3 Nephi 12:23-24 -- On Unity with Each Other and with God

"Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee—
Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you."
3 Nephi 12:23-24


I think this makes the point very clearly that our relationships with each other are part of our relationship with God... we come to him together, and disunity and disharmony impede our ability to connect to the divine. Today, let's do as God asks and repair our relationships, and heal where we have hurt, as much as we can. It might not always be a clear before and after thing... more a during thing in some cases, but let's talk to God *and* each other, and do as much as we can to unite and pull together rather than tearing things apart, and therefore making it harder to feel the Spirit and feel God in our lives.

Alma 37:6-7 -- On Small Means

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."
Alma 37:6-7


This is a good reminder that when we are looking for God's hand in our lives, we shouldn't be looking for some of the dramatic miracles that we sometimes expect. The scriptures talk about large things, but even the large things didn't start out that way. Lehi had a dream well before they were led to the promised land. Abraham prayed for escape before he founded a family and nation. Moses was launched into the river, Joseph was thrown into a pit, Jonah ran away, Noah trusted the Lord and started building, the Brother of Jared had a question, Nephi prayed and knew that his father was directed by the Lord. Big things start from little things, and God is working with everything around us, as well as everyone who is willing to listen. Today, let's listen. Let's pray to be able to see the Lord's hand and discern his voice and his messages to us... and then let's act on them, as a small part of something infinitely great: the Lord's plan to help and save us all.

3 Nephi 12:28-29 -- On Protecting our Hearts

"But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart.
Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart."
3 Nephi 12:28-29


This reminds me of "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Christ helps us to understand that it isn't just actions that we have to avoid... it's the way we think. He's teaching us to be good, inside and out, not just behaviorally. If we avoid actions that we want to do, we build up resentment. But if we learn why the actions are necessary, and how our lives and our minds and hearts improve when we take God's advice, then we get on board with the whole thing and we become different, better people, becoming good rather than just acting it out.

Today, let's protect our hearts by learning why, and understanding what God asks. Let's unify our hearts and our minds, embracing God's will and realizing that God is trying to help us every minute of our lives, to become the heavenly beings that he can welcome home. It doesn't have to be all at once, and it's okay to start with behavior, but let's remember that we need to be whole and good, and keep moving forward towards that. And if we just can't, let's also remember that God *can.* He can change our hearts, if we ask. Let's pray, and ask, and become.

3 Nephi 12:4 -- On Mourning and Comfort

"And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."
3 Nephi 12:4


This is part of a much larger sermon, and the whole thing is amazing. I just wanted to pull this one out of context a little bit because I guess I've never really understood it. I wonder if it is saying something like "It is good to suffer because you also learn relief." If so, it might fit in with the whole Garden of Eden idea of partaking of the tree of knowledge and also triggering death, because knowledge and death were essential to learning happiness and finding eternal life. Seems like a deep philosophy... very cool, but probably not all that comforting when we are actually in the midst of suffering. Perhaps a more immediate lesson is that pain is temporary, and happy endings will come. That's a comfort for all of us, if we can have faith in it. Joy cometh in the morning, and God's promises WILL be fulfilled, no matter what it seems like in the moment. Today, let's "Think Celestial" and focus on long-term thinking, not failing to be present in our relationships and interactions, but still planning ahead and making decisions that will benefit us over time, not trigger consequences that we will come to regret. Let's live as though we were the awesome eternal beings that we are still becoming. :)

D&C 1:1-2 -- On Hearkening

"Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.
For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated."
Doctrine and Covenants 1:1-2


This reminds me of the idea of a voice crying in the wilderness, or the idea of the Spirit speaking in a still, small voice. God doesn't speak to us in an earth-shattering voice most of the time. Instead, he talks through prophets and scriptures and the people around us sometimes... urging us to listen with the Spirit, and recognize his voice, wherever it is coming from. Eventually everyone will see, and hear, and feel, and know. But he still asks us to hearken. Today, let's listen and learn now, and not wait until God has to make it more obvious, and when we might have fewer choices or opportunities to run with the knowledge. :)

D&C 46:13-14 -- On Belief and Knowledge

"To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful."
Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-14


