Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 18:14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 18:14-15
"And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him."

These verses reminded me of these.

"And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;
And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.
And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.
And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy."
(Doctrine and Covenants 45:66-71)

Because David behaved wisely, having a deep love and trust in God, keeping all the laws and commandments, not of a contentious nature, and people love him, the wicked (Saul) were afraid of him. Saul sought to have David die in battle, which didn't happen. It made me ponder on how Zion will look terrible to the wicked. Zion will not be at war with one another. I used to think it was physically battles all around. Now I think it more a battle of words and opinions. The only ones that are not contending will be a Zion people. We will be at peace while the world is growing ever darker. The wicked can not stand up against goodness. The wicked dig pits against others and then fall into it. They cannot stop truth and are afraid of it.
"The standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done."
—Joseph Smith, 1842

Day 3829

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 6:48

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 6:48

"And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them."

I wondered why the Lord would have walked pass them if they had not called out to him? He obviously saw them, for it says he saw them toiling in rowing, struggling at their oars. It also says he cometh unto them. So He's watching them, knows where they are, comes to them and then would have passed by them.

The next verses continue:

"But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid."

When it says the apostles saw him and were troubled, the footnotes says they were terrified. It's not clear if they thought Jesus was the spirit or something else. Sound like they thought it was ghost. I would think it would be their fear that made Jesus almost pass them by. That made me ponder on fear.

Bible Dictionary: Fear

"Care should be taken to distinguish between two different uses of this word. The “fear of the Lord” is frequently spoken of as part of man’s duty (Ps. 111:10; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 11:2–3; Luke 1:50); it is also described as “godly fear” (Heb. 12:28). In such passages fear is equivalent to reverence, awe, worship, and is therefore an essential part of the attitude of mind in which we ought to stand toward the All-holy God. On the other hand fear is spoken of as something unworthy of a child of God, something that “perfect love casteth out” (1 Jn. 4:18). The first effect of Adam’s sin was that he was afraid (Gen. 3:10). Sin destroys that feeling of confidence God’s child should feel in a loving Father and produces instead a feeling of shame and guilt. Ever since the Fall God has been teaching men not to fear, but with penitence to ask forgiveness in full confidence of receiving it."

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

Proverbs 29:25)

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

(2 Timothy 1:7)

"Wherefore, I, the Lord, have said that the fearful, and the unbelieving, and all liars, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, and the whoremonger, and the sorcerer, shall have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

(Doctrine and Covenants 63:17)

That verse reminded me of the verses that followed in this chapter.

"And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."

(Mark 6:51-52)

That was the cause of their fear, they had not considered the miracles they had already witnessed. Their hearts were hardened and closed off. They were unbelieving that Christ could perform this miracle of walking on water. When we doubt and are unbelieving we won't receive any greater witness. It required an act of faith for them cry out. That is a great lesson. If we are unsure, or doubting, it's important to cry out to the Lord. He will answer us.

"Ye endeavored to believe that ye should receive the blessing which was offered unto you; but behold, verily I say unto you there were fears in your hearts, and verily this is the reason that ye did not receive."

(Doctrine and Covenants 67:3)

Day 3122

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 23:8

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 23:8
"And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames."

I have had a great feeling of soberness come over me tonight. I've been giggling at different memes regarding the times we are living in. All of sudden I felt I need to be careful of "loud laughter". People seriously are afraid and with that rational things are not done. I've also see how the Lord has been preparing me for months, and in the past weeks and days to do specific things that have been a great blessing to our home. This chapter just extended my soberness for it speaks of the destruction before the Second Coming. We do live in extraordinary days. Today has been extraordinary.

I made some notes earlier on my impressions on this verse.

"They won't look to the Lord, but face one another. That is why they have pains and sorrow. They will not turn to the Lord to comfort or heal them. Those that turn to the Lord and face him during the end times will live. Just like Moses and the brass serpent, the children of Israel only needed to look towards it and live, and some perished because of the simpleness of the way. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace looked to Christ and he appeared to them. The flames touched them not. Those that face each other and not the Lord will be consumed by the flames."

Day 1808

Today's Favorite Verse: John 14:27

Today's Favorite Verse: John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

This is a promise that never fails me. When I truly turn to the Lord for comfort and peace he's always there. I am never alone. What comfort that gives my heart.

I found this treasure of a video of Howard W. Hunter telling the story of Jesus walking on the water, the importance of not taking our eyes off Christ.



Day 1584

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 2:4-5

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 2:4-5
"And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession."

I pondered on what good advice this is. Even if people are afraid of me for whatever reason, I am not to meddle with them. It is best to leave people alone. In the long run that will be a protection to me. The same goes for any group of people. A better man will not show dominance or power over weaker people, or those they have no direction from the Lord to interfere with. We do not know what the Lord may have promised them. The business we need to be about is God's will for us.


Day 730