Wednesday, June 24, 2009

1 Nephi 21:3-4

The text for this entry:

"3 And said unto me: Thou art my aservant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
"4 Then I said, I have labored in avain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God."

The Lord is speaking to Isaiah, I believe, and referring to the house of Israel that they are servants of the Lord, and that through them, He will be glorified. I was thinking about who the Lord was speaking to in this chapter and it could even be the house of Israel or Israel himself, previously Jacob (see Leviticus 25:55 and Isaiah 41:8). I am thinking this because of subsequent verses, starting with verse 4. The subject says, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain. Well, I wonder how many of us have done this. Perhaps all of us have. It is interesting, but one does not usually realize they are spending their strength on things that are in vain. However, some are prompted by the Holy Ghost and stop. Some are prompted but do not stop. Some just don't know any better. Everything we do faces judgement of the Lord, and so those who don't start in the first place (by listening to promptings that say you shouldn't start) will be rewarded. If you start and follow the promptings to stop, ignore the promptings and don't stop, or are ignorant there needs to be repentance of that thing. It is better to stop than not to. But I want to finish by saying that these are my current feelings at the moment and the Lord has said (in Isaiah 55:8-9):

"8 ¶ For my athoughts are not byour thoughts, neither are your cways my dways, saith the Lord.
"9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my aways bhigher than your ways, and my cthoughts than your thoughts."

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