3 Nephi 6:10-14 -- On Disputation, Pride, and Inequality

"But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions;
For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers.
And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning; yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches.
Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God. And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord."
3 Nephi 6:10-14


This is a time in the Book of Mormon where the people had accomplished something miraculous... they had overcome, through a massive effort, the Gadianton robbers, and they had all repented and let go of their sins (3 Nephi 5:3).  It fell apart quickly though, and this explains why.  Some disputation, some pride, and inequality.

Those things seem normal and perhaps even ho-hum in our society, but maybe we should be taking them more seriously, especially when those are things that are touching our own lives.  Today, let's examine our lives and see where we can eliminate disputes and pride and think of ways that we can combat inequality.  God doesn't expect us to solve these problems overnight, of course, but let's work on going in the right direction... towards the miraculous society where these things don't exist, and making ourselves ready for heaven in the process. :)

Hebrews 13:18 -- On Living Honestly

"Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly."
Hebrews 13:18


I like the idea here of being willing to live honestly in all things.   That's a tough one for a lot of reasons, but a big one is that we don't even tell ourselves the truth sometimes.

One way to get help with living more honestly is to pray and ask God to help you with it.  God can definitely helps have a "good conscience," helping us to think more clearly about what is and isn't honest in our lives.

Today, let's take an inventory of our own honestly levels, and boost them up where needed.

Matthew 15:30-31 -- On Healing and Faith

"And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel."
Matthew 15:30-31


Both here and in an event in Third Nephi (3 Nephi 17:7-9) Jesus heals everyone they bring to him. The physical healing is of course miraculous and astounding from our perspective... in some cases during Christ's ministry, he healed ailments that doctors don't yet know how to heal, and in other cases, the healing was immediate, unlike the long therapy that would be required after surgery.

In the later account Christ mentions that the faith of the people to be healed is a significant factor in this, and I think that is something that is worth working on... not just if we have a significant physical malady, but in Hosea 14:4 and D&C 112:13 it seems to say that God can also heal our backsliding, and that conversion can lead to healing... so he promises us spiritual and mental healing as well.

Faith is hard.  Just knowing that sometimes people aren't going to be healed until after this life makes us wonder if our challenges are things that we can overcome.  Maybe the point here is to have faith that God has the ability and the willingness to heal us, but also to have faith in God's timing.  Doesn't mean we shouldn't ask for what we want... only that we need to defer to his wisdom.

Either way, the first step in faith is pouring our hearts out to God and asking for what we want.  Maybe we'll be like the father in Mark 9:24 who said "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." But even there, God had compassion and healed his child.  Part of faith is practice--listening to the Spirit, following the Spirit's promptings.  As we do, we'll gain confidence in spiritual things, including miracles.  Another thing to try is observation.  If we pay attention, there are a lot of miraculous things around us each day, and the Spirit can point those out to us and show us the wonder of God's hand in the world around us.

Today, let's ask God to help us strengthen our faith, and request the healing we need, whether for a bad back, a stiff neck, or a hard heart. :)

Ecclesiastes 12:13 -- On Perspective

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes 12:13


Reading this today I was wondering about perspective. This tells us to fear God and keep his commandments, which sounds somewhat more stark than Jesus' answer to a similar question: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37).  And yet, aren't the two verses essentially saying the same thing?  John 14:15 tells us "If ye love me, keep my commandments," and the honor and respect that "fear" is referring to here is often seen as a way that we can love others.  Both verses are teaching a similar idea, even though the perspective and emphasis are different.

God comes first... I think each verse expresses that, but we all think about these principles in a little bit different way, and emphasize certain things that we think are important.  Sometimes that leads to arguments, when one person doesn't really care about something someone else thinks is vital, but maybe it shouldn't.  We are all learning things in different ways and perhaps even in a different order, because God personalizes that education to each of us.  Maybe we've learned something someone else hasn't, but they've also learned something we haven't.  We can't really expect everyone to match our strengths and weaknesses.  Each person also has something to teach us, and in the end, we're answerable to God, and that is where we are going to get the feedback that matters.

