Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Chronicles 24:20

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Chronicles 24:20
"And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you."

This made me reflect on how belief in God is at an all time low world-wide. People have been leaving their churches as they become disillusioned with them. The world does not always see the connection between the loss of faith and the lack of prosperity that follows. They point to wicked leaders and governments as the fault. But, in reality that is only the result of where men's hearts have taken them, and the choices they have made.

On the flip side I thought about the exponential growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I thought about living prophets and the guidance and counsel given us. Today the Stake Presidency asked that a few excerpts from the church emergency preparedness website be read in both Sacrament and Relief Society. It took me a while when I got home to find what was read off the website.

"Members of the Church have been counseled for many years to be prepared for adversity. Preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. (See Doctrine and Covenants 38:30)
”With the guidance of Church leaders, individuals and families should prepare to be self-reliant in times of personal and widespread tragedy.
As members of the Church, we know that it is our responsibility to provide for ourselves and our families both in good times and in bad. Part of fulfilling that obligation is making preparations now to face whatever challenges may come our way.
Church members are encouraged to make an emergency plan and update it regularly.
Elder L. Tom Perry instructed, “Start now to create a plan if you don’t already have one, or update your present plan. … The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future."
(Gospel Topics, "Emergency Preparedness", ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

We were asked to review the "Emergency Preparedness Guide" and use it to create or update our personal or family plan. I know that as I follow counsel like this from my church leaders I do not fear what is ahead. Spiritual and temporal preparedness is an individual and family matter. I know after all I can do the Lord will not forsake me.

Day 3874

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 78:3, 14

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 78:3, 14
For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion—
That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;"

This made me think of the bishop storehouse and the distribution system that we have setup worldwide. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is trying to prepare all that is needful, and so are the saints independently. There is something so comforting knowing this. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."

Day 3667

Today's Favorite Verse: Habakkuk 3:17-18

Today's Favorite Verse: Habakkuk 3:17-18

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

I selected this verse because it is so odd I read this today. I had a phone call this afternoon from someone that I haven't spoken to in a while. They told me that they needed the rain that maybe coming. They have not had rain all summer. It has been so dry that the trees had buds that never opened. There never were blossoms. It made me wonder what kind of crops would be harvested this year with those conditions. Such a small simple conversation, then I read these verses. What are the odds of that timing? It always make me think about how God knows what I will read today, so he gives me a little experience to make it more meaningful and thought provoking. I do rejoice that He is in the details.

Day 3065

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 39:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 39:2, 6

"And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD."

It made me think of individuals I have seen show off the things they have organized and have stored. They are very pleased with what they have and want to have others admit them too. I cannot really fault them. When I clean or organize something I would love to share how neat and pretty it looks. I have always held back because its just not a wise thing to do. You never know who is watching and what their intent is. This is exactly what happened to Hezekiah after showing off all that he had to men from Babylon. This story in the bible is an example of wisdom we are to apply in our every day life.

Day 2877

Today's Favorite Verse: Proverbs 31:10

Today's Favorite Verse: Proverbs 31:10

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

When I read this verse I thought the virtuous woman must be worth even more than rubies now. She is becoming rarer and rarer. Then I read the descriptions of this virtuous woman and boy was she industrious.

"The virtuous woman described in Proverbs was a woman who was prepared. She worked willingly, stretched out her hand to the poor, saw to the physical needs of her household, sought after knowledge. She had profound reverence for the Lord. While many of her tasks may appear to be temporal in nature, her blessings were eternal ones."

(Barbara W. Winder, "Becoming a Prepared People", Oct 1988 General Conference)

This made me think of President Nelson's talk in where he listed three principles for us.

1. Create Place of Security

2. Prepare Your Mind to be Faithful to God

3. Never Stop Preparing

I am not saying that the days ahead will be easy, but I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands.

I promise that as we create places of security, prepare our minds to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless us. He will “deliver us; yea, insomuch that he [will] speak peace to our souls, and [will] grant unto us great faith, and … cause us that we [can] hope for our deliverance in him.”

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

I had not thought of President Nelson's talk following the description of a virtuous women but now I can see what he was asking us to become.

Day 2818

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 16:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 16:4

"Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no."

The amount of manna the children of Israel were to gather every morning for each person was an omer. How large is an omer I wondered? I found a reference that said it was 9.30 cups. As I thought on it I realized this was a perfect food. They could subsist on it for 40 years. This has to be longest running continual miracle God has ever provided. It was also a perfect test in obedience. They were to only gather each morning enough to be eaten in a day. Yet there were people that gathered more and stored it. In those cases the next morning the manna stank and was wormy. Yet, they were told to gather twice as much on the 6th day and that manna was fine on the sabbath to eat. Still there were those that didn't gather twice as much on the 6th day and went to the fields and found nothing.

