Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 1:14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: Mark 1:14-15
"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

I pondered on how the Jews must have felt to hear these words. They had been practicing the law of Moses for almost 1,500 years. The time for it to be fulfilled had arrived. How different this must have all felt to them. Some would not accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, nor his gospel. Yet those that did had to have extreme faith and belief. I know it's hard for me to comprehend how they must have felt. It is fitting that the gospel begins with the baptism of Jesus Christ. The only perfect man to walk the earth, that did not need repentance, yet to not be baptized would not have fulfilled all righteousness. He set the ultimate example.

Day 4082

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 25:4, 16

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 25:4, 16
"But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents."

I focused on two parables in this chapter, the parable of the ten virgins and of the talents. I looked at them to see if there was a pattern. The wise virgins had oil in their lamps. In my notes I had written they had a testimony and conversion. Those that were foolish may have had a testimony but they were not converted. We cannot share our conversion for it is gained dropped by drop. So I asked myself what would the increase in the talents? Would it be those that received a testimony and were converted and then shared it with others? The increase being more converted followers of Jesus Christ. The servant with one talent just buried it. His testimony didn't grow from usery for himself or for others. Not only must we gain a testimony and be converted, we must in turn share the gospel with others to help them grown.

Day 4078

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 47:1, 5

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 47:1, 5
"Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."

I was going to look for Elder Renlund's conference talk where he spoke of "waters to swim in". Where we immerse ourselves in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the healing that comes from temple blessings. Then I found this interesting quote about the water.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith proclaimed: “Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, &c; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance.” (Teachings, p. 286.) The waters issuing forth from under the temple and the healing of the Dead Sea may occur when the Lord Himself sets foot upon the Mount of Olives, causing this mountain to divide in two and create a large valley.
(Old Testament Student Manual Kings-Malachi, "Prophecies of the Restoration", (27-34)

Day 4026

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 68:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 68:4
"And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation."

This is a very fitting chapter to read after watching three sessions of general conference today. I cannot wait to read the talks and study them, for they are scripture for truly the spirit testified of this. I also find it interesting that as this chapter discusses we were taught the same things in general conference. They spoke of missionaries preaching the gospel, testimonies, baptism, and even the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. We heard words of keeping our covenants, and repentance. Parents were instructed to teach their children the gospel and to walk uprightly before the Lord. It was a wonderful day of instruction and being taught of the spirit. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Day 3657

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 16:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 16:6
"And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen."

I thought about those that I have shared the gospel with and will find such sweet joy to see them in my Father's kingdom. Then I reflected on the sorrow that would be there if I had never shared the gospel with them. How sad to think of those that are lost. I can see how this would be of the most worth to us.

Day 3605

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:4

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:4

"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

We all have to pass through tribulation. As a world tribulation is ever increasing the closer we are to the Lord's second coming. There are people and nations in despair. I pondered on how in many respects it is a great missionary tool. For as we turn our hearts to the Lord we find comfort and peace during tribulation. Others are drawn to the peace within us as we comfort them. It is a marvelous work and a wonder as we embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring others to that same peace and light.

Day 3238

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 3:14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 3:14-15

"Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."

This made me think about the gathering of Israel. How not everyone in a city, or family accepts the gospel when they hear it. It's really interesting to see who was prepared to receive it and does. In a couple weeks the prophet will be speaking and some are now waiting to be feed spiritually with knowledge and understanding. There are others that just turn away. This is called free agency and the ability to choose. The difference is the eternal reward or consequences that follows.

Day 2907

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 22:22-23, 25

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 22:22-23, 25

"I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel."

My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him."

How will I know who fears the Lord? The ones that praise Him. That ones that bare testimony of Him. To fear the Lord is to love Him.

This made me reflect on testimony meeting. How I love hearing testimonies that are heartfelt testimonies of our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ, and the truths of the restore gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, people can go beyond the mark and off on strange roads at times. All the more reason for us that fear the Lord to get up and bare our testimony of Him.

Day 2659

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 14:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 14:1

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

I could not help but think that we have more and more foolish people every day. Men's hearts are failing them. The only thing that can save this world is a true conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Day 2651

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 137:7-9

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 137:7-9

"Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;

Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;

For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts."

