Tithing Our Time

New Testament, Mark 14:37-38

"And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour ? ^aWatch ye and pray, lest ye enter into ^btemptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak."

In reading the invitation of Jesus to watch with him for one hour, I ask myself if I could not watch with Him for an hour. What I mean here is that we are provided with 24 hours everyday all of us equally. On average we sleep 6 to 8 of those hours to maintain health. Which leave us with 16 to 18 hours left. We are so willing to give 8 of those to our careers and other needed things. That leaves us with 8 to 10 hours to do what we will whether that be family, or friends, entertainment, etc... Can we not give 1 hour to sit with the Savior to watch and to pray? To see His power and works unfold before our eyes.

In my mind when I think of "watching" I think of reading the scriptures to watch how others have overcome. To see how Heavenly Father has dealt with others in similar circumstances. To place myself on guard so that I'm not overtaken by the enemy. To feast and feed my spirit. In watching one hour daily we will find the Savior and in turn find ourselves eventually saved. How can we not become better when we sincerely seek Him!

We are commanded to pray. We read that when the languages were confounded at the Tower of Babel. The Lord allowed a group of people to understand one another because they pleaded with Him. He then proceeded to lead them to a land of promise. They were quite faithful but they did not progress in their journey. They waited at the edge of the sea for the space of four years. Finally, in my mind, out of mercy did the Lord visit them. He spoke with their leader for the space of three hours, and corrected him because they had failed to call upon His name. They had failed to progress because they failed to ask. It would be difficult to believe that they never prayed, it may have been the prayers that we always remember such as before meals. But true heartfelt prayer, prayers for guidance and for forgiveness of shortcomings or the prayers where we simply give thanks for the beauty that surround us were probably lacking. These are the prayers that sanctify us. Are they lacking in our lives? If so we too are sitting at the waters edge failing to progress to our lands of promise. Whatever or wherever they might be.

What say ye?

 New Testament, John 15:2-6

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
This is a teaching here that explains that when we are good we are likely to have more difficult challenges than when we are not fully committed. But the difference in these challenges are that they are only for us to become better. They come directly from the hand of The Father. While trials we bring upon ourselves because of sin or mistakes may not prove to be as effective in allowing us to grow. Therefore if we will struggle let them be brought about by His will and not of our own mistakes.

The Power of Belief

Mark 11:24

New Testament, Mark 11:24

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

 Why then do we so often sheepishly approach the Father as if He is some menacing tyrant only after his own pleasure. Surely when one finally begins to understand his relationship with the Father will they have enough faith and trust that He will grant righteous desires. Ask and it shall be granted. The scriptures teach that after all is said and done men will receive all that they really desire.

A White Stone

In the Book of Revelation the faithful who are exalted are promised to partake of the "hidden manna" and given a "white stone". On the stone is a "new name". Abraham received his stone in this life and was given a new name. When the Lord called him from out of his father's house his name was "Abram". The Lord gave him a new name and the Urim and Thummim or "white stone". Through this means did Abraham come to know the truth that neither did his nor the life of any person begin the day of their mortal birth. Abraham was able to witness the start of the great war, The War in Heaven. He learned that a plan was brought forth to create an earth where Father's children would be placed so that they might progress into something far more than what they were at the time. He saw "One like unto God" come forth and say that He would do the Father's will in all things and would allow man to choose what they would do with their own lives. He promised He would suffer for all and overcome sin. There was however another there also who came forth and said that he would be able to redeem all souls that not one would perish. The catch with his plan was that he would receive all the glory and take away man's ability to act for himself. The Father rejected that plan. It would destroy His purposes if we were not able to freely serve Him and each other. It is not in His nature to force any one of His children to love Him. This is surely why there is so much tragedy in the world. If you have ever asked yourself, "how could a just God allow... to happen", this is why, everyone's freedom to choose. It is so critical that one third of the spirits that were there were allowed to rebel based on their freedom to choose though it was contrary to The Father's wishes. They thus became fallen and their place was found no more in Heaven. So here we are today. We have forgotten but they have not and they seek to make us all miserable like unto them.
I am grateful for Abraham's faithfulness that he was able to obtain his white stone and exercised faith to obtain greater knowledge and wisdom. Because he did we are blessed to have a greater perspective on the "why" of this life. With greater clarity we are able to endure the frustrations life brings us and in time recognize Father's hand in our everyday situations.
I love this message of hope! It is not based on blind faith (though sometimes it is hard to see the next step). As the Book of Revelation says "he that hath an ear let him hear", our eyes can truly began to be opened if we but open our hearts just to experiment upon the word. Jesus told His disciples, "if any man will do His will"  they will know if the doctrine is true or whether "I speak of myself." John 7:16-17 The Holy Ghost can not help but teach you that it is truth. For by the Power of the Spirit you can know the truth of all things.
What say ye?

Abraham chapter 3

In the beginning

Where does one begin on such a daunting task. I use the word daunting not because I'm fearful but because of the audacity that I have that I might help some soul feel love. I wish only to pass on the great gift of love and hope that has been afforded me. My life was in shambles in 1998. I was out of options and out of control. There were no role models for me. At least not any for where my heart wanted to take me. I have always had a faith in something. Whenever I heard the name "Jesus", I would come to attention. For a reason that I now know I have always been drawn to the name.
I simply would like for you to walk with me as I walk with Him. I'm not asking for conversion just conversation. For The Father has stated, "come, let us reason together." Lets have a dialogue about this Jesus. In my mind all I can think is, if it is true and He is alive today then ought we not to seek after Him to find out how we too could go on living after death. Not just living, for that is His gift to all both the wicked and the righteous but a quality of life the quality in which He and The Father both now enjoy.
The Gospel was preached in the beginning. The moment Adam was placed in the garden he was taught that a Savior would be provided for both him and his posterity. The Father and Son knew that sin would entangle man and thus were they prepared from before the foundation of the world and set a plan in motion for our redemption so that we too might enjoy Life Eternal.

Moses 5: 55-59

 55 And thus the works of ^adarkness began to prevail among all the sons of men.

 56 And God ^acursed the earth with a sore curse, and was angry with the wicked, with all the sons of men whom he had made;

 57 For they would not ^ahearken unto his voice, nor believe on his Only Begotten Son, even him whom he declared should ^bcome in the meridian of time, who was ^cprepared from before the foundation of the world.

 58 And thus the ^aGospel began to be ^bpreached, from the beginning, being declared by ^choly ^dangels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 59 And thus all things were confirmed unto ^aAdam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof; and thus it was. Amen.

Thus we see that from the "beginning" of man that he has had communion with Deity. He has never been left without knowledge of why he is here. We have only turned away from the truth not that it was never revealed. 

What say ye?