Problems with Garments

      So you are watching TV with your hubby and the Victoria Secret commercial comes on.  This is a bit of a problem.  The garments you feel secure wearing cannot compete with the fancy, cute underwear in the commercial.  The wife next door has a variety of cute outfits she wears but the garments limit a person to the more modest selections.  While the church commands you to wear one thing, the typical hubby would probably choose something more appealing to look at.  On the other hand, if one spouse is wearing the garments more often than the other, there is the judgemental aspect to deal with:  "Why are you not wearing the garments."
      Has a High Priest ever been commanded to not wear the garments?  This command if found in Leviticus 16:23:  "And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:"  In the next verse, he was to wash and put his own clothes back on.  I think this passage is highly significant.  Aaron, the high priest, was to take off the holy garments and leave them there when he went out of the holy place.  So Aaron dressed two ways.  He wore the priestly garments in the holy place and he wore his own garments when he was not in the holy place.  Ezekiel 44:19 again tells us, "And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments."
      There are bigger questions here, however.  Are you going to trust in some garments to protect you or are you going to depend on God's protection?  If the power of God cannot protect you, what can a hundred garments do?  Are you going to depend on a baptism to save you or on Jesus work on the cross.  Yes baptism is a commandment.  But if Jesus death is not enough what can a thousand gallons of water do?  Are you going to focus on a temple for celestial salvation or focus on Jesus.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "...let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;..."   Mosiah 3:17 says, "...there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent."
      So back to the dilemma.  Do you wear the garments to please the church or the cute outfit to please your hubby?  The marriage relationship has been designed, instituted and ordained by God.  Are you working to strengthen what God has designed?
      What if you are a yes and yes person - need to please the church and the hubby?  Here is a 4 step plan.  1) Communicate with your spouse.  2) Come to an agreement.  3)  Follow the agreement.  4) If there is discontent or a judgemental attitude, repeat steps 1-3.  A happy marriage is a good thing.

Should the LDS name be on the Holy Bible?

       Should the name “The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints” be printed on the binder of the King James Bible?  Should the Bible be considered Mormon scripture?  Is it worthy enough? 

The story of the woman at the well, in John 4:4-42, is a very gracious story.  Since Jesus was a Jew, it was strange that he would walk through Samaria.  The Jews did not associate with Samaritans.  Jesus started a conversation with the woman at the well.  She does not sound like she was worthy to be in the presence of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said that she had had 5 husbands and the man she was currently with was not her husband.  I think we can assume that she was not “temple worthy”.  She probably didn’t have a temple recommend.  I doubt that she had been paying her tithing.  She does not sound like a religious person at all.  She probably had plenty of bad works and a bad reputation.  Suddenly she was in the presence of Jesus Christ.  As Jesus was talking to this UNWORTHY woman, he told that her if she had known the “gift of God”, she would have asked him for living water.  In John 4:14 he said, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”  When Jesus mentioned her 5 husbands and current man, she changed the subject by talking about worship.  She said in John 4:20, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”  Jesus answered her question.  In John 4:21, 23, 24 we read, “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father…But the hour cometh,…when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”  If this was not enough, he went on to tell her that he was Christ, the Messiah.  As you continue reading the story, you find that she went on a little mission trip and brought many Samaritans to Jesus.  The Mormon Church seems to have a focus on worthiness.  However, this is a story of an unworthy person and Jesus.  Should this story be considered scripture? 

            There is a temple story in Luke 18:9-14.  “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a Publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”  This story focuses on two men.  One was not only unworthy but called himself a sinner.

      Luke 5:30-32 is another passage that compares worthy and unworthy people.  “But the scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  The focus here is on the unworthy also.

      The temple in the Old testament must have drawn a lot of unworthy people.  If you sinned against God, you went to the temple with your goat or other animal and the priest sacrificed the animal for your sin.  They did this at least once a year.  The temple was a place for unworthy sinners to come. 

      Moroni 10:32 has more of a Mormon flavor with attention given to worthiness.  “…if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you,…”  The next verse says, “And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ,…”  You probably know 1 Nephi 3:7, “…the Lord giveth no commandements unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”  According to this verse, it should be possible to keep every commandment.  So we are without excuse.  2 Nephi 25:23 says, “..;for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” 

      So here is the question:  If you were in President Monson’s shoes, would you say that the King James Bible is “worthy” enough to be considered scripture or is it too focused on the “unworthy”?  Should the name, “The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints” be associated with it?