One thing I love about the gospel is it's fair. Everyone has a chance to receive eternal life in the celestial kingdom. If you did not have a chance to hear the gospel and be baptized in this life, there is an opportunity to accept that work done vicariously afterwards. The Lord judges us on the desire of our hearts. The one thing we cannot do is procrastination the day of our repentance. Having received the gospel in this life we must be faithful and endure to the end. Repentance is the gift to be used every day.

Day 2140

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 84:62

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 84:62

"Therefore, go ye into all the world; and unto whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all the world unto every creature."

This was such a good chapter and very hard to decide on which of several things to ponder on. I finally settled on this verse. It made me think about the changes that happened to the missionary program due to the pandemic. "whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send".

Through the use of technology we are sending the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world. It made me think of recent talks in General Conference.

"Meanwhile, the work of the Lord is steadily moving forward. Amid social distancing, face masks, and Zoom meetings, we have learned to do some things differently and some even more effectively. Unusual times can bring unusual rewards.

Our missionaries and mission leaders have been resourceful, resilient, and truly remarkable. Although most missionaries have had to find new, creative ways to do their work, many missions have reported doing more teaching than ever."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Moving Forward", Oct 2020 General Conference)

"Many of our missionaries are busier than ever. Many are teaching more people than ever. There is an increased connection between members and missionaries.

In the past, we might have been so tied to traditional approaches that it took a pandemic to open our eyes. Perhaps we were still building with sandstone when granite was already available. Of necessity, we are now learning how to use a variety of methods, including technology, to invite people—in normal and natural ways—to come and see, come and help, and come and belong."

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "God Will Do Something Unimaginable", Oct 2020 General Conference)

Day 2087

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 58:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 58:4

"For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand."

When I woke this morning I decided to watch a video that a friend yesterday kept telling me I needed to watch. I was told "It was so scary." "It exposed what is really happening with this pandemic." I had no curiosity to watch it. But when I woke this morning the thought came to me to watch it, so I did. As I watched it two scriptures came to mind and I read them. Then I thought of President Nelson's recent conference talk and watched it. The pieces all fit together as I read this.

"My dear sisters, let us not just endure this current season. Let us embrace the future with faith! Turbulent times are opportunities for us to thrive spiritually. They are times when our influence can be much more penetrating than in calmer times."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Embrace the Future with Faith", Oct 2020 General Conference)

I understood then that during turbulent times the adversary will use that opportunity to further his plan, and the Lord will do the same. What I learned, and not what the intent of this conspiracy video intended, was that Satan will further his plan by planting fear in the hearts of men. To the point they will be deceived and actually further his work. With fear instilled in their hearts it will only draw them further from the spirit and the voice of the Lord. Instead in turbulent times we are to further the work of the Lord. Grow spiritually and share the gospel to those that are prepared to listen. The lessons learned during tribulation indeed bring blessings that help us thrive spiritually. The decision is ours as to which opportunity and master we will help further their cause.

Day 2061

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 43:19-20, 35

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 43:19-20, 35

"Wherefore gird up your loins lest ye be found among the wicked.

Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying: Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord;

Be sober. Keep all my commandments. Even so. Amen."

I feel like this is my counsel for tonight. With eyes that see and ears that hear I need to watch and witness all that comes. I will be able to stand through it all if I stay on the covenant path. I feel like doors are opening for the gospel to be preached to those being humbled to receive it.

Day 2046

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 16:10-11

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 16:10-11
"And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.
And then will I remember the covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them."

I was wondering if these verses were referring to the end of the time of the gentiles and the time of the Jews. I found a quote from Orson Pratt, that speaks of its fulfillment.

"I wish to state that when I read this in 1830, it was a great mystery to me. Recollect this was written and printed before there was any Latter-day Saint Church in existence, and yet here was a prophecy that the Lord would bring the fulness of his Gospel from among the Gentiles if they did not receive it. When the Lord commanded us to go up and settle in Jackson County I thought to myself—“Well, if we build up a great city here, according to that which is predicted in the Book of Mormon, we shall be right in the midst of the Gentiles, and how will it be possible for that prophecy ever to be fulfilled?” It was a mystery to me, I could not see it. I knew it was true, for God had given me a witness and evidence that I knew as well as I knew that I lived that that book was true; but yet I could not understand how the Lord would bring the fulness of his Gospel from among the Gentiles if we were going to be permitted to build up a city in Jackson County, Missouri, and stay there.

