Blessed is He that is Forgiven

Today I read Psalms 32 which reminds me how many people don't understand the Atonement.  David in this Psalm states that the person whose transgression is forgiven is blessed.  Too many people think that the fact someone has to repent makes them a horrible person.  This is not the case.  The fact someone has to repent makes them human.  Even the prophets of every dispensation has to repent.  Everyone makes mistakes and we all have fallen short of the glory of God as Paul says.  However, because of Jesus Christ and the Atonement that He performed, we can all become clean again.  Repentance is a gift and should be regarded as such.  If we did not have the gift of being able to repent, damnation and eternal torment would be all we have to look forward to.  David says blessed are those that receive forgiveness and he is right, but I say blessed is He who made it possible for us to repent!  Until tomorrow.

Trust God, Not the World

Today I read Psalms 31 where David lists out all the ways God has taken care of him.  It almost reminds me of an old style love poem where they count the ways they love the person.  David is certainly counting the ways God has taken care of him and how he put his trust in God.  Then at the end he tells us, the readers to put our trust in God.  As I watch the world slide into sin and even further away from God, it strikes me how good Satan is at what he does.  He has managed to convince most Americans that it's ok to believe and behave differently than God does.  This is false.  Satan has done a great job of making people think that to break the commandments is no big thing and if anyone tells you that you should live the commandments that they are bigots who need to be more tolerant.  The truth is actually the opposite.  While God never condones teasing, picking on, bullying or abusing those who live their lives differently, we certainly still need to stand up for what is right and stand up to those who would try and convince us that standing up for what is right is in fact wrong.  We should never use the world's view as a moral compass.  If we do, we will ALWAYS miss the mark and never become like God is.  The world will one day be shown just how wrong they are and we do not want to be in that group.  I know I sure don't!  Until tomorrow.

Weeping Endureth a Night

Today I read Psalms 26 - 30.  A phrase stood out to me in chapter 30.  David said that weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.  This reminds me a lot of what the Lord told Joseph Smith when he was in Liberty Jail, that his suffering would be but a small moment.  It is really easy to lost perspective in this life when our sense of time is warped and we can lose sense of the eternities and what is really important.  Our focus should be on things that last for eternity, not for the things of this world.  When we forget that is when we have sorrows of our own making.  If we remember to focus on the things that are truly important, then we will pass our trials with flying colors.  Until tomorrow.

Rely on God For Help With Your Weakness

Today I read Psalms 25 and I have to wonder, what would it have been like to be David?  He truly had people hate him and want to kill him.  When he says the troubles of his heart are enlarged, he means it.  I am reminded of Nephi, a prophet that all of us wish we could be like for he truly was righteous, recording for all of the world to see that he considered himself a wretched man because he had a temper and would get angry at his brothers and his enemies.  Apparently that was his weakness.  I can easily see with such a righteous man how his weakness would feel very glaring and a lot larger than it was.  Sometimes our weakness really is that large, if you have a weakness for killing people, that is a serious problem.  But if your weakness is overeating, it's probably not as serious as you think it is.  But it is a very good thing to proclaim your weakness to God and ask Him for help in overcoming it.  It's one of the best things we can do!  Until tomorrow.

I Will Fear No Evil

Today I read Psalms 23 which is very famous.  This is the psalm that contains the famous words, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.  When I was younger I used to think these words meant that he had faith that God would protect him.  Now that I am older, I don't think that is the case.  I think it is more that David has a perfect understanding of his Savior and the Atonement.  If you truly understand the Atonement, you will not fear death or any other condition that might come your way.  Now, that is not to say that death is not a sad thing.  If my wife or daughter were to leave this earthly life anytime soon I would cry for years for my loss.  I know that I would see them and be with them again, but my loss in this life would be physically painful it would hurt so badly.  But I do not fear death for myself because I know what awaits me.  I know that there is life after this one and that as we strive to do what is right and live the commandments, that the grace of Jesus Christ will make up the difference.  That is what I think he means by he will fear no evil.  All manner of horrible things can happen to us in this life, and the Lord will allow it if it is for our good.  But we should not fear death, it's sting has been taken away.  Until tomorrow.

The Savior Knew His Life Before He Came Here

Today I read Psalms 20 - 22.  The first two were pretty similar to all the rest of the Psalms, praising God, promising defeat on the heads of the wicked and whatnot.  The last one however was about the life of the Savior.  It never fails to astonish me when I see Old Testament prophets correctly talking about the Saviors life and death.  It makes me just shake my head that so many prophets could correctly know the truth and understand it, and yet so many others, those that lived at the time of His life and death, would not understand and by their own lack of understanding and refusing to believe that they would kill their own Messiah, caused it to come to pass.  It is indeed a self fulfilling prophecy.  But of course the Savior knew what He was doing and what He was getting into from the start.  It makes me wonder, did we know and understand what our earthly lives would hold?  And if so, we still chose them?  That is bravery for some of us that have had truly horrible lives.  It shows that having a physical body is that necessary and important, more than so than we can understand it would seem.  Until tomorrow.