Today, let's take perspective into account, and try to deal more gently with the people around us, who also have unique perspectives.  Let's work with God and learn all we can, but not judge people as though they were living our lives.  Instead, let's trust that God is doing the same for others that he does for us... teaching us as we go, and see what we can learn when we take perspective into account and listen.

Deuteronomy 1:29-32 -- On Fear and Belief

"Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,"
Deuteronomy 1:29-32


Sometimes we don't believe the Lord either.  It's difficult to not be afraid, but Isaiah teaches us one way to approach it: "Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread" (Isaiah 8:13).   I think it is good advice, not in a "you should be terrified" way, but in a "God is more powerful than anything else we can possibly be frightened of" way. :)  Fear takes up way too much time in our lives, and if we learn to replace whatever we fear with God in our minds and our hearts, that time and energy will enrich our lives, and make us stronger and more able to endure whatever comes.

If we follow him and trust him, God will fight for us and even carry us... leading us "beside the still waters," and restoring our souls.  We need not fear evil when God is with us (Psalms 23:2-4).

Today, let's work on not being afraid, and being more believing.  If we're having a hard time with the idea, let's turn to the Lord and explain what we're thinking and feeling.  He will help us if we ask.

Acts 28:20 -- On Hope and Chains

"For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."
Acts 28:20


It's interesting here to see the imagery of hope causing chains... and with that thought, two things spring to mind for me.  

One of them is the very real and sometimes distressing fact that sometimes bad things happen because we are making the *right* choices, not because we're making the wrong ones.  Paul gave up persecuting the people of Christ and joined with them, but because he did, people were trying to murder him, leading him to this point.  Abinadi also suffered for doing what was right, and wasn't saved at the last minute as Daniel was.  Things don't always work out in this life when we make the right choices, much as we would love to believe that.  They do, however, always work out in the end, because life continues after death, and God will make *all* things right in the end.  We just have to have faith and endure the sometimes-bad things, knowing that good is coming. :)

The other thing that sprang to mind is the idea of hope "as an anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:19), which makes us "sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4).  Maybe chains aren't all bad, if they are attached to an anchor like that. :)  Sometimes our desire for more options is at odds with our need to walk a straight and narrow path.  Is our definition of freedom just a state in which we can do whatever we want, or is there more to it... the chance to grow and progress and build and nurture, which are things that require certain boundaries and choices and progression rather than just pure chaotic urges.  Like the old analogy about learning to play the piano.  The freedom to play doesn't come without patience and practice, and freedom *from* those things leaves us not free to have that expertise.  No matter how much we want that, we won't be able to just have it without rules and structure.

Today, let's trust in God and hope in him, whether it brings negative consequences or not.. and let's hold onto that hope even if it sometimes feels a little restrictive.  The commandments aren't there to harm us, but to help us.  We are free to live life without hope, but is that really a freedom that we want to pursue?  Instead, let's trust God, and learn more, and know that he always has our best interests at heart and is leading us to more joy than we can imagine.  With patience and faith, we'll get there, together. :)

Jacob 3:2 -- On Firm Minds

"O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever."
Jacob 3:2


I was thinking today about this idea of "firm minds" which is also mentioned in Moroni 7:30, where it says that angels show themselves "unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness."

That made me think of the verse that says "let him ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:6) and the one that says "then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God" (D&C 121:45), because those seem like they are talking about the same thing, at least in general.  If we have firm minds, then we aren't wavering... we have confidence in God, and confidence that we're doing the right things and that standing with God would be awesome and pleasant... not scary and tortuous. :)

So how do we make it from wavering to firm?  I think it's that idea of the "sure foundation" "whereon if men build they cannot fall" ... also referred to as "the rock of our Redeemer" (Helaman 5:12) and the "anchor to the souls of men" (Ether 12:4).

