I have been lazy and busy and forgetful and... I didn't read scriptures for a few days. I cleaned all morning a couple time and then when nap time for Kaia came around I wanted to play and forgot about scriptures. Then when I remembered it was late and I was tired. Boo for me. Oh well, it's a new day and here I am :)
3 Behold, it is expedient that much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the stiffness of their necks; nevertheless, God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet swept them off from the face of the land.
He said so nonchalantly... This is a good way to look at it when you have to work with a bunch of guys who want to do bad things, or if you go to school with them, or have any position you have to be in. My personal situation would be, one of our neighbors is not that great of a human being. He's going through a rough couple of year and he's doing dumb things like bashing mailboxes and stuff like that. We suspect he's dealing pot as well. Maybe it's expedient for me to be by him now. It's also interesting to look at the last part where the Lord is merciful and hasn't swept these people off the face of the earth. We could apply that to ourselves as well. A lot of bad is in the world. Even the righteous go through tough times, yet we are here, the Lord is merciful.
4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.
5 And now, behold, *two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to keep the law of Moses and the sabbath day holy unto the Lord. And they profaned not; neither did they blaspheme. And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict.
I wonder how strict. Some would say our laws are strict. They are getting more strict. Other countries have it far worse, but I worry about too much regulation anyway.
6 And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land, and the Lamanites also. And they were exceedingly more numerous than were they of the Nephites; and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts.
Gross.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ruth 2
12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
She was favored of the Lord. She was not given a lot, but generous for her station in life. She sounds like a sweet girl.
I wonder what vinegar was like then.
13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
She was favored of the Lord. She was not given a lot, but generous for her station in life. She sounds like a sweet girl.
I wonder what vinegar was like then.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
D&C 44
2 And it shall come to pass, that inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them in the day that they assemble themselves together.
3 And it shall come to pass that they shall go forth into the regions round about, and preach repentance unto the people.
4 And many shall be converted, insomuch that ye shall obtain power to organize yourselves according to the laws of man;
5 That your enemies may not have power over you; that you may be preserved in all things; that you may be enabled to keep my laws; that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people.
6 Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received. Amen.
I think I read this for Dave again, haha. Again, this is like what we've been talking about. If we are to be a gathering place for safety, then visit the poor and needy NOW and administer to their relief, that's how they will know who we are.
Also, notice verses 4 and 5, that's why we should administer to them now, if they come to us for safety, sustenance, healing, whatever, then our enemies will not have power over us because of our numbers.
3 And it shall come to pass that they shall go forth into the regions round about, and preach repentance unto the people.
4 And many shall be converted, insomuch that ye shall obtain power to organize yourselves according to the laws of man;
5 That your enemies may not have power over you; that you may be preserved in all things; that you may be enabled to keep my laws; that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people.
6 Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received. Amen.
I think I read this for Dave again, haha. Again, this is like what we've been talking about. If we are to be a gathering place for safety, then visit the poor and needy NOW and administer to their relief, that's how they will know who we are.
Also, notice verses 4 and 5, that's why we should administer to them now, if they come to us for safety, sustenance, healing, whatever, then our enemies will not have power over us because of our numbers.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Words of Mormon 1
16 And after there had been false prophets, and false preachers and teachers among the people, and all these having been punished according to their crimes; and after there having been much contention and many dissensions away unto the Lamanites, behold, it came to pass that king Benjamin, with the assistance of the holy prophets who were among his people—
17 For behold, king Benjamin was a holy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people—
18 Wherefore, with the help of these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land.
That was an amazing man. Dave, this is exactly what you were talking about. He could have just sat back and enjoyed his money and power, but instead he labored with the faculty of his whole soul. That's incredible.
17 For behold, king Benjamin was a holy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people—
18 Wherefore, with the help of these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land.
That was an amazing man. Dave, this is exactly what you were talking about. He could have just sat back and enjoyed his money and power, but instead he labored with the faculty of his whole soul. That's incredible.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Alma 33
This was interesting. I tested to read from the index, the letter Z and Zenos, when I clicked on his name this is what came up.
3 Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?
4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me.
5 Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.
This makes me think of the places I have cried out to the Lord. On a bench, many rooms in my house, hospitals, in the car many a time. Walking through the woods. At times I will go find a nice place outside, where I think it's pretty and peaceful and have a good talk with God.
3 Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?
4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me.
5 Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.
This makes me think of the places I have cried out to the Lord. On a bench, many rooms in my house, hospitals, in the car many a time. Walking through the woods. At times I will go find a nice place outside, where I think it's pretty and peaceful and have a good talk with God.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A BRIEF EXPLANATION ABOUT THE BOOK OF MORMON
This is in the beginning of the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon is a sacred record of peoples in ancient America, and was engraved upon sheets of metal. Four kinds of metal record plates are spoken of in the book itself:
1. The Plates of Nephi, which were of two kinds: the Small Plates and the Large Plates. The former were more particularly devoted to the spiritual matters and the ministry and teachings of the prophets, while the latter were occupied mostly by a secular history of the peoples concerned (1 Nephi 9: 2-4). From the time of Mosiah, however, the large plates also included items of major spiritual importance.
