Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 133:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 133:1
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

At first I thought about how divided our nation is, that made me sad. I wondered if unity will only be when the Lord comes again? Then I thought about His Church. How unity should be found there, even when all the world is in commotion. We have a sacred charge as we prepare for the Lord's Second Coming. Then I thought of "if ye are not one ye are not mine."

"Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.
And again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives.
Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.
I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.
And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless"
(Doctrine and Covenants 38:27-31)

"And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."
(Moses 7:18)

Day 3947

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 16:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 16:16
"And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—"

This made me think about the First Presidency message President Nelson gave in the latest Liahona. Which was a call of unity, which would not come if there was inequality among us.

Unity = the state of being united or joined as a whole.
Equality = the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.

I felt this was such an important message that hopefully will be expanded upon in this coming general conference. Since President Nelson became the prophet we have been progressing up various tiers. Each step has been putrefying us to become the Zion people we need to be. A call of unity is that next step.

"...true followers of Jesus Christ yearn for peace and actively seek to build a different kind of society—one that is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. To this end, the Lord has charged us to “be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine”. Indeed, unity is a hallmark of the true Church of Jesus Christ.
If we are to be the Lord’s people and be unified, not only must we treat one another as equals, but we must also truly view one another as equals and feel in our hearts that we are equal—equal before God, of equal worth and equal potential.
"First and foremost, each of us is a child of God. Second, as a member of the Church, each of us is a child of the covenant. And third, each of us is a disciple of Jesus Christ. I urge all of us not to allow any other identifier to “displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations.
"God has invited all to come unto Him. There is room for everyone. We may differ in our cultures, politics, ethnicities, tastes, and many other ways. But as we unite in Jesus Christ, such differences fade in their significance and are superseded by our overriding desire to be one—so that we may be His.”
(President Russell M. Nelson, "A Pattern for Unity in Jesus Christ", Oct 2024 Liahona)

Day 3460

Today's Favorite Verse: Ephesians 4:2-3

Today's Favorite Verse: Ephesians 4:2-3

"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

I thought about how hard it is to keep a group of people in unity and peace. It's like a marriage, it only works when you try to be the better of the two. The better being the first to forgive or apologize when there is a disagreement. Thinking first of the need of the other, and showing love. Inside a church or the fold of God the members need to act with lowliness, meekness and be long-suffering with each other. That really can only be done if a group of people are trying to keep the Spirit to be with them, united in cause and purpose.

Day 3260

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 133:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 133:1

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

As I was pondering on this I thought how this will never happen until the Lord returns and reigns over the earth. Then I realized I was wrong. Just like the city of Enoch where a Zion people dwelt, there will be another Zion, a New Jerusalem for His people. We will be there waiting for Him living in unity and peace. Trying to live in unity with others is exactly what we need to work at now. As with anything we learn we need to practice at it, even if others don't want to live in unity. It's good to exercise those none contentious and peace loving muscles, even if you feel very alone. I think the biggest thing I am working on right now is holding my peace and not saying what I really want to say. It's amazing what insight I'm given as I practice this.

Day 2770

Today's Favorite Verse: Judges 1:1-2

Today's Favorite Verse: Judges 1:1-2

"Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand."

I'm starting the book of Judges and wondered who was the Lord speaking to? It was clear when it was Moses, and then Joshua but who is their prophet or leader now? I did read ahead and found that Othniel that is first mentioned in this chapter is the first judge.

"And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife."

(Judges 1:12-13)

I read a little more on what the book Judges is and found this.

"This book and Ruth contain all the Jewish history that has been preserved to us of the times between the death of Joshua and the birth of Samuel. Judges consists of three parts: (1) an introduction (Judg. 1:1–3:6); (2) the history of the Twelve Judges, which falls into a succession of periods of rebellion against God, and the oppressions and deliverances by which they were followed (3:7–16:31); (3) two narratives, which specially show the tendency to idolatry and lawlessness (Judg. 17–21).

...In some cases the influence of a judge only extended over part of the land, so that two judges might hold office at the same time.

...The lack of unity is vividly called to the reader’s attention in the closing sentence of the book (Judg. 21:25): “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

(Bible Dictionary)

Now I have things that I will watch for as I read this chapter. I also pondered on how not having a clear leader over all the children of Israel, and the lack of unity that came from it, could be a cause of so many issues ahead. When there isn't unity in people there can be chaos and rebellion. Then again you can have a prophet and people don't always listen or follow him either.

Day 2371