.

Soon after that, I was called to serve as a full-time missionary, served in the Brazil Saint Paul North Mission, and I mentioned the mission in particular, because in 2011, my wife and I were called to lead that same mission. We were not treat, my father also served as a mission president in the Brazil Fortaleza Mission, 1987 to 1990, then he was called to serve as a general 4070 in the old second

quarter of the 70. Both my parents are deceased now, but as I traveled around, I find that his impact, having

“been the first black men to serve as a general authority in the church, in fact, I believe”

he was the first to be served as a mission president as well, he is still felt. He passed away almost 21 years ago, when I traveled internationally, people said, "Oh, your martines from Brazil, are you related to that?" Yeah, on his funeral, the other Neil Anderson, he spoke in my father's funeral in Brazil and I was there at the occasion in 2005.

Elder Anderson, very kind of him, he referred to my father using that expression in our chapter 13 in the book of Mormons. Yeah, he was one of those who were called and set apart in the pre-immortal existence. It was very touched by that.

I always admired my father, but true here, a general authority to 70, who today is an

apple also, referring to my father, like they afterwards, something very dear to me. So yes, was a great man. Brother Martines, when you were talking about your father and what Elder Anderson said at his funeral, I thought, "Oh, that reminds me of his book, that Brother Martines wrote as called the priesthood, earthly symbols and heavenly realities."

That was just last year, right? Correct. Last year, 2025. I hadn't read that yet, I'm excited to pick that up. Let's jump into the book of Job.

I'm going to read from the Come Follow Me Manual. The lesson this week is called yet will I trust in him.

things happen to bad people. Why would God, who is just allow that?

“The book of Job explores questions like these.”

Job was one of those good people, to whom a lot of bad things happened, because of Job's trials, his friends wondered if he really was good after all. Job asserted his own righteousness and wondered if God really is just after all. But despite his suffering and wondering, Job maintained his integrity and faith in Jesus Christ.

In the book of Job, faith is questioned and tested, but never completely abandoned.

That doesn't mean all the questions are answered, but the book of Job teaches that until they are answered, questions can go exist with faith, and regardless of what happens in the meantime, we can say of the Lord yet will I trust in him. That is beautiful. I'm sure there's a lot of people listening today who are feeling like they are treading

water in difficulty in pain. Today is going to be a day of respite.

“With that, brother Martins, where do you want to start?”

Did you just open up the book of Job?

Here's a description. A man who is amazingly wealthy with a great family and devolved, not only devolved for himself, but he will perform some of the sacrifices for scrapping the law of Moses on behalf of his children, maybe they could have committed some sin. I'm going to offer this sacrifice for them.

You don't get any more writers than that. When I see the description here, you know, it's a 7,000 sheep, 3000 camels.

This guy was a trader, 3000 camels, Job had 500, 500, yeses.

Seven sons, three daughters. What was he? Well, sure. Bible scholars have been speculating for decades, centuries, or maybe he was some kind of a king.

I look at that, I said, look, can we imagine the depth of sadness, desperation perhaps? And one day, don't let you lose all of that, but you lose entire children, all his posterity in one day, it's mind numbing, after all this destruction and the loss of his posterity. He says the Lord gave, in the Lord have taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. I read this passage, I told you earlier, that's right, Job is kind of my companion.

“I quoted to you saying, at my father's funeral in May of 2005, that's what I felt”

like, the Lord gave, because it had been a very traumatic experience for us. My wife and I went to Brazil for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary. My mother-in-law passed away suddenly before we reached Brazil. Then nine days after her passing, my father also passed away suddenly, both sudden deaths, the anger of him was ill or anything. What gave me a little bit of comfort, a little bit, not completely

comfort. What's it to look at? Here's how Job reacted when he lost everything. Is that the Lord gave and the Lord have taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And I thought, have to muster every little bit, every little ounce of faith that I have, and say the same thing. So I quoted that on my father's funeral. The book of Job is 42 chapters to wrestle with what happens in six verses. He loses everything

in six verses, and the next 42 chapters are, how do I deal with this? What do others think of me because this happened? How do I relate to God because of this? But boy, those little things that Job says, like you just said, Lord, give it the Lord, take it the way, bless it be the name of the Lord. Wow, what compressed wisdom right here? And just one verse. I started with that, the discretion of his riches and his family. Because right now, we have brothers and sisters

throughout the world and friends throughout the world, interrible thing. Not just those who are

of life. Why is this happening? Or maybe like Job initially said mentioned that, cursing the day they

were born. So why was like born? And it could be for because of physical ailments, or mental health, or circumstances of life, an employment, or broken relationships, all kinds of trials and visits the tubes of life and people are suffering. I should tell my students in my old church organization and leadership class at BYU Hawaii. I should tell them, look, when you serve in leadership in the church,