There are a lot of concepts wrapped up in all of these ideas, but what I think it comes down to is that we really need to find out for ourselves what is real and what isn't, and then stick with it solidly, not forever returning to the beginning with renewed doubts like an endless game of chutes and ladders where we lose all of our progress because we keep falling away. :)

Today, let's work with God to find out what we need to find out, and then stick with it.  Let's work on being more consistently good in our lives, and more consistent in general. :)  Let's work on trusting God and resisting the tug of doubt, and wavering.

Psalms 16:9-11 -- On Resting in Hope

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Psalms 16:9-11


I like the idea that we can rest in hope. :) It's also interesting that it says that God won't "leave" our souls in hell... perhaps meaning that we are going to suffer, but that the suffering has an ending, which I think we all already know, but the reassurance that that's the way it is *supposed* to be is comforting, rather than saying that good people will never suffer. If we know that bad things will come, but that in time things will get better... that is a huge reason to hope.

Also, of course, we can hope and rejoice in the fact that God is going to show us the path of life, and that joy and happiness are to be found in his presence.

Maybe some of the reason that we lose hope in the first place is that we somewhere in the back of our minds think that bad things happening to us is a punishment for our mistakes... and although we and the rest of the universe have to deal with the natural consequences of our actions, I think that not only does God work to ameliorate those consequences, I think that he withholds any punishment or judgement until after this life, giving us during our entire lives the chance to repent and change... as well as making a clear difference between mistakes and sins.  To earn punishment in God's plan means not only that we have to be intentional in choosing something bad / causing harm, but also that we remain the people who would continue to make that choice.  If we change who we are, and become people who would no longer make those bad choices--that's repentance.

Today, let's work on being better people who make better choices, knowing that God won't leave our souls in torment, and let's be glad and rest in the hope of Christ.

Acts 8:29-31 -- On Spiritual Vocabulary

"Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him."
Acts 8:29-31


This whole situation seems super cool, but also a little strange to me.  Kind of like a pedestrian trying to catch up to a car pulling away from a stoplight and ask about something they are listening to on the radio... which, at least from my experience, is rare. :)  Lower speeds = more possible, but still seems a little strange.  And yet, when God told Philip to go get on the chariot, Philip ran right over and struck up a conversation. :)

I think in some ways, this experience shows us what we should be working towards with regard to the Spirit.  The more we practice listening to and acting on the promptings of the Spirit, the clearer they will be to us.  At first maybe we get promptings that are more of the yes/no variety... this is good, this is bad.  As we listen and act on those promptings/messages, we start to understand when the Spirit is reminding us to pray, or to read our scriptures, or to stifle that thing we were about to say.  Then, even later, we might start understanding more and more complex messages, because we're learning to listen better and increasing our spiritual vocabulary. :)

I think, unfortunately, this happens in reverse if we block out spiritual messages... we start being able to understand them less and less.  That whole hardening of the heart thing that it talks about in the scriptures is also kind of a forgetting/losing vocabulary sort of a thing, perhaps like spiritual dementia, where we eventually can't even remember spiritual experiences from the past, because we can no longer feel them (have become "past feeling").

Today, let's listen and learn, starting from wherever we are, and learning as we go, building our spiritual vocabulary and keeping that connection active so that we can progress and understand more and more.

Isaiah 1:4-6 -- On Healing and Change

"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
Isaiah 1:4-6


This is an interesting analogy, comparing our sins to physical illness.  It's a good illustration of how serious it is when we sin, and how it eats at us, rotting us away spiritually unless we take the time to repent, change, and heal.

Today, let's stop revolting against God, and work on recovering from our illness, not just lying there stricken and unwilling to accept the Lord's healing when it is offered.  Let's be willing to change and allow God to heal our hearts and our minds.  Yes, we'll be different people, but that's okay... more than okay, I mean... it's the entire point of the whole thing.  To change into someone better, to be new creatures in Christ.  If we ask, he can help us change into our best possible selves.  It will take time and patience, but if that is what we want and work for, God will make it happen.

2 Kings 6:17-18 -- On Blindness

"And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha."
2 Kings 6:17-18


There is an interesting juxtaposition between different kinds of blindness here.  Elisha's servant was spiritually blind to the superior forces of God, and the opposing army was physically blind when trying to fight against the Lord's will.

