Saturday, February 18, 2012

Covenants

My Thoughts
In many things in our lives we make oaths or agreements in order to have authority or employment.  Medical doctors take an oath to be doctors.  In my employment as a software developer I sign non disclosure agreements and security agreements in order to be employed.


While these examples could be argued are devises of men, I believe that God gives us many things in life that operate on similar principles as the things of God, in order that we, as men, might understand the things of God more easily.


When we participate in ordinances and make covenants we are doing similar things to have privileges and authority.












Sister Carole M Stephens, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, Do We Know What We Have?, General Conference October 2013
"We need the opportunity to renew our covenants each week as we partake of the sacrament. Latter-day prophets and apostles have taught that when we worthily partake of the sacrament, we can renew not only our baptismal covenant but “'all covenants entered into with the Lord.'7"


Doctrine and Covenants 90:24
24Search adiligentlybpray always, and be believing, and call things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the dcovenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

Mosiah 18:8-10
 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Character

President Boyd K Packer, “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast
If you are associating with others who drag you down instead of building you up, stop and change company. You may be alone and lonely at times. The important question may be asked then, “When you are alone, are you in good company?” If you are doing something that you know is wrong, stop it. Stop it now.



Neal A. Maxwell, “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts,” Ensign,Nov. 1996, 22, 21
“When people are described as ‘having lost their desire for sin,’ it is they, and they only, who deliberately decided to lose those wrong desires by being willing to ‘give away all [their] sins’ in order to know God.”

“Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.”



Matthew 3:8-10
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
  • Fruits are works.  Those who do not produce good works are cast off.
  • Just because one is a child of Abraham, or of Israel, or that one has confessed that Christ is ones savior one will be cast off if one does not produce fruits meet for repentance.
  • Fruits meet for repentance - you display what is important to you in your actions.  They are indicators that your character has changed.

The Word of Wisdom


President Boyd K Packer, How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast "The Word of Wisdom does not promise perfect health but that the spiritual receptors within you might be strengthened."


Elder Richard G Scott, How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life, April 2012 General Conference
“...spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices.” 

Monday, February 6, 2012

Christopher Columbus

1 Nephi 13:12
 12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

The American Indians "Native Americans"

1 Nephi 13:14
 14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.

Foolishness

1 Corinthians 2:14
 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.




1 Corinthians 3:19
 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.




2 Nephi 9:28
 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.




2 Nephi 26:10
 10 And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Racism

Is God a Racist?
  • At one time only those that descended from Israel's son Levi could hold the priesthood.
  • When Jesus was on the earth he, as a rule, only taught the Jews and his teachings were only presented to the Jews until after Jesus was resurrected.
  • The LORD cursed the Egyptians with plagues because Pharoah refused to let the Israelites go out of Egypt. (Exodus chapters 7-9)
  • The LORD curses the Moabites and Ammonites because "unto the tenth generation) because they did not provide food and water to the Israelites in the desert wilderness. (Deuteronomy 23:3)
  • The LORD promises to curse the Israelites, His own chosen people, if they do not adhere to His commandments.(Deuteronomy chapter 28)
  • The Israelites were slaves for hundreds of years as a curse (and a blessing) by God.
  • The Lamanites in the Book of Mormon were cursed with a dark skin and were cursed (and blessed) by being over run by another group of people.
Note that none of these give us the right to oppress another, but we can see that hardships of our ancestors often reap great blessings for us.