“remember, do not be fooled by this smiling face as you see when you get to the meeting house”

on Sunday morning. Because behind those smiling faces, there could be great storms,

brewing. You never know when you will be somebody who either bring a little bomb to serve that

person, or you could say something and be like those so-called friends of Job and put your finger in the wound even more. That's something that I was heading like mind, or the especially one of service officials. I want to avoid doing that. Unfortunately, sometimes I did not make it and I said things or I did things in a way that didn't make matters easier for people, but thank goodness

“the Lord was in charge. Our hearts go out to people who are suffering everywhere. Remember,”

our friend, Job, when they said, "Look, you don't need to lose your faith, lose your righteousness, lose your discipleship in Christ, because of suffering, better days will come." I recently had a chance to meet Troy Russell. I bet both of you remember, Elder Holland spoke about him in general conference when he spoke about Troy accidentally backing over his nine-year-old son. How that son Austin passed away. What I didn't know when I

talked to Troy was that was not the end of their difficulties. Just a while later, his wife, Dijra, was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver driving the wrong way on the freeway. During surgery to help her, doctors actually punctured her bowel, giving her now years of difficulty and problem that she is still dealing with to this day. I'm quoting from now a further Elder Holland talk where he talked again about this incredible family. Here they are. Faithful.

Definitely have had their rough times. They've had dark days offering forgiveness to the driver, but still having to day in and day out, deal with medical problems. And of course, the grief of the sudden that they lost. This is something Elder Holland said, the end of this devotional.

“He says, "In moments of suffering and pain, the temptation may be to call out, "Why me? Why us?”

Why again?" Or does God really care about me? Though Elder Holland has never heard the

Russell's ask those questions, they would not be among the first to do so. The prophet Joseph Smith asked, "Oh God, where are thou?" And even the Savior, while atoning for the sins of the world, wondered if he had been forsaken. Elder Holland continues, "Be still and know that I am God." So when you are being hammered on the anvil of adversity, when your soul is being refined with severe lessons that perhaps can be learned in no other way, don't cut and run.

Don't jump ship, don't shake your fist at your bishop, or your mission president, or God, please stay with the only help and strength that can aid you in that painful time. When you stumble in the race of life, don't crawl away from the very physician who is unfailingly there to treat your injuries. Lift you to your feet and help you finish the course. This is where faith must truly

you see that they're struggling in ways you did not understand. I frequently joke around that

“latter day Saints like to get together a couple of times a week to lie to each other about how they're”

doing. We say, "How are you? Oh, I'm good. How are you? I'm great. Thank you." Maybe something. Actually, I'm hurting. Actually, things are really hard right now. That's where my say any to my students that don't be fooled by this mining phases because sometimes there are storms brewing behind them. If I didn't have the savor in my life, then I would be miserable.

Life would be unbearable, really. But the fact that we know that there is a God, and we know

that tomorrow, he can through his power, matchless power, make our situation change almost overnight. That leads some of us to say, "I'm fine. Isn't that what the Savior said to Joseph Smith? Look, yeah, you are in a bad situation here, but you're not a like job yet. Your situation is not as bad if that's a job." That's got to be pretty bad if the Lord himself is saying, "Hey, look, it's not as bad as Job." Job's going, "I'm the example." I'm the one later. He goes even further. So we have the

son of man, wouldn't beneath all these things. Are they all greater than he? Brother Martins, as I've taught

the Bible, occasionally a student will ask something about why are God and Satan having this conversation in the beginning of Job? How do we address that? This story is a bit of a different genre, if I understand that correctly. Yes, that's something that puzzles people. I keep thinking when we consider the origin of the Book of Job. Would that have been literally the Father or the Savior or your whole and Satan? Would it have been somebody speaking in their name? I guess you'll

remind much of this. Look, be very cognizant, say of this expression in the name of Jesus Christ. You're acting in his name, means you're acting on his behalf, in his place until we get more information about the origin of this Book. Then I would not venture to speculate. We don't know enough about that realm where God lives and moves. We don't really know about the hierarchy. The organization

“of structure. What is a cherubine? What is a seraphine? What are archensials? What are powers?”

