Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 12:23-25

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 12:23-25

"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king."

It gave me pause to think you could sin by ceasing to pray for someone. Then I remembered another prophet that was chastened by the Lord for not praying.

"And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands."

(Ether 2:14-15)

Those in leadership over others have a responsible to teach, exhort and to pray for those they lead. Otherwise the sin is also answered upon their heads.

"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day."

(Jacob 1:19)

"Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness, and that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day that I might declare unto you the word of God."

(Jacob 2:2)

Preside John Taylor said on one occasion, speaking to the brethren of the priesthood: 'If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those you might have saved, had you done your duty."

After the prophet or those with a stewardship over others have done all that they can to warn the people, they have rid their garments of our sins. They are not responsible. Ultimately the person then must repent or be destroyed. The accountability is theirs alone to bear. Yet, we never stop praying for them.

Day 2407

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 11:5-6

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 11:5-6

"And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly."

Even though Saul anointed king by Samuel, he appears to have gone about life as usual. It was upon hearing the people weep and and the threat made upon the men of Jabesh-Gilead that he steps up and takes charge. He was led by the spirit in defending Israel. He becomes what he was ordained to be. What this made me ponder on was inspiration, and how often it comes while we are about our every day labors.

Day 2406

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 10:1, 6-7, 9

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 10:1, 6-7, 9

"Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.

And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day."

Samuel reminds Saul from the very beginning that it was not because he was anointed that he was blessed. As with any blessing it was conditional on Saul's worthiness. It was his worthiness, that humility that I saw earlier, that changed his heart and increased his spirituality. It allowed him to prophesy among the prophets. If only Saul could remain worthy. I pondered on how we can never take for granted the blessings we receive. They are conditional and we have to work hard and remain humble to be worthy of them.

Day 2405

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 9:1-2, 21

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 9:1-2, 21

"Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"

This chapter starts out with what a choice young man Saul was. But when Samuel begins to speak to Saul, we have Saul seeing himself as someone not of significance or choice. There is a big contrast on what the Lord saw and what Saul saw in himself, and his circumstances. As I reflected on this contrast I realized what Saul had at that time was humility. Something that was strictly lacking later in his life which ultimately led to his down fall. It made me ponder on the difference between pride and humility. With humility the Lord sees great potential in a person no matter his circumstances.

Day 2404

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 8:7

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 8:7

"And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."

In this case the voice of the people are asking Samuel to give them a king. He didn't want to because he knew were this would lead if there was an unrighteous king. The Lord told him to give them what they asked for. They haven't rejected Samuel they have rejected the Lord and will pay a price for it. It reminded me of when the Book of Mormon and the warnings given against having kings. Then when Mosiah turned it back to judges they were warned again about what can happen with the voice of the people choose iniquity.

"Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction."

(Alma 10:19)

There are problems with kings and judges, but ultimately those that rule try to confirm to the nature of their people. When the voice of the people support iniquity the leaders just shadow what is acceptable by the majority. If the majority could always be righteous then they would be preserved.

"Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword.

But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent."

(Alma 10:22-23)

Day 2403

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 7:3, 12

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 7:3, 12

"And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us."

I love the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and that is what this last verse reminds me of. This time I listened to the song thinking about Israel putting away their strange gods and turning back to the Lord, where he rescued them from danger."

Day 2402

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 6:19-20

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 6:19-20

"And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?"

The Philistines send back the ark of the covenant, with a trespass offering to see if they would be healed. They wanted to know if the evil that fell upon them was from the Israelite God or if by chance.

"And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us."

(1 Samuel 6:9)

If only the Israelites in Beth-shemesh had been so careful. For they looked into the ark and God smote them. They didn't hold sacred that which was sacred.

Day 2401

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 5:2-3, 6

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 5:2-3, 6

"When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof."

The Philistines place the ark of the covenant in the house of Dagon whom they worshipped. First the idol Dagon is knocked over, next the head and arms are cut off. Then they are affected with tumors and boils. So then they decide to move the ark to Gath and destruction follows to that city and they are stricken with tumors and boils. Next they send the ark to Ekron and the people there are afraid it will slay them. Now they want to send the ark back to its own place for there is deadly destruction and the men that remain alive are afflicted with tumor and boils..

As I'm reading this I think of how God is able to do his own work.

"Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.

Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work."

(2 Nephi 27:20-21)

Day 2400

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 4:3, 11

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 4:3, 11

"And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."

