Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:10-11
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter."

Why would godly sorrow cause revenge? Out of everything Paul listed as being the result of repentance with godly sorrow, why would revenge be amongst them?

Today's definition: Revenge is the act of retaliating against a person or group to get even for a real or perceived wrong. A desire for retribution or vengeance, often driven by anger, a need to restore honor, or a "bitter desire to injure another".

That sure didn't sound like what Paul was referring to, nor praising the saint for. I could see restore honor, but now I wonder if it could be a translation issue? I decided to search online for the meaning of revenge and learned that the word translated as "revenge" in the King James Version (KJV) means vindication, justice, or the punishment of wrong, rather than personal malice or spite.

Vindication would show the church proved itself innocent and serious about following God's commands. It cleared its name through proper church discipline. Paul was commending them for taking serious action against unrepentant sin in the community. The church disciplined the wrongdoer, removed complicity, and restored moral and spiritual order. Now that I can understand.

Day 4209

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

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 12:30

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 12:30
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

I pondered on the challenge with this commandment. How am I sure that I love God with all my heart and soul? Are there things that I place greater importance on at times? Does my mind wander? It certainly takes all your heart and strength to make sure you place nothing above God. I really appreciate my scripture time when I can evaluate my course and direction, and make corrections are needed.

Day 4093

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 7:8-9

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 7:8-9
"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

This made me think of culture and traditions that we may assume are commandments but are not. The example of washing of pots and hands were not part of the law of Moses or commandments. They maybe good things to do for cleanliness sake, but not something you sin over. Many times I've told my children that something was a cultural tradition, and not an official position of the church.

For example it's a cultural tradition that deacons wear a white shirt when passing the sacrament. President David O. McKay taught that a white shirt contributes to the sacredness of the holy sacrament, but was never a requirement. While I was pondering over this, one of my children sent me a picture of a supposed new design for our chapels. The sacrament table was in the front beneath the pulpit. To me the source looked questionable so I don't give it much value. What was more important for me to note to my child is that there is nothing special in the layout of the chapel. I would call it tradition. I've attended sacrament in many interesting locations. We had sacrament for several months in the middle of the field where our chapel was going to be built. That winter we met in an auction barn. The important thing is meeting together and partaking of the sacrament. The building is just fluff. If moving the sacrament table helps members focus more intently on what it represents then its fine with me. I keep my eyes closed the whole time anyways.

Day 4088

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 36:26-27

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 36:26-27
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

It is with a mighty change of heart that we turn to the Lord, and are born again. We will have His spirit to always be with us. Our hearts will desire to walk in this statutes, keep His laws and all that He asks of us. The place to start is within our hearts. I am reminded of king Lamoni and his mighty change of heart and desire for eternal life.

"And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest."
(Alma 22:15-16)

Day 4022

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 29:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 29:4
"But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales."

I pondered on what a bunch of trouble that fish would be in, simple because he found something that looked very tempting and went after it. Once he's bitten and now hooked in the jaw he is at the mercy of the fisherman. The fish is then moved not completely under its own power. As it is moved it starts to stick to other things until it is completely powerless and able to be devoured. People can be a lot like fish. I thought about the commandments and how they are a protection to us. They prevent us from being hooked in the jaw and start spiraling downward.

Day 4020

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 7:23

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 7:23
"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you."

I love this covenant relationship and commandment. Obey God and in turn He will walk with us. What more can I ask for.

Day 3994

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 29:13

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 29:13
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"

This makes me think of those that treat Jesus like a genie in a bottle. Someone to call out for when they need help, but stuffed back in the bottle and placed on a shelf afterwards. They love the concept of a Jesus, just not his words or commandments. We can profess our love for Jesus, but God can see if our hearts are far removed from Him. If we loved Him we would do what he says.

Day 3979

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 71:3

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 71:3
"Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress."

