He Does Speak to Us!
This week, I am going to start off trying to share the words that have been written in my heart. However, after some of the conversations I have had, I understand that some words that He speaks cannot be written. I will do my best. I am also going to preface this with the fact that I may be a little long winded. You may be in a place where it is better to print this out and read it later, depending on your time and circumstance. Just say'n.
That being said, I know that God the Father speaks to us. The thing is, we have to be listening. This afternoon, I had a little bit of a headache. I laid down to see if I could shake it. While I was doing so, the Queen was trying to share with me something she had researched. I got some, but not all of it. She finally gave up when I started snoring. Now that does not mean she gave up on me, she just gave up on the current conversation. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. He does his best to communicate with us. He does it in many forms and fashions to get and keep our attention. We get some of it, but not all of it. When He realizes this, He backs off and waits for a time when we are awake and ready to listen. Generally when we ask. First analogy, done.
I am so grateful that He does. Here is just a sample of my experiences of the week. Note that I was doing my best to be spiritually awake. I was doing my best to listen. Granted I may not have been listening every moment of every day, but I was trying to listen. Remember, I am still a work in progress.
Many of my thoughts have been focused around 3 Nephi 27:13-15 this week. As I have pondered these verses, I realized that it was not only Jesus' purpose, but mine as well. It is part of His gospel plan. I know, I have not shared the verses with you at this point, but I was assuming you were going to be grabbing your scriptures and reading along with me. I would suggest you do so. I am just going to share snippets.
Let's start with verse 13, "...this is the gospel which I have given unto you..." This goes right along with a verse I was pondering a few weeks ago in John 3:16-17. Jesus was given to us. His life is an example.
What do we learn from it? "...that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." Wow, there is so much there, but I continued pondering. However, I would like to focus on this a little. Jesus came into the world just like we did. He came here to do the will of our Father just like we should be doing. What do I get from that? Well, Jesus, like us, was living and doing the will of the Father before He came here. I know that because we are here, we were as well. Not only did we know His will, but we were doing our best to live it. We chose this plan. He, our Father, sent us just like He sent Jesus.
As I have pondered the world events this past week, it saddens me that there are so many that have chosen to stop living, doing, or learning the will of the Father. I had the opportunity to go out with the Elders this week and one of their comments caught me off guard. We were talking about "The Plan of Salvation" and the person being taught was just eating it up. They asked why there are so many of us that don't follow this plan. One of the Elders said, "In the past several months it has surprised me to actually hear people say, 'You know what? I am OK with the Telestial or even Terrestrial Kingdom if I can make it that far.'"
Another WOW! First, they have just given up. They have turned and "walk no more" with Him, us, or the will of the Father. Sound familiar? Try John 6:66. (I know crazy numbers right) Are we any different than the disciples in the time of Christ? What about the children of Israel in the time of Moses? the Judges? or any other time of the Old Testament for that matter.
The other thing that hurts is that because they are using words like Telestial and Terrestrial means that they had or have heard and understood some part of the His will.
Ok, so I have gotten through verse 13, I still have 2 more to go. I know this is long, but bear with me. I want to write it down, if not for you, for me or some future generation.
On to verse 14. In addition to doing His will, Jesus was sent that he "...might be lifted up upon the cross..." He was to be an example to us all. He was lifted up that we might see Him, know where He was at all times, and be able to keep our eyes on Him at all times. The only time we would not see Him is when we turned our head, attention, or eyes another way.
This was a purpose. He was lifted up "...that I might draw all men until me..." To be drawn unto Him, the goal is that we might follow Him, that we might live like Him, that we "...should...be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works..." We know where that goes. We will be judged of our works, good, bad, or indifferent. So this is where I have been hovering until this morning. My mind has been pondering these words, then He surprised me as He talked to me through one of His chosen instruments.
In ward counsel this morning, we were instructed. It was obvious that our leaders are also sadden about the choices that have been made of late, well not as of late, but choices that have been made. So this morning, in council we were asked to open our scriptures to 1 Nephi 11:32-35. Not only had he been taught something, but he shared it with us. I had never paid much attention to it either. I am not going to give you the verses, but I am going to focus on the things I learned and was taught. Grab the scriptures and read these verses.
Verse 32 - "...the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people..." Remember where I started? He was given to us and he was taken. Read on. "...was judged of the world..." Jesus was not taken as an example, but because of what He asked them to do, the message He was teaching, the unpopular ramifications of His message, and the challenged of following Him whole heartedly, they judged Him. The world judged Him, not according to the will of the Father, but according to the standards of the world. I will let you think on that one.
Verse 33 - He was slain because of those judgments. Slain for that sins of the world and I would dare say by the sins of the world.