The gap between believing and knowing seems very wide sometimes, but I think less so when we think about it. We think we know a lot of things that we just believe. COVID taught us to doubt some things perhaps that we expected to remain the same long-term, and death, illness, aging, natural disasters, etc. do the same. Scientific theories get updated with more information, and people surprise us. A lot of what we go on is faith. Faith that a stray meteor won't hit us, that a solar flare won't knock out all of our communications, that a stray politician won't press the big red button that destroys us all, or that the fabled aliens won't have a shoot-out with the Earth caught in the middle. :) Faith is something you believe so much that you act as though it were fact... and we have a lot of that in our lives. Some of that faith might be based on a false assumption, but with Christ, it is rock solid, and so people who know and people who believe can live their lives identically (in that aspect), and both look forward to resurrection and eternal life, etc. Today, wherever we are on the belief <----> knowledge spectrum, let's remember that faith is the key. Let's act on our beliefs, and life our lives based on the foundation of Jesus Christ, and as we do, we will come to know, more and more strongly until it is alive within us constantly.

Mosiah 2:17 -- On Service

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
Mosiah 2:17


I like the idea here that serving each other and serving God are actually the same thing... part of the whole. God wants us to love and treat each other with respect and gentle patience. That definitely isn't always easy, but it is part of worship... we are part of each other, and we don't stand or fall alone. Today, let's do what we can for the people around us, remembering to pray and keep God in our thoughts, so we can be prompted and guided to help where God sees needs as well as where we see them.

3 Nephi 11:37-38 -- When God Repeats Things

"And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.
And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."
3 Nephi 11:37-38


The repetition here is interesting, and if you notice, it says again even the first time, so it clearly isn't the first time it was said. It seems to be something that God wants us to understand, and is emphasizing. Today, let's think about these verses, even if we have pondered these ideas before. Let's recognize God's emphasis here and examine ourselves. Let's think about repentance, and becoming as a little child, and being baptized. Let's remember that these are ongoing efforts, not one time things... even baptism, because we renew those covenants each time we take the sacrament, and Alma asks us "Can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26), suggesting that even a mighty change of heart is something we need to maintain. :) Let's ponder, and pray, and talk to God about how we can do better in these obviously important areas.

3 Nephi 11:29-30 -- On Doing Away with Anger and Contention

"For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away."
3 Nephi 11:29-30


Always a good reminder, and something to think about. If we're angry with each other, then Satan is in the mix somewhere. Not saying that there aren't reasons, but God clearly wants us to do away with "such things" ... anger poisons us. God asks us to forgive, and to repent, and to even love our enemies. If we're consumed by some anger that we can't let go of, today let's pray, and talk to God about it, and see if God will help us remove it from our hearts. It might not happen overnight, but if we want to be healed, God can help us heal from anything.

D&C 136:23-27 -- On Preserving

"Cease to contend one with another; cease to speak evil one of another.
Cease drunkenness; and let your words tend to edifying one another.
If thou borrowest of thy neighbor, thou shalt restore that which thou hast borrowed; and if thou canst not repay then go straightway and tell thy neighbor, lest he condemn thee.
If thou shalt find that which thy neighbor has lost, thou shalt make diligent search till thou shalt deliver it to him again.
Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his steward."
Doctrine and Covenants 136:23-27


I like this set of verses, which seem to be talking about different things, but underneath I think they are all about preserving. Preserving the peace, preserving relationships, preserving happiness, and preserving our homes and belongings and not wasting what the Lord has given us. Preserving meaning take care of, not that we should be miserly and ungenerous. :) Today, let's take a step back and think about whether we are not being good stewards... with people or with things, and let's pray and talk to God about how to be better, and definitely where necessary, in small, measured steps so that we don't get overwhelmed. :) Perhaps the first step is just to think about being a person who preserves, and what that means, and how we might do better at that, just today.

D&C 101:16 -- On Stillness and Trust

"Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God."
Doctrine and Covenants 101:16


I like this. I think it is God's way of asking us not to freak out. There are so many things in life to worry about... none of us are perfect yet, and we have weaknesses, which means we sometimes do more harm than good. We screw things up. But if we're repenting as we go, and headed in the right direction, that's what we can do. The rest is in God's hands, and as he mentions above... it's God, after all. He can handle it.

