1 Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."

I've been thinking lately how some common ways of life nowadays have gone far off from God's ways... Mothers hiring someone else to raise their kids when they really don't need to work, people living on credit so they can have the latest trendy clothes, lots of people working way way too much and not spending time with family... I'm not saying that work or fashion in themselves are bad, but I am saying that I've seen people lose balance and that it's easy to go along with what's right in front of you instead of seeking out what God thinks about it.

I was at the Doctor's and read this quote from the bulletin board at reception:

“Good Morning, this is God. I will be handling all your problems today and I won’t need your help.” I liked it, was also inspired by Dad's post, and connected this in with my New Testament reading about how man’s ways are not God’s ways.

James 4:4 ...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

I thought about how so many times in my life I think I know what's best for me. In reality, I discover each time that by putting my faith and trust in God, He'll make my life better than I ever can. He knows the best timing and manner in which to deliver blessings. Look at my recent marriage, for example. If I had not held out for a little while, I wouldn't have met Spence! God knows what I should do and has a plan for me. This still requires doing everything in my power to make these things happen, but it’s a matter of letting Him take charge.

I also recently reread a short story by Tolstoy. It's a good one and really highlights that it's tragic when someone just 'follows the crowd' as opposed to listening to the 'little voice' that's God: 'The Death of Ivan Ilych:'

http://books.google.com/books?id=49qJW9M8O0wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+death+of+ ivan+ilych,+tolstoy&hl=en&ei=955ITfPvEIGesQOgsNGfAg&sa= X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAQ#v= onepage&q&f=false

Anyway, I think God knows more than man so why not listen to Him?

Fish Oil Might Work

I've been keeping up with the NT reading schedule, so I've spent the last few weeks in the epistles.

I don't know how it is for anyone else, but for me the verses in the epistles are the hardest ones to focus on. My mind is always wandering and sometimes by the end of the chapter I think 'what was it I just read?' I know when I taught the NT in seminary that I was always struggling for ways to make the epistles interesting.

I've tried different methods to keep my mind focused - one being that after each verse I pause and ask - how does this apply to me? Sometimes that helps - but in today's reading of II Peter 2, the first 10 verses or so were all so interconnected that I found that method didn't help much.

Sometimes I read out loud, very theatrically. Or sometimes I just try to find one verse that I think would be wonderful enough to cross stitch and hang on the wall - like the one in I Peter 5:14 - 'Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity'

We'll soon we'll be reading Luke - I always do better with stories.

Or maybe I just need to up my daily dosage of fish oil - when you get to be my vintage that's required stuff for the brain.

I'm enjoying reading the NT with you and also the insights some of you have posted. My comments in this post are from today's Priesthood lesson. Our class looked at two related NT scriptures about signs. The following scriptures are probably 2 different writers reporting on the same incident. In both the Savior uses the physical world to help us understand the spiritual world:

Matthew 16:1-4

1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from ^aheaven.

2He ^aanswered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and ^alowring, O ye ^bhypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the ^csigns of the ^dtimes?4A wicked and ^aadulterous generation seeketh after a ^bsign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the ^csign of the prophet ^dJonas.

Luke 12:54-57

54¶And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

55And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

56Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

In these two scriptures the Savior says that the Pharisees and Sadducees can discern the signs in the skies but they cannot discern the signs of the times, or in other words the fulfillment of prophecy that he is the Messiah.

Seeking after a sign is a form of relying on the arm of flesh or the physical senses, and not having faith to rely on Heavenly Father and the spiritual senses. The Lord says it is a sign of hypocrisy. He has disdain for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They led the covenant people astray and perverted the true gospel and law of Moses.

One form of hypocrisy is to look for an easily recognizable sign that obedience to a commandment brings immediate blessings. How often do we look for an instant reward to obedience? What we need to do instead is to recognize that the hand of the Savior is not always transparent in our lives, but if we have faith that he is the Messiah we know that obedience to his teaching will bring us to the greatest blessing of all and that is eternal life.

Putting our faith in him and not in a physical sign is what will guide us on our way home.

Love to all, Gramps