The Lord's Thoughts and Ways

The Lord's Thoughts and Ways

(Art by Liz-Lemon Swindle, Photographs by me!)

 

 

Rexburg, Idaho Temple

 

Another Picture of the Rexburg, Idaho Temple

(Personally it's one of my favorites :))

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am going to do this a little differently. Oh and this is Josie if you haven't been able to tell. I am going to give you the exact criteria of what I am studying which is below and then I am going to tell you my thoughts, and you can join in if you want.

 

What I am studying:

Read Isaiah 55:8–11 (Old Testament, King James version of the Bible) ; Jacob 4:8 (The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ); 1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (New Testament, King James version of the Bible), and then answer the following questions:

• How is the message of these verses one of comfort? 

These verses are talking about the miracles of God, and how we need to trust in Him. In the first verses of scripture Isaiah 55:8-11 it is talking about the Lord's ways are the ways that we need to follow. His ways are not our ways, and sometimes His ways are hard, but that does not mean we should not follow them. The second verse of scripture in the book of Jacob 4:8 it is talking about how great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. His miracles are truly something to notice. His ways are also some kind of mystery to us as we are man. He is God. When He tells us something He does not want us to get upset or in the verse it says "despise not the revelations of God." This means if you are seeking out an answer from God than you should accept the answer that He gives. And then in the next verses of scripture in Corinthians it is talking about how as long as we work hard we will be blessed. Then in the last verse it says that we are a temple of God! I mean how cool is that? We are able to have the Spirit, the Holy Ghost with us if we live worthy of him.

• How can we come to better understand God’s thoughts and ways?

So in these verses of scripture I have kept on thinking about something that has happened to me recently. In church we have wards, or branches which is basically a congregation. My family has gone to this home ward for like ever now, and I am home right now because I am going to serve a mission like Sharlee is doing right not. Anyway so I have been going to the home ward, my family's ward. However, a couple of weeks ago one of the leaders of my stake, or larger area of the church, asked me to go to the singles branch. The singles branch is a group of young single adults that go to church together. I of course accepted, but now I am wondering what the Lord wants me to do in this branch... I haven't gotten an outright answer yet, and maybe I never will, but I know that the Lord has a plan for me. He is the one that created me, and gave me my personality, and brain. I know that me going to the branch will bless my life, and maybe I will bless other's lives because I was obedient to the Lord. Sometimes what He asks of us may be hard, but I know that it is the right way. I admit I have been struggling with going to the singles branch but I know that in the long run I will be blessed.

• Give an example of when you have observed a clear example of God’s ways being higher than man’s ways.

Back when Joseph Smith was a prophet the Lord told him that there was a law of health that needed to be abided to. During that time the people were addicted to coffee so it was  not a commandment. However, as the years passed soon that law of health became the Word of Wisdom. This Word of Wisdom as it is called is a law which as members of the church we try to follow. It says that we are not allowed to drink alcohol, do drugs, drink caffeine and stuff like that. For further knowledge about it is in Doctrine and Covenants 89. The Doctrine and Covenants is another book of scripture that we as members of the church believe in. Anyways so as studies have come out they have shown that those things that I listed above are actually bad for you. This law of health came to pass in the time of Joseph Smith, the Lord definitely knew what He was doing.