I pondered how commandments are a protection to me. When I have broken commandments I have been in bondage of my own making. Keeping commandments have saved me from physical and mental destruction, and brought safety and peace. This reminds me of the story Elder Keetch once told in General Conference about a group of surfers and how they came to appreciate the barrier in place for their safety.

Day 3926

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 10:31

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 10:31
"And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt."

This reminded me of when I was a kid and the stores would close on Sunday. I actually think there were laws against them being open. Slowly over the years that began to change. I'm not really sure what stores are closed now. I actually don't go shopping on Sunday to find out. Which actually is the point. If people kept the Sabbath day holy and didn't shop, there would be no desire for store to be open in the first place.

“I was in another stake, also in a reorganization program, and another brother was considered for one of the highest positions; and when we asked him of his occupation, he said he was a grocer by trade. ‘Well, most of the stores keep open on the Sabbath. Do you?’ ‘We lock our store on Sunday,’ he said. ‘But how can you compete with these people who are open seven days a week?’ ‘We compete. At least we get along very well,’ was his reply. ‘But would not the Sabbath be your biggest day?’ ‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘we would probably sell twice as much on the Sabbath as we would on an average day, but we get along without it, and the Lord has been kind; he has been gracious; he has been good.’ … And I could not refrain from saying, ‘God bless you, my faithful brother. The Lord will not be unmindful of these seeming sacrifices. Your dollars are clean. They will surely not hinder you in finding your way into the kingdom of God.
We note that in our Christian world in many places we still have business establishments open for business on the sacred Sabbath. We are sure the cure of this lies in ourselves, the buying public. Certainly the stores and business houses would not remain open if we, the people, failed to purchase from them.”
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 16: The Sabbath-A Delight)

Day 3885

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 1:5

Today's Favorite Verse: Nehemiah 1:5
"And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:"

This reminded me of this scripture.

"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."
(Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21)

Consequences whether good or bad are predicated on the law we obey or chose not to. It is so much easier to obey God's law then to turn on backs on Him and do it on our own. One of the easiest laws to see the cause and effect is with tithing.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
(Malachi 3:10)

Day 3882

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 17:9

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 17:9
"Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee."

This is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. There was drought and famine in the land. Elijah had hid by the brook Cherith and the ravens had feed him. When the brook dried up this verse is the word of the Lord that came to him. What I noticed is the Lord said He commanded the widow woman to sustain Elijah. Yet, when Elijah speaks to the widow to bring him a little water and a morsel of bread she says she was gathering stick to feed her and her son and then they would die. That does not sound like a women that had been waiting for a prophet of the Lord to come and she would feed him. It's very different than the story of Alma and Amulek. Amulek had been prepared to feed a prophet when he met him.

"And as he entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?
And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.
And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought forth bread and meat and set before Alma."
(Alma 8:19-21)

Why is the widow of Zarephath so different? As I was pondering on this I wondered if the word "command" could have a different meaning? I found it could also mean ordained, chosen or appointed. Any of those words would make sense. The Lord hadn't told the widow of His will to feed Elijah, but being a faithful women she came to know His will when the request was made. She had been chose of the Lord and prepared to act in faith.

Day 3847

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Samuel 6:3, 6-7

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Samuel 6:3, 6-7
" And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God."

Its hard to understand at first why steading the ark so it wouldn't fall was worthy of death. Then I thought of Adam and Eve being told to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Who would think eating something was worthy of being banished from the garden, and have to one day face mortal death. There are strict commands that God has given man, and with them consequences. Adam and Eve were warned about what would happen if they ate the fruit. This made me go back to find when God warned about touching the ark.

"And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation."
(Numbers 4:15)

God doesn't lie. He commandments are clear. There are times we need to just stand aside and let God do His work and not get in the way. The Lord or His angels could have come to steady the ark.

Day 3835

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 7:11-13

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 7:11-13
"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you."

