Thursday 26 December 2013

What should I do now!? (Balancing life)

Acts 2: 46-47

Have you even just stopped and just watched a clock as time passes? Or seen the sand in an hourglass fall? Its kinda scary sometimes just how quickly time passes, there is just so much that needs to be done sometimes but there is just never enough time to do everything. Is it possible for us to do everything that needs to be done?

For myself I know there are definitely times when I feel incapable of doing all that is expected of me, and I have no idea what to do about it. To quote the opening song from Disney Lion King, "there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done"

So what can we do about it? Perhaps its a matter of priorities? If we make sure that we are doing the most important things then surely that enough right? But how do we know which thing to focus on most? Do we focus more on family or the work to support the family? What about that game that I promised I would watch with my friends, what should I do about that? there is just so much to think about that at least for myself it's impossible to know what I need to be doing when.

This is why I think the scripture above is really telling, It starts by talking about what each of the Apostles did and ends with the phrase "the Lord added to the church daily"

At the end of the day, if we are aiming to follow the lord, then he will guide us to do the most important things, it may not look lie much to us, but it will be exactly what the lord needs and that is what really matters. So are we doing all we can to follow the will of the lord? Or are we panicking thinking that whatever we do now is not enough?



Thursday 19 December 2013

What makes a father? (Who is God)

Matthew 7:9-11 (http://bit.ly/1dN4LlH)
Hebrews 12:5-9 (http://bit.ly/19c9Fvt)

What do you need to do to become a father? Is it something that you go to university to study for years on end? Do you need a lot of money to be able to buy the term father? Or maybe being a father mean being better than other people at what they do and that is what makes them a father?

Being a father requires none of the above.Being a father means having someone that you are responsible for and that look to you for support..

So the next question that comes to mind is, "What makes a good Father?"

For myself, what makes a good father is knowing that he is always there when I need them, he will be there when I'm have something great I need to share or in those time I am feeling really down and just need to talk. He would be very involved with my life, always trying to teach me something new (letting me make my own mistakes so that I learn my own way). And as much as I hate to admit it he would be there to hurt my when it was best for me whether that just be sending me to the doctor to get a shot, or letting me hurt myself on my bike after repeatedly warning me. He will always do what he thinks to be best for me.


So if these are the things that I look for in a father on earth, how does that compare to the father of our spirits? God in heaven is perfect in every aspect, including how much he loves us and wanting/doing the best for us? These scriptures I have shared today make this comparison. They really help me understand who God is in my life. I used to think of God as some big person in the sky with cloudy throne. (yes it was a very Greek idea, I think I watch too much Hercules) but I've been learning just how personal God is to us individually.

When we think of God, what do we think of? Is it someone that we know loves us or is it more some great person in heaven that seems so unapproachable? Why do we think of God the way we do?
 And what can we do to know God and who he is better?

Friday 13 December 2013

Kingdom builders (Individual roles)

1 Corinthians 12:28-31

How many of you have seen the Egyptian ruins?
Either as a picture or the lucky ones of you might have seen it in person? I am always amazed at what they where able to accomplish. It is absolutely incredible to see how much time end effort they must have put into building their kingdom; there is just so much detail on everything that they did and they worked so hard to build this place for each of them to live in. Theses people were able to accomplish things that have lasted for thousands of years and I don't know about you guys but I have to ask; HOW ON EARTH DID THEY DO THAT???

To start with they must have had people to quarry all the stone that they used for all these buildings.Once they had that stone they needed people skilled enough to shape the stones to the exact shape and sizes they needed (Very difficult, I know I've tried...) then they would need people to move the stone from the quarries to whatever building they were working on, and they didn't have big vans in those days so this would need a lot of horse and chariots, both of which needed people to take care of them, then for all
 these people need to eat so you need farmers to grow the food; I haven't even mentioned all the people needed to plan, co-ordinate efforts, and quality check the work.... these a lot to be done to build a kingdom, and every part is needed otherwise things start to fall apart. So if this kingdom took this many different workers to build it and make it last a few thousand years; how many workers will it take to build Gods kingdom?

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (see above scripture) talks about this, "do all have the gift of healing?" Everybody has been given very specific abilities from God for a reason, we have a responsibility too use these gifts the best we can, there is no point being given a Christmas present only to leave it there. Whatever gifts we have been given God will be able to put to good use, just like the chariots are needed to move he stone from the quarry to the build site, just being a friend to a person is just as important as someone to teach Christ's word.