Maybe a good thing to consider today is how we are also blind.  Do we, like Elisha's servant, underestimate God's power, in the world and in our own lives, unable to see the spiritual reality?  Do we, like the opposing army, trust in our competence and superiority and forget how physically dependent upon God we are, until something bad happens to remind us?

Today, let's remember our dependence upon God, and give thanks for his blessings in our lives.  Let's realize our blindness, and acknowledge God's hand in our lives, as did the man who had been born blind: "whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).  With Christ's help we can overcome our blindness and find our way to him.

1 Corinthians 10:21 -- On Trinkets from Hell

"Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils."
1 Corinthians 10:21


This is a good reminder that we can't have it both ways. We don't always like to hear that, but it is a good thing to relearn when we forget. We can't embrace sin and still expect God to open the gates of heaven to us. C.S. Lewis put it this way: "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."

Today, let's give up our souvenirs, and realize that we have to give up even our small vices--not because God hates us, but because those trinkets are burdens that stand in the way of learning/accepting the blessings that come when we truly commit with all our hearts.  Like Lot's Wife, we have to refuse to look back in order to be able to move on to a new and better life, and eternity.

Hebrews 11:36-40 -- On Individual and Group Salvation

"And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
Hebrews 11:36-40


The idea that "they without us should not be made perfect" is a really interesting idea.  In seeming contrast, Philippians tells us to "work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), so is it group salvation, or individual salvation?

Like most other seeming contradictions in the gospel, the answer is both.  We have a responsibility to ourselves to do all that we can to lay hold on the promises that Christ offers us, but part of what we are opting into when we choose/accept salvation is the family of God.  Maybe "opting into" isn't the best way to say that, though we are making choices.  Perhaps recognizing, remembering, and rejoining are better verbs?  The family is there, and we're already part of it, but just as we can choose to accept the truth of the gospel and live by it or not, so too can we choose to join with and support our heavenly family or not.

To me, the idea that all of us are a community, and part of each other in a real way is a cool idea.  I think we have things that we can learn from each other and that becoming Zion people means that we need to learn to live in a Zion community--which means some serious humility in terms of letting go of contention, learning to love people we don't currently understand or agree with, and not thinking of ourselves as any better than each other.  As Neal A. Maxwell said, we are the clinical experience for each other... "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17)... at least ideally, of course.  Those silly memes about friends helping you bury bodies might be funny, but they are wrong. :)  Our responsibility is, instead, to support each other in working to be good, not evil, and helping someone to do evil isn't being a friend at all.

It's kind of like when you are experiencing a story with an author and suddenly the backstory of the bad guy is revealed and you realize why they've done what they've done, and you wish you could heal their brokenness.  Or when someone questions something that you've done and you wish they could see everything that led to that in your life, because then they would understand.  All of us are deeper than we seem, and as we learn to love, we see the stories behind the actions and we want to help. 

Today, let's try to wrap our heads around the idea of really being family... everyone on earth that has lived or now lives... all relatives, and part of who we are.  Let's talk to God about learning to love better, and let's work together towards salvation... which will undoubtedly be more fun if we have other people there to talk to. :)

Romans 1:16 -- On Being Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:16


I like this statement by Paul, and I wonder if sometimes we are ashamed, looking for excuses to fit God's way into the perspective of the world, rather than the other way around.

I'm not saying that we have to be satisfied with a "because he said so" reason for our belief, or that we shouldn't find the reasons behind what God says... I think we should.  I think the point here though is that we are looking to God for those answers, and understanding that we need to investigate *God's* reasons for what he does, not be trying to fit the gospel into what the world is looking for, or into what we individually are looking for.

I think we all have parts of the gospel that we aren't going to understand at first, and maybe not even agree with... but the gospel isn't about how to fit God into our lives.  The gospel is truth, and it must be worked around.... and the more we understand it, and fit our lives to it, the more we will understand God, and the universe. :)

Today, instead of getting on social media and using one of those "#notmy" hashtags to tell everyone what we don't love and don't believe in, let's look into our hearts, and work with God, and understand better what we do believe in, and what God is all about.  He will help us understand, and love, the gospel as we learn more about it, and him.

