Your Divine Nature (Institute notes)

Defend your divine nature.   

Does man's divine potential diminish or exalt God?    

God's ability to guide us in his grace & divine assistance to his nature is glorious.   

Man is changeable, yet the world would have you doubt that, thinking that God is flawed like mortal men.   

Christ had to learn how to figure out mortality too.   

Grace is divine assistance. Be anxiously engaged in a good cause. The more influence an individual obtains the more we should seek God's grace to continue to progress.   

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

Divine Potential verses

Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?  (John 10:32-34)

Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.   

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17)

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.   

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Temple covenants maximizes man's potential  

Bonus thoughts

Temple ordinances guides us to our Savior.   

How can I do more?   

D&C 124:37-42   

Mountains were temples.   

Reveal ordinances   

sacred place for their administration   

Reveal that which was lost   

The original endowment took all day.   

Bonus thoughts 1

My work is to enable my wife to express her divine nature.   

Deep sweetness. Purity in charity.  

Bonus thoughts 2

unique uses of the 13 articles of faith

• A tool for missionary work
• guide to study the gospel   
• a tool for evaluating testimony   
• a witness of the restoration  

The Doctrine of Mortal Suffering: Part 1

Listening to the Mormon Channel Talk Radio this morning, I was introduced to an inspired woman's speech, which I started reading. The woman is Francine R. Bennion, and she was a professor, addressing the doctrine of mortal suffering. 

I was unable to pin down an edifying insight, so I decided to read it. The document exposes that there are contradiction or opposition in all things even scriptures, citing several. Thinking about it, I see contradiction or opposition in all things may be a doctrine. Prophets say that all things testify of God as an athiest say that all thing testify against God. Man's scientic theories have a lot of  studies backing them, yet it does not testify of God. Lehi speaks of opposition in all things, but what about contradiction in all things? Contradiction does not mean that their are falsehoods in God or science. Science is based on theories; although, the theories are based on evidence. It does not mean that they are completely true. God's gospel is true, yet the Earth is created with opposition and contradiction. 

Man needs to endure opposition in all things to understand happiness, peace, and joy. They cannot be understood; unless, man experiences sadness, dispair, and misery. The radio discussion said that fruits of suffering gives man empathy to understand each other and God, coming close to them. There was more to the podcast, but I don't know what more to write about it. I will most likely write more as I continue my study of the sermon.

God is just.

One scripture impressed me a couple days ago. It is Alma 6:13.

"For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God."

The Book of Mormon is so plain, teaching that God does not deny the agency of man to maintain temporal justice. If people make bad choices, it reflects on them. God's justice is not served immediately, and life is not fair in many temporal situations; however, God is just. Be faithful to him, and he will fulfill his promises unto you.

5 March 2019

Today I decided to switch things up. I have been starting to arrive at work late recently. I am starting to do many things late. I am a punctual person, and I am trying to figure out how to go to sleep on time, arrive to work on time, and do everything on time. Doing too much is making me late. I decided to do the dishes in the evening rather than the morning. I may needto give up something. 

The inspector was available to do the ones that I found yesterday. I am learning to engage people more to complete their quality control issues. I printed my list of QC items for Columbia Stone. The coordination of these inspections are a lot of work. I oddly felt very slow in the process. 

One scripture impressed me a couple days ago. It is Alma 6:13.

"For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God."

The Book of Mormon is so plain, teaching that God does not deny agency to maintain justice. If people make bad choices, it reflects on them. God's justice is not served immediately, and life is not fair in many temporal situations; however, God is just. Be faithful to him, and he will fulfill his promises unto you.

I drew the mage's pet bear cub, but file got corrupt; therefore, I lost that progress. It is a good thing that I publish it daily, so I can download yesterday's draft. 

This is faith to live by your spiritual knowledge, assurances, and revelation.

I started reading Matthew chapter 8 per the schedule of "Come, follow me." If God were living on Earth, would you ask him to bless one of your loved ones? I think that this would be as natural as prayer. The following story impressed me: 

"And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 
And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 
The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 
When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." (Matthew 8:5-13)

The centurion knew Christ can heal his servant, and he asked him to do so. The miracle would not have happened, if he had not asked. This is faith to live by your spiritual knowledge, assurances, and revelation. 

I tend to write a lot about this because an accounting teacher taught what faith really is. Faith is so abstract according to the general understanding of society that the teacher's explanation of the true understanding was enlightening. Faith is a principle to live by; not a general belief. We live it by trusting in the word and revelation that God gives man. I trusted that he would provide for me, so I worked at it to let him provide my current life situation including my career and family. That is one example of practicing faith.

