Breathtaking just thinking about it!

Matt 22:36-40 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

I believe that the Lord is telling us here that the way to show our love to Him is by dedicating our lives to Him (for example see Elder D. Todd Christofferson's address "Reflections on a Consecrated Life") and by rooting out any selfishness we might find in our lives by truly caring for and serving our neighbors in the way we woudl want to be served.

The Lord certainly set the example of this in His own life, something worthy of devoting a lifetime to learning through practice how to do.  And if you need a selfish reason to do something unselfish, remember that this is the way to get endless blessings from Him ... here ... in this life.

Or try doing it without concern for blessings you may get.  Breathtaking just thinking about it!

Peter, Walking on Water, and What Faith Can Do For Us Today

Matt 14:28-33 "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?  And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.  Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."

To me, this is instructive of the full power of faith.  The scriptures testify multiple times that we can accomplish any righteous desire of our heart by fully exercising faith.  We can ponder and pray for guidance on whether a particular desire is righteous, and therefore qualified for this promise.

Here, Peter desires that the Lord would want him (Peter) to walk to Him (the Lord) and to give him the power to do it.  The Lord without hesitation said "Come".  The promise was fulfilled, through Peter's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he was indeed walking on the water towards the Savior.

The adversity appeared in the form of increased wind, reminding Peter of the physical reality that he was walking on water!  Fear replaced faith, ending the power of faith at that time.

I do not say this to criticize Peter.  I admire that he had the confidence to make the request of the Lord in the first place.  I admire that he didn't hesitate after making the request, but directly began walking. 

I say this to point out what we can learn about faith here.  The Lord really does want to bless us.  He wants to help us.  Every day in every situation.  Yes, in His way, but only because His way is truly the best in the long run.  If we will do what is necessary to build faith and act on it, He will be there to give us the power to do.

I know this is true, and I am so thankful to the Lord for the blessings He gives us through faith.

I Believe .. That Christ Really Is The Solution To Our Challenges

Day 5 of the New Testament reading challenge.  I am liking this!  Here are some of the verses I particularly enjoyed ...

Matt 9:21-22 "For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour."

I love this pure display of faith by the woman, the demonstration of the power of that faith, and that Christ knew her thoughts without her saying anything!

Matt 10:19-20 "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."

It seems to be more important to be receptive to the Spirit than it is to prepare to know what to do and say.  Both are important, but without the Spirit, preparation is insufficient ...

Matt 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

This speaks a lot to priorities, and the difference between being self-centered and Christ-centered.

Matt 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I believe ... that Christ really is the solution to our challenges.

Matt 13:33 "Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."

It is wonderful and inspiring just how much power the Spirit can have to bless our lives -- a little blesses so much ... and when we carelessly let it go, o how we miss it!

It Is A Lonely Day Without Them

Day 3 reading the New Testament, Matthew 7-8.  I particularly enjoyed these verses,

Matt 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that aseeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

The Lord really wants to bless us.  There are several places throughout the scriptures where He makes promises to us like this.  I am so appreciate of Him!

Matt 7:12  "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
 
To repeat an observation that I made yesterday, but I don't believe can be said too many times ...
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone, regardless of religious belief or lack thereof, would want to live this way. 


Matt 8:27  "But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"
 
I love to picture this scene in my mind!
 
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I also read in Alma 37 today.  Verses 34 and 37 are particularly noteworthy,
 
34 "Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."




37 "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
 
It really is wonderful to be blessed by the scriptures and by prayer every day.  It is a lonely day without them, no matter how big a crowd we may find ourselves in ...
 

Let Us Radiate The Light of the Gospel At All Times And In All Places

Here are some of the thoughts I had as I read from the Sermon on The Mount in Matthew 5-6 this morning,

Matt 5:6  "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

And what Christ fills us with is so deeply satisfying to our souls!
 
Matt 5:15-16 "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
 
What a challenge from our Lord!
 
Matt 5:43-44 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"
 
Seriously, what kind of world would we live in if everyone, regardless of religious belief or lack thereof, simply lived by that credo.  It is wonderful just to think of it!
 
Matt 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Such beautiful words!  I love to sing them, or even better, to hear someone with a better voice than mine (easily found) sing them.  Can you hear the song in your mind?

Matt 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  and then part of verse 33 "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his rightousness."

I have nothing to add here other than my witness that this is so true.

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Here are a few other verses that touched me today,

"Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them."

-- Ezekiel 38:7

"...give ear to my words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land. ... for I do know that whosoever shall put their ^atrust in God shall be supported in their ^btrials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be ^clifted up at the last day"

-- parts of Alma 36:1-3

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Reading this caused me to reflect again upon a quote that I appreciate enough I have it in a small frame on my desk at home,

"There is no end to the good we can do; or the influence we have on others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to serve others. Let us radiate the light of the Gospel at all times and in all places, that the spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us."

-- Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008), 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

A New Challenge

In Sunday School this year we are studying the New Testament.  Paula Beatty, our teacher, challenged us today to read the New Testament in 100 days and then continue studying it in more depth throughout the rest of the year.

Today's reading is Matthew 1-3.  It discussed the birth of Jesus, the visitation of the Wise Men, the prompting of the Spirit to Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to avoid his being killed at the hand of Herod, and then moves to the ministry of John the Baptist.

I am especially touched by verses 13-17 of chapter 3,

13 "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.


14  "But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?


15  "And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.


16  "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17  "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

John the Baptist was humble, yet obedient.  Jesus was without sin, yet went to be baptized "to fulfil all righteousness" -- to be obedient and to set an example for us.  When this was complete, the heavens truly rejoiced!
 
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Here are a couple other Scripture verses that touched me today...
 
"And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land"  -- Ezekiel 37:21
 
Another witness of the coming gathering of Israel.


"And he breathed out many threatenings against them. And now the people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants."  -- Alma 35:9


Even in the face of criticism and threats, the people of Ammon administered to the outcasts from another territory and freely gave to meet their needs.

Some of My Favorite Verses

Here are some verses I enjoyed reading today, first from Alma 34,

4 "Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness.

5  "And we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ.

8  "And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

15  "And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

17  "Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your afaith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;


18  "Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is amighty to save.

19  "Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

27  "Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

28  "And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

32  "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

Verse 28 seems to tie in with where I am reading in Ezekiel 34,

6  "My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

7 "Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;

8 "As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock"

The Institute Old Testament study guide, on page 282, notes in its discussion of these verses that "President Spencer W. Kimball, in a priesthood session of general conference, charged the present shepherds—priesthood leaders—of the kingdom to be concerned about the welfare of the flock:


'As we read and study the scriptures, we are made conscious of the fact that the Savior has always been concerned about the welfare of the members of his flock, both individually and collectively. It is about that principle of caring for and ministering to the needs of the Church membership in these troubled days that I desire to speak to you brethren tonight.

'...Home teachers are to help watch over the flock. Even though they don’t counsel as bishops and branch presidents do, home teachers can render much appropriate and preventive help under the direction of the quorum leaders and bishoprics. ...We all need to be touched and nurtured by the Spirit, and effective teaching is one of the most important ways this can happen.' (In Conference Report, Oct. 1980, p. 67; see also Ensign, Nov. 1980, pp. 45–46 .) "

Prayer is our lifeline to God.  I know we need to have prayerful thoughts in our hearts always.  And we also need to thank God for his blessings, particularly the blessing of prayer, through regular service and thoughfulness towards our fellow men.  We learn so much from each other, which in turn is one more blessing from God!