stumblingblocks and the Bible

I wrote this like 2 months ago on a prompting and then felt like I shouldn't post it. Just now I felt like I should post it. So, world, here goes. Sorry it's long.

I.

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

-1 Cor. 1:23

To get the full effect, I recommend reading all of 1 Corinthians 1, with emphasis on v. 18-25.

Why was a Christ crucified a stumblingblock to the Jews? (A stumblingblock is something set in the way of a blind person to make them stumble.)

Because of Deuteronomy 21:22-23, which read (emphasis mine):

22 ¶And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

According to Mosaic law, anyone killed on a tree--such as the wood of a cross--was accursed of God. So clearly, Jesus couldn't have been the Christ, because since His death took place on a tree, He must have been accursed. Right?

Well... wrong. From the Christian perspective, anyway, that is incorrect.

But that is only one interpretation of my question--the question, Why was a Christ crucified a stumblingblock to the Jews? To read the question differently--why was it important that Jesus's death be a stumblingblock to the Jews? Why would God make it difficult for a practicing Jew, one of His covenant people, to believe that Jesus was the Christ? If it's God's will for everyone to be saved, then why make it hard for them to believe in Jesus? Or is it God's will for some people to go to hell because they found it too hard to believe, when God could easily have made Jesus's death something that didn't violate the law of Moses?





II.

28 ¶Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.


-Acts 20:28-31

Paul warned his fellow saints in the early Christian church "night and day with tears" that after he departed, "grievous wolves," "of [their] own selves" would arise, to pervert the Church of Jesus. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Paul went on to explain that the "day of Christ" "shall not come, except there come a falling away first." The term "falling away" is an English translation of the Greek "apostasia," or apostasy. Paul warned the early Christians all the time that an apostasy was inevitable--that men would deceive and use the gospel for gain and lead the church astray. The definition of the word apostasy is "a total desertion of or departure from one's religion, principles, party, cause, etc."

We know that the early Christian church had to apostatize at some point, because Paul specifically said so multiple times. Before Jesus comes again, according to the Bible, there will be a falling away, or an apostasy--a total desertion or departure from the truth (according to the definition of the word), first.

Why is this important?

Because if the Christian Church established by Jesus in the flesh had to fall away, or apostatize, or "desert or depart from" the fulness of Jesus's Gospel before Jesus could return, that means one of two things. Because apostasy was/is inevitable according to the Apostle Paul, it means that either A) the Church apostatized in the past, or B) the Church will apostatize in the future.

Me? I believe it's clear that the Church apostatized in the past, the far distant past. Today's Christian landscape is reminiscent of Isaiah's lament in Isaiah 53:6: "all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way."

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of separate Christians sects today. They do not have a "unity of the faith" as Paul told the Ephesians in chapter 4, verse 13. Rather, as Paul states in the next verse, we are as "children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

"Carried about by every wind of doctrine" is a great phrase to describe most of Christianity today. I mean, is there anything all Christians agree on? There are churches that purport to be Christian that support abortion and gay marriage. Some Christians believe in the necessity of baptism; others don't. Some believe in the necessity of priesthood authority; others don't. I have friends that go to church all the time and couldn't begin to have a doctrinal discussion with you. How can you have a Christian church that doesn't teach doctrine? I don't know. But it happens, people!

Just based on the sheer amount of disagreement among Christians today, I think it's safe to say that there has been an apostasy. We no longer have that unity of the faith. Even in churches with established doctrine (such as the Catholic or Methodist church), the teachings will often change based on who your pastor is. The variation in Christian beliefs is huge. Yet only one set of Christian doctrine can be correct. If two doctrines are contradictory, only one is correct.

Why does this apostasy matter? Because at some point, God has to remember His people. Remember Acts 3:21, which promises a "restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."

God told Isaiah in Isaiah 29:14 that He would "proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder." Examine Isaiah 29:14, 18, and 22-24 (I cut it down for brevity but you should read... well, all of Isaiah but also Isaiah 29:14-the end):

14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

18 ¶And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Isaiah prophesies of a "marvellous work and a wonder" that God will commence, a "work and a wonder" that will confound the wise men and the prudent men. The "book" that will come forth will teach doctrine, teach God's children to fear Him and sanctify Him, and the book will be involved in the redemption of the house of Jacob.

But, to go back to verse 14, that book will be--what? Something to make the wisdom of their wise men perish, and the understanding of their prudent men to be hid. In other words, a stumblingblock. Or, as 1 Cor. 1:27 explains, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."

