Share scriptures you like. Daily, weekly, whenever you like. Add your insights, thoughts and testimony if you wish. "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." Alma 31:5
Luke 22 (King James Version) 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. There’s so much in these verses! Such good advice/counsel in v.40 for me, one who struggles with P. Again, a good example to me in v.41 of where and how to pray. Alone, withdrawn (quiet place) and humbly on my knees. V.42 intrigues me. Why would Jesus ask for the ‘cup’ to be removed. And what is the cup? Yet, He remained so focused and acknowledged ’not His will be done’. And v.42 reminds me of the unseen support that Heaven provides.
I'm a fan of John 1:5. Forgive me if I have shared this on the forum before! Anyway, in the KJ it reads "And the Light Shineth in Darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." We studied the first chapter in a college class I took. It turns out that the whole thing, which is obviously poetic, is chuck full of double and triple meanings, most of which don't translate easily or at all into English. For example the verb translated as "comprehend" can also mean "overcame." In a military context, it includes the meaning of killed or defeated (think 'overcoming' soldiers or a city). In the greater context of the poem and in the context of the story of Jesus, it can be interpreted to mean that even in his darkest moments (in the atonement, and in death) he was not "overcome." Yes. He may have been physically and emotionally overwhelmed. He may have been killed. But he was resurrected. He was glorified. In our personal lives, I find these passages to be full of hope, that while we may be surrounded by darkness--and even when that darkness appears to have defeated us--when we follow Christ, we, like him, through him, won't be overcome. I don't recall if this next thing was something we talked about then or not, and maybe its just a translational quirk, but I like to think it isn't: I love that "the Light Shineth" is in the present tense (otherwise it would have been "shone" or "shined"), while "the darkness comprehended" in the past (present tense would be 'comprehendeth'). It doesn't make a lot of grammatical sense, but poetically, with the light present, the ignorance and defeat of the darkness is a thing of the past. There is hope when we keep the light present.
Absolutely wonderful insights, thank you for sharing them! Yes, I get that about not being overcome by darkness if we take Jesus as our Saviour and our guide. I love that metaphor. I have experienced the light of Jesus dispelling the darkness of Lucifer before in my life. Thanks for your insights.
I was wading through all the posts showing up on Facebook about the protesters / terrorists and what they’ve done this week and what looks to be a scary next couple of weeks. Anyways, I found myself getting drawn in to using negative, judgemental rhetoric and I didn’t like what I was doing but struggled to stop. Then I saw a post that pointed to President Monson’s talk, Charity Never Faileth, and remembered a video clip I had viewed, I’ve posted it above. The scripture referred to by President Monson stopped me in my tracks and I went back to some posts I had made earlier and apologised for my tone. Unfortunately, I have caught myself doing the same on NoFap with some travellers whom I think I know better, yet I’m inflicted with the same disease and due to my age and priesthood office, you’d think I’d know better. Matthew 7:3 (King James Version) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye.
John 14:5-6 (King James Version) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I was reminded just how significant Jesus Christ is by reading this. There is only one Jesus Christ. Only He alone could have fully atoned for all humankind. Not one other soul could have or would have completed what He did to the satisfaction of His Father. Only by and through Him can we progress throughout eternity. I am in awe of Jesus Christ. And He willingly with perfect mercy and unconditional love invites me to follow Him.
The full verse is from Ether 12:27 (Book of Mormon). And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Psalm 37:8 (King James Version) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Ephesians 6:11-18 (King James Version) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
2 Nephi 26:32-33 (The Book of Mormon) And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish. For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men, and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. I was getting triggered to annoyance today by a person who thinks #45 (POTUS) is the man of all men right now. This person seemed to embrace certain things about him yet seemed to minimise other blatant things I'd call alarm bells!! Anyways, when I read these verses I realized that the Lord is no respecter of persons, each has a free chance at life, even the heathen gets a Higher Power they can call on in their hour of need.
Moroni 7:27-29 (Book of Mormon) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men? For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens. And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This scripture caught my attention this morning. Oh how I long for peace within. There are several dramas occurring within my home / life that seem overwhelming and difficult to navigate. At times, I want to literally run away and hide from the world. But instead I keep facing each day and strive to keep the hope alive that someday soon these dramas will bring new meaning and understanding to my life. I remain positive that these (dramas) too will pass. I am so grateful that I have come to know the goodness of Jesus Christ and the loving mercy of an all wise Heavenly Father. I am also grateful to know that I am not travelling alone in this mortal sphere and that what I am struggling with someone else has and will struggle with. Some days I just wish I could meet those people and exchange notes.
John 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Perspective “Life is way too hard, God. Make it easier for me, take away all the hard challenges. Make it so I don’t fall, or make a mistake and don’t have ANY temptations. Just make me perfect already.’ Versus “Life is really tough at times, God. But I’ve come so far so I want to trust that you’ll have my back if I keep pressing on. I may fall and stumble at times but please help me learn valuable lessons from each challenge and please help my confidence and courage grow each time. Help me build resistance and resilience towards sin and error so I can walk undisturbed by evil.’
Matthew 7:15 / 3 Nephi 14:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. I always thought of people, mainly men, in leadership positions as the wolves. I can now see that pornography and those that push it are also wolves. A wolf has absolutely no regard for a sheep. Perhaps during the millennium, it might be a different story! Once a wolf knows a sheep is there it will target it and have one goal - to devour it. Ok, I'm actually guessing this is what a wolf would do, who's knows, maybe there are wolves out there that are sympathetic towards sheep and don't see them as food. But for the purposes of this post, I'm going to assume that a wolf is a predator and the sheep is the prey.
John 16:28, 38 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Without the knowledge of a loving Saviour I could not have appreciated how truly wonderful my life can be despite all difficult situations.
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. "Everything in the scriptures is applicable to our lives. The scriptures answer our questions, they provide role models and heroes, and they help us understand how to handle challenges and trials. Many times the scriptures you read will be the answer to your prayers." Elaine S. Dalton, "Believe!", Ensign, May 2004.
Doctrine and Covenants 29:5 Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom. Pornography use clouds my appreciation of what my Heavenly Father and Saviour, Jesus Christ have done for me. Once I stop using porn the mists of darkness lift and I begin to feel my Saviour’s love and I begin to see the greatness of God. I am so grateful for a true advocate in Jesus. He is well aware of my situation and will advocate with Heavenly Father on my behalf.
Ephesians 4:31–32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Note to self: you are nothing if you fail to be charitable, loving and kind to your wife.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “Being righteous doesn’t mean being perfect or never making mistakes. It means developing an inner connection with God, repenting of our sins and mistakes, and freely helping others.” Sharon Eubank
Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” “Even if we were to serve God with our whole souls, it is not enough, for we would still be ‘unprofitable servants’ [Mosiah 2:21]. We cannot earn our way into heaven; the demands of justice stand as a barrier, which we are powerless to overcome on our own. But all is not lost. The grace of God is our great and everlasting hope.” —Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