Are we using our talents they way God intended or have we just left them in a corner and neglected them?Or perhaps a better way to put it, Have you helped anyone today by doing what you can no matter how little it seems?

Thursday 5 December 2013

What do you see? (How to learn truth)

Matthew 7:15-20
(http://bit.ly/1fu43eB)

If I were to say the words "waka waka waka" I'm willing to guess a good chunk of you would immediately recognise the noise of 
"PAC-MAN"
This game has been on of the greatest games/time-wasters for the past 35ish years, and is just as popular now as it was when it first came out.
(If you have never heard of this game I would suggest typing it into Google and playing a free version they have)

So first, to answer that question you are asking yourself. Yes I am very much a nerd but that just makes life fun. More importantly; there is a very interesting gospel point that I would love to make between Pac-man and the scripture in Matthew. In Matthew 7:16 Christ is teaching how to recognise whether what people teach is really his word or something else to get gain, and the phrase that he uses is "By their fruits ye shall know them, Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

Now we know there is a big difference between a grape vine and thorns, but imagine a young child sees them both for the first time, How would the child learn which one hurts? Anyone with children will know that just telling the child will not be enough. 99 times out of 100 they will go up to both of them and grab them and learn that hard way.

The same thing applies to Pac-man, for those that have never played before the best way to learn how is to open a game and start playing, the best way for anyone to learn anything is to experience it for your self then you know for sure what ghost will kill you and how to avoid them (the fruits of playing the game).

Also I should mention here that I have nothing against going and asking someone you think would know the answer for help, that is a brilliant idea always, but we will not know if what they say is true until we try it for ourselves, having someone tell us that the tree in front of us is a fig tree won't help us until we go up and check it for ourselves, for all we know it could be thistles.

Are we searching for the fruits ourselves? Or are we trusting that people know where the fruit is already and hoping there will be some for us when we decide to go there ourselves?

Thursday 28 November 2013

Who's who and what's what? (What do we focus on?)

John 10:20-21
(http://bit.ly/1a7ZZMb)

There was once a rich woman that decided once to have huge Thanksgiving celebration, she invited thousands of friends and their families, professional singers, dancers, next door neighbors, and anyone else she knew; and asked each of them to prepare a small presentation so that there would be an ongoing performance going on during this grand party. After the invitations were sent out and the party planned, the clock ticked down slowly till Thanksgiving Day came. The party was just what it was supposed to be. Everything was crisp, clean, perfect. This rich woman asked a very good friend of hers who was also quite a famous singer to start the acts. He did so by quoting Psalms 23 his favorite Psalm in the bible because of its focus to Christ the shepherd. He sang in such a pure and clear voice that there wasn't a dry eye in the room, and as soon as he finished there was a loud roar of applause... except... there was a noticeable sounds of distress in the midst of all this noise. Soon enough they realised that a young girl in the front was crying on the floor. The mother then explained that this little girl had been so excited for this party that she had prepared that exact Psalm to perform and now was really upset because she felt she couldn't perform it any more. The singer feeling a little guilty encouraged this young girl to come up after him to perform, and with a little coxing she did. She wasn't nearly as practised as the singer, she got word wrong and was very shaky all the way through. There was no applause
after this recital, it didn't have the same power or elegants that the Singer had shown.  Yet afterwards this singer immediately jumped on this stage and hugged this little girl with tears in his own eyes.  He softly whispered in her ear  "Thank you for that, you taught me that even though I knew the scripture better than you, you obviously know the shepherd far better than me"


I love this story so much. The crowd spends the whole time listening to this little girl and comparing her to the professional singer. Only the professional singer could see her act for what it was. He is the one that recognises the love this little girl has for her saviour, and I truly feel this applies as we think of those we know as well.

The scripture in John is an argument between the Jewish people after Jesus Christ has just healed a man. They were trying to decide if Jesus was a man from God or the devil and each of them are focusing on different part of what they know or have heard about him.

"20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?"

How often do we do similar things to other? how often do we look down on them because they don't do the things we expect? Or we compare what we know about them to other people? I have found that by doing this we miss who people really are. In the case above people mistook the saviour of the world. Is it possible that we mistake people God has put to help us, for people that are sent to hedge up the way?