What are dominions? What are all these things? Are these all columns? Who occupied those columns? There is a lot yet, but the work of the Book stepping back. It is a literary work. Poatic. I wonder if there is some kind of metaphor going on here. I think not to avoid it too much about the dialogue. How could God be talking to the state? I don't know what it's too much about it. We don't know enough to refocus on that. So I prefer to focus on, okay, let's see what happens later

and what the lessons are for discipleship. It's a wisdom literature, dramatic poetry. One author, I don't know if either of her to them, his name is Victor Hugo. He's written some good stuff. He said the Book of Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of the human mind. That's quite an endorsement from quite an author. What happens to Job next? I mean, just chapter one, the loss is unbelievable and it's so fast, like you said. Well, then we have the loss and then we

“have the health. This is where I remember of our brothers and sisters around the world face.”

The law, I haven't lost my home, I haven't lost my family, but boy, oh boy, I have this chronic disease and I mean pain constantly or I have perhaps a greater challenge to see a loved one facing those challenges. Can you imagine the loss of somebody who has a deer, spouse, suffering from Alzheimer's? They no longer recognize you. There's so much in terms of pain that does not even

me that I love facing something that is hurting me deeply. Even here, Job does not murmur.

“He doesn't lose his integrity. In fact, that it says here, the Lord himself says,”

still he holds it fast, he's integrity. We have the loss of wealth, the loss of loved ones, now the loss of health. And then it looks like his wife even says, curse God and die. The curse God and die, like give up. His reply is something that maybe a statement that a lot of verse may look at it and say, would I be able to say that when he says, what shall we receive good

at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? How many of us, seriously? Honestly, if I

receive so many blessings, why not receive some trials? No, that's okay. It's easy to theorize, I hypothesize about it, but if you are in the actual situation, the account of this

“season in Job's life is so impactful, that Bible scholars, for a long time, have been saying,”

well, no, this is probably a work of fiction. It cannot be this, nobody would be like that, but thank goodness for the restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because again, we cannot read the book of Job without remembering what the Lord told the Prophet Joseph is. And we have to go back and say, look, the Savior, the Lord referred to Job. If he referred to Job, it doesn't matter if this is a work of poetry here. The story is true.

The personage is true. He did exist and he did go through tremendous, tremendous trials. And still maintained his integrity, still maintained his faith, still kept his discipleship in Jesus Christ. To the point where later, even better testimony, he says, even if he's lays me, though he was lay me yetable. I love that the Lord said that to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Now, not yet as Job, by friends, do stand by thee. That's where, like you just said,

Brother Martins, at first his friends are excellent. They just sit with him. They're such comfort,

somebody to say, I'm here. Then they start trying to explain it and that's when everything goes south. Then they open their mouth. Then they open their mouths and well, maybe God's doing this, or maybe God's doing this, or maybe God's doing this. When the Lord says to Joseph, that friends do stand by thee, you see what a nice thing it is to have friends when you're suffering. Somebody that doesn't try to explain it, but can just be with you.

Let's talk about that for a minute. What is it about us as children of God? We need each other all the time, but especially in these difficult times, the Lord has commanded us, mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand you have comfort, bear each other's burdens.

“In all your experience, Brother Martins, this is crucial in every aspect of life is having”

a circle, a support system. That's true. Either spouse or parents or clothes, but very good, well-grounded friends, church leaders, who are patient, well-versed in the scriptures, relief society leaders, young women's leaders, quarrel in presidencies, members of bishops or stake presidencies, even stake high counselors. Sometimes we would have to sit down with people and ministers to them, think importance of having someone with us. Was demonstrated by the Savior himself?

Often the Savior would retire to mount them to a hill to pray by himself, but he would not stay there. He would come back to be with the awesles with the disciples and not to believe us. At the time of his greatest trial in getsemane, when mortal assistance was not

of worlds without member. The God of Israel, the God of the whole Earth, the great Jehovah, and he took three of his trusted apostles with him. I don't find faulting Peter James and John. When they got there, they were beat. And they fell asleep. We probably would have fallen asleep as well. And then, when mortal help was not available, what happened? A messenger came. If the same year of the world, a member of the Godhead would not face his greatest trial, alone,

why would we? We have to face our trials, yes, but never alone. When mortal help is not available,

heavenly assistance will come. No, I'm not saying that more on I is going to show up in your

“leaving room. But the Lord will send someone. I remember an experience I had. Well, one after”

noon, I got a phone call from my home teacher, some of us here remember home teachers. Hey, Mark, those are your games. I'm fine. So he was also a fellow professor at Bewell, Jehovah. It wasn't computer science, and I was in religion. I don't know. I just I was here in my office,

and I just thought of you and felt like calling you. I said, no, thanks, Stewart these names,

thanks Stewart, another thing's fine. No, thank you very much. The next day, the trial came. He was 24 hours or a little more than 24 hours ahead of time.

