Eternal Rewards Vs. Instant Gratification

Today I read Psalms 5 where David states that the Lord hates all workers of iniquity.  This is not quite true.  The Lord does not hate anyone, we are all His children and He loves us as a parent loves their child.  But He does hate iniquity.  He cannot stand sin with the least degree of allowance.  It breaks His heart when His children choose the path of sin and unhappiness.  I think if we knew what we were really giving up by sinning we would be a lot less quick to sin and do that which is wrong.  But that is why we are here, to choose for ourselves what it is we want.  Do we want immediate rewards or rewards that can last for an eternity?  What do we really want out of life?  Do we want to follow a being wiser than all the world's wisdom?  Or follow the flawed logic of those only a few years older than ourselves?  The choice is ours.  Until tomorrow.

Give Us Strength Oh Lord

Today I read Psalms 4 where David asks the Lord enlarge him when he is in distress.  That statement really stood out to me.  How many of us need help from time to time?  All of us!  I have often said that the true measure of a prophet is that when faced with trials the prophet will ask for the Lord to strengthen them to meet the challenge as opposed to a normal person asking to have the trial taken away from them.  David is showing us his faith here.  By asking Heavenly Father for assistance with his trials, he is showing that he understands that he needs help and is asking for it.  We could all learn a lot from his example and ask the Lord to help us through our times of trial, even if they are not our own trials.  Every parent has most likely prayed to have their child's infirmity put on them instead of their child, we want to help so badly, but we have to understand that our children need to grow from their own trials just like we do.  It is a hard lesson to learn.  Until tomorrow.

David Marvels at the Lord's Goodness

Today I read Psalm 3 which reminds me a lot of the words of Zenos that Alma taught the Zoramites in Alma 34.  The reason it reminds me of that chapter is because in both instances, they were talking directly to the Lord.  David wrote this particular Psalm and he is marveling at how the Lord sustained him and heard him and how the Lord took care of him.  It is amazing when you look back at your life and see all the times that the Lord has taken care of you.  The Lord does watch over us, even better than our own earthly parents do.  If we will put our trust in Him, He will sustain us.  He will never let anything happen to us that isn't for our own benefit.  We can trust Him that He will help us through all of our problems, just put Him to the test.  Until tomorrow.

Why Does the Heathen Rage?

Today I read Psalms 2 where the first words asked are "why does the heathen rage".  It is a very good question.  I know that the natural man is an enemy to God, but why are some men so against all that is good in the world and so bent on doing that which is wrong?  One of my favorite shows to this day is the show 24, however every season of the show is filled with men and women, who commit murder and torture and all manner of evils usually for nothing more than money.  For something that will be absolutely useless once we are out of this life.  People lose sight of what is true and what is important and literally exchange their souls for money or sex or drugs or just about anything that you can think of.  It's sad really, Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.  Today people are selling their eternal birthright for things just as small and trivial in the grand scheme of things.  Make sure you don't lose sight of what is important and that you stay the course.  Until tomorrow.

Blessed are the Righteous

Today I read Psalms 1.  I have always enjoyed the Psalms.  They make me feel good about myself as I try and live a righteous life I try and change my nature so that I don't desire to do evil anymore.  And to have the Lord say blessed are those who walk not in the way of sinners, it makes me feel good about myself that I am trying to do what is right.  Heavenly Father delights in righteousness and if we want to be like Him we need to delight in righteousness too.  Heavenly Father won't force it on us, He loves us too much, but He does know that His way will lead to ultimate and lasting happiness.  All we have to do is trust Him and let Him into our lives so that He can help us do what is right. 

Job Repents and is Blessed by the Lord

Today I read Job 42 where Job repents of any and all wrong doing he has done before the Lord.  He accepts his faults and the fact that he may have sinned without his knowledge.  He understands that the Lord is the source of all righteousness.  The Lord accepts Job's repentance and blesses him.  He doubles the fortune of Job compared to what he had before his problems.  The part that makes the natural man in me grin is that the Lord chastises Job's 3 friends.  He tells them that they have not been righteous as Job has been and has them sacrifice animals for repentance.  Not everyone is blessed monetarily the way Job was.  Sometimes we are only blessed in the next life.  Our desire to do what is right and follow the Lord's commandments should not be because we want to be rewarded.  We should follow His commandments because it is what we want.  Sometimes, like Alma taught the Zoramites, all we can do is have a desire to follow the commandments.  It can be hard because sin can be fun.  But we can pray and ask for help and the Lord can change our very nature.  He can help us change so that we no longer have a desire to do that which is wrong.  And that is the best blessing of all!  Until tomorrow.

God Compares Man to His Other Creations

Today I read Job 39 - 41 where the Lord reminds Job of what man is, which is not much.  He compares Job, or all man really, to the leviathan and the behemoth.  He also reminds Job of all the wonders that He, God, has created.  If I was Job, it would be very humbling indeed.  The Lord is so mighty, and man is so little.  Yes it is wonderful what man can create when he puts his mind to it, however, mans accomplishments compared to the Almighty's are still quite puny.  Now, I don't think God tells Job all of this to put him down, but rather to remind him that he is not above God.  God is the Alpha and Omega.  He created us and one day will exalt those of us that have proven ourselves.  Compared to that, as Moses once stated, man is nothing.  But we are God's most treasured creation and He will not abandon us.  As we stated before, He cares for us and will not leave us destitute.  Until tomorrow.