Ponderize January 2016 week 1

  

Shaft:  A long narrow stem or body of a spear or arrow

Whirlwind:

Purring the two together: A very Dangerous situation

When you give someone the "shaft" - you leave them, do not support them

he will drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo

and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell. Alma 30:44

But when we build on a sure foundation

We cannot Fall

Ponderize Week 2 Adam Fell and Joy

Our Ponderize scripture this week is

According to our chosen scripture this week, our purpose of life is to have Joy

I learned something new studying Lehi's dream this week.  1 Nephi 8:15 says that the fruit was

desirable to make one happy.   I had never connected this with the Tree of knowledge and the fruit being very desirable and connecting the fruit being delicious to the taste and the sweetness.

Those who partook of the fruit were filled with exceeding great JOY 1 Nephi 8:12

I learned also that the verb partake has to do with sharing.  To eat the fruit together.

JOY  - in Hebrew I have learned that Joy and Rejoicing often has to do with Repentance.
In fact the scripture that precedes our chosen scripture says: vs 22  And now, behold if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden.  And all things must have remained in the same state they were in.......they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no Joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

Because we experience sin.  We can repent and have Joy.   Alma 33:23 says ...may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son.

God has carefully designed our mortal probation so that if we follow our Savior, Jesus Christ,
on his path (He is the way)and return to him, we will have Joy.

Joy doesn't mean an absence of trials.  This week I have thought about Tyler's mission.  It was
a year ago that we started his paperwork.  Now he has been in the field for a little over a month.
It was a long long process.  A lot of faith and quite a bit of difficulty.  Now when Jordan and Ben came home from their missions I was full of Joy.  I have pictures to prove it.  But, when Tyler steps off that plane and comes down that escalator in the Salt Lake Airport, there will be even a sweeter
Joy because of all of the trial that went along with his mission.  That will be an awesome day!

Ponderize Week 1 Go and DO

After listening to our wonderful General Conference our family is taking the challenge to Ponderize

Elder Devin Durrant's talk here


the scripture our family chose for the week is

I like the phrase GO and DO

we must get up and Go  Lekh Lekah

Nephi is like Abraham Gen 12:1-4  The Lord tells Abraham to Go

and by verse 4 Abraham departs.  When God speaks he moves

I'll Get up and Go 

God Tells Abraham again in Gen 22 to Lekh Lekah and take his son Abraham to the Mountain to sacrifice him.  Abraham is faith!

Nephi also

I will try to get up and go when I am asked

DO

When Torah was given at Mount Sinai all Israel said:

"We will do and we will obey" in response of the Lord giving the 10 commandments.

The phrase reminds me of Nephi's response when asked to obey the Lords command.

The Way

he shall prepare a way......

Another name for Christ I have found in scripture is The Way

In 2013 I was pondering and studying about Christ being the Way

The spirit taught me that Christ as "The Way" is his enabling power of his atonement

I always Love the beautiful language of Isaiah

40:28-31

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary: there is no searching of his understanding.

he giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (not stop)

On Wednesday of this week - while ponderizing this scripture I found Sariah's reference to the Lord's power.  She had been afraid for her sons safety.  Yes they had done what the Lord had commanded, but were they still alive?  Had a way really been prepared?  

The loss of her sons would have been great.  In her culture the sons provided for their mothers in their old age.   Losing her sons would cause others to think she had been cursed by the Lord

and most of all she just loved her sons!!

Here is her response after they return:

1Nephi 5:8

And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the lord has commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea and I know of a surety that the Lord has protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban and given them POWER whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them.  And after this manner of language did she speak.

Another Day I found that Ben's Missionary scripture from his mission plaque

contained a scripture that is very fitting here:

1Nephi 9:6

But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words.  And thus it is.  Amen.

John 1:23 says

Make straight the way of the Lord

Jesus is the way - the path 

especially the upward ascension through the temple back to God's presence 

Isaiah 2:

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isa. 2:2–3)