Day 38: Matthew 21:12-15
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased.
A reminder that the house of the Lord is meant for service and prayer and not for our own worldly gain.
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased.
A reminder that the house of the Lord is meant for service and prayer and not for our own worldly gain.
Day 38: There are many beautiful parts of the plan that has been laid out before us by our Heavenly Father.
The one that I am most grateful for and in awe of is His desire to let us choose for ourselves.
He knew we wouldn't all return back to Him. As a parent that must break His heart. I think God can feel sadness, although I think it's on a deeper level than we can understand. But, He also understood that He could not force His children to become all that they could be. We have to choose it for ourselves.
God's plan would not work if we were all on a set path with a guarantee that we would all finish the same. What would be the point? We could have skipped this earth life if that was the plan. God has the power to do that, but He didn't. In fact that plan was offered, and resulted in a casting out of heaven. God really, really likes us to have the choice for ourselves.
I respect that. Especially as a parent myself. If I could prevent anything bad from happening to my children, be it as a result of their choice or another's, I would. I don't like to see them hurt. And so far the hurts are very small, I'm sure they will get harder and bigger as my children do.
But, we are here to prove ourselves. In the end each will know just how well we did, given the amount of knowledge and faith we had.
I am trying my best to understand God's will. I know the reward will be sweet and better than I can even imagine.
I know that God loves us, so much that He does not want to force us to love Him. It is only through our desire to come to Him that we will know His perfect love for us. And even then it is hard to wrap our mortal brains around what that love means.
Ann #40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
The one that I am most grateful for and in awe of is His desire to let us choose for ourselves.
He knew we wouldn't all return back to Him. As a parent that must break His heart. I think God can feel sadness, although I think it's on a deeper level than we can understand. But, He also understood that He could not force His children to become all that they could be. We have to choose it for ourselves.
God's plan would not work if we were all on a set path with a guarantee that we would all finish the same. What would be the point? We could have skipped this earth life if that was the plan. God has the power to do that, but He didn't. In fact that plan was offered, and resulted in a casting out of heaven. God really, really likes us to have the choice for ourselves.
I respect that. Especially as a parent myself. If I could prevent anything bad from happening to my children, be it as a result of their choice or another's, I would. I don't like to see them hurt. And so far the hurts are very small, I'm sure they will get harder and bigger as my children do.
But, we are here to prove ourselves. In the end each will know just how well we did, given the amount of knowledge and faith we had.
I am trying my best to understand God's will. I know the reward will be sweet and better than I can even imagine.
I know that God loves us, so much that He does not want to force us to love Him. It is only through our desire to come to Him that we will know His perfect love for us. And even then it is hard to wrap our mortal brains around what that love means.
Ann #40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
Day 38: You can know for yourself what is true by experimenting on the words of Christ.
Everything I have shared with you the past 38 days have been things I have learned through experimentation. You can actually know spiritual things, not just believe them. Belief is a part of the process of coming to know, but I have chosen to share with you the things that I know rather than believe.
God wants His children to know truth rather than just believe it. He has given us a pattern for experimenting on truth.
1. Have a desire to know truth. You cannot know something is real until you want to know if it is real. Until you desire to have the knowledge, all of the evidence in the universe can be placed in front of you and you will not see it. You have to want to know truth, you have to want to know God, before He can tell you anything. Remember God respects our agency and will not give us things we do not want. You have to want truth, before He can give it to you.
2. Act in faith. Once you have a desire, start to act and follow the laws for knowing truth with a belief that you will get an answer. Doubt not, act in faith. Acting in faith includes keeping commandments, earnestly searching to know truth through study and prayer, and living a life that invites the Holy Spirit.
This period of acting in faith can take years, decades, and even a lifetime for some truths. It is a conscious choice to act in faith. But I promise you it is the necessary step before you can know eternal truths.
3. Question and judge for yourself whether the choices to desire for truth and to act in faith are good things or bad things in your life. Honestly assess what causes you to feel joy, and what gives you unhappiness. Continue to desire and act in faith for those things that give you joy.
(Just a word of caution, joy does not mean a life devoid of pain and suffering, sometimes you need the pain to really have joy in the end. Be as honest with yourself as possible when making this judgment. Look to others for an example if you need help. Christ is the perfect example.)
4. As you continue to act in faith and make judgments between what brings good into your life and what brings evil into your life, your understanding and knowledge will slowly start to grow. Slowly, your desire to know, and your faith, will become a knowledge.
