Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his [the prophet, Joseph Smith] words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth [see D&C 1:38], in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." God promises me amazing blessings on the condition that I follow the prophets:
1. The gates of hell shall not prevail against me. 2. The Lord will disperse the powers of darkness from before me. 3. The heavens will shake for my good, and for the good of the prophet. A friend recently asked me what it means to have the heavens shake for our good. The first thought that comes to mind is the scripture Malachi 3:8, where the Lord promises Malachi that if he will pay his tithes, the Lord will "open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Similarly, by following the prophet, I believe that the Lord will "shake" down a bounty of blessings upon us. In Psalms 68:8, we read that the "earth shook ... at the presence of God." Perhaps "shaking" is symbolic of the manifestation of deity. As we follow the prophet--the Lord's mouthpiece--we feel the Holy Ghost. Isaiah 13:13 speaks of God shaking the heavens as punishment on the evil, rather than for their good: "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." From this, we learn that the effect of the heaven and earth shaking (whether symbolically, or literally--as at Christ's death and before the Second Coming) depends on the person's righteousness. Isaiah 24:17 has a similar message, but specifically refers to the windows of heaven: "And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake." Joel 3:16 provides additional description of the heavens and earth shaking at the last days: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." Despite the turmoil of the last days, the Lord provides hope and strength. As we consciously strive to follow the prophet, we are protected from the adversary's latter-day attacks, and receive an outpouring of blessings, shaken from heaven for our good.
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In the sermon on the mount, Jesus explained the magnificent blessings given to those who believe, follow, and defend him. At this time in your life, which blessing is most important to you?
The blessings that stand out most to me at this time are to be comforted, have mercy, and be called the children of God. In order to receive these blessings, I must mourn (especially with those that mourn - see Romans 12:15), be merciful, and be a peacemaker.
Based on Luke 5:1-11Peter the salesman has been cold-calling potential customers all week, but no one is biting. As he begins a new day's work, his boss comes over and asks why his numbers are so low. Peter describes his countless phone calls and overtime hours. But, he admits, he hasn't made a sale in over a week.
Later that day, as Peter hangs up after another futile call, Jesus enters the office. Jesus asks Peter if he will stop his calls so that Jesus can use the office to preach. Peter thinks about his boss' visit that morning. He thinks about his sales quota and his miserably low numbers. He thinks about his family at home, who are depending on him. Yet Peter feels something inside of him that prevents him from refusing. He agrees to Jesus' request, and Jesus walks to the front of the office to preach. As he begins to speak, people starts filing into the office. Sales partners. Curious coworkers from the department next door. Even people who do not belong to the company. People form a crowd around the office, trying to hear Jesus speak. Peter listens intently. As the work day comes to a close, Jesus concludes his remarks. Slowly, the crowd begins shuffling out of the office, until only Jesus and Peter remain. Jesus pulls a post-it note from his shirt pocket with a string of numbers written neatly on it. He hands the note to Peter, and says, "Call this number, and ask if they will buy your product." Peter quickly responds, "Master, I have worked all week making calls, but I haven't made a single sale." Then, after a short pause, he continues, "But even so, I will do as you ask." Peter calls the number, and sure enough, the woman at the other end is anxious to buy a massive order of the product. In fact, she belongs to a network of companies that have been looking for just the solution that Peter's company sells. She emails Peter a long list of company contacts, and Peter and his sales partners spends the rest of the month making sales just based on the list. At the end of the month, Jesus returns to the office. Peter is in the conference room, discussing a new product launch with his sales partners, James and John. When Peter sees Jesus entering the room, he falls to knees, followed by James and John. Peter cries out, "I am not worthy to be in your presence, Lord. I do not deserve the success and prosperity that you have brought to me and my family." Jesus motions for the men to stand up. He looks directly into Peters eyes, and loving responds, "Do not be afraid. From now on, you will serve God and offer something money cannot buy. Something of infinite worth. Leave your jobs, and follow me." At that very moment, Peter, James, and John exit the building, and, leaving everything behind, follow the Savior. |
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For anyone interested, I have a professional blog titled The Instructional Designer's Toolkit where I share tools and inspiration for instructional designers and e-learning developers.
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