Jet Mariano

Tag: Covenants

  • MIT-8 “Righteousness from Heaven, Truth from the Earth”

    Preparing for Church this afternoon Suit pressed, heart steady, and gratitude present. The drive to Juniper Crest Ward reminds me how blessed I am — good health, sufficient food, and strength to keep my covenants. Six days of labor and training, one day to remember the Giver of all things.

    Excerpt

    After a demanding week of work and training, the Sabbath reminds me that truth rises from the earth while righteousness comes from heaven — and both lead us back to God.

    Intro

    Five days of stressful work as an Infrastructure Engineer, and six days of training — boxing and Muay Thai, three hours at a time — can leave the body tired and the mind stretched thin. But Sunday belongs to God alone.

    Today is not about productivity or performance. It is about renewal.

    The scriptures remind me that God’s work has always been a partnership between heaven and earth.

    Grateful for the strength to come, the means to arrive, and the faith to worship.

    Notes from My Friend

    “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.”
    Psalm 85:11

    In Enoch’s expansive vision, God orchestrates a collaboration between heaven and earth for the salvation of humanity.

    Early in the vision, Enoch’s people are lifted up to God’s presence through his teaching and leadership (Moses 7:21), leaving a void of goodness on the earth. But the people who remained behind were not left alone:

    “Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.”
    Moses 7:27

    Both the heavens and the earth sorrow for the wickedness of humanity, causing Enoch to weep also (Moses 7:28, 40, 48).

    Then, before the Savior’s Second Coming, God sends revelation through both heavenly and earthly sources, to once again create a society like the one Enoch’s people built anciently:

    “And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.”
    Moses 7:62

    At the time of the Savior’s coming, Enoch’s city will return to the earth to unite with this new Zion:

    “Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;”
    Moses 7:63–64

    One literal fulfillment of God bringing truth “out of the earth” is the Book of Mormon itself, which Joseph Smith translated from engravings on metal plates buried by Moroni. As Moroni prophesied:

    “[this record] shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness”
    Mormon 8:16

    Another fulfillment is the work of living people flooding the earth with truth as they share prophetic messages with one another. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland testified:

    “God will send help from both sides of the veil to strengthen our belief”
    “Lord, I Believe,” April 2013 general conference

    Perspective

    All week long, truth rises from the earth through effort — work, training, discipline, endurance. Sweat, repetition, and responsibility shape the person I am becoming.

    But on the Sabbath, righteousness looks down from heaven.

    For decades, I have tried to keep Sunday different. I don’t shop or buy food on the Sabbath. I have six other days to do those things. Sunday is reserved for worship, visiting the sick, prayer, and quiet pondering.

    This discipline is not about restriction. It is about remembering who provides strength beyond my own.

    The strength I build through boxing and Muay Thai is earthly strength. The peace I feel on Sunday is heavenly strength. Both are necessary, but they are not the same.

    One prepares the body. The other restores the soul.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    Today I will be grateful for both earthly and heavenly help which God sends to bring us to Him. I will remember that in the important work of the salvation of His children, heavenly and earthly forces collaborate under His direction.

    Final Reflection

    When truth rises from the earth through effort and righteousness descends from heaven through grace, God prepares His people for Zion.

    Six days I labor and train. One day I worship and renew. In that rhythm, I see the wisdom of God’s design — strength from the earth, peace from heaven.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    Truth rises through effort. Righteousness descends through grace.

    What I Hear Now

    “Truth shall spring out of the earth.”
    “Righteousness shall look down from heaven.”
    “God will send help from both sides of the veil.”

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • MIT8 – “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation”

    Deseret Peak Utah Temple — blue hour after a 4:30 PM proxy endowment. Foundation steady, heart steady.

    Excerpt

    When life shakes, covenants hold. The temple is where Jesus Christ strengthens my foundation so I can stand steady through any upheaval.