Luke 4:17-19 -- On the Acceptable Year of the Lord

"And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
Luke 4:17-19


The phrase "the acceptable year of the Lord" here was interesting to me so I looked it up on Biblehub, and one of the commentaries there tells us "the allusion, as before observed, is to the year of jubilee, when there was a proclamation of liberty; of release of debts; of restoration of inheritances, and of cessation from work; all which must make it an acceptable year: and this proclamation was made on the day of atonement; and Jarchi interprets the phrase here of a 'year of reconciliation.'"

So, basically God is telling us that it's okay to come back and repent and rejoin him... nothing of the past will be held against us, and we can go forward starting over.  ... And of course it refers to the year discussed in the Old Testament, but the cool part is that this "acceptable year" that Christ preaches isn't merely a year... it's all of what he offers us, the whole gospel, for our lifetimes.  We can come back to him and start over clean, and he'll forgive us and help us to do better and be better.

Today, whether we are bruised and brokenhearted or not, let's look to the Lord, and remember that we can return to him and start again.  With his help we can change and grow and be free to become who we want again, no matter how far away from that we feel right now.  Let's work with God to find the liberty that he offers us.

John 3:16-17 -- On Saving the World

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
John 3:16-17


I like the clarification of purpose here, making it clear that all of this life stuff is about rescuing us from death, and that God is compassionate and caring--the kind of teacher that is going to allow us to try until we get it right, as long as we are learning the material. :)

Today, when we're tempted to think of God as a cruel and harsh judge, let's remember all he did for us so far, and look around for the things that he continues to do.  If we aren't seeing it, it isn't because God has stopped caring... it is because we haven't been taking time to notice.  Let's correct our perspective, and be willing to do as God asks so that he can bring us home again.

Revelation 1:18 -- On Unlocking Death and Hell

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Revelation 1:18


The phrase "I am alive for evermore" seems amazing and triumphant here, and I love the idea of having the keys to death and hell so Christ can let all the prisoners of either go free.

Today, let's remember what an immense, incredible accomplishment it was to overcome and unlock death and hell, and how all of our hope and future rests upon that foundation that Christ laid for all of us.  Let's give thanks, and plan for a glorious eternity. :)

Revelation 3:10-11 -- On Holding On

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
Revelation 3:10-11

I don't think it is probably an exact equivalence, but I like how these verses talk about obedience / patience for temptation and also holding on to what we have (I'm assuming spiritually).

That gives us some things to work on if we really want to be delivered from temptation, and remind us that we need to build upon our testimonies rather than reverting to doubt and wiping out what we already know so that we keep having to start from scratch.  That method is easy to fall into if we let our faith be shaken, but if we anchor our faith in Christ and some fundamentals that we're solid in, then we don't have to go back and wonder about it all over again.  Instead, we can move on to the next level of knowledge in that thing.

Today, let's work on a little bit of obedience and patience, and let's hold on to what we have, testimony-wise, and not forget or doubt, so that we can continue to build and learn from God.

Proverbs 13:10 -- On Pride and Contention

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."
Proverbs 13:10


It is an interesting statement to say that contention exists only because of pride..., and it seems like a really good thing we could test in our own lives, to see if humility can remove contention from our interactions.  Generally, it feels true to me.  Looking back over contentions from my past, I can see the part that pride played, and how, with a little humility, I could have avoided a lot of confrontation, anger, and just overall awkwardness.  I guess the idea is to get that hindsight and move it up to the front so that we can realize the truth and make the right choices when it actually matters rather than just as later "lessons learned." (Probably what being well-advised and learning wisdom is hinting at here.)

Today, let's work on humility.  It probably isn't the most fun lesson, but imagine living a life completely free of contention--that's a lesson well worth learning. :)

Ephesians 4:29 -- On Communication and Edification

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
Ephesians 4:29


I like the idea of not letting anything impure or corrupt make it out of your mouth.  Working on not thinking that way in the first place is of course also important, but purifying ourselves completely might take longer.  Not saying the critical, cruel, or in other ways corrupt, things that we think can start now, and is an important start on the process, because it forces us to think about what we are saying and how it could affect others.