Not to say that we shouldn't do what we can, of course. Let's be out there spreading love and hope, and pointing out the good... publishing peace. Let's improve ourselves and the lives of the people around us. Let's take responsibility and make the situations and interactions in our lives the best we can. Let's dream big and work on huge, life-changing projects where we can... bringing to pass good and righteousness, saving people from fear and famine. ... But as we do, let's not worry about the other things that we can't control. We shouldn't carry the burdens of the whole world. Christ already did that. Those are his to take care of. Today, let's think and talk to God about what we should be working on, and leave the rest in his competent, caring, magnificent hands.

3 Nephi 17:3 -- On Pondering, Praying, and Preparing

"Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again."
3 Nephi 17:3


This is a verse from the end of the first day that Christ visited the Nephites, and he tells them that he understands that they are weak and that they can't understand everything that the Father has asked him to say (verse 2). This weakness and incomprehension though, he doesn't see as a permanent or insurmountable problem. He doesn't call them stupid or useless. He just asks them to think about it, and pray about it, and prepare for more... which I love.

We all have weaknesses and things that we don't understand. God doesn't mock us for it, and we shouldn't mock each other for it. Instead, we should ponder, pray, and prepare. Those three things will help us to overcome our lack of wisdom and knowledge. They will help us to build on the foundation that we have, and reach for more. Maybe this is something that we should do daily. :) But today, at least, let's step back and ponder what Christ is teaching us today. Let's pray to the Father to understand, and let's prepare our minds for tomorrow, when Christ will teach us more. :)

1 Corinthians 12:7 -- On Gifts and Talents

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal."
1 Corinthians 12:7


This is talking about spiritual gifts, which could also be the symbolic talents that Christ talked about in that parable. Here it says that every person gets some, and in the parable, even the person who buried his got one, so we know that we have spiritual gifts and talents... all of us. They aren't the same ones, but we get different ones that work together when we help each other.

The other thing that I was thinking about this today is the other scripture that says "seek ye earnestly the best gifts" (D&C 46:8), because like the people in the parable of the talents, God offers us more. If we work at things and try to perfect them, with God's help we can not only gain the expertise that comes through practice, but he can grant us the spiritual side as well... the feel for it or the sense of it. He asks us to seek, and is willing to give, if we put the work in.

Today, let's work on seeking, and developing, our gifts and talents, and use them for the benefit of others and the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 14:6-8 -- On Gifts and Purpose

"Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?"
1 Corinthians 14:6-8


I like this clarification about speaking with tongues, explaining that God is about helping us understand each other rather than confusing us. He helps people to learn languages, or to speak in other tongues when that will help someone understand us. Lots of cool miracles around this one in the New Testament, but also the modern day. As with all gifts though, it's for helping and edification (verse 3) rather than just showing we can do it. The Brother of Jared moved a mountain, and Moses parted the Red Sea, but both used the power of God and did it for a purpose, rather than just getting a cool terrain adjustment tool to use at will. :)

Today, let's remember that our gifts are for a purpose and to help, and let's work with God to use them for good. :)

3 Nephi 8:9-10 -- On Being Prepared

"And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.
And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah, that in the place of the city there became a great mountain."
3 Nephi 8:9-10


This is around the time of Christ's death, perhaps preparing the way for Christ's visit to the Nephites. What strikes me today is the enormity of these events... whole cities being swallowed up by the ocean, and mountains piling on others. It makes me think that we don't really fathom what a true natural disaster can be.

My purpose isn't to scare us all, but rather just help us remember that we can't predict the future, or the enormity of change, but God can. :) Perhaps we can think about the things that God has asked us to do as far as emergency planning, and work on getting some food storage and knowing where things are and what we would need to take with us in an evacuation... a 72 hour kit. Or what things others need to know in the event of our own deaths. These aren't things that we need to dwell on, but we often think that life will go on the way it is forever, when it won't. God knows more than we do, and he has asked us to be prepared. So, today, like the 10 wise virgins, let's put a little thought into it, not just symbolically and spiritually, but also literally and physically.

Alma 42:9-10 -- On Preparation

"Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death. Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state."
Alma 42:9-10


I like this explanation of the fall in this chapter, not as an accident, but as part of a larger plan. And within that plan was Christ's atonement, but also this in between time, between birth and death that we call our lives, where we could prepare. Because saving us from the fall guarantees us life, but not happiness. Happiness is the Lord's plan for all of us so that we can prepare for eternity, becoming the people that we want to be, changing ourselves through repentence and practice and study, and becoming people that we actually like, and would like to hang out with for eternity. :)

Today, let's put some effort into preparation, thinking about who we want to be, compared to who we are, and then let's make a change... not a giant change that we are going to give up on in a few weeks and feel bad about ourselves, but a small change. Reading a few verses of scripture, say. Or saying a prayer. Let's fit something in that we didn't before--something that will help us grow closer to the Lord, who is our coach in all of this, and our friend, and our all-powerful father who can and will help us change and progress, and eventually find the joy that we seek.