    Intro

    I drove west to Tooele Valley for a late-afternoon proxy endowment at the new Deseret Peak Temple. It became a 5‑hour sacred errand—2 hours round‑trip, 2 hours in ordinance and 30 quiet minutes in the Celestial Room, and 1 hour making photographs at last light. President Nelson’s words about foundations felt tailor‑made for this day.

    Notes from President Nelson

    • The Salt Lake Temple’s seismic retrofit is a living parable: strengthen the foundation to withstand future shaking.
    • Our safest spiritual place is inside our temple covenants.
    • The temple centers us on Jesus Christ—His doctrine, ordinances, and power.
    • The Restoration continues; methods adjust by revelation while doctrine remains.
    • If distance or health limits attendance, rehearse your covenants and let Him teach you.
    • Go more often, not less; the temple becomes safety, solace, and revelation.
    • Build now—before the spiritual earthquakes come.

    Perspective — direct quotes

    “Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.”
    “How firm is your foundation?”
    “Everything taught in the temple increases our understanding of Jesus Christ.”

    Practice — today, not someday

    1. Foundation checks: After each temple visit, write one way I’ll anchor to Christ this week.
    2. Covenant rehearsal: Set a weekly 10‑minute block to review the promises I’ve made and the power He offers.
    3. Regular appointments: Put the next proxy session on the calendar before leaving the parking lot.

    Final Reflection

    Looking through the arch toward a glowing House of the Lord, I felt why foundations matter. The drive, the ordinance, the quiet—each pressed me deeper into the covenant path. Cameras can’t capture the weight of peace, but they can remind me where it’s found. President Nelson’s plea is mercifully simple: strengthen the foundation now. The shaking will come; Christ holds.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    “Safest place to be—inside my temple covenants.”

    What I Hear Now — direct quotes

    “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”
    “How firm a foundation.”

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Overcome the World & Find Rest — Jordan River Temple

    Jordan River Utah Temple — Rain on Glass. iPhone shot from the driver’s seat; focus on the droplets to let the temple bloom softly behind. Light edit for contrast/clarity on the foreground drops.

    Excerpt
    When life is heavy, rest isn’t escape—it’s yoking with Christ and keeping covenants. Even through rain-blurred glass, the temple holds steady.

    Intro
    After sacrament it poured. I drove to the Jordan River Temple and stayed in the car, letting the storm drum on the windshield. Through a thousand raindrops, the spire stayed true. That quiet minute was my rest.

    Perspective (direct quotes)

    • “Come unto me… and I will give you rest. … My yoke is easy.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
    • “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
    • President Russell M. Nelson: Covenant keepers have increased access to the power of Jesus Christ and are entitled to a special kind of rest through their covenant relationship with God.

    Principles

    • Rest comes with the yoke, not from running away.
    • The covenant path stays visible—even when everything else is blurry.
    • Small, steady acts (prayer, sacrament, ministering, temple) invite power and peace.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    • Name one burden and yoke it to Christ in prayer.
    • Keep one covenant action (text a ministering message, schedule a temple visit).
    • Trade one distraction for five minutes of stillness with the scriptures.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    Covenants > chaos. I can rest while it rains.

    What I Hear Now
    “Walk with Me.” • “Let the temple teach you to rise.”

    Link to the Talk

    Full talk: “Overcome the World and Find Rest” — President Russell M. Nelson (Oct 2022 General Conference)

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked in Time — “Free to Choose” (Neal A. Maxwell)

    September 3, 2025 — after ~20 listens/reads since last night

    Manila Temple × Milky Way. Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s “Free to Choose” reminds me that joy needs both agency and daily submission—souls matter more than stars.

    Intro

    Elder Maxwell’s final BYU devotional (2004) feels like a compass: agency = joy + daily submissiveness. The line that keeps ringing: “Souls matter more than stars.” Freedom to choose is breathtaking—and sobering—because God honors our desires and won’t force us. That means peace is possible without compulsion, and accountability is real.

