Gold and Glory

My last couple of posts have had to do with the mundane, howbeit fascinating, workings of our physical brain functions. I want to go to a more ethereal, less tangible concept related to our brains and learning.
Most people who have any awareness of the teachings of Jesus Christ or even other religious leaders know that worldly things are not the greatest of acquisitions to pursue. I wouldn't even begin to try to quote very many but here is a well-known one from Jesus: " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:19-21)
So, with that in mind, what do most people expect when they hear promises from God about rewards in Heaven? There have been sayings and songs for a long time about the streets in Heaven being paved in gold. Do most people expect blessings from God, now or later, to be in the form of money, jewels, riches, or earthly treasures? Why would He do that when He counsels us so strongly not to pursue those very things? He promises us that He wants to share with us all that He has. What is it we expect? Why would God value gold, silver, even titanium or plutonium when He created it and knows how to make more? What is truly THE most valuable thing? Some might mention LOVE, which is surely of inestimable value. But the thing God wants most to share with us?
Throughout the ages, artists and poets have tried to capture what is meant by the "glory" of God. The scriptures actually give a definition of it (and this happens to be my very favorite scripture because it has been so enlightening to me): "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth". (Doctrine &Covenants 93:36) The greatest treasure ANYONE could attain is intelligence, or light and truth. Isn't that awesome to think about? In addition, unlike earthly treasures (remember? You can't take it with you?), we get to keep whatever intelligence we gain in this mortal life when we leave here. "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." (D&C 130:18-19) There is no competition implied here, it just means that we are all going to learn all He knows (though we'll NEVER actually catch up) eventually. If we manage to start acquiring light and truth rather than wasting our time acquiring things and learning trivial nonsense, we'll be that much further along after we complete our mortal probation. So, who gets to decide how much we'll acquire? WE DO! It is a choice each of us makes. Jesus spoke about "many mansions" of His father and going to prepare a place for us. Again, the scriptures can enlighten us. "All kingdoms have a law given: And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom: and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or lesser kingdom." In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord explains those various kingdoms, or spaces, or mansions. He explains that our resurrected bodies will be able to go on eternally because they are quickened by the Spirit, rather than by blood. He also explains that each body will be quickened by that portion of glory (or truth and light) that he is willing to receive. "They shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received." (D&C 88: 32) I don't know about you, but I find it thrilling to gain real knowledge. I'm not talking about stuff to be able to win at Trivial Pursuit. Eternally, who is going to care what movie gained what Oscars or who sang what song? For anyone who has tried to learn geography, you know that the boundaries of countries or states, even the paths of rivers are subject to change. Many languages have gone into extinction. Scientific principles- at least as far as man has gotten so far, lessons learned from history/the errors or wise choices of others, mathematics and logic- those can benefit us. WE are the ones who choose what we're going to acquire. No one can force us to learn anything we don't care to learn. On the other hand, no one can take away from us anything we have learned. In the eternal sense, even if we develop Alzheimer's here or someone injures our brain so we can't remember, our spirits/souls will have that knowledge. After we leave the imperfect bodies we know have, we'll know what we know! I think that's awesome.