Alma 37:34 -- On Rest for the Soul

"Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."
Alma 37:34


Rest for the soul might be just as good as chicken soup. :) I really like the idea here that if we move past some mental and physical exhaustion, and keep working and stay humble, that we will be blessed with spiritual rest, which seems like it could cure any of the rest of it. :) We worry about so many things, but God is what matters. Today, let's work on ... working for him, not ourselves or others. Let's do as he asks and try to bring light into others' lives. As we do, our own light will be strengthened and nourished, and over time, brightened. :)

3 Nephi 4:30 -- On Protection in Righteousness

"And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection."
3 Nephi 4:30


Things don't always happen the way we want, and there are a lot of lessons in life that we don't want to learn, and pain that we don't want to go through. I like though, this verse and the whole idea that through it all, God is there to protect us. The same general idea as Nephi's "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7). We're here to be tested and to learn, but despite the trials, God is still watching over us, and if we ask for help, he will give it. Some things in life are not easy, for certain, but the Lord is there, helping us and guiding us, and protecting us as long as we are working our way towards him. If we walk away from him and choose our own trouble, then, like the prodigal son, we may fall into bad situations, but he is there instantly to welcome us home when we turn back to him. Let's trust and have faith in God rather than dismissing the miracles in our lives as coincidence. Let's pray, and ask, and listen, and love. God will help us, and lift us so that we can also help others. Let's be part of the good, and when it gets hard, let's ask for the protection that God promises.

Alma 17:13 -- On Trusting in the Lord and Making the Effort

"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


I like the idea of trusting the Lord to help them meet again. This was before any technology that helped people keep in touch, so leaving each other was breaking contact. And they were going into potentially hostile territory to proselytize, which was bound to be unpopular.

We probably aren't going into quite as dangerous circumstances today, but the idea of trusting God to get us through it, out the other side, and back to the people we love still stands. And, like these men, we might even gather new friends along the way. Let's go forward with open hearts and minds and a determination to love other people, and trust in God to get us through. :) With God helping us, our effort will not be wasted.

Genesis 22:2 -- On Heart-Wrenching Trials

"And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
Genesis 22:2


There are a lot of things in the scriptures that seem challenging. This one seems similar to the killing of Laban early in the Book of Mormon. Clearly something that God has commanded people not to do, and yet, in these instances God commands it. When Peter who had remained kosher all his life was commanded to go and eat with strangers, I think it was a similar situation. All of these people had lived their lives in a certain way, obeying God, and then when God asked them to do something that was an exception to those rules, they had to examine themselves and figure out if they believed in the commandment or the living God who was really the only person who could make exceptions.

We know more details about why this would be a challenge for Abraham... because God had saved him from being sacrificed himself. That salvation was the beginning of his dedication to the Lord. He likely had stong feelings about sacrifice and perhaps about his father who had allowed it to happen. And then God asks him to betray his own son... his only son... in a similar way. And in a way that could make it seem like all God's promises were empty. He had been promised posterity numberless as the sand, and yet this was his only son.

We know, well after the fact, that this was a symbolic sacrifice, representing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can see that it was a test for Abraham, something that rocked him to his core, but that solidified his relationship with God, and that showed God's mercy, and made Abraham think about whether he believed that God would keep his promises. But in the moment, it was still an awful trial that he want through, getting there, proving his devotion, and being blessed with a Ram to sacrifice instead.

I think we all run into things in life that are heart-wrenching--that make us look at our lives and really test what we believe and what we know. I think it is necessary to have things like that in our lives to help us solidify who we are and what we want. We can choose to believe God only in the good times, and walk away when things seem tough, but if we do, or when we do, we don't realize who God really is. Sometimes we want him to be a sweet grandparent who ignores all of our weaknesses and loves us anyway, or a not-very-good friend who glories in our weaknesses and reinforces them, encouraging bad behavior. But God loves us much, much more than that. He loves us enough to purge us from our sins, despite the intense paid of it. He loves us enough to get us real help to save us from our addictions. He loves us enough to teach us self-restraint and to correct our cruelty.