Verse 34 - this is something I had never noticed before. "...after he was slain...the multitudes of the earth,...were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb..." Because they could not destroy the will of the Father, the Plan, the example of Christ, by killing Him, the world had to continue fighting. Does this sound anything like our day? What are the people fighting against? Who are they fighting against?
Verse 35 - again, something I had never noticed before. "...the multitude of the earth was gathered together...in a large and spacious building..." Yep we have heard this all before. I got most of the message before, but now I was trying to listen. Listen with me. "...Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb...." This great and spacious building was not just filled with gentiles so to speak, but also with the children of Israel. It is not just the gentiles that fight against the Lamb and His apostles, but the house of Israel as well. Are we any different than those of Moses' time?
Are we listening? Are we drawn? Are we lifted up? Go back to 3 Nephi 27:15 - "...I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works." What do your works show?
I know that I have works that need to change. I am working on it. I also know that looking to Him, who has been lifted up, following Him, believing in Him, that He is, that He created all things...is the way to make those changes. Being lifted up to stand beside the twelve, who have been chosen of Him, is the way to make those changes. Now is not the time to "...turn and walk no more with him..."
He will speak to you! He will guide you! Follow and Listen!
OK, enough of the Rant or Rambles, on with the week.
I am not really sure how this week has gone for most. I know how it ended, but I was out of the loop, circling an island, sitting in airports, trying to catch a little shut eye when possible. But it was a good trip. I was able to spend 12 hours of quality time with my peers in San Francisco airport and then a couple days with them and additional peers from/in Hawaii. When they gave us some free time on Friday, I learned after the fact, that I am not the only one who likes to see the North Shore and go to the temple. Next time, I will invite them. Those that do not want to go to the temple can take the car and see the difference between beaches on each side of the island. It rained every day, but was great getting closer to our peers there.
While I was gone? The Queen is back to work. She uses ice every day, thanks to the Clinton Clan. I notices she started cleaning out some of the mortar in the Jon, went to a swim meet, and all the other things she does each week.
The Professor is also back to work. It has been a little stressful, but she is making it work. I understand she visited a Doc about ear pressure, but thinks the meds are working well.
Tall Man worked and went to rehearsals most of the week. On Friday, he few to LAX, used public transportation, and spent some time with a shining influence in his life. He came home early this morning and that is about all I know.
SnackPack did his best, learned that he is not in running shape, worked, studied, played peace maker, competed in the pool, and went to another dance. I am trying to figure out how to post the pics. He sent them via text, but it does not translate well into the message.
Wow, that was just a little tidbit. Hope your week was just as adventurous and filled with joy. Love you all
That being said, I know that God the Father speaks to us. The thing is, we have to be listening. This afternoon, I had a little bit of a headache. I laid down to see if I could shake it. While I was doing so, the Queen was trying to share with me something she had researched. I got some, but not all of it. She finally gave up when I started snoring. Now that does not mean she gave up on me, she just gave up on the current conversation. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. He does his best to communicate with us. He does it in many forms and fashions to get and keep our attention. We get some of it, but not all of it. When He realizes this, He backs off and waits for a time when we are awake and ready to listen. Generally when we ask. First analogy, done.
I am so grateful that He does. Here is just a sample of my experiences of the week. Note that I was doing my best to be spiritually awake. I was doing my best to listen. Granted I may not have been listening every moment of every day, but I was trying to listen. Remember, I am still a work in progress.
Many of my thoughts have been focused around 3 Nephi 27:13-15 this week. As I have pondered these verses, I realized that it was not only Jesus' purpose, but mine as well. It is part of His gospel plan. I know, I have not shared the verses with you at this point, but I was assuming you were going to be grabbing your scriptures and reading along with me. I would suggest you do so. I am just going to share snippets.
Let's start with verse 13, "...this is the gospel which I have given unto you..." This goes right along with a verse I was pondering a few weeks ago in John 3:16-17. Jesus was given to us. His life is an example.
What do we learn from it? "...that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." Wow, there is so much there, but I continued pondering. However, I would like to focus on this a little. Jesus came into the world just like we did. He came here to do the will of our Father just like we should be doing. What do I get from that? Well, Jesus, like us, was living and doing the will of the Father before He came here. I know that because we are here, we were as well. Not only did we know His will, but we were doing our best to live it. We chose this plan. He, our Father, sent us just like He sent Jesus.
As I have pondered the world events this past week, it saddens me that there are so many that have chosen to stop living, doing, or learning the will of the Father. I had the opportunity to go out with the Elders this week and one of their comments caught me off guard. We were talking about "The Plan of Salvation" and the person being taught was just eating it up. They asked why there are so many of us that don't follow this plan. One of the Elders said, "In the past several months it has surprised me to actually hear people say, 'You know what? I am OK with the Telestial or even Terrestrial Kingdom if I can make it that far.'"
