The Light of the World

Let Your Light Shine

Luke 11: 33-36

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

We are familiar with the premise here, every year for the last few years our hashtag for Christmas posts have been #LightTheWorld so the idea of being a light in the darkness is not new.  The question I am posing today is do you really understand how we are the light of the world? I can tell you my version and am happy to accept comments on what your version is.

As a light in the world our behavior and words need to match. If we say something is right then we must act on what we say. People notice behavior and they really notice when what you say doesn't match what you do. We are a light just by living our beliefs. Helping, forgiving, serving, reading and studying our scriptures, showing mercy, and even the simple act of following the word of wisdom. I have had people ask me if I am a Mormon just because they had realized I don't drink coffee (I work in a call center, I am absolutely in the minority regarding coffee).

Putting out light in a secret place or under a bushel (hiding who we are and what we believe) will not draw others to the light. Jesus goes on to say "Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness" I am open to corrections here but I take this to be a warning to those like the Pharisees - who flaunt their good deeds and prayer in public but its all a show and not what they really believe. Doing good deeds when they don't mean them but only to gather attention. Examine your testimony, be sincere in your beliefs, and live your talk and you will be a light unto the world. 

Thoughts on the Word of Wisdom

This week we talked about how the Lord restricted the Children of Israel from certain foods and if they came in contact with thoses food even the vessals that touched them could not be used. Those restrictions ended with Christs sacrifice  for us although some people still choose to follow them. In todays world Joseph Smith was given revelation about a new set of restrictions  which are over all easier to follow and understand. No alcohol, no tobacco, no hot drinks which is understood to mean no coffee or tea. Why does this end up in debate? Why do we end up in the spirit of the law vs the letter of the law? If we are to obey the Lord and his meaning is no coffee, then that means no hot coffee, no cold coffee, no coffee ice cream, no coffee candy, no coffee extract. We are capable of following Him in obedience. We can do this.

Leviticus and the Word of Wisdom

Leviticus and the Word of Wisdom

I apologize now this is going to be a bit long. 

I the book of Leviticus chapter 11 to be specific the Lord set forth to the Children of Israel what foods were "clean and unclean". This is the start of what most of us today understand to be the Kosher law for food if you are Jewish. I sorted it out into a table here to attempt to make sense of it and unlike what I normally prefer to do with the Scriptures this time I also took it out of King James English as I sorted out the meanings.

Leviticus Dietary Restrictions Leviticus 11:1-30
Clean	Unclean
Any beast with a divided (parted) hoof, and is cloven foot, and chews the cud is okay to eat.	The camel is unclean to eat because he chews the cud, but doesn’t have a divided hoof.
Whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers are ok to eat.	The coney (hyrax), because he chews the cud, but doesn’t have a divided hoof; he is unclean unto you.
You may eat of every flying creeping thing that goes upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap upon the earth; Even these you may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.	The hare, because he chews the cud, but doesn’t  have a divided hoof; he is unclean unto you.
.	The swine is unclean, though he  has a divided the hoof, and is cloven footed, yet he doesn’t chew the cud
	Anything in the waters, seas or rivers that have not fins and scales they shall be an abomination unto you:
	Among the fowls; these shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; Every raven after his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.  All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you
	The carcasses of every beast which divides the hoof, and is not cloven footed, nor chews the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that touches them shall be unclean. And whatever goes upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso touches their carcasses shall be unclean until the evening These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
	Any of them, when they are dead it shall be unclean if they fall into any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening And every earthen vessel, where into any of them falls, whatever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.  Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water comes shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. And every thing whereupon any part of their carcasses falls shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.  Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which touches their carcasses shall be unclean.  If any part of their carcasses fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.  But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcasses fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.  If any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that touches the carcasses thereof shall be unclean until the evening. He that eats of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening: he also that bears the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
	Every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.  Whatever goes upon the belly, and whatever goes upon all four, or whatever has more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination

 

Looking at this list we can see immediately that the dietary code served two purposes. Many of the restrictions were for the health and well being of the Israelites, however some of them simply served as lessons in obedience and to set them apart as Gods faithful children. When you have to think about what you are eating and why everyday it serves as a reminder. Today we call rabbits coneys, but according to Google in Moses's time it was an animal called a hyrax which had paws. 

It is understood by most Christians that these particular restrictions ended when Christ sacrificed himself. Some choose to continue them voluntarily. When Joseph Smith restored the church he was given a revelation about a new set of restriction that are found in the Doctrine and Covenants. 

Word of Wisdom Doctrine and Covenants 89:5-17
For Use	Not For Use
Wholesome herbs	Wine or Strong Drink
Every herb and fruit in season	Tobacco
Flesh of beast, fowls of the air, sparingly	Hot Drinks (tea/coffee)
Grain

 I have to say that our list is much easier to follow.  Just as with the list given to the Children of Israel, we can make guesses about why some things are restricted but others may simply to teach obedience.

1 Cor 19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,and in your spirit, which are God’s.