Good Word Friday Theme: Fear Not

We've been hearing this verse a lot lately in these troubled times. This chapter in 1 Nephi refers to the last days when God will bare His arm in the sight of nations and fulfill His covenant to Israel. Anyone who fights against it will be destroyed. The righteous will be spared and preserved.

So, does this mean that the righteous won't experience any of the unpleasantness that occurs in the end times?

Some Christians say yes, that God will rapture His followers prior to any tribulation (pre-trib rapture). We believe differently, that scripture doesn't support this (as nice as it would be). We will be here for the tribulation.

Good Word Friday Theme: Fear Not

Don't you just love getting shamed? When people mock you — so awesome. Humiliation is way underrated. Gimme some good ol' embarrassment, that's what I need.

Said no one. We are seriously afraid of any and all shame, mockery, and humiliation that's pointed our way. We'll go to great lengths to avoid experiencing any of these. Yet, there are plenty of scriptures that tell us we're going to be shamed for our belief in Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself predicted that His followers would be mocked and mortified. He told us to love our persecutors and to rejoice in the kinship of our Savior's suffering.

So, where does a verse like Isaiah 54:5 fit in? Fear not. You won't be ashamed.

Good Word Friday Theme: Fear Not

It's Dec. 22, 2017, and I'm driving at night on a lonely stretch of rural highway between Arizona and California with a dark, star-sprinkled sky spread before me. All of a sudden, something bright appears way up high. It's a dot of light like a star but much bigger. It's just about the brightest thing I've ever seen — and it's moving. It's slicing a slow arc across the sky, leaving an impossibly bright tail, which diffuses into a ghostly ribbon of light.

It is an awful sight — full of mysterious beauty but also profound confusion. Is it a missile? A meteor?

I call my husband who is driving a separate car. He's on the same desolate road just ahead of me. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I ask him.

His reaction: Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww!

My reaction: What in the world is this?! Is it dangerous?! Should I pull over?!

Good Word Friday Theme: Fear Not

November is soon upon us, and we're here with a new theme for Good Word Friday: Fear Not.

Today's verse is taken from John 14, where Jesus is observing passover with His disciples in the upper room. At this point, Jesus has just made a few troubling predictions:

He is going to die — soon.
One of the disciples will traitorously betray Him.
Peter will deny Jesus three times before sunrise.

Talk about bad news. I think we all know what it's like to hear bad news and feel afraid— it is 2020 after all. Just imagine what the disciples must've felt knowing that death and betrayal were at the very doorstep. Did they shake with fear? Did their minds whir in confusion? It's one thing if the bad news is hypothetical or likely to happen at some uncertain future time. It's different when you know it's most definitely going to happen to you.

Good Word Friday theme: Seek

Today, we wrap up our last scripture on the theme of "Seek." It's wonderful to seek God's will in our own personal lives — we're supposed to; it's good and right. But is there more beyond that? Does God have plans for the world at large?

Yes! There's a bigger plan for those who have eyes to see it. And today's verse says that there's a great blessing for those who desire (seek) to be part of that plan.

What are we looking forward to? The restoration of Israel, the destruction of everything unholy, the building of Zion, the glorious returning of Jesus, the end of the world as we know it and (perhaps) the unfolding of all mysteries.

Good Word Friday theme: Seek

Worldly wealth. Fame and privilege. Status and power. Beauty and admiration. Oh, the vain things we seek! We know deep down that none of these will bring true happiness. Yet ... what percentage of life is dedicated to worldly gain? What part is dedicated to spiritual gain?

Today's verse says that the "vain things of this world" aren't worth the seeking. It's something that we need to remind ourselves of on a daily basis because the vain things of this world can be so irresistible and enticing.

Good Word Friday theme: Seek

God is our Creator and Father. The universe is the only thing large enough to be His throne. Our tiny planet is His mere footstool. He exists outside of time and space. His love knows no limits, and His mercy is boundless. He is truly Great!

