In this place, peace (Come, Follow Me)

Comforting counsel and a ray of hope from this week's Come, Follow Me reading in Haggai

in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

Haggai 2:9

His glory covered the heavens (Come, Follow Me)

I love these words from Habakkuk 3:4-6.  Whenever I see new images from the Webb or Hubble telescopes, I see the evidence of God's power and love.

His glory covered the heavens,
And his brightness was as the light
His ways are everlasting

Gracious and Merciful (Come, Follow Me)

I am grateful for a kind, merciful, patient, and gracious Savior who I can turn to.

Turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.

Joel 2:13

The Appearance of the Bow (Come, Follow Me)

Even in challenging times, the Lord is with us, and we can see evidence of His presence and love in the beauty of the earth that He created.

As the appearance of the bow
that is in the cloud in the day of rain,
so was the appearance of the brightness round about.
This was the appearance
of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
Ezekiel 1:28

The Lord Is Good (Come, Follow Me)

From this week's Come, Follow Me reading comes this comforting verse:

The Lord is good unto them
that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him.
Lamentations 3:25

While my life has been full of challenges and trials, I know these words are true.  The Lord has given me guidance, strength, and wisdom, and continues to sustain me as I seek Him. 

Righteousness and Praise to Spring Forth (Come, Follow Me)

Hope and beauty in this week's Come, Follow Me reading:

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,
and as the garden causeth the things
that are sown in it to spring forth;
so the Lord God will cause righteousness
and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:11

He Will Comfort All (Come, Follow Me)

From this week's Come, Follow Me reading in Isaiah comes this comforting verse.

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.  (Isaiah 51:3)

Why Life and Freedom?

I believe life and freedom are two of the highest ideals that we should defend and uphold.  A review of the scriptures shows why.

• Jesus Christ, our Creator, gave us our life and then gave His life that we might all be resurrected and delivered from certain death.
• "the Spirit of God ... is also the spirit of freedom" (Alma 61:15)
• One of the primary messages of all scripture is that the Lord delivers from captivity and death.  Look at the example of the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt and so many other examples of deliverance.
• "God will deliver ... all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free." (Alma 61:21)
• "we honor individual agency. Most are aware of this Church’s great efforts to promote religious freedom. These efforts are in furtherance of our Heavenly Father’s plan. We seek to help all of His children—not just our own members—enjoy the precious freedom to choose." (President Dallin H. Oaks)

Meaning of Human Life

“A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” (D. Elton Trueblood)

The Way of Holiness (Come, Follow Me)

The Lord is the Way.  He guides us on a path (Isaiah 30:20-21) that leads to everlasting joy and gladness (Isaiah 35:10).  In the temple, we can hear His loving direction along that path.

Lovingkindness and Tender Mercies (Come, Follow Me)

From this week's Come, Follow Me reading in Psalms...  

The Lord forgives, heals, redeems, and crowns us with His kindness and mercy, for which I'm eternally grateful.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, 

and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities

Who healeth all thy diseases

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction

Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies

Psalm 103:2-4

The Church and Abuse

I am grateful for all the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does to protect the innocent as the Savior would have us do.  My faith in Jesus Christ, my covenants with Him, ministering opportunities, service, and many other aspects of the Church have enabled me to help others in need and to bless my family and children by putting them first.

A recent article about sex abuse and the failure of Church policy to stop it has raised questions about the Church and its efforts to end abuse.  I encourage all who have questions and want answers and perspective to read and listen to these resources:

• https://www.deseret.com/2022/8/5/23292405/i-survived-abuse-church-help-line-ap-story-broke-my-heart-latter-day-saints-associated-press-mormon
• https://leadingsaints.org/reporting-abuse-church-helpline-the-bishop-an-interview-with-jennifer-roach/
• https://leadingsaints.org/update-reporting-abuse-church-helpline-the-bishop-an-interview-with-jennifer-roach/

I love the Lord.  I believe Elder Kearon when he said this:

"Jesus specializes in the seemingly impossible. He came here to make the impossible possible, the irredeemable redeemable, to heal the unhealable, to right the unrightable, to promise the unpromisable. And He’s really good at it. In fact, He’s perfect at it." 

Thou are mindful of him (Come, Follow Me)

We are children of the God of the Universe who created the heavens.

When I consider thy heavens,

the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

Psalms 8:3-4

 

We Are Children of the Living God

Never run away from who we are—
children of the living God who loves us,
who is always ready to forgive us,
and who will never, ever forsake us.
You are His most precious possession.
You are His child.

--Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 

A Time Such as This (Come, Follow Me)

Am I prepared to serve a cause greater than myself, even if it requires courage and great sacrifice?  That's the powerful story of Esther which we are studying this week for Come, Follow Me.

"Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

And He Prospered

From this week's Come, Follow Me chapters, we read one of the great messages of the scriptures, that the Lord will prosper those who follow Him and keep His commandments.

L. Whitney Clayton said, "God's prosperity is the power to press forward despite the problems of life."  And we all need that.

 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
 For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.
 And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth....
2 Kings 18:5-7

Everyone is Unique and Special

Great wisdom from a woman who gained it through hard work and belief in God.  Her essay is worth the read:

https://1776unites.com/essays/from-rural-poverty-to-ivy-league-professor-carol-swains-life-lessons/

Everyone is unique and special. If you do your part with what you have been given, God will do the rest.

God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand

"For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing." (Deuteronomy 2:7)

As I ponder these words of the Lord to Moses, I can't help but think they also apply to me.  As I look back at the journey through my life's wilderness, I can see how the Lord has been fully aware of my walk and blessed me that I have lacked nothing.

He Is Risen (Come, Follow Me)

 Happy Easter!

Stand Still (Come, Follow Me)

Fear ye not, stand still,
and see the salvation of the Lord,
which he will shew to you to day
Exodus 14:13

Light in Their Dwellings (Come, Follow Me)

From this week's Come, Follow Me reading, we learn that even when the world around us is filled with darkness, our homes can be filled with light.  I am grateful for Jesus Christ who is that Light.

There was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days....but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Exodus 10:22-23

Sold a Slave (Come, Follow Me)

When I ponder the amazing story of Joseph who was sold a slave into Egypt and think about the terrible injustices that many suffer in life, I look to Joseph's example for purpose in suffering, the grace of forgiveness, and an eternal perspective that shows the good we can do in any circumstances.

"I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God."
Genesis 45:4,7-8

There are no victims

Condoleezza Rice gave one of the most inspiring interviews I have ever heard.  Bari Weiss spoke with her on Race, Russia, Freedom and Why America’s Best Days Are Still Ahead.

One quote:

My parents ... were loving but they had really high expectations of me, and the people of that community had high expectations of the kids.  It wasn't, "Oh, you know, it's too bad that Birmingham is like that."  It was, "You have to be twice as good."  And that meant you worked twice as hard.  You were twice as confident.  It was, "There are no victims."  The minute that you say you're a victim, you've given control of your life to someone else.

Let there be no strife (Come, Follow Me)

Our Come, Follow Me reading in Genesis 13 revealed that Abram was a peacemaker, and it's interesting to see that as he willingly sacrificed to obey God and make peace, the Lord prospered him.

"And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren."
Genesis 13:8

Walk with Me (Come, Follow Me)

"Thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me" (Moses 6:34).  This invitation is to us all.

President Henry B. Eyring said,

"And what does it mean to walk with the Lord? It means to do what He does, to serve the way He serves. He sacrificed His own comforts to bless those in need, so that’s what we try to do. He seemed to take particular notice of people who were overlooked and even shunned by society, so we should try to do that too. He testified boldly yet lovingly of the true doctrine He received from His Father, even if it was unpopular, and so must we. He said to all, 'Come unto me' (Matthew 11:28), and we say to all, 'Come unto Him.'"

Peace in a World of Conflict (Come, Follow Me)

Where can we turn for peace and comfort in a world full of rage and conflict?  Our Come, Follow Me reading this week provides the answer in Moses 6:  The Only Begotten of the Father who knows all things and has all power.

Therefore it is given to abide in you; 

the record of heaven; 

the Comforter; 

the peaceable things of immortal glory; 

the truth of all things; 

that which quickeneth all things, 

which maketh alive all things; 

that which knoweth all things, 

and hath all power 

according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.  

And now, behold, I say unto you: 

This is the plan of salvation unto all men, 

through the blood of mine Only Begotten

Moses 6:61-62

And in those days Satan had great dominion among men, 

and raged in their hearts; 

and from thenceforth came wars and bloodshed; 

and a man’s hand was against his own brother, 

in administering death, 

because of secret works, 

seeking for power.

Moses 6:15

The Joy of Our Redemption (Come, Follow Me)

I am grateful for the joy of an eternal perspective and for Adam and Eve, our first parents.

And Eve … was glad, saying:  Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
Moses 5:11

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/better-than-paradise-kendal-ray-johnson-147d0a2