But some seventeen years after the rise of this Church circumstances rolled round by which the Lord fulfilled this prophecy in taking the main body of the people from among the Gentiles. Not voluntarily altogether, for we did not all feel perfectly willing to leave our houses. We had been driven four times before from lands and homes, and we did not really feel willing to leave; but still, rather than be shot down and mobbed, as many of our people had been, we concluded to move the fifth time, and we did so because we were obliged to, but little did we think then that we were fulfilling a prophecy in the Book of Mormon, such a thought had not entered into our hearts. But we were brought out west here to these mountains, and I do not know of another place on the face of this vast continent where we could have been so completely isolated from the Gentiles, the wicked who had rejected the Gospel, as we were by coming out en masse to this land.

“If the Gentiles shall sin against the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.” 3 Ne. 16:10 It was done, the prediction was fulfilled to the very letter. You might have passed through the land there for hundreds and hundreds of miles, from city to city, and inquired for an Elder who had authority to baptize for the remission of sins and to build up the Church and kingdom of God, and the answer would have been—“There is no such person here.”

“Where are they?” “They have gone away beyond the Rocky Mountains,” more than a thousand miles away from civilization as they called it. When we got here and again searched the prophecies we found that the Lord had been as good as his word, and had literally fulfilled that which he had spoken concerning taking his Gospel from the midst of those who had sinned against and rejected it.

There is one thing which I am now about to read which has not yet been fulfilled, and which we must fulfill before Zion is redeemed. I will read it—“Behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. And then I will remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.” 3 Ne. 16:10-11

Now then, we are here in this land, the house of Israel are scattered all around us, some in the great basin, some in Arizona, some in Idaho, some in Colorado, some in Montana, some in one place, some in another; I refer to the American Indians, all remnants of Joseph and belonging to the house of Israel. They have become very degraded in consequence of the apostasy and wickedness of their ancient fathers. This people—the Latter-day Saints, before they can ever return to build up the waste places of Zion and receive their inheritances in Jackson County, Missouri, have got to exert themselves to bring the remnants of Joseph to a knowledge of the truth. We have not made any very great exertions in this direction unto the present time. The Lord has given us time since he brought the fulness of the Gospel from among the Gentiles to lay a foundation so that we could commence this missionary work in behalf of and among the remnants of Joseph. We have got the foundation laid, we have succeeded in building many cities, towns, villages, &c., for some four hundred miles north and south; we have got our farms fenced and our water ditches dug, and we have begun to prosper in the land, so that now, I think, is the time for us to wake up our minds in relation to the scattered remnants of the house of Israel. “Behold, then I will remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.”
(JD 17:289, Orson Pratt, Redemption of Zion, etc.)

It would seem to me that to "bring the fulness of my gospel from among them" was when the saints had to flee to the rocky mountains. Then the "bring my gospel unto them" is what we are doing now with sharing the gospel to the world. The time of the gentiles will end and the fulness of the gospel will be taken to the Jews. This is a prophecy that I could say is fulfilled but the last part leads into another prophecy, or maybe it has layers to its fulfillment.

Day 1953

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 18:24-25, 28

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 18:24-25, 28
"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures,. came to Ephesus.
This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Apollos was mighty in scriptures but only knew of John the Baptist. I love how Aquila and Priscilla upon hearing him "expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly". He embraced it and and now was mighty in showing in the scriptures Jesus Christ. It made me think of how the gospel can always give us more. We don't take away from what people know, we add to it.

Day 1609

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 10:15, 28, 34, 44

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 10:15, 28, 34, 44
"And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word."

How interesting, I read this after I just had a conversation with someone that had no idea how prejudice they really were. Lumping people in categories and groups based on race, culture, and income. I explained how the Nephites & Lamanites lived as one after Christ visit to them. It was only later when they broke down into tribes that one civilization annihilated another. I then related how Zion needs to be prepared for the second coming by being pure in heart, united and one. If we are not, we are not part of it. In the millennium we will all be one. We can have our cultures and nationalities but what unites is our love and belief in God.

