Ponderize Scripture
Ether 12:4 "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
Monday 1/11
Mark 5:1-20 v.7 "...What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?" How interesting that even the spirits of God and of the Devil know who Jesus is. How do I also come to know who Jesus is? Seek him, pray for understanding, study the scriptures about him, keep the commandments. I think it needs to be a focused effort: my purpose should be to come to know the Savior better. The people were afraid of the change, the man was healed of the evil spirits. In what ways am I afraid of change that I don't seek Christ? I am happy were I am at in my weakness and/or sins. Pride starts this. Seeking to be selfless can help to counter this?
Tuesday 1/12
Mark 5:21-24, 35-43 v.23"...My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live." Who do I run to when I am desperate? This man ran to the Savior. He showed great faith by acting and believing that the Savior could heal her. Through the Atonement the Savior can heal any ailment. Do I seek him? Do I include the Lord in my life? I feel a greater need to seek the Lord constantly to heal my ailments. The key is to believe that he can and will heal me. v.36"...Be not afraid, only believe (exercise faith)." What a special line. I think Jesus says this several times over the course of his ministry. The opposite of fear is faith. I think President Monson said that faith cannot exist at the same time as fear. Christ admonishes me to not ever fear but believe in him and act accordingly. Fear does not come from God. What more can I do to increase and exercise my faith? It seems like it is a slow, growing process.
Wednesday 1/13
Matt. 9:20-22, v. 21-22 "For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole...Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." Acting with Faith in Christ is powerful. Miracles will happen when I believe that Christ can heal me and others and show that I believe that.
Matt. 9:32-34, Jesus casts out a devil and the Pharisees think that he used evil to cast out evil. That can never happen or else evil would waste away. Evil will always only try to stop what is good and good will never promote evil. This is a good way to judge whether something is of God or not.
Matt 13:53-58 Jesus returns to Nazareth. v.58 "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Interesting that they did not believe that he was more than a carpenter's son. Miracles cannot be worked when there is no faith, when one does not believe and accordingly act. What things in my life do I not have faith can occur? How can I increase my faith in those things?
Thursday 1/14
Matt 10:5-42 Jesus is charging his apostles. There is so much in here. v. 37 "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me isnot worthy of me." I should put the Lord first in my life above even my own family because in loving God first I will have the desire and motivation to love my family. From this, what the Lord thinks is infinitely more important than what my friends or the world thinks. I should be more concerned what he thinks than what anyone else thinks though my friends/family can have the inspiration from the Lord and can share what he thinks. v.38 "and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Christ invites all to come follow him. To use the Atonement, I must seek to do what he did...think of and serve others over myself. What more does taking my cross mean? v.39 JST "He who seeketh to save his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." I love this scripture! It is all about being selfless and having love. Focusing on myself doesn't help me as much as focusing on others and their needs because I love them and love God. Focusing on myself isn't really love. Pray for charity/love and seek to serve. I know that I also need to do things in wisdom and order. In order to help others, I need to help myself.
Friday 1/15
Matt 14:22-33 Jesus walks on water. v.29 "And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." The Savior invites us to come unto him, to seek him. Power is given when we are fixated on him. Peter walked on water when he focused on Jesus. "I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me." If there is something that I am fearful about/worries me take it to the Lord in prayer and be obedient. The key here is trust. v.30 "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.' To me this is talking about fear, the adversary, the influences and opinions of others, the scary things of life. How often I let the things of the world pull me away, cloud my vision of my faith that things will work out, that God is in charge. When that happens do I immediately seek God, pray to him, humble myself? The faster I turn to God the better it is for me. v.31 "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" There is comfort in this. The Savior does save as we turn to and seek him. Doubts/fears do not come from God. When they come, do I let them linger or do I immediately flush them out? The key for me here is to trust in God and constantly pray for that desire and constantly remind myself that things will work out. Maybe a hymn or a ponderize scripture can help...
Saturday 1/16
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf It Works Wonderfully. "Sometimes the truth may just seem too straightforward, too plain, and too simple for us to fully appreciate its great value." Simplicity must be a Godly characteristic. Complexity, complication seem to be manlike. How can I simplify? Focus on the basic truths of the gospel. "But sometimes we take the beautiful lily of God's truth and gild it with layer upon layer of man-made good ideas, programs, and expectations...when they are laid on top of each other, they can create a mountain of sediment that becomes so thick that we risk losing sight of that precious flower we once loved so dearly." "As members of the Church, we need to make a conscientious effort to devote our energy and time to the things that truly matter, while uplifting our fellowmen and building the kingdom of God." I really like this. I can't remember who said this...when we seek the kingdom of God everything else will fit into its proper place or drop our of our lives. Simplify? Self-evaluation--what things can I simplify? How can I worship/follow God more simply? "God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord." My Heavenly Father loves me and wants my success. I have infinite value in his eyes. It doesn't matter where I am at...I just need to look to him, pray to him, study his words, keep the commandments and use the Atonement daily in my life. I can't do this alone, only through him can I have success. "Sometimes we feel discouraged because we are not 'more' of something...our weaknesses can help us to be humble and turn us to Chirst, who will 'make weak things become strong.'" I love this promise. This is where it all comes down to. If I do my best, the Lord will do the rest and we together will have success.
Sunday 1/17
There are three accounts of Jesus walking on the water. Matthew tells how Peter also walks on water while the other two just describe Jesus.
Mark 6:45-52, v.50 "Be of good cheer: it is I, be not afraid." John 6:15-21, v.20 "It is I; be not afraid." Interesting how Jesus says to not be afraid. Am I afraid of anything? Why am I afraid of it? A lot is not understanding or having limited perspective or high expectations. Looking to Christ helps to have added perspective and understanding and to be kind/patient with myself and with others.
Matt 14:34-36 v.36 "And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." The faith of these people brought about their healing. They sought Christ. I really like this phrase, "perfectly whole". The Atonement of Christ can make me perfectly whole; it can heal me of any sort of weakness, malady, sin, emotion, etc... Do I seek him enough and to what lengths will I go to be healed?
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