This made me think of something I read yesterday in the General Handbook during family scripture study.

"The guidance of the Holy Ghost, along with careful study, can help members discern between truth and error (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:12; 45:57). In matters of doctrine and Church policy, the authoritative sources are the scriptures, the teachings of the living prophets, and the General Handbook."

(General Handbook 38.8.40)

This pointed out again to me how important it was to read and understand what was in the General Handbook. Reading about the different ways the children of Israel reacted to gathering and storing the manna from heaven made me think of extreme preppers and self-reliance.

Extreme preppers would be those that stored more than needful each day. Thinking that they could set aside and use later when counseled not to. This is what the General Handbook says about that.

Extreme Preparation or Survivalism - 38.8.16

"The Church encourages self-reliance. Members are encouraged to be spiritually and physically prepared for life's challenges.

However, Church leaders have counseled against extreme or excessive preparation for possible catastrophic events. Such efforts are sometimes called survivalism. Efforts to prepare should be motivated by faith, not fear.

Church leaders have counseled members not to go into debt to establish food storage. Instead, members should establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve over time."

Those that didn't gather enough on the 6th day in preparation for the Sabbath, and then went looking later would be those that knew of shortages coming but didn't think the warning was true. They mistakenly thought the Lord would provide. This is what the General Handbook tell us about that.

Temporal Preparedness - 22.1.4

"The scriptures teach the importance of being prepared (see Ezekiel 28.7; Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). Members are counseled to become prepared so they can care for themselves, their families, and others in times of need."

During this pandemic I have sure seen both sides of this. It is just as important for us to follow the guidelines given by a prophet today as it was for the children of Israel to listen to Moses.

Day 2225

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 7:4-5, 10, 16

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 7:4-5, 10, 16

"For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in."

Somethings that stood out to me reading this story of the flood. The Lord prepared Noah well in advance to build the ark, but he told him 7 days before the flood came to go into the ark. He had a long warning, and then a relatively short warning. After Noah and his family went into the ark the Lord shut him in.

This made me think of food storage and preparedness. The earliest mention I could find of counsel from the church to have a food storage was in 1857, and that was for seven years.

“Brethren, go and build your storehouses before your grain is harvested, and lay it up, and let us never cease until we have got a seven year’s supply…we will lay up the grain for seven years.” (Heber C. Kimball, JD 4:336-339. June 7, 1857)

We are now given a goal of one year, but to start with a week and then 3 months and to never stop preparing.

Then I thought about the Lord shutting Noah and his family into the ark. This was their place of security. After all they could do the Lord would see to the rest, and that they were safe. It made me think of President Nelson's recent conference talk.

"I promise that as we create places of security, prepare our minds to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless us. He will “deliver us; yea, insomuch that he [will] speak peace to our souls, and [will] grant unto us great faith, and … cause us that we [can] hope for our deliverance in him.”

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

The greatest thing that blessed Noah and his family was he did as the Lord commanded. He was ready when the need came to turn to somewhere safe. I know if I listen to the prophet of the Lord, and do as the Lord commands me I will be ready for whatever comes.

"The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah."

(Ezra Taft Benson, "Prepare Ye" Ensign, Jan 1974)

The temporal preparation is essential, but it was the spiritual preparation that qualified who boarded the ark to begin with.

Day 2166

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 83:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 83:6

"And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church; and widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor. Amen."

I reflected on how well organized the bishop storehouse is. What a beautiful purpose and mission it has. Members of my faith take this charge seriously. I found this tour that someone posted that was so in depth on the Church Distribution Center, and Bishop's Central Storehouse. It is just massive.

I guess what I would say that's key here is, this is for the poor and the needy, be it financial or from natural disasters. It's not intended as a means to feed the saints that have been unwise stewards and unprepared when shortages happen in the supply chain. What we experienced during this pandemic was a lot of panic buying that wiped out supplies for everyone. At that point the resources are low and the wisdom of having put a little aside for a rainy day doesn't appear so foolish. Many were caught unprepared and we can do better. Just like we make our homes an extension of the temple, our home pantries are an extension of a Bishop's Storehouse to feed our own.

Day 2086

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 57:15-16

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 57:15-16

"And now concerning the gathering - Let the bishop and the agent make preparations for those families which have been commanded to come to this land, as soon as possible, and plant them in their inheritance.

And unto the residue of both elders and members further directions shall be given hereafter. Even so. Amen."

