3.130 Reflecting On Being Set Apart

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. I know it seems to be a common practice inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, but when's the last time you were set apart?

That's what we're going to take a look at inside of our podcast episode today. I feel like this Numbers section just went so fast, I don't even know how to cover all of the things. And then we get to this moment here in Numbers 27.

Moses is quite concerned because he knows that the people need someone to lead them and he turns to the Lord and asks for direction there. And that's what takes us on this path here just a little bit. I want to read first our verse for today, but then I want to go into a conference talk that, in all honesty, was quite difficult to try and find a link for you to be able to get to.

But let's take a look at what we got here. Our verse for today is going to be at the very end of Numbers chapter 27. It's going to be verse 23.

And there's some key figures inside of here in terms of what's happening. This is Moses and Joshua are kind of the key figures inside of here, but it says this in 23: "And he, Moses, laid his hands upon him, Joshua, and gave him a charge as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses." Now the laying on of hands is a common thing inside of many Christian churches as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And this one here specifically is the transfer of that mantle of the prophet from Moses to Joshua as leader of the Church or the Israelites at the time.

But these verses here, actually—this really, this last paragraph inside of Numbers 27, which runs from 18 to 23—is what's really got me thinking today. This idea that Joshua is being set apart for the work that he's doing. And as I got looking into this, I came across a talk from Spencer W.

Kimball when he was part of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. So this isn't necessarily President Kimball when he was president of the Church, but it's 1958. It's October of 1958.

The Church doesn't even have those links to those old conference talks. I had to find a link through BYU conference talks, the citation index that I used before. But I want to read a section of his talk here and see if it applies to us.

He says, "The specific man was named. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him, and set him before all the congregation, and give him a charge in their sight. The setting apart is an established practice in the Church, and men and women are set apart to special responsibility in ecclesiastical, quorum, and auxiliary positions.

All missionaries are set apart, and it is remarkable how many of them speak often of the authority who officiate. The setting apart seems a perfunctory act, while others anticipate it eagerly, absorb every word of it, and let their lives be lifted thereby. The setting apart may be taken literally.

It is a setting apart from sin, apart from the carnal, apart from everything which is crude, low, vicious, cheap, or vulgar. Set apart from the world to a higher plane of thought and activity, the blessing is conditional upon faithful performance." Wow, what a deep, deep understanding of the concept of being set apart. My friends, whether you've been set apart for a seemingly small calling or large calling in the Church, I hope that you take the opportunity to realize that the Lord has set all of us as his followers and covenant makers apart from the world.

May we take that advice and understanding that Spencer Kimball gave us, that we may be set apart literally from sin, from the carnal, and everything which is crude, low, vicious, cheap, or vulgar. That one's got me fired up as I think about the ways that me and my family can work harder to be set apart. That's 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.