Israelites Defeat the Remaining Lands

Today I read Joshua 11 where the remaining kings in the land of Israel band together in an effort to kill all the Israelites.  It is interesting to me that no one except the people of Gibeon even thought to try and appease the Israelites.  They instead got upset at this invading horde and chose to fight back, which resulted in their destruction.  I mean, couldn't they see the writing on the wall and understand that it was inevitable?

But then I thought about it from the other side of things.  What if this were an invading force coming into America?  How would we all react?  Would be deign to be their servants like the people of Gibeon did?  Would a life of servitude be preferable to a violent death?  Or would we try and rally together and defend our homeland against the invaders and fight back with superior numbers?  It's easy to get caught up in the Israelites story and think of things from their point of view but really the Israelites are an invading army killing all the inhabitants that are in their way.  Is it any wonder that they fought back and scoffed at the idea of making peace?

God had given Israel that land centuries before this all taking place now.  I have to wonder what were the people like that God was wiping out in order to fulfill that promise?  They could not have been righteous or God would have spared them I believe.  God does keep His word no matter what, but I have to believe that if the people had been righteous, I don't think God would have had the Israelites destroy them.  I don't believe that God revels in death and slaughter.  I think it would have been avoided had they been righteous.  That is my thought anyway.  Until tomorrow.

The Sun Stops for Israel

Today I read Joshua 10 where Joshua and Israel conquer most of Israel.  This chapter contains the famous miracle of the Lord stopping the rotation of the earth to lengthen out the day so the children of Israel could defeat the combined armies of five cities.  If I had been someone on the other side that day, I think I would have been even more afraid of the fact that the sun was not going down than I was of the armies of Israel.  Although, I'm not really sure how cognizant of time one would be in the middle of a battle. 

If the children of Israel had ever doubted that Joshua was a prophet, this day should have dispelled those doubts forever!  It's so interesting to me.  In the Old Testament and the New Testament too, the mark of a prophet was what miracles he would perform in the name of God.  In our day, I'm not sure I've heard of a modern prophet doing any miracles at all.  Joseph Smith did quite a few, but starting with Brigham Young, beyond the gift of prophecy, I can't think of any miracles that any of the modern day prophets have done.  And yet I have not the slightest doubt in my mind that each of them was a true prophet of God.  Does that mean we, as a society, have outgrown the need for "proof" that one is called of God?  Or are we more spiritual that we can rely on the quiet testimony of the Holy Ghost to convince us that President Monson is called of God?  Personally I think the latter is the case.  Few things are as clear as a testimony from the Holy Ghost and that is by design.  Heavenly Father always follows His pattern and if we can recognize what that pattern is, we will always be able to know His will concerning us.  Until tomorrow.

The Gibeonites Serve Israel

Today I read Joshua 9 where the old adage of "if you can't beat them, join them" comes readily to mind.  This chapter details the people of Gibeon coming to Joshua and the people of Israel as beggars because of their might.  However they lie about where they are from and once Joshua find out about it, he punishes them and makes them wood cutters and people who draw up water.  However I am sure the people felt that was preferable to being wiped out completely.

It's really a shame that the people of Gibeon were not more willing to actually join with the people of Israel.  They wanted life and would get it any way they could.  Instead of converting and becoming one with the people, if God would have allowed it of course, they settled instead of a life of servitude.  It makes me think of people today in our day and age.  Are they really converted to the Lord and living the kind of life that He would want us to live?  Are we truly living all the commandments and claiming our inheritance?  Remember, we are joint heirs with Christ, meaning we stand to inherit all the Father hath, but only if we willingly give our heart, mind and soul to Him.  Why should we settle for merely being servants of the one true God, when we can inherit all He has?  The choice, as it always is, is up to us and we can decide to serve Him, but it is all or nothing.  We cannot keep one foot in Babylon and the other in God's domain.  We have to be wholly committed.  The time to choose is now!  Until tomorrow.

Israel Defeats Ai

Today I read Joshua 8 where Joshua and the Israelites defeat the people of the city of Ai.  This chapter reminded me a lot of the war chapters in the Book of Mormon.  Joshua and his people used subterfuge to obtain the city, or rather destroy it since they did not take possession of it.  Of course what made the difference in this battle is the fact that the Lord was on their side.

