Sacramental Prayers

We take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, and that we will always remember him.

"I also think the shewbread in the tabernacle gives us perspective as to the holiness of the sacrament, even though we eat it in church and not in our temples.  It is like a map of where we are.  It makes me think that maybe when we eat the sacrament we must imagine ourselves in the holy place of the tabernacle, next to the veil.   I think we are to learn what the Lord wants us to live at a moral level as though we are always so near to God that He can hear us through that veil and we can hear Him.  For we are certainly promised the presence of a member of the Godhead." Scriptorium Bloglorium

paragraph added

With the Bread it is like we are clothe and fed, even nourished, then with the Water we are cleansed and pure, made ready to enter his presence.

Wow, #500 post on Scripture Man!

This is the 500th post on Scripture Man.  To this point, a 4 year journey.  Hopefully you have seen a change in your desire to read scripture.  It began with a quote from Boyd K. Packer, to this historic point- Alma chapter 7 in the Book Of Mormon, 

19 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight.

20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.

C.S. Lewis astutely clarifies that for our premodern ancestors, the universe “had a built-in significance. And that in two senses; as having “significant form’ … and as a manifestation of the wisdom and goodness that created it.

reference:

the Scientific Persistence of Circles: Aristotle, Spacetime, and One Eternal Round

Elizabeth Nielson

Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 19 (2016): 327-341

Greater Hearing

My gratitude abounds when I hear messages that challenge the way I’m living and help me come closer to discovering light and truth and experiencing real joy. When we see those not of our faith doing good, why not rejoice and sing with gratitude to the heavens that in a world of so many dark influences, light and goodness are getting a greater hearing?

Samuel B. Hislop

his response to President Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invitation, October 2018 for a social media fast-

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/evangelical-and-mormon-leaders-gather-in-tabernacle-to-promote-faith-and-religious-freedom

I see efforts with the involvement of Riverton FamilySearch Library coordinating Family History and the Hilltop Methodist Church. And studying the Bible with the monday study group at Juan Diego Catholic Church- at the end of each session praying for those in the community.

Summing Up Sentence

Summing up a chapter in scripture in a sentence can be a great way to recall what you have read and studied, eg. below:

Then continuing this journey theme with “arise” and “wake up” from “the dust” to that “pleasing bar”  through the “air” Moroni exhorts to “come unto Christ”.
Moroni 10, The Book Of Mormon
-a journey theme

Rites

Some of the most powerful set of scripture verses are collected in 2 Nephi 31, expressed from Nephi- us entering a gate, on a path.  Temple symbolism is portrayed from his experience with ancient tabernacle rites in these verses, or ones journey through the tabernacle like he had experienced. He knew of these sacred rites, and expressed them in his ✍️.

My next post will describe his experience.

Alma 26:13

The  hymn before President Nelson talk was moving to me and so inspiring.  The words evoked the presence of the savior in my mind- tears of Joy filled me, and I replayed these hymns over and over cause I recorded the conference session.

It was as if an approval of his prophets forthcoming word- about the name of his church on earth, and making the temple a signicance in your life, I quote, "I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family."

An unprecedented message as our society is so branded and name identified.  Here are some lyrics from this hymn:

1 His Voice As The Sound

Then the the lyrics of the hymn following his message was as if the Lord sealed, or even affirmed what he said.  President Nelson fulfilled in his talk the Lord’s will!

2 It Is Well With My Soul

1 When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

2 When sorrows like sea billows roll;

3 Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

4 It is well, it is well with my soul.

◦ Refrain:

◦ It is well with my soul,

◦ It is well, it is well with my soul.

5 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

6 Let this blest assurance control,

7 That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

8 And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

9 My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

10 My sin, not in part but the whole,

11 Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

12 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

13 For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

14 If Jordan above me shall roll,

15 No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

16 Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

17 But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

18 The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

19 Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

20 Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

21 And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

22 The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

23 The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

24 Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

1 And bask in the smile of His face.

Love sits in His eyelids and scatters delight

Through all the bright regions on high,

Their faces the Cherubim veil in His sight,

And tremble with fullness of joy.

He looks, and ten thousands of angels rejoice,

And myriads wait for His word,

He speaks, and eternity filled with His voice,

Re-echoes the praise of her Lord.

