The importance of choosing friends/spouse with the same values

Today's scripture mastery is found in Deuteronomy 7:3-4

 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Moses was teaching his people this truth while they were wandering in the wilderness for the 40 years after they fled Egypt.  While the council to avoid marrying those of other faiths seems harsh, the reason for that holds true.  If you decide to marry one of another faith, or who holds different values, then it makes it very difficult to hold to the truths that you know to be true.  It makes it difficult for your children to know what to believe, as the parents have different beliefs.  God wants us to be happy, so that is why he gives us that commandment.  If two people have the same values and the same faith, there is much less chance for conflict, and much less chance that one or both of the spouses, and their children will have to make very difficult choices with respect to what to believe.

That same council goes for choosing friends.  The friends that we choose have a huge influence on what choices we make in life.  They can either point us towards good things, or they can lead us away.  The "handbook" for the youth in the church, called For the Strength of Youth, has this council on choosing friends:

Choose your friends carefully. They will greatly influence how you think and act, and even help determine the person you will become. Choose friends who share your values so you can strengthen and encourage each other in living high standards. A true friend will encourage you to be your best self.

To have good friends, be a good friend yourself. Show interest in others and let them know you care about them. Treat everyone with kindness and respect. Go out of your way to be a friend to those who are shy or do not feel included.

Paul taught the Corinthians this (2 Corinthians 6:14):

 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

And Christ's teachings in the sermon on the mount are very relevant here (Matthew 6:24):

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Give Thanks!

With today being Thanksgiving, I decided to give my thoughts on one of my favorite verses about being thankful.  These verses are not one of the scripture mastery verses, but they teach us some very important things about being thankful.  The verses I chose today are found in Doctrine and Covenants 59:15-21

15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—

16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

These verses teach us what the many blessings that are associated with keeping the sabbath  day holy.  Though the many blessings that it refers to are things that we should be grateful for all year long.  These and many other blessings are what I am thankful for, and wish to express my gratitude to God for them.

I also wish to express my gratitude for my family.  I am very grateful for my wonderful wife, and my children.  I am grateful for my parents, for my brothers and sisters.  I am grateful for my in-laws.  I am very grateful for the chance that I have to be on the earth at this wonderful time.  I am especially grateful for the restored gospel.  The knowledge that I have of the atonement of the Savior, and the chance that I have to repent of my many sins is perhaps the greatest blessing that I have to be thankful for.

Thank you!

Don't hold grudges

This is a tough commandment from God.  He has told us to not hold grudges, or to seek revenge. . .Today's scripture mastery is Leviticus 19:18

 18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

 This tough commandment is also given to us for our benefit.  When we hold grudges, or seek revenge, it most often doesn't affect the other person much.  It most often affects us greatly though.  Often we think to ourselves "I am going to be mad at so and so, because of what they did"  That other person often goes through life not even knowing that they have offended us.  Sometimes the offense was even done without their realizing that they had hurt us. . .

In Matthew 7:1-2, Christ teaches us more on this:

 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

We don't have all the information in most cases.  It is not our responsibility to do the judging.  If we make a rash judgement, we have been told that the consequence is that we will also be judged rashly.  I know that I need all the help I can get.  I don't want to handicap myself when it is my turn for the final judgement by tipping the scales towards a rash judgement.  I want the judgement to be fair!

Joseph Smith was able to clarify those verses a little.  Here is how he translated those verses:

JST Matt. 7:1–2 Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people. Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged: but judge righteous judgment.

There are cases where people do need to judge.  One of them is a civil judge who has people brought to him in a court of law.  Another is a bishop who judges spiritual matters.  Those people do need to make judgements, but they need to "judge righteously"  They need to do their very best to make their judgement the best they can, without bias and taking in to account all the known facts.  The rest of us however should not presume to judge others.  We should not make ourselves judges.

Probably one of the clearest scriptures on the subject of holding grudges and seeking revenge is found in Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-11:

 9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

 10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

 11 And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.

Moses saw God face to face

Today's scripture mastery is Exodus 33:11

11 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

I have referenced this scripture in a previous post.  This scripture has reference to God's physical body.  If God didn't have a physical body, how could he then speak to Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend"?  That verse is not a symbolic verse, as some think, but a literal one.  We know that because of the many other examples of people who have seen God, and have testified of what they have seen.  God establishes his truth to us through the law of witnesses.  The law of witnesses is that He teaches us his truths by at least two separate witnesses, but often many more than that.  The apostle Paul taught that law to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:1:

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

See my previous post for a long list of those witnesses to God, and who have testified that he does have a body.  Though the best witness of any truth is the Holy Ghost.  When the Holy Ghost, who is the third member of the Godhead, testifies, he does it to our heart and mind in such a way that we can truly say for ourselves that we know that what He has testified is the truth.

If there is anything that you would like to know the truth of, if you ask God, in the name of Christ, truly wanting to know the truth of it, the Holy Ghost will teach you.  He will bear witness to you if it is true.  That is the secret of why so many people have come to know for themselves that these things that I have been blogging about here are true.  They are true.  I know it because I have had that witness to me by the Holy Ghost that they are true.  I know that Christ truly is my Savior and my Redeemer.  I know that only through Him can I be saved.  I am truly grateful for His love for me, and for all of us. 