“I kneel at that moment as a look. I can count on my home teacher for this. It may not be”

an angel from on high, but it would be somebody who has the means, brother and a sister, and who can come to you and say, can I be a service to you? Can't be only help. And the person would say, no, can you just sit down and pray with me? I can just sit down and listen to me, even your bishops, even your state presidents need some ministry. I've said was a bishop twice. I know how it is. The preoccupations, the concerns, the worries, the fear of making

a mistake, none of us is exempt of the need to sit down and talk to somebody and listen to somebody

“and feel that comfort that comes through the word of the Lord, through somebody who will give us”

that peace, that come. It's what Jacob in the book of Martin Call, the word that heals the wounded soul. We've been talking about Joseph Smith in Liberty jail. I want to read you something that he said, he writes a series of letters that end up as sections 121 122 123, but there's portions of those letters that didn't make it into those sections. I want to read you a portion of this. He says, we received some letters last evening, one from Emma, one from Don Carlos, and one from

Bishop Partridge, all breathing, a kind and consoling spirit. We had been a long time without information and when we read those letters, they were to our souls as the gentle air is refreshing. Those who have not been enclosed in the walls of a prison without cause or provocation can have but little idea, listen to this, how sweet the voice of a friend is. One token of friendship from any source, whatever, awakens and calls into action, every sympathetic feeling.

Now listen to this. He says, friendship brings up an instant everything that is passed. It ceases the present with a diversity of lightning. It grasps after the future with the fierceness of a tiger and retrogrades from one thing to another until finally all enmity, malice hatred and past differences, misunderstandings and mismanagement be slain victims

at the feet of hope. That's an incredible way of describing what a friend can do.

Yeah, one of my favorite things that President Spencer W. Kimball ever said, which we've probably

through another person that he meets our needs. The opportunity we have to be that other person,

“I remember an assistant came up to me and she showed me her phone and she said, "Every day I get”

this reminder that she had set up on her phone, who needs me today?" Then she would reach out in some way. Is there anyone who needs me today? They're someone. Who is it? And she can try to be that other person, President Kimball, talked about. It says in verse 11, they mourn with him and comfort him. They weep with him. Look at verse 13, they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and

seven nights. They didn't speak a word unto him for they saw that his grief was very great.

Just that lesson, right there, who needs me? Brother Martins to say, there's sometimes we forget. Well, of course the bishop doesn't need help. He's the bishop. Of course the stake president doesn't need help. He's the stake president. They're the ones out doing the helping, but every single person, especially those suffering tragedy, may need us to go and be there.

“Just listen. I like you said that. Thank you for listening. I think you said to your friend.”

I have quote from President John Taylor and that he was referring to trials and he

quotes the prophet Joseph Smith. This was a talk he gave in March 1879. President Taylor said this, "Did you ever know it is necessary that we should be tried in all things?" If you do not know, you will find it out before you get through. And we are not struck quite yet. It is connection. President Taylor continues, I am reminded of what I heard the prophet Joseph say, speaking more particularly with reference to the 12. He says, "The Lord will feel after your

hearts, strings, and we will wrench them and twist them around." You will have to learn to rely

“upon God and upon God alone. President Taylor continues, "Are you done it?" I think he has”

pretty thoroughly. The prophet himself was tried about as much as anybody I know of. His brother, Hyrum, had his full share and the 12 also have been tried as much as any man I know of. Had a great deal more than you know anything about. John Taylor continues, quoting the prophet Joseph Smith, "If furthermore said, "If God could in any other way, more keenly have tried Abraham, then by calling upon him to offer up he some Isaac, he would have done it." And as I have said,

Jesus himself, sweat great drops of blood, and in the agony of his suffering cried out, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?" And why is it thus? We are told by one of old for it became him, for whom all things, and by whom all things, in bringing name into glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." That's Hebrews chapter two. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities,

but wasn't all points tempted like we are yet without sin. President, they look confused then. "Oh, what a happy thing it would be if we could follow his footsteps in that particular." He was referring to the 12, but said that, "Yeah, the Lord will fuel after you are very hard strings, wrenched them and twist them." I said, "Wow, I can only imagine what our prophets use in revelators go through." Again, with my classes, I used to tell the students,

