Well, I am finally back to my everyday scripture study, after weeks of weird schedules on vacation and preparing for my lesson last week. Today I am reading Alma chapter 14...
I am a little worried. Yesterday there was a comment made during the lesson about how sometimes when you attend the temple your family may not be safe and it doesn't mean you are a bad person. Then, today the first thing that jumped out to me from my manual on chapter 14 was the section about how bad things happen to good people ("The Suffering of the Righteous.")
I really hope that the Lord isn't trying to prepare me for something...
Alma 14:8-11 Talks about how Alma and Amulek had the power to bring down punishment on the men who killed the believers of God, but didn't because he said that God permits the righteous to suffer for a purpose.
It says this in my manual:
"...if all sick were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. If pain, sorrow, and total punishment immediately followed the doing of evil, no soul would repeat a misdeed. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil-all would do good and not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, no Satanic controls...no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or death...an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life. and godhood.
Showing posts with label selfishness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label selfishness. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Love Thy Neighbor
To review my scripture mastery...
Moses 7:18 - Zion, Unity
Genesis 39:9 - Flee from wickedness
Exodus 20:3-17 - Ten Commandments
Exodus 33:11 - "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend..." (this was Jesus speaking - I always get confused as to who is being referred to in the scriptures as the Lord. I know that it is different in every book so its hard to remember. Does anyone have a good way to determine/remember that?)
Leviticus 19:18 - Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Its funny that I am reading this scripture today. We just got some new downstairs neighbors that aren't from the US (they are from the mid east I think) and they have two toddlers. Everyday since they have moved in they have cooked really smelly food that makes my apartment smell bad and makes me feel sick. Their kids are really loud too and they are always out on their balcony (or at least whenever me and Allie are out on ours) It has been a frustrating couple of days adjusting to the way its going to be from now until they move and I have definitely not been loving my neighbors.
I think that this commandment is definitely hard in the "dog eat dog" world we live in today. There is so much contention and everyone has a strange idea of entitlement to the American dream with no work or effort. It seems like the world is becoming more and more selfish and I think we need to step back and look at how we view our own lives and remember that God has given us everything. I think it is important to not say "what can this country/ward members/neighbors do for me, but what can I do for them?"
Moses 7:18 - Zion, Unity
Genesis 39:9 - Flee from wickedness
Exodus 20:3-17 - Ten Commandments
Exodus 33:11 - "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend..." (this was Jesus speaking - I always get confused as to who is being referred to in the scriptures as the Lord. I know that it is different in every book so its hard to remember. Does anyone have a good way to determine/remember that?)
Leviticus 19:18 - Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Its funny that I am reading this scripture today. We just got some new downstairs neighbors that aren't from the US (they are from the mid east I think) and they have two toddlers. Everyday since they have moved in they have cooked really smelly food that makes my apartment smell bad and makes me feel sick. Their kids are really loud too and they are always out on their balcony (or at least whenever me and Allie are out on ours) It has been a frustrating couple of days adjusting to the way its going to be from now until they move and I have definitely not been loving my neighbors.
I think that this commandment is definitely hard in the "dog eat dog" world we live in today. There is so much contention and everyone has a strange idea of entitlement to the American dream with no work or effort. It seems like the world is becoming more and more selfish and I think we need to step back and look at how we view our own lives and remember that God has given us everything. I think it is important to not say "what can this country/ward members/neighbors do for me, but what can I do for them?"
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