The 10 Commandments

Today's scripture mastery is from Exodus 20:3-17  These verses contain the 10 commandments that God gave to Moses:

 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

 13 Thou shalt not kill.

 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

 15 Thou shalt not steal.

 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

I have highlighted the commonly heard portions of the verses by making those portions bold.

The 10 commandments are still valid today.  God has not rescinded them.  Some of the commandments are still thought to be in force, but others are commonly ignored.  For example, most still believe that "Thou shalt not kill" is a commandment that we should all follow--however, what about "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain", or "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy"?  Or even "Thou shalt not commit adultery"? 

Satan is real.  He is doing his best to erode the commandments given to us by God.  Those commandments have been given to us to point us to happiness.  They have not been given as a way to hinder us, or restrict us, as many believe.

Because God is perfect, He knows what will make us happy.  He knows what the consequences are of disobeying those commandments--and he desires that we be happy.  If we follow the commandments, we have much greater freedom than if we don't.  Satan tries to make us think that when we follow the commandments that we are restricted and limited--but that is a lie.

Think about it.  When someone kills another, they immediately begin fearing that they will be caught.  They then have to be very careful in all they do--they can't go out freely anymore, they must go in to hiding.  And when they are caught, they are put in jail--and eventually, they may even be executed according to the law.  The same happens when we disobey any one of the commandments of God.  We are limited in our freedoms, and it is much more difficult to be happy when we disobey the commandments of God.

The prophet Lehi taught his son Jacob that God wants us to be happy (2 Nephi 2:25)  He said "...men are, that they might have joy."  That desire that God has for us to have joy is why he has given us the commandments.  Lehi also taught Jacob about Christ and how His atonement relates to the commandments that have been given: (2 Nephi 2:9-10)

 9 Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.

 10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—

Our Heavenly Father knew that we would not be perfect, and that we would not be able to keep all the commandments. He knew that we would sin.  That is why he has given to us His Son, Jesus Christ.  Let us do better in keeping the commandments (all of them--not just the ones that are convenient)  Let us repent when we fail to keep them, so that we can take advantage of the mercy and grace of Christ!  Let us be happy as God intends for us to be!

Joseph in Egypt

Today's scripture mastery is about one of my favorite heros from the scriptures.  This is part of the story of Joseph, who was sold in to slavery to Egypt by his brothers, and overcame many many trials through his faith in the Lord, and through his integrity.  This particular verse comes from the part of the story where he is the chief slave in Potiphar's house.  The wife of Potiphar lusted after Joseph, and tempted him to sleep with her.  This is what he said: (Genesis 39:9)

 9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Joseph had a great sense of integrity and honor.  He always did his best to do what is right--so he ran.  He ran from Potiphar's wife, and even left his coat there, as she had grabbed it, and wouldn't let go.  Joseph kept his integrity, even though he was wrongfully thrown in prison when Potiphar didn't believe that Joseph was innocent.

Joseph knew that to sin with Potiphar's wife in that way would be worse than if he were thrown in prison.  He knew the seriousness of that sin.  The prophet Alma taught his son Corianton about that as well.  His son had strayed, and Alma was teaching and pleading with him to repent.  This is what Alma taught his son about it (Alma 39:5-9)

5 Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?

 6 For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness; yea, I say unto you, my son, that it is not easy for him to obtain a forgiveness.

 7 And now, my son, I would to God that ye had not been guilty of so great a crime. I would not dwell upon your crimes, to harrow up your soul, if it were not for your good.

 8 But behold, ye cannot hide your crimes from God; and except ye repent they will stand as a testimony against you at the last day.

 9 Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes, but cross yourself in all these things; for except ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Oh, remember, and take it upon you, and cross yourself in these things.

The world today teaches the exact opposite of what we are taught about the law of chastity in the scriptures.  The world teaches us that it is OK to have sex before being married.  It teaches that pornography is not bad.  It teaches that an extramarital affair is normal.  We see these false values in the media and on the internet and every place you look.  Those values are just what I said--false values.  If we break the law of chastity, it brings nothing but pain and misery.  It brings despair and darkness.  We must be as Joseph and flee when tempted.  In the world we are in today, we will be tempted. . .We must turn off the computer, cell phone, or the television set when the smut and evil is on it.  This is not an easy thing to do, but we must do it!

We are created in God's image

Today's scripture mastery is Genesis 1:26-27:

 26 ¶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We have been created in the image of God.  What does that mean?  That means we look like He does.  In previous posts, I have talked about how others have seen God, and have reported that fact.  I have given the example of Joseph Smith, Stephen, Isaiah, and Moses.  God is called Father in Heaven not just in a figurative way.  He is the father of our spirits.  We are his children.   He loves us, and desires our success.  He wants us to return to His presence after our test here on earth.

There are many scriptures that teach us about how God wants us to be like Him.  For a large list of scripture references, take a look at the Topical Guide, under "Man, Potential to Become like Heavenly Father"

I think that one of the reasons families are so important to God, is that this life is a training for us.  One of the things that we are supposed to do while here on earth is to learn to be good parents.  The better parent we become, the more like God we become.  That is one of the reasons that the First Presidency and Quorum of the 12 issued The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  That is why we focus so much energy in the church in protecting and supporting the family unit in the church.