Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Chronicles 28:9

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Chronicles 28:9
"And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever."

I pondered on how we have to seek the Lord. It takes work and effort. It takes a desire to know Him. I thought of the promise of Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon. We need to ask with a sincere heart. This applies to everything of the Lord. If we seek Him we will find Him `.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
(Moroni 10:4-5)

Day 3866

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 29:45

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 29:45
"And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God."

I pondered on how the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is also my God. How as Moses built a tabernacle, so have saints today built houses of the Lord. Every temple has this inscribed, "Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord".

"Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple."
(Russell M. Nelson, "The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again", Oct 2024 General Conference)

Day 3772

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 88:63, 68, 83

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 88:63, 68, 83
"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."
He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken."

It was so hard to pick a favorite verse out of the 141 verses in this chapter. So many wonderful thoughts. I decided on these three verses because the thought came to me that the Lord isn't hiding. If we seek Him, we will find Him. If we sanctify ourselves He will come when it's time. If we don't procrastinate in our efforts the promise is sure.

Day 3677

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 20:22

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 20:22
"And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you."

I pondered on this statement.

"While teaching the Nephites about Zion or the New Jerusalem, the Savior promised that He would “be in the midst” of His people (3 Nephi 20:22). The Lord used a similar phrase in the Doctrine and Covenants:
“But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me;
“But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day.
“Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared” (D&C 38:7–9).
The promise that God will dwell in the midst of Zion can have reference to Him being in the temple in Zion (the New Jerusalem) and that “all the pure in heart that shall come into [the temple] shall see God”
(Book of Mormon Student Manual, Chapter 44: 3 Nephi 20-22, "God Will Dwell in Our Midst")

I have strongly felt there are multiple purposes for the house of the Lord to dot the earth. It prepares the saints of every kindred, tongue and people to see Christ in their midst.

"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."
(Doctrine and Covenants 97:16)

President Nelson recently gave us this promise.

"Regular worship in the temple will help us. In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of Him. We make covenants to follow Him. We come to know Him. As we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. In the temple, we receive protection from the buffetings of the world. We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance! We feel peace and spiritual reassurance, in contrast to the turbulence of the world.
Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel"
(Russell M. Nelson, "The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again", Oct 2024 General Conference)

Ministry of Lorenzo Snow: A Vision of the Lord

Day 3543

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 29:13

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 29:13

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

I pondered on the verbs to seek, search and find. These are some descriptions I found.

"The object of seek is the item you are trying to locate, whereas the object of search is the place you are looking in.

Seek implies that seeker knows that the item they are looking for does exist. In search has no such implication

Find means discover or understand, feel or become aware of something, perceive by chance or unexpectedly."

One must have faith in order to seek. You will find as the spirit guides. The search must be in the right place, where the Lord will be found. You cannot find the Lord by searching in dark places, or having doubt in your heart.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

(Matthew 7:7-8)

"The formula for finding Jesus has always been and ever will be the same—the earnest and sincere prayer of a humble and pure heart. The Prophet Jeremiah counseled, ". . . ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" 

Before we can successfully undertake a personal search for Jesus, we must first prepare time for him in our lives and room for him in our hearts. In these busy days there are many who have time for golf, time for shopping, time for work, time for play, but no time for Christ.

Lovely homes dot the land and provide rooms for eating, rooms for sleeping, playrooms, sewing rooms, television rooms, but no room for Christ.

Do we get a pang of conscience as we recall his own words, ". . . foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head"  Or do we flush with embarrassment when we remember, "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" No room. No room. No room. Ever has it been.

As we undertake our personal search for Jesus, aided and guided by the principle of prayer, it is fundamental that we have a clear concept of him whom we seek. The shepherds of old did seek Jesus the child. But we seek Jesus the Christ, our older Brother, our Mediator with the Father, our Redeemer, the Author of our salvation him who was in the beginning with the Father, him who took upon himself the sins of the world and so willingly died that we might forever live. This is the Jesus whom we seek."

(Thomas S. Monson, "The Search for Jesus", Oct 1965 General Conference; reprinted Dec 2003 New Era)

Day 2933