"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. "
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Abraham 3:22-23
Last week's scripture, Doctrine & Covenants 8:2-3 (found here) was fun to memorize. We've so loved learning these scriptures together and the spirit it brings. We also try to spend time on Sunday reviewing the past scriptures, because it's all too easy to forget them after moving on! As we've sat here reviewing them to eachother, Deborah was on my lap and so I would say them to her and she just loved it! She'd smile and talk back, and even got out a few laughs! :) It was awesome. As far as last week's scripture goes, Derek's going to share his thoughts on it.
D&C 8 is about personal revelation. Each one of us needs guidance in our lives- at one point or another we need the help of God to get through. God speaks to each of us on a very personal level. In these two verses the Lord explains how he comunicates- he does so in both our minds and in our hearts through the Holy Ghost. (see Galatians 5:22, John 14:26, 15: 26, 16:8,13-14)
There is an important caveat in the first verse- The Lord tells us that the Holy Ghost will speak to us and will dwell with us. In Helaman 4:24 we read that the 'Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples.' a sentiment found through out the scriptures (Gen. 6:3; 1 Sam 16:4; Rom 8:9; 1 Nephi 7:14; D&C 1:33). If we want the Spirit of the Lord to dwell within us- if we want to hear the voice of the Lord in our minds and in our hearts we must make ourselves holy temples to the Lord- with all that being a holy temple entails.
When reading the scriptures we marvel at those great men and women of faith we find- Daniel, Esther, Nephi, the 2000 stripling warriors, and many others- all of whom accomplished great things, or was carried through moments of great danger or trial (see Job) by the Lord. We marvel at their faithfulness and ask ourselves, 'How did they do it?' Doctrine and Covenants Section 8 verses 2-3 tells us how. The Holy Ghost spoke to their minds and to their hearts and dwelt in them- just as it can with us. It is by this spirit of revelation (the Holy Ghost speaking to the mind, the heart, and dwelling in the heart) that Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea on Dry ground. The Lord's way of communication is a simple but powerful link, through which great things are possible. Through it we can receive help, guidance, & strength in even the darkest hour of our lives.
The Lord has made himself available to us. He reaches out to us in many ways- in the scriptures, through modern Prophets, Apostles, in the Church God has restored in these last days (lds.org), through angels (both earthly and heavenly), and through His very personal directions to us. In times of need each of us can go to the Lord for help. I testify that all those who seek the guidance of the Lord with a sincere hear, with real intent, and with faith in Christ will receive an answer through the power of the Holy Ghost.
(to learn about other who have felt the Holy Ghost clik on "my faith" or visit http://mormon.org/people/)
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