Yet, so often, we persist in patronizing Him. As today's scripture says, we seek to counsel the Lord, meaning, we like to advise Him as to how He can best serve us.

Good Word Friday theme: Seek

It's October, and we're back to our regular Good Word Fridays, and the new month's theme is "Seek."

We are all born seekers, don't you think? From the moment we enter the world, we're asking for something that we cannot obtain for ourselves. No matter how capable we become of providing for our own natural needs, there's always something to seek.

The key is seeking in the right direction. So often, we seek answers where there are none to be found. Worldly wells may yield a few wet buckets, but they always run dry. When we go to God with our needs, when we seek for Him to provide, He does. Today's scripture says so.

Good Word Friday theme: Peace

Today's Good Word is for anyone who has ever felt forsaken by God for a time. This whole chapter, as well as its parallel in Isaiah 54, is a promise to Israel, but it speaks to anyone who has gone through a dry spell in life. After a period of longsuffering, God promises that His peace will come and "put joy where the pain had been."

This chapter uses the image of a barren woman to paint a picture of desolation, affliction, and inner tumult. Then, it describes how God uses her to bear children — so many that she sings for joy and must get a bigger tent to house her offspring. And the best part is this — God promises a future of unending peace for her and her descendants:

Good Word Friday theme: Peace

Today's Good Word talks about peace coming from the mountains and hills. I live on a mountain in Arizona. People who live in the fiery valleys flock to our mountain in the summer to find refuge from the blistering heat. They enjoy cool, fresh air. There's clear spring water. If they hike along one of the rims, they can refresh their perspective with a view that extends far and wide. After the sun goes down, the sky reveals just how many stars there are for the seeing.

Many people come here for a type of peace. To get away from "real life" for a minute. But, their time on the mountain eventually ends.

Good Word Friday theme: Peace

Can you use a little peace in these troubled times? Today's Good Word is about God's peace entering our lives.

The verse is the final goodbye that Alma gives to the people of Gideon at the conclusion of a sermon in which he explains who Jesus Christ is and outlines the basics of having faith in Christ. Alma perceives that the people of Gideon accept his words, and so he prays for peace to rest upon the people in every area of life — where they live, what they own, and their families. (Those are some of the areas of life that worry us most. Wouldn't it be amazing for peace to reign in them?)

Good Word Friday theme: Freedom and liberty

Today is the last verse that we're bringing to you on the theme of freedom and liberty. Today's psalm says that God "bringeth out those which are bound with chains." In other words, He frees prisoners. Many of us reading this know firsthand the wonderful liberty that comes when the shackles of sin are removed — on the day of baptism and every day afterward when we repent of our trespasses.

Good Word Friday theme: Freedom and liberty

Have you ever heard a minister or preacher or fellow Christian say that we're designed to worship something? If we don't worship God, then we'll find something else to worship. This is so true, and today's verse reinforces it.

Paul describes how we are all the servants (or worshippers) of sin. When we believe in Jesus, we are freed from that slavery. But after Jesus frees us, He does not simply let go of us, like a person releases a helium balloon to float away who knows where. Jesus holds on.

Good Word Friday theme: Freedom and liberty

Today's Good Word says that when we seek God's precepts, we walk at liberty. In other words, if we follow God and obey His commandments, then we are at liberty to walk down that path. That road is clear and uncluttered. It's a secure, sure walk, guided by a rod of iron.

Some chafe at this notion of liberty: "So I'm only 'free' to do what God wants. That's not real freedom." Oh, but it is. It's the difference between using an elevator versus climbing through the chimney.

Good Word Friday theme: Freedom and liberty

Today's verse reminds us that true freedom can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Freedom is an incredible gift. In the U.S., we enjoy many freedoms that people in other countries can only dream about. Yet, the freedom that Jesus offers is available to anyone — even people living in dictatorships, even people living in extreme poverty, even people living with disease, even people living in slavery right now.