The histories and stories are more interesting to me than the spiritual matters. My inner anthropologist (my dream job...) is coming out.
2. The Plates of Mormon, which consist of an abridgment by Mormon from the Large Plates of Nephi, with many commentaries. These plates also contained a continuation of the history by Mormon and additions by his son Moroni.
3. The Plates of Ether, which present a history of the Jaredites. This record was abridged by Moroni, who inserted comments of his own and incorporated the record with the general history under the title “Book of Ether.”
How intimidating would it be to have scriptures in front of you and add your own thoughts? I mean, I write in my scriptures all the time, but it's not going to be published to the world.
4. The Plates of Brass brought by the people of Lehi from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. These contained “the five books of Moses, . . . And also a record of the Jews from the beginning, . . . down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; And also the prophecies of the holy prophets” (1 Nephi 5: 11-13). Many quotations from these plates, citing Isaiah and other biblical and nonbiblical prophets, appear in the Book of Mormon.
Chris hurt my feelings just before I read this last part so I didn't get much out of it... dang, and I was doing so good.
The Book of Mormon is a sacred record of peoples in ancient America, and was engraved upon sheets of metal. Four kinds of metal record plates are spoken of in the book itself:
1. The Plates of Nephi, which were of two kinds: the Small Plates and the Large Plates. The former were more particularly devoted to the spiritual matters and the ministry and teachings of the prophets, while the latter were occupied mostly by a secular history of the peoples concerned (1 Nephi 9: 2-4). From the time of Mosiah, however, the large plates also included items of major spiritual importance.
The histories and stories are more interesting to me than the spiritual matters. My inner anthropologist (my dream job...) is coming out.
2. The Plates of Mormon, which consist of an abridgment by Mormon from the Large Plates of Nephi, with many commentaries. These plates also contained a continuation of the history by Mormon and additions by his son Moroni.
3. The Plates of Ether, which present a history of the Jaredites. This record was abridged by Moroni, who inserted comments of his own and incorporated the record with the general history under the title “Book of Ether.”
How intimidating would it be to have scriptures in front of you and add your own thoughts? I mean, I write in my scriptures all the time, but it's not going to be published to the world.
4. The Plates of Brass brought by the people of Lehi from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. These contained “the five books of Moses, . . . And also a record of the Jews from the beginning, . . . down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; And also the prophecies of the holy prophets” (1 Nephi 5: 11-13). Many quotations from these plates, citing Isaiah and other biblical and nonbiblical prophets, appear in the Book of Mormon.
Chris hurt my feelings just before I read this last part so I didn't get much out of it... dang, and I was doing so good.
Friday, February 13, 2009
D&C 60
12 And now I speak of the residue who are to come unto this land.
13 Behold, they have been sent to preach my gospel among the congregations of the wicked; wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, thus: Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.
Because then maybe it would be too easy to become one of them?
14 And after thou hast come up unto the land of Zion, and hast proclaimed my word, thou shalt speedily return, proclaiming my word among the congregations of the wicked, not in haste, neither in wrath nor with strife.
It's a lot harder to fight with someone who won't fight...
15 And shake off the dust of thy feet against those who receive thee not, not in their presence, lest thou provoke them, but in secret; and wash thy feet, as a testimony against them in the day of judgment.
16 Behold, this is sufficient for you, and the will of him who hath sent you.
17 And by the mouth of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., it shall be made known concerning Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery. The residue hereafter. Even so. Amen.
I don't really get the meaning of residue.
13 Behold, they have been sent to preach my gospel among the congregations of the wicked; wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, thus: Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.
Because then maybe it would be too easy to become one of them?
14 And after thou hast come up unto the land of Zion, and hast proclaimed my word, thou shalt speedily return, proclaiming my word among the congregations of the wicked, not in haste, neither in wrath nor with strife.
It's a lot harder to fight with someone who won't fight...
15 And shake off the dust of thy feet against those who receive thee not, not in their presence, lest thou provoke them, but in secret; and wash thy feet, as a testimony against them in the day of judgment.
16 Behold, this is sufficient for you, and the will of him who hath sent you.
17 And by the mouth of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., it shall be made known concerning Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery. The residue hereafter. Even so. Amen.
I don't really get the meaning of residue.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
D&C 137
7 Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
These are some of my favorite verses. So happy and full of hope and light. I am so grateful that this is a truth. I love doing family history work and submitting them to the temple. It's a wonderful feeling. I love knowing that I have had a part in helping people.