Today, let's stay true to God, who is the only one who can teach us true goodness and pure love. Let's learn from him the difficult lessons as well as the sweet ones. As we do, we will learn to be the amazing, loving, stalwart, and deeply good people that God knows that we can be. It isn't easy to go through trials like that, but as always, joy cometh in the morning (Psalms 30:5).

Alma 10:19-22 -- On Preservation, Prayer, and Goodness

"Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.
And now I say unto you that well doth the Lord judge of your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people, by the voice of his angels: Repent ye, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels that: I will come down among my people, with equity and justice in my hands.
Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword."
Alma 10:19-22


Interesting contrast here between iniquity/destruction and righteouness/preservation. It reminds me of Abraham pleading with the Lord to spare the city if there are 50 righteous, and "bargaining" him down to only ten (Genesis 18:24-32). Just a few righteous people would have spared the city, but there weren't enough, and so God tells the few righteous people (Lot and his family) to flee. Today, let's make sure our voices are not choosing transgression, but instead lifted up in prayer, choosing righteousness... not just because we want to choose preservation over destruction, but also because it's all part of that same idea of building and helping and growing... working with God to make things better. Let's be part of the good, looking to God and accepting his help to improve and working with him to help promote his plan of goodness.

Isaiah 52:2-3 -- On Rising from the Dust

"Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money."
Isaiah 52:2-3


I love this, but it is also very telling. Symbolically this daughter of Zion represents the Lord's people, but his people in the dust, in bondage. We're (if we are his people, as we are all invited to be) presented as having sold ourselves in return for nothing, which sounds spot on for every single time we try to negotiate with the world rather than with God. God pleads with us to renew our spirits and free ourselves from the slavery that we ourselves have chosen... to become clean, to come back to him. And he promises redemption, forgiveness, even though the idea here is that we walked away from God and chose slavery over him.

These are verses about the last days, and there is so much more that is great in this chapter, but this opening image struck me because I think that is maybe where we are. We are in the dust, so consumed with the intricacies of the world that we forget who we are, and that we *can* stand up and free ourselves, and choose and do better. Today, let's turn to the Lord, and trust in his strength, and free ourselves to serve him instead, and to improve ourselves, our lives, and the world around us through remembering who we are as children of God, and believing in the glorious future that God has mapped out for us, if we will only follow his guidance.

Alma 6:5 -- On the Privilege of Hearing the Word of God

"Now I would that ye should understand that the word of God was liberal unto all, that none were deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God."
Alma 6:5


Reading this made me smile today, at the reference to "assembling" or going to church as a privilege. It definitely is that, but we so often think of it otherwise, as an obligation or a chore. The fact that God shares his word with all of us, and that we can freely meet with others and share notes about striving for perfection and offer support and strength to each other... that's amazing, and an opportunity to cherish and avail ourselves of. Today, let's remember what a blessing it is to be able to attend church and to find fellowship there, and thank God for that and so many other ways that he brings his word into our lives. :)

Alma 3:24 -- On the Work of Peace

"And then they returned again and began to establish peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time with their enemies."
Alma 3:24


This verse comes after a battle, but it strikes me today that this work of peace is not just something we do after a war, but it is the work of our lives. The wars are the exception, the times when we have confrontation or huge burdens, anxiety, fear, tragedy, etc. But God always brings us back to the work of peace... the in between time where we can choose better, can build things that last, can lift and help others, and learn to love and live in happy, productive communities. Today, let's look around us and work to establish or to promote or to enlarge peace, and love, and everything good. Let's be part of God's work.

Genesis 11:4-6 -- On Unity

"And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
Genesis 11:4-6


This is really interesting because a lot of what we do in the modern world is work on communication. We now have the internet and can talk remotely to almost any populated area on the planet, but we are far from unified. And I think sometimes we have this idea that if we were unified that it would be great... practically paradise. And yet, here God explains the problem. If we are unified in anything outside of God's influence, we're going to end up harming ourselves and others... so he steps in.

I think the important lesson here is that unity is awesome... IF we're unified with God, on his side. Unity anywhere else is just scary... like Gadianton Robbers/Organized crime scary. Today, let's make sure we are gathered together with God, and aren't following anything that leads us away from him.

