2 Nephi 10:24

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.
2 Nephi 10:24

This scripture stood out to me in this morning's reading. I think that, often, we have to work at synchronizing our will with God's. It isn't always an easy task. Sometimes it is hard to see the ideal from God's perspective, because we are so blinded by our own desires. It is hard to let go of what we want in order to contemplate and accept what God wants… even when we know that what we want will just make things worse. It is the whole "natural man" thing. The immediacy of our perceived need seems to swallow up our perspective and we can't see past it without a lot of effort and concentrated thought on our parts. It is good to take a step back before we act rashly, and think actively about reconciling our will with God's. If we make sure, every day, that our minds and hearts are open and there is nothing hindering our relationship with God, then we will be aware enough to avoid the pitfalls of life.

3 Nephi 13:22-23

"The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.  If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
3 Nephi 13:22-23




This is interesting to me.  I don't know if I completely understand it, but I was thinking about it today and thought it would be a good message.  It seems to me that you can interpret it to mean that if your outlook is full of light, you are going to see truth and light in whatever you look at.  You will see the good in people, and you will find the good in life... and eventually you will be filled with good yourself, because that is what you look for and see all around you.  If you look for evil though, you will definitely find it, and we have a tendency to become what we are thinking about and looking for.  Today, let's look for the light and truth in everything around us, and we'll find it in ourselves.

Acts 7:39

"To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt."
Acts 7:39


I like this scripture.  Often our choices are more subtle than the one that Lot's Wife made.  Her turning back was physical, and the consequences obvious.  The children of Israel, though perhaps equally reluctant, didn't turn back physically.  Instead, they turned back in their hearts... to their old habits and desires.  Turning back either way is dangerous of course, but sometimes we don't notice our hearts turning because the consequences aren't as physically noticeable.  We don't instantly turn into a pillar of salt, for instance. :) Perhaps we still attend church, we still fulfill our callings... but somewhere inside, we're allowing our hearts to turn back to former ideas and addictions.  Maybe we start to turn to salt spiritually. :)  The chemical change is much slower and more subtle, but it is just as serious.  Let's examine our hearts today, and make sure that no salt is seeping in... that they are headed in the right direction.  We might think that we are secure, but if we don't continue to practice our religion and exercise our faith each day, our spiritual muscles will atrophy, and we'll become weak.  Pray.  Read your scriptures.  Put some effort into the gospel today, and don't let your heart turn back. :)

Doctrine and Covenants 98:11-12

"And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.
For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith."
Doctrine and Covenants 98:11-12


Sometimes we (or at least I) make the gospel more complicated than it is.  We'll start drawing lines for ourselves between evils... well, this is less evil than THAT, so it must be okay. :)  Or we worry and torture ourselves over which good choice is the one we need to make, and end up making none of them... and in the end, inaction was probably the worst choice. :)  It is easy to step back and look at our lives, and despite all the good, we pick out all the faults and want to give up or lose hope for the future.  We deny our ability to change and become who we are meant to be... but we have that ability.  We just have to exercise it.  As long as we are still breathing (and hopefully no zombies are on the list), we have the ability to change, to grow, and to become who we have the potential to be.  God works with us individually.  He gives us lessons, little by little, step by step.  We don't have to figure out the answers to the universe today, even though sometimes we want to be able to. :)  We just have to embrace the good that we have, and abide by the truth that we know.  Read your scriptures today (this doesn't count).  Pray sincerely.  Do the things that you can, and stop stressing about the things that you can't change.  Let's make sure that today we're on the good side and not the evil side... and keep checking every day. :)

John 10:33-34

"The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are Gods?"
John 10:33-34


One of my students last semester, when he found out that I was a Mormon, proceeded to inform me that even though I probably didn't know, because it was a secret thing only known to the higher-ups in the church, that the Mormons believed that they were going to become Gods, and that is why he could never believe that religion.  ... It is interesting to me that that is such a stumbling block for people.  To me, it makes total sense.  We're children of God, destined someday to become like him.  It's cool, it's hopeful... it's perfect.  It makes so many other things fall into place.  Somehow I think that this student associated it with snobbery... like we were going to become Gods and all the other people were just going to be little chess pieces in our great game of manipulation.  Instead, I think of it differently.  We all, members and non-members alike, have the potential to become like God.  Just like we, as small children, have the potential to grow up to become like our Earthly parents.  It takes a lot of work and a lot of study to reach our potential, and the church is part of that... helping us to reach our potential, and helping us to do the work that it takes to give everyone the same opportunities.  Hopefully we get closer to reaching our potential every day... including today.  Let's work on it, shall we? :)