Thursday 21 November 2013

To write or not to write, that is the question (What does the spirit feel like?)

 Galatians 5:22-23


One of my favourite phrases of all time comes from the play "Hamlet" written by Shakespeare.  In scene 2 act 2 there is the line "many wearing rapiers are afraid of goose-quills and dare scarce come thither." or as its more often quoted nowadays, "the pen is mightier than the sword"


It's true that pens don't quite have the same ability to cut off the arms of people coming to attack you, but what you write and what comes from it has a huge effect on how people think and act.  A health book could well change you diet and you lifestyle, a well written fiction book can often make you see friends and family in a new light and reading scriptures can bring us so much closer to God. Just about everything you see today that makes you think will have had to have been put together with pen and paper to start with.

The Spirit of God is the same as the pen in this sense in that it is often because of something small that you are influenced in a big way. The difference is that the spirit doesn't work as much with what you see and hear but more what you feel. in Galatians 5:22-23 It says 



"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."



These feelings are always the result is some way of the Spirit working with you. and I don't now about you but these are the feelings I try to have every day, especially the peace part.  

So of all the things that Romans wear why does Paul compare the spirit to the sword? Because the sword is the most important piece of equipment they have. Of all the things they have to care for and look after this one takes priority over everything, all the protection in the world will never allow the Roman empire to grow. In the same way reading nothing but scripture all day everyday will do nothing to help you unless you learn how to recognise the spirit of God and how he talks to us.

So if the feelings in Galatians are the fruits of the spirit (the results), what does the spirit itself feel like? This is really personal, no person on earth can tell you how the spirit of God talks to you. For me, more often than not, its an idea that comes to mind, a small thought that will lead me to an answer I've been looking for for a while or will lead me to somewhere when I can use my ability's to help someone else. But I know for others it comes as a more urgent need to do something. basically its very very personal to you.

Thursday 14 November 2013

That's today... *panic* (Preparation)

Ephesians 6:15

This blog post starts off with a bit of honesty. How many of you have ever gone into school or work only to realize that that big test or presentation that you have been putting off for the past however long happens to be today? I see a few of you out there looking at your shoes right about now; they must be rally interesting hmm? I hate it when it happens to me. It's just awful, the first thing that goes trough you mind is "Why didn't I do this sooner?" soon followed by "What do I do? what do I do?" constantly going around the inside of your head (just what you need at the time). This is normally the point where people promise themselves "I am never going to do that again, I will prepare
better next time"

Preparation is what sets one empire apart from another, This is especially true in the time Paul wrote about having your "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace". Theses were the days of the roman empire, battles and wars were expected and a normal way of life, as such the Romans were always
prepared, there were always troops ready to go to war at a moments notice, by that I mean that there were always roman soldiers dressed up in full armor all day every day, just think about how much that would kill your feet, surly this would be a good reason to take off a little armor or even just your shoes. Anyone who has worked as a waiter or waitress will understand a little of what these guys went through even without putting on the however many tons of armor they wore. Yet those soldiers stuck with it, aching feet or no. They knew that if they were caught off guard one day then they would likely not live to see another.

Spiritually we are the same, we are in the midst of a war and we never know when the next attack will be, so wee need to prepare just as them. Just because our feet hurt or studying our scriptures every day is hard and boring doesn't mean that we can keep skipping it. Knowing how Satan works it will be that one week that you have not prayed so much, or maybe not studied the scriptures as well as you should have, that he will strike. Lets not give him any advantage he can take a hold of. When going into war, the more preparations you make the better.

Thursday 7 November 2013

The Devil is in the detail, but so is God (Truth)

Ephisians 6:14



Today I will be focusing on "girt you loins about with truth" so to begin with a little history lesson so this makes more sense. Girt is the past tense of gird, girding mean to tie something around your waist, usually a strip of cloth or a rope, kind of like a belt.

Back in christ day they used to wear long robes that went from the neck down to the toes, they were usually very comfortable but when you needed to move in a hurry they restricted you movement a lot. This is where that "belt" came in useful they would use this to hitch up their robes a little, this would give them the maneuverability to run if an emergency happened.

