Joyful Wells | Sharing Cups of Water

This morning, I was reading the Gospel of Matthew, where Christ tells His disciples not to worry about providing food, drink, or clothing to keep his commandments. He explains that if they think they can't keep his commandments because of a lack of worldly possessions, it's because they're actually seeking  to excuse themselves: "Why is it that you murmur among yourselves, saying, We cannot obey your word, because you have not all these things, and seek to  excuse  yourselves, saying that after all these things do the gentiles seek?" (Matthew 3:38). This line of questioning is exactly what I would expect from our Lord because he loves us enough to reveal our character defects, loyalty, and trust in him.  So I did a word search on the different ways "seek to excuse yourself" is used in scripture, and below are the results. I plan to apply these in my own life but hope it's helpful to you, as well.  I don’t wish to  excuse  myself because of other men...

The word 'reproach' ( cherpah in Hebrew ,  oneidismos in Greek )  means  disgrace, shame, scorn, or insult.  In a nutshell, it means to bring disgrace upon oneself or the community.  In the above video, I talk about the good and bad of being a reproach. But as to the bad, p erhaps we've all brought upon ourselves some kind of reproach at one time or another —something we wish we could take back or do over. But what matters now is not the sins of the past, but instead to  " let God’s justice and mercy and long-suffering have full sway in your heart, and let them bring you down to the dust in humility." (Alma 19:7 CoC). None of us can fully prevent another person from sinning, because that's a choice of their own free will. However, teachers, priests, parents, friends, and communities have the duty to encourage one another to stay in the right way (Moroni 6:2).  Alma, the son of Alma, was a good priest in this way. He taught his people the seriousness of...

This post includes a video, but the video is actually an experiment for something else. However, if this video can help with this post, then that's a double-win. This post is about sacrifice, what that looks like anciently and today, and becoming a Priest. It’s not everything (that’s for you to discover) but I hope it’s valuable to you. The instructions for Levite priests to conduct proper ancient sacrifices is outlined in Leviticus chapter 1 of the Restoration Edition Old Covenants or Leviticus chapters 1-4 for all other versions. In those chapters, we learn that there are five types of offerings that can be sacrificed to address a persons devotion, transgression, or sin which brought reconciliation between the person (or community) and God. Interestingly enough, that included any sin which the high priest may have committed: “…  if the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people, then let him bring for his sin which he has sinned a young bullock without ble...

The terms save/saved/salvation have a precise meaning. It means overcoming or being delivered from your enemy or enemies - from the smallest, everyday struggle, to the greatest foe you could face, the last of which is death  (1 Corinthians 1:63).  Strong's  Concordance states: "It is used to describe the act of being saved from danger, distress, or oppression, and is frequently associated with God's saving acts for His people. The term can also imply victory or success, particularly in battle or conflict, emphasizing the triumph that comes through divine aid." Pharoah and his army were an enemy to the Israelites whom God was delivering from their bondage. Moses tells them: "...  Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Exodus 9:2).  Was this Israel's last en...