Mosiah 29:38

"Therefore they relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins."
Mosiah 29:38


This is something that I don't think that we see every day... people expressing a willingness to answer for their own sins. :)  We're always trying to blame something or someone else.  The circumstances, the environment... nature... sometimes even God.  Really, though, we've been given an overwhelming gift in having a chance to answer for our own thoughts and actions.  Liberty, freedom... words that get a lot of press lately.  That is what God's plan is all about.  If we want the benefits of freedom, we also have to accept the responsibilities.  They go together.  If all I really learn in this life is how to play Tetris really, really well, I am going to have to explain that to God.  And when I am up there, do you think that he (or even I) will be inclined to listen to all my excuses about the Tetris-happy household I grew up in, or the Tetris-addict friends that I hung out with?  No.  He's going to ask me why I didn't learn something worthwhile, or at least capitalize on my Tetris-enhanced manipulative talent and become a bricklayer or *something.*  And that's good.  My parents and friends shouldn't be blamed for my Tetris addiction... or any other.  I'm free.  I can play Tetris OR write the Scripture of the Day.  I can play Tetris OR do some editing... etc.  We have a great gift living here on earth... our freedom to choose.  Today, let's choose wisely, and remember that the responsibility for our choices rests with each of us individually.  If bad things are influencing you, divorce yourself from that situation or environment... you can.  That's what freedom is about. :)

Doctrine and Covenants 38:19-20

“And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.
And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.”
Doctrine and Covenants 38:19-20


I was looking at the calendar this morning and thinking... April 10th... hmm, now why does that seem significant?  And then I realized that April 10th, eleven years ago, was the day that I was released from my mission.  It seems like so many things have happened since then, and yet it hasn't been long at all in the overall view of life. :)  Which brings me to this scripture.  God said these words through the prophet Joseph Smith in 1831.  He said similar words to Abraham, to Nephi, and to other prophets.  I think that he is saying it to all of us.  It can be an immediate promise, if you are trying to carve out a niche for yourself or your family, but it is also a gigantic promise in the overall view of life. :)  This earth is going to be the Celestial Kingdom, and if God gives us the right to the land, then we'll get to be here when that is complete.  Eternity is a pretty good amount of time for an inheritance. :)
The key here, and with a lot of the gospel, is that we have to seek it with all our hearts... there is a double meaning there as well.  The first is that we have to be completely dedicated to gaining an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom.  Completely.  We can't sit there and say, "hmmm... I don't know... how many square feet do I get?  Maybe the Terrestrial Kingdom can offer me more..."  We can't try to hold onto any souvenirs of hell when we travel to heaven.  It will take everything we have... every ounce of dedication that we possess... to achieve that goal.  And, it is worth that, and worth much more than we can offer besides.  The second meaning is that it will take all our hearts, plural... as a group... to achieve that goal.  We're here together for a reason.  We have the opportunity to help each other and to build the kind of Zion community that we want to live in, in our hearts, and start radiating it out to everyone we meet.  Living the gospel is a challenge at times, and we've all been tested and tried.  When we are strong, we have people we can help, and when we're weak, we have others to help us.  That is what being part of a Zion community is about.  Let's work at being worthy of our inheritance. :)

Alma 4:12

"Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted."
 Alma 4:12


Alma seems very distressed by this, but I think sometimes that we have become desensitized to it.  Inequality is all around us.  We're used to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and the gap between people ever widening.  I wonder what it would be like to live in a society that *wasn't* filled with inequality.  Where there were no street people, because we took care of them.  Where we had no need for homeless shelters, because we sheltered them.  Wouldn't it be nice going through your daily life, knowing that other people were watching out for you, instead of perhaps trying to take advantage of you, or even just where we helped each other instead of scrambling to individually make ends meet?  As we go throughout our lives today, let's try to imagine the things that would change... and to the best of our ability, let's change our actions to conform to that dream. :)