Israel was defeated in battle against Ai and Joshua is grieved. He doesn't understand why they were defeated. Then the Lord tells him that they had taken of the accursed thing and stolen. Joshua questions them and finds Achan had taken a Babylonish garment and silver and gold and hid it. For that Achan and his family, oxen, asses, sheep and tent are all taken to the valley and stoned and burned. That just seems so horrific. We don't see those things today. We are to live a higher law and I pondered on that. I pondered on the apostates and the damage they have done to the church. How the work of the Lord is at times frustrated because of them. What comes upon them instead of physical death is spiritual death. It made me think about how people can lie that they are temple worthy to go in, and how that really effects all of us. Can you imagine what we would see there if all that came into the House of the Lord was truly worthy?

"And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it;
Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.
But if it be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come into unholy temples."
(Doctrine and Covenants 97:15-17)

Day 3810

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 12:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 12:4
"And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me."

Was I was remembering something wrong? For some reason I thought the tables that the Lord first wrote on contained more than what He wrote the second time. Where did I think that was true? First I went over the scriptures.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them."
(Exodus 24:12)

"And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount."
(Exodus 32:15-16, 19)

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest."
(Exodus 34:1)

I still felt I was missing something I read earlier. That is when I turned to the Old Testament Student Manual and finally found this. There were words taken out.

(12-24) Exodus 34:1–4. Did Both Sets of Tablets Contain the Same Material?
...After their coming down Moses is again commanded to go up; and God promises to give him tables of stone, containing a law and precepts, ver. 12. This is the first place these tables of stone are mentioned; and thus it appears that the ten commandments, and several other precepts, were given to and accepted by the people, and the covenant sacrifice offered, [24:5], before the tables of stone were either written or mentioned.’ It is very likely that the commandments, laws, &c., were first published by the Lord in the hearing of the people; repeated afterwards by Moses; and the ten words or commandments, containing the sum and substance of the whole, afterwards written on the first tables of stone, to be kept for a record in the ark.” (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:474.)
This analysis would answer a frequently asked question, How did the Lord put the whole law of Moses on two tablets? The tablets, it seems, contained only the divine summary called the Ten Commandments. Joseph Smith added additional information when he reworked the first two verses of this chapter:
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two other tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also, the words of the law, according as they were written at the first on the tables which thou brakest; but it shall not be according to the first, for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst; therefore my holy order, and the ordinances thereof, shall not go before them; for my presence shall not go up in their midst, lest I destroy them.
“But I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment; for I have sworn in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my presence, into my rest, in the days of their pilgrimage. Therefore do as I have commanded thee, and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me, in the top of the mount.” (JST, Exodus 34:1–2.)
At first reading, this passage may sound contradictory. The Lord says He will write on the second tablets “according as they were written at the first on the tables which thou brakest” (v. 1) but then He says, “but it shall not be according to the first”. The problem lies in determining what “it” refers to: the writing on the tablets, or the new order of things introduced because of the rebellion of Israel. The information following the “it” seems to refer to the new order and not the new writings. But the Joseph Smith Translation of Deuteronomy 10:2 makes it clear that the two sets of plates contained the same thing, with one exception:
And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou brakest, save the words of the everlasting covenant of the holy priesthood, and thou shalt put them in the ark” (JST, Deuteronomy 10:2; emphasis added).
(Old Testament Student Manual, "Exodus 21-24; 31-35: The Mosaic Law: A Preparatory Gospel")

Day 3800

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 15:38-39

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 15:38-39
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:"

This made me think of the reason we wear garments today. I also thought about a video that spoke of sacred clothing of various religions.

