Today’s Reading: Jacob 4:11-18
13 Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.
We live in a day and age of “instant gratification.” Whatever you want or need is probably just two or three clicks of the mouse away. What do I tell my own children when they ask me a question that I don’t know the answer to? “Let’s Google it.” But, there are some things that even the all powerful Google does not know. A shocker, I know.
“Many in today’s world are looking for instant gratification and instant knowledge on the internet. In contrast, we will be exceedingly blessed if we exercise faith and patience and go to our Heavenly Father, the source of all truth, with our concerns.” -Linda S. Reeves, “Worthy of our Promised Blessings”
It is only through the tender feelings of the Holy Ghost that we will be able to learn truth and know things as they really are. Sometimes, however, we slip into the shoes of the Jews who lived among Christ and we “look beyond the mark.” [i] We receive a witness of the truth of a matter, but it doesn’t quite mesh with what we were hoping to receive so we keep looking past it, hoping that eventually, we will receive the truth that we are looking for. There is danger in this practice of “looking beyond the mark” because it can lead to spiritual blindness. [ii] As we stumble around in our blindness, we can find ourselves further and further away from the “sure foundation” which is the rock of our Redeemer [iii]. In verse 17 we are taught that if we reject the sure foundation, we cannot ever build upon it and have it be our cornerstone.
One of the truths that the Spirit has spoken to me is found in verse 11.
“Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection…and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him…”
May we always turn to our Heavenly Father, who is the source of all truth, as we strive to build upon our sure foundation which is Christ, our Redeemer. May we look to God with open hearts and minds, ready to receive light and truth, and reconcile ourselves with Him through the atonement of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.
I grew up the oldest of 5 children in the blazing heat of Southern Utah. After high school and some college experience I met and married Mark Ogden and we are the parents of four children. I have owned and operated my own home-based preschool for more than a dozen years, and I consider myself an accidental author as well. When I am not in my minivan transporting children from one activity to the next, I enjoy playing the piano, blogging, speaking about my life’s experiences, and feeding my insatiable crafting disease.