"Look, don't envy those men who sit on those red chairs." And I used to say the tabernacle, and the conferencing, but don't envy them. You would not want to have the life they have. You

things may have happening their lives. They were being tremendous trials." I remember once that

“Elder David A. Badnar said that the word test appears nowhere in the standard works. He said,”

instead, we see the word try or prove or examine. Everything you read from John Taylor there was talking about being tried and proven because it shows God and it shows you what you are. What was the famous line about Abraham? It was a president, he would be Brown, Hank, that said, "Maybe Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham?" I don't want to learn those lessons to be examined and tried and proved and I love what you keep going back to brother Martins. Good things are coming.

Well, go back to what you just said. But, John, aren't we learning something about ourselves

pretty much every day? They may not be the same magnitude and intensity of Abraham or Job, but we are learning. In fact, when we talk about Abraham, I often during my live webcasts, why don't do those as often anymore. When people would say, "Oh, do you? I don't think I'll ever be able to survive if I had to be in a tassel-like Abraham," and I said, "You have been because," and I was speaking with people that I knew personally in Brazil or in Portugal,

I said, "Did you put a daughter or a son upon the altar and let them go for 18 or 24 months?"

That's an Abrahamic sacrifice there. We have been making those sacrifices and intensity

and other same magnitude, but we have been making those sacrifices in the old years. We have and we are learning something about ourselves in the process. Those of you who say, "Oh, gee, I already failed on that one, Dan, because for our martins, I'm here," you say that,

“and I remember something that happened in a failed book. Remember, that wasn't a tone meant.”

This is a conversation I've had with some of my formation errors, because, over the years, some of them have been calling me, "The president of the owner, Paul of Job, because when I wasn't a musician, though, I know that I didn't bother." I told them, "Look, if you today recognize that some things that happen on your mission were not up to specs, you have learned something from

your means. Those of you, or I do not serve a mission. They don't want to serve a mission. Okay, the mission is life now. It could be marriage or don't have a spouse, so it's just you facing life by yourself, with your assistance of friends and ministers, but facing it. That's your mission in life. And it includes education, it looks professions, it includes relations, it includes all kinds of things, be faithful in those things, and you will have your blessings, and you will learn something about

yourself. So, if we can recognize that something in the past didn't go as well as you could have done it. You have learned your lesson. Now, apply that lesson in the future. There is hope because of Jesus Christ, we have hope. That's direct consequence of the atonement. Amen. I noticed when Job's three friends heard of this evil, they came. I love that. They heard it, and they were like, "I got to go." And they made an appointment together.

Let's all go together. We're going to go mourn with him. John, I told this story before when my father passed away. I got a phone call from my friend, Alex Baw, who said, "Hey, I'll be there this afternoon." I thought, "Wait, what?" And he showed up at my house. He had popcorn,

“a couple other treats, and some things for my kids. He said, "Well, I think I was on my way home."”

And I knew that wasn't true because I know he lives north of the world, and I live south of the way you. I said, "Out, you weren't on your way home." He said, "Well, sometimes I go this way." He said, "I was on my way home, and I just wanted to come by and see you." And that meant so much to me that he would just show up at my house, and I've had others do that as well. I want to read

He said something about visiting Africa, and then he talked about what happens in our

“chapels. He said, "On a recent visit with my family to the West African country of Ghana,”

I was enamored with a local custom. Upon arriving at a church, or home we were greeted with the words, "You are welcome." When food was served, our host would announce, "You are invited." These simple greetings were extended with purpose and intentionality. "You are welcome, you are invited." We place similar sacred declarations on our meeting house stores, but the sign visitor's welcome is not enough. Do we warmly welcome all who come through the

doors? Brothers and sisters, it is not enough to just sit in the pews. We must heed the Savior's call

to build higher and whole-year relationships with all of God's children. We must live our faith. My father often reminded me that simply sitting in a pew on Sunday doesn't make you a good Christian, any more than sleeping in a garage makes you a car. He says, "We need each other. We need to uplift and edify each other. We need to go to each other. Shake hands. Welcome each other. You belong here. In a contentious and divided world, the Savior wants us to be unifiers. I love the idea

that someone walks into one of our chapels and is met with you are welcome. You are invited. Come

