Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 21:43-44

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 21:43-44
"And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand."

As I pondered on how much land was promised to Abraham, all the cities and villages the children of Israel claimed and divided, I thought about timing. How you needed a very large number of people to fulfill all that was promised. It took many, many generations for Abraham's posterity to become large enough to come in and be given it. If they hadn't been captive in Egypt and allowed to grow, their small numbers would have been decimated over time if they had to tried to claim this land. You have to trust in the Lord's timing and what He has prepared before us.

Day 3814

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 57:3-4

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 57:3-4
"And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.
Wherefore, it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints, and also every tract lying westward, even unto the line running directly between Jew and Gentile;"

I think every saint waits for the day a temple is announced for Independence Missouri. Even if its just turning the visitor center into one. After the saints were driven from that area we have slowly worked towards purchasing the necessary land again. What was dedicated as the temple lot site is not even owned by the church. It was a surprise one day to find the Community of Christ sold us the Kirtland temple. That makes the possibility of one day owning the land in Independence feel even closer. Even though the headquarters of the church will move to this center place I don't feel all the saints will gather there too. Just like Salt Lake City, Utah is the center place today and not all saints live here. It was just yesterday, I happened to say to my family that I feel like I will be in my home during the millennium, and my place to gather to Zion is down the street in my stake house. That is where my place of refuge is. My place to see the Lord is in the temple on the hill.

"And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth."
(Doctrine and Covenants 115:6)

"For the day of my visitation cometh speedily, in an hour when ye think not of; and where shall be the safety of my people, and refuge for those who shall be left of them?"
(Doctrine and Covenants 124:10)

Day 3646

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 1:5-7

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 1:5-7
"But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.
Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever."

I do believe that anyone that was brought to the America's was led here by the hand of God. Only He knows the purpose. My ancestors came many decades ago and fought to found this nation. My husband's family came more recently and he is first generation American. War, civil unrest, religious persecution, even those with evil intent have been led here. Those that are here may serve the living God or bring captivity and cursing. The test is for us on how we respond and treat others. Regardless, the blessing is still here if you remain righteous.

Day 3372

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 12:6-7

Today's Favorite Verse: Joshua 12:6-7

"Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;"

I pondered on how the kings that the Israelites smote were only for the lands given them by the Lord. They were fighting for their lands because it had been given them.

Day 2358

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 2:4-5, 9, 19

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 2:4-5, 9, 19

And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession."

The children of Israel were told not to meddle or distress the children of Esau or Lot, their land was not to be given to them. The children of Israel were to inherit the land reserved for Abraham's posterity. I thought about how different portions of the earth have been designated by the Lord from time to time as everlasting inheritances. It was also done for the tribe of Joseph and this land. I also thought about how to be a good neighbor I shouldn't meddle, contend or battle with them. I should respect what is their property.

Day 2314

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 29:14

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 29:14
"And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever."

All day I've been thinking about a scripture that described people being "gathered home to their nations or lands". Simply because I am witnessing people throughout the world trying to return to their countries because of COVID-19. I knew if I just gave it time I would stumble upon the scriptures that I wanted. Well here is one of them. The Lord is moving us where he wants us to be. The footnote has the reference I wanted to study "Land of inheritance"

"And it shall be as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man taketh up; and they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee everyone into his own land."
(Isaiah 13: 14 & 2 Nephi 23:14)

"Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel."
(1 Nephi 22:12)

The Lord is preparing a great work with all that is taking place. What we are going through right now is biblical.

Day 1814

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 9:9, 14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 9:9, 14-15
"For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God."

I pondered on how this could speak of the sifting and scattering of the Jews upon all the nations. Now they are being gathered back to their lands. It also made me think of the saints beings sifted.

