Faith 4 Friends

Where Nephi got his info...

Here is mine for the week... it came while reading with Laura. I was amazed at the power of Nephi's testimony, and then a few things came at me on where he got them.

Link HERE for full size
I can only say for sure that there are 4 of these that are exactly right...

There is a quote from Christ... that would NOT take place for a few hundred years... but the sentiment is EXACTLY the same as Christ would show.

There was a quote by Jeremiah too... that hints that it might be the same... not perfect... but close...

Anyway... I would like to respond to what you folks wrote last week... and encourage taking a few minutes this week to write something... anything.

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

The Lord looks on the heart.

Context

Samuel assumed that Eliab, the eldest son of Jesse, was the one the Lord had selected to be Israel’s new king because of his strong physical appearance.

Doctrine or Principle

God judges us by our thoughts and desires rather than by our outward appearance.

Application

Rather than focus on outward appearance, pray to see yourself and others as God sees you.

I just went to the dermatologist. Since my sister died a couple of years ago from skin cancer, I’m very aware of odd changes in my skin. This summer, I’ve had all kinds of new spots appear, which worries me somewhat. So today was the day to have it all checked out. A biopsy was taken from my cheek, which will most likely leave a scar (there is one stitch). Also a “seborrheic keratosis” was frozen from my other cheek. The first seems a bit more scary, the other was because I’ve never had a spot frozen off, and the dermatologist wanted to see how my skin takes to it.

I’m kind of vain. I want to look young and be healthy for all of my days on earth. I don’t want a scarred, skin cancerous face. I’m glad to be reminded that the Lord looketh upon the heart.

So how is my heart? Is it full of charity toward others? Is it judgmental or easily offended? Is it my instinct to reach out and help? How does one measure the state of a heart?

More pondering on this…

Jared made an interesting comment. He said that we as God’s children know more about His heart than we do about His appearance. That’s interesting. We don’t actually see His appearance, but we see what He is all about…creative, merciful, generous, listening…we “see”/experience His heart. Would then the goal be to let others see our hearts more than the outward appearances? I continuously put a great deal of effort into my outward appearances, my home, my various jobs, my personal appearance. Maybe more effort needs to be on the Christlike attributes. And that comes back to being able to measure the state of a heart. I’d like to know better how to do that.

Swinging

Something that I have been seeing...

As a missionary we learned that in the garden of Eden there were two types of death brought into the world...

Physical Death...

Spiritual Death...

In fact... it's a danger because Helaman says that we are considered dead right this minute...

Helaman 14:16

16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.

So Father considers us dead where we stand.... and he is trying to save us.

The image of a swing... or a pendulum that swings is a powerful one. It has some interesting qualities.

1. It touches opposites... If it goes to the left... then it WILL go to the right.

2. It usually goes to the same height on the opposite side... If it goes high on one side... it will go high on the other.

3. It repeats... over and over... cycles over and over...

The scripture is the First shall be last... and the Last shall be first.

over and over...

Same-ness...

opposites....

In the temple, we hear Father say something to the effect of "We will send them down to test them and to try them... to see if they will learn... good from evil..." That's not it exactly... but it's close. The elements are there...

See if they will learn...

See if they will know good from evil.

Test them... try them...

But look at the "Learn" part.

It struck me this week... that could easily be the name of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.... To partake is to learn....

So not only did Adam and Eve eat the fruit... but we all have... we all learn.

But the temple also talks about kings and priests.... Moses taught the same thing....

When we hear in Exodus 19:5-6

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Kings rule over all things physical.... Lands, Rights, Disputes, Laws....

Priests rule over all things spiritual... Repentance.... Teaching.... Holiness....

So the ToKGE (Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) caused us to die

Physically

Spiritually

The temple teaches us how to look to the savior to become a

King (ruler over the physical)

Priest (ruler over the spiritual)

The pendulum is trying to fix all that was broken in the garden... PLUS we get the bonus of KNOWLEDGE.

Well. That was my stuff for the week...

Intro to Faith 4 Friends

This is an attempt to share scriptures as well as a place to share what we learn from them.

I have opened this up to my friends, and I encourage all who wish, to come and write... share... tell us what you think... what you read... what you wonder about.

I need to get some pics so these posts aren't so boring. But for now... I will focus on Scriptures.

Thanks for all you do. I hope this works well.

Robert