Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 7:16-17

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 7:16-17

"Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."

Rejecting prophets brings destruction. I keep thinking about the First Presidency June 1, 2023 letter about the coming elections. There was a reason for that letter and this specific part.

"Merely voting a straight ticket or voting based on “tradition” without careful study of candidates and their positions on important issues is a threat to democracy and inconsistent with revealed standards".

For me counsel and prophesy go hand in hand. There is a reason to be counseled to be so careful and not do what you've always done. We really need to look closely and study the matter wisely. This is the real test of what type of person to support.

"Members should also study candidates carefully and vote for those who have demonstrated integrity, compassion, and service to others, regardless of party affiliation."

It is when the voice of the people chose evil we are ripe for destruction.

"For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted.

Yea, and this was not all; they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction."

(Helaman 5:2-3)

Day 3045

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 9:4

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 9:4

"And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:"

I pondered on "integrity of heart". That seems to be a foreign concept to some. I think of the person as being honest in all their dealings and trustworthy. I think nothing disappoints me more than someone that has no qualm about lying. It's amazing me how they think I cannot see right through it. I guess the adversary blinds them to that fact.

"I love both ancient and modern-day scriptures that use the phrase “integrity of heart” when describing a righteous person’s character. Integrity or the lack of integrity is a fundamental element of one’s character. Men who have “integrity of heart” are men to be trusted—because trust is built on integrity.Being a man of integrity simply means your intentions, as well as your actions, are pure and righteous in all aspects of your life, both in public and in private. With each decision we make, we either merit more of God’s trust or diminish His trust."

(Richard J. Maynes, "Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family", Oct 2017 General Conference)

Day 2459

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 30:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 30:2

"If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

I found this quote from James E. Faust that I really like.

"Integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us."

He continued in his talk.

"The power of keeping an oath was manifested by Nephi, who held Zoram, the frightened servant of Laban, to keep him from fleeing. Dr. Hugh Nibley has written:

“Nephi, a powerful fellow, held the terrified Zoram in a vise-like grip long enough to swear a solemn oath in his ear, ‘as the Lord liveth, and as I live’ that he would not harm him if he would listen. Zoram immediately relaxed, and Nephi swore another oath to him that he would be a free man if he would join the party. …

“… As soon as Zoram ‘made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth … our fears did cease concerning him.’  (1 Ne. 4:32, 35, 37) 

(An Approach to the Book of Mormon, 2nd ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976, pp. 103–4.)

(James E. Faust, "Integrity, the Mother of Many Virtues", April 1982 General Conference)

Day 2306

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 20:3, 6

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 20:3, 6

"But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her."

This made me think of the times I was stopped from doing something when it wasn't quite right. I can see how God can withhold us from sinning because the way just doesn't prosper on that course. I think that might happen just to give us time to think again about the direction we maybe headed. If you persist after that point the condemnation is on your head completely.

Day 2179

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 30:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 30:2
"If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth."

This made me ponder on how honor has left our society. Where once your word meant everything. I marvel at how Nephi could take Zoram at his oath to stay with them, and not run and tell others where they were. It seems all throughout history I read about people's honor being their bond. Now I simply cannot tell if what someone tells me is the truth or that they will hold to it. How sad that is. This is part of the world I do not want to be come part of. I pondered on how breaking your vow, or word, is the same as not being honest. I need to be honest in all my dealings. God's laws have not changed, it is only man. Though the world can become like that, I do not and should not do the same as them.  For there is a layer of protection over the honest and the man of integrity.

"Integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us." (James E. Faust, Integrity, The Mother of Many Virtues, Apr 1982 CT)

Day 722