To go back to Isaiah 29--what will that book be, mentioned in verse 18?

A stumblingblock.





III.

The Lord trieth the righteous.

- Psalm 11:5

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

-Abraham 3:25

God puts trials--even what you might call "stumblingblocks"--in our way to test our faith.

I believe that the stumblingblock of a Christ crucified was necessary for the Jews at the time of Jesus because it was a trial of faith. To learn for yourself that Jesus was the Christ, despite His crucifixion, you would have to rely wholly on the witness of the Holy Spirit, and leave your doubts at the door.

We have many Biblical promises that God's "marvellous work" in the latter days will confound the wise. I won't quote 'em because I already quoted a bunch of them above. But essentially: when God restores all things, as He has promised to do in both the Old and New Testaments, that restoration will involve some stumblingblocks that could potentially trip up even the faithful--just as Jesus's crucifixion originally tripped up faithful Jews. And why? Presumably to test our faith--to see if we will rely on the witness of the Holy Ghost more than we rely on our own wisdom.

Basically: to see if we can trust God more than we trust ourselves.





IV.

7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

2 Nephi 29:7-10

In Ezekiel 37:15-19 God explains that he will have His prophets write on sticks--the Hebrew for that word could also be translated as 'writing tablets'--one writing tablet for Judah, or the Jews, and one tablet for Ephraim. Examine verse 19:

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

I believe the Bible to be the stick of Judah, and the Book of Mormon to be the stick of Ephraim. Now that we have both of them, they literally can be one in your hands--my copy of the Bible has the Book of Mormon attached to it. To me, this is a fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy. The "book" that is mentioned in Isaiah 29 does indeed confound the wise, acting as a stumblingblock to those who would prefer to trust their own wisdom to God's.

The only way to develop a testimony of the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus is to pray about it with an open heart and mind, and rely on trust in the Lord Jesus Christ that He will send His Holy Spirit down to you and testify to you. In the meantime, it's easy to qualm about things like the archaeological record or mentions of horses or whatever. I had a friend who said she could never believe the Book of Mormon was true because there was no archaeological record supporting it like there is for the Bible.

And I just thought--if your faith in Jesus is based on something so trivial as an archaeological dig or two, is that really faith?

Is it faith in God if what is really important to you is the arguments of man in favor of it?

To me, this is why the Book of Mormon exists. It is here to try our faith, so God can see if we are truly willing to follow Him in all things, even when it doesn't make sense.

But the most amazing part, to me, anyway, is that once you have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, everything does make sense. The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is incredibly internally consistent, in a way that no other Christian faith I have studied is. I urge you to give it a chance.


V.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

- James 1:5

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.


-Moroni 10:3-5

That is the promise that comes with the Book of Mormon: that if you read it, and ponder the words in your heart, and ask God in the name of Jesus if it is true or not, with faith that God will tell you the truth, the Holy Ghost will tell you the truth. You don't need to take my word or anyone's word for it. You just need to be open to the words of the Holy Ghost.

If you believe in the Bible, which clearly states that an apostasy is necessary and inevitable, and that there will be a restoration of all things according to the words of the holy prophets--when do you think that will happen?

What if it's happening now?

How would you recognize it? Are you searching for it?

I testify to you that I have read and studied the Book of Mormon and the Bible, and I know them both to contain the words of God. I know that as you study them, you will grow closer to God. I believe that both books, but particularly the Book of Mormon, contain truths that you are searching for.

Sometimes I wonder what kind of person I would have been if I had been alive at the time of Jesus. Would I have listened to the Spirit and believed? Or would I have been so caught up in the law of Moses that I would have called Jesus accursed because of His death on the cross and denied that he could possibly be the Christ? Would I have even given Him a chance?

I have been asked before if I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And while I was raised LDS, I have to answer yes. Because I didn't inherit my faith in Jesus and the fulness of His gospel: I acted on the promise contained in the Book of Mormon and asked God for myself if it was true. Reading the book can take less than a week--it was hardly an investment of time. And I knew that, in reading it, worst case scenario: God told me it was a fake and I'd just spent a week learning about other people's beliefs. Best case scenario: the fulness of God's true gospel was restored, I could have access to even more of Jesus's words, and I could have a personal witness from the Holy Ghost of its truth.

I took the risk and read the book.

I got my answer.

