Monday, October 15, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
I have started reading the four gospels. Our stake president would like everyone to read all the words of Jesus before the end of the year. I learned one thing this morning. Jesus' disciple call Him Rabbi before the marriage of Cana (John 1:38) which is in John, chapter 2. If, to be a Rabbi, means you must be married, then Jesus might have been married before His first miracle performed and the marriage of Cana is not Jesus' marriage. Perhaps the word, 'Rabbi' has multiple meanings and my finds is flawed.
Monday, September 24, 2012
New View of Keeping the Commandments
Commandments = Missions
In 1 Nephi 5:20, and 1 Nephi 16:8, Nephi says, and 'thus far I and my father had kept the commandments of the Lord.' What commandments is Nephi talking about? Lehi received specific promptings from the Holy Ghost to do certain things. He call these promptings the voice of the Lord (1 Nephi 16:9). He then commanded his sons to go do them. Nephi and his brothers obey each commandment and fulfill each mission. The commandments in this context are the fulfilling of specific directives given by the Lord. Lehi is given a mission to go to the promised land with his family. He than is given smaller missions as prompted by the voice of the Lord. I believe this to be the still, small voice. He obeys, placing his sons in harms way. When the missions are fulfilled, Lehi has kept all the commandments of the Lord.
It is a given that Lehi and his family have been keeping the basic ten commandments. Today, we call this being 'worthy' in the church. The Lord can then use us to fulfill one mission after another if we can hear and act on the prompting of Holy Ghost. We mistakenly think we are doing fine by keeping the basic commandments when this foundation is really just the beginning. Can the Lord trust me to be his hands and feet to bless the lives of others by giving me promptings from the still, small voice? Can the Lord give me prompting to change my inner self if I take these promptings seriously? If not, I lose the trust of the Lord and receive no more missions until I humble myself and repent.
This is a new level of 'commandments' that I wasn't previously unaware of. Every time we don't act on a prompting, we fail in the mission the Lord has give us. We lose His trust and the promptings come less frequently. The way to receive more promptings is to fulfill the mission given you immediately. My intentions is to take this concept more seriously and gain back the Lord's trust.
In 1 Nephi 5:20, and 1 Nephi 16:8, Nephi says, and 'thus far I and my father had kept the commandments of the Lord.' What commandments is Nephi talking about? Lehi received specific promptings from the Holy Ghost to do certain things. He call these promptings the voice of the Lord (1 Nephi 16:9). He then commanded his sons to go do them. Nephi and his brothers obey each commandment and fulfill each mission. The commandments in this context are the fulfilling of specific directives given by the Lord. Lehi is given a mission to go to the promised land with his family. He than is given smaller missions as prompted by the voice of the Lord. I believe this to be the still, small voice. He obeys, placing his sons in harms way. When the missions are fulfilled, Lehi has kept all the commandments of the Lord.
It is a given that Lehi and his family have been keeping the basic ten commandments. Today, we call this being 'worthy' in the church. The Lord can then use us to fulfill one mission after another if we can hear and act on the prompting of Holy Ghost. We mistakenly think we are doing fine by keeping the basic commandments when this foundation is really just the beginning. Can the Lord trust me to be his hands and feet to bless the lives of others by giving me promptings from the still, small voice? Can the Lord give me prompting to change my inner self if I take these promptings seriously? If not, I lose the trust of the Lord and receive no more missions until I humble myself and repent.
This is a new level of 'commandments' that I wasn't previously unaware of. Every time we don't act on a prompting, we fail in the mission the Lord has give us. We lose His trust and the promptings come less frequently. The way to receive more promptings is to fulfill the mission given you immediately. My intentions is to take this concept more seriously and gain back the Lord's trust.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Covenants and the Church of the Lamb of God
In 1 Nephi, the angel is describing the difference between the great abominable church of the devil and the church of the Lamb of God. The angel asks Nephi if he remembers the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel (1 Nephi 14:8). He than explains that there are save two churches. Nephi, later, beholds power of the Lamb of God descend upon the saints of the church of the lamb and upon the covenant people of the Lord.
It seems to me that the distinguishing factor between being a member of great abominable church and the church of the Lamb of God is whether or not I am keeping my covenants. The Father fulfills his covenants in the last days - to bring about a great and marvelous work and cleanse the earth - with those who make and keep covenants. It is one thing to receive the covenant through the ordinances of the gospel and it is another thing to live by those covenants. By keeping their covenants, the power of the Lamb of God descended upon the saints. God arms them with righteousness and with power of God in great glory.(1 Nephi 14:14)
So, what if I am a member of the true church but don't keep my covenants? What if I don't even know what the covenants I have made are? Can I keep them? If I am not actively working on my discipleship could I unknowingly be a member of the wrong symbolic 'church'?
It seems to me that the distinguishing factor between being a member of great abominable church and the church of the Lamb of God is whether or not I am keeping my covenants. The Father fulfills his covenants in the last days - to bring about a great and marvelous work and cleanse the earth - with those who make and keep covenants. It is one thing to receive the covenant through the ordinances of the gospel and it is another thing to live by those covenants. By keeping their covenants, the power of the Lamb of God descended upon the saints. God arms them with righteousness and with power of God in great glory.(1 Nephi 14:14)
So, what if I am a member of the true church but don't keep my covenants? What if I don't even know what the covenants I have made are? Can I keep them? If I am not actively working on my discipleship could I unknowingly be a member of the wrong symbolic 'church'?
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