Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 16:15

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 16:15

"Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice."

How did the people know the place the Lord chose? It was through his servants the prophets. This made me think about the importance of listening to the prophets and being obedient. You would think that it wouldn't matter where you held your solemn feast, but it did. What would happen to a person if they thought they knew better and held the feast somewhere else and did things their way? Or declared to others they received personal revelation and it was to be done differently? They would miss out on the blessings and protection of the Lord. Following a prophet is not blind obedience. It's the opportunity to have the spirit bear witness that he is God's anointed and speaks for Him. It can even be a measuring stick on what path we are on. It can show if we are on the path to apostasy, and need to change our direction, or on the path to eternal life.

“Whenever you see a man disobeying the counsel of the Lord through the Holy Priesthood, you may know that unless he repents, he will apostatize. It is a sure sign of apostasy. A man may be an Apostle, a Seventy, a High Priest, an Elder or a Bishop, yet if he tries to divide the people and persuades them to disobey the Prophet of God, he will surely fall, unless he repents with all his heart. The Lord asks us to obey Him. He tells us how to do so. He does not ask for blind obedience, because He gives His Holy Spirit to all who ask for it to show them that it is right to obey.”

(George Q. Cannon  “Satan Hates a United People,” Gospel Truth, Vol. 1, pp. 210–11)

I know that when we listen and follow the counsel given by God's mouthpiece, the prophet, we will be blessed. I am so grateful that a living prophet of God walks the earth today, and that is Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Day 2328