Semana 25

Dear Elder Lutze,

We continue to pray for you and those you are teaching. We pray they will attend and feel the Spirit.So grateful you are also learning and growing in the gospel! I love the scriptures! I’m just finishing the entire Old Testament. It was an amazing experience!

Of course another busy week. I spent a lot of time at work and then worked on various projects at home. I met with the tree company to review tree work. I went out with the youth to deliver fliers for flag fundraiser. I’ve been working on putting all my recipes together in Recipe Keeper. Lots of communication about the house in SG. It rented again this week for a year and we’ll be paid for all of February. Nice blessing!  So only three months without rent. I met with Lauren and Michelle about our trip to Boston and Israel. We confirmed details for that. I helped with our Advanced Neuro Trauma Graduation Party on Friday night. Rachael was there! The temple is always wonderful each week. I was able to do 7 initiatories this week for Dad’s ancestors. They’ve changed some more wording in the initiatory and endowment. Dad and I finally were able to do our floats yesterday. They are salt water floats. It was amazing!!! So relaxing! Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at Great Harvest!

My thoughts surround the end of the Old Testament this week, specifically Malachi. 

Malachi 3:2 

The only ones who survive will be those who have kept their covenants with the Lord or who are worthy of at least a paradisiacal, or terrestrial, glory. All wickedness will be destroyed from the earth.

President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “When Christ comes the second time it will be in the clouds of heaven, and it shall be the day of vengeance against the ungodly, when those who have loved wickedness and have been guilty of transgression and rebellion against the laws of God will be destroyed. All during the ministry of Christ wickedness ruled and seemed to prevail, but when he comes in the clouds of glory as it is declared in this message of Malachi to the world, and which was said by Moroni to be near at hand, then Christ will appear as the refiner and purifier of both man and beast and all that pertains to this earth, for the earth itself shall undergo a change and receive its former paradisiacal glory.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:11.)

Malachi 3:8-10

To Israel, ancient and modern, the Lord promised to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (v. 10). All material and spiritual things are His to give as He sees fit. Included in His “blessings from heaven” are revelations from Him in one’s personal life. All blessings are, of course, conditional (see D&C 82:10; 130:21; 132:5). He desires to bless His faithful children abundantly (see 1 Corinthians 2:9).

“The devourer” may mean locusts and other pests to agriculture, but it may refer to Satan as well. The Lord promised that the fruits of the ground and vine will not come forth ahead of their time when they would be of little or no value. The implication is that our efforts to provide for ourselves would be blessed and bear fruit in their season.

Because of the blessings that will come to the faithful, they will be recognized by the world around them, both individually and as a people.

Malachi 3:16-18

Is my name, my husband’s name and my children’s names in His book of remembrance?

Those who devote themselves to the Lord earn for themselves the privilege of having their names recorded in the Lamb’s book of life. This sacred “book of remembrance” (v. 16) is kept in heaven and contains the names of the faithful children of Father in Heaven, or, in other words, those who are His precious jewels. (see D&C 128:6–7; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5; 21:27.) They are those who will inherit eternal life, for this book contains “the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world” (D&C 88:2). Those whose names are written there and who afterwards return to sinful ways will have their names blotted from the book (see Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 22:19).

The book of life is the Lord’s book of remembrance, not unlike records that He has commanded the Saints to keep in all ages of the world. Elder McConkie explained:

“Adam kept a written account of his faithful descendants in which he recorded their faith and works, their righteousness and devotion, their revelations and visions, and their adherence to the revealed plan of salvation. To signify the importance of honoring our worthy ancestors and of hearkening to the great truths revealed to them, Adam called his record a book of remembrance. It was prepared ‘according to the pattern given by the finger of God.’ (Moses 6:4–6, 46.)

“Similar records have been kept by the saints in all ages. (Mal. 3:16–17; 3 Ne. 24:15–16.) Many of our present scriptures have come down to us because they were first written by prophets who were following Adam’s pattern of keeping a book of remembrance. The Church keeps similar records today (D. & C. 85) and urges its members to keep their own personal and family books of remembrance.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 100.)

Malachi 4:1

Malachi stated that “the day cometh” when there would be great destruction of the wicked (v. 1). Elder Theodore M. Burton said:

“When Malachi prophesied of the second coming of Christ, he spoke of ‘the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly.’ Of whom was he speaking? First, of those who rejected Christ because of the pride of their hearts, and second, of those who, having accepted Jesus, were not valiant in keeping his commandments.

“Malachi went on to say they ‘shall burn as stubble.’ This means that they shall be destroyed. By whom? Malachi explains, ‘They that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts.’” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1967, p. 81.)

Every corruptible and impure thing, including human and animal, fish and fowl, will be cleansed from the earth (see D&C 64:24, 101:24–25).

Each person belongs to a family tree. Our “roots” are the ancestors from whom we descend, and our “branches” are those who descend from us. To be “left with neither root nor branch” is to be cut off from one’s ancestry and posterity eternally. That is precisely the condition of those for whom the sealing blessings of the Melchizedek Priesthood have not been performed or for those who, having had the ordinances performed, fail to live worthy of claiming their blessings. To prevent this great catastrophe, Elijah was sent to earth in the latter days with the sealing powers (see D&C 110:13–16).

I testify that as we are obedient, we are blessed. The blessings are not always the things of this world.  My greatest desire and blessing would be to have my entire family with me in the eternities ~ a noble posterity!

I love you!

 Mom

Happy Valentine’s Day on Tuesday! I hope you receive your package soon!

I may not be able to talk long tmr! I’ll be in between meetings!