The Israelites had repented and stoned to death the person who had sinned at the battle of Jericho and the Lord was with them again.  The Old Testament certainly seems a harsh time to me, I mean a person allows his greed to overcome him for one moment and instead of being allowed to repent, they kill him.  To me it's kind of like if your foot is hurting you when you wake up one morning, instead of soaking it and trying to make it feel better, you just cut it off.  I really don't understand why the Israelites only responded to harshness like that.  At least I assume that is the reason Heavenly Father dealt with them like that.  I mean, we read that God is the same yesterday, today and forever so the only thing that has changed between the Old Testament and today is the audience, namely, us.

I know that I will have a full understanding someday, but for now I am just grateful to Heavenly Father that we are worthy of the higher law and can be living it.  I am not cut out for life in the Old Testament.  The idea of participating in killing someone, even at the behest of Heavenly Father, makes me cringe and almost want to cry.  I could never offer a blood sacrifice either.  I am too gentle spirited for that.  I am very grateful that all that is required of me is a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  I can handle that.  Until tomorrow.

Seeking the Lord's Counsel

Today I read Joshua 7 where one of the children of Israel is found to have disobeyed the Lord.  He took some of the belongings of the people of Jericho and hid them, causing the wrath of the Lord to be kindled and inadvertently causing the death of thirty six of the children of Israel during a battle that they should have easily won.

There are not always such cut and dry consequences when we disobey the Lord but there are always consequences.  The most common and will happen every single time is that we lose the Spirit of the Lord.  It will cease to be with us is we disobey the Lord.  This will in turn cause unhappiness and anxiety on our part.  We can only overcome these strong emotions by repenting of our sins and striving to do better.  The natural man is an enemy to God.  We know this from the scriptures, but it is never more evident than when we choose our own path over what God has told us is the best way for us to progress. 

Why would we spurn the knowledge and wisdom of a being who is omniscient?  Someone who knows everything and can guide us to the happiest paths in our lives.  Wouldn't that be the person that we listen to most eagerly and diligently seek out their advice on all matters of importance?  Sadly we don't but we really should if we are to be as happy as possible in this life.  I know I could certainly be better about following His direction and seeking out the best paths for myself.  Until tomorrow.

Jericho is Taken

Today I read Joshua 6 which documents the taking of Jericho.  This is perhaps one of the strangest battles ever written about in the scriptures.  It makes me wonder.  The details of course are the the Lord had Joshua bring all the men who would fight and walk around the city behind the ark of the covenant.  Priests were blowing horns as they walked but everyone else was silent.  They did this for six days.  On the seventh day it was the exact same except the men walked around Jericho seven times instead of just once.  After the seventh circuit was complete, the priests with the horns blew a long blast and then everyone shouted.  At that moment the walls of the city came down.

I have often wondered about this story.  I have tried to figure out just how this miracle was accomplished.  I am convinced it has something to do with the foundation of the wall.  I mean this is a lot of people walking around the wall for a total of thirteen times.  Hundreds of thousands if not millions of people walking on the same spot over and over again.  It had to have weakened the walls in some way.  At least that is my theory.

I have often wondered just how this plan sounded to the Israelites.  Did they just accept it and do it as they were told?  I mean they were kind of used to miraculous things happening to them.  They had eaten manna their entire lives for some of them.  The Red Sea and the river Jordan had both parted for their crossing.  I'll bet most of them had no trouble believing that God would be able to knock down a little wall surrounding Jericho.  I would hope so anyway.  It can be hard to trust in the Lord sometimes when we don't understand all of what is going on, but it is important to put our faith in God.  He is the only source that our faith will do any good in this life.  When we trust in Him, we cannot go wrong.  And He has proved it time and time again.  Until tomorrow.

The Manna Ceases

Today I read Joshua 5 where Joshua is commanded to circumcise all the men of Israel.  I could not imagine doing that to grown men,  But it is the covenant that God made with the Israelites through Abraham and should have been kept by their fathers.  The chapter makes it sound as though they did not have the means to do this in the wilderness.  Truly I don't know but God has them carry it out and fulfill their part of the covenant. 

This chapter also records the first time in Forty years that the Israelites don't eat manna.  During the feast of the Passover the Israelites were able to eat some of the food of the land such as corn from the previous years harvest.  The Lord then caused the manna to stop and come no more.  Honestly, as miraculous as manna would be, I'm not sure I could stand eating the same food for every meal for forty years!  That would be a real trial.  I imagine real quickly that they would get full, but not satisfied.  I remember last year that I had to go on a liquids diet for a couple of days and every day I would get full from soups and jello, but I would never feel satisfied and some times I would even feel like I had not eaten anything at all.  However, the Lord took care of His people when they needed it, and that truly is what is important, not the manner that He did it. 