Some people might call it censorship, or insist on freedom of speech, but I'm not talking about any government-mandated limitation or law.  Only about the way that we individually choose to affect the world.  God asks us to edify others, or in other words to make the world better, and if we only speak things that will make that happen--uplift and help--then we will be better, and the world around us will be better.

Today let's think about the things that we are saying and how we might be affecting others, and let's do better.

Acts 9:3-6 -- On Truth, Repentance, and Sacrifice

"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."
Acts 9:3-6


This is an amazing story of repentance and change.  Saul (later Paul), left to himself, had determined that the Gospel of Christ was untrue and he was trying to clear out the heresy in his faith... and then this vision, where he learned that he had been spiritually blind just as much as he was made physically blind.

We've seen this go badly in plenty of scriptures... Laman and Lemuel come to mind, seeing angels several times, but then falling back into their same thought and behavior patterns.  What I think is remarkable about Saul here is his spiritual and intellectual honesty.  He doesn't try to argue or justify or deny.  He just realizes that he was wrong, and asks what he can do.  

The name change later seems super symbolic to me, because at this moment he pretty much becomes a new man.  His later baptism seals the deal, but here is where, in a moment, he has to say goodbye to everything he had been.  The religion that had been so much of who he was, and the authority of his chosen work were both ripped away, replaced with a very large truth that he had to adapt to.  Most of us don't do as well as he did when facing the loss of much of what makes up our definition of self.

Today, let's go trembling before the Lord as Saul did, asking what we can do for God, and being less concerned about what we are going to lose in making that commitment to him.  We will certainly have to lose something in our imperfection, but what God offers is pure truth, and the blessings that we gain overall will more than make up for the parts of ourselves that we have to drop in the dust because they are no longer wanted or needed in the light of that truth.

Jeremiah 18:6 -- On Clay

"O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."

Jeremiah 18:6

I don't think that God is boasting that he can easily mush us up here like a kid with play-dough.  I think, instead, he's reminding us that he's the creator, and we need to look to God and not to ourselves when we need help, and also when we're making big, life-changing decisions.  ... I think also a great thing about this verse is that it reminds us also that we *can* change.  We don't have to be stuck in whatever sin, or just rut, that we are in right now.  With God's help we can still be better, and work towards being our very best, perfect selves.  Inside and out even, because part of Christ's gift to us will be perfect bodies when these ones wear out. :)

Today, let's remember that we are a lot more malleable than we sometimes feel, and let's go to God and plead with him for help changing the things that we need to change in our lives.

Proverbs 24:16 -- On Arising Up and Helping Each Other

"For a just man falleth seven times, and ariseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."
Proverbs 24:16


I like the idea of getting up again... of not quitting.  I think what God is telling us here is that the fundamental difference between just and wicked is not in amount or intensity of sin, but in continuing to try to do the right thing and improve.

We all fall down, and sometimes in the same hole over and over and over again, and jump instead of fall... but if we get up, repent, and keep working at it, with God's help we'll eventually get it, and walk around that hole instead.  Doesn't mean we won't fall in another along the path at some point, but it's part of the process of learning to walk in God's way and on his path, and understanding why his way is narrow, so that it avoids all of those pits we keep walking into. :)

The other thing I think we can learn here is perhaps to help each other a little bit more.  Getting up again, trying again, makes the difference.  Let's work on helping that happen, and not making it harder by making each other feel like we should stay down and not try again.  Rather than falling into mischief, let's help each other up, so we can all get to the promised land together. :)

1 Kings 16:18 -- On Despair and Hope

"And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died."

1 Kings 16:18

Not a very happy scripture, for sure.  What this made me think of is repentance.  Perhaps all of us feel like Zimri at one time or another, and we think that if we lose something that we value highly, like a city / position of authority in Zimri's case, but it could be a house, a relationship, a definition of self, a job, our health, etc... and we get it in our heads that whatever it was meant *everything* and that life would just be ashes in our mouths without it.  We double-down on the short term thinking, honestly believing that nothing in eternity can compare to whatever it was that we lost.