Mark 5:36

"As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe."
Mark 5:36


I think that we often have doubt creep into our minds about the eventual outcome of a lot of things.  War stresses us out... not to mention financial things, interpersonal things with family and friends, and personal struggles.  Satan keeps trying to tell us that we can't succeed... we're too far gone, or it is too hard to overcome this or that, or we'll never have enough money, time, success... whatever.  ...but God says to us, "Be not afraid, only believe."  Things WILL work out.  Everything will be okay.  Whatever it is, it isn't the end of the world, or even something that should destroy a whole day.  God is there, and he knows what he is doing, and after we have a little trial of our faith, things always work out better than they were before. :)  Today, let's try to listen to God when he tells us not to fear.  With him on our side, nothing is frightening. :)

1 Nephi 15:11

"Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?--If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you."
1 Nephi 15:11


We might miss out on insight and help from God sometimes, just because we don't believe that he will offer it to us... or because we don't ask.  If something in the gospel, or in life (which is part of the gospel, but usually separated in our minds) disturbs us or confuses us... the thing to do is ask the Lord. :)  He isn't looking for us to be confused.  He wants us to understand, and make the right choices.  Today, let's look for the answers to our questions from God. :)

Daniel 9:9

"To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him."
Daniel 9:9


Pretty amazing, actually.  We rebel against God, treat him dishonorably, slander his name... mistreat his children, and still he is merciful and good to us.  He must love us a lot, eh? :)  Let's do better.

John 14:6

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me."
John 14:6


Thomas was wondering how they would know how to follow him, and what way to go if Christ wasn't there with them, and this was Christ's response.  I think we all have the same question at times in our lives... how do we follow God, or know the way to go, when he isn't there in front of us telling us the way to go?  And Christ's answer is interesting.  He says that he *is* the way... or basically, that he has already done everything that needs to be done.  He's made the travel plans, negotiated for the proper visas, paid for the hotels, gotten us a rental car... all of it.  It is fully taken care of.  All we have to do is follow his relatively simple directions, and everything will go smoothly.  It is when we decide to hitchhike to some other place instead that we get into trouble. :)  Let's remember that Christ is the way, and follow him to our most-desired destination. :)

Alma 33:17

"And now, my brethren, ye see that a second prophet of old has testified of the Son of God, and because the the people would not understand his words they stoned him to death."
Alma 33:17


I was thinking about this today... and unfortunately, I think I sometimes fall into the same trap these people did.  I don't understand some things in the gospel, but how much of that is because I choose not to understand?  Does that make sense?  I think that we probably would understand a lot more if we would allow ourselves to do so.  If we didn't throw up defensive walls against things that we think threaten our habits, then we'd more fully comprehend the gospel.  I know that I accept things really quickly when I already live that way... sure, that makes sense, because it requires no effort on my part.  It is harder to process information that actually requires me to do something.  Do we sabotage our own thought processes?  I think that we do.  When we don't want to live by a certain guideline, then we avoid thinking about it, or even trying to understand it.  Instead, if it pops into our minds at all, we think of all the reasons that it couldn't be right, or perhaps why it applies to other people, but not to us personally.  ...Today, let's try to think past our own mental blocks, and give God a chance to get through to us.  I'm not saying it will be easy... but it will definitely be enlightening. :)

Alma 33:23

"And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith.  And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life.  And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son.  And even all this can ye do if ye will.  Amen."
Alma 33:23


I like this idea of our burdens being light because of joy.  That's a cool idea.  And, thinking about it, it seems to work.  I know that even the worst things can seem fine when I am happy, and even the best things seem tinged with shadow when I am unhappy.  I guess one of the things that we most need to learn about the gospel is that Christ is the source of happiness... we get closer to true joy as we get closer to God, and farther away from happiness as we lose touch with God.  ... it's a basic truth, but I think that sometimes we depend on other things to bring us happiness, and try to imagine that we can leave God behind without losing anything.  As we try the experiment (plant the seed) of living the gospel, we discover that nothing severed from God is worth having.