Another WOW! First, they have just given up. They have turned and "walk no more" with Him, us, or the will of the Father. Sound familiar? Try John 6:66. (I know crazy numbers right) Are we any different than the disciples in the time of Christ? What about the children of Israel in the time of Moses? the Judges? or any other time of the Old Testament for that matter.
The other thing that hurts is that because they are using words like Telestial and Terrestrial means that they had or have heard and understood some part of the His will.
Ok, so I have gotten through verse 13, I still have 2 more to go. I know this is long, but bear with me. I want to write it down, if not for you, for me or some future generation.
On to verse 14. In addition to doing His will, Jesus was sent that he "...might be lifted up upon the cross..." He was to be an example to us all. He was lifted up that we might see Him, know where He was at all times, and be able to keep our eyes on Him at all times. The only time we would not see Him is when we turned our head, attention, or eyes another way.
This was a purpose. He was lifted up "...that I might draw all men until me..." To be drawn unto Him, the goal is that we might follow Him, that we might live like Him, that we "...should...be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works..." We know where that goes. We will be judged of our works, good, bad, or indifferent. So this is where I have been hovering until this morning. My mind has been pondering these words, then He surprised me as He talked to me through one of His chosen instruments.
In ward counsel this morning, we were instructed. It was obvious that our leaders are also sadden about the choices that have been made of late, well not as of late, but choices that have been made. So this morning, in council we were asked to open our scriptures to 1 Nephi 11:32-35. Not only had he been taught something, but he shared it with us. I had never paid much attention to it either. I am not going to give you the verses, but I am going to focus on the things I learned and was taught. Grab the scriptures and read these verses.
Verse 32 - "...the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people..." Remember where I started? He was given to us and he was taken. Read on. "...was judged of the world..." Jesus was not taken as an example, but because of what He asked them to do, the message He was teaching, the unpopular ramifications of His message, and the challenged of following Him whole heartedly, they judged Him. The world judged Him, not according to the will of the Father, but according to the standards of the world. I will let you think on that one.
Verse 33 - He was slain because of those judgments. Slain for that sins of the world and I would dare say by the sins of the world.
Verse 34 - this is something I had never noticed before. "...after he was slain...the multitudes of the earth,...were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb..." Because they could not destroy the will of the Father, the Plan, the example of Christ, by killing Him, the world had to continue fighting. Does this sound anything like our day? What are the people fighting against? Who are they fighting against?
Verse 35 - again, something I had never noticed before. "...the multitude of the earth was gathered together...in a large and spacious building..." Yep we have heard this all before. I got most of the message before, but now I was trying to listen. Listen with me. "...Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb...." This great and spacious building was not just filled with gentiles so to speak, but also with the children of Israel. It is not just the gentiles that fight against the Lamb and His apostles, but the house of Israel as well. Are we any different than those of Moses' time?
Are we listening? Are we drawn? Are we lifted up? Go back to 3 Nephi 27:15 - "...I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works." What do your works show?
I know that I have works that need to change. I am working on it. I also know that looking to Him, who has been lifted up, following Him, believing in Him, that He is, that He created all things...is the way to make those changes. Being lifted up to stand beside the twelve, who have been chosen of Him, is the way to make those changes. Now is not the time to "...turn and walk no more with him..."
He will speak to you! He will guide you! Follow and Listen!
OK, enough of the Rant or Rambles, on with the week.
I am not really sure how this week has gone for most. I know how it ended, but I was out of the loop, circling an island, sitting in airports, trying to catch a little shut eye when possible. But it was a good trip. I was able to spend 12 hours of quality time with my peers in San Francisco airport and then a couple days with them and additional peers from/in Hawaii. When they gave us some free time on Friday, I learned after the fact, that I am not the only one who likes to see the North Shore and go to the temple. Next time, I will invite them. Those that do not want to go to the temple can take the car and see the difference between beaches on each side of the island. It rained every day, but was great getting closer to our peers there.
While I was gone? The Queen is back to work. She uses ice every day, thanks to the Clinton Clan. I notices she started cleaning out some of the mortar in the Jon, went to a swim meet, and all the other things she does each week.
The Professor is also back to work. It has been a little stressful, but she is making it work. I understand she visited a Doc about ear pressure, but thinks the meds are working well.
Tall Man worked and went to rehearsals most of the week. On Friday, he few to LAX, used public transportation, and spent some time with a shining influence in his life. He came home early this morning and that is about all I know.
SnackPack did his best, learned that he is not in running shape, worked, studied, played peace maker, competed in the pool, and went to another dance. I am trying to figure out how to post the pics. He sent them via text, but it does not translate well into the message.
Wow, that was just a little tidbit. Hope your week was just as adventurous and filled with joy. Love you all
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