Keeping Whats Yours

My families home has been robbed. Not only did they take physical things, but they took our right to feel comfortable and safe in our own home. While these thieves took just about every thing we own, we have we still have our scriptures, our savior, our church and each other and that is what matters.
Because I myself have never been stolen from until now, I never realized how much it really does affect a family. They stole from us physical things, including things from my young kids and they stole a feeling that I don't know that we will ever get back.
I know that God has a plan. I know that for some reason He aloud this thief to take from us and this is a part of a greater plan. As a family we have really been focused on readings about thieves, stealing and robberies today and it has helped us to be calm and know that these thieves will be stopped for God has given us this information through His word.
Reading:
Exodus 20:15
Deuteronomy 24:7
Matthew 6:20
Reflect:
Have you ever been stolen from?
If so did this weaken or strengthen your faith in God?
How do of you think God may use a robbery as a part of his greater plan?

Life Lesson

I feel like anger is something we post about often, but that's okay. Today during my class at church we were reading an article about a husband and wife and this is their story:
They were newlyweds who had some trauma take place early on and their marriage began to suffer because of it. They argued argued and argued and finally received counseling from the church, went once and didn't go again. Their marriage continued to suffer. Eventually the husband grabbed their sons toy, threw it in the direction of his wife but missed her and hit their son. He was paralyzed.
Imagine the guilt this father felt. Imagine your anger affecting people, even people not directly involved, in such a negative way?
We may think our anger towards someone doesn't hurt anyone else but it probably does and we may not see it until its apparent to us.
Reading:
Proverbs 14:17
Psalm 37:8
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Reflect:
-Are you quick to anger?
-Do you believe your anger doesn't affect others?
-How can you change your anger into a more god like quality?

Psalm 139:1-24

Psalm is definitely one of my favorite chapters in the bible, and I think that Psalm 139:1-24 is one of my favorite scriptures. The main idea's in this scripture are..
1. God knows everything about you.
2. There is nothing you can do to hide from Him.
3. He is always there for you, no matter what.
Psalm 7 states, "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." There is no where or anything that will ever hide you from God. He can always see you. He is always there- whether you want him to be or not.
Psalm 4 says, "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." God knows everything you're going to say, everything you do say, even a thought in your head. This makes me a little nervous.. what if I think a bad thought? God can see that. But in reality, God can see & hear everything.
Reading: Psalm 139:1-24
Reflecting:
-Does it comfort you knowing that you can never hide from God?
-How do you feel knowing that God knows everything you are going to say, before you do?
-Write down an example in the past week how you exhibited a worried attitude and how knowing that God is always there, helped you over come that.

Death

Death has been weighing heavily on my heart lately. Yesterday, I got word that my friend's baby girl passed away. She was 7 months old and had a severe asthma attack & a collapsed lung. I've been thinking- why? Why her? It doesn't seem fair. I know though that God has a plan.
In Psalm 139:16, "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." This is comforting to me, knowing that God has every day written out for us. No amount of worrying, or anything can change that.
We have to know and trust that God has a greater plan for us. God's plan is the best plan. We may not like the things He does, but He knows best. We have to trust in God. Even when times are tough. Even when we feel like He's not "there". He always is.. and he always will be.
Reading: Psalm 139:16; Psalm 147:3; John 14:1-3
Reflecting:
-How do you feel knowing that there is nothing about you that is not written out in God's book?
-When tragedy strikes, do you feel comfort knowing that God is in control?
-When something bad happens, do you take comfort in knowing that God is there? Or do you feel like God "disappeared"?

Drowning in Our Misery

When is the last time you truly felt sorrow for your sins? How about the worlds sins? As a father to every single one of us on earth think of how much sorrow God must feel watching us sin time and time again after He's set up such a wonderful world for us. God does so much for us by providing everything we need and giving us a hand to always hold yet we are able to sin against Him time and time again.
If we were to sit in prayer and ask God to allow us to feel what He does imagine how that would feel. I feel like if I sat and prayed and asked to see my sin and the worlds there is no way I could look God in the eye. He deserves perfection, something none of us can achieve, but something most of us aren't even trying for.
As Christians I believe we need to be more focused on the bad in the world and the sin rather than the good. God will always celebrate one lost man repenting over many good men who do not need to do so.
Please don't misunderstand me to think that I think bad overrules good, because that's not what I, saying. A good tree will bear no bad fruit, so we don't need to worry about the people who are already doing well. Rather we need to focus on the people who need help and need God and need to be shown they still can bear good fruit.
Reading:
Book of Mormon: 2 nephi 4:17-25. In case you don't have the book of Mormon here is a link to the reading if you'd like :)
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/4.17-25?lang=eng#16
If not here are some related Bible verses :)
Exodus 34:5-7
Romans 7:24
Romans 7:21
Hebrews 12:1
2 Corinthians 4:16
Psalm 3:7
2 Chronicles 26:5
James 5:16
Moses 1:1
Reflect:
-Have you ever taken time to think about how God feels?
-Have you ever been able to feel like a wretched man for things you've done?
-How can you help lessen the worlds sin?