Roman soldiers also used this idea in their armour, their lower halves were usually only covered in a cloth and leather "skirt" (I can't really think of any other way to describe it).This allowed them to use their legs with no limitations, allowing them to be more nimble on the battlefield. They would make up for the lack of armour by using their large shields to guard their legs. (hence why they needed a lot of practise with them)

So hopefully now you understand a little more about how such a small thing can make a big difference. Now the question becomes, "Why did paul compare this to truth?" Or if we go even further, "What is truth?"

Truth is how things; were, are, and will be. Truth doesn't change when new information is found or when it becomes more convenient. For example the Earth has always been round, even in the dark ages when people believed it to be flat.

Here is an riddle that might make it the idea more clear:

A father is taking a road trip with his 12 year old son, when they are both involved in a terrible car accident, both of them are quickly rushed to hospital but the father dies on the journey over there. As soon as the boy enters the hospital its clear that he needs an operation done on him immediately but the surgeon protests saying "I can't operate on him, he's my son"....

How is this possible ?

Highlight the blue box for the answer:
The surgeon was the boy's mother

For those of you that Got the right answer, well done. for those that didn't why not? My guess would be that you made assumptions (believing something to be true) that wasn't right and this limited you thinking.

We all need to be more open to truth (me included). We don't know everything, I'd even go as far as to say we barely know anything. A lot of how we think is based on the assumptions we make based on what others tell us, we all do it and we need to do it to get along with life but we must always be looking for the truth because otherwise we will find ourselves in difficult situations because we went ahead with an assumption we made.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

The haunt is on! (Faith)

Ephesians 6:13-18
http://bit.ly/1hVUMeS

On this night of nights through your travels you will see houses garnished with ghosts and ghouls and especially Jack o lanterns. Every year we see theses orange lights with carved so carefully but why are these so famous today?

"1 old legend says that it comes because of a thief a few hundred years ago. This young boy was on the run from a town, who had caught him applying his local trade, when he ran into the Grim Reaper ready to take him to the life beyond. This thief begged and pleaded for his life, eventually offering the Grim a chance at the souls that were pursuing him. He suggested that the Grim hid amongst his "possessions" disguised as a small coin, then once this thief was caught it would be his chance to strike. Grim readily agreed to this hid himself  in the
collection of stolen artifact only to realise, too late, that there was a silver cross among them which robbed him of his powers. This thief managed to eventually escape with the Grim still in tow, so when he felt he was safe he offered the Grim a second deal, this time he would only let the Grim go free if he would never bring him to hell. Grudgingly the grim accepted and they soon parted ways and life went on as normal. Eventually the time came for him to pass from this life into the next, but his past deeds had forbidden him from living with God again. He had also been promised he would never enter hell so he was stranded on Earth, to find some small patch to call home of the rest of eternity. He carved a lantern out of the first thing he saw (the humble pumpkin) and is said to still haunt to night looking for his little piece of heaven on earth." 

This poor boy did not have faith in what Jesus had taught in the scriptures. He did not trust when the scriptures said "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) yet this boy believed that by exiling himself from hell he would be accepted into heaven by default. He soon learned otherwise. Faith leads to action. If this Boy had trusted the word of God he would have altered his ways to allow him a chance to enter God's kingdom.


I love how Faith in the scriptures is compared to a shield, Whenever you look at a medieval battle every personal you look at is holding a shield, its just a part of the equipment. The difference between one soldier and the next is what he does with the shield he has. Some people will just put their shield in a shed until the time for a war is near when he will dust it off. Other might show off their sheild as a status symbol seeking the attention of others or they may spend their free time practicing with it so they know how to use it when needed.

Faith working in exactly the same way, If we only bring it out once in a while or wear it superficially for the attention of others then when Satan come around to test you (and he will) then you will not be prepared for the tricks and traps he has set. There is no point knowing that you can pray in a crisis if you don't know how to get answers from prayers.

Are we like the young thief, making 1 or 2 preparations for the future or are we the person that is always in the training ground refining their skill with the shield of faith?


Thursday 24 October 2013

Attack from the wall (Show your faith)


Exodus 28:4
"There was a sudden trumpet that sounded close by. It must have been from the road above. I was a plumber working not too far underground so strange sounds were the norm, I soon learned that there was nothing normal about this one. Over the next few minutes the trumpet go  louder and louder until it was right next to me. Through the wall where I was working bust a roman soldier, the shock of it made me fall off my ladder and hit the floor. I stayed there in terror as that solider was followed by another, this time on horseback, then another 20 ground soldiers."

