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Francis Harper Message for 11/23/2018
(Early because of Thanksgiving)
Dear Ones,
One of Brother Ram Baral’s favorite verses of scripture is Psalm 34:8: “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Ram was born in Nepal, into Hinduisms highest caste. His father and forefathers were Hindu high priests in the royal palace. Although he worshiped Krishna and had studied the Vedas, Gita and several Hindu scriptures, he felt strangely empty of truth. He studied all kinds of religions. Finally after finding a Bible and studying about Jesus Christ in 1980, he was nourished by the good Word of God. His hunger for truth was at last being satisfied. He loves the Scriptures of the Restoration. He was baptized on September 20, 2003.
Jesus said: “Blessed are all they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness (and truth); for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 5:8). If we are not hungering and thirsting for the Lord and his blessed word we are facing spiritual starvation, or spiritual anorexia, which will eventually lead to spiritual death!
Most people are scripturally illiterate today. The words of the prophet Amos are appropriate: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing (or reading and knowing) the words of the Lord; and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst” (Amos 8:11-13).
Psalm 119 is a testimony of the goodness of the word of God. The Psalmists treasured the word of God. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is proof of this. Many of the 176 verses speak of their love for the written word. Verse 105 is one of the favorites: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Another is: “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103). Others I have noted are: “With my whole heart have I sought thee; oh let me not wander from thy commandments” (Psalm 119: 10). “I will not forget thy word” (Psalm 119:50). “Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). “Order my steps in thy word” (Psalm 119:133). “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil [prize]” (Psalm 119:162). “Thy law is my delight” (Psalm 119:174). “Great peace have they that love thy law” (Psalm 119:165).
As we become better acquainted with the Scriptures our love and appreciation of them will be increased and the Holy Spirit will bring scriptures to our remembrance to teach and guide us. “. . . the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).
As our knowledge of the Scriptures is increased our ability to bring counsel from the word of the Lord is enhanced. In her book, Father Ten Boom, God’s Man, Corrie Ten Boom wrote: Father always used the Bible when he counseled. He knew the needs of people are not sufficiently met by human philosophies. He always knew a Bible verse that precisely answered the need of those who came to him. I asked him once, “Papa, do you learn by heart every text that you think will be useful for counseling people?” “No,” he answered, “it is the Lord who gives me the words I need.” He mentioned Isaiah 50:4: “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary . . .” (Father Ten Boom, God’s Man, page 75).
My Love to All,
Francis Harper
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Cling to the Rod of Iron
In a vision the Prophet Lehi saw a narrow path, and a rod of iron which led to a tree. . . “Whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. . . And as I partook of the fruit, it filled my soul with exceeding great joy (Nephi 49-52). And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood . . . they did come forth and commence in the path. And . . . there arose an exceeding great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost (1 Nephi 2:65-67).
“And . . . I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; And they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.
“And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld . . . a great and spacious building. And it stood . . . high above the earth; and it was filled with people . . . their manner of dress was exceeding fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who . . . were partaking of the fruit. And after they had partaken of the fruit they were ashamed because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost (1 Nephi 2:68-76).
“And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter that building they did point the finger of scorn . . . but we heeded them not . . . For as many as heeded them had fallen away” (1 Nephi 2:82-84).
Nephi, the son of Lehi, was given the interpretation of his father’s vision: “. . . the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they may perish, and are lost; And the large and spacious building which thy father saw is (the) vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men (1 Nephi 3:125-126).
“I beheld that the rod of iron which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; And I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God” (1 Nephi 3:68-69).
Clinging to the rod of iron; the word of God, has never been more important than it is today. Clinging to the Scriptures involves much more than carrying them around, or simply setting them on a shelf, or keeping them in a safe place! Clinging to them demands that we diligently study them and live by every word printed therein.
When Jesus was asked . . . “What is the sign of thy coming; and of the end of the world? He answered: “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4-5). We are living in an age of deception. Multitudes are being misled; led astray. Jesus promised: “And whoso treasureth up my word shall not be deceived” (Matthew 24:39 IV).
Nephi wrote: “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness and frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned, they think they are wise, and they hearken not to the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves . . . And they shall perish” (2 Nephi 6:57-60).
We need to heed the Father’s counsel: “wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 13:30).
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