Answers to questions. More questions.

This conversation with Abraham and the Lord, must have been so educational. Abraham, having lived in Egypt with all the different religious teachings of that area, is given more than a few things to ponder and reconcile. He is first given a lesson of the celestial bodies. I suppose that before being introduced to doctrines such as pre-earth life, foreordination, choosing a Savior and the second estate of man, it's good to be humbled. Like Moses, I'm sure Abraham felt the nothingness of man after the Lord declared "the works which my hands have made" and being told a couple of times that he is speaking with the Being whose intelligence is greater than anything else. So, he's probably ready to hear what is next.

What is next is the Plan of Salvation. There was a pre-earth life, that spirit dwelt there, they were organized, there were noble and great ones and he was one of those. All monumental revelations that breed questions. What was the point on knowing all this?

Point: These spirits are going to live on a world. They need to be proved, tested, move on to the next part of seeking salvation. If they are going to be proved, that means there needs to be opposition, that means they might make mistakes, that means that there needs to be different kingdoms of glory. If they make mistakes they can still keep their first estate if they access the power offered by a Savior. Who is the Savior?

The Savior is the one who understood the plan, who understood where the power belonged. Now we need the opposition: the one who did not understand the plan, the one who wanted the power to transfer to himself. At this exhibition, he lost his first estate.

Now here is an interesting doctrine with not much detail. What exactly is a first estate? McConkie defines it as “the first time we lived as conscious identities. The spirits who were faithful in that first estate earned the right to be born into this world and get mortal bodies.” There is some doctrine and a lot of speculation about what we did in that first estate. Did we choose our mates? Did we choose our worldly difficulties? Did we form our families (a la Saturday’s Warrior – thanks a lot) ?

It seems to me, this is my own opinion, that at a very basic level, it doesn’t matter what we chose, other than choosing to be faithful enough to get bodies. We are here and whatever has happened to us, or whatever we have chosen, we need to deal with. A step up from the basic level, it is my current opinion, that we chose to choose. That is, we chose to have bodies so we could choose how we react to certain people and experiences, because we knew there would be a Savior. It does not seem congruent to me that a person who has been born in the covenant, has a wonderful temple marriage with children who have all served missions and married in the temple and have grandchildren following in the same way, can say that this is exactly what he/she chose in the first estate. Wouldn’t everyone choose that? Yet, very few fulfill that. Maybe those are the noble and great one, who knows. People who have had the unfortunate experiences of abuse, alcoholism, a wide variety of diseases, infidelity, I cannot believe that they chose to experience those things in the pre-earth life. First, how could they even know what those were without experiencing them, without having bodies at the time of decision?

Like I said at the before, I think we chose to choose. Which means we believed in the Plan, we believed in a Savior. Some people who believe we chose specific things in pre-earth life use that belief to get them through rough times. But shouldn’t the knowledge that we had confidence in a Savior then, be enough to get us through rough times?

Good stuff. It’s good to know where we came from and why we are here.

Readings Jan 4-8th

"Thou Wast Chosen Before Thou Wast Born"

I'm going to try to break up the readings into manageable daily chucks, but you can read it however you want to. I will just determine what is manageable, it may not span over the whole week and I most likely will not comment every day. But I will comment before Sunday (last week excepted).

Monday, Jan 4: Abraham 3:1-14

Tuesday, Jan 5: Abraham 3:15-28

Wednesday, Jan 6th: Moses 4:1–4

This is My work and My Glory

What an appropriate name for the beginning of the Old Testament! As I stated in a previous post, I will be reading the Old Testament to find evidences of a testament of Jesus Christ. I think that people are rightly intimidated by the Old Testament because there are so many meanings, many traditions, many languages, and a whole different time. But, I believe that the Old Testament is more simple than people believe and by focusing on how it is a testament of Jesus Christ I really feel like I can become more happily acquainted with it.

The Sunday School study begins with the Book of Moses in The Pearl of Great Price, which is "an extract from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet." This extract as the introductory note states: "touch[es] many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." So, to me, it is no surprise that in our study of the Old Testament, we do not begin with the Creation (lesson 3), but with the doctrine behind the creation. We start with the very existence of God and Jesus Christ.

Here are key doctrines in Moses 1 (I will probably miss some, so if you have additions, comment please) that can also be applied to us-long, but good list:

1. We have a testimonial that Moses saw the face of God, Moses experienced His glory. v1-3

2. Moses is told that he is the Lord's son, and that he will learn from the Lord. v4

3. Man cannot understand all the works of God. v5

4. Moses learns that there is work for him to do, appointed by God.v6

5. There is no other God and all things are present with God, He knows all.v6

6. Moses sees all of God's creations. v7-8

7. Moses learns that being without the presence of God decreases his strength. v10

8. Moses notices the difference of seeing with mortal eyes and spiritual eyes, that both have purposes together and seperate.v11

9. Satan tempts Moses. There is opposition and all things. v12-13

10. Moses compares the glory of God to the power of Satan, notices that he can see Satan with his natural eye, but that he needed spiritual eyes to see God. v13-14

11. Moses realizes that because he can make this differentiation, the spirit of God has not left him and that he can judge between bad and good and does so as he tells Satan that he will worship the only true God and tells Satan to leave. v15-16