This is actually a true story of a plumber that worked in York, England. as you can see from the story he instantly recognised these ghostly beings as being the roman military men we that were so famous. not because of the trumpet they blew or because they rode on horseback but because of the 
Armour they were wearing


This is the focal point of my blog today, the Breastplate of Righteousness. Just about everyone knows that the main purpose of the breastplate is to protect the chest of a soldier but there are other things that are often over-looked. 

For example if you are on a battlefield and everyone is wearing the same armour then how do you know who to fight? It's usually the colours and symbols that shows you represent a certain side. Without showing your true colours you are likely to be attacked by anyone and everyone, and I feel very strongly that if we are too hesitant is showing our spiritual colour, we open ourselves to unintentional attacks on our faith from even the best of friends. 


The only other time that a Breastplate is mentioned in the scriptures is in Exodus 28. God commands Moses to make a breastplate in a very specific fashion. Its very ornate and very valuable and was given to Aaron to show to other that he was the priest. This was an outward showing that they were followers of God and dedicated to his work. 

Is it clear whose side we are on? When our friends are in need would they recognise us that "knight in shining armour" that they need? Or are we the last person they turn to, for fear of being injured more?

Thursday 17 October 2013

Ghosts and ghouls that stalk the night! (salvation)

Ephesians 6:13-18
http://bit.ly/1hVUMeS

A little poem to start the blog this week
There's a tale told by brothers Grimm, of a woman who's supplies were thin.
 Who would oft' travel in rain or sleet, to the place "lost waters" for acorns to eat.
 One night she went for lack of bread, she saw a horseman who lacked his head.
 He turned around and somehow asked, "Was it long since you were here last?"
"I come for food for it is free, the lord my god has been good to me."
"For me" he said "It should be worse, The lord is kind to give this curse"
"I rebelled throughout my living day, now in death is when I pay"


For most horsemen the best solution to avoid being headless is to wear a proper helmet, In this poor souls case however perhaps putting on the Helmet of Salvation would be better

Ephesians 6 
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
...17 And take the helmet of salvation.....


The helmet was one of the most important pieces of the armour worn by soldiers in those days. It's possible for a soldier to lose an arm or a leg and still keep fighting however if you lost/damaged your head that was it for you, you were dead. At the same time however if you put too much protection onto the head and especially the eyes it can become difficult to see and you become blind to oncoming attacks. 


I personally feel this is why Salvation is compared to the Helmet. 
The horseman above had no thought for his salvation in the life to come, so he lead life however he felt at the time and he payed the consequences for that afterwards. 

However there are also those that focus so much on salvation in the future that they forget that there is a very real battle to fight right now 
I know you're out there somewhere

Matthew 10:22 (http://bit.ly/1byQRTD)

"And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."

Satan is very real and is constantly seeking to injure us spiritually, Do we have enough spiritual armor to deflect the blows he will throw at us? or are we lulling ourselves into a false sense of security by how much armor we think we already have?

Friday 11 October 2013

Where are we? (Devotion)

2 scriptures this week
Luke 22:60-62 and John 21:17 

Before going on watch this video 


"Lovest thou me?... Feed my sheep."
(John 21:17)

These 2 missionaries for the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have shown just how much they love Jesus Christ by testifying about him regardless of their situation.


 What about you and me?
Do we have the same love for Jesus Christ?
Love enough to put his will before our own lives?

 I do not want to be in the same situation that Peter was in (luke 22:60-62)
"And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me trice"

After seeing this trailer I plan to show the lord just how much I love him by doing all I can to share his word. 

I know exactly what he was willing to sacrifice for me.


(http://bit.ly/18Rw8tM Click here for the full story of missionaries) 

Thursday 3 October 2013

That can't be true.... can it? (Trust God)

Luke 4:27

How does anyone ever find their way out of a maze? The last time I went I was completely lost .

There are so many different way to try and get to the the end, so many different paths that I just end up going in circles until someone finds me about to go mad in some long forgotten corner somewhere. 

The choices we make in our lives are very similar. Everybody will get to a stage, and its not usually their fault, where they have no clue where to go and what are the right choices to make.

Now I know very little about mazed but I would highly doubt that I'm the only person that would be lost in that maze. I'm pretty sure that there will be a few just like me, all trying to find the way out with our own different ideas. But experience has taught me that just bumping around and hoping for the best doesn't normally get me anywhere.

