Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 18:25, 32-35

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 18:25, 32-35

"And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water."

I learned a few things while studying this. The first is that the prophets of Baal worshipped a "Sun-god". Elijah offering this "contest" to see which god could consume the offering with fire was right of their alley. This is what they claimed their god could do. Yet, they rigged their altars with fires beneath them to make sacrifices. This is why Elijah tells them to put no fire under.

Then Elijah builds an altar to the Lord and had the people drench the trench in water. That way no fire could come from beneath. Then no one could claim there was any trickery, but only made possible by the Lord. Elijah shows absolute faith in the power of the true God which is then manifested.

Day 2468

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 17:12-15

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 17:12-15

"And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days."

The story of the prophet Elijah and the widow of Zarephath always reminds me of food storage. Elijah had the sealing power and the heavens were shut up for three and a half years. I do not have the space to store three and a half years worth of food, much less a year supply as is the goal. What I do is make sure I store as much as I can as well rounded as possible. Then we rotate it as we eat from our stores. When the pandemic hit in 2020 I was so grateful for what I had put aside.

Though there was one item in my food storage that I was low on before the pandemic hit. I kept asking my husband to stop by the Home Storage Center to pickup a case of powdered milk. It's cheaper to pick it up than to order it online. I felt the need was urgent but he never did. Weeks went buy with it on the shopping list but never picked up. Then as if overnight it was suddenly to late. The pandemic hit and the Home Storage Center was cleaned out. I couldn't even order any powdered milk online. It just made me sick that he never listened to my request and bought it as I had asked. I was down to just a few packages of powered milk at this point. Each time I opened a package of milk I would place it in a large glass canning jar. That jar seemed to empty so slowly, that handful of packages of powered milk lasted me for months. I was down to the last package before I could finally order more again. So many times I thought of the widow of Zarephath's barrel of meal that never wasted as she feed the prophet Elijah, her child and herself throughout the famine. When we honestly try our best blessings do come. The important thing is to listen to the council of a prophet and follow it.

When President Nelson told us in the October 2020 Women's Session of General Conference to never stop preparing I took those words to heart. My level of preparedness has not change throughout this pandemic.

"For decades, the Lord’s prophets have urged us to store food, water, and financial reserves for a time of need. The current pandemic has reinforced the wisdom of that counsel. I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared. But I am even more concerned about your spiritual and emotional preparation.

I promise that as we create places of security, prepare our minds to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless us. He will “deliver us; yea, insomuch that he [will] speak peace to our souls, and [will] grant unto us great faith, and … cause us that we [can] hope for our deliverance in him.”

As you prepare to embrace the future with faith, these promises will be yours!"

(Russell M. Nelson, "Embrace the Future with Faith", Oct 2020 General Conference)

Day 2467

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 16:13, 25-26

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 16:13, 25-26

"For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.

For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities."

What stood out to me was the word "vanities". I looked up what vanity means.

Excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit

An instance or display of this quality or feeling

Something about which one is vain or excessively proud

Lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness

I pondered on how destructive pride is because it's the only tool Satan has against a righteous man. When you can flatter a person's vanity or pride you can destroy them, and all those that follow them.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

(Proverbs 16:18)

"For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:"

(Isaiah 2:12)

"O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish."

(2 Nephi 9:28)

Day 2466

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 15:11, 25-26, 33-34

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 15:11, 25-26, 33-34

"And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin."

In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin."

This part of the bible reminds me of the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon. When we are told the summary of a person's life. They did right in the eyes of the Lord, or they did evil. The same pattern of evil leaders causing their people to also sin.

Day 2465

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 14:9

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 14:9

"But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:"

Here is something Elder Wirthlin said about Jeroboam.

"The Lord chose Jeroboam and promised remarkable blessings to him if only he would obey the commandments and journey to higher ground. After Solomon’s death, the words of the prophet were fulfilled, and ten of the twelve tribes of Israel followed Jeroboam.

After receiving such favor, did the new king obey the Lord?

Unfortunately, he did not. He set up golden calves and encouraged his people to worship them. He created his own “priesthood” by selecting whomsoever he would, consecrating them to be “priests of the high places.” In short, in spite of the great blessings he had received from the Lord, the king was evil above all those before him. In later generations, Jeroboam was the standard by which evil kings of Israel were compared.

Because of such wickedness, the Lord turned away from Jeroboam. As a result of the king’s wickedness, the Lord decreed that the king and all of his family would be destroyed until not one was left. This prophecy was later fulfilled to the letter. The seed of Jeroboam perished from the earth."

(Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Journey to Higher Ground", Oct 2005 General Conference)

Day 2464

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 13:4-6

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 13:4-6

" And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before."

There are others scriptures that speak of men that seek for a sign. The sign given is on them. The story of Alma and Korihor comes to mind.

" Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance.

Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma."

(Akna 39:49, 50)

There is another story of Joseph Smith, Jr. and a Campbellite preacher and what he taught him about signs.

When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was first founded, you could see persons rise up and ask, “What sign will you show us that we may be made to believe?” I recollect a Campbellite preacher who came to Joseph Smith, I think his name was Hayden. He came in and made himself known to Joseph, and said that he had come a considerable distance to be convinced of the truth. “Why,” said he, “Mr. Smith, I want to know the truth, and when I am convinced, I will spend all my talents and time in defending and spreading the doctrines of your religion, and I will give you to understand that to convince me is equivalent to convincing all my society, amounting to several hundreds.”

