Isaiah 20: Trusting In The Arm Of Flesh Sucks!

Alrighty! I’ve got a chance to do this finally. Sorry I didn’t get to post anything yesterday, y’all. I’m trying to adapt to having my family back home with me. XD

Anyway. Today I finally got back into gear and had a great scripture study. I wasn’t sure what to focus on today, so I’m going to take a look at Isaiah 20. This is one of the chapters where Isaiah makes it clear that God is about to drop the hammer on Israel. Jerusalem has become faithless yet again, and are relying on the arm of flesh instead of the arm of God.

This is one of the chapters of Isaiah that isn’t also cited somehow in the Book of Mormon. Probably because it really wasn’t relevant to the Nephite story. They already knew that Israel was doomed, so the message in Isaiah 20 was more specific to Jerusalem. Still, there’s a warning we can draw from it as well, especially in modern times: When you trust in the arm of flesh, you’re going to lose every time.

Ecclesiastes 10: The Noble And Great Ones Among Us

“I have seen servants on horseback, and princes walking as servants upon the Earth.” Though the Preacher meant something else, it reminded me of how often we’re around God’s “princes in rags” and don’t know it.

Alrighty! I’ve got another one for y’all today. This one’ll probably be shorter than usual, but short is good on the internet, right? LOL Anyway. Today, I read from Ecclesiastes 10, which has a few great insights that are still timeless. A rather vivid parable was given, for instance, that a dead fly in a perfume bottle makes the whole thing stink. A great, icky visual for how a little sin can taint an otherwise beautiful heart, ne? And gross…can’t ignore that fact…XD

Anyway. Today I’m gonna focus on just one verse from this chapter, because it stood out to me that sharply. One verse from Ecclesiastes 10 reminded me, very powerfully, of how often the great and noble among us are born into the most, well, humble places. Though the Preacher probably wasn’t thinking it at the time, it still carries that message, and testifies of the eternal truth that the humble and lowly of the earth are often “princes in rags.”

Ether 12: God’s Strength To Our Weakness

Not all weaknesses are a result of sin, or even that we’re “just weak.” Some weaknesses, God allows us to have, to give him opportunities to show us his strength and give us miracles.

Alrighty! So, I’m coming back to Ether 12 again, just because I wanted to talk a little more about it. The first half of the chapter is stellar for talking about faith; the second half talks more about weakness, and the strength of God, his mercy, and all those wonderful things. Verse 27 says this:

“If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weakthings become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27)

There’s a reason I wanted to talk about this. A lot of people seem to believe that their weaknesses, or their temptations, are just “the result of a fallen state.” Like, they “prove we’re no good,” and are all because “we’re all sinners.” And yes, sometimes, that is the case. Some weaknesses or temptations are like that. But I speak from experience when I say that those things vanish when the power of Christ is in your life. If what you struggle with is an actual sin or temptation, then once the Atonement comes into play, God will give you the power to overcome them. That was kinda the whole point.

If you haven’t felt that power in your life, and you don’t feel like Christ is supporting you, all I can say is that it’s time to analyze how you welcome Christ into your life. I promise you, if you let him in, he will pull you through. He has the power to destroy any temptation that normally gets us easily. And he gladly will – even if it takes time.

But, I was going somewhere with this. Not all the things we face in life are the result of sin. Like, say…the person in the wheelchair. Maybe God will heal them. He has the power. But maybe he won’t. Maybe they’ll be in that wheelchair their whole life. Does that mean God is angry at them? Does that mean he’s withholding from them because they’re sinful, or because they deserve to suffer for being born into an imperfect state? No! Of course not. And it’s the same for little problems too. Maybe you struggle with balancing your time, or keeping yourself organized (I know I do). Maybe you struggle with a mental issue, or with school, or with work, or any number of things. These things don’t make you bad. They don’t prove that you’re a sinner, or that God is leaving you to struggle cuz you’re just so awful. That’s not how he works.

God gives us weaknesses, and lets us struggle with things, to help keep us humble. And I don’t mean that in an “I’ll beat you into submission” kind of way. Rather, God lets us have weaknesses in this life so that we’ll always have something we need his help with. The point is that we’ll ask for his help, and let him support us, and draw closer to him. Those things we struggle with, therefore, are often blessings in disguise. They give us a reason to draw extra-close to God. And he’ll always love us, and he’ll always help us, if we turn to him, and let him heal us.

Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 12, too. It’s what he meant in verses 7-10:

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Some of our weaknesses will only vanish once we leave this mortal coil. In Paul’s case, it seems that he had some difficulty with false revelations. That’s how it sounds, at least, reading this. And we all struggle with that at least once, don’t we? It’s a nice reminder that even the great apostles are still human like the rest of us. XD

Regardless. Paul is told by God that “my strength is made perfect in [your] weakness,” and Paul now “glories in his infirmities,” because he understands they serve a valuable purpose.

I like to think of it as a weight, like those exercise weights you strap around your wrists and ankles. Those things are heavy. It’s easy to see them as a needless weight, or even like a ball and chain. But when you wear them, what happens? Your body gets stronger. Your muscles grow faster. And one day, when you finally take them off – or in this case, return to Heavenly Father – you’ll see just how much stronger you’ve really become.

Glorify God, and let him strengthen you in your weaknesses. They’re all there for a purpose. One day, you’ll see what purpose they served, and even if your muscles ache so much now that you can barely get outta bed in the morning, those weights will come off one day, and then you’ll be way faster and stronger than you ever imagined you could be. Because you carried a difficult weight, and it will be removed. I promise you, it will be removed. I testify it’s true. I’ve seen it in my own life, and I pray you can one day see it in yours, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.