Sunday July 2, 2006

Sacrament Meeting (Fast and Testimony)
The Lord doesn't always give us what we want, but he always gives us what we need.

Sunday School
I had it in my head that all of the psalms were written by David. Our instructor shared a chart with us today that showed a breakdown of who wrote how many. It was listed in Religion 301,Old Testament Student Manual Genesis–2 Samuel p. 310.
Psalms with no superscription .............................................. 18
Psalms attributed to David .................................................... 73
Psalms attributed to Solomon ................................................ 2
Psalms attributed to Asaph
(a musician in David’s court) ................................................ 12
Psalms attributed to the sons of Korah (Levites) ................ 11
Psalms attributed to Heman
(a leader of the temple music)................................................ 1
Psalms attributed to Ethan
(a leader of the temple music)................................................ 1
Psalms attributed to Moses .................................................... 1
Psalms with song titles............................................................ 4
Hallelujah (“Praise Ye Jehovah”) Psalms .............................. 18
Psalms of Degree (see Reading 28-4 for a definition).......... 15

I didn't find anything else to blog about in Sunday school, since Testimony meeting ran over and caused us to have limited time. Also, I have a tough time seeing the value of the book of Psalms.

Priesthood
The lesson was on the 1st Presidency message out of the July 2006 Ensign.

Out of every principle of our beliefs Joseph Smith picked to list the definition of the Godhead first when writting the articles of faith.

In our discussion today it was brought out that there is sometimes a discrepency about God's personality, since in the Old Testament we see a punishing God and in the New Testament we see a loving God. Some get caught up in God being one or the other. Are we as fathers punishing fathers or loving fathers. The answer is that we are both. Our punishing should be loving.

1. D&C 95: 1
   1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I ^alove I also chasten that their sins may be ^bforgiven, for with the ^cchastisement I prepare a way for their ^ddeliverance in all things out of ^etemptation, and I have loved you.
2. Rev. 3: 19
   19 As many as I love, I rebuke and ^achasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
3. D&C 121: 43
   43 ^aReproving betimes with ^bsharpness, when ^cmoved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of ^dlove toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

God the Father has only spoken to man a few times that we have recorded. Each time it was to introduce his Son.

We read the scripture John 4: 24

24 ^aGod is a ^bSpirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in ^ctruth.

Many people use this to prove that God does not have a body, but the same could be said for man. Man is a spirit. Man is also flesh and bone, but our spirit is who we are.

We also read Matt 12:32
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be ^aforgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
I had always read this scripture from the perspective of the unpardonable sin, which is obviously what it is all about. When I read it today I noticed the phrase "neither in the world to come." People often talk about people dying and going directly to Heaven or Hell, which goes against the idea of Christ returning and judging his people. This scripture's implication seems to support the doctrine of being able to repent to some extent after death.