Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 12:2, 17

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 12:2, 17
"And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place."

I was following the timeline where it first mentions Herold had James the brother of John killed by the sword, and it pleased the Jews. Then an angel released Peter from prison. When Peter arrives at the house of Mary, the mother of John, he tells them to go tell James what happened. I did a double take. Did Peter not know James was dead? Could he mean the other apostle James, the son of Alphaeus? I had to look that one up. It appears the James he is speaking of is the half-brother of Jesus, that is still alive.

Day 4154

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 11:26

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 11:26
"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."

It doesn't say who first called the disciples "Christians". Was it the non-believers like what I read with King Agrippa, and in the Book of Mormon? It is clear that God referred to his followers as saints. Saints is mentioned 36 times in the Old Testament, 62 times in the New Testament, and 28 times in the Book of Mormon.

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:"
(Ephesians 1:1)

"And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—
For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.
And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.
And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored."
(Alma 46:13-16)

Day 4153

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 10:12-15

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 10:12-15
"Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."

Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses but it appears that some of his Jewish followers still followed it, at least in what was considered clean and unclean to eat. I know later I will also read when other questions come up. Is it the changing of culture at that point? It made me think of how we are told the restoration is ongoing and not complete, there is more to come. It was after President Nelson was called as prophet that first heard the phrase "ongoing restoration". Up to that point I could not recall it being said like that. I decide to search the general conference talks for when that phrase was first used.

I found it in the Oct 2019 General Conference by a talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook. He used the phrase "ongoing Restoration" in reference to President Russell M. Nelson's earlier talk. That talk was about changes in policy regarding who may serve as witnesses to baptism and sealing ordinances. It also went over changes in the Young Women and Young Men classes. After that General Conference it was used more and more. So interesting to review that tonight when we are in preparation for another change to take place in a couple weeks.There has been so many changes in the last seven years. I am so grateful I have a heart that loves and embraces change.

Day 4152

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 9:4-6

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 9:4-6
"And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."

This made me ponder on judgment day when we will face the Lord. Like Saul, there will be no long speeches for justification for our sins and behaviors. It will be an absolute truth if we are found wanting. Thankfully for Saul he had years ahead of him to repent and be forgiven.

Day 4151

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 8:3, 9

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 8:3, 9
"As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:"

Two examples of men that had much to repent of, and they did. They are examples of how you can never write a person off as unredeemable and going to hell. It is not for us to judge. I would have been careful around them, but happy to see them change.

Day 4150

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 7:60

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 7:60
"And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

This is the story of Stephen, his testimony, and how he became a martyr. I was wondering if there was more information regarding "lay not this sin to their charge". Were they asking God to forgive them without repenting and be guiltless, or that the person had forgiven them for their actions. As I was reading I came across this story told in General Conference. I vaguely remember it. I felt to share it to honor their memory.

"During the Mexican Revolution, Rafael Monroy was the president of the small San Marcos Mexico Branch, and Vicente Morales was his first counselor. On July 17, 1915, they were apprehended by the Zapatistas. They were told they would be spared if they would give up their weapons and renounce their strange religion. Brother Monroy told his captors that he did not have any weapons and simply drew from his pocket his Bible and Book of Mormon. He said, “Gentlemen, these are the only arms I ever carry; they are the arms of truth against error.”
When no arms were found, the brethren were cruelly tortured to make them divulge where arms were hidden. But there were no arms. They were then taken under guard to the outskirts of the little town, where their captors stood them up by a large ash tree in front of a firing squad. The officer in charge offered them freedom if they would forsake their religion and join the Zapatistas, but Brother Monroy replied, “My religion is dearer to me than my life, and I cannot forsake it.”
They were then told that they were to be shot and asked if they had any request to make. Brother Rafael requested that he be permitted to pray before he was executed. There, in the presence of his executioners, he kneeled down and, in a voice that all could hear, prayed that God would bless and protect his loved ones and care for the little struggling branch that would be left without a leader. As he finished his prayer, he used the words of the Savior when He hung upon the cross and prayed for his executioners: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”  With that the firing squad shot both Brother Monroy and Brother Morales. "
(James E. Faust, "Discipleship", Oct 2006 General Conference)

In the talk President Faust then goes on to tell of reorganizing a stake in the area and interviewed a descendant of Rafel Monroy. He asked what happened to rest of Brother Monroy's descendants and was told that many had served missions and were faithful in the church.

Day 4149

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 6:13-14

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 6:13-14
"And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us."

I wondered if Stephen spoke of the law of Moses being fulfilled with Jesus Christ and done away with? Maybe that is the customs they speak of and are upset about. I did find something that points to that.

"Stephen and his defense, it appears that his opponents were angered by his teachings that the coming of Jesus Christ had redefined basic Jewish concepts regarding the land of Israel, the law of Moses, and the temple of Jerusalem. Stephen’s opponents “suborned men”, meaning that they persuaded men to commit perjury."
(New Testament Student Manual, "Chapter 30: Act 3-7")

Day 4148

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 5:38-39

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 5:38-39
"And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God."