Do Not Allow Sin to Have Dominion Over Me

Today I read Psalms 19 where David pleads with the Lord to not allow his sins to have dominion over him.  That is a very interesting prayer to have but a very wise prayer too.  Sin is a lot like prison.  When you commit a sin, you lose your agency to choose.  The consequences are not something you can decide but rather are decided for you.  And if you sin the same sin often enough, your agency to choose not to sin is slowly eroded away until you become addicted to the sin, very much a prisoner.  So for David to pray to not let sin have dominion over him shows a level of understanding that most people don't have.  He knows because he has felt the suffocating feeling of sin and it's affect on his spirit.  He has been there and never wants to go there again.  We would all be wise to follow his example.  Until tomorrow.

Our Father in Heaven Really is Our Father

Today I read Psalm 18 where David sings the praises of God after escaping Saul and his plans to kill David.  David was a very humble man.  All that he was, he attributed to the Lord.  And that is right honestly.  All that we are, all that we have the potential to be, is because of how God made us.  He blesses us with strengths and with weaknesses.  As I am sitting here pondering the chapter, it occurs to me that it really is sad that we don't have a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father.  I call my parents each and every week and thoroughly enjoy talking to them, even if I don't have anything to share beyond the mundane things of my life.  Why don't we have that kind of relationship with our Father in Heaven?  Sure He already knows all about it, but don't you think He wants to hear it from us?  I certainly do.  I know I personally will be changing the way I pray going forward and try and grow closer with my God.  Until tomorrow.

Repent, Rinse, Repeat

Today I read Psalms 13 - 17.  Most of the Psalms are talking about the same things, the goodness of God or asking Him to protect David as he is encompassed about by sin and those that would do him harm.  It strikes me how much like a child talking to his father David is in these Psalms.  He has a really good relationship with God.  The kind of relationship we all should have with our Heavenly Father.  He is our Father as we have stated before, and we need to rely on Him just as much, if not more so, than we do on our earthly father.  This is not new, we have talked about all of this already on this blog, but the key to the Gospel is repetition of the basics and the simple aspects I have found.  If we are ever going to be as our Father in Heaven is, we need to stick to the basic building blocks and foundation of the Gospel and slowly but surely build our way up from there.  Until tomorrow.

God Will Help Our Faithful Hearts

Today I read Psalms 12 where David talks about the faithful's hearts failing them.  It is a hard thing to endure to the end.  Each of us has a weakness that we were given to force us to turn to Heavenly Father.  That weakness can break us quite easily, it is the one thing in our lives that is almost impossible for us to overcome on our own.  It may in fact be impossible for us to overcome it on our own, I don't know honestly.  However as faithful as we try and be, we can stumble and fall over and over again.  But like President Uchtdorf said, we are God's children.  He will no more scold us for stumbling than we would our toddlers for tripping while trying to learn how to walk.  Heavenly Father's only concern for us is to help us become better and to overcome our trials.  I love my little daughter more than anything in this world except perhaps my wife.  I would do anything in my power to help her be healthy and happy that doesn't hurt her.  If I feel that way about my daughter who I have only had for less than 3 years, how much stronger does Heavenly Father feel about us who He has known for ages without number?  He loves us and wants us to be happy and He will help us when our faithful heart fails us.  Until tomorrow.

David Praises the Lord

Today I read Psalms 11 which is more of the same of what we have been reading.  David lists out the virtues of those that follow the commandments and the vices of those that don't.  David seems to follow the same themes when he is composing songs.  But the Lord says that the song of the righteous is a prayer to Him so perhaps David knows something I don't about how to please the Lord.  Maybe I should spend more time singing the hymns than I currently do.  I really don't have the answer but the fact that until his transgression with Uriah and Bathsheba David was one of the Lord's all time favorites, it may be worth emulating him a little bit more than I currently do.  Until tomorrow.

Choose Happiness or Unhappiness

Today I read Psalms 8 - 10.  All three of these Psalms are talking about the greatness of God and the awful state of the wicked.  I have a friend who posted something on Facebook the other day where he shared a story of a man he met when he was in high school and he said the lesson he took away from the man's story was that if you worship Satan you will get rich, but if you worship God you will be poor.  Despite my friend's cavalier attitude about it, he is actually right.  Those who do what is wrong in this life often seem to get ahead, financially and otherwise, while the poor and the humble seem to be trodden underfoot.  Again it all goes back to what do you want out of eternity?  Do you want to be a horrible human being who prizes money above all other things?  Do you want to be kind to your fellow man and help those in need? 

