Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 22:1, 15, 46

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 22:1, 15, 46
"And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions"

The questions that were asked bring up some very important doctrine. It just wasn't what the Pharisees had in mind. Though they might not have realized it, it would only be through the inspiration of the adversary that they would stop asking questions of Jesus. They didn't want to hear truth, which is sad. They didn't want Him to teach because they would lose their standing. Questions are good, when asked in faith. Questions to raise doubt, and dismiss faith will lead to your downfall.

Day 4075

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 11:12

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 11:12

"And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house:"

The words "nothing doubting" stood out to me. I first thought of Joseph Smith reading James 1:5, how he had to act in faith, nothing wavering. This opened the door to the restoration of the gospel. Peter also had to act in faith, nothing doubting and this opened the door to the gentiles being preached the gospel. I wondered what other scriptures had the same theme.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

(James 1:5-8)

"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."

(Mormon 9:21)

"And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth."

(Mormon 9:25)

"And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting."

(Ether 3:19)

Nothing doubting, doubting nothing, nothing wavering reminds me of President Uchtdorf's excellent counsel to doubt your doubts.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith"

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Come, Join with Us", Oct 2013, General Conference)

Day 3188

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 4:5, 9

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 4:5, 9

"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:"

The footnotes that reference the Joseph Smith Translation make a very important distinction on who lead Jesus where.

"And the Spirit taketh him up into an high mountain, and he beheld all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the Spirit brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple. And the devil came unto him and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence;"

I pondered on why it was important to note it was the Spirit that guided Jesus to these locations and not Satan. I thought of several.

1. Satan has no power over Jesus to take him anywhere.

2. Jesus would never listen to Satan and follow him.

3. To allow Satan to take him somewhere would have given Satan agency over Him.

It was important to note that after the Spirit speaks to us the adversary will try to tempt us and guide us away from our course. It made me think of "Doubt your doubts".

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Come, Join with Us", Oct 2013 General Conference)

Then I thought of the wise counsel to act upon the first prompting.

"Fourth, we must act on the first prompting.

Remember the words of Nephi. “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless,” he said, “I went forth.”

And so must we. We must be confident in our first promptings. Sometimes we rationalize; we wonder if we are feeling a spiritual impression or if it is just our own thoughts. When we begin to second-guess, even third-guess, our feelings—and we all have—we are dismissing the Spirit; we are questioning divine counsel. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that if you will listen to the first promptings, you will get it right nine times out of ten."

(Ronald A. Rasband, "Let the Holy Spirit Guide", April 2017 General Conference)

Then I thought of Elder Scott and his wonderful general conference talk, full of instructions on listening and following the spirit.

"I witness that as you gain experience and success in being guided by the Spirit, your confidence in the impressions you feel can become more certain than your dependence on what you see or hear."

(Richard G. Scott, "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance", Oct 2009 General Conference)

Stay listening to the Spirit as you are led and directed. Then when the adversary comes to mess with and stir you off course, doubt that doubt.

Day 3136

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 1:18, 20, 34, 38

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 1:18, 20, 34, 38

"And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

I wanted to compare the two different answers when the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias and Mary. Both events required faith to believe in the angel's message. Zacharias ask how he would know this? I can see how that answer shows doubt. At first I couldn't until I compared him to Mary. Gabriel told Zacharias he was an angel sent from the presence of God, and he was sent to speak to him. He told him by what authority he was there. What Zacharias didn't seem to grasp was he was speaking to an angel sent from God. God cannot lie so the message would be true. Seeing that Zacharias served in the temple it made me wonder if he didn't know how to test an angel? Because Zacharias doubted he was made dumb, being unable to speak.

Mary showed her faith by asking how it would be done. As I reflected on this I could see how that showed faith because she didn't doubt it could happen, she just wanted to know how it would take place. The angel then explained it to her.

This reminded me of other stories in the scriptures when God has spoken to his servants, and given them assignments.

"And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.

And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?

And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools."

(1 Nephi 17:8-10)

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.

And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.

And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood."

(Ether 2:18-20)

This shows me that God does not mind if we ask how to do something. He will require at times that we study it out and come back to him with a plan. The important this is to ask if faith.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

(James 1:5)

Day 3133

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: 1 Chronicles 14:10

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Chronicles 14:10

"And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand."

I pondered on how David inquired of God. He asked specific questions. Questions are good, but it's important that they are asked in faith with nothing doubting.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

(James 1:5)

It was the same when Joseph Smith, Jr. went into the sacred grove to pray.

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

(Joseph Smith-History 1:18-19)

I have found when I pray asking a question in faith, and not as a challenge formed from doubt, that I will receive an answer. It may not be that very second, though many times it is. Other times I will be lead to read something else and there the answer is confirmed.

Day 2511

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 5:19-20

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 5:19-20
"That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw night and come, that we may know it!
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

I know there is a paragraph break between these two scriptures but tonight I read them together and saw something different. For those that want the end to come are making the increase of evil appear to be a good thing. And the stopping of the good work of the Lord moving light into darkness. That is making the bitter sweet and the sweet bitter. I had never looked at that verse is that way before.

The other thing I noticed is that some want the end to come quickly because they need to see it to believe it. That is a very dangerous game to play, for that is not how it works. The lesson of Thomas shows us that.

"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
(John 20:26, 29)

What blessing comes?  I think the peace that is needed to survive the days before the Lord's second coming. For all will one day bend the knee and confess that Jesus is the Christ. But, having faith in him, without seeing, will bring a peace I would not want to be without until then.


Day 1259

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 124:2-3

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 124:2-3
"If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:"

This is why I have to remain faithful. I never know when others come to swallow up my faith and rush over me with doubt. With the Lord by my side, I am strong, and they will have no power over me.

Day 1177

Today's Favorite Verse: D&C 6:36

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 6:36

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

I know when I keep my thoughts centered in Christ I have no fear. Though the world is getting darker and crazier it appears as if it were a dream. When I instead focus on myself and how I can make things work, I become overwhelmed with fear and doubt. Things look dark and impossible. The Lord truly does know the thoughts and intent of my heart and rewards me accordingly. The key is to keep my thoughts focused on the Lord. He knows how to calm my heart and bring me peace. When that peace makes no sense to the world. It is the only sure way to know which direction to go.

Day 425