Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 -- On Faith and Good

"Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not."
Doctrine and Covenants 8:10


Faith is interesting... it's sort of like living the principles that you believe gives you power, except that of course the actual power comes from God, so it doesn't work unless your belief matches the truth of God. Which is actually cool, because any kind of power can be super scary when it is being used for something besides good.

Today, let's throw ourselves into goodness and faith in God. Let's trust that he will help us as we strive to make the world better and to be better people. As we believe that and trust God, acting on those beliefs and living as though we were already those better people, we will start becoming them, and a better world will grow up around us, more and more as we gather and work together with God on bringing joy and doing good.

Alma 12:26-27 -- On a Preparatory State

"And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.
But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end."
Alma 12:26-27


I like the explanation here, letting us know that a preparatory state was important and necessary to our happiness. We needed (and still need) a chance to come to earth to learn, and grow, and improve ourselves before facing immortality. God grants us the chance to achieve eternal happiness rather than eternal misery, and that is what life is for... to learn happiness and to find a better state of being through Christ, and with his help.

Today, let's take advantage of this opportunity to learn happiness. Let's improve ourselves, focus on the good, and learn to do more good and expand the good around us, lifting and helping others and doing God's will. As we do, we will become happier as a byproduct because God's plan is the plan of happiness, and that is what all of this is meant to teach, as in Mormon 9:14 "he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still" ... let's open ourselves up to God so that he can teach us to find the happiness. :)

Jacob 5:66 -- On Clearing Room For Good

"For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard."
Jacob 5:66


I like this idea of balance and keeping the trees alive from the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees, especially the idea that the Lord will make room for the good. He clears space for us as we learn to plant seeds of Good and He always gives us as much room as we need to expand those things and develop more and more Good.

God is out there... closer than we think, ready for us to take action, and ready to help us succeed and thrive. That doesn't mean that there won't be setbacks or hardships or that we won't have to work for it, because that's part of the normal trials of life, but I think part of the message here is what we can read in the parable of the talents. God is giving us the space to at least double whatever effort we are putting in. The only way we can lose is by doing nothing, and trying nothing to make the world better. As soom as we try, he is ready to help. Today, let's try. Let's work with God and make the effort. It might not work at first, and it might take effort and patience and persistence, but as we trust God, He will multiply and magnify our efforts, and in the end if we don't give up, we will see great success from our labors.

Alma 10:2 -- On Stories of Faith and Hope

"I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; and it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God."
Alma 10:2


There are so many missing stories in the scriptures, hinted at but not complete. I would love to hear more about the writing that was written by the finger of God, or the remarkable vision of Abish the Lamanitish maidservant's father, or what happened to Hagoth's ships... and so many other things. And the cool thing is that it never ends. There are stories in everyone's lives, and so much more to know.

Of course, we need to learn to appreciate what we have and to understand it before demanding more from God, which is understandable. Focusing on obtaining the word and learning more of God and his plan should come first. ... But it is also good to know that miracles are happening all around us, in our own lives too, and that we have inspiring stories to share just as others do. God asks us to be ready when someone asks why we hope, and that right there is a story that God is asking us to be ready to tell.

Stories matter, and help us not only hope, but build faith and learn from the past as well as applying to the present or helping us to understand what we can of the shape of the future. Let's inhale the scripture stories we have and learn all that they have to teach us, and prepare ourselves for more. :)

3 Nephi 26:1-4 -- On Learning From God

"And now it came to pass that when Jesus had told these things he expounded them unto the multitude; and he did expound all things unto them, both great and small.
And he saith: These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future generations.
And he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory—yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away;
And even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil--"
3 Nephi 26:1-4


Reading this today, I was imagining what it woudl be like to have Christ himself reading the scriptures ande expounding all things, which would be utterly amazing. And then I thought... while it isn't exactly the same, we all have the opportunity to have that, because we have prayer and the opportunity to have God's Spirit in our lives, teaching us of all things.

Today, let's take some time to talk to God and to feel his spirit, and to ask him about the things that we read and study. It might not be exactly like being there in that moment, but it's still an opportunity that we all have that we should incorporate into our lives more often, rather than relying on our own wisdom alone. God has so much to teach us, and there are so many things for us to learn. I think we're probably missing out on a lot of it by not asking and studying.

John 10:6 -- On Understanding and Explanations

"This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them."
John 10:6


I think this (not understanding what God has to say to us) happens a lot, perhaps to us all. If we stick with God, he'll explain things and we'll learn more and more, but we perhaps too often give up after one parable, deciding that we can't understand, without even giving God a chance to explain (as he did in this case almost immediately afterward).

Today, let's think about what God says and study it out in our minds, and ask God to help us with the things that we don't get. He will. Maybe not instantly, but over time, he will teach us anything that we want to know, little by little sometimes, but always helping us learn more and more as we grow.

John 4:13-15 -- On Living Water

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw."
John 4:13-15


I really like the banter between Christ and the Samatitan woman at the well. It starts out normal, but develops into the most important conversation of her life. I really don't know if she was starting to believe yet here, but she was at least engaged enough to follow his lead and to admit desire for what he promised, and then when she realizes that he is a prophet, and then guesses, and has confirmed, that he is the Christ, she likely understands even more of the symbolism of the earlier conversation.

Today, let's also follow Christ's lead and desire the living water that he promises us. Let's work on drawing so close to God that we don't have to keep refilling our empty spiritual reservoirs, but instead we have a constant source of spiritual strength and power.