12. Moses remembers that God gave him commandments. v17

13. Moses commits to obeying the commandments given and continues to call upon God and again tells Satan to leave. v18

14. Satan throws a fit (which in my opinion tells us a lot about Satan) and causes Moses to fear. v19-20

15. When Moses was fearful he saw the bitterness of hell.

16. Moses discovers that fear is the opposite of faith as he calls on God in his fear and received strength. Now, with the strength of God, Moses commands Satan to depart and it's Satan's turn to tremble and he throws a bigger fit, but leaves. v20-22

17. After Moses' trial of faith he was filled with the Holy Ghost and called on the name of the Lord again and is blessed with the strength and companionship of the Lord. v24-27

18. After the trial of faith, Moses was shown the world again, and saw even more - every particle and soul and land. v27-29

19. Moses asks why all these things were made and was told that God has a purpose for them, but for the time being that wisdom remains with God. v31

20. But then Moses is told about God's only begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth (which I think is just wonderful after He tells Moses that there are somethings that he shouldn't know. In effect, God tells and shows Moses many things, but there are somethings that he can't know yet, but there is a Savior to help you through the things that you don't know). v31-32

21. God creates the world with His Only Begotten, and the first man is Adam. v33-34

22. Other world have been created, but we are only informed of the inhabitants of this world, but all worlds are known to God. v35

23. Moses is satisfied with knowing about the inhabitants of this earth. v36

24. He is given basically the definition of eternity, time keeps going and worlds keep going, there is no end to the work of God and the work of God is bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

25. God tells Moses that he will tell him of the earth (which happens in the next chapters beginning with the creation), but one more verse before that tells us this:

26. The children of men will not respect the words of God at times (and speaks of a specific time before Joseph Smith), but that he will bring another like Moses (a prophet) to come and teach the truths among the people again. Revelation.

That was a long list, but I just couldn't pick out one or two things to talk about. There is value in looking at a list of truths though and makes me appreciate the process of learning Moses went through because I go through it too, though not to the same extent, but then I'm in a different time with different tools.

This will be fun.

Let's begin! Readings Jan 1-3rd

"This Is My Work and My Glory"

Only one chapter for the week, but a lot of information!

Moses 1

Read and comment to this post or my next comment post.

The Old Testament of what?

I have two goals this year concerning this blog and reading the Old Testament. Ok, three goals:

1. Read the Old Testament

2. Try not to diminish in the number of blog posts throughout the year, like I did last year.

3. Figure out why each reading is a testament of Jesus Christ. I'm hoping that with this perspective and focus I will understand the needful things of the Bible. That's not to say the whole book is not needful, but I just need a focus and I figure Jehovah is a pretty good focus and will hopefully will help prove The Old Testament less intimidating.

I just want to make it clear again that what I write is only my thoughts and opinions. I am not trying to be a teacher. I just want to provide some sort of forum to post thoughts about the readings because I learn from reproducing what I read and I learn from the input of others. Just as I mentioned in my subtitle line, this whole blog is more to provide me with incentive and organization. That's right, I need something to push me to read the scriptures. Maybe you do too? Join me and invite anyone else you think would be interested!

Reading Dec 7-11 and about next year!!

The Family is Ordained of God

The Family: A Proclamation to the world

There are only two lessons left in the Sunday School study guide. Reading the proclamation is one of them, the next one is about Zion, the pure in heart. We will have free weeks at the end of the year. Enjoy!

Next year I will do the same sort of format, but with the OLD TESTAMENT!!! I don't know about you, but I am always curious about the Old Testament because I am not as familiar with it as I am with other books of scripture. I am ready to not be intimidated by the Old Testament. I hope you will join me in my attempt at non-intimidation!

Being a good citizens - a show of confidence

I read all of the scriptures for this lesson, but I thought most about the first two passages in section 58:

21 Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.

22Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.

This makes sense. "He that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land."

I asked myself why? Why would we even need to worry about the laws of men when we have the laws of God? Because of the principle of agency:

27-28 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

This strikes me as a show of confidence from the Lord. That the power is in us to do good in all things, but in the context of this passage, specifically to do good in regards to the laws of the land. He leaves it to us to determine what 'good cause' is, as we are told in previous verses that it is not good to be compelled in all things. This, to me, is the truth that the formation of the United States is based on. We may have all sorts of opinions about where our country is headed and who is at the head and what sort of corruptions or good the elected leaders are involved in, which is exactly the point. Without differing opinions, at least among humans, progress is stopped. New and grand ideas do not come about without opposition unless there is something Heavenly Father wants to reveal as truth. And even then it sometimes takes opposition of that truth to help us understand it.

So, my next question is what is: the definition of "bring to pass much righteousness" in this context? In my puny little opinion, it means that we continue with the sometimes frustrating activity of trying vote for the right person, whoever you think that may be. Then trusting that everyone else who exercises that right is doing the same thing. Then understanding that whatever the outcome of an election, righteousness was brought to pass because opposition propels us forward and makes us grow and change. Hopefully we change for the good, but if we don't there is value in that too. Also, I think whatever the political climate, there are still many good causes we can be anxiously engaged in regarding the laws of the land and the laws of God.

The Lord says that "my house is a house of order." The laws of the land would be considered by some to not have any order at all, to be quite chaotic actually. While there are many nuances to laws that are being discovered and unfortunately laws that are twisted for a purpose, in general the laws of the land do provide order. I am grateful for that and the opportunity to uphold them.