3.174 Be Where You Should Be

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.

My friends, have you ever played dominoes before? Or have you ever been in a situation where you're stacking up those dominoes and making an incredible track and you accidentally bump just one of them? What happens to the rest of the track?

You may see where I'm headed here today as we dive into our readings in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. Our verse for today is going to come from 2 Samuel chapter 11 verse 1 right in the beginning of the readings for the week. There are many examples where David had choices all along the way, and yet he continued to knock over the next domino, which knocked over the next domino, and ultimately led to his fall.

Let's take a look at verse 1 here and see what we can pull from it. And it came to pass after the year was expired at the time when kings go forth to battle that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel. And they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah.

But David tarried still at Jerusalem. Now that seems like kind of an insignificant verse as you're reading through it there. You're like, hmm, that's interesting.

A week here of General Conference Talks. I don't know, but this one suggests that you dive into this one, even though we had one yesterday. This one's from Elder Neal A.

Maxwell from 2001, October. It's called "The Seventh Commandment, A Shield". And it is, it's a solid one.

It's jumping on, it's going on to the playlist I just talked to you about yesterday. It's going on the Power Talk playlist. The Seventh Commandment.

Instructively, for instance, David's fall at least in part was facilitated because he was not where duty lay. It came to pass after the year was expired at the time when kings go forth to battle, David tarried still at Jerusalem. He says a little bit further down here, those who live after the manner of happiness also wisely develop protective spiritual manners.

These manners are reflected in their proper dress, language, humor, and music, thereby sending the signal of determined discipleship. My friends, did you catch that idea inside of there? Sometimes the first domino for us when it comes to other dominoes knocking down and ultimately leading to sin or to regret in our lives, maybe that wouldn't have happened if we just don't knock down the first domino.

And what is it in this story? And what could it possibly be in ours? Just be where you should be.

I can remember as a teenager, times where my mom would get very frustrated because I know I lived in a time before cellular phones. You don't even call them cellular phones anymore. I lived before the time of smartphones where we only had communication by phones at houses.

And if I would say, hey, I'm going to Brian's house. And then Brian and I decided to go to Ryan's house or to Patrick's house or to Casey's house or any of my other friends at the time. Then began the phone tree and my mom would get super frustrated because she called to Brian's house where I said I would be and I wasn't there.

And that began a hunt: Where did Allen go? My friends, I think it's like that in the gospel sometimes. If we are in our holy places as Doctrine and Covenants encourages to stand in, we will find a greater resolve to not knock down the dominoes that lead to sin.