God will always keep His promises to us.  He has no variance, no hint of change in Him.  He is constant.  It is us that cannot keep to a steady course and cannot hold true to our covenants and what we have promised.  If we can learn to be steady and rely upon God instead of our own strength, then we can grow closer to our Heavenly Father and be the kind of men and women He wants us to be.  Until tomorrow.

Confess the Greatness of God

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.

God Parts the River Jordan

Today I read Joshua 3 which contains what is, to me anyway, one of the most amazing miracles in the scriptures.  This is the scripture that gives the account of the children of Israel crossing over to the the land of Israel via the river Jordan, but on dry land.  Just like with Moses and the Red Sea, the Lord parts the river Jordan so that the Israelites can cross over on dry ground. 

I did notice something this read through that I had not before.  Many people that talk about this miracle remark how the river did not part until the priests feet touched the water.  In a way they are right, the river parted as the priests reached it, however the scriptures state that the river always overflows during that part of the year.  To me that indicates they had not quite reached the river proper just yet when it parted, however they still had to walk into the water.  Also, Joshua warned them it would be that way, that once the soles of their feet touched the water it would part.  Still, I do not want to downplay this truly amazing feat of faith on the part of those who were carrying the Ark.

I also have to wonder, as I do with the parting of the Red Sea, was the ground dry as if there had never been water?  Or was it muddy as if the water had just dried up?  It would make the most sense for it to be mud considering the fact that it had just been covered by water a few seconds ago, however that would slow down the Israelites considerably if that is the case.  I personally believe that it was dry earth but I have no proof of that other than my own belief.  I know that God is capable of anything and He is all powerful so that is what I base my beliefs on when I say that.  Chapters like this just serve to strengthen my faith and love for Heavenly Father.  Simply awesome and amazing!  Until tomorrow.

Lessons Learned from Rahab

Today I read Joshua 2 where Joshua sends in two spies to see the land of Jericho and see its defenses and what they have to deal with when they come in to destroy the city.  Once they come into the city they meet Rahab the harlot who hides them from the king and his men in exchange for safety for herself and her family.

You know, it's interesting to me that all the people condemn harlots, or prostitutes as we call them today but in the Old Testament they sure seem to be God fearing people and help out the people of God a lot.  I may be misremembering the amount of times that a harlot helps out the people of God, but for all the scorn people give them, they sure seem to be good women in the scriptures despite what they do for a living. 

Just like in the New Testament when Jesus teaches the Pharisees that despite the publicans being "sinners" they were more righteous than them.  It's all about how you try and keep the commandments and what you are trying to do that matters.  If we are striving after the things of the Lord every day and trying to improve ourselves, that is what matters.  We cannot be perfect overnight, it takes time to improve ourselves and become better than we are.  But as we live a righteous life to the best of our ability, God will bless us and help shore us up.  That is what we should strive for.  Until tomorrow.

Joshua is Called as Prophet

Today I read Joshua 1 where the mantel of prophet of Israel falls to Joshua.  The Lord comes to him and tells him that Moses is dead and that he is now the prophet and gives him instructions.  The people then confirm that Joshua is the prophet and they will follow him, at least the Levites do.  They understand that he now wears the mantel.

The calling of a new prophet is something that is very serious.  The people need to know who to look for when their leader is gone.  The Lord wants to speak to His people but there needs to be order and a process in place so that chaos does not ensue.  Remember that God's house is a house of order.  Even in this dispensation it took some time to work out the kinks until God stepped in and put a stop to it.  But God has always had a prophet to lead His people at large.  Imagine the chaos that would ensue if we did not have a process to follow as far as who could receive revelation for the people of God!

Actually such a thing happened in the days of Joseph Smith.  Other members of the church claimed to be receiving revelation for the church members as a whole and the Lord had to teach them that only if you had stewardship for someone could you receive revelation for them.  Only the Prophet can receive revelation for the entire church body.  This is important because what if two opposing revelations were to come out?  How would you know which one is the right one?  It is the one from God, meaning the one that follows His established order.  God will not leave His people stranded and without help.  However, it is up to us to recognize what that pattern is and follow it.  He has always told us what it is so it is not that hard in that sense.  What is a challenge is the counsel usually bucks against the trend, because the natural man is an enemy to God.  That is what is hard.  Until tomorrow.

