3.078 Look To Be Revived

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to Him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as Savory Salt.

Hello, my friends. It's a new day with new opportunities. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

Today I want to share with you one of the major reasons I place my faith inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and choose to make covenants with God through that. We are reading this week Genesis chapters 42 through 50. We get to the stage in the story here where Joseph.

We're going to pick up our verse for today, his dad, Jacob, who is Israel, finding out that Joseph is alive. Now, in order to kind of get the context of this properly, you got to remember that when Jacob found out that Joseph was gone and, in his view, dead, he said in scripture that he would never be consoled, would always be a part of him mourning the death of his son. Let's take a look here at our verse for today and see what happens in his life and what it means for us in our life as well.

Our verse for today is Genesis chapter 45 verse 27. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them. And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived.

Now you're going to have to read verse 28 here to finish that sentence, but I think there's enough inside of the end of this verse for you and I to imagine for just a second. The spirit of Jacob, their father, revived. Have you ever had a family member gone for any length of time?

It seems like the longer the length of time, the more your spirit needs to go through this revival as the Scripture talks about Jacob. But I recently just had my daughter come home from her mission and been able to reunite with her. Remember that first hug from her at the airport?

Oh man, what a revival it was to have her back in my arms and to see that she was all right and that she was good and that things had gone well. Yes, she faced her challenges, but here she was home again with us. That one perspective.

And I think both missionaries and parents for any extended amount of time have experienced this. With covenants made in holy temples, I have an opportunity to see my family members again. Those that have passed on, those that have gone before me, my parents, both of them, mom and dad, my grandparents, three of which I lost before I was 15 years old.

I think of the opportunity to see them again and what that will be in terms for me to have our spirits revived, yes, through seeing our loved ones again, but also through turning to Him. I hope that as you picture this amazing moment with Jacob finding out that his son lives, that you can feel that in your heart, that you can turn to your own family members, ones that have perhaps been away for some time or those that have passed away, and reflect at the moment it's going to be for you to see them again and hear that they live again. And indeed, may your spirit be filled with revival as well.

That's my hope for all of us as we go forward with our faith in Jesus Christ. That is all for today, my friends. You and I have come here for such a time as this.

Step forward in faith, and let's be savory salt. We will be here tomorrow and we hope you are too.