“sit with me. Come sit with us. I think that's beautiful. Well, I think we could spend the rest of”

the time here on talking about friendship. It is a grand principle. Joseph Smith called it. But let's keep going. Brother Martins, what happens next to Job? Now we have the next section in the book of Job. Our Job's friends who then opened their mouth. So far they had been there sitting down, praying and pondering with him, the morning is faint, but then they opened their mouth. When they opened their mouth, they're going to try to justify what's happening with Job by accusing

him of doing something wrong. They said, "It must have done something wrong." They said, "No, no, I'm a righteous man. Aha, that's your problem." For example, in Job chapter four,

and it's interesting when this aliphase, the first friend, or maybe he's the oldest,

because he's the one who's speaking first, when in Job chapter four, beginning of verse three, and he starts describing Job's influence, Job's service, and says, "Behold, thou has instructed many, and thou has strength in the weak hands." Good. "Digh words have upholding him that what's falling, and thou has strength in the feeble knees." Very good. But now it is come upon thee and our faintest. It touches the and our trouble,

“because remember Job just mentioned that, "Oh, I'm cursed in the day I was born."”

I didn't answer all that. It's okay. Now, you're fainting, you're troubled. Then things take up turn for the words here. It's not these die fear, that confidence, die hope, and the appen likeness of die ways. Remember, I pray thee, whoever perish being innocent, where would the righteous cut off, in other words, Job must have done something really bad. Yeah, you did all these things. You were a green influence, and so on. But you have this confidence,

just hope, the rightness of your ways. You're too proud. If I'm reading this, you think that you're good. Now, God is showing you that you're not that good. Thank you for your pep talk. That's rough. When you look at the poetry here, there are many nuggets here that are very beautiful words, and so on, but it keeps going back to look, serves you right. But they're not that man. When the Lord speaks about these men later on, it doesn't necessarily call them weak. There's

just said, "Look, they're not thinking straight. Their words are not good." But there are nuggets of wisdom here. I'm looking at Job chapter 5, for example, beginning of verse 7, Job chapter 5, verse 7, "Yet man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would like to meet my cause, which are who does great things, an insurgible,

waters upon the fields to set up on high, those that are low, that those which mourn may be exalted

to safety. There are some things that are very beautiful. Continue for example, it talks about what God does to the wicked and then it goes back to the right to the beginning, chapter 5, beginning on verse 15. When you say with the poor from the sword, from their mouth and from the hand of the mighty, so the poor has hope and in which you stop with her mouth, behold, happy is the man who God correcteth. Therefore, despise not doubt the chasing of the almighty. Okay, now again,

beautiful words. But again, he's going back to, "Happy is the man who can God correcteth." He's saying,

"Look, it's you, Job, it's you. You're being corrected." despise not the chasing of the almighty.

You're being chasing. This is a chastisement. Beautiful words. If you take them and put in a sacrament meeting talk, it's going to be really nice. They're being interspersed there with some stuff that he's throwing at Job's fakes. What did Elder Holland once say? Sometimes someone's drowning and we row our boat over and beat them with one of the oars. I like what you had said, Brother Martin's, they were trying to reason this out. You read verse 7 of Job 4,

"Who ever perished being innocent or where were the righteous cut off?" You guys are the PhDs. There's something called the law of retribution. If you do write, you'll be blessed. If you don't, you'll be cursed. But sometimes we think that comes immediately. I remember Elder Kristofferson talking about the cosmic vending machine. If I do this, something good comes out.

“They're looking at life wrong like a cosmic vending machine and saying, "Job, you must have done”

something wrong or this wouldn't be happening." But there is an eventually in there somewhere. Things will turn out someday in the end, maybe in the next life, even. Because they're trying to make sense of it right now, this like a cosmic vending machine. Isn't that the reasoning that led to those pseudo explanations for the introduction of the priesthood band in the 19th century? If they cannot have the priesthood, there must be some reason. And if we cannot find a reason

here, then there must have been something they did in the pre-existence. That's the reasoning

of Elefaz right there, Job's first friend. And then that led to, "Well, what would have that been?"

