Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 10:23-24

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 10:23-24
"And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."

I pondered on how many through the years waited and wished they could see the time when the Messiah would come to the earth. They wanted to see Him and his works, and hear his words. Then I pondered on how many have waited for my day, as we prepare for the Lord's second coming.

"My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.
Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!...
My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah. So today I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ!
Come unto Christ and “offer your whole [soul]” to Him. This is the secret to a life of joy!
The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ. "
(Russell M. Nelson, "The Lord Jesus Will Come Again", Oct 2024 General Conference)

Day 4107

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 9:2, 6

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 9:2, 6
"And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where."

What stood out to me is the Jesus sent the apostles out to not only preach the gospel, but to also heal the sick. I pondered on why healing the sick? Is it because it's hard to listen when you're sick, take care of temporal needs before the spirit can be feed. Was it to show service? As I thought of all these reasons the thought that came to mind was "by their fruits shall ye know them:" I think that must be it. They were doing good works in Jesus name. This is how the Spirit could testify that they had power and authority through Jesus Christ.

Day 4106

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 8:7, 14

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 8:7, 14
"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."

The parable of the sower, and of particular the seeds that fell among thorns. It doesn't appear that the problem is having no roots that go deep enough, or someone saying things that destroy their faith. The problem is where they are spending their time. They care to much about the things of the world, riches, pleasures and have no fruit to show for it. The soil was good but they put obstacles in the way of receiving the spirit to guide them. Soon they just drifted off into the world.

It made me think of the time wasters. Never has it been so easy to waste our time. Tonight I was washing the dishes while listening to videos. I didn't realize my battery was low and suddenly my phone went dead. I proceeded to work in silence. I realized I don't often have silence around me. It's usually filled with hearing or reading something. I realized how much I missed that. Just me and my thoughts, which usually leads to really good impressions on things I need to do. Sometimes, we don't realize we have a lot of thorns around us, crowding out the Spirit from speaking to us. Before we know it our spiritual batteries run dry leaving us to the world.

Day 4105

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 7:41-43

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 7:41-43
"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged."

One of the most powerful stories in the Book of Mormon is the conversion of the people of Ammon, the Lamanites. They had a hatred of the Nephites and delighted in killing them. They felt they were robbed and justified in their actions. Yet, when they were converted they gave up all their sins and buried their weapons of war. They were a faithful people that would rather give up their lives then to deny the Christ. It was because of their complete repentance that the Spirit was poured out so abundantly to them. They had much to repent of and were forgiven and blessed.

"And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.
For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren."
(Alma 23:6-7)

Elder Neil L. Andersen: "Years ago, I was asked to meet with a man who, long before our visit, had had a period of riotous living. As a result of his bad choices, he lost his membership in the Church. He had long since returned to the Church and was faithfully keeping the commandments, but his previous actions haunted him. Meeting with him, I felt his shame and his deep remorse at having set his covenants aside. Following our interview, I placed my hands upon his head to give him a priesthood blessing. Before speaking a word, I felt an overpowering sense of the Savior’s love and forgiveness for him. Following the blessing, we embraced and the man wept openly.
“I am amazed at the Savior’s encircling arms of mercy and love for the repentant, no matter how selfish the forsaken sin. I testify that the Savior is able and eager to forgive our sins. Except for the sins of those few who choose perdition after having known a fulness, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven. What a marvelous privilege for each of us to turn away from our sins and to come unto Christ. Divine forgiveness is one of the sweetest fruits of the gospel, removing guilt and pain from our hearts and replacing them with joy and peace of conscience” (“Repent … That I May Heal You,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 40–41)."
(New Testament Student Manual, "Chapter 16: Luke 4-8")

Day 4104