Today I read Joshua 4 where the Lord commands Joshua to pull out twelve stones from the river Jordan where the priests stood with the ark. He commands Joshua to make them into some form of altar that will stand for all time so that the children of Israel would know what great things the Lord had done for them. The honor of picking out the stones and carrying them was given to one man from each tribe of Israel.
This instance reminds me of the scripture that tells us that God's wrath is kindled against those who confess not His hand in all things. Remember, Satan was cast out not because he thought his idea was better than Gods, but because he sought the glory and honor of God for himself. He did not want the honor to go to God at all. Christ on the other hand told God that He would in fact not only do it Heavenly Father's way but that the glory would be to God always. We need to make sure we recognize His hand and that we confess that we need His help always.
Without our Heavenly Father we would be nothing. None of us would be here at all. He is the creator of our Spirits, but also He created this earth. He also created the bodies of Adam and Eve which made it possible for each and every last one of us to be born on this earth. Without His help and Him constantly sustaining us, we would not be able to survive at all on this earth. King Benjamin reminds us in the Book of Mormon that we are all beggars relying on Heavenly Father for breath in our bodies and for everything we have. Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminded us in his lifetime that everything is God's already. The only thing we can offer up to God of ourselves, is our will. It is the only thing that is truly ours in this life.
It reminds me of our earthly life. As children we like to claim things as ours. This is my room we say. Those are my toys. It's my food. However, everything we have as children come from our earthly father and mother. In the case of some families where the mother doesn't work, she doesn't truly own anything either. Everything is given to her by her husband. I like to joke with my wife sometimes when she gives me a gift, wondering aloud what I got for myself this time. Because I earn all the money, I really bought the gift for myself, my wife just picked it out for me. And yet, Heavenly Father gave us our talents that allow us to have those jobs and earn that money. He gives us our health so that we can work and provide for our loved ones. We cannot truly claim anything of ourselves except what comes from us. We can only give back to Him our will and our gratitude.
When we confess His hand in all things and the part He plays in we gain humility and gratitude for our Heavenly Father. Through this all important step, we overcome the Natural Man. Only through His help can we become like He is. And we start by recognizing all He does for us, in private, as well as publicly. Until tomorrow.
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