Isaiah 3:9-10

"The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."
Isaiah 3:9-10


The part of these verses that strikes me is the "rewarded evil unto themselves" part. I think that makes so much sense (yeah, brilliant comment... God makes sense. Nice that I finally noticed, eh?) ... God has us down here to learn and to grow and to become better than we are already, and when we don't take advantage of that, then we are doing ourselves a disservice. It makes it even worse if we start burying or losing the gifts that we are given. Unfortunately, this is fairly easy to do. All we have to do is get wrapped up in something that dulls our minds and our senses, or narrows our focus to only one thing. Myriads of things can do this, including the simplest of addictions such as television or computer games... and, of course, ranging up through the worst of sins. And I'm not saying that television or games are inherently evil... they aren't. Only that almost anything can distract us from our incredible opportunities, if we aren't aware. That high score on Tetris is very very cool... but the months that it took to get there aren't doing us much good in the eternal scheme of things. :) God's commandments aren't there to restrict us or punish us... they are there to remind us and help us towards fulfilling our potential. In the end, whatever we receive or become will be a result not just of God's mercy and grace, but our own choices. And if those choices are bad ones, we might not end up where we want to be. Let's work on rewarding ourselves with things that matter... things that last.

Matthew 16:25-26

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Matthew 16:25-26


This is kind of getting to me this morning.  I guess that always before when I have thought of this scripture, I have thought it pretty obvious... of COURSE my soul is more important than the world... mostly thinking about material things.  Vacation homes, yachts... nothing that really applied to me personally. :)  Today though, the last part: "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul" kind of hit me.  I think that is the exact deal we are making every day when we make the wrong choices.  If we steal a pack of gum from the store, we're exchanging that pack of gum for a little bit of our soul.  When we tell a lie, we're exchanging that erroneous information for some of our soul.  If we get into an extra-marital sexual relationship, maybe we feel like we're saving our lives, but we're actually losing them... and if we resist temptation like that, then no matter how it feels like we're losing something, we're actually gaining our lives.  There isn't anything, anywhere that is worth trading for our souls.  Whatever our personal addictions, whatever our desires, nothing is that important.  God is watching out for us, letting us know the consequences of our actions.  Let's take him seriously today, and make sure that we aren't selling our priceless eternal souls for pretty, shiny, worthless junk.

Revelation 2:7

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
Revelation 2:7


God offers us so much... the tree of life symbolizes not only life, but the love of God, which is offered to each of us.  Sometimes I think we all fall into the trap of thinking of God as cruel or harsh or impossibly demanding.  We probably have all thought of our parents that way at times as well... and that is the point.  The semester just got over for some of my classes and I think I learned a little bit about perception when one of my students turned in two plagiarized papers that he had gotten off the Internet.  I knew this student, and he is brilliant and talented... but I also knew his writing, and this wasn't his.  So, I did the research to make sure that they were plagiarized.  I didn't want to fail him though... and what I felt when I knew for sure wasn't anger.  It was much more complicated.  Frustration... empathy.  I knew that he was stressed, and worried about failing the class.  I gave him a chance to confess and to re-do the papers so that he wouldn't fail... and when I confronted him, at first he was really really angry and defensive, but after he knew that I was trying to help, and after a couple of hours, he was actually able to smile at me again... which was a relief. :)  ... anyway, all this to say... I think that in our relationship with God, we're all plagiarists sometimes.  We offer him blatantly obvious falseness, and then we get angry when he calls us on it.  He doesn't want to alienate us, but he isn't going to accept less than honesty.  And what he feels toward us isn't anger or hatred... just love, and an overwhelming desire for us to overcome this problem so that we don't have to have it between us.  He wants us to overcome all of it, so that we can come to him and feel his love, and live happily.  He knows that we are brilliant, talented people, and he sees our potential clearly.  It only saddens him when we throw rocks in our own path. :)  ... Today, let's work toward paradise.  Let's accept what God has to say, repent, and get on with life... and eternity.

