Thursday, June 5, 2014

Seal in your Savour by Searching the Scriptures Daily


Here is a picture of two bottles filled with salt. Imagine today that you will be cooking for a group of your friends. Suppose that you were only allowed to use the salt container that clearly has some sort of another brown substance in it, that is not salt, but has contaminated your salt. You have no idea what this substance is, only that it is not salt. Would you want to use it?

Matthew 5: 11,12,13

Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of  evil against you falsely for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Ye, are the salt of the earth; but if the salt lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of man.

1. Why are members of Christ's church like salt?
               A. When we salt our food we do not need a lot of it, but it is absolutely necessary to make it taste good. just like you do not  need a lot of salt, there are not many members of the church in comparison to the entire world, but our necessity is absolute to his plan and sharing the plan of salvation with all the world.
              B. Salt is a preservative that keeps things from going rotten. As members of his church we are preserving the same church or organization that Christ set up while he was here on the earth.
              C. The process of creating salt can be compared to the process of becoming a saint through the atonement  of Christ as members of the church are supposed to be as it says in Mosiah 3:19. Just as salt is a process to create, so is it a process for us to become who we are supposed to be.
                              
                       1. There are different methods to creating salt, however each one is an difficult or lengthy process.              

                                         I. Solar Salt is when sea water evaporates, salt is captured in a shallow pool and the other elements of the water are sifted out with sun and wind. It takes up to five years to produce a crop of salt in this solar process. As we become the salt, the elements of the natural man are sifted out, or taken out of us. One of the ways that those elements that we are born with naturally as men can be removed is more than just baptism under correct authority, and having the Holy Ghost, but our actions. Daily scripture study is one of the tools that we must use to remove the natural man elements. As we read the scriptures we are provided with the Holy Ghost baring witness that they are true, strengthening our testimony.
                                                   
                                                     II. Salt mining is a process to create salt. In this process explosives are strategically placed and detonated to fracture the salt from the mine face. Likewise, sometimes in our lives we can have an " explosive " experience or trial that humbles us enough to desire change in our lives. As we engage in daily scripture study, we are using exact instructions from our loving Father in Heaven, that tell us how we can create happiness in our lives. What happens when you take a test and you don't read the instructions first? You will do poorly. The scriptures are our instructions. As we turn to the examples of prophets in the scriptures we better understand how we should react to situations in our lives.

                                          III. Vacuum evaporation is the process which salt is created by up to 2,800 feet beneath earths surface. Fresh water is forced down a shaft which dissolves the salt inside the deposit. The saturated water called brine is then pumped back up to the surface where the water is removed through the heat process in a vacuum evaporate. Likewise, we can saturate ourselves in the scriptures which will provide us with more of a desire to show our Father in Heaven that we love him, and desire to be obedient. As we are obedient, and use the atonement we become new creatures through Christ, or the " Salt of the earth. "

2. In these versus it talks about salt that loses its savour is good for nothing. How can salt lose its flavor?

                             A. No matter the age of salt, it can not lose its flavor unless it becomes contaminated with other elements. When we are persecuted ( not accepted, made fun of, or ridiculed ) for our beliefs some have not been able to with stand this and they begin to allow worldly thought processes or behaviors begin to change their behavior to one that will not allow the spirit to guide them as much. We already know as members of God's church we are supposed to be set apart  from others and as we learn in the scripture we are told we will be persecuted and that it is a blessing upon our heads.

                                                    I. In Acts 20: 22-24 we have a scriptural example of Paul's persecution being so severe that he knew by the Holy Ghost that he would die for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul was not afraid, but he went on Jerusalem, where he knew he would be killed.

                             B. When we decide to make what we think may be small choices that do not follow church standards, we are allowing ourselves to become contaminated, by keeping ourselves from having the spirit with us fully. As we read the scriptures we are given strength against temptation that we may have not otherwise had as it brings the Holy Ghost to prompt and guide us, as well as give us strength against temptation. 

                                                     II. In Genesis 39:12 we have a scriptural example of Potipher's wife tempting Joseph, and the great example of Joseph turning away from the temptation.

3. In the Old Testament salt was used as a covenant between two people. As we are the salt of the earth that doesn't lose its savour, this is possible only as we keep our baptismal covenants , and we can seal in our savour, or promise just like we did at baptism that we will try to be like Jesus Christ. As we read the scriptures daily with real intent, we seal in our savour as they bring the Holy Ghost into our day.

4. My testimony of scripture study and it's influence in my life.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Emily Turano :)

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