Then somebody speculated, "Well, if you're being denied certain privilege, it must be that, "Well, you're not that faithful then." About the person praise, the person believes in God, "Oh, believe now, but do not believe then." Even though we know very little about the pre-existence,

“because we don't remember. So we only know what we were in the, in the darkening teachings of”

prophets, but we don't remember who we were, what we did or what anybody else did. We know that, oh, yeah, there was a council in heaven, we were there, spirits, Heavenly Father's plan was presented, the Savior's chosen, we received the pre-ordination, but we don't know a whole lot more. I'm very cautious with this. I am not pointing fingers here, because for a number of years, I believe in those things, I taught those ideas. Until the time when I started to choose,

so it's a way to mean it. Some of these things don't make sense. That led me right to that book during the two months ago. Then today with the resource we have in the church website, like the rates in the priesthood, as say, "Oh, yeah, my book is P and O, it's compared to what we have in the church website." But I could just say, "Yeah, if this is happening with you, it must be something you did." And if you didn't do it in this life, then you did it in the

previous life, you did it in the pre-mortal realm. It's a clear example of Elephysis logic here. If this is happening with you, you must be wrong. What a great application. The logic of Elephas,

“that persisted for a long time. I think that idea that you must have done something.”

Nobody in the world tells the story better than Hank Smith, but John chapter nine, what happens? Walk out of the temple. Here's a man born and blind. Who did sin?

And they still have that mindset. What's Jesus' answer? Neither did he sin or his parents,

but that the works of God could be made manifest in him. I don't know. You tell a better night, you hate. What happens? We've been doing this long time because my scriptures, I just opened to John nine, just going, okay, I wonder if I'll get a chance to share this. Okay. Do it. He knew exactly where I was headed. It's a pervasive doctrine, isn't it? If something's wrong, it must be the results of sin. And Jesus seems to say, "No, no, no, don't think that way at all.

Do you notice John at the end of that chapter when the Pharisees in the blind man or the man who was

formally blind? They're going back and forth. And they have nothing to say. They can't outwit him.

All they say is, "You are born and sin." And you're trying to teach us. It's almost like, what do we, John, what word is it? You would say, "You know what? I can end all discussion by just saying this thing." Well, it's the old, how dare you? Yeah. When I don't know what to say, I can just say, "Well, you obviously are a terrible person because look what happened to you." And I can just cancel everything, you say, because of this thing you have in your life,

that's obviously a result of sin. Brother Martins, that example you gave of the priesthood band

“and Elefus here. I think that is a beautiful application where for some reason as human beings,”

we don't like silence on something, we want an answer, so we just kind of make up an answer. Rather than letting it be silent. This is Luke 13. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood pilot had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, "Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans because they suffered such things. I tell you, nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish,

or those 18 upon the tower in Salomon fell and slew them. Think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem. I tell you, nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. That is still going on this idea that, oh, if that tower fell in Salomon, they must have been sinners. And Jesus is still dealing with it over and over again. I love what you said, Brother Martins, those church leaders that are sitting up there in the red chairs. Sometimes ye hear about their trials,

losing spouses and things. They're not immune to having all sorts of things happen to them too. That's true. I recall an interview with President Russell N. Nelson. He took the time to chat with extending a calling in. Only later found out that one of his daughters had passed the way that of every day. And yet there he was, giving them attention and love, like nothing had happened.

“That's what I mean. What a terrible thing was happening inside of him. Yet they was fulfilling his duty.”

Things happened in their lives. When you remember Elder Bruce Armaconky, Elamino Axel, Particularly, who made it very public. He is journey with cancer. And I said, yeah, remember, he didn't talk in the office. I said, yeah, those terrifying moments in the middle of the night, they know what's going on because they feel it themselves. I'm going to try better to not be Elafas here and try to give reasons that I have no idea. Yeah, sometimes it can be hurtful to say,

well, maybe God needed them to try to come up with something just put an arm around and be quiet. The first seven days, Job's friends were awesome. I think John, we can say hurtful things. I remember once when a young father died in someone said, well, he's needed for a greater work.

“And the children thought, aren't I an important work? Is it being my dad an important work?”

I think you're both right. Don't speculate on why something happened. Just be there.

Would any of us say, you know, Abinadai, if you'd only had more faith? Never heard that one.

Yeah. I mean, that's a great example. Benadai did everything right and still suffered. We love Abinadai. He did everything right and suffered a horrible death. It could be that people were expected of Seesu's a prophet. He would be like, "Shadrachmas, I can have Abit Nigu." You know, and so he would be preserved from the flames. I remember one particular season in my life in which I was going through a

And I remember reading and rereading and rereading the book of Job. I read countless times.