Alma 22:16

"But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest."
Alma 22:16


Aaron here is talking to the king of the Lamanites... and right before this, the king asks what he can do to receive "this great joy" in his life... and says that he will give up his kingdom and all he possesses in order to gain it.  And in response, Aaron says this.  It is interesting to me that the king thought first about his material possessions... as though those were the most important things in his life.  We think first of those types of things too, sometimes.  We want the job and the house and the money to buy stuff... but in the eternal view, those things are mostly worthless.  The true value lies in who we are, and that is where God concentrates his effort.  If we want happiness and hope in our lives, it isn't going to come through gaining this or that material possession.  No matter how cool our toys are, the real happiness comes through our relationship with God.  And we start and build that relationship on our knees.  Talking to God every day about the things that matter to us, and apologizing to him for the things we've done that we know have hurt ourselves and other people... finding our way through those mistakes, and knowing that our relationship with God is whole... that brings hope.  In terms of prioritizing, the king of the Lamanites had it exactly right... a kingdom is nothing compared to a relationship with God.  God is always there, helping us every step of our lives, if we have a relationship with him which is open and honest... admitting what we have done wrong, and being sincere about improving ourselves.

2 Peter 1:5-7

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."
2 Peter 1:5-7


Step by step... I think that this is cool.  We are supposed to be perfect, but we do it step by step, a little at a time.  We aren't going to be perfect all at once, so try this... add virtue to your faith, etc. :)  It seems in reach this way. :)  Of course, these are difficult things to do at times... but in the end, as we build ourselves up, we'll be able to grasp the ultimate... charity.  Being able to love as God does.  A worthy goal on our path to perfection. :)

Mosiah 2:41

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.  O, remember remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
Mosiah 2:41


King Benjamin rocks. :)  ... and of course, more than that, the content of what he says here is surpassingly hopeful.  If we keep the commandments we'll be blessed, not just spiritually or in the long-term, but temporally, now, on earth.  Those blessings, of course, are guided by the wisdom of God, and it doesn't mean that if we are righteous we will be rich or we'll be protected from losing our jobs or any of that necessarily... but it could mean that, if that is what we need in our individual lives in order to bless the lives of others.  I like the idea, as well, of never-ending happiness.  Sometimes it feels like this world is a roller coaster (incidentally, I don't like to ride roller coasters) of emotion... and there are great, amazing times when you are completely happy and content... but then there is the inevitable fast downward plunge. :)  I would like to make it to that point where there is never-ending happiness.  No matter how hard life is at certain moments, never-ending happiness is worth it... is it not? :)

Jacob 6:12

"O be wise; what can I say more?"
Jacob 6:12


Funny... he says this, but then he goes on talking for a whole 'nother chapter. :)  Sincerely, though... it is interesting how exacting we are when we want instructions.  The ten commandments aren't good enough for us, we need details. :)  Really, the gospel can be summed up in a few words... "be wise," "be good," or just "love..." :)  The thing is, in our effort to justify our lives, we inevitably ask... "well, exactly how wise do I have to be?" or "how good?" or "well, but I shouldn't be nice to HIM..."  and so God and the prophets do say more, even though, really, it is all the same message.  Be wise.  Let's try to be wise... without hemming and hawing and making selfish exceptions.  I'm not saying that it is easy, but it might be worth a try. :)

Daniel 4:30-31

"The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee."
Daniel 4:30-31


This is a guy who had a dose of humility from the Lord. :)  He lost his mind for a while and wandered like King Lear out in the wilderness.  We forget sometimes that everything that we have and every breath that we take is from the Lord.  We are dependent on him, whether we like to remember that or not. If we attempt to remember that, then the resulting humble gratitude can save us from a lot of pride-based sin in our lives. :)  ... and there is a lot of that. :)

Alma 32:13

"And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved."
Alma 32:13


Perhaps some of the things that happen to us in our lives are to teach us humility.  And although things that humble us are rarely things that we would choose for ourselves, they are actually a blessing.  Sometimes when we are humbled, we remember God, and look to him for help and guidance, and try to repent of our sins.  Perhaps we should be thankful that God cares about us enough to give us a dose of humility. :)