You can get an answer, too.

what you want to do, or REALLY WANTING

Just recently came across this quotation:

If you really want to do something, no one can stop you.

If you don't really want to do something, no one can help you.
It is true.

I've been studying a lot about goals, obviously--this year I accomplished several goals, and I've been writing about it here. I just started rereading my Napoleon Hill collection. But everything comes down to those two sentences.

If you REALLY WANT something, no one can stop you.

If you don't REALLY WANT something, no one can help you.

I have been blessed to know what it is like to REALLY WANT something. To want something so badly it consumes you. To have your desires on the forefront of your mind at every turn. Fortunately I've only wanted good things like that--like to be married, and to graduate from high school and then college, and to get a job and a house, and that sort of thing. Because I imagine having negative desires like that would be pretty terrible.

It used to really frustrate me that other people didn't REALLY WANT things like I did. I guess because, at least for me, once I tasted that feeling, I wanted it forever. When I don't REALLY WANT things, my life feels very empty. But it's the kind of emptiness you don't realize you have until it's filled. So I think a lot of people don't know what they're missing out on by allowing themselves to be dispassionate.

Anyway, I no longer care if other people REALLY WANT things or not. I mean, it's like that quote says: if you don't REALLY WANT something, no one can help you. I can't help you. If you don't have a passion in your life, something that you crave and fight for, I can't do anything about that. I can't make you decide what in your life is worth having and what isn't. I can't decide for you if something is worth doing everything to have.

So, this realization has made me a lot more chill. Thank goodness.

But here's the thing. I feel like every day, I see a lot of people who casually want things, and wonder why their lives are not the way they want them to be. In some cases, it's positively heartbreaking. These people's lives could be different if they REALLY WANTED things--REALLY WANTED and then fought for them.

For example, I have a friend we shall call S who casually wants--well, all sorts of stuff. Overall, though, I bet you what she wants is a husband who can provide for her, a house of her own that she does not need to share, financial security, and solid spiritual grounding. She knows that she wants those things because she has mentioned them to me. But I know that she does not REALLY WANT those things, because if she did, her life would be different.

If she REALLY WANTED to get married, she would take better care of herself, make an effort to present and market herself in an attractive way, and make a concentrated effort to meet marriageable men. She would get herself some therapy to overcome her personal mental health problems that are holding her back.

If she REALLY WANTED to have a house of her own, she would get off her behind and actually do the paperwork for it. She says she has a hard time figuring that stuff out, but if she REALLY WANTED it, she would ask someone for help. Because people who REALLY WANT things stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

If she REALLY WANTED financial security, then she would be budgeting her money. She says she doesn't understand money very well but someone who REALLY WANTS financial security finds a way to understand it.

If she REALLY WANTED a solid spiritual grounding, then she would do whatever it took to get her spiritual affairs in order and be baptized like she has said she knows she must do. She would read her scriptures every day and pray every day. She says that she knows that's what is necessary for her to change her life. But apparently changing right now is "too hard."

Is it really too hard?

I seriously doubt it. In reality, it's just not what she wants. She doesn't REALLY WANT it.

And that's okay.

It's taken me years to be okay with this, but I think I am. I have always had a hard time with people who say they want things, but then clearly don't do the necessary work to get them. I guess that's why I'm a conservative. Because I believe that if you REALLY WANT something, no one can stop you.

People who REALLY WANT things go all the way trying to get them. When I REALLY WANTED to graduate early from high school, my typical day started at 4:30 am with homework, scriptures, showering and breakfast, and then I would literally go from there to seminary, to school (half the time without a lunch break, because I chose to take an extra class instead of lunch), to practice for the musical, to night school, to bed. Notice anything missing from that? Like, say, lunch and dinner? I would literally eat from the hour of five to six every day, and that was my meal. If I got hungry later on, I usually just had to deal with it. Sometimes I packed a snack. But with finite hours in the day, I had to make them count to achieve my goals.

Or when I was at BYU and REALLY WANTED to get married. I lost weight, ran five miles a day, wore makeup and heels every time I left the house, hosted gatherings, joined clubs, met people as often as I could, and actively sought out situations that could lead to something more. Yeah, it was hard. I have flat feet and severely pronated ankles--walking was hard. But I knew that guys judge your looks first, fair or not, and I decided it was worth it to me to have sore feet in return for having good looking legs. Do I love meeting new people? One of my friends thinks I'm an extravert, but in reality I hate meeting new people. It's scary and hard. But I went out of my way to put myself out there to meet new people, because obviously you've got to meet your husband somehow. Very few people have a spouse just magically pop into their lives. I did things that were hard and scary for me because I knew that's what it would take for me to accomplish my goal of attracting and then marrying the kind of guy I wanted to marry. When you REALLY WANT something, you make sacrifices to make it happen. You change your life, even the things you don't want to change, to make it happen.