A Book of Mormon List- from President Nelson

The Book of Mormon is:

• Another testament of Jesus Christ. Its major writers—Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, Moroni—and its translator, Joseph Smith, were all eyewitnesses of the Lord.
• A record of His ministry to people who lived in ancient America.
• True, as attested by the Lord Himself.

The Book of Mormon affirms:

• The individual identity of Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
• The necessity of the Fall of Adam and the wisdom of Eve, that men might have joy.

The Book of Mormon refutes notions that:

• Revelation ended with the Bible.
• Infants need to be baptized.
• Happiness can be found in wickedness.
• Individual goodness is adequate for exaltation (ordinances and covenants are needed).
• The Fall of Adam tainted mankind with “original sin.”

The Book of Mormon fulfills biblical prophecies that:

• “Other sheep” shall hear His voice.
• God will do “a marvelous work and a wonder,” speaking “out of the dust.”
• The “stick of Judah” and the “stick of Joseph” will become one.
• Scattered Israel will be gathered “in the latter days” and how that will be done.
• The land of inheritance for the lineage of Joseph is the Western Hemisphere.

The Book of Mormon clarifies understanding about:

• Our premortal existence.
• Death. It is a necessary component of God’s great plan of happiness.
• Postmortal existence, which begins in paradise.
• How the resurrection of the body, reunited with its spirit, becomes an immortal soul.
• How our judgment by the Lord will be according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts.
• How ordinances are properly performed: for example, baptism, sacrament, conferring the Holy Ghost.
• The Atonement of Jesus Christ.
• The Resurrection.
• The important role of angels.
• The eternal nature of priesthood.
• How human behavior is influenced more by the power of the word than the power of the sword.

The Book of Mormon reveals information previously unknown:

• Baptisms were performed before Jesus Christ was born.
• Temples were built and used by people in ancient America.
• Joseph, 11th son of Israel, foresaw the prophetic role of Joseph Smith.
• Nephi (in 600–592 BC) foresaw the discovery and colonizing of America.
• Plain and precious parts of the Bible have been lost.
• The Light of Christ is given to each person.
• The importance of individual agency and the need for opposition in all things.
• Warnings about “secret combinations.”

Left

Right

Scripture-man encourages you to use this list in your reading of the scriptures: is, affirms, refutes, fulfills, clarifies, & reveals information previously unknown.

Think On These Things

"To enable us to keep our minds centered on righteousness, we should consciously elect to ponder the truths of salvation in our hearts. Brother Packer yesterday pleaded with eloquence that we sing the songs of Zion in order to center our thoughts on wholesome things. I would like to add that we can also—after we have had the opening song—call on ourselves to preach a sermon. I have preached many sermons walking along congested city streets, or tramping desert trails, or in lonely places, thus centering my mind on the Lord’s affairs and the things of righteousness; and I might say they have been better sermons than I have ever preached to congregations".
Bruce R. McConkie, Quorum of Twelve

Mental sermons can be developed in our minds of the scriptures that we read, and placed in our minds our we walk, muse or drive along.  

I like this short message from the Apostle Paul:

"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Galatians 5:9, KJV

Contained and Unfolding II

From this scripture I visualize: Mosiah 8:19...

Contained & Unfolding

Here telling of the power of the word: Mosiah 8:19- "great mystery in contained" and "unfolding of such mysteries to the children of men".

Scripture Labor

Our scripture study should be a more deeper daily exercise:

Brothers and sisters, on very thin pages, thick with meaning, are some almost hidden scriptures. Hence we are urged to search, feast, and ponder(see John 5:39; Alma 14:1; Alma 33:2; Moro. 10:3; 2 Ne. 9:51). Especially, however, we should also do more of what Nephi did, namely “liken all scriptures unto [ourselves]” (1 Ne. 19:23).
Elder Neal Maxwell 

Token

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
Exodus 3:

We give to God by temple service a token, God then manifests his delivering and redeeming power.

Psalms

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

91:

I love the Psalms.  I imagine water in the Lord’s palm being poured upon a face providing refreshment and cleansing.  I love the “shadow” visual from this verse.

List

I love to find little gems, repeated nuggets- verses when I read my scriptures.  They come often in attached verses, like in Mosiah 2:32-33, "list" or "listeth".

Then I  google, the phrase biblical list; which identified a meaning, a variant of "lust", meaning "to wish".  See John 3:8 "the wind bloweth where it listeth".

