Yesterday I went to the temple to do baptism, but when I got there it was closed (turns out it's closed all month, but I didn't know this, and I haven't been since last month,) and I didn't really have time to go find another temple that was open, so I sat in the parking lot and read the Book of Mormon for a little bit. This is kind of a side thought, but lately I've been making a distinction in my head between drinking living water and feasting on the words of Christ -- not a distinction based on anything doctrinal, just names I've been giving things in my head. Whereas feasting involves active study, questioning, researching and purposely gaining new knowledge, drinking is a little less rigorous and involves immersing yourself in the Spirit and the beauty of the word, finding peace and solace from worldly care, and taking time to be still and know that God is there. The two are not mutually exclusive, especially because good feasting usually involves drinking.
Anyway, yesterday at the temple I wanted to drink from the waters of life, and find comfort and direction about paying for and preparing for my mission. I read Alma 36, which is one of my favorites, and had the impression that 1) I need to start taking a mission prep class and go to institute, 2) that if I keep the commandments God will prosper me in the land. Impression 2 was very comforting because I've been working hard on following the promptings I've received to set things in place to make money for my mission. I realized, too, that I've been doing things backwards by trying to figure out money and stuff before I put in my papers, instead of moving forward in faith and making the money meet the deadline God gives.
Then today in sunday school my dad talked about a story my uncle Jamie told us while we were in CA last week. (I went to Chowchilla CA last week for my cousin's wedding. it was fantastic.) My uncle went to Texas a little bit ago to visit one of the church farms there (he manages the church vineyards in CA, so it was some sort of "business trip" or something) and was talking to one of the managers, who told him that several years ago there was a peanut famine in Africa. In certain parts of Africa peanuts are to the natives like rice is to the Chinese, so having no peanuts meant a lot of them were going to starve. The red cross approached the church and asked them for, don't quote me on this but, I believe it was upwards of a million pounds of peanuts. That would have been all of the churches store of peanuts. The request went all of the way up to the prophet, who said to give it all to the Red Cross. So they did. Now, this peanut farm had been producing basically the same amount of peanuts for years, with the numbers barely varying, but the next year the peanut farm produced double what it had in past years, then went back to producing normally the next year.
Another time my uncle told us about how one year the vineyard in California had lost most of its fruit due to early rains, but the church had said they needed even more raisins that year than in years past. he told them he wouldn't be able to fill that order, but they told him it was God's order so he better. Well, the day before harvest there were hardly any grapes on the vines, but when he went out the next day there were literally grapes on the vines where there had been none the night before. They had exactly enough to fill the order.
God has the power in this day and age to literally create where there was none before, and He does it on a regular basis for faithful members who serve Him. If you keep the commandments God can and will prosper you in the land, very literally. If we are willing to live the higher law and give everything we have to God He will give it back to us with more and to spare. If you keep the commandments of God you will prosper in the land.
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