Jesus also points out this principle in a church early on in luke.

Luke 4:27
"And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." 

Leprosy is a nasty disease that causes the skin on you to rot and also can lead to loss of  hands and feet, a very dangerous thing to have in any time, especially then with a lot less medical knowledge. all the lepers mentioned must have tried everything they could to cure it, but it seems with no luck.

The only person to be cured was Naaman. He went to the Prophet and asked him to ask God how he could be clean, And he was told to bath in the river Jordan 7 time.
River Jordan
God knew what he needed, and as silly as it sounded to him (see 2 kings 5:10-12)
as he followed the lord command he was healed.

God Always knows best, this is something we should all know. The real problem is always remembering to ask him for his help, and when he does give us guidance to follow it to the letter. Otherwise we are stuck in that same maze and will be for a long while.

Friday 27 September 2013

It's all there really (Understanding Scriptures)

Luke 24:45 

What does it say inside this triangle?

Did you notice that there are 2 "THE's"

How easy is it to miss important details? How often can that change the situation? 

I am so very guilty of it, I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a shop with some voucher only to find that I missed the deadline (it said in the small print). 

I can also tell you that I do that so often when reading my scriptures as well.
I will read a passage, think about it.then read it again later and realize I got the wrong end of the stick there,
seems like its not just me either. In Luke 25 is the story about Christ's resurrection (coming back from the dead) and I would like to focus on the part where he is talking to travelers afterwards

Something read as Good to one person
 could be read as evil to another.

Verse 45 says
"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures"

Even in the time of Christ people didn't understand the scriptures, probably because each individual scripture can be interpreted so many ways. Thats partly why there are so many different christian churches. Each one of them thinks the scriptures mean something different.




The scriptures are the word God given to us today, but if we don't understand them, then they can't help us at all. Use a dictionary for words you don't understand or read the scriptures around the one you are stuck on. but most of all make sure that you always start reading your scriptures with a prayer. God is the one that always knows what the scriptures means.

Thursday 19 September 2013

What would you do? (How to react)

 Acts 17:2-5

If a good friend of yours came up to you today, and told you something along the lines of...
(photobucket.com)
What would you say/do?
  1. My friend is crazy. They need to be sent to the hospital.
  2. I wonder how they're going to pull off this magic trick?
  3. If they have a golden goose I would love to see this.
  4. What are they talking about? Why would they tell me this?
  5. Wow a real live golden goose?! 


There have been too many times (From personal experience) where I have done something that has ended up more like this:

So to link this to the scriptures when Paul the Apostle goes into Thessalonica and "Reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Opening and alleging, that Christ must need have suffered, and risen again from the dead" (verse 2-3) 

This was just as big a thing to them as someone, ranting about a gold laying goose. They had a whole range of reactions. (Similar to what we do today)

 "And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas" (verse 4) But
"The Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar" (verse 5)

These Jews weren't able to learn about the Christ whom they had been waiting for all their lives, because they were too set in their ways. What about us? Have we lost opportunities because we were to set in our ways?

We need to always try and be open to what people tell us. Never assume that we know everything. What they have could be the golden egg we need.

Thursday 12 September 2013

Map and compass (Scriptures)

2 Peter 1:20
(bbc.co.uk)
Looking at this map you would probably be able to guess what most of it means strait away. The green part covered with trees is fairly easy to guess, and so is the gray box with houses put into it, but what about that purple line at the top, or the red ring to seems to around the island.

Everything on this map means 1 thing. if you don't know what a symbol means then you would likely mean that your going on the wrong road and could end very badly (I have enough experience with maps to know that this is very easy to do even when you do know what everything means). You can't just say, "I know what the green part is so I know enough." 

(lds.org and pixlr)

The scriptures are the maps to heaven, and just like the maps above, its very easy to go the wrong direction when you don't know what you are looking at. So what can we do to help us know what the scriptures mean? I can give a few suggestions that I have found helpful. but please feel free to put more things that you think would be good in the comments at the bottom.

1) Read them as much as you can. A map is no good if you never look at it.

2) Explain word's If there is a word you don't know or unsure about look it up in a dictionary, there no point going to a Fortress thinking it will be cool to see, only to find out it's a forest

3) Write down what you learn. If you find some cool spot next to a lake, you write it down so you don't have to search for it again. Don't lose cool things you find in the scriptures