Are we wishfully thinking or reading so quickly that we neglect the will of the Lord or what he is trying to tell us, being like "who listeth to obey that spirit"?

Unifying Houses

“Yes, nation after nation will become a house divided, but more and more unifying Houses of the Lord will grace this planet. Yes, Armageddon lies ahead. But so does Adam-ondi-Ahman! “

Neal Maxwell

He said this in 1980.  In 1980 there were 20 LDS temples.  Today over 150 temples are around the globe. 

ReRead

In re reading the BOM,  I love finding references I tag with a particular like verse, Enos 1:27; Old Testament, Exodus 3:

9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.    

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.    

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.    

Temple Handbooks

Jacob's ladder, this ladder dream is the fulfillment of John chapter 1 mentioned in the last post. Christ bridges the gap of heaven and earth.
Genesis 28:10-19

A temple,  the place of heaven here on earth- is the prototype for life.  Handbooks to the temple are in our possession; prayer, the holy word, humility, worthiness, and the Savior- Jesus Christ.
Psalms 15:1-2 worthiness

In the scriptural handbook,  the book of Psalms- word gems therein,  and 3rd Nephi- of the children encircling the Savior enhance our understanding of the many symbols we can embrace.
3 Nephi 17:7-9

Temple Theme

This Christ moment expresses such a wonderful temple theme- 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
John 1:

Word Repetition

In a 15 minute span I heard reference to or cited the name of Jesus 30 times- from the beginning of church to the end of the administration of the sacrament.

In the same meeting, From a sermon on the priesthood I heard referenced the word “priesthood” 35 times.  During the talk I also heard 35 times “God”. 

Counting words can be a very meaningful exercise. Repetition impresses important remembrance and obligation to your stewardship.

2 Nephi 33:

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

An Effort

A battle today in maintaining ones purity of thought- in the trenches of the front lines of mortality, we need to be engaged in full force strategies; we may have a favorite hymn- to know the words, now we need multiple favorite hymn lyrics.

verse 38- 39 Book of 2 Kings 17:

"But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies."

Hymn 80, God of Our Fathers, verse 2

"The captains and the kings depart. Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart."

Bubble Up

Hebrew interpretation, Navi- provides great insight to the words of a prophet or prophetess in meaning, living in our times "to bubble up" or "put in our hearts"- "up unto everlasting life".  Additionally:

"These latter days are a time of great spiritual thirst. Many in the world are searching, often intensely, for a source of refreshment that will quench their yearning for meaning and direction in their lives. They crave a cool, satisfying drink of insight and knowledge that will soothe their parched souls. Their spirits cry out for life-sustaining experiences of peace and calm to nourish and enliven their withering hearts.

Indeed, “there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.”14 Let us work with all our heart, might, mind, and strength to show our thirsty brothers and sisters where they may find the living water of the gospel, that they may come to drink of the water that springs “up unto everlasting life.”

The Lord provides the living water that can quench the burning thirst of those whose lives are parched by a drought of truth. He expects us to supply to them the fulness of the gospel by giving them the scriptures and the words of the prophets and to bear personal testimony as to the truth of the restored gospel to alleviate their thirst. When they drink from the cup of gospel knowledge, their thirst is satisfied as they come to understand our Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness.

As at Jacob’s well, so today the Lord Jesus Christ is the only source of living water. It will quench the thirst of those suffering from the drought of divine truth that so afflicts the world. The words of the Lord to ancient Israel spoken by the prophet Jeremiah describe the condition of many of God’s children in our own day: “My people … have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out … broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”15 Too many of our Heavenly Father’s children spend their precious lives carving out broken cisterns of worldly gain that cannot hold the living water that satisfies fully their natural thirst for everlasting truth." Joseph B. Wirthlin

A prophet/prophetess in our times can be a guide, a voice, or even an example to our times on how to muddle or meander through life, yet "bubbling up his word" can certainly help us to rise above...even better to see.

Audio

I highly recommend following scriptures on your smartphone; Just turn up the audio and enjoy. It is really an effective gospel study tool while doing chores around the house, running errands, or manual labor in the yard.  I have been so elevated with gospel inspiration via podcasts, apps, blogs, or even posts through scriptures, talks and articles.

