Mormon 5:17-18

"They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father.
But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they."
Mormon 5:17-18


I think this is what happens to all of us when we wander away from God, even the tiniest bit.  We start losing our way, losing direction in our lives, and getting blown about.  We don't have that solid foundation in our lives anymore, and we don't know even how to stand still and get our bearings, without God.  We *need* him... we're these oceanic explorers, looking for the promised land, and when we don't have God, then we're not going to find any land, except maybe the little island of Hell that we're already very familiar with. :)  As we work on making sure that God is our first priority, then we'll be led to the promised land, whatever that is for each of us individually on this earth... and we'll be led to the promised blessings after this earth, where we'll be able to rejoice together. :)

Doctrine and Covenants 98:40

"And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven."
Doctrine and Covenants 98:40


This is definitely difficult, to forgive someone who makes the same mistake over and over and over again, especially when it directly affects or harms us.  However, that is what God asks of us, AND it is what God *does* for us, when we make mistakes over and over and over again, as long as we are truly repentant.  Let's try today to give other people the same opportunities for repentance and forgiveness that we would like to have.

Acts 13:28

"And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain."
Acts 13:28


I think this is interesting.  There was no reason at all to kill Christ. He hadn't done anything wrong... but we are offended by people who are doing good sometimes.  We're jealous, or just selfish.  They are in our way... they have the lives that we want... whatever it is.  We project our own feelings or thoughts onto them, and figure that they are self-righteous, or looking down on us, or whatever.  Maybe it is just paranoia, but it is easy to want to drag people that you see as better than you down, rather than trying to aspire to their level.  Today, let's try to do the absolute best we can, and honor those people who are following the commandments.  Those are the people we should be gathering around ourselves, not only to have a good example, but also because righteous friendships are one of the greatest blessings that God can give us. :)

Genesis 6:5-6

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."
Genesis 6:5-6


These verses are sad.  God loves us and he does all of what he does so that we can be happy.  And then, we imagine and do so much evil.  Luckily, in our days, there are a lot of good people as well as a lot of evil people, and it isn't so one-sided.  Today, let's make sure that we stay on the good side... use our imaginations for GOOD things, and encourage only the good in others. :)

Alma 17:13

"And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken."
Alma 17:13


This scripture is another one that emphasizes our trust in the Lord.  I think that is something that I need to work on in my life.  I give up too easily, thinking that I can't accomplish whatever it is.  What I forget, too often, is that with God's help, I can do anything that he wants me to do.  Miracles happen every day, and as we trust in God, we find ourselves experiencing those miracles, participating in them... discovering that we are capable of more than we dreamed, especially of being faithful to God and his commandments.  Life can seem overwhelming at times, and we can come to feel as though we can't possibly do all that is expected of us... but as we focus on the present, on just what we have to do in this particular hour of the day, and as we trust God, we find that even the largest and scariest obstacles can be overcome.
The other part of this scripture that I like is the part about trusting in the Lord that they would meet again at the close of their harvest... I think that is something that we often do.  People come into and out of our lives, and sometimes we feel the absence strongly... and the way to ensure that we don't lose anyone at all is the same thing that the sons of Mosiah trusted in... in God, and in doing his will.  Someday, whether in this life or in the next, we will be reunited with all the people that we care about, and I can't even imagine having that much happiness at once... but I am definitely looking forward to it. :)

Jude 1:24-25

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."
Jude 1:24-25


I was reading this morning, and this struck me... who else but God can keep us from falling? Who can present us faultless? ... we definitely can't do these things for ourselves. We fall... and get dirty, and there we are, lying on the ground, with a skinned knee, dirty clothes, and gravel in our hair... and at those times it is easy to lose hope. It is easy to realize that we are clumsy, we fall a lot... that maybe we aren't coordinated enough to make it home. :)  But no matter how bad the fall, God is the one who can clean us up and set us back on our feet to try again. ... That doesn't mean that we don't have a responsibility to learn to walk, but it is nice to know that it is possible to get home, at times when it seems unlikely. As the scriptures continually tell us, if we put God first in our lives, then the rest will work out.  We get it wrong, a lot, and try to figure everything else out before worrying about God... it doesn't work that way.  We can't become perfect and then go to God. The truth is, we need him if we are to have ANY dream of perfection... and we need him every day, to guide us, to show us the way to happiness... sometimes we need him just to remember to breathe in and out.  Today, let's work on putting him first.  Work on THAT relationship... and retain some hope, because with HIM, everything good is possible. :)

1 Corinthians 4:5

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."

1 Corinthians 4:5

"Make manifest the counsels of the hearts." ... in some ways that is scary... people will know what I am thinking, and have thought. I don't always think good, positive thoughts. ... but in other ways it is really, really good: I have *always* wanted to be able to communicate with other people my thoughts... how I really feel, what is really there in my mind and heart... I think that we would be able to talk more openly, about everything. I love language, or I wouldn't teach it, but sometimes it can get in the way of your message. An author named Nancy Kress in one of her books, talked about this invention in the possible future, kind of a holographic thought projector. It allowed people to see not only the core thought, but all of the relationships to that thought in the mind. When we take even our thoughts out of context, let alone our words, they are easy to misinterpret, so if you could see all the relationships that go along with that thought... all the side paths and connections that your brain makes as you are thinking, then you would have truer communication than we have now. Anyway, babbling about books... but sincerely, imagine what it would be like to know the thoughts of someone else. So great for your friends, for people you care about, because you have another way to show affection, and they can feel that respect that you have for them... and SO bad for people you don't like, or who don't like you, because even if in that moment you find out that they are cooler than you thought, your negative thoughts about them are screaming in everyone's heads... perhaps a possibility involved with why we couldn't stand to be in the Lord's presence if we are actively involved in sin... could you stand all of the good people in heaven to hear your thoughts, let alone the Lord himself? Let's work on changing our thought patterns and negative emotions now, so that we won't be cringing when the Lord makes them manifest.

Omni 1:1-2

"Behold, it came to pass that I, Omni, being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon these plates, to preserve our genealogy—

Wherefore, in my days, I would that ye should know that I fought much with the sword to preserve my people, the Nephites, from falling into the hands of their enemies, the Lamanites. But behold, I of myself am a wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done."

Omni 1:1-2

I think that we all feel like this sometimes... that we haven't kept the commandments or listened to God as well as we "ought to have done." When we feel like that, the challenge is to get better at those things, and not just accept ourselves as we are. We can always improve and grow, no matter where we are in our lives... good or bad. God isn't judging us based on an impossible standard... he just wants us to become better than we are now. If we work on improving, then we'll become better, and over time we'll reach heights we hadn't dreamed we could ever attain. Today, let's pick an aspect of our lives that needs improvement and work on that... even if we start at zero, we can still make a difference in our lives. Life with God is better than life without. :)