Job 27:6-8

"My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?"
Job 27:6-8


This is pretty cool.  I like the "my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live." ... what a great, amazing principle to stand up for.  I know that my heart has reproached me quite a few times in the past.  I would like to live so that it never does again. :)   I like the last verse as well... because, as always, that is what it comes down to.   What good is it to disobey God, or to gain ANYTHING else, when we're losing our own souls in the process... when our own hearts reproach us?  It isn't worth it.   Let's take this day and try to incorporate Job's words into our lives... let's hang on to our souls, and try to live above reproach from our own hearts.  And, if we can do it today... then maybe we can try doing it for longer. :)

Job 13:23

"How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin."
Job 13:23


This one caught my eye because... I don't think I want to know my iniquities and sins at all.   When I'm driving down the road and I remember some of them, it makes me sad.  So, I guess I was wondering why you would want that.  There was a great cross-reference to the Doctrine and Covenants (18:44) which talks about convincing many of their sins that they may come to repentance.   And maybe that is why.   Maybe we don't really realize all the things that we do wrong, or try to block them out (that's me), but if we actually faced them and dealt with them, it would give us an amazing opportunity for repentance... for that cleanliness of soul that feels better than anything else.  It's also interesting that the other cross-reference was to Alma 36:17.  It's when Alma the younger is stopped on the road by an angel, and struck down.  He is "harrowed" up by the memory of his sins... it is a suffering thing, but also allows him room for repentance as he remembers how to get rid of that feeling.  I think when I just try to shove all of my past sins into a locked box in the back of my mind, I am probably losing that opportunity.  Maybe we have to suffer a little in order to repent.  We have to realize and deal with what we've done wrong in order to change it... but the cool thing is that we CAN change it.  With God's help, we can get through the painful part, and get to the part where we wash them away and they can't hurt us ever again. ... Let's give it a try. :)

1 Kings 8:38-39 -- On Heart Plagues

"What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)"
1 Kings 8:38-39


The phrase "know every man the plague of his own heart" is interesting to me.  I think that we do have heart plagues. Things that seep into our hearts... or maybe they *start* there.  I don't know.  Whatever way they get there though, those are the things that keep us from God... the things that prevent us from giving our hearts wholly to God.  It's interesting that it talks about prayer from those that know the plagues of their own hearts. I think recognizing those things that are within us that are blocking our relationships with God is important self-insight, and could make for a pretty sincere prayer if we're ready to fight those dragons. :)

To conclude this selection, we're reminded that God knows our hearts (and therefore our plagues too) and that he will forgive us, and provide for us according to our ways.  I think referring to reaping what we sow, and being blessed as long as we are going in the correct direction (toward God).

No matter what the plagues of our hearts are, they can be overcome.   God is there, knowing as no one else can the struggles that we each have... those things that are buried in our hearts, that are SO important to us.  They are extremely hard to overcome (which is why we have the plague analogy... possibly contagious/hard to cure/probably lethal if we don't get help), but *with* his help, we can overcome any of those personal dragons... no matter how big or scary, or fire-breathing. :)