Needless to say, we're wrong when we think like that.  Life moves on... it changes, and yeah, bad stuff will come, but so will good stuff, and if we stick with God, the good will always balance out and end up outweighing the bad.  Things get better, and with God, they get even better than that. :)

No loss is worth burning the king's house down with ourselves inside.  We can weather it, with God's help, and come out the other end, okay.  And if our loss is a sin that we think we can't be forgiven for, well there too, we're dead wrong... well, alive wrong.  The whole point is that we can be wrong and NOT die. :)  We can repent, and change, and overcome even the worst and most dramatic of losses and changes in our lives.  The Prodigal Son did it, and so can we.  God will help us, and welcome us home with open arms.

Zimri could have changed.  He could have repented.  He didn't have to die in a fire of his own making.  It wouldn't have been easy, for sure, but he could have lived and found a better purpose.  Today, let's be wiser than Zimri, and remember that with God there is always hope.  Let's turn to him in our despair and let him comfort and help us find our way to hope and happiness.

2 Corinthians 3:17 -- On Liberty through the Spirit

"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
2 Corinthians 3:17


This is a good reminder that when we keep the Spirit of the Lord close, and listen to it, that we have more opportunities and freedom in our lives, whereas the more we listen to Satan or ignore God, the fewer opportunities we will see, even if they are there, and the more we will trap ourselves in our own patterns of sin.

Today, let's look to God and specifically ask him to help enlighten our minds, to see the good in the world, and to desire good and not evil.  As we pray for good things and get God's help, our lives will open up and we'll more and have more liberty to become better.

Ephesians 4:17-19 -- On Being Past Feeling

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."

Ephesians 4:17-19


The phrase "past feeling" seems a little scary, and something that I think we can all understand, because we go there sometimes.  We block everything out and just do it anyway.  We desensitize ourselves to fear or horror or harming others, sometimes just in little ways... yelling at someone or dehumanizing a certain group and saying that they don't matter, or that they aren't worth our time.

Now, of course I don't think that we need to hang out with everyone, or that we need to remain sensitive to all of our fears all the time.  That's too much anxiety, and being able to step back from our emotion can be a good thing if used in a constructive way.  However, too often we start out small and end up throwing up huge walls, and treating people badly just as our normal behavior.  Even worse, when we go as far as to desensitize ourselves to the Spirit and make it so that we can't hear God speaking to our consciences anymore, then we are losing ourselves and our connection to good.  

Today, let's think about how we are desensitizing ourselves and perhaps alienating ourselves from God... and when we  realize how we are doing it, let's take some steps to reverse it.  Let's talk with God, and get back in touch with the Spirit, relearning things that we may have lost and learning to love as Christ does.

1 Peter 5:5 -- On Being Subject One to Another

"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
1 Peter 5:5


A hard thing to do, of course, but I really like the idea of us all being subject to each other... choosing humility before choosing pride and selfishness.  Maybe taking time to listen and understand someone else's point of view before expressing our own.  Perhaps deferring to others in conflicts rather than trying to prove that we're right.  This one thing seems like it could change the world for the better.

Today, let's try to imagine what the world would be like with a little bit more giving way to others rather than insisting on our own way (not in a scary/dangerous peer pressure way, but in a kind, generous, humble way where we're listening to each other, never trying to bully each other).  And once we've consulted with God to get a little guidance and we have an idea of what we'd like the world to look like, let's work on living that way, and helping that dream to happen.

Isaiah 58:10 -- On Brightening Our Darkness

"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:"
Isaiah 58:10


I love the idea that our darkness can be as the noonday. :) Maybe we all have a little bit of darkness in us that we worry about from time to time... and to have that brightened--I mean, wow. What an amazing relief that would be, right?

Today, let's work on helping the hungry and the afflicted, doing all we can for those in need, and knowing that as we do, God will also help us in the ways that we need it most.