2.244 According to the Pattern

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth, a bold reminder that our lives are meant to carry His flavor, His truth, and His love to the world. Join me each day to explore one verse of scripture and one thought, striving to stay full of savor and truly live as savory salt. Hello, my friends.

It's great to have you with me. Today, let's be anxiously engaged in a good cause and bring to pass much righteousness. Are you a color inside the lines type of person?

Or are you more like the, what are lines for type of person? Let's see what that means for us as we dive into a new week of study and learning. We're reading this week from Doctrine and Covenants sections 94 through 97, as well as finishing the Book of Alma as we read Alma chapters 62 and 63 and break into Helaman in chapters 1 and 2.

So we've got a pretty good load, at least in terms of chapter reading for our week this week. I'm excited to dive in because one of the sections here inside of Doctrine and Covenants could very well be just kind of one of those toss-away type sections where we look at it and we go, "Okay, that was applicable back then," or that was, you know, applicable specifically to the time and place. And yet, here, if it's available to us, I'm going to stay in the pattern of Nephi likening the scriptures to us.

And so, let's see what we can get out of Doctrine and Covenants section 94 here. The Lord is going to give some very specific instructions, at least size-wise, right? In terms of buildings that are to be built here.

And it's specific to cities and stakes of Zion that He's going to build to. And yet there's this interesting verse here that's pretty short and yet very telling as we take a look at it. It is Doctrine and Covenants section 94, verse 2 for our verse today.

He said, "I want you to lay this work down. You're going to commence this work." Verse 2 says, "And behold, it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you." And then He goes forward and gives several measurements and sizes of some of the buildings and also gives some direction about how those buildings are going to be dedicated and how they're going to be clean, both spiritually and physically as well. And so, kind of an interesting one, if we read 94 at the, just the simple kind of surface level, we just see that the Lord's telling them to, "Hey, build this one over here, 55 by 65, and this one over here," and He's given specific measurements.

And yet verse two stuck out to me because He said, "it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you." And when you dive into "pattern," boy, it shows you all sorts of cool footnotes here to remind us that the Lord works in patterns regularly. This is not a new thing. He gave patterns to Moses.

He gave patterns to Nephi in terms of instructing how to build a ship. Nephi had never built a ship before. He gives instructions to us in other Doctrine and Covenants sections on how to not be deceived by Satan.

And so the Lord works regularly in patterns. That then took me down a line of saying, "Wait a second, what patterns am I seeing the modern-day apostles and prophets giving us? And what patterns am I missing?" And I would encourage you at the beginning of this week here to perhaps put that lens on throughout this week.

What are some of the patterns that we have been given by a living prophet? What are some of the patterns that we've been shown through general conference talks over the most recent years here? What are some of the patterns that have been revealed through scripture and through earlier prophets and apostles?

Because the Lord does not work in chaos. He doesn't work at the last second. He doesn't run with His tail on fire.

The Lord works according to the pattern. He gives us those patterns, and it is our role in receiving. If you find yourself coloring outside the lines sometimes, if you find yourself saying, "Ah, this over here, the Lord's good.

He's all right. You know, He said do it this way, but let's kind of just adjust it this way," I'd encourage you to take a look at the patterns that we've been given, even to the level of the handbook of instruction that we have in terms of how to administer to others and how to administer the Church itself. We certainly have been given the pattern from the Lord, and it is up to us to decide whether or not we choose to work within the pattern the Lord has given us or whether we choose to work according to our own dictates and desires and see what things happen in our lives when that goes.

My friends, I'm grateful the Lord gives us the pattern. I'm grateful for the plan of salvation. I'm grateful for the commandments I have that can guide me to a happier and better life.

And I hope that you and I together can find the strength to follow the pattern the Lord has given us. That's all for today, my friends. Lift up your hearts and rejoice.

Cleave unto the covenants you have made, and together we will be a savory salt. For more information, visit us at www.fema.org.