I could have related this story of Cornelius and Peter, and the gospel going to the Gentiles. Can you imagine if the gospel never went to the Gentiles? That only one race and people had the word of God? How grateful I am for the story of Cornelius. God is no respecter of persons and neither should I be. If he was, I wouldn't know my Savior. His gospel is for all, the invitation "Come, follow me" is for everyone. I have learned a lot about worshipping God from being with those that gave everything to know Him. The sweetest blessing I ever had was being sent to a ward with Spanish and Cambodian refugees, converts to the church. We were there to teach them and they taught me. Their faith humbled me.


Day 1601

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 8:11

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 8:11
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:"

This is talking of the great apostasy that happened after all the original apostles died. There was a falling away, and a famine in hearing the words of the Lord. The gospel has once again been restored to the earth. Prophets and apostles speak the words of the Lord. In fact in eight more days I will sit at their feet and listen to them in general conference. I can't wait!

I also thought of its other meaning. How this famine in hearing the words of the Lord is still happening today. In this case it is self-imposed. For there is an epidemic of apathy for reading the scriptures around the world. Years past if there was only one book in the home it was the Bible. Families would gather to read from it. Now not only is a bible a rare commodity, it's even rarer for a family to gather and read it.

I am grateful for the counsel given in the last general conference. The emphases on home-centered gospel learning. Where as families we gather to read from the New Testament each day. My family was already reading the scriptures together, but I love the feeling of synergy that comes with being part of this worldwide. There is unity in our church as we gather together to discuss what we are learning in our homes. I enjoy these discussions and seeing each family embrace learning the gospel in their homes. There is a different feeling that I cannot find words to describe. We are being feed and it is good.

Day 1462

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 30:26

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 30:26
"And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the Lord."

I wondered why the Egyptians would also be scattered among the nations? I understood why the seed of Abraham would be, but not those not of the covenant. I am reminded that some of the children of Israel sought refuge there and their seed may already be scattered among them. But I think there is more to this than that. As I pondered on this, I thought of what blessings could come by scattering people? I think one would be an opportunity to hear the gospel, where in their native lands they may have built up a prejudice not to. Another could be to show other nations that we are all children of God. The laws of God pertain to all of us. God is no respecter of persons and neither should we be.

Day 1407

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 58:13-14

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 58:13-14
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

I absolutely love the Sabbath day. It is a delight to me. It wasn't always so. My soul is well feed and rested on this holy day, as I am more careful about what I do before and after going to church. I love sitting with my family discussing what we learned at church that day. We just can't wait to come home to talk with each other. I can't wait for next year's home-centered gospel learning. We have been prepared and it can only get better. I sit in amazement on how enlightening it is to study the scriptures particularly on this day, either with family or by myself. Pondering the scriptures is the greatest investment of my time on this day. I am so grateful for all the gospel learning materials available at my fingers. I am so blessed.

Day 1312

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 38:19

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 38:19
"The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth."

This made me think of what just happened in the October 2018 General Conference. Where a home-centered, church supported plan was announced. The parents have the primary responsibility of teaching doctrine to their children. This was always the plan of the Father, we have not fully immersed ourselves in our responsibilities. I am excited for this opportunity. I love studying and pondering the scriptures with my family. It is the highlight of our day. I am grateful that we will have even more time together to make the Sabbath a delight as we learn of Jesus Christ and the beauty of His gospel together.

President Nelson said this in his opening address at general conference.

"For many years, Church leaders have been working on an integrated curriculum to strengthen families and individuals through a home-centered and Church-supported plan to learn doctrine, strengthen faith, and foster greater personal worship. Our efforts over these recent years to hallow the Sabbath—to make it a delight and a personal sign to God of our love for Him—will be augmented by the adjustments we will now introduce.

This morning we will announce a new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church. We are each responsible for our individual spiritual growth. And scriptures make it clear that parents have the primary responsibility to teach the doctrine to their children. It is the responsibility of the Church to assist each member in the divinely defined goal of increasing his or her gospel knowledge."

Day 1292