Well, Joseph commenced laying before him the coming forth of the work, and the first principles of the Gospel, when Mr. Hayden exclaimed, “O this is not the evidence I want, the evidence that I wish to have is a notable miracle; I want to see some powerful manifestation of the power of God, I want to see a notable miracle performed; and if you perform such a one, then I will believe with all my heart and soul, and will exert all my power and all my extensive influence to convince others; and if you will not perform a miracle of this kind, then I am your worst and bitterest enemy.”

“Well,” said Joseph, “what will you have done? Will you be struck blind, or dumb? Will you be paralyzed, or will you have one hand withered? Take your choice, choose which you please, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ it shall be done.” “That is not the kind of miracle I want,” said the preacher. “Then, sir,” replied Joseph, “I can perform none, I am not going to bring any trouble upon anybody else, sir, to convince you.

I will tell you what you make me think of—the very first person who asked a sign of the Savior, for it is written, in the New Testament, that Satan came to the Savior in the desert, when he was hungry with forty days' fasting,” and said, “If you be the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread.” “And now,” said Joseph, “the children of the devil and his servants have been asking for signs ever since; and when the people in that day continued asking him for signs to prove the truth of the Gospel which he preached, the Savior replied, “It is a wicked and an adulterous generation that seeketh a sign,”.

But the poor preacher had so much faith in the power of the Prophet that he daren't risk being struck blind, lame, dumb, or having one hand withered, or anything of the kind." 

(George A. Smith, "Arguments of Modern Christian Sects, Etc.", JD 2:323)

Day 2463

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 12:6, 8

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 12:6, 8

"And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:"

The footnote for "old men" is elders, and that made me think of the prophet and apostles, the Elders of the Church. King Rehoboam listened to those that gave him the counsel he wanted to hear, which came at his own peril. I see the same thing happening today.

Day 2462

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 11:4, 7-8

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 11:4, 7-8

"For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods."

Solomon had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and not all where given of the Lord. Some of these wives were "strange women" of nations that the children of Israel were told not to marry into. "For surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love." (vs. 3)

With all the wisdom Solomon had, his heart was his downfall. I can just picture him thinking that it was a good thing to make his wives happy by helping them worship their gods. Then as a man of wisdom decides to learn more about them. It's so easy to think there is no harm in learning more about other religions and beliefs. I know I have caught myself at times doing that. Which is a rather interesting experience. There seems to be some fine line where it's ok to learn a few things, and then you have to step back and put it aside. I had such an experience just recently.

I have been following this particular news story and there was a rather large news dump on items found during the investigations. I found it just so bizarre how these individuals, that professed to be of my same faith, could come up with such perverted and twisted beliefs that sounded nothing like it. It didn't make any sense which lead to a fascination in trying to understand it. I found myself reading one article after another on them. Then I listened to various interviews which afterwards my daughter and I would talk about how bizarre they were.

Then in the middle of an article I was told by the spirit, "That is enough. Don't touch it or look any more on that subject." I had all the information that I needed. To go any further would be crossing the line. I was told I would never makes any sense of this, because this is Satan's realm, and it is designed by him to be that way. So, right at the height of being so engrossed in a story I had to walk away. Which I did and immediately any desire to read anything about this story left me. The understanding I was to gain was how the adversary works, but not in what he teaches.

This experience makes me appreciate how Solomon could go from fascination in trying to understand his strange wives, into letting it consume and over power him into the realm of embracing Satan's teachings. You simply cannot mess with the adversary, which truly is at the core of their beliefs. Confusion and trying to understand it is Satan's tool, and that is how he draws you in.

Day 2461

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 10:14, 24

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 10:14, 24

"Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,

And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. "

What gave me pause at first was the number 666. It reminded me of Revelation 13:18 and the mark of the beast.

"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."

As I read the inventory in the chapter I couldn't get over how many times the number six is used. Then that Solomon obtained all these things from his wisdom that God had given him. I don't know what the mark of the beast with 666 will be. I have long since decided that any last day prophecies that I imaged when fulfilled are nothing like I thought they would be. What this does tell me is that it will be identified through wisdom from God. I have every confidence that something so vitally important will be identified by a prophet of God. Those that are wise will seek his counsel and advice just like they did with Solomon.

Day 2460

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 9:4

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 9:4

"And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:"

I pondered on "integrity of heart". That seems to be a foreign concept to some. I think of the person as being honest in all their dealings and trustworthy. I think nothing disappoints me more than someone that has no qualm about lying. It's amazing me how they think I cannot see right through it. I guess the adversary blinds them to that fact.

"I love both ancient and modern-day scriptures that use the phrase “integrity of heart” when describing a righteous person’s character. Integrity or the lack of integrity is a fundamental element of one’s character. Men who have “integrity of heart” are men to be trusted—because trust is built on integrity.Being a man of integrity simply means your intentions, as well as your actions, are pure and righteous in all aspects of your life, both in public and in private. With each decision we make, we either merit more of God’s trust or diminish His trust."

(Richard J. Maynes, "Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family", Oct 2017 General Conference)

Day 2459

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 8:54

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 8:54

"And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven."

Solomon dedicated the House of the Lord. As I was reading this dedicatory prayer I thought about how similar it is when we dedicate a temple. At one point he speaks of if the people sin against God and he is angry with them, and they are carried captive by their enemies, that He listens to their prayers to return. That does eventually happen. The dedicatory prayer is given by inspiration and an important message for those residing there.

Day 2458

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 7:23, 25

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 7:23, 25

"And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward."

The molten sea, resting on the back of twelve oxen. I see that in every House of the Lord. This is where we perform vicious baptisms for our deceased ancestors.

"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"

(1 Corinthians 15:29)

Day 2457