Reading Sections 59-63

This weeks reading was good. Some of the highlights for me were the reminder of keeping the Commanments. If seems so simple when you just say it, but it actually something a lot of people struggle with. However, if you are reminded of the great blessings you are promised for keeping them, you will surely try harder and obey the Commandments of the Lord. I like how it says that if you are righteous you are promised peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come. The first blessing is what hit me the strongest. Peace in THIS crazy world today?! Awesome. Something else that struck me was the commandment to not idle thy time away or bury thy talent. I am afraid I struggle with both of these, but I am working on it. It was hard at first because after a long day of class and work all I want to do is idle my time away, but I know I need to still be productive. I have made commitments that I need to honor and do my best to work hard. We also need to be aware of our talents and not bury them. I always thought I was talentless, but just because I can't play the piano, doesn't mean I don't have any talents. I just have to look a little deeper and bring them to the surface so I can develop them and not bury them. I also enjoyed reading about signs coming by faith, especially because I just read a lesson on that subject. Studying that lesson really helped me understand that part of the doctrine. Overall I learned a lot in these few sections and as always, I have a lot to work on, but it is worth it for all of the blessings that come along with being obedient to the word of the Lord.

Reading Sections 52-58

When I was reading these sections something hit me. I don't think it is a coincidence that these sections fall in the order that they do. The first few sections talk about the selfishness some of the Saints were suffering from. They were giving into the secular world instead of focusing on the things the Lord was commanding them to do. For example the problem the Colesville branch was suffering from. The saints who were already established in the area offered the incoming saints land in which they could use and build upon. Then, they went back on there word and left the Colesville saints high and dry. I don't think this is something the Lord would ever command us to do. A promise, or covenant, was broken in this situation. Then as you read on in further sections is talks about tribulations coming upon the Lords people. I wonder why.... In the manual it states that tribulations, "sometimes come to the saints as a chastisement when they disregard the Lord's consel..." I think but kicking saints off of land that you had promised them to use would definitelt qualify as disregarding the Lord's counsel. Although that can be a factor of receiving trails, it is not the only one. There was another quote I liked in the manual. It reads, "Tribulation provides the Saints with opportunites for spiritual growth and character development." I think that is something we could all benefit from. So from these sections the two things that stuck out most to me were is follow the Lord's counsel and all will be well and if you happen to come upon a trial in your life, which happen to us all, just remember that the Lord is trying to strenghen you. He wants you to get through it and come out a better person.

Sections 47-51

I would just like to start this post off with saying how grateful I feel to have a strong testimony of the gospel. The things that happened to the saints back in the day are shocking to me. Having false spirits around you and Satan working on you constantly is frightening. I know that we are continually tempted by satan today, but I guess it just sounds worse when you read and hear stories about it. I am also grateful to be going to this school where the Spirit is strong and helps ward off those temptations that are being thrown at as constantly. Anyways, back the the reading. There was good information in this reading on how to discern between the Spirit of the Lord and that of the devil. This is very important information to know because we are being tested all of the time. The saints were new to the idea of bad and good spirits so it seemed that they had a bit of a harder time discerning than we do know. However, Satan is getting more deceiving everyday so it is important to be careful. It was also very interesting to read about the Shakers and the mission that the church did with them. This section relates to modern times really well. Missionaries tell stories all of the time about investigators that know the church is true, yet they can't become truly converted because their old beliefs or habits still play a strong role in their lives. The missionaries tried to teach the shakers as best they could, but they just couldn't get rid of their traditions. Lastly it was good to read about the the role of a bishop and also the law of consecration. A lot of questions get asked about the law of consecration and this section pretty much answers them all. One of the highlights of this section for me was the explanation of why God goves us laws and Elder Richard L. Evans stated, "He has declared his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This is the ultimate objective. This is the whole purpose of the Gospel he has given." You can't get any clearer than that.

Sections 43-46

It seemed that these sections focused a lot on false prophets, revelations, and doctrine that were and would continue to pop up in the church. I think it would be hard to live in the time when the church was just getting started for that very reason- the falsities. I know we have them now, but there are also a lot more members to teach and reinforce the true doctrine. Also with the technological advancements we have today the Prophet and his many talks are just a click away if we have any questions. I learned something new when I read the hostorical background for section 43, when it talked about Mrs. Hubble, who claimed to be a prophetess with many revelations. It seems outrageous but things like that really happen, everyday really. We just have to remember the teachings of the church and steer clear of false prophets and revelations. Going along the lines of section 44, every conference we are able to hear revelation and teachings from our Prophet and gather with other saints to learn and grow. Section 45 was a doozy! There was a lot of good information within this section. I liked reading about the parables-that of the fig tree and the ten virgins. Parables make me think more, so the doctrine within them sticks with me more. I also enjoy reading about the Millenium, specifically about Satan being bound. Section 46 was also a good read because sometimes I forget that we have all been best with gifts from on high, but it is up to us to develop and use them accordingly. I never think that I am talented because I can't play an instrument, sing, paint, play a sport, or anything like that. But this section helped me realize those aren't the only gifts you can be blessed with. Those are more temporal talents. We can be blessed with much more useful gifts like the gift to know Jesus is the Christ-awesome, the gift to believe on the testimony of others, the gift to discern spirits, the gift of tongues and the list goes on. Overall these were wonderful chapters and although I was a little behind in reading, I learned a lot from them and am glad I took the time to study them.

Current Event

The concept I have chosen is "Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor." I think this is a problem that most people underestimate. A lot of conflicts, big and small, could be fixed or prevented if we followed this counsel and stopped talking ill about our neighbors. The current event that I found is about a conflict brewing between Venezuela and Colombia. It seems this two neighboring countries are on the brink of war, and why? Because of speculations, lies, and rumors. This is just what the concept is warning us of. If we speak evil of our neighbors, it will create contention and wars that could be avoided if we just treated each other with love, like brothers and sisters. This correlates directly with the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. In the Doctrine and Covenants 42:27 it reads, "Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm." If the respective governments of Venezuela and Colombia would adopt this concept, there would be no worry about going to war. This whole thing seems to have started with rumors about each country but if you speak no evil of your neighbor then rumors would cease to exist. These countries would be able to live in peace and even help each other out since both economies are struggling. As always, this concept doesn't just apply to Venezuela and Colombia. We each need to adopt this and apply it in our lives. I am sure everyone has been involved in a rumor of some kind whether it be about you or talked about around you. It is not a good feeling. World Peace? Easy fix if no one would speak evil about their neighbors. The world just needs to realize this and many, if not all, of the conflicts worldwide would be solved. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hCIKDzMk3thB2iiP8uhH7lXThSCQD9BT2PQG0