Moses is Translated

Today I read Deuteronomy 34 where Moses gets to see the land of Israel after 40 long years of wandering in the wilderness with the Israelites.  God had Moses climb a mountain that was bordering Jericho and gaze upon the land but was not allowed to enter into the land.  I suppose one day we will be told why he was not allowed to go into the land because I do not know and I am not sure anyone knows why.

This chapter makes it sound like Moses died and the Lord buried him.  Although it does state that no one could ever find his tomb.  However, we know from the New Testament that Moses was translated.  He appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and did something to Jesus.  If he had died it would have been impossible for him to lay his hands on Jesus' head because he would have been a spirit.  Jesus was the first person to be resurrected the scriptures tell us and that means that for Moses to appear and be able to do anything of substance, he did not actually die but still had his body. 

And so ends the amazing of tale of Moses.  I am not sure there is another person in all of history quite as unique as he was.  Even the scriptures state that there never was a prophet like him.  He saw God face to face and talked with Him.  He led a people that probably would have driven anyone else crazy, because let's face it, the Israelites were not an easy people to be around and keep on the straight and narrow.  He truly was a man chosen of God and the meekest of all men as the scriptures state.  It will be a joy one day to meet him and just hear him talk about his experiences.  I look forward to it.  Until tomorrow.

Moses Blesses Israel/Father's Blessings

Today I read Deuteronomy 33 where Moses blesses all the tribes of Israel individually.  It reminds me of Jacob/Israel, before he passed away and again of Lehi and his progeny.  In the Pearl of Great Price we learn that Adam did the same thing.  This is a tradition dating back to the beginning of time.  Oddly enough, it came at a time when I was just reminded of giving a Father's blessing before the start of the school year.

Having grown up in a home with the priesthood, as long as I can remember, with the exception of when I was on a mission, I was given a Father's blessing every year in August or September at the beginning of the school year.  When I was in college sometimes I would get them in December or January too.  As I got older and realized the significance of getting them, I looked forward to it each and every year.  I remember when I was 15 years old the blessing told me that I would meet a very good friend who would be an influence in my life like I would be in his.  I would like to believe he still thinks of me, but I did indeed meet a very good friend that year and throughout the years I find myself thinking about him and choices he helped me make.

When I was 26 years old, my Father's blessing told me I would meet my wife if I explored every idea and suggestion that came to me.  I ended up meeting her when I was 27, the next year, but I found her by listening to a friend who wanted to set me up with her on a blind date.  How right Heavenly Father was to tell me through my Father to listen to all suggestions!  Those are just the strongest memories of Father's blessings I have, there are dozens more with just as real experiences, if not quite as significant.

If you are a Latter-day Saint who holds the Priesthood, do you use it to give blessings for your family?  If you are a Latter-day Saint, do you seek blessings of comfort and guidance when needed?  If you answered no to either of these, you are squandering one of the most precious gifts God has ever given mankind.  It is kind of like being given a blanket and when it snows outside you refuse to open it up and cover yourself with it!  The Priesthood does no good if it is not used.  God will answer prayers through a Priesthood blessing and we are doing ourselves a disservice if we do not seek out blessings from time to time.  It is rare that God will prompt us to seek out a blessing I think, but every time we seek it out ourselves, we won't be disappointed.  Until tomorrow.

God Will Never Forsake Us

Today I read Deuteronomy 32 where the Lord reminds Israel that He is their rock and their salvation and that it is through Him that they conquer.  He reminds them that with His help they conquer their enemies and overcome all obstacles because there is no other God but Him and He has chosen them to be His people.

This chapter reminds me a lot of Jesus and Heavenly Father's lament about Jerusalem and the people of the world in general.  Where they ask if they have forsaken them or where is the bill of they mother's divorcement?  God has never forsaken us and never will forsake us.  In Moroni chapter 10 he reminds us that if miracles cease it will not be because God has forsaken the world but rather it will be because there are no more righteous that God can work with and speak to.  Heavenly Father will never forsake us.

