Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 26:32

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 26:32
"And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish."

I thought about the taking of the name of God in vain, and contending. Those are two areas that bother me the most, because I've had to deal with it on a personal level. Being screamed at and sworn at are so abusive, and I just can't tolerate it. If you want me to listen to you then don't do those things. Otherwise, I just shut down and will leave. This reminded me of a story about President Kimball.

"President Kimball tells a personal experience he had in one of his many stays at the hospital:
"In the hospital one day I was wheeled out of the operating room by an attendant who stumbled, and there issued from his angry lips vicious cursing with a combination of the names of the Savior. Even half-conscious, I recoiled and implored: 'Please! Please! That is my Lord whose names you revile.'
"There was a deathly silence, then a subdued voice whispered, 'I am sorry.' He had forgotten for the moment that the Lord had forcefully commanded all his people, 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain' (Exodus 20:7.)"
President Kimball went on to relate that such language demonstrates many things about a person: that they do not have self-control, and that they do not demonstrate gratitude towards God.
(President Spencer W. Kimball, "President Kimball Speaks Out on Profanity," Ensign, February 1981, p. 3)

Day 3397

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Timothy 6:8-10

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Timothy 6:8-10
"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

First, be content with what you have. That is true gratitude to the Lord and what he sees fit to bless you and make you steward over.

Second, is a very powerful warning to "they that WILL be rich". The snare and temptation comes when you seek your WILL to be rich. I have seen to many fall, sadly by using worldly practices like the law of attraction. They seek their will and not God's will, with hearts set on the things of this world. Oh, they will get what they are seeking, but the giver is the son of perdition and he is not one you want to be beholden too. Money is not a problem unless the love of it over takes you. You covet and seek after it and will grow to never have enough. It will lead to destruction and sorrow. I am not impressed by people with wealth. I have no idea how you sought it and where your heart is, nor is it mine to know. But, it does not impress or motivate me. I am so grateful to have sufficient for my needs and I prefer it that way. It is far better than having all the money in the world and never being satisfied.

The only safe thing is to do as Jacob counseled.
"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."
(Jacob 2:18-19)

Do not believe the lie that Satan will tell you, that once you obtain riches then you will share and help others. It's all backwards. You seek to help by sharing what you already have and then you have sufficient for your needs and theirs. It's done quietly with an honest heart that needs no glory, praise or for boasting, for that intent is of the world and will come to not.

Day 3284

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 33:31

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 33:31

"And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

This weekend President Nelson posted on Facebook about being peacemakers. This was the same message he gave in the April 2023 General Conference.

"My dear friends, we need more peacemakers. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be just that in a world filled with conflict and turmoil. Vulgarity, faultfinding, and evil speaking of others are all too common. Too many pundits, politicians, entertainers, and other influencers throw insults constantly.

Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one. Contention never leads to solutions. We need people willing to put aside their differences, listen with understanding, and love one another as brothers and sisters, as Jesus did.

Let us follow the example of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. He taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). He challenged us to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

I invite you to become a peacemaker by examining how you treat others. I bless you to make any adjustments that may be needed so that your behavior is ennobling, respectful, and representative of a true follower of Jesus Christ."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Peacemakers Wanted", Facebook 11 Jun 2023)

It was very interesting reading the comments. It really saddened me to see people express their love for President Nelson and what he said, and then in the next breath give reasons why they still felt it necessary to contend, justifying it as a way to fight evil. It's basically saying yes, you are a prophet and we love you, but we won't listen to you.

Day 2994

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 13:5, 8, 13

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 13:5, 8, 13

"O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will."

Job is very bold as he testifies of his confidence in the Lord. I love how he tells his friends to hold their peace, and not contend, and in particular with God. That is advice we heard in general conference. This is the best advise and can keep us out of trouble.

"How does a peacemaker calm and cool the fiery darts? Certainly not by shrinking before those who disparage us. Rather, we remain confident in our faith, sharing our beliefs with conviction but always void of anger or malice.

Peacemakers are not passive; they are persuasive in the Savior’s way.

There are times when being a peacemaker means that we resist the impulse to respond and instead, with dignity, remain quiet."

(Elder Neil L. Andersen, "Following Jesus: Being a Peacemaker", Apr 2022, General Conference)

Day 2608

Today's Favorite Verse: Mosiah 28:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Mosiah 28:2
"That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them."

I pondered on what a beautiful thing it is to have a heart turned to God. For then there is love and mercy towards our brothers and sisters. There is forgiveness and friendship. The only way to cure contention is if both parties love God more than themselves. When we seek to tear down or destroy then the spirit of the Lord is no longer with that man.