4 March 2019

Today I stayed inside, waiting until the climate warmed up. I typically check all of the locations, requiring inspections on Monday, so I worked on the sequence manual. 

Hoffman is auditing my inspection matrix, having me give all of my PSI inspection reports to them to verify how accurate my tracking is.

My operation manager asked me for a count of the remaining mullions to install, and the number was higher than he expected.

On my walk, I was not freezing, but my hands were. I have 11 inspections recorded from the walk to do. Crews can to me with issues to resolve, which were interesting.

I have never been a reader until "Come, follow me." I think that Habitica keeps me pushing my limit of daily achivement too. I read the Book of Mormon in the morning as I shave, do family scripture study as I eat breakfast, study personally from "Come, follow me as I eat lunch, and study "Come, follow me'' for primary as I brush my teeth. Never reading so much, I am packing my days so much that I pair passive activities with active ones. "Come, follow me" encourages the participants to read the chapters before engaging in the guidance of the book, and I finally humbled myself to do so, since my confidence in my reading capabilities has increased.

I started reading Matthew chapter 8 per the schedule of "Come, follow me." If God were living on Earth, would you ask him to bless one of your loved ones? I think that this would be as natural as prayer. The following story impressed me: 

"And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 
And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 
The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 
When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." (Matthew 8:5-13)

The centurion knew Christ can heal his servant, and he asked him to do so. The miracle would not have happened, if he had not asked. This is faith to live by your spiritual knowledge, assurances, and revelation. 

I tend to write a lot about this because an accounting teacher taught what faith really is. Faith is so abstract according to the general understanding of society that the teacher's explanation of the true understanding was enlightening. Faith is a principle to live by; not a general belief. We live it by trusting in the word and revelation that God gives man. I trusted that he would provide for me, so I worked at it to let him provide my current life situation including my career and family. That is one example of practicing faith.

During my drawing time last night, I fixed her eye.

The Sermon on the Mount: My CTR 5 Lesson

The following four precepts were the lesson topics: Golden Rule, Your Treasure is where your Heart is, Prayer, and Wise man & Foolish man. I was planning to bring a box of my treasures, but I forgot the box at home. I almost ditched that part of the lesson, but I thought to draw a treasure chest on the black board to have a good discussion. The children were impressed by my drawing. 

I told the children a story that the person, who sealed my wife and I, shared at my wedding. He said that after buying land he learned that a gigantic rock made excavation difficult. Consulting architects, he had them design his house with the rock as the foundation. The property was in California. When the 1989 earthquake came, all of the houses around fell apart except his, since his house had a rock foundation. I asked a child about what the rock represents, and he said that it is the courage to be righteous.

The treasures in my box were the following: a stone from Delta Stone products, a fabric elephant keychain, miniature art mannequin, a wooden box from Jamaica, a ceramic pot, and an appointment paper from my sealing. I felt a little emotional, telling Jessica about my treasures. The stone from Delta Stone Products represents that I treasure God's guidance in my education and career. The fabric elephant is from Thailand representing my treasure of family. The miniature art mannequin represents my talent, hobbies, childhood, and upbringing; which I treasure. The wood carven Jamaican box represents my missionary service. The ceramic pot was made by a high school friend expressing my friends are a treasure of mine. The appointment paper represents the  treasure of my marriage. Health is another treasure, but I could not think of a good item to represent it. Hints of my treasures are all over my apartment. 

3 March 2019

Last night I picked up Jessica at the Portland Airport, going to sleep late again. Although I woke up about 5:45 AM, getting about six hours of sleep, I chose to schedule blog posts and prepare my primary lesson. 

I had four parts to my lesson this time instead of two compared to last time. My co-teacher had a substitute, who was very helpful, expounding on the lesson. 

The following four precepts were the lesson topics: Golden Rule, Your Treasure is where your Heart is, Prayer, and Wise man & Foolish man. I was planning to bring a box of my treasures, but I forgot the box at home. I almost ditched that part of the lesson, but I thought to draw a treasure chest on the black board to have a good discussion. The children were impressed by my drawing. 

I told the children a story that the person, who sealed my wife and I, shared at my wedding. He said that after buying land he learned that a gigantic rock made excavation difficult. Consulting architects, he had them design his house with the rock as the foundation. The property was in California. When the 1989 earthquake came, all of the houses around fell apart except his, since his house had a rock foundation. I asked a child about what the rock represents, and he said that it is the courage to be righteous.