8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
These are some of my favorite verses. So happy and full of hope and light. I am so grateful that this is a truth. I love doing family history work and submitting them to the temple. It's a wonderful feeling. I love knowing that I have had a part in helping people.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Jeremiah 38
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
I wish people would heed this warning. Obey the voice of the Lord, and no matter what happens your soul will live.
It's been a while since I read from the Bible, and Old Testament. This was nice for a change.
20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
I wish people would heed this warning. Obey the voice of the Lord, and no matter what happens your soul will live.
It's been a while since I read from the Bible, and Old Testament. This was nice for a change.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Mormon 8
3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfill the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.
This could be the opening line of a novel. It's so sad, powerful, owning up to the reality of the situation...
4 Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.
This is depressing. It doesn't matter where he goes because there is no one left and evil all around. You really get a feel for the situation.
5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
I know he just had been through a miserable beyond words time, but this verse sounds off to me. I'd rather die than live through this... It seems like he lost hope completely and that's the saddest part.
This could be the opening line of a novel. It's so sad, powerful, owning up to the reality of the situation...
4 Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.
This is depressing. It doesn't matter where he goes because there is no one left and evil all around. You really get a feel for the situation.
5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
I know he just had been through a miserable beyond words time, but this verse sounds off to me. I'd rather die than live through this... It seems like he lost hope completely and that's the saddest part.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
JS Matthew, Mormon 7
43 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
44 Then shall be fulfilled that which is written, that in the last days, two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left;
This is a cool thing to think about. I read some of the Left Behind books, and I loved them. I learned things from them that confused me because things happen differently than in the scriptures I think... I remembered being confused, but I love the intent of the books. Maybe I should read more of them.
45 Two shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left;
46 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.
47 But know this, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up, but would have been ready.
Wow, now there's something to think about. I mean, we hear this all the time, but it never sounded like this to me before. If you know the hour, of course you will be ready...
Mormon 7
7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him toddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.
I love when scriptures go together like this, it's been so long since they did that for me I was wondering if I was messing it up.
8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.
9 For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.
"this is written for the intent that ye may believe" This is the point.
44 Then shall be fulfilled that which is written, that in the last days, two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left;
This is a cool thing to think about. I read some of the Left Behind books, and I loved them. I learned things from them that confused me because things happen differently than in the scriptures I think... I remembered being confused, but I love the intent of the books. Maybe I should read more of them.
45 Two shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left;
46 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.
47 But know this, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up, but would have been ready.
Wow, now there's something to think about. I mean, we hear this all the time, but it never sounded like this to me before. If you know the hour, of course you will be ready...
Mormon 7
7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him toddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.
I love when scriptures go together like this, it's been so long since they did that for me I was wondering if I was messing it up.
8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.
9 For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.
"this is written for the intent that ye may believe" This is the point.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Helaman 8
12 And now behold, if God gave unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and say that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may know concerning the judgments that shall come upon you except ye repent?
13 But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.
It's always crazy that people who have seen the miracles don't have the faith and strength to stick it out and do the right thing. It happens over and over again in scriptures.
14 Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.
15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.
I did a little research on this (by a little, I mean, I found this site: http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-john-3-14-16.htm) and it seems that in the Bible story, people may have had to walk miles to look upon the serpent, I bet many people died because they didn't do it. It's an interesting little article.
13 But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.
It's always crazy that people who have seen the miracles don't have the faith and strength to stick it out and do the right thing. It happens over and over again in scriptures.
14 Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.
15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.
I did a little research on this (by a little, I mean, I found this site: http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-john-3-14-16.htm) and it seems that in the Bible story, people may have had to walk miles to look upon the serpent, I bet many people died because they didn't do it. It's an interesting little article.
Monday, February 2, 2009
D&C 101
82 There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man.
83 And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying: Avenge me of mine adversary.
84 And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself: Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
So there was some good in the man...
85 Thus will I liken the children of Zion.
86 Let them importune at the feet of the judge;
87 And if he heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor;
88 And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president;
89 And if the president heed them not, then will the Lord arise and come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation;
I think the people eventually got an apology, but it would seem to me that it's not enough. There were no reparations or anything. Doesn't seem fair. Those people went through horrendous times. It's a good thing the apology happened though or the nation would have been vexed.
83 And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying: Avenge me of mine adversary.
84 And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself: Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
So there was some good in the man...
85 Thus will I liken the children of Zion.
86 Let them importune at the feet of the judge;
87 And if he heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor;
88 And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president;
89 And if the president heed them not, then will the Lord arise and come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation;
I think the people eventually got an apology, but it would seem to me that it's not enough. There were no reparations or anything. Doesn't seem fair. Those people went through horrendous times. It's a good thing the apology happened though or the nation would have been vexed.
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