Day 1857

Today's Favorite Verse: Philippians 2:14

Today's Favorite Verse: Philippians 2:14
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings:"

I pondered on this and decided I do to much of this. I need to do better. At least I could chuckle at myself, that it's not with "all things".  Funny how you have categories of pet peeves, I want none. I have to figure out a way to break that habit. With disputings it references contention and strife. Now I will have none of that. I end things quickly if contention appears, for the spirit flees at these times. I am fine letting others think they won the discussion, my opinions are my own. But, what I reflected on was politics and when is discussion right and wrong? There are times to reason things out. I guess the line is when you start to content with others, because no one gets anywhere with it. So I looked at murmuring and see if has the same line, it actually gets you no where. Language must have a useful purpose to improve and not tear down. I guess the things to ask myself is it helpful or kind?

Day 1678

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 14:19

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 14:19
"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."

I was pondering on how some see making peace as giving into what is against God's laws. Where is the middle ground? If I am to edify, then I would point people towards Christ in all that I say and do. I can be kind and peaceful as I try to be a good example of a follower of Christ. Does not mean people have to accept it, but they should know by my actions that I see them as a child of God and treat them as such. Found a good quote from President Dallin H. Oaks in the Oct 2014 General Conference talk, "Loving Others and Living with Differences".

"The early Apostles taught that we should “follow after the things [that] make for peace” and “[speak] the truth in love” “for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” In modern revelation the Lord commanded that the glad tidings of the restored gospel should be declared “every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness”  “with all humility, … reviling not against revilers”.

Even as we seek to be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or our values. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and error. There is no middle ground in that contest.The Savior showed the way when His adversaries confronted Him with the woman who had been “taken in adultery, in the very act”  When shamed with their own hypocrisy, the accusers withdrew and left Jesus alone with the woman. He treated her with kindness by declining to condemn her at that time. But He also firmly directed her to “sin no more”. Loving-kindness is required, but a follower of Christ—just like the Master—will be firm in the truth."



Day 1633

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

Today's Favorite Verse: John 7:41-43
"Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
So there was a division among the people because of him."

I sat here pondering for quite a while on how the people did not know Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Wouldn't the people in Galilee recalled Joseph and Mary's trip there to pay taxes? The wisemen visiting them there. How they then fled to Egypt before Herod killed all the boys two-years-old and younger there. Eventually, they came home. It's a little place, how would they not know this part of the story? Why were the people even discussing this when an inquiry could have been made to find out the truth? The scripture records this so obviously people did know the truth.

As I sat and pondered I remembered a conversation I had today with my husband. I had seen something on Facebook and as I always do I looked up the facts. I always marvel when I find how foolish someone is to post something and the facts are right there to be had if they had only looked. So that means people today are no different then people back in Christ's day. They believe only what others say is the truth and don't actually look for the truth. If you honestly seek for truth you can find it. If you do not want the truth then you are seeking to cause division, or it's an indication of spiritual blindness. 

Day 1577

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 12:32, 34

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 12:32, 34
"And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any questions."

This encounter makes me reflect on the different kind of event that happened at our house yesterday. Two men came to our door proselytizing. There was an older man training a younger man. My husband answered the door and had a polite conversation with them. I sat at the computer working but could hear everything, even though they did not know I was there. My husband did well explaining our faith when they asked what he believed. Then an interesting thing happened. This older man's attitude changed. It was like I could feel him came in for the kill. Odd thing to say about another Christian. The spirit immediately left and the man started to contend. I could feel the moment the spirit left our home. That I will not have. If you remove the spirit from being in my home you leave.

I'm sitting in a wheelchair so it's not easy to get up and go to the door. But I had to end this, as I was getting up from my chair I had one goal in mind. I would say, "What is the point here? We both believe in God, but have different views. We just need to end this discussion." I would have wished them a nice day as I closed the door and ended it. Funny how when I finally got to the door I said something totally different. I said very firmly "This has to end now, have a nice day." and then I pulled the door between the two men shut and was done with it. It was curious that the first impression I had was to ask a question. When I got there the spirit shut my mouth from asking it. I hadn't wanted to be so firm. Then I realized to ask a question would have just opened it up for him to contend more. There was no point I won't have contention in my home that makes the spirit flee. My husband told me afterwards he was glad I had done it, because he had been trying to figure out how to end the conversation when it turned like that.

