Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 18:8

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 18:8

"And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh."

This made me think about temple sites and how they are selected. How men are assigned first to look over the land and bring a report to the prophet on the best sites available. Then a member of the First Presidency will come and visit these sites. Afterwards they will prayerfully choose a precise spot on which to build. There are times that none of the locations are right and then a way opens up for just the right location. I love reading the stories of how our temple locations are selected. The story of the Hong Kong temple with President Gordon B. Hinckley has to be my favorite.

"The group was exhausted from the rigorous day of prayerfully reviewing the various properties. President Hinckley retired to his hotel room and requested that Elders Brough and Carmack come back the next morning to further discuss the matter. It was apparent that the Area Presidency had yet to find a solution President Hinckley could accept.

("How the Hong Kong Temple Came to Be", December 2006 Ensign)

[President Hinckley] referring to his experience.... "He went to bed...feeling unsettled about the decision he needed to make. Then the whisperings of the Spirit woke him up early the next morning.

Something very interesting came to my mind, he recorded in his journal. I did not hear a voice with my natural ears. But into my mind there came the voice of the Spirit. It said, Why are you worried about this? You have a wonderful piece of property where the mission home and the small chapel stand. They are in the very heart of Kowloon, in the location with the best transportation... Build a building of [several] stories. It can include a chapel and classrooms on the first two floors and a temple on the top two or three floors. Having received that revelation, President Hinckley said, I relaxed and went back to sleep."

("Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley", chapter 7, "The Whisperings of the Spirit")

Day 2364

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 26:30

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 26:30

"And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount."

This reminded me of the story of the Hong Kong temple and how President Gordan B. Hinckley received revelation during the night on the design of it. When the Temple Department took his sketch and tried to expand the function and size of the building they were unable to obtain approval from Hong Kong officials. When they returned to the original sketch of what President Hinckley received it was approved.

"At about 6:45 a.m., President Hinckley called Elder Brough and requested that he and Elder Carmack come to his hotel room at 8:00 a.m. Brother Simmons joined them there at the appointed time, and President Hinckley then shared, on a sheet of white paper, a detailed drawing. During the night, he had envisioned a building of about eight floors above ground, with the temple on the top floors and other functions housed on the lower floors. It included replacement facilities for the Kowloon Tong chapel and the Hong Kong mission home and office, since the new building would require that these existing buildings on side-by-side lots be demolished. This concept of multiple use, President Hinckley explained, would depart from tradition in that all other temples in the Church at that time were stand-alone buildings.

President Hinckley asked Elders Brough and Carmack to express their feelings. They each responded that the concept of a multi-story, multi-use building had not even been considered previously, but they had a strong conviction that President Hinckley had received inspiration—even revelation—about what the Lord intended.

After briefly reviewing the other options, President Hinckley asked the brethren to join in prayer. He asked if it would be all right if he offered the prayer. He then discussed the whole matter with the Lord. He talked of the need for a temple in China to bless the people in that area of the world. The prayer was powerful and compelling, evidencing his love for all the people of Asia."

(Elder Monte J. Brough and Elder John K. Carmack, "How the Hong Kong Temple Came to Be", Dec 2006, Ensign)

Day 2235

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 23:1, 5

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 23:1, 5
"And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.
And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things."

The Lord, Jesus Christ is speaking of the scriptures. He tells the Nephites that great are the words of Isaiah. That Isaiah speaks concerning the house of Israel and the Gentiles. That all things he spake have been and will be fulfilled. He says multiple times we are to search the scriptures. Then He had the Nephite records brought before him and he "cast his eyes upon them" and then asks them about the words of Samuel, the Lamanite, and the prophecy that many saints would arise from the dead. It had not been included, and they corrected this error. It does point out that if there are errors in the scriptures they are the errors of men. Then he expounds all the scriptures in one.

How amazing that would have been to have the Savior, Jesus Christ expound the scriptures to me. Then I thought about how over come I would have been and would have probably missed a lot of what he said. Again, I see the importance of having the scriptures so I could go back and ponder on the words that he said. And, not just to read them but to search them. That takes a lot more effort but is so worth it.

I noticed the phrase "search these things diligently" and it made me reflect on Elder Bednar's apostolic blessing yesterday.

"I invoke a blessing upon you that according to your desire and your diligence, that you may be blessed to have eyes to see and ears to hear, the remarkable lessons that can be learned through the constraints that we would not want to experience, but we are now experiencing. I express my love to you. I declare my witness and I invoke these blessings upon you in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
(David A. Bednar, "Apostolic Blessing", Utah American Fork (South) - Member Devotional, Sunday, August 9, 2020)

I had felt the part of the condition of receiving this blessing was not only the desire but my diligence, and to me that included reading the scriptures. Now I see a correlation to this by the words of the Savior himself.

I reflected on the progress I have made since Christmas 2010 when I received a new set of scriptures. I committed to reading my scriptures every day and I have never missed. I had been so ill that I struggled to read and comprehend so the doctor told me to read out loud to myself. I needed to hear and see the words to make the connections. Instead I listened to the scriptures recordings and followed along in my new set. It took years to comprehend again and be able to read by myself. My brain healed and has expanded in strength, all from reading the scriptures. I love them and it is the best part of my day.

President Gordon B. Hinckley was so right when he said "I am grateful for the emphasis on reading the scriptures. I hope that for you this will become something far more enjoyable than a duty; that, rather, it will become a love affair with the word of God. I promise you that as you read, your minds will be enlightened and your spirits will be lifted. At first it may seem tedious, but that will change into a wondrous experience with thoughts and words of things divine."
(Gordon B. Hinckly, "The Light within You", April 1995, General Conference)

Day 1960

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 19:41-42

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 19:41-42
"And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."

I had such incredible sadness come over me as I read these verses. I could picture the Lord looking over the cities of the world today, like he once did with Jerusalem, and feeling that same sorrow over the inhabitants in them. I have heard the world is now more wicked then Sodom and Gomorrah. Now when did I first hear that? It was at least during the days of President Gordon B. Hinckley.

“The traditional family is under heavy attack. I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah. … We see similar conditions today. They prevail all across the world. I think our Father must weep as He looks down upon His wayward sons and daughters.”
(“Standing Strong and Immovable,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting,10 Jan. 2004, 20.)

Day 1567