Israel goes to battle against the Philistines and it went badly for them. When four thousand Israelites are slain they called for the ark of the covenant to go back into battle with. They were beaten and slain, the sons of Eli killed, and the ark of the covenant is captured. The problem, it does not say they turned to the Lord to help them in battle. God did not tell them to use the ark of the covenant. They called for the ark it appears because they thought it would save them. They abused its power and turned it into almost an idol. You can't take religious items and treat them as if they have more power than God. It made me ponder on how important it has been to be corrected in how I refer to the "atonement". The reference is Christ's atonement or the atonement of Jesus Christ, the power is in Jesus Christ. The atonement has no power in of itself. Referring to the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ incorrectly would be no different then taking the ark of the covenant and using it without acknowledge the power in it came from God.

"It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as “the Atonement” or “the enabling power of the Atonement” or “applying the Atonement” or “being strengthened by the Atonement.” These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

There is no amorphous entity called “the Atonement” upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection described what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives", Apr 2017 General Conference)

Day 2399

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 3:13

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 3:13

"For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not."

This is what the Lord told Samuel about the high priest Eli and it made me wonder how the sins of a child could come back on a parent. What had Eli done that he was being made accountable as well as his sons? I thought of Aaron and how two of his son Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for offering strange fire. I didn't recall Aaron being found guilty for this? Alma and king Mosiah were not condemned in the Book of Mormon when their sons went wayward. What made this different? In this verse it sounds like what made Eli responsible was his failure to restrain his sons. I could not picture an adult parent being responsible for restraining his adult children. I needed to know more so I started with that footnote.

"And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents."

(Doctrine and Covenants 68:25)

What great sin did Eli commit? He didn't teach his children to understand the gospel. Wow, that is powerful. Eli was a high priest of Israel, he appears to have served faithfully. Yet, he didn't teach his sons as he should have and the price was to fall on his head too. It made me think of that famous quote by President David O. McKay “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”

Day 2398

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 2:12,17, 23-24

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 2:12,17, 23-24

" Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.

Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress."

These sons of Eli served in the temple as priests. I could not help but think of the interview I heard of those that used the temple unworthily, even sharing false doctrine with others there. Thankfully though not temple workers. I would not want to stand in the shoes of these individuals. I think the important thing to remember is the role I need to play. I need to be mindful and watchful because throughout time there have been those that want to pervert and abuse ordinances and doctrine and lead people astray. Just like the sons of Eli those that work in darkness eventually are brought to light. It made me think of the importance of spiritual self-reliance. One cannot afford to be without it.

"Spiritual self-reliance is essential to our eternal well-being. When we are spiritually self-reliant, our testimonies do not depend on the testimonies of others. We seek our own spiritual experiences through praying daily, studying the scriptures, and exercising faith in Jesus Christ. We turn to our Heavenly Father for His help to resolve our own difficult problems. We are also able to strengthen others in their times of spiritual need."

(Sunday School: Come, Follow Me, Youth 2017, November: Spiritual and Temporal Self-Reliance, "How can I become spiritually self-reliant?")

Day 2397

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 1:10-11

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 1:10-11

"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

Hannah was barren and wanted more than anything to have a child. We don't barter with the God, to get what we want, so I don't see Hannah's prayer as being that. I see it as Hannah's will was gone, and now she was ready to accept God's will in the matter. I see it as pure inspiration to ask for the blessing of a child, only to turn around and give him back to the Lord. It wasn't a child for her, it was a child for Him. She needed to be barren these many years and to suffer that broken heart to the point she became the mother God needed for the prophet Samuel. The one who would dedicate him to the Lord. The vow Hannah made was her being ready to be what He needed her to be as the mother of a prophet in Israel.

Day 2396

Today's Favorite Verse: Ruth 4:14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: Ruth 4:14-15

"And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him."

Through Boaz and Ruth, a son was born, for an inheritance for Naomi's son Mahlon. He would take care of her in her old age. The women's words were so prophetic for the restorer of life was not just this babe, but who would descend from this line, the Savior Jesus Christ.

Day 2395

Today's Favorite Verse: Ruth 3:18

Today's Favorite Verse: Ruth 3:18

"hen said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day."

I pondered on this advice is the very best of advice. I have learned to sit still and wait in so many instances where I have no control in the matter. The next move will only come after the free agency of any other comes into play. There is no sense in worrying about what happens next, or what the decision to be made is. When I trust that the Lord will make sure either way that it will be for my good, I then leave it in his hands. Life is much more peaceful until it is known which way the matter has fallen. Often I am pleasantly surprised by how perfect the outcome was for me.

Day 2394