It reminded me of the old sifter my mother had. When she was making cakes or popovers I could help by sifting the dry goods together. I was always fascinated in how the sifter would find these hard little clumps when I originally could not see them as I poured the ingredients in. The hard items left behind were good for nothing and simply tossed into the trash. Sifting is just like the Lord finding those with hardened hearts and removing them from his covenant people. If they remained, just like the cake, they would not become its perfect creation, as a Zion people should. It was through the sifting that each little flake became all that it could be.

Day 1463

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 27:9-11

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 27:9-11
"Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein."

The Lord is saying there are people telling you lies that you are not to serve the king of Babylon. He reminds them in verse 5

"I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me."

The Lord has a purpose in who rules a nation. Mostly because its exactly what we deserve. I am reminded of the 12th Article of Faith

"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

This reminds me today of people that call themselves sovereign citizens. Thinking they do not need to pay taxes and obey the laws of the lands. They see the constitution giving them rights that they cling to, but don't understand how they have been changed. We need to obey the laws that we have. Because of lies they see themselves as patriots, are imprisoned, loose their lands, and put themselves into bondage. This is not the Lord's way. For such actions stop them from serving the Lord. To preserve the land the Lord has given you, we must obey the ruler and laws set over it. There is a big difference between bringing my neck under the yoke of Babylon, and giving my heart to it. It is only when those laws prevent us from worshiping the Lord and serving him, that he will step in and free us.

Day 1347

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 24:5-6

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 24:5-6
"And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.
And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord."

I'm a little confused, how is Saul the Lord's anointed when in 1 Samuel 15:26 it says "And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel." Would that not void out his anointing?

Right after this Samuel was lead by the Lord to David and anointed him.

"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." (1 Samuel 16:13)

So if Saul is rejected of the Lord to be king over Israel and David has already been anointed, then why was David told not to stretch his hand against Saul?

As I pondered this over I think the difference is the Lord may have rejected Saul as king of Israel, but the people had not. Wouldn't this be similar to the 10th Article of Faith?
"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

I went back in the scriptures to the time when both Saul and David were anointed by Samuel. The people of Israel had no knowledge of it. The Lord may have chosen, but the people had not yet accepted him. Right now the people did not know David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king. So I think David is in the position of honoring the laws of his land. Saul is still their king. He is honoring his office or position, even if you cannot honor the man.  What does that say about my day when there are people that imply, maybe wish, to kill my president?  You may not love the man, but you must respect the office. To do otherwise, would it not bring you under the condemnation of God?


Day 835

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 33:13, 16

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 33:13, 16
"And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren."

Moses blessed the children of Israel. He pronounces blessings on each of the twelve tribes. I pondered on the blessing Joseph received. These verses are only part. What stands out to me "blessed of the Lord be his land", and "him that was separated from his brethren". The fulfillment of this took place when Lehi left Jerusalem with his family, and was joined by Ishmael and his family. Together the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh of Joseph's line, came to their promised land. The land in which I live. Where I find the "precious things of the lasting hills". Moses blessing was the same blessing Jacob gave Joseph too.

"Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:"  (Genesis 49:22

How grateful I am for the Book of Mormon and how I can read of the "stick of Joseph". Today as I read the bible the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph are one in my hand.

"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand."  (Ezekiel 37:16, 19)

I have come to find as I am reading the Bible that I need to also read from the Book of Mormon daily. I do not know how to describe it, but it's like a light or energy that allows inspiration to come through to lighten the eyes of my understanding.


Day 761

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 34:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 34:2
"Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)"

While I was reading this the thought came to me why is God taking away some other people's land? There are people already living in Canaan. As I pondered this I thought of the fact that the earth is God's own. He can put his people wherever he sees fit. But, I thought there had to be more to this land. Then I read how God promised this land originally to Abraham. This was not a new thought that the children of Israel would come to posses it. It was actually their land before they left for Egypt during the famine in the time of Joseph. Now they were going back to the land God had given them. I had forgotten all about that.

Canaan gets its name from a son of Ham. I got very sidetracked following this lead and pondering a lot on Genesis 9 and Noah and Ham. Gaining many thoughts and knowledge for another day.


Day 726