I promise you the humble beggar who has nothing but keeps the commandments of God is happier than the wealthiest drug lord.  If such men who do wickedly were truly honest with themselves they would admit that they feel something is missing from their life and they feel alone.  It reminds me of the movie Scarface, which is a story of a horrible human being with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.  At one point however he is in a restaurant and has a break down where he starts yelling at the other patrons, clearly upset and he appears to be the most unhappy person around.  The man had everything that you could supposedly want out of life, but he was unhappy and could not find lasting peace.  What he was missing was the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  That is what all such men and women are missing.  It is the only thing that can provide lasting happiness.  The choice is ours and always will be.  And it is honestly more clear cut of a choice than one might imagine.  Happiness, or unhappiness.  Choose wisely.  Until tomorrow.

The Wicked Will Be Punished

Today I read Psalms 7 where David takes comfort in the fact that God will punish the wicked.  I too find great comfort in that knowledge.  I am listening to a book on CD and am appalled by the wickedness of the people in this country that the main character is visiting.  It makes me so sad that it is based on a real country and based on all the tales I have heard about this country, it's most likely accurate.  Needless to say, these men will have a lot to answer for when they stand before their maker.  It makes me wonder how they can even begin to justify their actions.  Their reasons for what they did will sound very hollow to their ears when they are trying to rationalize their actions before God.  I felt the same thing about my earthly father when I was growing up.  When ever I was tempted to do something wrong, I would think about standing before my dad and trying to explain myself.  If I did not like such an image, I did not do the activity.  If all of us followed this philosophy, there would be a lot less evil in the world.  Until tomorrow.

David Finds Peace in the Lord

Today I read Psalms 6 which is an expression of faith to me.  David states that his enemies need to beware because the Lord has heard his expression of grief and his challenges.  It is a wonderful thing to have a knowledge that God not only hears you but listens to your prayers.  I have often wondered what helps those without a knowledge of God or faith get through each day and get through this life.  How do they find the strength to keep going?  I am lucky, I have always known God is there and that He loves me.  How does someone feel if they don't think that anyone is listening to them?  How depressing and lonely must such a life be?  I feel very fortunate that my entire life I have known that God is there and that He loves me.  I want to make sure my daughter knows that and that she understands that God loves her and wants her to succeed.  I want her to have the same peace and happiness that I have had my entire life.  Until tomorrow.

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.

The Lord Speaks to Job

Today I read Job 38 where God answers Job all his questions.  It does not state if Job's friends also heard the Lord speaking.  But it does state that God reminds Job of the distance between the two of them.  Again this is written very flowery and like a Psalm.  It might just be the way it is written like the rest of the Book of Job, however this could also be the way the Lord normally talks to His servants.  Or perhaps He speaks in the manner that will be best understood by His servant.  I truly don't know, but it is a comfort that the Lord talks to His servants in their times of need.  Just like when Joseph Smith called out to the Lord in the depth of his despair in Liberty Jail.  The Lord replied to him and told him that all of his trials would be for his good.  So it is with Job and with all of us.  Everything we suffer, that is not caused by our own hand, is for our growth and our good.  Until tomorrow.

The Majesty of God

Today I read Job 37 where Elihu continues his praise of God.  Truly there is not enough good things to say about Heavenly Father.  He is our Creator and the Author of our Salvation.  As Elihu states in this chapter He controls the very elements and building blocks of this Universe.  And yet despite all of this, He listens to us and cares about each of us individually.  He is mindful of a sparrow falling, and cares where a child's stuffed animal is hiding.  He cares just as much for his Prophet on the earth as he does the vilest of sinner rotting in prison.  He is no respecter of persons and loves each of us, as a father on earth loves his children.  When we pray to Him, He listens and He always answers us, even if we don't like the answer.  All we have to do is trust in Him and we cannot go astray.  Until tomorrow.

Elihu Talks about the Greatness of God

Today I read Job 36 where Elihu continues his speech this time talking about the greatness of God.  It really reminded me of a Psalm.  Now, I'm not mocking Elihu for talking about how great God is.  He is great!  It's just really strange to me the way people talked back in those days.  Elihu is supposed to be convincing Job he is not as righteous as he thinks he is but instead he is talking about how wonderful God is.  It's definitely not the path I would take in an argument personally.  So I just find it odd is all.  Until tomorrow. 

Our Ability to Influence

Today I read Job 35 where Elihu talks about the influence we have over those around us.  When we are wicked, we have a negative influence over those around us.  It reminds me of King Noah in the Book of Mormon and later King Mosiah's words to his people.  He reminds the people of all the wickedness that King Noah caused his people to commit because of his own wickedness.  We have so much influence in this life with those we come into contact with.  The real question is whether or not we will influence them in a positive way or not.  I once received a blessing where I was told that my happy and positive attitude has been a blessing to many and it has even influenced total strangers for good.  But imagine if I had been an evil man, how much damage would I have done instead?  It's impossible to know and fortunately I don't have to know because I choose to be righteous, it is what I want to be.  And that means I can be an instrument for good in the hands of the Lord, which is one of the best feelings in the world.  Until tomorrow.