This is a very good reminder that the gathering will be under the direction of the church. That direction will come when it's time. I remember several years ago having a discussion with someone in the Independence, Missouri area, and was told that there are members that have up and left their homes feeling they needed to "gather to Zion". They have made no advanced preparations, they have no jobs. They then become a burden to the church in the area. This is not how the Lord works. We can never let fear drive us to do things, for under such conditions it's hard to determine if the spirit is speaking to you or not. When you are driven by fear it's a pretty good indication that something is amiss. It would be really important to determine who you are listening to, and if they are false prophets or not.

Day 2060

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 33:13, 17

 Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 33:13, 17

"And upon this rock I will build my church; yea, upon this rock ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.

Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom-"

What wonderful blessings if we remain faithful and ever ready to meet the Lord. What a small price is asked in order to receive such great promises. Both of these themes were mentioned during the recent General Conference. Elder David A. Bednar talk "We Will Prove Them Herewith" in particular came to mind so I sat and listened to it.

Day 2036

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 8:8-10, 19

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 8:8-10, 19
"And the city of Zarahemla did take fire.
And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.
And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah, that in the place of the city there became a great mountain.
And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lighnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease - for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours - and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land."

As I reflected on the great destruction that came upon the Americas when Christ was crucified and died I thought about now no one could ever prepare for such a level of destruction. The earth was in chaos and there was no fleeing from destruction. In fact with the earth shaking for three hours I doubt you could have even gotten up and ran. This was something all of them had to pass through. It was only in the hands of God if you lived or died.

Then I pondered on how the only preparation that could get one through this was a spiritual preparation. The earth may have been left in darkness for three days, and fear may have filled their hearts, but if you had faith in Christ you knew he would be resurrected and light would return. It must have been a great and terrible day. Terrible for those not spiritually prepared for it. A great day for those that knew prophesy was fulfilled. The Savior was making the ultimate sacrifice to redeem them from their sins. It all depended on where your heart was and if fear filled your heart or not. I imagine that same will be said on Christ's Second Coming.

Day 1945

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 4:4, 18

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 4:4, 18
"Therefore, there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against the Nephites; and the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years, in the which time they did hope to destroy the robbers from off the face of the land; and thus the eighteenth year did pass away.
But behold, this was an advantage to the Nephites; for it was impossible for the robbers to lay siege sufficiently long to have any effect upon the Nephites, because of their much provision which they had laid up in store,"

This made me think about the importance of food storage. How quickly the Nephites had to gather together to defend themselves against the Gadianton robbers. In order to have seven years of provisions they would have needed to have stores put aside in advance. It made me think of their food preservation options compared to our canned goods, pressure canning, dehydrating and vacuum sealing options which they wouldn't have had access to. What skills we must have lost compared to them.

I noticed they had provisions for seven years, but in reality they were only under siege for half that time. What a peace of mind this must have given them to know they could outlast their enemies. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has for many decades told us to be prepared and set food aside. During this pandemic I am grateful that I followed this council, but I know I could have never lasted seven years. I am grateful that the church has often suggested a three month storage and that is do-able. I have noticed an amazing thing during the shortages, as my supplies dwindled it wasn't until I was down to my last item before I could finally find it in stock again. I know the Lord has watched out for us as we have been faithful to the council given, and done the best we could do. It has brought much peace in a difficult time.

I belong to several Facebook groups that focus on preserving food and having a food storage. What a joy it is to see the renewed interest in preparedness, and seeing the wisdom in setting some stores aside. The resources the church has put out are spoken highly of by many not of our faith. It just really feels good to see that these efforts are blessing others in becoming more self-reliant.

Day 1941

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 55:17, 22

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 55:17, 22

"Yea, even to their women, and all those of their children, as many as were able to use a weapon of war, when Moroni had armed all those prisoners; and all those things were done in a profound silence.

Now behold this was done in the night-time, so that when the Lamanites awoke in the morning they beheld that they were surrounded by the Nephites without, and that their prisoners were armed within."

I'm in what is referred to as the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. It appears to have tactics that will be useful in the last days. Not that the situations are the same but the concepts that are needed. What I first found interesting in this chapter was the mention of arming women and children. Not a nice concept at all, but I cannot ignore the timeliness of this discussion. Out of the blue today I had a discussion with another women, who told me that because of all the violence that is going on she is thinking of getting a gun to protect herself. I told her that while I reading in Alma 54:12 yesterday I was stuck with the mention by Moroni of arming his women and children if needed. Then again at the end of the Nephite and Jaredite civilizations it mentions the arming of women and children in battle. Not a pleasant thought, but it sure does tell us about the times we are living in right, when it's a consideration by some now. 