The treasures in my box were the following: a stone from Delta Stone products, a fabric elephant keychain, miniature art mannequin, a wooden box from Jamaica, a ceramic pot, and an appointment paper from my sealing. I felt a little emotional, telling Jessica about my treasures. The stone from Delta Stone Products represents that I treasure God's guidance in my education and career. The fabric elephant is from Thailand representing my treasure of family. The miniature art mannequin represents my talent, hobbies, childhood, and upbringing; which I treasure. The wood carven Jamaican box represents my missionary service. The ceramic pot was made by a high school friend expressing my friends are a treasure of mine. The appointment paper represents the  treasure of my marriage. Health is another treasure, but I could not think of a good item to represent it. Hints of my treasures are all over my apartment. 

After church I drew for about forty minutes. Hands are difficult. I am not afraid of them, but I can't figure out how to get the right proportion currently. I developed the faces a lot more of the lion and the mage.

The True Application of Faith

I finished reading Alma 58 this morning. Chapter 58 of Alma in the Book of Mormon is a great chapter to learn the true application of faith.

Helamen and his troops were not supported well by their nation due to pride. They were far from the safe capitol. Not being informed of the situation, they had to fend for themselves. Their small army feared the numerous armies of the Lamanites. 

"Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty." (Alma 58:10-12)

Helamen and his armies now had knowledge and an assurance that their endeavors will succeed. This is faith. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (JST, Hebrews 11:1) Assurance comes from revelation. Trust in your faith, and continually cultivate it to maintain  the fruits of hope. Read the whole chapter for full context.

2 March 2019

Last night I put another five minutes of work in my Habitica fan art/character design. It is attached below. 

Serving in the temple today, I was thinking that I may be doing too much. Although I have been going to sleep late most nights of this week, I have been able to function well at work somehow. I was pondering how to scale back somehow in the temple because my service was mostly functional in the temple, but sleeping punctually would make it better.

When I got home, I watch YouTube as I prepared and ate lunch. After lunch I scheduled blog posts for my singles' blogs curation social media pages, watching YouTube still; then, I napped until I needed to head to my game night with Alex Meldrum. 

I said that I shouldn't hang at with him yesterday, since Jessica is going to Hayley Lopez' baby shower, but Alex Meldrum planned a bro night, inviting another friend over. He introduced me to deck building games, teaching me XenoShyft. It was a cooperation game to protect our base from monsters. All three of us had a post to defend. Alex was surprised that it was my first time playing a deck building game. He thought that played them before. I caught on quickly, enjoying it.

I finished reading Alma 58 this morning. Chapter 58 of Alma in the Book of Mormon is a great chapter to learn the true meaning of faith.

Helamen and his troops were not supported well by their nation due to pride. They were far from the safe capitol. Not being informed of the situation, they had to fend for themselves. Their small army feared the numerous armies of the Lamanites. 

"Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty." (Alma 58:10-12)

Helamen and his armies now had knowledge and an assurance that their endeavors will succeed. This is faith. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (JST, Hebrews 11:1) Assurance comes from revelation. Trust in your faith, and continually cultivate it to maintain the fruits of hope.

Prioritizing Heavenly Things Over Vain Things

The following verses Matthew chapter six impressed principles of prioritizing Heavenly things over vain things:

Twenty-two

"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."

One can obtain the glory of God, if the individual seeks unity. He said himself; "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) Sharing his glory is his desire. He wants us to join him in eternal life.

Twenty-four

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

A principle of human relations requires a choice. Choose to be good or bad. One can't choose both. An individual will truly be faithful to one.

Twenty-five (Joseph Smith Translation)

"And, again, I say unto you, Go ye into the world, and care not for the world; for the world will hate you, and will persecute you, and will turn you out of their synagogues."

Don't worry about what people say, if they are presecuting you for Christ's sake. One may lose their worldly station, but they are securing their station in Heaven.

Twenty-seven (Joseph Smith Translation)

"And your heavenly Father will provide for you, whatsoever things ye need for food, what ye shall eat; and for raiment, what ye shall wear or put on."

God will provide. Serve him with your might. Don't seek for temporary needs, for God provides graciously for his servants. Focus on the Heavenly treasures of temple and family history work, missionary work, service and humanitarian work, & so forth.