John 15:4

"Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."
John 15:4


This is cool.  It makes it really clear that our relationship with Christ isn't just a one way thing... he wants us to abide in him, and he abides in us.  The oneness talked about throughout the scriptures.  Like becoming a Zion people, becoming part of Christ as he is part of us.  I think we feel that a little bit with friends and family.  People that we love seem like they are connected to us, like they can't be separated without ripping out part of ourselves.  And that seems (to me) exactly like how we should feel about Christ.  First, because we really WOULD be ripping out part of ourselves, but secondly, because Christ is our friend, our partner in our effort to achieve salvation. :)  He wants to be part of us, and for us to succeed, just as much as, and probably more than, we want to succeed and to be a part of him.  It is a remarkably cool thing to think of us all bound together, being part of each other.  I mean, think of the person you love the most in the world, and what kind of a bond you have with that person... then make that bond more perfect, and multiply it by everyone.... I mean, can you even begin to imagine how amazingly cool that will be? :)  Another reminder that living and learning the gospel is SO incredibly worth it. :)

Luke 1:37

"For with God nothing shall be impossible."
Luke 1:37


This is a good thing to remember.  In Relief Society today we talked about being children of God, and what that means... and basically it means that we have the potential to do anything that God does... to be like him.  Which means, essentially, that with US nothing shall be impossible either.  Instead of giving up on ourselves and believing that we can't make it... we are able to get past those moments of darkness and go on, and do the impossible.  God is on our side.  We are his children, and if we stick with our lessons and learn how, we can become like he is... nothing good is out of our reach.

Proverbs 20:9

"Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"
Proverbs 20:9


This is interesting... I think of keeping my language clean, or my clothes clean, or even my mind clean... but my heart I don't think about in that way (at least until now).  Often, and in error, I think that emotion and feelings are things that happen to us, not things that we can choose and control.  But, this scripture is right here before me, and it helps me to remember that I can choose what I feel, and I can choose to love rather than to hate, and I can work on making my heart clean.  I invite you to do the same. :)

Lamentations 5:21

"Turn thou us unto thee, Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."
Lamentations 5:21


This is interesting... the scripture asks the Lord to turn US, not for the Lord to turn to us. :)  Actually a lot more likely. :)  Also, sometimes don't you despair of turning yourself?  It would be nice to have some help in that.  And, I don't even think that it goes against free agency, as long as we are asking. :)  Maybe we should ask for some help from the Lord, with handling ourselves. :)

Matthew 25:40

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Matthew 25:40


I know that we've probably all heard this scripture a lot.  Sad, really, that some scriptures are so common to us that we forget to think about them, but I think that that has been the case with me and this scripture.  This is fascinating to think about.  Is it part of the atonement that Christ relates to each of us so personally, or is it how we should feel about each other... or both?  I think that there are some people in my life that if someone offended them I would take it as a personal affront... and if someone was cool to them, I would feel like that person were being cool to me... but I don't think that is a common thing in my life, and I wonder if it should be.  Is it part of becoming "one" ... becoming a Zion people, of one heart and one mind?  Maybe so... and so maybe I should be relating to people more, trying to understand them more, having more of those types of friendships that connect to me in a real way. :)  Maybe we all should. :)

3 Nephi 17:8

"For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you."
3 Nephi 17:8


This is cool... Jesus can heal anyone, but it talks about how they had to have something going on their end too. :)  How many times do we ask God why we are afflicted, or why this is happening to us... and it is good to remember that we have an obligation too, in order to be healed.  God isn't going to violate the free agency that he gave us, and he, as a great teacher, needs to also wait until we're ready to accept what he has to offer.  So, instead of wondering why we're afflicted, or why things are going wrong in our lives today... let's work on accepting what God has to offer.  On believing that he can heal us, and untangle the mess we've made of our lives. :)

1 Corinthians 14:20

"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."
1 Corinthians 14:20


This is an interesting way to look at maturity.  As we get older, we gain knowledge, and hopefully some wisdom... but perhaps we also gain some things that aren't good.  Cynicism?  Doubt?  And definitely malice.  Today, let's try to hold on to the good parts of getting older, and let go of the bad.  We can understand things without being cynical.  We can eschew evil without letting hate canker our souls.