What I also noticed in this chapter were two things, profound silence and things done in the night-time. To me that feels like a warning. That if you are making preparations they should not be announced to others. Keep those to yourself because you never know who is watching or careful note taking. Having said that I do appreciate those that are sharing their knowledge with others on homemaking skills that have been lost to us. Sometimes what we think of as preppers are simply people that are using homemaking skills, basic to any women over a 100 years ago. It is with my parents generation that much of this knowledge was lost, because of all the conveniences that took their place while they raised their children. I am grateful for a father that loved to garden, even though I must admit I take after my mother and have a black thumb.

Day 1913

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 32:5

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 32:5
"For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."

I love Nephi and I love this chapter. So many thoughts and impressions came to mind. This verse stood out to me today because I could write a novel on how the Holy Ghost has shown me all the ways to prepare for our family to shelter in place from this virus. It is a miraculous thing to behold. Some preparations were years in the making. I have learned that to receive revelation you have to be obedient to revelation.

Day 1817

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 24:7

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 24:7
"The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing."

I thought this verse fitting to ponder on given all that happened today. It's like the world is shutting down and all will be quiet in a short amount of time. Today there is panic in the stores as people are preparing at the last minute to shelter in their homes. My children that have left the church ventured out today and saw the chaos first hand in the stores. What we have quietly been doing for a long time doesn't seem so foolish now to them. Home truly feels like a refuge from the storm and a place of peace. Now is the time as the saints of God rest, to be quiet and know that the Lord is King. This verse reminds me it is a good time to sing praises to Him. All of this brings peace.

Day 1809

Today's Favorite Verse: Zephaniah 3:8-9

Today's Favorite Verse: Zephaniah 3:8-9
"Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent."

These verses reminded me of preparation. The Lord will come when his people are prepared. There is much preparation still needed to become a Zion people. I think the new home-centered gospel learning, along with the Self-Reliance initiatives are part of that preparation. Looking at this quote from President Wilford Woodruff seems to support that.

"The hand of God is in all the operations we are trying to carry out. We have to build up Zion independent of the wicked; we have got to become self-sustaining, and the Lord is inspiring His prophets to preach to us to lay the foundation for the accomplishment of this work. The day is not far distant when we shall have to take care of ourselves. Great Babylon is going to fall, judgment is coming on the wicked, the Lord is about to pour upon the nations of the earth the great calamities which He has spoken of by the mouths of His prophets; and no power can stay these things. It is wisdom that we should lay the foundation to provide for ourselves."
(Wilford Woodruff, Improvement in the South, JD 12:11)

The last verse about a pure language reminded me of the PathwayConnect program I am taking. It is the church's world-wide low-cost education program that helps people start or return to college.  It is connected to BYU-Idaho and the Learning Model is to Prepare, Teach One Another, and Ponder and Prove. Teaching and serving are important in the learning process. Learning by the spirit is emphasized. Giving you the ability to learn greater than your own.

At the end of my first semester I discovered that people attending world-wide are required to learn English. All the classes are in English. My gathering meeting had a break-out session for those learning English. Now I'm not saying that English is the pure language spoken of in verse 9, but I can see the importance of a common language among the people. When the Lord returns we will have the language of angels, the language of God the Father, and will all understand one another and will have no need for the gift of tongues. The ability for us to learn and to serve will increase.

Day 1484

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 7:19

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 7:19
"They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity."

The very thing that was a stumbling block, gold and silver, riches of the earth is what cannot help them in the end. All the money in the world will not satisfy the soul of man nor fill his belly when the wrath of the Lord comes.

As I sat and pondered on these verses I though, what about me?  I want to hear good things. Then I realized this is a message for me too. The day of the wrath of the Lord will come, and taking the warning to heart is important to all His saints. I can never afford to lose sight of that.

Day 1384

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 49:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 49:16
"Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord."

It may not be what this verse is talking about, but it made me think of extreme preppers. You can store all the food and supplies that you want. You can live off grid and stock pile  guns. But if you trust in yourself to protect yourself, the Lord will show you otherwise.

Day 1369

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 23:18

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 23:18
"And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing."

Footnotes:
her = Any success she has will only be as permitted by the Lord.
hire = wages

What this verse reminded me of was the Self-Reliance class I took on small business and now on personal finances. I am learning how I have been given a stewardship over all that I have. Being a wise steward I will make it grow, in order to be of greater service to the Lord and care for others. These classes are teaching me to be spiritually and temporally self-reliant. I was really struck last week on a particular assignment. I was to counsel daily with the Lord over my finances. As the days went by I came to understand I was just barely touching the surface of what counseling with the Lord really means. The Lord is teaching me how to counsel with him and ponder things out. I love it!  I do not know the full course these self-reliance classes will take me or the Church, but I know it's headed somewhere. Maybe it will be part of fulfilling these verses.

Financial Stewardship Success Map

Day 1277