Monday, February 4, 2013

Seeking What's Good

God is like a master chess player. A good chess player can envision what they will do several moves in advance, and even better ones anticipate what their opponent will do in that time. God is the Master Chess Player, because he doesn't envision it, but he has a perfect knowledge of the moves the adversary will make. He doesn't only see 5, 10, or 15 moves ahead, but everything from seconds to centuries in advance. The same God that prepared the world for the restoration through inspiring different men and women throughout the years following the deaths of Christ and the apostles, guiding them to have the bible translated, freedom of speech and religion desired and instituted, and many other events, has also given each of us, His children, resources and events preparing us for our futures. (I don't know if that sentence would be considered a "run-on" or not. That was a lot of commas).

One example in church history is Zion's Camp, a story that many of you may not be familiar with. To be brief, the saints were being persecuted in an area, and Joseph Smith organized a group of men to march to their rescue. There were many trials and struggles, and a few men died. And in the end, there was no combat. With the return of the camp many of the men felt it was a waste of time and energy. Little did the know that 9 of the original 12 apostles of this dispensation, as well as the entire quorum of 70 and the presidents of the 70, would come from that group of men. And that through those experiences, one future apostle in particular, Brigham Young, would learn everything he needed to know in order to lead the saints to the Salt Lake Valley. (you can even watch it here)


I have seen God's hand a lot in these past 2 months. Events that we have gone through, that our investigators have gone through, and that our recent converts have gone through, have all shown me that God is in control. (I won't go into details, because I don't feel it would be appropriate in this setting.). He knows what is going to be thrown at us, and He is providing the way for us to overcome them. He is in control and if we rely on Him, we will get through it all. That is why he provided the Atonement. That is why he provided the restoration. We just have to do our part.

It's hard to see sometimes. A lot of the time in fact. But as long as we are "doing the things we should, and seeking what's good," we will find it, and we will grow. God has provided the way.
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 --Elder Braxton C Foust--



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