Accepting Correction from God

Today I read Job 34 where Elihu continues his speech to Job and his other friends on the merits of God and accepting chastisement from God.  In the Book of Mormon we are taught that when God gives us correction it is a sign of love.  This is a concept we have explored in other posts and Elihu talks about this concept a little bit himself in this chapter.  He does not talk about it being a sing of love however he does mention that it is a good thing to accept the chastisement of God and offend no more.  It can be a hard thing to accept correction even from those we love.  But if we are to grow we will be corrected more than just once in this life.  How we accept that correction is a true measure of who we are.  We need to make sure we take it well and make the needed changes, especially when that correction comes from God.  Until tomorrow.

God's Uses Prophets to Teach His People

Today I read Job 33 where Elihu continues his speech to Job.  Elihu tells Job that God's ways are above man and that God is not in the habit of explaining Himself to man.  However, Elihu is incorrect.  God does in fact explain His ways to mankind.  God does everything out in the open for all to see.  If we are to become like He is some day we need to understand Him and what He does.  God has always explained His methods to His prophets and had His prophets explain it to His people.  Even from the beginning God taught Adam and had Adam teach his children.  It is no different today.  We have the scriptures before us and a modern prophet that teaches us every 6 months what the Lord would have us do.  All we have to do is read, and listen to our prophet's voice and we will know all there is to know about God.  Then it is up to us to act on that light and knowledge or we will lose it.  Until tomorrow.

Job's Youthful Friend Speaks Up

Today I read Job 32 were Job's friend, Elihu, who was the youngest there, decided to speak and give his opinion.  He states that he has waited until now to do so because he is the youngest of them all but now he can hold his peace no longer.  He is quite upset with his friends for not being able to find an answer to Job.  What an interesting concept that is.  I have certainly held my peace before when others are talking if I did not know a lot about the subject, but I have never stopped talking just because others that were doing the talking were older than me.  I'm personally glad that this particular customer has gone by the wayside.  Just because someone is older than you, doesn't necessarily mean that they have more knowledge than you.  If you have something worthwhile to contribute, you should share it!  Especially if it is your testimony of our Savior.  Until tomorrow.

Job Has Lived a Good and Righteous Life

Today I read Job 31 where Job professed his innocence and his willingness to do that which was right in the sight of God.  He talked about all the people he helped and all the good he has done among those around him.  He asks if there were any he could have helped but didn't and what more he could have done for those around him.  Truly Job was a man who loved his neighbor as himself, even before Jesus came to Earth and explained that this was the way to live a good and righteous life.  Like Captain Moroni, Alma the Younger, Mormon, Moroni and other righteous men thought out time and history, if all men had been like Job, this world would be a paradise and a heaven on earth!  Until tomorrow.

Build Up, Don't Destroy Others

Today I read Job 30 where, just like all men throughout history when they get older, he laments about the up and coming generation.  It makes me smile to realize that older men have been complaining about youth for thousands of years.  When Job's afflictions struck the youths of his neighborhood started treating him like a leper, like someone less than the dirt they stood on.  Why is it human nature to destroy those around us to make ourselves feel better?  Wouldn't it be better to build up those around us?  Wouldn't it be more Christlike to find the good in those we associate with in order to make ourselves feel better?  If Jesus were here, He would definitely try and make those people He came into contact with feel better.  If we hope to one day become like He is, we need to spend our time on this earth doing what is right and it is better to help others than it is to hurt others.  The feeling of the Spirit when we do what is right is incredible and better than almost any feeling there is.  Why not do all that we can to make sure He can be our constant companion?  Until tomorrow.

Job Helped Those Around Him

Today I read Job 29 where Job talked about his life before his recent trials.  He was wealthy but he used it to bless the lives of those around him.  He would help the poor and needy that he saw.  That is the way we are supposed to live our lives.  Jacob taught the Nephites to seek after God first and if they seek after riches afterwards, then it will be with the intent to do good and to bless the lives of those around them.  People looked up to Job because of his charity that he showed to other men, he says that people sought him out for his counsel.  This is because people respected him.  It reminds me of the song, "If I were a rich man" from the Fiddler on the Roof.  Tevye sings that if he were rich people would come to him for advice and it would not matter if it was good advice because he would be rich.  And in some instances he is right, but in Job's case it had more to do with the fact that he was known for his charity work.  We can live our lives as Job did, helping those in need the best we can.  If we do that, we can be assured that God is pleased with us and our works.  Until tomorrow.