    Straight Line

    • Agency is God-given and personal. “I have given unto man his agency” (Moses 7:32). “Thou mayest choose for thyself” (Moses 3:17).
    • Agency is complete—consequence included. We can “live and move and do according to [our] own will” (Mosiah 2:21), but “whoso doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself” (Hel. 14:30).
    • Opposition is required, not optional. We’re enticed “by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:16); no neutral exists.
    • Desires direct judgment. We receive “according to [our] desires” and “wills” (Alma 29:4). Educate desire = spiritual continuing ed.
    • Real risk: some are “not willing to enjoy that which they might have received” (D&C 88:32). Tragedy = turning down joy.
    • No decision is a decision. Delay discards the holy present; accountability stands “astride every path.”
    • Lucifer can tempt but not compel. God won’t force; the devil can’t force.
    • Patterns > moments. Repeated choices shape prayers, power, and promises kept.
    • Souls > stars. The cosmos is vast, but the gift to choose—and choose God—is vaster. Joy needs freedom and submissiveness.
    • God’s posture: “What could I have done more?” He gives the maximum reward and the minimum penalty justice allows.

    Final Reflection

    Agency isn’t adrenaline; it’s alignment. The Spirit clarifies; He doesn’t coerce. Maxwell hooks joy to two daily moves:

    1. Choose (don’t drift).
    2. Submit (trust the Father’s will), like the Savior did.

    That mix removes panic from decision-making. It reframes boundaries as worship, not deprivation. It also explains why I can feel peace while longing tugs—the peace marks my stance, not the absence of pressure.

    Pocket lines I’m keeping

    • No decision is a decision.
    • Educate your desires.
    • Souls matter more than stars.
    • He will not force us.

    What I hear now

    • Name the choice: I will use my freedom to choose covenant-keeping over compulsion.
    • Educate desire (micro-habits): one scripture paragraph; one honest prayer; one tiny act of service. Desires follow diet.
    • Boundary as submission: Not replying to triggering messages is choosing God now, not “avoiding.”
    • Presence over pressure: Wife is in town—people > stars (and > screens). Focus mode stays on; lock-screen previews stay minimal.
    • Work lens: In interviews, I’ll listen for agency patterns: signal → hypothesis → test → decision → ROI. Under heat, do they choose calmly and own consequences?
    • One-line prayer: Father, I choose Thy will in this hour; educate my desires and make my joy clean.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • “I Love To See The Temple”

    Jordan River Utah Temple — filmed today around 3:15 pm on the way home from work. Summer birds, soft wind, and a steady spire through the trees… “a place of love and beauty.”

    Intro
    On the way home I pulled over where the Jordan River Temple rises above the trees and filmed a slow, quiet pass. The line kept looping: “a place of love and beauty.” With the temple in view, “I’ll prepare myself…” didn’t sound like childhood someday—it sounded like a choice for today.

    Song
    I Love to See the Temple — Janice Kapp Perry

    I love to see the temple;
    I’m going there someday
    to feel the Holy Spirit,
    to listen and to pray.
    For the temple is a house of God—
    a place of love and beauty.
    I’ll prepare myself while I am young;
    this is my sacred duty.

    I love to see the temple;
    I’ll go inside someday.
    I’ll covenant with my Father;
    I’ll promise to obey.
    For the temple is a holy place
    where we are sealed together.
    As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth:
    a family is forever.

    Final Reflection
    This children’s hymn grows up with us. “I’ll go inside someday. I’ll cov’nant with my Father; I’ll promise to obey.” The melody is simple; the promises are not. Preparation is worship. Obedience is love in motion. And “As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth: A fam’ly is forever” is more than a lyric—it’s a covenant Christ makes possible in His house.

    What I hear now

    • Prepare beats postpone. If it’s “my sacred duty,” act today.
    • Covenants quietly reorder life. “I’ll promise to obey” changes calendars and priorities.
    • Keep the temple in frame. Let “a place of love and beauty” shape how I speak, serve, and schedule.
    • Family is the point. Live so “a fam’ly is forever” feels true at home, not just in song.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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