The prophet Amos asked the people in the kingdom of Israel a series of rhetorical questions to illustrate their lack of awareness: "Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?" "Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim?" "Does a young lion growl in its den without first... Continue Reading →
Rain
As the children of Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses promised them that God would bless them in their new home, including providing the moisture needed to grow crops: It shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with... Continue Reading →
General Conference
This weekend, we will have the opportunity to learn from prophets and apostles. Here are some ideas to help you get the most out of that experience.
“The Grass Withereth, the Flower Fadeth”
Placing ourselves entirely in the hands of God, being "willing to submit to all things which [He] seeth fit to inflict upon [us]" (Mosiah 3:19) is not so much an honorable thing as it is an obvious thing. It is an exercise of our God-given agency, to be sure, and it is a gift to... Continue Reading →
The Poor Among Men Shall Rejoice
After identifying a severe societal problem—rampant hypocrisy—Isaiah prophesies that God will address this issue by doing a "marvellous work" which will cause "the wisdom of [the] wise men [to] perish" (Isaiah 29:13-14, 2 Nephi 27:25-26). Included in this marvelous work will be the arrival of a "sealed book," which will be rejected by the learned.... Continue Reading →
A Tree of Life
Multiple scriptures discuss "the tree of life," referring either to the second named tree in the Garden of Eden, representing immortality (Genesis 2:9, 2 Nephi 2:15, Alma 12:22-26, Alma 42:2-5) or to the focal point of Lehi's dream, representing the love of God as manifest through Jesus Christ (1 Nephi 8:10, 1 Nephi 11:25, 1... Continue Reading →
Take Root and Bear Fruit
There's a lot of change going on in my life right now. A couple of examples: I just started a new job, and the boundaries of our church congregation recently changed. Perhaps this explains why a simple sentence in 2 Kings caught my attention this week. The prophet Isaiah was reassuring King Hezekiah that he... Continue Reading →
“Greater Things Above Them”
God taught Abraham a way to think about progression. If two celestial bodies exist, He said, and one moves more slowly than the other, there is probably a third one that moves more slowly still (Abraham 3:6-8). If two people exist, one more skilled than another, there is probably a third who is more skilled... Continue Reading →
How to Worship
In an 1833 revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord said: I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.Doctrine and Covenants 93:19, italics added Worship is an expression... Continue Reading →
Times and Seasons
When we truly have faith in God, we trust His timing. The author of the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that many of our experiences occur on a schedule beyond our control: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a... Continue Reading →