When you think upon all the followers of Christ throughout the centuries it answers the question Gamaliel put forth. If it was of man it would come to nought, if of God it could not be overthrown. The same has happened with the restoration of the gospel in our day. There are over 17 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world.

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Matthew 7:20)

Day 4147

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 4:32, 34

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 4:32, 34
"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,"

The early saints lived a law of consecration and had all things in common. At the same time the saint in the America's did the same after the resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to them. So did the early saints of the restoration live a United Order and the law of consecration.

“And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift."
(4 Nephi 1:2-3)

I have often wondered how it would feel to live like that? I've often thought that if it was instituted today we would see the sifting of the wheat and tares among us. The law of consecration is still among us. All that we have should be used for the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. In some ways that is a harder law to live when no one is looking. I thought of a very simple example. My son had the calling of the ward bulletin each week. With it he needed to go to the chapel Sunday morning to print and prepare it for distribution. He decided he would consecrate the use of his printer, and I helped with toner and paper as a contribution to the ward. No one knew, no one ever asked why he wasn't at the chapel printing the bulletin from there. The bulletin just showed up. He never missed having the bulletin ready, even when we were sick we were able to leave it on the porch for someone else to pickup and take for us. That is a very simple way to take what we have and use it to build up the kingdom.

Day 4146

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
"The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

I thought Peter was so bold and bore a powerful testimony. I totally missed that he didn't tell them to repent and be baptized. Instead he told them to repent and be converted that their sins would be blotted out during the millennium, which is the time of refreshing. These were the people that crucified Christ.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) referred to Acts 3:17–19 and said that Peter was addressing those who had crucified Jesus. “[Peter] did not say to them, ‘Repent and be baptized, for the remission of your sins;’ but he said, ‘Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.’ [Acts 3:19.] … They could not be baptized for the remission of sins for they had shed innocent blood” (in History of the Church, 6:253)."

Day 4145

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 2:4-8

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 2:4-8
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?"

Prior to reading in Acts I was reading in the Book of Mormon, and it reminded me of this.

"For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding."
(2 Nephi 31:3)

The Lord is doing a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men. He has prepared a way for all to hear the gospel in their own language for their understanding. What a great missionary force is among us. The gift of tongues is spreading the gospel. The Book of Mormon has been translated fully into 115 languages. Selected portions are in an additional 21 languages, with an additional 26 language translations in progress. I love reading and listening to the experiences of the translators of the Book of Mormon.

Day 4144

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 1:24, 26

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 1:24, 26
"And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."

Why did they draw lots over who the next apostle would be? That isn't how it works now. Then I reflected on how in verse 4 Jesus commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father. Which would be the Holy Ghost. The day of Pentecost had not happened yet. They could not be lead completely by the Holy Ghost in the matter. They were using the best tools they had available. They had prayer and they could ask to be shown which one was chosen.

"Here again is set forth a significant and unique feature established by the Lord in the governance of His church. The right to nominate rests with the superior officer or officers at whatever the level. But that nomination must be sustained—that is, accepted and confirmed—by the membership of the Church. The procedure is peculiar to the Lord’s church. There is no seeking for office, no jockeying for position, no campaigning to promote one’s virtues. Contrast the Lord’s way with the way of the world. The Lord’s way is quiet, it is a way of peace, it is without fanfare or monetary costs. It is without egotism or vanity or ambition. Under the Lord’s plan, those who have responsibility to select officers are governed by one overriding question: “Whom would the Lord have?” There is quiet and thoughtful deliberation. And there is much of prayer to receive the confirmation of the Holy Spirit that the choice is correct.
We have sustained this afternoon a number of newly called officers. We welcome each with love and respect. Among these is Brother Robert D. Hales, to become a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. He fills a vacancy made by the passing of our beloved friend and associate, Elder Marvin J. Ashton. In filling that vacancy, each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve was at liberty to make suggestions. I am confident that in every case, there was solemn and earnest prayer. A choice was then made by the First Presidency, again after solemn and serious prayer. This choice was sustained by the Council of the Twelve. Today, the membership of the Church in conference assembled has sustained that choice.
I give you my testimony, my brethren, that the impression to call Brother Hales to this high and sacred office came by the Holy Spirit, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Brother Hales did not suggest his own name. His name was suggested by the Spirit."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, “God Is at the Helm,” April 1994 General Conference)

Day 4143

Today's Favorite Verse: John 21:25

Today's Favorite Verse: John 21:25
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."

This reminds me of the verse in the Book of Mormon that is similar..