Genesis 6:17-18 -- On Covenants and Happiness

"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee."
Genesis 6:17-18


I like the idea of covenants here, that the agreement that God offers us, for him to be our God and for us to be his people, and the obligations on both sides, is available to us, if we can learn to follow God and not to just go after the desires of our hearts all the time, which are often evil. ... I think that's where we go wrong, by thinking that our hearts are the source of truth and right, rather than God. Unfortunately, we want things that are very bad for us, quite often. God is the one with the better perspective, and he guides us as a good Father, helping us to learn to choose the right and the good, and to temper our desires with wisdom. We also learn better desires from God as we discover all that he has to offer us, and that what he can help us become is so much better than what we can make of ourselves. God will give us the desires of our hearts, as we learn better desires, and desire things that will actually make us truly, eternally, happy.

Isaiah 48:17-19 -- On Peace and Other Side Effects of Keeping the Commandments

"Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me."
Isaiah 48:17-19


It's cool that the Lord promises us peace and profit, and even posterity, as we hearken to his commandments. Sometimes we think of the commandments as a burden, especially when we are contemplating breaking them, but the commandements are there to protect and help us... to get us to a place where the Lord *can* bless us with showers of blessings from heaven, as he wants to do. Today, let's talk to God, and reexamine our adherence to his will, and as we do, we will see blessings, both immediate and long-term. God wants to help and gather us. Let's be willing and work for that as well.

Genesis 1:31 -- On Seeing the Good

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
Genesis 1:31


I like the idea of God stepping back and observing everything and making sure/seeing that it was all good. Or, perhaps more likely, including this for our benefit because he already knew it was good, but reassuring us that everyting starts out good. I think that knowledge helps us a lot, because sometimes it seems like we're surrounded by evil, but we never fully are. There is good if we look for it, and ask God to help us escape the "dark and dreary waste" (1 Nephi 8:7). Today, let's look for the good, and hold fast to it.

Genesis 1:1 -- On the Beginning

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Genesis 1:1


Usually at the beginning of a regular novel, you start out letting the reader know the setting. In non-fiction that's usually just setting the stage for the ideas or the philosophy yoy are talking about. Fiction gets a bit more challenging because sometimes that involves a lot of changes to the world that we are used to. This beginning starts out trying to answer the question of what came before our timebound mortality, and this first verse tells us almost all of it. God was before, and he made everything.

Maybe today, we can try to take that in a little bit, and recognize God's hand in everything, everywhere, and realize what that means for us as His children.

Alma 2:1-4 -- On Beginnings, Prayer, and Effort

"And it came to pass in the commencement of the fifth year of their reign there began to be a contention among the people; for a certain man, being called Amlici, he being a very cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world, he being after the order of the man that slew Gideon by the sword, who was executed according to the law—
Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away much people after him; even so much that they began to be very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be a king over the people.
Now this was alarming to the people of the church, and also to all those who had not been drawn away after the persuasions of Amlici; for they knew that according to their law that such things must be established by the voice of the people.
Therefore, if it were possible that Amlici should gain the voice of the people, he, being a wicked man, would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the church; for it was his intent to destroy the church of God."
Alma 2:1-4


I like how the Book of Mormon is filled with so many things, from a personal and a national level, public and private, illustrating "applied religion" or how the gospel works as part of life, and not just something we talk about on Sunday. Here, in the beginning of a year, a political movement starts a war, but it is eventually solved through prayer (and of course a lot of effort). A good reminder, in "the commencement" of our year, that God is always the solution. We need to work at it of course, mentally and physically, but we succeed when God is with us, and when we are putting him and other people first. Prayer + Effort ... a good scriptural strategy to face the day with. :)

Philippians 1:5-11 -- On the First Day

"For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
Philippians 1:5-11


This is part of a great opening for a letter, and it seems to be a good opening for the new year as well. Let's start on this first day united in fellowship. Let's let our love abound in knowledge and judgement. Let's approve things that are excellent, being sincere and without offense. :) As we do, God will fill us with the rewards of righteousness, and we will grow in thankfulness and love, unto the glory and praise of God, who is our hope and the light ahead of us as we sail into the new year. :) May it be great as we trust in the Lord and move forward with hope, determination, and pure goodness. :)