So, I wonder what that has to do with this verse? I'm really not sure. I would certainly think these men are not coming back to ask me any questions. I truly did not feel any desire to discuss things with them, particularly since they made the spirit flee. So I guess the question is why did the scribes dare not to ask the Savior any more questions? Well I think its because they didn't want to know the answer. OK, now I get it. I told my husband that one of the reasons I knew I had to stop the men at the door was because I did not want to hear anything from their mouths that would cast doubt, especially since they had already made the spirit flee. Any words they felt they needed to share by contenting would not be inspired by God. 

Day 1544

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 5:25

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 5:25
"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison."

One thing I have found is that I have been accused at times of not listening. Actually what I have found is the person believes this simply because after my having heard their position I don't agree with them. Their definitions is to have heard them means I must agree. Society as a whole is getting into this nonsense too. I have found it simpler to just agree that is their position. Never stating mine for it honestly doesn't matter to them. They want no honest dialog, only that you agree with them. It is getting so perverse now that I see the merit in agreeing as a means of self preservation. Never would I have imagined that people can be arrested or lose their job over things that by God's laws are untruths. Letting a person hold his false beliefs, and agreeing that is how they see it, allows me to maintain my peace and not be of contention, nor lose the spirit. As Jesus was often pressed by the Pharisees and Sadducees I marvel at his wisdom in escaping the trap that had been set for him. As those that press for more than my agreeing on what their position is, I have learned to let the spirit guide in the matter on what peacefully needs to be said or suggested to divert them.

Day 1509

Today's Favorite Verse: Micah 6:14

Today's Favorite Verse: Micah 6:14
"Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword."

I had an interesting experience the other night and this verse reminded me of it. Someone that left my faith brought up religion to me. They gave me an earful's of all the "false doctrine" and scriptures I understand wrong. I think they unloaded on me because they thought this was their opportunity to do so. They raged and told me exactly where my faith was wrong for not believing what other Christians do. Now I know I can't talk religion to them because all they want to do is contend, and I won't participate in that. Loosing the spirit by contention is of more concern to me than winning any battle over scriptures. Even if I wanted to, this person would have never allowed me to rebut them anyways, so why start. I'm ok letting others believe whatever they want, just give me the same right to be left alone.

As they raged I just looked at them, because they left my faith to find another Christian religion. Now they think all religions are man made and stem from paganism. So, they proudly have no faith at all. They wanted me to believe something they didn't believe and were angry about it? Then as if reading my mind they said as they left the room. "Of course I don't believe any of that because religion is man made and I have no religion." How can they be angry with me over something they don't even believe and they know it?

Basically, they wanted me to eat of something that wouldn't fill me. They had nothing to deliver me. Yet they were angry when I wouldn't accept what they didn't believe was true. They were willing to pick up the sword to contend over something that didn't even fill them. Their only aim was to destroy my faith and leave me with nothing. I am just grateful I didn't pick up that sword and let them destroy my peace.

Day 1474

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 40:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 40:2
"Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it."

This made me think of those that want to change God's laws. They contend against the leaders of the church to attempt to make them see things their way. I have sat in wonder of it all, that they do not understand who's church this is. The head is Jesus Christ, and the leaders are those called by Him. Those against are basically saying they know better than God. So very like Lucifer in the pre-existence saying "I have a better plan". Those that tell God their plan is better than his will answer for it.


Day 1051

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezra 4:5

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezra 4:5
"And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia."

The chapter header describes what happened pretty well. "The Samaritans offer help, then hinder the work - The building of the temple and of the walls of Jerusalem ceases."

It appears because the "child of the captivity" (Judah and Benjamin) didn't agree to let the Samaritans help to build the temple that it caused the Samaritans to stop the work from happening. I reflected on if they should have let them help. Then I thought about the temples today. Would we let another group of people help build it?  I don't think so. Why? because then they would also want to use it. The temple is sacred and only those worthy of a temple recommend can enter. So were the Samaritans "unclean"?

I read in the Bible Dictionary about the Samaritans, they were a mixed population partly Israelite and partly gentile. Their reaction in not being allowed to help in the rebuilding of the temple shows me they were not worthy to be in the temple. So, it must have been the right thing for Judah to do.

It is interesting that the same tactics to stop any good work is used today. The counsellors then are like our lawyers and politicians, putting up road blocks at every turn. Just like Judah would not get their temple for many years because of this, we as a nation can't seem to get any good work done either with all the infighting. Who wins in all of this? No one, to dig a pit for your brother is to fall into it yourself.


Day 982