“I lost count. I mean, it ended up writing the entire book. What caught my attention was precisely”

something you just mentioned. That's when the Lord finally speaks to Job. He did not explain

why those things happened. I remember here an article or a Joan Welch wrote about the book of the Job. It said, "Yeah, it's like an instruction that the Lord gives where He goes through talking about his creations and his works and so on." And asked, "Where were you when I was doing this and this and that?" But does not explain. What you mean is that there are some things that even if we were to speak with the Lord face to face in this life,

we would still not have answers. Job did not have an answer. There are probably things that we will only find out on the other side of the veil. Maybe when we can see things with a true perfect eternal perspective. When we try to create answers where there are none,

“we can do more harm because when we say something like Elefaz says, "Which is oh, you must have”

done something wrong." Well, if a child hears that and something wrong happens in their life,

their first question is, "Well, what did I do wrong?" Even still, Latter Day Saints,

including me will have something happen. "What did I do wrong? Why would you punish me this way?" And the Lord, I think today, would do what he did in John chapter 9. "No, nobody sinned." Do all of his friends do this? "Well, unfortunately, all three and then the fourth one shows up at the end." I said, "Yeah, all of them are going through these accusations and the justifications.

They were united in this mindset that is a looking old. Job has to be your fault. Doesn't God will not allow this to happen to what righteous men? Maybe it's their own fears as well sometimes when we think that. It's not going to happen to me because I'm right, just right. So by claiming that you're not, I feel a little bit more secure in my own future. I suppose that this would be at a point in which we will have been sufficiently taught

on the other side of the veil and we'll have that perfect eternal perspective on things. We will find out we could not have been more blessed if those things had not happened. Our journey towards exaltation would not have been better or more productive or more effective.

“That's what we're going to acknowledge someday. There are things happening here”

that the Lord simply cannot explain to us and the book of Job is about this. Things happen. God appears. God does not explain. Brother Martin, you think like President Aduk Dwarf, he says often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of future experience. Often we can't see the Lord's hand in our lives until long after trials have passed

and then the third often, often the most difficult times of our lives are essential to forming

the foundation of our character and paving the way to future opportunity, understanding and happiness. So one day you will see, but I think you're right, the Lord almost can't show you now. You wouldn't understand from your perspective, you absolutely wouldn't understand it. That brings to mind also a testimony from the Prophet Joseph Smith, where he said, "All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection provided you continue faithful.

By the vision of the Almighty, I have seen it. I love these words." Especially for those brothers and sisters, now in friends who are watching the sword listening to us. "All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection provided you continue faithful." And observe how incisive Joseph is, he says, "By the vision of the Almighty, I have seen it." Those words are, they are, they are, they are, they are this brings to me and those, to me and this comfort. What we hear as far as

In my flesh, I won't stand before him.

“I like this idea of three sites, there's hindsight, there's insight, and there's foresight.”

Our trials, we can look back with great hindsight. The Spirit of Lord gives us insight and also what we're learning can give us foresight for things that are ahead. There was a sister in our ward who passed recently, who had made literally hundreds of quilts and sent them all around the world.

People who would never know her name, Wendy Blattnik made these quilts for hundreds of people,

loved making quilts and served people. And I was filling in for the speaker that Brother Blattnik really wanted. But I love this poem. I first heard it from Elder Nile Max. Well, you kind of have to think about, if you've ever seen the backside of a needle point, how differently it looks than the front, because there's stitches going crossways and knots and everything. So the poem is like this,

“"My life is but a weaving between my God and me. I do not choose the colors. He work”

aesthetily. Oftentimes he weave with sorrow, and I in foolish pride, forget he sees the upper and eye the underside. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle ceased to fly. Now that's next life. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle ceased to fly. We'll God unroll the canvas and explain the reasons why. The dark threads are as needful in the skillful weaver's hands as the threads

of gold and silver in the pattern he has planned. In this life God has not always a God of explanations.

He doesn't tell us why. It'll love what you said Brother Martin. He didn't tell Job. He said, "Were you there when I created everything?" And he never explained why. He just said, "Where are you there?" and demonstrated his grander and majesty like he said. But one day we'll get those explanations. Coming up in part two. Now our brothers and sisters around us may not understand. I avoid when I talk to people, I know how you're feeling. No, I don't. I avoid you.

“Even if I, oh, but, oh, you lost your fight. I lost my father too. I know what you must be feeling.”

No, I don't know what you must be feeling because you're, you're not me. Your experience is different. But he knows what you're feeling.