"And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;"
(3 Nephi 26:6)

When I think that everything the Lord said is not contained in the scriptures, and then there are also lost and sealed portions of the scriptures, it drives my curiosity to a fever pitch. I want so badly to read all of it. One day I know I will get to read everything. Until then I treasure what I have and read and ponder on them.

Day 4142

Today's Favorite Verse: John 20:10-11

Today's Favorite Verse: John 20:10-11
"Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,"

Mary Magdalene came to the sepulcher early when it was still dark. She sees the stone has been taken away and Jesus was gone. She runs to tell the disciples. Peter and John run to the sepulcher. They also see it is empty and the placement of the linen clothes left behind. At this point Peter and John leave, but Mary stays behind weeping. When she looks into the sepulcher again she sees two angels and converses with them. Then she turns around and sees Jesus but doesn't know it is him at first. While reading this I picture the celestial room of the temple. How as the endowment session is over and people come into the room some immediately leave the room. Others will linger in quiet reflection, prayer and reading scriptures. They will leave at separate times. I thought about how if Mary had left with Peter and John she would had missed this private time with the Lord. Yes, there is a need to hurry about our Father's business, but there is also a need to quietly ponder and contemplate what we have seen, heard and felt.

Day 4141

Today's Favorite Verse: John 19:15

Today's Favorite Verse: John 19:15
"But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar."

The Caesar mentioned is Tiberius Caesar. He was the ruling Roman Emperor, supreme political figure at the time, and not a king. Being a "Caesar" was a royal title like the title "Pharoah" in Egypt, but not an official title like a king. The Jews were rejecting Jesus by calling Caesar their king, when even that wasn't true. I just found it rather interesting how they held up a political figure as their king when that wasn't his title. I pondered on how they were willing to worship Caesar as their king, instead of Jesus Christ. There is a lesson in there in making men kings before Jesus Christ.

Day 4140

Today's Favorite Verse: John 18:28

Today's Favorite Verse: John 18:28
"Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover."

This is rathering shocking. The Jewish leaders were concerned that they did not defile themselves before the passover, yet they would falsely accuse Jesus to have him put to death. That's giving the appearance of being religious and righteous, but rotten on the inside.

"The hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders was put on display when they led Jesus to Pilate to be judged. They would not enter into the hall of judgment, which was a Gentile structure, because doing so would make them ritually unclean and they desired to eat the Passover meal the next day. Yet at the same time, they were willing to falsely accuse Jesus before Pilate and seek His death
(New Testament Student Manual, Chapter 27:John 17-19)

Day 4139

Today's Favorite Verse: John 17:1

Today's Favorite Verse: John 17:1
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:"

Many times in the scriptures it says Jesus went alone to pray. We don't know what he prayed. I wondered who recorded Jesus’ intercessory prayer? Then I realized he was with his apostles when this was given. It was after introducing the sacrament and before he went to the Garden of Gethsemane. How would it have been to be an apostle and heard Him pray for them? At the very beginning of this prayer I am struck with Jesus' humility. He prays that the Father glorify him, so he can glorify the Father. That isn't trying to get praise or credit. That is wanting to complete His mission in a manner than brings glory to the Father.

Day 4138

Today's Favorite Verse: John 16:2-3

Today's Favorite Verse: John 16:2-3
"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."

Jesus was speaking to his apostles. Only John the beloved would not die a martyrs death. This made me reflect on Joan of Arc and William Tyndale both killed by religious leaders for their beliefs. I cannot think of any time after Jesus' resurrection, with the law of Moses fulfilled that God has asked a religious sect to kill others for their beliefs. Those that have killed others have been deceived thinking they were right. I pondered on Joseph and Hyrum Smith being murdered in the Cartage jail. I don't know if any of the mob thought they were doing God's service? Was that just politically motivated? Why such hate over people's religions? It is sad what people have done in the name of religion, when what they show is that they do not know the Father nor the Son.

Day 4137

Today's Favorite Verse: John 15:7

Today's Favorite Verse: John 15:7
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

That is not some genie wish. There is a condition on asking what we will. For what we ask for must be according to God's will. If we abide with the Lord the Spirit will teach us what to pray for, and not ask amiss. We will be one with the Lord in our desires. The greatest example to me is Nephi, the son of Helaman, in the Book of Mormon. He was given the sealing power. That all things would be done according to his word, BECAUSE the Lord knew he would not ask contrary to His will.

"Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will."
(Helaman 10:4-5)

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"
(1 John 5:14)

"And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you."
(3 Nephi 18:20)

"Inasmuch as they shall humble themselves before me, and abide in my word, and hearken to the voice of my Spirit."
(Doctrine and Covenants 112:22)

"Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;
And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation."
(Doctrine and Covenants 88:64-65)

Day 4136

Today's Favorite Verse: John 14:21, 23

Today's Favorite Verse: John 14:21, 23
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

I pondered on how the more you love the Father and the Son the easier it becomes to keep the commandments. You don't have to choose to keep them, you want to keep them.

Day 4135