What Were the Fringes on the Garment?
A symbol is one thing that represents another. One use of symbols is to remind us of our important commitments. For example, the bread and water of the sacrament are symbols that remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice for us and of our covenants with Him. Israel practiced the law of sacrifice for a similar reason.
Similarly, the Lord commanded wandering Israel to fringe the borders of their garments so that when they looked upon the fringes they would be reminded of the commandments of the Lord (see v. 39).
Clothing is used to cover, protect, and beautify. To put fringes on an article of clothing symbolized that an individual is clothed, or covered, with the commandments of God.
The ribbon of blue also symbolically suggested concepts of deep importance. Blue signifies the heavens and so symbolizes the spiritual realm or godliness (see Fallows, Bible Encyclopedia, s.v. “colors,” 1:440).
“The zizith [tassel] on the sky-blue thread was to serve as a memorial sign to the Israelites, to remind them of the commandments of God, that they might have them constantly before their eyes and follow them, and not direct their heart and eyes to the things of this world, which turn away from the word of God, and lead astray to idolatry.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:3:104.)
(Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel, "Numbers 13-36: Wilderness Wanderings, Part 2")

Day 3789

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 15:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 15:16
"Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased."

I pondered on being purchased and bought with a price.

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s."
(1 Corinthians 6:20)

"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."
(1 Corinthians 7:23)

The Lord redeemed Israel by delivering them from Egypt. They were bought with a price. As are all of us, for the Lord has truly redeemed us from the fall. We will be released from the bondage of death. We can never pay Him back, the price it to great. It was bought with His precious blood. What is asked is to honor the gift by honoring and obeying Him, repenting and keeping his commandments.

Day 3767

Today's Favorite Verse: Ether 5:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Ether 5:1
"And now I, Moroni, have written the words which were commanded me, according to my memory; and I have told you the things which I have sealed up; therefore touch them not in order that ye may translate; for that thing is forbidden you, except by and by it shall be wisdom in God."

I wondered what was according to Moroni's memory? It must be what he was commanded to write. Was it everything in the Book of Ether? The parts he could include and what not to?

In Ether 4:4 he says he has written the very things which the brother of Jared saw.

"Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord."
(Ether 4:5)

It sounds like Moroni wrote on the plates what the brother of Jared saw, then sealed them. The book of Ether itself must be from his memory. That is a lot of generations and names to remember. That is how oral histories have been handed down for generations.

As I was trying to research this idea I found that Hugh Nibley pointed out the book of Ether has many similarities with epic poetry from all over the world. "Epics are long poems that stem from oral tradition that are about heroic figures or the history of a nation, and Nibley argued that the book of Ether was originally an epic." "Modern archaeological evidence suggests that writings spread across Mesoamerica between 900 and 500 BC, meaning that there may not have been a written history of the Jaredite kings until late Jaredite times. If this is correct, that would mean that Ether was originally composed orally, and was only written down later. This would explained why, as Nibley has argued, the book of Ether is similar to other orally-composed epic poetry—because the author was using the kinds of conventions common in many oral cultures. These conventions would have been preserved in the text when Ether finally wrote the work down, but Moroni’s abridgement left the modern reader with only glimpses of this oral style."
(Scripture Central, "Why Is The Book of Ether an Epic?", Aug 20, 2020)

Day 3568

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 22:2, 31

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 22:2, 31
"And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.
Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen."

The words "And thus it is" really stood out to me. The gospel really is simple, listen to the Lord's prophets, listen to the Spirit, be obedient to God's commandments. Then endure to the end, the best part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where you come to know Him, because you love him and need him, that is the only way to endure. Have faith believing all these words will come true and you will be saved at the last days. "And thus it is."

Day 3371

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 John 5:3

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 John 5:3
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

I pondered on "commandments are not grievous", meaning burdensome, or oppressive. Somewhere over the years I have had a change of heart on this. I used to wonder how close can I come to being wicked, without being wicked? Oh, the follies of being a youth.

I've not heard commandments referred to in this manner, but they are joyful to me. Commandments have become a source of protection and offer security. It is an honor to keep them. Like many laws there are reasons for them and those reasons are to keep me and others safe. I'm not going to go swim in the ocean if there is a sign that says "No swimming, shark infested waters". Of course, I have my moments and I am not wise in all the ways commandments can be broken. But, what I do know I am grateful. I know God has patience with me as I repent and try to do better at keeping his commandments. In many ways that continued dialog makes me feel loved and watched over.

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
(1 John 2:3)

Day 3323