5. You will be given experiences where you will see your faith has become a knowledge. You no longer believe something, you will know it. You will know when this happens. You will confidently be able to say you know truth rather than just believe in the truth.
6. Once this happens live according to the truth that you know, because you will be held accountable to this knowledge. You will be judged according to what you know.
7. Start the entire process over, because truth is eternal, there is no end to truth. There are things I am still desiring to believe, there are things I have faith in, but there are things I know. I have shared those things with you these 40 days.
I know God wants His children to know truth. I know you can experiment for yourself on God's word. Try it, pray about it, live it... you will be given truth too.
#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
Everything I have shared with you the past 38 days have been things I have learned through experimentation. You can actually know spiritual things, not just believe them. Belief is a part of the process of coming to know, but I have chosen to share with you the things that I know rather than believe.
God wants His children to know truth rather than just believe it. He has given us a pattern for experimenting on truth.
1. Have a desire to know truth. You cannot know something is real until you want to know if it is real. Until you desire to have the knowledge, all of the evidence in the universe can be placed in front of you and you will not see it. You have to want to know truth, you have to want to know God, before He can tell you anything. Remember God respects our agency and will not give us things we do not want. You have to want truth, before He can give it to you.
2. Act in faith. Once you have a desire, start to act and follow the laws for knowing truth with a belief that you will get an answer. Doubt not, act in faith. Acting in faith includes keeping commandments, earnestly searching to know truth through study and prayer, and living a life that invites the Holy Spirit.
This period of acting in faith can take years, decades, and even a lifetime for some truths. It is a conscious choice to act in faith. But I promise you it is the necessary step before you can know eternal truths.
3. Question and judge for yourself whether the choices to desire for truth and to act in faith are good things or bad things in your life. Honestly assess what causes you to feel joy, and what gives you unhappiness. Continue to desire and act in faith for those things that give you joy.
(Just a word of caution, joy does not mean a life devoid of pain and suffering, sometimes you need the pain to really have joy in the end. Be as honest with yourself as possible when making this judgment. Look to others for an example if you need help. Christ is the perfect example.)
4. As you continue to act in faith and make judgments between what brings good into your life and what brings evil into your life, your understanding and knowledge will slowly start to grow. Slowly, your desire to know, and your faith, will become a knowledge.
5. You will be given experiences where you will see your faith has become a knowledge. You no longer believe something, you will know it. You will know when this happens. You will confidently be able to say you know truth rather than just believe in the truth.
6. Once this happens live according to the truth that you know, because you will be held accountable to this knowledge. You will be judged according to what you know.
7. Start the entire process over, because truth is eternal, there is no end to truth. There are things I am still desiring to believe, there are things I have faith in, but there are things I know. I have shared those things with you these 40 days.
I know God wants His children to know truth. I know you can experiment for yourself on God's word. Try it, pray about it, live it... you will be given truth too.
#40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014
![Photo: Day 37: Here is a post to coincide with sibling day (sort of). I wanted to share this story in my Book of Mormon week, but I ran out of time so here it is. This is a picture of the Two Thousand Young (Strippling) Warriors.
Here's the long story short. These were the sons of a righteous group of people who made a covenant with God that they would never fight in war again. Then, they were attacked by some not so righteous people and weren't sure what to do. They did not want to break their covenant, but they also didn't feel like dying at the time.
It was their sons who stood up and volunteered to fight for the people. They could because they had not taken on the covenant.
"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all- they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and sober ness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him." Alma 53: 20-21
(Doesn't that sound like a dreamy group of guys? ) (I'm sure there are plenty of sets of siblings there too...)
So, they went into battle. They were victors! Many were wounded, but none killed because they were protected by the power of God.
That's all very cool, but my favorite part of the story is the credit they gave to their mothers.
"Yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed [...] the words of their mothers saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." Alma 56: 47-48
Their mothers taught them. It is our responsibility to teach our children the ways of God. And, if we do, when the time comes that they will be faced in battled - however that might look- they will trust in God for protection. Some will be wounded still, but all will come out victors if that faith is in place.
That is my continual prayer. That I will know just what to teach my children so that they might have the companionship of their God.
I'm so grateful for the good examples of this group of mothers. And my own.
<3 Ann #40daysoftruth #LentChallenge2014](https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/p350x350/10152561_10152197408529193_5956618959634285642_n.jpg)