Alma 34:26

"But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness."
Alma 34:26


The closet thing reminds me of one day when I was living in Utah.  My boyfriend came over one night about 9pm and we had been talking for about an hour when my roommate burst out of the front closet in her nightgown and ran into her room.  We were baffled.  Later, I asked her about it and she told me that she liked to pray in the closet because of this scripture.  :)
I like the literal interpretation as well... when and where to pray, but it probably goes beyond the literal.  Basically it means we should pray everywhere, all the time, right? :)
The wording here is interesting, because the writer hastens to include closets, secret places, and wilderness.  Closets... because they are private, or because they are where we hide things?  Secret places... perhaps to remind us that no place is secret from the Lord, or maybe because the Lord wants to share the intimate setting of your favorite place.  And the most interesting to me is our wilderness... because in a symbolic sense we are all lost in a wilderness of sorts.  Perhaps the same one in Lehi's dream... perhaps we each have a wilderness of our own.  Praying will help us to find our way... and ourselves perhaps.  In another sense, wilderness is wild, untamed nature... where we go to escape the world.  Maybe God is letting us know that we don't need to escape him, that he shares that escape and wonder with us.  Or maybe all of the above. :)   Let's remember to share our lives with God today.  Whatever shape they are in, they will be better after a good talk with Him.

Matthew 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Matthew 5:7


Life seems unfair at times.  You wonder why this or that is happening to you, while someone else seems to float through similar circumstances.  Or you wonder why similar things produce different results. :)  I'm sure that you can think of something that seems unfair in your own life.  I think the tragedy of life is not that life isn't fair... it is that we think we want fairness.  In the end, as illustrated by this scripture, things will indeed be fair.  Whatever we offer to others we will be offered.  Whatever we put into life is what we'll get out of it.  If we've learned to be happy here, then we'll be happy there.  All perfectly fair.  I think that the fairness that we think we want is more like advantage.  We want things to work out perfectly for us and the people we care about.  We want to win when we are in competition with others.  We don't want to have the things we dish out returned to us.  Today, let's remember to be good to others, and to be merciful.  That's the best way to ensure that we will receive mercy in return... and I don't know about you, but I could use some mercy. :)

Haggai 1:7

"Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Consider your ways."
Haggai 1:7


This is pretty clear. :)  I know that I often sink into some state where it isn't that I stop thinking really, but I think a lot about pointless things.  I think about what to have for lunch or what is going to happen next in my current book, and I don't think about my relationship with God and the things that he wants me to do.  So, today, I am going to consider my ways.  I invite you to do so as well. :)

3 Nephi 16:1-2

"And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.
For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them."
3 Nephi 16:1-2


One of the cool things about God (and what isn't cool) is that he gives us little clues like this, and then leaves it up to us to ask to find out any more. :)  And it is cool that he manifests himself to everyone, not just certain groups. :)  Thousands of cool things to contemplate about God today. :)

1 John 4:20-21

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."
1 John 4:20-21


This is interesting.  I've never thought of things just this way, but I suppose that God is hard to love in some ways, merely because we can't see him and know him in a face-to-face physical sense.  So, when we have that advantage with other people, and we still don't like them, then we have some more to learn about love. :)  Of course, God is perfect and that offers some advantages right there... but, sincerely, when I think of the people that I love, it seems that I love the little idiosyncratic things about them.  The way they say something, or the way they avoid something else. :)  It's hard to know those things about God... does he have any idiosyncrasies? :)  I think that it is cool that God commands us to love other people, because I think that in our imperfect states, that is the only way we have to learn to love him.  And, yeah, we aren't very good at it yet.  We still have a long way to go to learn to be open and unselfish and to love the way we should... but we'll get there.  Another good thing to think about at the beginning of the year. :)

John 3:30

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3:30


This strikes me as an amazingly humble thing to say... and something that we can probably apply to our own lives.  This is John the Baptist, speaking of Christ.  And, I think that in our own lives we have times where we know that we have to bow to something greater than ourselves as well.  We might not want things to go a certain way, but recognize that they need to, for bigger reasons than our own desires.  In everything we do and are, we have to allow God to increase his influence while we decrease our own.  Sometimes it is hard, but it is the only way that we'll be building God's kingdom and not some parody of our own.  Something I need to remember today, and a good thing to remember as we start out our new years, putting God first.