Romans 12:20-21 -- On Overcoming Evil

"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
Romans 12:20-21


The verse before this asks us to not avenge ourselves, but allow God to repay. The "coals of fire" seems like vengeance, but I think that Paul is telling us here that if we want vengeance, that we need to be super nice. In practive, that won't necessarily get us vengeance... thankfully, we all have a chance to repent and hopefully avoid those coals of fire, but if not, God will make things right, whether it is exactly what we wanted or not... that's part of the deal. He died for us, and we accept his grace *and* his judgement.

I really, really love the overall idea of not letting ourselve be overcome by evil (or recompensing evil for evil as it says in verse 17, prior to this), but that the way to beat evil is by doing good. That is what will work. Not because of some crazy math where we measure the good and the bad and more people are doing good. I don't what that actual ratio is, but it doesn't matter, because God is doing the balancing and pruning his vineyard. He will prune away the bad as the good grows (Jacob 5:66)... so today, let's do good and grow that good as much as we can. That's the way to help God and the world to be filled with good rather than contributing to the evil. :)

1 Peter 3:13-17 -- On Suffering for Well Doing

"And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."
1 Peter 3:13-17


I don't know if I have learned this lesson, but I like the idea of, if we have to suffer, suffering for doing good rather than evil. It can be hard to trust God when we're suffering, but even then he knows what we need to learn and how we need to change, and hard as it is, we often have to learn through the things that we suffer in this life. I don't think there is any question about it being worth it, but it's a challenge for us mentally to trust God and be able to see the joy of his light and truth even in the midst of trials.

Conscience-wise though, when we're suffering for things that we did well rather than for sins, at least we can know that we're still okay spiritually, and be guilt-free. That's the part I like. Maybe today we can trust God a little more even in the midst of injustice, and learn and pray just as hard as we can, so that perhaps our trials can be shortened through our patience and faith. :)

Alma 19:16-17 -- On Being Ready

"And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—
Thus, having been converted to the Lord, and never having made it known, therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people."
Alma 19:16-17


I love Abish. I think she is a perfect example of 1 Peter 3:15, maybe not in speaking up herself, but for seizing an opportunity to show others how cool God is. So many people were converted that day, and it could have been a small incident except that Abish expended every effort to draw attention to it, to gather people together, and thus they were there when the miracle continued. It didn't go exactly the way she wanted it to, but it never does. :) It worked out the way that God designed it to, but Abish was part of it. :)

Today, let's be ready when opportunities come, and do God's will. Even when things don't go the way we want them to, if we are listening to the Spirit, God will be able to work through us, and we can be part of amazing things. :)

D&C 42:27 -- On Speaking of Neighbors and Avoiding Harm

"Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm."
Doctrine and Covenants 42:27


This is a really good commandment, although I think hard to keep, because as the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us, neighbor is a big word. No one is outside that circle, so speaking evil of anyone is something we need to learn to avoid. A tough one, perhaps especially when talkinga bout traffic, or politics. :) But whatever our circumstances, a hopeful thing is that God will always make a way for us to obey his commandments, so if we stretch ourselves and ask God to help us learn to love better and find ways to heal rather than harm others, we can grow into being this type of person, even if it seems beyond us now.

Today, let's think about this one, and as we go throughout the day be aware when we start to speak evil of anyone, and examine our own actions and then work with God to see what steps we can take to improve.

Mosiah 7:10-12 -- On Being Positive and Polite and Trusting in God

"And now, I desire to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when I, myself, was with my guards without the gate?
And now, for this cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are permitted to speak.
And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness."
Mosiah 7:10-12


I like Ammon's attitude here. He's been held in jail for two days, and the rest of his party went through a lot and are still outside the city where he can't help them, and they are here to help. Resentment or bitterness wouldn't be surprising, especially since from a general political perspective they are both Nephites, supposedly on the same team. Instead though, he rejoices that it wasn't worse, and trusts that they just didn't recognize who they were (even though they had no knowledge of the priest of Noah).

I wonder how often we react badly to things when it could go well if we just had a different attitude. I'm not suggesting that we need to be pleased that someone threw us into jail without even asking who we are, but with God's help, we can follow Ammon's advice and have hope and faith, even when things seem to be going poorly. Today, let's work on reacting better and keeping a positive attitude. Let's trust in God and seek his help to stay in a good mental space so we can treat others with respect and kindness, even if they haven't treated us that way.

Jarom 1:14 -- On Writings

"And I, Jarom, do not write more, for the plates are small. But behold, my brethren, ye can go to the other plates of Nephi; for behold, upon them the records of our wars are engraven, according to the writings of the kings, or those which they caused to be written."
Jarom 1:14


It's interesting to think about all of the writings that we don't have... not just the continued adventures mentioned here with additional information about the Nephites, or the lost pages that were translated by Joseph Smith, or even the sealed portion. All of those would be super cool, but I mean even bigger... all the books by all the people and maybe even the books in heaven the we are judged from, if that is not just symbolic.

Consider eternity... maybe we will have the time to read ALL of it, to get to know not just every historical figure, but everyone, everywhere. I love that idea. No idea if it will really happen... God might have much faster ways for us to learn about things than reading. But let's look forward to eternity and to the revelation of all things. Should be some exciting and interesting times. :)

Jacob 3:6-7 -- On Obedience, Blessings, and Hypocrisy

"And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.
Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?"
Jacob 3:6-7


It's interesting here how Jacob talks about the Lamanites. They had been a separate people for less than his lifetime at this point, and I am sure there was still a lot of individual resentment because the principal people at odds knew each other personally, but he was able to step back with God's help and see the goodness among them and the hypocrisy among his own people. I like that the truth is more nuanced here than it sometimes seems in the whole abstract "good versus evil" struggle, and I wonder if we can see as well, through our own time and biases, to be able to recognize the good in others and our own hypocrisy.

Today, let's try to see and understand the truth, and ask God to teach us to see more and to be better, more caring, and less judgemental people.