That is unconditional love at it's finest.  It is possible for an earthly parent to forsake their child.  I have heard some stories that disturb me so much that it makes me want to cry.  Things no parent should ever do to an innocent child.  But Heavenly Father is no earthly parent.  No matter what we do He is there for us with His arms open to receive us and welcome us back home.  If He has left us, in reality we have left Him.  God may give us trials that will push us to the breaking point until we feel like there is nothing left to give, but He is always there for us and with us, just like the old poem "Footprints in the Sand" tells us.  He will never forsake us.  A mother may forsake the child of her womb but God will never forsake us the scriptures tell us, and the scriptures are the transcription of the words that God has spoken to His prophets so they must come to pass.  As always, if you want to put it to the test, you have only to ask Heavenly Father and He will prove the truth of His words.  Until tomorrow.

Moses Gives the Law to the People of Israel

Today I read Deuteronomy 31 where the Lord finishes giving the law to Moses and commands him to give it to the Levites and that it be read every seven years at the feast of the tabernacle to remind the people of Israel of their laws.  Moses also tells the people in this chapter that he would not be going into the land of Israel with them but that Joshua would lead them from now on.

I feel really sorry for Moses.  He has been with these people for forty years and they have caused him a lot of trouble and sorrow.  And he has no faith in them at all.  He straight up tells them that once he is gone they will turn to their wicked ways and false gods and will abandon the Lord their God.  He tells them he knows it will happen because they have already done it when he was with them and still around.  I imagine he feels like a parent with a wayward child.  He loves them very much and wants them to do well in life and is extremely saddened by when they do poorly and make wrong choices, just like a parent would do with their children.

And he is right.  The Israelites turn from their God almost immediately.  The one consolation that Moses has is that he has done everything he can for them and like Jacob in the Book of Mormon, his garments are washed clean of their blood and sins.  You can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink.  In this life all we can do is what is required of us and to look out for the well being of those we have stewardship over.  We will be held accountable for those we were meant to help but if we have done our part, like Moses has with the children of Israel, then their sins will be upon their own heads and not their leaders.  And that is all we really can do because everyone has the ability to choose for themselves.  Until tomorrow.

We Can Always Repent

Today I read Deuteronomy 30  where once again the Lord asks the people of Israel to serve Him.  The Lord basically tells them that when they do all the things in the previous chapter that would cause them to be scattered, if they will remember Him and their covenants with Him, they will be restored, which is a comforting thought.

One of the things that has always been a strong comfort to me is the fact that you can always go back.  When I was younger, my older brothers were not the best of role models.  They made lots of mistakes and got in trouble a lot.  But I learned that no matter what they did, they could always come home, and I took that to heart.  My parents loved us no matter what we did.  And as an adult, I have come to feel the same way about my daughter.  No matter how frustrated I get with her, I still love her and will always be there for her.  If I feel that way about my earthly daughter, I can only imagine how God feels about us.

We can always repent.  Got loves us so He sent His Son, the song goes.  And it's true.  He sacrificed His only flesh and blood offspring so that all His Spirit children could live again and have the opportunity to repent of their wrong doings.  It does not matter what we have done, God will take us back if we repent and ask His sincere forgiveness.  Now, there is something we can do that is unforgivable, but I believe if someone goes that far, they are not going to come back anyway.  But for the rest of us, it is nice to know that we can always "come home" no matter what we have done.  Until tomorrow.

Choose to Serve God

Today I read Deuteronomy 29 where the Israelites promise God that they will obey His commandments and that they will not forsake Him for strange gods.  God reminds them of all He has done for them during their sojourn in the wilderness.  How their children's clothes did not wear out, how their shoes did not wear out and how they ate manna for forty years, never going hungry.  The Lord took care of them the entire time they were wandering in the wilderness.

The Lord promises destruction on them like Sodom and Gomorrah if they do not adhere to the covenant.  This may seem a little harsh at first, but when you consider what all the Lord has done for them, I can't really blame God for demanding obedience from His people.  He demands the same from us today.  The scriptures teach us that when we obey God He will bless us, but when we don't obey Him, we have no promise of blessings.  Now, God does not promise us cursings or destruction for each infraction, but the scriptures have made it very clear that those who live on the American continent will serve Him or be destroyed.

We all have our choices to make in this life.  But the most important one by far is whether we will serve God or not.  That choice above all others will have the greatest impact on our lives throughout the eternities.  When we make the choice to serve God, all other choices seem to fall into place.  When we left Him guide us and give us direction, we will never go wrong.  Make the choice to serve God and never look back.  That's my advice.  Until tomorrow.

