2.300 I am Well Pleased With Your Offering

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. A glimpse of what could have been, or perhaps what might still be. We're reading this week Doctrine and Covenants Section 124.

And it's a monster, so that's our Doctrine and Covenants reading for the week. We're also reading this week 3 Nephi, chapters 20-23. So we've got a good chunk of reading before us here.

And I got to tell you up front with Doctrine and Covenants Section 124, it's really kind of an interesting piece to look into because we go from sections, the ones we just read last week, Sections 121 through 123. And then there's this kind of two-year, two-and-a-half-year absence really. So understand the time shift into Doctrine and Covenants Section 124.

Spend some time getting to understand historically what's happening. I encourage you to go into "Come, Follow Me". Take some time in there.

Look at the revelations in context and the historical situation there because we are shifting gears into Nauvoo, which is historically quite an interesting shift from the Kirtland days. So make sure that you're kind of aware of that. This isn't a historical podcast, so we're not going to dive into it that way.

But I just want you to be aware of that because it is interesting to capture those historical contexts as we see these verses. Now in terms of what could have been and what might could be, as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, let's take a look at our verse for today and see what we mean by that. Doctrine and Covenants Section 124, verse 1, actually.

That I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth. Now at this time in his life, Joseph Smith has pretty much gone through all the crazy, right? He's been in jail.

He's been in court several times. He's run for his life. He's been traveling thousands of miles back and forth.

He's leading the Church. He's trying to grow. He's taking cities that are in complete swampland like Nauvoo and trying to turn them into beautiful areas.

My friends, I think the Lord would tell us the same thing when we're trying to just do our best. I know there's been situations and times in my life where I don't know what the next step is. And I try to bring it to the Lord and I try to pray and I try to go to the temple and ponder.

And I think sometimes the Lord's trying to just wrap his arms around me and say, Hey, Allen, I know you're doing the best you can. Keep doing that. The second part of this verse that I love, so he acknowledges that we're doing a good job.

He's pleased with our offerings. And then he says, Look, I raised you up that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth. The Lord's saying, Look, Allen, I know you're not perfect.

I'm glad that the Lord knows that. But he's saying, look, through your weak things, through your own limitations, through the things that you can't do, that's where I'm going to come in. That's where you're going to be able to see my hand in your life.

I love that because there are times in my life where I'm so weak, I don't know what else to do. And it's those times in my life that I turn most to the Lord, and I'm grateful to him. He answers.

He's there for us. There have been times in my life, and I know there are times in my family members' lives, when they just know that there's nothing else they can do, physically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever it is. They hit their limit.

They hit the max. They hit the ceiling. And then the Lord's there and able to take them to another location, to another level that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to accomplish themselves.

My friends, the Lord is well pleased with the efforts that we give to Him. He also is more than willing to let us know that we are the weak things, and it is through us, the weak things of the earth, that we're able to best show the wisdom of the Lord. May you and I in all of our weaknesses and all of our challenges be able to stand forth and show that the Lord uplifts us, strengthens us, and is there to help us every step of the way.

That's all for today, my friends. Lift up your hearts and rejoice. Section 124 is amazing.

We're going to dive into it and enjoy some of these what could have been moments in Nauvoo. Cleave into the covenants you have made and together we will be savory salt.