Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Cause the heavens to shake for your good

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was like a roller coaster. It's been interesting working through the process of building a new Ward Mission Plan in one of our areas. It's neat to see how involved it can be and how many different aspects tie into it. With all the different moving parts in the church it is a wonder everything works out so smoothly. I am fascinated by the intricacy and detail that is given through revelation on certain aspects as a group councils together to seek the Lord's hand. I am definitely humbled to recognize again and again throughout my life how much is truly just in the Lord's hands and somehow he pulls from our meager efforts and makes things work out! I love being part of that. 

I have recently started studying in greater depth in the Doctrine and Covenants. Something that stood out to me was in Section 21:5 how it talks about when the Prophet speaks it should be regarded as if those words were proceeding forth directly from the mouth of God. That is the purpose of a Prophet, after all. The ensuing verse gives a powerful description of what promises we receive by doing so. Namely that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will dispers the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." President Guffey has emphasized a great deal on the importance of obedience. This was the protection that came to the 2000 Stripling Warriors in that they were protected by divine power because they observed every command to obey with Exactness. This implies that they did not just ignorantly happen to do the right thing by trying to be the best they could be, or by seeking out to to good. Rather they sought to Observe the commands that were given and to execute the. For us that interperets into seeking the revealed word of God so that we might know his will for us through his prophets. As good as we may be by living lives of purity and service and other well intended characteristics, we will not be receivers of the afore mentioned divine promise unless we give our diligence to seek and observe the commands of our leaders to execute them with exactness. This doesn't mean that we will be perfect. It doesn't even mean that we will be able to do all that we have been asked to do often times, but that it should be our intent to do so. We must also recongize that by observing and executing with exactness we are not to expect that we will be impervious to incur any afflictions or trials. We also learn that even though not one of the Stripling Warriors was slain, there also was not a single one who had not received "many wounds" some even emaciated from loss of blood du to these injuries. Yet I conjunction with the very initial promise in our day, the powers of darkness were dispersed from before them, and surely the heavens did shake fore their good, and continue to bring glory to the majesty and power of deliverance through faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I pray that we can all observe, meaning to seek and find the council and guidance from prophets, and obey with exactness and by so doing we may truly sustain and "move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good..." 

I love you all!

Elder McGarry
 
 La Michoicana a really good mexican place
Double rainbow at our place

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