Form Of Scriptural Interpretation

The Hebrew word פרדס (pardes, Strong's #6508) only appears three times in the Hebrew Bible. In the Young’s Literal Translation (YLT - I like the YLT but it is not as “literal” as it could be) this Hebrew word is translated as “paradise.”

 and a letter unto Asaph, keeper of the paradise that the king... (YLT, Nehemiah 2:8)

I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit. (YLT, Ecclesiastes 2:5)

Thy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, With precious fruits, (YLT, Song of Solomon 4:13)

What is a paradise? The American Heritage Dictionary provides the following definition, “A place of ideal beauty or loveliness.” While this is an appropriate definition for the English word “paradise,” let’s not forget that the Hebrews thought in concrete terms rather than in abstract ones like “beauty” and “loveliness.” A more Hebraic definition would be, “A place of ideal rest and sustenance.” Imagine yourself walking through the desert; you’re hot, tired and hungry. Then you come over a rise and see before you an orchard of fruit trees. You have just entered a “paradise,” a place where you can lay in the cool shade of the trees and eat the wet and sweet fruit from the trees. Most other translations translate the word pardes as an “orchard.” While this is the meaning of the word, the idea of a paradise (from a Hebraic perspective) better illustrates the true meaning of the word.

The word pardes is also an acronym for a very ancient form of Biblical interpretation. The word pardes is written with four letters, פ (P), ר (R), ד (D) and ס (S). We could then write this word as PaRDeS. Each of these letters represents one word, P’shat, Remez, D’rash and Sod. The word p’shat means “plain” and represents the plain simple meaning of the text. The word remez means “hint” and represents an implied meaning of the text which usually has a deeper meaning. The word d’rash means “searching” and represents the meaning of the text that must be found buried in the text. The word sod means “hidden” and represents a hidden meaning that is drawn out from the text. When using these four methods of Biblical interpretation it is important to remember that the first method, the p’shat, can never be removed or changed with one of the other methods.

When these methods of Biblical interpretation are applied to the Hebrew text, the text becomes a “paradise,” a place of rest and sustenance.

D'rash

Matthew 18:18 - "... Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" This is a verse that has been interpreted in numerous (incorrect) ways due to a lack of understanding that this a d'rash concerning decisions one makes in their personal "walk with God" (called your "halakha" in Hebrew/Judaism).

Hebrew interpretation can be applied to Lehi- his dream of the "Tree of Life", and the observation by participation of the revealed ordinances in the "House of the Lord".

Pink And Blue Cards

A great Sunday activity is to sort temple cards and plan your next temple visit with them.

As a family we were able to do over 30 ordinances at our recent Ward Temple Day.  That was three of us.  A full day in the temple- doing ordinances is quite demanding, but after I could glimpse the early Nauvoo saints hastening their sealings in the temple before leaving.  Obviously, our circumstances far more peaceful. It certainly heightens my respect for these early latter-day saints.

Universe-Heavens, Opening-Secrets

Oh, there is so much more that your Father in Heaven wants you to know. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!”
Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon (or New Testament- I’m adding) and regular time committed to temple and family history work.
President Nelson, LDS Church- April conf. 2018

Words From Peter

25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

1 Peter 1:25

Balm

I heard voices today providing the balm to a needed heart; while giving to their young children “in practice” charity- the pure love of christ.  

Dust

I found the following truthful insight regarding Moroni chapter 10-quoted from a scholar type,

Insight: 

“Behind the creation formula lies a royal formula of enthronement. To be taken “from the dust” means to be elevated from obscurity to royal office and to return to dust means to be deprived of that office and returned to obscurity. Since the royal office depends upon covenant with the appropriate god, to be taken from the dust means to be accepted as a covenant-partner and treated graciously; to return to the dust means to lose that covenant relation. … To die and be raised is to be out of covenant and then back in covenant. So also to be “from dust” is to enter into a covenant and to return “to dust” is to have the covenant voided. Dust is not to be taken literally but as a figure for being out of covenant, impotent, and unimportant, or as Wijngaards has suggested, “dead.” The dramatic movement of dust to life to dust [Genesis 2:7, 3:9, 1 Kings 16:2–3] is in fact imagery describing the fortune and standing of the royal occupant.13”

See Moroni 10:34- Moroni touching upon his “pleasing bar”- enthronement 

Quoted by Moroni 

Verse 31: arise from  the dust

I like this interpretation.

From Mormon Interpreter, Lindsey