Do not Turn Your Back on God!

Today I read Deuteronomy 28 and I have to say, the thing that went through my mind the most while reading this chapter was, "how many different ways can you say, 'If you don't do this, you will be punished!'?".  I mean this chapter is 68 verses long and at least 48 of them is the Lord spelling out all the problems they would have, plagues He would send and all around bad things that would happen if they worship other gods and leave Him.

And there is some really bad stuff in there.  Some of which, actually probably all if I knew my history better, have already come to pass.  For example God promises them that they will become a hiss and a byword and an example to other nations.  That has certainly come to pass in a big way!  There are some other statements in there that I really hope never happened but I have a sinking feeling they did, such as mothers eating their own children for want of food during a siege.  It makes me shudder to think of such abomination, but if God said it will happen, it must have.  God cannot speak an untrue word. 

With such threats out there to remind them, it makes me wonder, why would the Israelites turn their back on God at all?  The answer, I think, is the natural man.  King Benjamin taught us that the natural man is an enemy to God and will be forever unless he/she yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.  When we think that we know better and try and do things our way, it almost always ends in disaster.  We cannot fall into the trap of thinking we know more than God does.  How incredibly arrogant to believe that we know better than God!  And yet we do it all the time.  We refuse to believe Him and follow His counsel for us.  As was promised, the Israelites have become an example of those who think they know better than God.  Do we really want to follow in their shoes and suffer all that they have suffered?  I sure don't.  Until tomorrow.

Israel Commanded to Worship

Today I read Deuteronomy 27 where the Lord commands the Israelites to worship God by building altars and performing sacrifices once they enter into Jordan.  I wonder what people think when they read passages such as these?  Do they think that Heavenly Father are like the gods of ancient Greece from mythology?  That the gods need the worship and adulation of humans to remain alive and in power?  Perhaps they do at that.  After all, the ideas the Greeks had, had to have come from somewhere, right?

I wonder just how many people understand that when God commands His people to worship Him, it is for their benefit.  We need to have God in our lives to be well balanced and upright individuals.  In order to really be growing spiritually, because remember there is no standing still in terms of Spirituality, we are either growing or digressing, we need to include regular worship of God in our daily lives.  We need to be reading the scriptures, saying meaningful prayers, attending the temple on a regular basis, and attending church meetings.  There are other things needed as well such as providing meaningful service to others, but that is the gist of it all.

In this life, in this time period, we have to be doing everything we can on our own to make sure that we are doing all the right things to stay ahead of Satan.  He wants to pull us down and do everything he can to pull us away from Heavenly Father.  And he will succeed if we are not careful.  We have to be vigilant and overcome his temptations and we are only going to do that if we all the things we outlined above.  If we do not stay on our guard 100% of the time, we will fall.  It is that cut and dry.  Our salvation is in our own hands and no one elses.  God has prepared the way, but we have to go forward in faith and do as He has outlined.  No one else will do it for us.  Until tomorrow.

The Importance of Tithing

Today I read Deuteronomy 26 and the part that stood out to me the most was about tithing.  It has been on my mind for the last few days.  I sometimes wonder how people can survive without paying tithing to the Lord and receiving those blessings.  Which is humorous to me because most of the non-members probably look at me giving 10% of my income to God and wonder how I can afford to give so much.  And it's true that that money sometimes would help make ends meet or make life a little more comfortable, but I made a choice years and  years ago to always be a full tithe payer.

I have said many times already that I do not think God is short on money and could easily take care of His people any way He sees fit.  However, by having us pay tithing, it teaches us to sacrifice for the Lord.  Sometimes we have to put our faith on the line.  We have to pay tithing or pay our rent/mortgage.  But every instance that I have come across where a faithful Latter-day Saint has chosen to pay tithing has been blessed for it and the mortgage takes care of itself somehow. 

Tithing is meant to stretch us though.  It is meant to test our faith.  If it was easy to pay tithing all of the time, it would not help us grow.  I am personally glad I have always had the habit of paying tithing and have not had to learn to do it as an adult.  I think that would be a lot harder and require a lot more faith.  But I am sure that those who do learn to do it as an adult are blessed for their efforts.  All people who put their faith and trust in the Lord are rewarded for it, even if they don't see it themselves.  Until tomorrow.