So, to all my friends with unfulfilled dreams, know this: I don't care if you don't REALLY WANT your dreams to come true. You can sit around all day and want things that you don't have, and I am not frustrated with that.

But I want you to know that if you REALLY WANT something, REALLY, REALLY WANT it, nothing will stand in your way. If you REALLY WANT to get married, and you set it in your mind that you will do it by golly, and work with God and change your life to make it happen, I believe it will happen. If you REALLY WANT financial security--say, to get out debt, or learn how to budget--you can do that. People who REALLY WANT those things work hard to make them happen. They ask for help, take criticism, try things out and learn from their mistakes. But then they happen. Miracles happen for people who REALLY WANT and work hard to make their dreams come true.

I can already imagine what some of you might be thinking--ha, like anyone reads this, but maybe somebody does--thinking, "but I DO REALLY WANT things!"

To which all I have to say is--really? Are you really, literally, doing every single last little itty bitty thing that could help you achieve that goal right now?

Because I think just about everyone in this world, especially me, for the record, can do more than we are currently doing to achieve our goals--to get the things we want.

Anyway, this was long-winded and boring, and I'm sorry. I have just been thinking about this idea a lot and trying to figure out how I feel about it. How can I help my friend S out of her situation? I think the biggest thing I can do is help her discover this principle on her own and let her take it from there. Maybe she just doesn't even know realize that she doesn't actually want what she says she wants. Clearly, she wants the status quo more than she wants a home and a family and a strong spiritual footing because if she wanted those things, she would sacrifice her status quo on their altar and not look back. People do this all the time. Even people who are not normally passionate can find it in themselves to look at their lives and realize--if I REALLY WANTED x or y or z, I would be living differently. And they change their lives. So maybe just pointing that out to her is what I need to do.

Who knows.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, I'm grateful for you. I hope your Turkey Days were fantastic and filled with gratitude.

Here's to all of us learning how to REALLY WANT.

Nathaniel's first words

Nathaniel is a talker now, I forgot to mention. Has been for a few weeks. He does not say many things.

His first word was "up," followed by "hat" and "hot." He loves hats a lot and when he is bored he sticks a hand on his head where a hat would go, and points at random people and says "hat! Hat!" I'm not really sure why he does this or what it's supposed to mean, because no one is wearing a hat when he points at them.

He also says... eh, that's actually about it. He occasionally says "Da!" or "Mamammaamamamama" but he never means "Mama" when he says em sounds in a row like that. He usually means "more" or "milk" or is just trying to get my attention.

He has learned a few more signs. He signs for questions by shrugging and doing a weird squealie grunt thing, like "uhh???" so it sounds like he's asking a question. He can ask surprisingly complicated questions just by signing, pointing, and shrugging like that. Today he asked me how to get around an obstacle course to find a ball he'd rolled away. The other morning when Carl was on call all night for work, Nathaniel got up and asked me where Carl was. He asks why we can't play with bubbles, why he can't where shoes, where his socks are. Basically whatever, he can ask why, how, where. I'm pretty impressed with his skills.

He also signs for music a lot, and for reading. He loves (LOVES) my guitar so about once a day he'll grab me and take me to my case, and then point and sign for please music. So I pull it out, play him a song or two while valiantly defending the pegs, which he is always trying to twist, and he just loves it.

He's kind of a talker!

HAT! and family pictures

Nathaniel loves hats. Here he is wearing my sister's fedora.

Family picture:

Halloween (pictures)

Halloween church outfits (made by Jacque!):

As Tigger and a Heffalump:

Carl was Seneca Crane, aka the Gamemaster from Hunger Games:

I was going to be Effie Trinket for Halloween, but then I got sick and just stayed in pajamas instead. 

AUTUMN! (pictures)

miscellaneous pictures

Baby and daddy taking a pre-church nap:

Step 1: put box on head.
Step 2: put bucket on face.

Cuddling while watching Storybots with Nathan:

Dancing:

Eating: